Last Week Good Eats Pt 2- Last Whole Day

The Last Whole Day in Singapore and my last day of work...

Old Airport Hawker Center for dinner

My main point of going was the famous rojak stall that I was told about.  I have been having a craving for rojak before I leave, so Viv told me about this famous stall in the east.  The durian stall we could go to was close by, so I decided this would be a great opportunity to go eat the famous rojak... sad thing is that it was CLOSED!!!!  It just wasn't meant to be... Instead we had a different rojak which was still pretty nice, along with the wanton mee that was recommended.  It is out of order, but there is also a picture of our table finished afterwards.  I needed to leave room or part 2 and highlight of the night- DURIAN~~

A few colleagues of mine agreed to take me for a REAL durian experience since I was told this week that the packaged durian is usually the not so good quality durian, even though I liked it! They also winced when I said I had the durian pancakes, so we agreed to go for the real experience on my last night here.  Key things for a real experience: pick your durian, have it cut open for you, take the pods out of the fruit to eat with friends, and stink for a while!! They said don't regret it tomorrow when you burp and smell it, smell it on your fingers, and people scoot away from you... but it was WORTH it :)

Here is the durian that Marianne and I picked, as well as a picture of me with the one I sampled.  It was a D24 I believe which is supposed to be high quality, sweet durian.  It was definitely tasty and worth it!  Very creamy, sweet, and no wonder it is the king of fruits!

One final picture of me with durian in one hand, husk in front of me with the pods in it, and a coconut drink to balance it out!  I didn't get to drink water out of the husk which is supposed to somehow help reduce the stinkiness, because we had to run to our car so we didn't get a ticket hehe.  Hopefully the people in the plane tomorrow don't mind!!

Last Week Good Eats Pt 1

The last week in Singapore only means one thing for me...

Squeeze in as much good food as I can!  This whole week was filled with good eats so here is my attempt to capture my culinary adventures throughout the week...

Tuesday- Peranakan Food at Ivan's with Alvin & Christina followed by Island Creamery Ice Cream

Alvin ordered a number of dishes at Ivan's for us and they were all really good. He sure knows the yummies! My favorite (not pictured because it came later than the rest) was what I believe is called itek tim, or the stewed duck in a tamarind gra

vy.  It was a bit sweet but still had a bit of a different, unique kick to it and

 absolutely delicious with coconut rice or alone as I drank a couple spoonfuls at the end because I liked it so much.  My other favorite is the deep fried rolls above with a sort of sweet meat in the middle, eaten with a sweet sauce and a bit of chili.  Yummyyyyyy is all I can say.  We also got some "must try-s" that I think are called ayum buah keluak (chicken with a hard nut stewed in a spicy sour sauce), babi pongteh (pork stewed in soy sauce with spices), vegetables, and of course all with coconut rice.  I had Pernakan food one time previous to this but this time was so much more memorable!

For dessert we headed over to Island Creamery which is a local ice cream shop that makes their own ice creams, with some unique flavors.  Some of those unique flavors included chendol, teh tarik, pulut hitam, and Tiger beer.  I ended up getting the Teh Tarik 

which was delicious- a nice milk tea that apparently tastes like the real drink!  We also tried to print a picture for their wall, but their printer adapter was broken so we couldn't print our picture.  We won't be on their wall, but I'll have the picture we wanted to print!

Wednesday- Crystal Jade farewell lunch with colleagues & Lau Pa Sat dinner with Vivien

My colleagues took me out to a dim sum lunch at Crystal Jade.  It was a good choice since I had gone to Din Tai Fung before for dim sum, but Crystal Jade is an originally singaporean establishment.  We had TONS of food and all of it was really good.  Pictures aren't too flattering so I'll keep them to myself, but I'll share the highlights of what I ate.  I really liked the hor fun I think it was- dark stir fried noodles, roasted meats like pork and duck, and sweet water chestnut rice cake. I don't exactly remember all I ate since there was so much, but those are the ones that stood out to me.

Lau Pa Sat was actually kind of a disappointment.  First of all, not too many queues that I can use as a cue of good food.  I wandered around trying to figure out what to eat and finally decided on ban mian because I like homemade noodles.  I tried a few bites of Viv's Kway Chap which was actually quite good with an herbally taste.  Many people may be turned off that its pig's organs though... I also tried a bit of her bok chor mee, aka minced pork noodle.  Then for dessert I sampled a bit of her sweet potato longan dessert which was quite delightful I must say!  I've heard that the satay street isn't that great so we didn't even try.  For having tons of stores, I had no idea which places were good, and it seems like not too many are famous for their items!

Bangkok, Thailand Part 2

Now for Bangkok part 2- the sweet stuff!

My first sweet came in the form of mango sticky rice at the floating market.  Ok so the first picture is from the thai iced tea lady, but the sticky rice lady was right behind her.  As you can tell in the second photo, I was a tad sweaty from

the heat, humidity, and all the people.  I could try to touch up the photo and get the hair out of my forehead, but clearly I didn't care enough! The sticky rice wasn't as sweet as what I have had in the US, which doesn't surprise me, and I really enjoyed it!

My second sweet was at the Chatuchak Market where there were a lot of stores with actually some good stuff.  It wasn't the road of junk like we saw walking to Wat Pho from the Grand Palace.  I know one person's junk can be another person's treasure but... that stuff was REALLY hard to imagine as someone's treasure... 

The second picture is the dessert that I got.  I'm actually not quite sure what it is, but you pick what you want in your dessert with coconut milk.  The pink balls were gelatinous with a sort of water chestnut-ty crunch center.  The white balls I got that looked like banana cut up was the same crunchy thing that was in the center of the pink thing I believe... Then long white pieces were just coconut inside bits I believe.  It wasn't the best dessert I've had, but it wasn't bad by any means, and I tried something new that I wouldn't eat otherwise!  For the equivalent of $1, this is the place to experiment with new foods right?

Third stop was my last Bangkok eats and was yummyyyyyy.  It was a banana roti or pancake 

with chocolate.  I know Jeremy would have loved it- banana and chocolate!  It was basically like a crepe, and when I used to go to summer festivals in Japan, I would always get the banana nutella crepes. So here at the Khao San Road roti cart, I got the delightful pancake that I needed Riga's help eating since I had been snacking all afternoon.  The sweetness with the crispy outside-yummmmm what a way to cap off the trip!!

Bangkok, Thailand Part 1

Bangkok in a weekend... quite a lot to do but I think Riga & I covered good ground.

Besides all the sightseeing, you know what's important to me- food!  Lots of pictures and stuff to talk about so as far as actual meals, a buffet breakfast was included with the hotel we stayed at- Viengtai hotel by Khao San Road.  I liked staying by (but not on) Khao San Road because it stayed lively even at night so it was pretty safe with a night scene.  

Our lun-ner on saturday was at Mango Tree.  We had some yummy food: I got the Mussaman Curry, and sampled Riga's goodies that included chicken satay, tom yam koom soup, and chili catfish.  The rice they served also had some other grains in it and it was really good.  They even

 gave me a tad extra rice when I wanted some more for the curry sauce that was deliiiiicious.  The catfish chili was really spicy but it was very flavorful.  The satay wasn't as sweet as the satay I've been eating in Singapore which was different and quite tasty. Of course I got a thai iced tea to

wash it all down as well!  It wasn't as sweet as the usual ones I'm used to, which was a refreshing change. Pretty with an orchid in the glass :)

We then went to get massages which I was a bit worried about on such a full stomach but I was fine- enjoyed it very much.  Of course there was pain every now and then when they knead out all your muscles but felt really good!

On day 2, I got sticky rice with mango at the floating market, but that's for part 2- desserts!  At Chatuchak Market I got 4 spring rolls for 20 baht which is about 

80 cents or so- gotta love cheap food!  There was a wide selection of spring rolls but they were out of the ones that I wanted to try. They also weren't freshly fried so not as crispy and yummy but I was hungry so it did the job.

We went back to Khao San Road where I was determined to try some pad thai here in Bangkok!  25 baht for a pad thai with egg- yummmmm... however it wasn't as satisfying because it was a bit different from the sweet pad thai I'm used to.  They stir fry it for you but apparently you do a lot of the flavoring yourself.  They have some sauces and sugar on the side of the cart for you to add in as 

desired.  I didn't know it wasn't sweet at all, so I just added a tad of sauce.  It was good, but it didn't really taste like Pad Thai.  If I had another one, I'd flavor it accordingly to suit my taste buds.  I guess I like the pre-flavored kind better!

Stay tuned for part 2- desserts!!

Chili Crab Xiao Long Bao

Limited time edition Chili Crab Xiao Long Bao at Din Tai Fung?  I'm there! Even though the reviews had said they are neither chili crab nor xiao long bao, I had to try it for myself.  Before the main item though, I tried the chili vinegar veggie appetizer which was quite good.  It wasn't too spicy and it was a nice salad type appetizer, since I don't think I get as many vegetables as I normally do back home.  Plus it comes out fast when you're hungry!

On to the main focus of my food adventure that I dragged Riga to. 

Besides the fact that on my last bite I squirted red juice on myself... just when you think you're safe and clear of mess, you get bright red on the white part of your shirt!  It was actually quite delightful- not too spicy but very juicy with the chili crab juice locked into the dumpling.  The reviews were right that it doesn't take the place of either dish, but it is something worthy of trying if you're here when they offer the summer special!  

Can't you tell by my face that I enjoyed my meal?

I also learned from Riga that the flower mode on my camera, also called "macro" mode lets you take pictures of things really up close without bluring!  As in the really close bao pic above :)  

Funny Realization

Just a random realization that was quite funny to me...

The people that sell fried puffs on the side of the road in the morning and some afternoons aren't saying "calipa, calipa, calipa" which I thought was a different language meaning something like "come buy". They are actually saying "curry puff" over and over- REALLY fast.  

Malacca, Malaysia yummies

A weekend trip to Malacca, Malaysia.  Despite people trying to scare me about the dangers of Malaysia, Malacca was fine and lots of fun!

  First thing on the list, chicken rice balls!  We went to one of the two famous stores that serve chicken rice balls for lunch right before the masses came in!  The rice balls were quite good as well as the chicken and cucumbers, but I like regular chicken rice better because the rice balls are a bit mushy because they are packed together tightly.

  Next on the list was chendol, so I had a Mango 

chendol and Audrey had a durian chendol.  The ice stayed solid much longer than the desserts we have here in Singapore because apparently Malaysians pack the ice tighter.  The molasses like brown sugar sauce was delicious too! They even give you more in a green bottle if you want it sweeter! (Jeremy, you can have 

the whole bottle to yourself.) Not too coconutty, but there was enough coconut taste with the ice and mango. 

At night after we rested for a bit, we went out to the Jonker night market, which I must say was my favorite part of the trip. There were all sorts of things on sale, including lots of good food 

to choose from  and my eyes were much bigger than my stomach. First thing we had at dinner time was a sampling of dim sum items from the auntie and young man selling the loads of yummy looking delights at a stall.  Lots of colors of small deliciousness that I picked and chose from.  As usual, they squirted in a bit of chili sauce for me.  We savored them as we walked to our next destination where we had Asam Laksa.  

It was really spicy which made me sweat a lot more from eating it rather than just being in the hot weather, but it was quite nice.  It wasn't heavy in a creamy way like the usual laksa but the sourness was a nice fresh combination with the spiciness.

We also had nonya kueh that was absolutely fantastic!  I had the sweet potato kind while Audrey tried

 the pandan kind.  They were soft and the right amount of chewiness.  I think I really enjoyed it because it wasn't overly sweet as a lot of sweets tend to be. We both really enjoyed our kuehs and when we went back to see if we wanted to buy more possibly for breakfast, they had run out. Our decision had been made for us... that was of course returning after a 1 hour plus martial arts street show of a kung fu laoshi and his powerful index finger.

Last but not least, this is for Jeremy because it was a funny sign I showed him from our hotel bathroom:

More Local Favs & Sad food search

An update on the local favorites that I'm trying over again. 

First I tried the popiah at Wisma Atria Food Republic when I met up with Steve and Adelene.  I love popiah, but that was my least favorite... I believe it was the egg bits inside that I didn't like. Plus, the skin wasn't as crispy or fresh as I would have liked.  They asked me if I wanted it spicy and I said a little, which I believe is the sauce on top, but it wasn't spicy at all, so was a bit confused about that too.  I still haven't been impressed with anything I've eaten in that place!

Second thing I tried again over the weekend was Char Kway Teow. 

I've had it a few times and wasn't blown away any of those times. I had this odd urge for it, so I went looking... the sad thing about today is that I had this plan to go to Queenstown Shopping Center to get a tennis dress and then to Tiong Bahru hawker center to use the Singapore Food Festival voucher at one of the places.  I've heard the center is good so I wanted to try it... However, sadly no luck with the tennis dress AND I ended up at the wrong hawker center (Redhill), and didn't feel like going to look for it again. This one was good with cockles and not too spicy.  I liked this one better than the one at Gluttons Bay but less than the one I ate with Jeremy at oddly the Thai place in Far East Plaza.  Maybe I'm biased towards Pad See Ew...

I really wanted dessert but was full when I stood up, so I waited until I got off at my MRT (train) stop and said if there was an ice cream man on the way home I would get one of the $1 ice creams in bread.  Sure enough I found a nice uncle, and I decided on flavor #4: coffee.  My favorite is still the sweet corn believe it or not!

19 more days in Singapore~

Singapore Food Festival

Three words:  Singapore Food Festival!

What's there NOT to be excited about?  I love food and they're letting me try 3 different things for free!  I'm not quite sure what I'll try because not all stores participate, and I've already tried all 10 things on the local must try list... 

It was difficult to do, since they're all good and different, but here are the top 10 Local Favorites list in my (current) favorite order:

1. Chicken Rice

2. Chili Crab (except for the hard work)

3. Rojak

4. Roti Prata and teh tarik

5. Char Kway Teow

6. Laksa

7. Satay

8. Bak Kut teh

9. Fried Carrot Cake (I like the black one)

10. Fish head curry

My Thai Dessert Experiment

This week I hadn't really tried any food out of the ordinary of what I've tried already...

BUT, I did cook something I haven't tried before.  I really like the Thai dessert of sticky rice with mango. I had coconut milk that I was trying to use as well as a bunch of brown rice I need to eat before I leave Singapore, so I though "Hey, let's try regular brown rice with sweet coconut milk!" It was actually quite easy, and absolutely tasty, but be patient as it takes a bit of time.  Here's what I used: just 5 ingredients, anybody can do it right?  

I know it's not much of a picture with the recipe but here it is:

Amy's Brown Rice Dessert Experiment:

3/4 cup short grain brown rice

1 cup light coconut milk

1 cup water

1/4-2/4 cup brown sugar

pinch of salt

Just put all the ingredients in a pot and bring to a boil.  Then, simmer until the liquid is practically absorbed.  Mix every now and then to make sure the rice isn't sticking to the bottom and that film isn't forming on top.

*If you don't want it as sweet, just add less sugar.  I added sugar about half the amount of uncooked rice, and it was a tad too sweet for me.  But I'm sure if Jeremy were eating it, he would have wanted more sugar.  (Or maybe he would've told me to follow a recipe...)