Crab Story

How many ways of cooking a crab do you know? For most restaurants or coffee shops I know, it is normally about three to five ways. So it is going to be impossible to find one place that can cook your crab in say 10 ways, right? WRONG!!!



When I had my dinner here on Tuesday night, it was not so crowded, and I choose a smaller table right in front of the store, it so happen to be right in front of this light box which displays all the type of crabs they are offering. I came here quite often and never really realize they actually offer 16 types of crab dishes. If you are a crab lover, it is going to be tough on your pocket.

So far, I have only tried the Chilli, Black Pepper and Tang Hoon crab since it is the most common type of crab you can order anywhere without looking into the menu. But I will come back for more, some of them(the crabs) just look irresistible.

Botak Jones In Woodlands TOMORROW !!!

Remember in my last post where I talk about the branch in Woodlands? It is here at last, ready to serve with effect from tomorrow 8th of October. Check this.

Sinful Enjoyment

My wife and I went for a walk at IMM few days back. We were feeling hungry when we happen to pass by this “Tea Room” selling Hong Kong food, which have a display menu showing something interesting, the price is reasonable too. The place looks quite popular as there were only few empty seats left. We decide our pick and my wife quickly take up a seat while I went on to queue ordered a ginger steamed egg, oyster beef with egg and HK crispy chicken with mushroom.

I collected my drinks and steam egg from the counter, then make my way to my table and wait for the main dishes to arrive. The steam egg was very smooth and soft, I can smell the fragrance of ginger as I put it in my month. Interestingly, this delicious dessert does not appear in the menu.





I took the beef rice while my wife had the chicken rice. Not only the rice was done in a different way but they also use different ingredients from what we have in our local food court. For example, the chicken rice was covered with molten cheese, and my wife described the rice as sinful. I didn’t understand the description till I tried the rice, it taste good in my month but at the same time, I started feeling very sinful as the molten cheese make its way through my throat.



The dishes also come with a soup as a set, which have included tremella(白木耳), red date(红枣), and papaya(木瓜). Well, whatever, it is really an enjoyment! I’ll be back, 湾仔香港奶茶店!

Have FUN At The FAIR

I have been quite busy lately, and I was neglecting my children. I can feel it by their responsiveness when I talk to them. But I didn’t know what to do, it is men’s weakness, we are made to be less sensitive and reactive to such situation. Luckily my wife have the solution (she’s the patch to my weakness), she suggested a walk at the fun fair.

I can still remember the joy I have when my dad brought me to one, when I was much younger. That’s always one rule to follow, we are not allow to play any “dee kam” (game). His explanation was pretty simple, the game is the first step to the gambling world, so it is to prevent us from cultivating the risk taking habit in our life.

Now that I am a father, I too avoided most of the game unless with close guidance. But these days, the focuses of the fun fair are mostly on necessities and foods. This is the first time I actually tried the fried ice-cream (炸雪糕), price is on the high side in my opinion, but nevertheless, I got two for the two elder girls. The taste is rather interesting, the girls enjoy it anyway.



One store I wish to mentioned, I previously tried this one store selling Teochew meat puff (潮州香饼). As far as I know, it is the only one in singapore, maybe JB and Batam too. I like particularly the one with oyster, definitely worth chewing on.



Then, there were the fun rides, and my wife lures them into take up a new challenge, the Viking (海盗船). My two elder girls enjoy the ride but the youngest one was too afraid and has to drop out half way. But I am delighted that they have the ride, because I had my first Viking ride after the age of twenty. The evening has at least eased the tension I have build up in the pass few days, and I slept well that night.

Botak Jones Going North

Went for lunch with my colleague again, but this time there are five of us. Lunch time is obviously a better slot to try the food, not as crowded like the evening. All five of us ordered different set from the menu, the presentation is still good, just as the cooking. Check out the steak, you can’t ask for more.



Anyway, we were told that Botak Jones is preparing to open a new branch in the north, in Woodlands. So people in the north, get ready.

中秋佳节

Mid-Autumn Festival is only less than a week away, my earlier order for two boxes of mooncake have been delivered, there were meant to be a gift for my mother and In-laws.



When I send a box to my mum’s place, she immediately cut out one for us to try. So far I have also tasted some from Goodwood Park and KLT 錦綸泰 in my office, comparing the price of this 大中国月饼 with many others, it is actually cheap and good.

The box is a very simple one unlike the rest which explain the price. At below twenty five dollar per box for the double yolk type, it tasted better than many selling above thirty, or even forty dollar. Anyway, this is one popular shop that is responsible for one of the long lines in chinatown year after year, and they has never disappoint me so far.

Cina Kambing Soup

Saturday lunch at Adam Food Centre is normally not a comfortable experience. With limited number of tables and quite a few popular stalls around means that it is always crowded during meal time, it is especially difficult to find a table when you have a bigger group of say four people or more. But it is different this month, because this is the month of Ramadan, and our Muslim friends will not be taking lunch since they are fasting. We can see that the place is at least 30% less crowded than other days, but don’t misunderstand me, it still takes some minutes to settle down.



I have tasted the Indian kambing soup at this place before, it is good, but today I am trying the Chinese herbal mutton soup from 亞當羊肉湯. I ordered the $4 soup with rice, and later realized that the portion was actually quite small. The mutton was well cook, and though the smell of herbs was not very strong but it did manage to cover the distinctive smell of mutton which many Chinese didn’t like. It is not an easy task to eliminate the smell, this is a secret the stall owner will never reveal, and that’s also why there are not many Chinese stall selling mutton soup. The one thing you should not forget is to get a small disc of the chili mixed with vinegar, it will really enhance the taste of the mutton. As this is not a food commonly found in hawker centers, I would try it every now and then when I am come across it, even though I know some better ones on this little island.

It is Butter? NO, It's DURIAN!!!

The last minutes before ending the day’s works, my friend gives me that funny looking face again. My monitor screen show his massage, “Ready to go!” And yes, since our last durian marathon , I did promise to bring him to one more such stall that offer the best durians you can find in Singapore, and for weeks, he’s been harassing me.


The stall used to be located beside one Chinese temple along Balestier Road, now, it is along the pavement right in front of Ruby Plaza. The stall is not very prominent, but with the strong lighting, you should have no difficulty identifing the yellow signboard in the tentage that reads, 亞蘭榴梿.






The helper told us that the stall has been around for more than three decades. And they have been selling this breed of 毛山王durian for years, they named it Butter Durian, one would only understand why after you put it in your mouth. Though selling one of the best durian species you can find in Singapore, surprisingly, it is not the most expensive one around. At $16 a kilogram, most would find it well worth. The fruit come with very small seeds, and the flesh was soft, giving you the “melt in the mouth” feeling. The smell is unforgettable. But there is one thing I hate about these breed of durian, it has spoil my taste bud, it is very difficult to find better or equivalent durian anymore.

If you are a durian lover, you really should try this. And one more thing, the boss were allocated limited numbers each day, the Butter Durian would normally be out of stock quite early. So, be early, or be sorry.

Hey, Botak! Are You JONES?

This is one botak that changes the face of western food in coffee shop here, the introduction of restaurant standard dining in coffee shops, at affordable price.



Years back when I was younger, steak in coffee shop would mean two pieces of meat grilled to medium or well done, served with baked beans and coleslaw. And it never filled my stomach enough to last a soccer game.



Then, things are different here, the foods are served in good portion, with side dish and the right sauces. You can complain about your steak not been medium rare, you can eat half your serving and ask the waiter to pack it for you to take away, without getting that funny look, without question from them.



They have been around for a while, with a good reputation on their food and services. It is quite amusing to see a hawker stall with business volume capable of sustaining more than ten staffs. My dad was a hawker, I know how difficult it is to achieve that. Anyway, though they may not be serving the best food around, but I must say that it is more than value for money, and so far, I really enjoy the food.

Indian Roti

I was dragging my feet home last evening, exhausted due to previous late night, then my wife release a bad news to me. Oh, it is not really a bad news, she has promised my girls a satay treat for supper. Well, a promise is a promise, anyway, I hate to disappointment my girls unless necessary.



Satay Club would be a good choice, it is a pity I don’t know where it moved to when Sembawang Shopping Centre is demolished. So the next on my list, only about fifty meters away from the Shopping Centre along Sembawang Road, D’Rubinah Restaurant, it is actually a coffee shop beside Mobil Station. Parking space in this area is limited, but driver have their way around.



I order only 20 sticks of Satay with one Naan, just enough to ease the crave for a family of five. The Satay stall hides at the back of the shop, which is the end of the alley, but the taste is good and the meat is tender as compared to many others. The Naan here is cooked in a Tandoor, and it comes in a few flavors, garlic, cheese, honey, etc. They also sell roti prata too. For taste above average with good variety of Indian and Malay food, this is the place.

猪, 我来了!

Lunch on Saturday is never an easy decision for me, there are simple too much good food around this vicinity. But since my colleagues have been talking about Bak Kut Teh for the last few days, we somehow did not give much thought about other food. This is one store I have not visit for a while, nothing wrong with the taste but rather the availability of choice we have, Eng Kee Bak Kut Teh (永记肉骨茶). The store is situated at Ang Mo Kio Street 32, Block 341, parking is a breeze in this area.



We practically order every single dish on the manual except the tea, these include the pork rib (肉骨), trotter (猪脚), intestines (粉肠), liver (猪肝), deep-fried breadstick (油条) and Stewed vegetables (菜尾). The trotter is one of the best I have tried so far, the tendons is soft enough to give you the "melt in the mouth" feeling and yet the meat is still tender at the same time, very good balance that very few hawker store could achieve. This time round, I also get to try the intestines, which was out of stock during my last three visits. My only disappointment would be the liver which is not rare enough. I have also notice that the price have went up too.

2007 BLOG Day

Today is 2007 Blog Day. To celebrate this, I have found five new Blogs to recommend to everybody. Here goes:

Love Singapore Food
Blog of Singapore Food.

Singapore Surf Anglerz
A Singapore fishing blog with great potential.

My Wedding Blog
Not a new blog, but interesting for married or going to marry couple.

A Singapore Gooner’s Highs & Lows
Lady Football kaki Diary – Not bad for soccer Lover

Nutrilite For Life
Everything about health issue

Ok, I have done my part, now's your turn.

Have fun and HAPPY BLOG DAY!

Durian Marathon

Our plan last week to invade a durian store this Friday meet a little hurdle, a few of us could not make it. But the crave for the king of fruit is just unbearable, so we decided to bring forward the adventure.



We decide on 717 at Yio Chu Kang Road to have our dinner last night.



It was crazy, I couldn’t believe that five big guys actually have problem finishing just six durians until I foot my bill. The durians weight more than 2 kg each, my goodness! We also take away some durian puffs from 727 to treat our fellow colleagues which did not join us.



And how can I forget my family, I brought two durians back. My youngest girl was so delighted and dragged me to take a photo of her with the durians.