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.

Why Frown?

I read this article “7 in 10 frown on homosexuality, NTU survey finds” yesterday morning in The Strait Times and felt disturbed by it. I am rather uncomfortable with the way the information is presented, the use of words like frown, disgusting and anti-gay seems to impose negatively on the subject. I really admire how positively Mr Wang accepted the facts. But at the same time, I am surprised that in a country like Singapore where more than half attained secondary or higher education, we are not that open after all.



We all know that gay didn’t choose to be one, they are just different in certain ways, and that’s all. You can see from here and here. In a similar scenario, if your friend is colour blind, flat footed or bald, have premarital sex and is divorced, would you frown or find them disgusting? I do not believe that there is anyone who is perfect genetically or mentally. In fact, a lot of time, gay can be better friend than straight. I know because I have these friends too.

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.

Farewell Dinner

Had dinner at River City Restaurant last evening, another colleague is leaving again. The restaurant is located in Excelsior Hotel along Coleman Street, and it come under the umbrella of the Starling Group of Restaurants. Parking and transportation in this location is not an issue at all.





As there were more than fifteen of us, we go for the “Eat all you can” alaka buffet. The food was average, and I have no complain about the service. However, there are a few dishes that are worth the price tag. The restaurant was not very clouded for the evening, making the serving much faster than some Zhi Cha Stall in the hawker centre, and more comfortable too.

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.

Chinese Fast Food

Had my lunch at Shunfu Hawker Center today. We walk all the way into the hawker center and stop right in front of this store, Lai Heng Fried Kuay Teow.



We were there just before the crowd arrives. We made our order and the old lady speaks into a microphone like what they do in Burger King. We then proceed to about three tables away from the store. And there comes the surprise, the old lady is standing right behind us hold two plates of fried kuay teow as we were sitting down.

At $3 per plate, it certainly taste much better than many others, the cockles were of good size and they are fresh. All five of us emptied our plates.



But this is not good, I am spoiling myself, after last night's big feast. To make things worse, I still have to accompanying my wife’s friend from Hong Kong to try some nice food tonight. I will have to lighten my diet next week.

TGIF

It’s Friday, but it is not the end of my week. My weekend start tomorrow at 3pm. But I am getting into the mood, with three of my friends. We are heading to Geylang Road, for steamboat buffet.



We reach the restaurant at about 7pm. The soup is a little flat, meaning MSG is not present, varieties is not comparable to places like Marine South, due to the space constrain, but it is air conditioned. One thing different is the dumpling, its hand made, and it definitely taste good. We took less than two hours to fill our stomach, such a waste, I could eat non stop for three to four hours ten years back. This is an alarm for ageing. Four of us cool ourselves with two bottle of Tsing Tao and chat till about 10pm before we settle the bill and make a move, and our plan for the coming Friday, durian for dinner at 717 or Balestier Road. By the way, the meal cost us $12.80 per head, excluding the beer.




Before we leave, I discover a long lost friend – Tai Seng Herbal Restaurant.

Hungry Ghost Festival - 中元节

Today my company holds a ceremony to pray for the hungry ghost festival. While my project is half way through, thing don't seems quite right. There are less contractor joining the event, there's less food, and less offering. Though it's only a Chinese festival, it does reflect the economy status of Singapore in its way, at least in the building construction industry. At this golden period of our nation, we are expecting good amount of contribution to the ceremony. I can still remember ten year back, when the project I was handling was three time smaller in contract size, and the money thrown into the fire was three time more than the current one. After all, the player was meant to be for everybody's well being.

Anyway, my focus today is not economy, but food. I will be going for steamboat dinner with my friends tomorrow, I should train my appetite tonight.