What happen to the oval shape?

The Chinese has 'Dim Sum', the Nonya has all the delicious 'Kueh', the Malays, what do they have? One of the first few items that comes to my mind in the form of a Malay small bites would most likely be 'Curry Puffs'. And it has something to do with this post.

What do you think this might ended up becoming?

Let's take a look at it from a different angle...

This would be the closest that I can get. This is actually a... 'Chicken Curry Puff' Not only these rectangle shape 'Curry Puff' are far more bigger than the usual ones, the contents inside are pretty interesting too. Filled with nicely marinated/spiced potatoes and Chicken chunks simply makes the centre of the 'Curry Puff' to be pretty chewy and tasty. Though the flaky and crispy sides are a (+), but As a matter of fact, I find the sides to be far more inferior as compared to the centre. Yes, the sides are indeed pretty crispy and crunchy. But it's slightly a bit too hard and disappointing. To some extent, I feel like finishing up the filling and throw the other parts away. (However, in order to follow my not-to-waste-food policy, I ended up finishing everything though I don't really like the sides. Besides for 'Chicken Curry Puff', they are also hand-making and selling 'Mutton Curry Puff', 'Beef Curry Puff', etc...

So where can you give the 'Curry Puff' a good try?

The name of this shop would be 'SHA ZAH Confectionery'. It's located along 'Joo Chiat Road'.

Notes:

• Operating Hours:
  Mondays - Saturdays: 10:00 - 19:00
  Sundays: 10:00 - 17:00

* Click here for the location of 'SHA ZAH Confectionery' on 'Google Maps'.
^ Click here for the list of delicacies that you can find and get around 'Joo Chiat'.

Not to be mistaken with the infamous place in Japan

I was browsing through various website the other day and I had come across this pretty interesting restaurant. And the most important point about this restaurant would be this amazing dish that is so so filling.... O.o...

'Thai Ice Tea' Being a heavy tea lover, I will always start off a good meal at a Thai restaurant with a good glass of 'Thai Ice Tea'. With a good amount of sweetness, topped with the nice aroma and taste of the tea leaves, makes this a pretty good drink to start your day.

Enough of the drink, it's time to move on to our 'Main', which compromise of a plate of 'Jasmine Rice' and...

'Stir-fried Soft Shell Crab with Yellow Curry' (Phunim Phad Pong Karee) The sinful thick curry would be a big (+). You can easily wipe out a bowl of white rice just by covering it with a sinful portion of curry gravy. Not only the gravy tastes good, the Soft Shell Crab that comes with it are pretty interesting too. Though you can easily count the number of Soft Shell Crabs that were given using your 10 fingers but that isn't the most important point. The most important point about this dish would be the fact that they are pretty crunchy, juicy and the taste of the curry has blend in nicely.

'I-Thim Nara' This comes with a scoop of Coconut Ice Cream and 8 other cups of interesting toppings. There's the crunchy 'Peanuts', 'Sweet Corns', sweet 'Nata De Coco', 'Attap Chee'(Palm Tree Seeds), 'Red Ruby' (Water Chestnut coated in Colored Sago), 'Lot Chong'(Pandan Flavored Rice Flour Droplets), 'Jackfruit' and 'Sticky Rice'. And iet the D.I.Y Game begins... Trust me, do not start with the 'Sticky Rice' first, else you will regret it. The scoop of ice cream is simply far too small as compared to the 8 different cups of toppings. As I wiped out 1/3 of the overall portion of toppings, the scoop of sweet coconut ice cream was completely gone. But it was fun mixing the different types of toppings of a different taste and texture and savor them at one go. At the earlier stage you might be mixing those that you favor the most, but as you move on, you will realize that you need a strong incentive to balance things a bit. And that's where the 'Sticky Rice' will step in. At the end of the day, despite of my huge appetite, I only to managed to wipe out 70% of all the toppings. And the nice waitresses over here was actually asking if I want the leftovers. A bit too much for my stomach therefore... Anyway if I happen to visit that restaurant again, I would probably just place an order for this, which is the most filling dessert that I have eaten up till now. :D

So where can you give the dessert a good try?

The name of this restaurant would be 'Nara Thai'. It currently has 2 outlets in Singapore. The one in the above shows the outlet located on Basement 3 of 'ION Orchard'.

Notes:

• Operating Hours:
  11:30 - 22:00 Daily
  (Last order at 21:30)

* Click here to find out more about 'Nara Thai'.
^ Click here for the Facebook Page of 'Nara Thai'.
~ Click here to find out more about 'ION Orchard'.
# Click here for the list of delicacies that you can find and get in 'ION Orchard'.

Unexpected find....

Well, the world is full of surprises. As I wander around a shopping mall, looking at the meals that the restaurants are offering over here, I was pretty surprised that I can actually get these dishes at an amazingly low price... Introducing my dinner the other day...

The above would be my dinner the other day. A main dish and a vegetables dish. :D

'Minced Chicken Beancurd'(肉碎豆腐) If you are getting this dish at any other Chinese restaurants out there, most likely you will be getting a big cube of 'Pan Fried Beancurd' covered with lots of yummy sauce and lots of minced meat. Over here, they are replacing all the minced meat with chicken minced meat. Frankly speaking, there's isn't a very big difference in the overall taste of this dish as compared to the traditional dish. Although this dish comes in 1 size only, but it's big enough to be shared among a group of people. In fact, just this 1 plate of smooth 'Beancurd', all the chewy bits and the sweet gluey sauce, I can easily gobble down 2 or 3 bowls of rice effortlessly. :P

'Curry Fish Head'(咖喱魚頭) Pretty much similar to the previous dish, the chef over here are very generous with the amount of ingredients that was added into this dish. Besides for the red snapper fish head, vegetables like 'Lady's Finger', 'Brinjal', 'Fried Beancurd', etc... have been added into that small little pot of 'Curry'. In fact, just by taking a look at the pot from the side, you can easily spot some ingredients popping out of the pot of curry. Pretty much similar to the previous dish, the gravy of the 'Fish Head Curry' is pretty thick, milky and on top of that it was not very spicy. Too bad, I have decided to cut down on the amount of rice otherwise just by drenching a bowl of rice with lots of gravy can really encourage/boast my appetite to a whole new level. :D

So where can you give these dishes a good try?

The name of this restaurant would be 'Segar Restaurant'(食家小廚). It's a restaurant selling Halal Thai Chinese Cuisine. In fact 'Segar Restaurant'(食家小廚) alongside with 'West Co'z Cafe' and 'A-Poh Kitchen' are all under the same group. I have tried 2 out of 3 of the restaurants and I'm pretty impressed with it. Anyway this restaurant is located on basement 2 of the newly renovated 'Chinatown Point'.

Notes:

• Operating Hours:
  11:30 - 21:30 Daily
• Anyway, every now and then, they would have these exciting good promotions going on. Do keep a lookout for their promotions, especially those that allows you to get a good pot of 'Curry Fish Head' at half the price. :P

* Click here to find out more about 'Segar Restaurant'(食家小廚).
^ Click here for the 'Facebook' page of 'Segar Restaurant'(食家小廚).
~ Click here to find out more about 'Chinatown Point'.
# Click here for the location of 'Chinatown Point' on 'Google Maps'.
** Click here for list of delicacies that you can find and get around 'Chinatown'.

The diner where side dishes rules...

Who says that you can only be getting average stuff at an affordable Japanese buffet. This post will prove you wrong, very wrong. In fact, the location of this place is so good that the seats are easily filled up by the neighbouring office workers & commoners like you and me within minutes during the lunch hours...

Depending on your luck, the main dish of the day will differs from time to time. I'm getting this marinated fish during my first visit. Thought it's tasty, but as compared to the dish I'm getting during my second visit, this is far more inferior. During my second visit, I'm actually getting an 'Steamed Anago(Eel) Rice bowl'. Unlike the usual serving of 'Steamed Anago Rice bowl' out there in the market, the chef over here are using a bamboo tray to prepare the 'Steamed Anago Rice bowl'. And they are covering the base of the bamboo tray with a Banana Leaf. By doing this, it could push the fragrance and the overall taste of the 'Steamed Anago Rice bowl' to a higher level. :D

Depending on your luck(?), the side dishes differs from time to time. (As you can see, a small table isn't sufficient for me.)

They have 'fried side dishes' such as 'Karaage(Fried Chicken, it's juicy and not too oily), Tempura (Crispy and not too oily), 'Dashimaki Tamago' (Japanese rolled omelette, fluffy and yummy), Simmered Potatoes, etc... The chef really put his heart and efforts in preparing these delicious dishes. Even simple dishes like 'Croquette', they are adding ingredients like sweet corns to enhance the overall taste even further. :D Well, if you are not into 'Fried' stuff, there always stuff like...

They also have cooked dishes like the above. As mentioned earlier these dishes will change on a daily basis. And most of these dishes always managed to maintain a good balance between the meaty and vegetables stuff.

Depending on your luck, you might be getting these steamed delights too. When I was there previously, they are offering Dim Sum and one of my personal favorites, 'Chawanmushi'(Steamed Egg in a Tea Bowl) and it also comes with slices of 'Shiitake Mushrooms' too. :D But wait, that isn't the best item on their menu.

'Japanese Curry Rice' Loaded with lots of vegetables like 'Carrots', 'Mushrooms' and 'Meaty Chicken Cubes', this dish is a champion. Besides for the delicious 'Chicken Curry'(I have 3 portions of this the first time round), they are also serving delicious looking 'Beef' curry too. Not sure about the 'Beef Curry', but the texture of the 'Chicken Curry' is pretty thick, sweet and delicioous. On top of that, they also have Japanese vegetables cold dishes, yummy 'Miso Soup' and a unlimited flow of good Japanese Tea.

So where can you give this buffet a good try?

The name of this Japanese Cafe/Restaurant would be 'Hanare'. It's located on level 2 in one of the shop houses along 'Tanjong Pagar Road', which is also located opposite 'Tanjong Pagar Market and Food Centre' and at the same time located near 'Orchid Hotel'.

Opening Hours:

• Lunch:
  Mondays - Fridays: 11:45 - 14:30
  Saturdays: 12:00 - 14:30
  Dinner:
  Mondays - Saturdays: 18:30 - 22:00
  (Closed on Sundays)
• They are offering 3 different set meals over here
  
  • 'Hanare Buffet' - you get to choose one of the main dishes and you also get to enjoy all the side dishes
  • 'Bara Chirashi Set' - Comes with a Sashimi Seafood Rice Bowl and you get to enjoy 4 different side dishes and 'Miso Soup'.
  • 'Lunch Set' - Typical Japanese Lunch set

* Click here for the Facebook page of 'Hanare Japanese Cafe/Restaurant'.
^ Click here for the location of 'Hanare Japanese Cafe/Restaurant' on 'Google Maps'.

Burning with Style?

After numerous weeks of eating and trying out new diners, I realised that I haven't been trying Indian food for quite some time. I started keeping a lookout for interesting Indian diners and I managed to come across... this.

'Papadum' After placing my orders, this basket of 'Papadum' just appear out of nowhere. While waiting for my orders, I decided to give the 'Papadum' a go first. Well, the texture is reasonably crispy. Luckily, I was dining alone, else it's kinda sad if I have to share this delicious basket of 'Papadum' with a group of people.

'Spices / Sauces' I don't think I have used any of these at all. And that just proves how good the 'Papadum' and the subsequent food items are... :)

'Vindaloo Curry + Saffron Rice' These are the items that I have ordered for my dinner the other day.

'Vindaloo Curry(Chicken)' This is/would probably end up to be the most reddish portion of Curry that I have seen for the year 2014. I was stirring it for a short while and it seems that the texture of the Curry over here, isn't watery at all. In fact, it's pretty thick and solid. Oh by the way, as you placed an order for this, the waiter will ask you to choose the level of spiciness that you want. On a scale of 1-10, with 1 being the lowest and 10 being the highest level. Taste wise, I would write about it in a short while. (Anyway, I ended up trying level 7 :D.)

'Saffron Rice' Hmmm, in fact I don't find this any different from the usual 'Biryani Rice' that I'm getting outside. However, one thing I don't like about the food over here would be the portion. The portion of the food over here just isn't big enough for me. :(

Once I started digging into both dishes, the colors of the Curry looks pretty overpowering. In fact, it was really very spicy and tasty. The first few spoonful might not have an impact on you, but the tension will slowly build up and burn you inside out for a short period of time. This in fact was pretty good. I wonder how the highest level would ended up to be. Well, that's something that I'm pretty interested to find out. On top of that, the boneless chicken that comes with the Curry are pretty tender and well 'marinated' with the Curry. However, to summarize the overall dining experience, I still find the spicy Curry to be the most memorable part of that meal.

So where can you give the food a good try?

Located in 'Cuppage Terrace'...

lies an 'Indian' Dining restaurant known as 'Curry Culture'. And that's the place where you can find and give the spicy 'Vindaloo Curry' a good try.

Opening Hours:

• 11:00 - 23:00 Daily

* Click here to find out more about 'Curry Culture'.
^ Click here for the interesting menu of 'Curry Culture'.
~ Click here for the location of 'Cuppage Terrace' on 'Google Maps'.

What's the name again?

By having a name, it makes it much more easier for the consumer to remember/recognise the shop. However, there are exception cases too. For a start, there's the following too...

I have pass by this place a few times and it always have this amazing long queue of customers. Therefore, I decided to give it try for lunch too. Since this is a Chinese Curry/Economical Rice stall, rather than placing an order for a plate of rice and numerous dishes, I ended up placing an order for 2 plates of Curry Rice (with different dishes) and a plate of Pork Chop.

'Rice with Braised Egg and Curry Chicken' The Braised Egg isn't special enough but I like the way that they are preparing the 'Curry Chicken'. Rather than giving a drumstick or a chicken wing, they have sliced up the chicken into smaller chunks. It simply makes the process of savouring the Chicken to be which more easier. Taste wise the tender and chewy chicken is pretty nice and it will taste even much more better when you have it with the plate of rice. By the way, not only one should be going for the Curry gravy, you should request for the Braised gravy(Lor Chap) too. And surprisingly despite of the amount of gravy added, rather than ended up to be salty, the plate of rice is amazingly flavourful.

'Rice with Cabbages and Meat Ball' The vegetables aren't too dry and it still have this crunchy touch. As for the Meat Ball, it seems that I have found another place to savour a good Meat Ball. The overall taste of the Meat Ball isn't too salty and texture is pretty acceptable and great. :D

'Pork Chop' If you are looking for fat, juicy slices of Pork Chop, you will be disappointed. Over here, they specialise in crispy, thin slices of Pork Chop. Even though you can have it with a bit of rice, but I personally find it to be a pretty good snack or tidbit too. :P The crispy touch just simply makes it irresistible.

So where can you give these dishes a good try?

This place specializing in 'Hainanese Curry Rice' and it doesn't have a name. Therefore, most people recognise it as the 'Nameless Hainanese Curry Rice'. It's located in one of the coffee shops beneath 'Blk 40 Beo Crescent', which is opposite 'Beo Crescent Market And Food Centre'.

Notes:

• Operating Hours:
  06:30 - 14:00 Daily
  (Closed on Wednesdays)
• Trust me, though it might be opened till 2 or 3pm in the afternoon, but most of the time most of the delicious dishes are gone before 2pm.

* Click here for the location of 'Blk 40 Beo Crescent' on 'Google Maps'.

Is this your neighbourhood Economical Rice stall?

There ought to be a stall in your neighbourhood selling economical rice. But does it offer dishes like the following?

I knew that a plate of white rice wouldn't be sufficient to satisfy me and my hungry stomach, therefore I ended up ordering 2 plates of white rice at one go. Like many other places, you get to choose the type of sauces to go with the plate of white rice'. There's 'Chicken Curry', 'Seafood Curry' and all the sinful gravies, for example: 'Braised Meat Gravy', 'Char Siew' gravy, etc... And you can also mix and match the gravy that you like too. :P Although the plate of rice can be kinda small, but with all the nice mix of 'Chicken Curry' and 'Char Siew' gravy, I don't think I can complain about the great taste at all. (By the way, like many other 'Chinese Curry' out there, the 'Curry' over here isn't spicy at all, but the taste of it is definitely a (+).)

Anyway, I have also ordered 4 different dishes to go with the plates of 'Rice'. 'Stewed Cabbages' This dish also comes with a bit of black fungus and a bit of dried shrimps. For a start, the texture of the cabbages are very soft. When you scoop a spoonful of it into your mouth, there will be this nice taste and chewing sensation, which includes the interesting mix of the chewy shrimps and the sweet watery vegetables. 'Sauteed Potatoes with Mixed Vegetables' Like the good old western food sold in my 'Primary School' back then. This dish also comes vegetables like 'Peas', 'Carrots' and 'Corn'. The texture of the 'Potatoes' are neither 'Soft' nor 'Crunchy'. Although the taste is there, but I would prefer it to be much more 'Crunchy'. 'Meat Ball in Onion Gravy' Loved the 'Meat Ball' over here. Similar to it's competitor nearby, they also have this 'Meaty' dish over here. The 'Minced Meat' are firmly sticking together and as you throw a bit of it into your mouth, the chewy texture and the nice meaty taste just make you feel like continue chewing on and on. :D (By the way, the competitor that I'm referring over here would be '夜上海潮州粥', which is located in another coffee shop located on the other end of the same building. Click here to read more about it.)

'Pork Chop' As for the 'Pork Chop' over here, it's served in a pool of 'Gravy'. Therefore, if you are too used to the firm and chewy 'Pork Chop', you will be very disappointed. Although the 'Pork Chop' over here are chewy, but they are just not firm enough for my liking. Even though it also comes with the nice taste of the 'Pork Chop' but as compared to the 'Meat Ball' over here, I personally find the 'Meat Ball' to be a much more wiser and delicious choice.

So where can you give all the dishes a nice try?

The name of this stall would be 'Tian Tian Hainanese Curry Rice'(天天海南咖哩饭). It's located in one of the coffee shop beneath Blk 116 Bukit Merah View.

Notes:

• Operating Hours:
  10:00 - 21:00
  (Closed on alternate Tuesdays)

* Click here for the location of 'Blk 116 Bukit Merah View' on 'Google Maps'.
^ Click here for the list of delicacies that you can find and get at 'Bukit Merah View'.

In search of the Indian Style Fish Head Curry...

I always thought that it was the Chinese that invented the 'Fish Head Curry', but after reading through numerous articles online, it have proven that I'm wrong. The genius behind the 'Fish Head Curry' idea seems to be an Indian. Therefore, I started doing a search for 'Indian Fish Head Curry' and ...

The both of us ended up having our dinner at this Indian restaurant.

'Vegetarian Biryani' If I'm not mistaken they are offering a slightly smaller 'Vegetarian Biryani' set over here. I'm not sure how does the normal 'Vegetarian Biryani' set over here looks like, but since they are charging us half the original price of the normal 'Vegetarian Biryani', therefore the normal 'Vegetarian Biryani' set should be getting a few more vegetarian side dishes. As for the set that we are getting that night, it comes with free flow of side dishes, 'Papadum' and 'Biryani Rice'. Well, I guess the side dishes over here are subjected to change. For side dishes the other night, we are getting the crunchy cabbages and nicely marinated potatoes. And the crispy and not too oily 'Papadum' is a big (+). Even though the 'Biryani Rice' doesn't comes with a super nice fragrance, but it's acceptable. And the generous portion of good 'Biryani Rice' and side dishes has already made my 'Day' or should I say 'Night'. But hey, this isn't the main objective of this trip. Our main objective of this trip would be the...

'Fish Head Curry'(Large) This is really a very big pot of 'Fish Head Curry', especially when we are sharing it among the both of us. Base on my calculations, this is big enough to be shared among a group of 4. (That is on top of the 'Vegetarian Biryani' set that you are going to order and have it with the 'Fish Head Curry'.) Taste wise, the thick gravy is a big (+). It's so delicious and good that I could easily finish a few plates of 'Biryani Rice', just by covering it with the gravy. Though it's known as 'Fish Head Curry', it doesn't mean that you will only be getting a 'Fish Head' in this pot of 'Curry'. It also comes with vegetables like 'Lady Fingers', 'Brinjal' and not just one but both sides of the 'Fish Head'. By the way, I don't think that the 'Fish Head Curry' is fiery enough for me but my friend doesn't seems to agree with me. Fine, I do agree that I have a much much higher tolerance level of spicy food. Anyway from the taste of the 'Curry', I think that the chef over here has really put lots of effort in preparing the dish. For a start, the texture of the 'Fish' and 'vegetables' are not too soft and soggy. On top of the almost perfect texture, they have managed to mix all the heavenly taste of the 'Fish Head Curry' into the ingredients nicely too, which is a very very big (+). :D By the way, they also have this dish known as 'Fish Head Deluxe (XL)'. I tried placing an order for it, but they don't have it that particular night. If I really have the time, I would really want to give that a try, since the 'Fish Head Curry' is already a big and good surprise to me.

'Mutton MySore' As compared to the delicious 'Fish Head Curry', this might ended up to be a disappointment. Although the texture of the 'Mutton' isn't too dry but the odor of the 'Mutton' still remains to be pretty strong. I was hoping that the spices that they are using could cover the odor of the 'Mutton' but it's just too bad.

'Masala Tea' The idea behind this beverage is pretty much similar to the 'Ginger Tea'. They are adding spices throughout the process of brewing this tea. Therefore, you will be getting this nice spicy and sweet sensation from the beverage itself. Not forgetting the nice aroma of the 'Masala Tea' too. :P

So where can you give all these delicious 'Indian Food' a good try?

The name of this restaurant would be "Karu's Indian Banana Leaf Restaurant". It's located along 'Upper Bukit Timah Road'.

Notes:

• Opening Hours:
  10:30 - 22:00
  (Closed on Mondays)

* Click here to find out more about "Karu's Indian Banana Leaf Restaurant".
^ Click here for the location of "Karu's Indian Banana Leaf Restaurant" on 'Google Maps'.

Half a head of Curry (Closed)

Since I have managed to knock off early and rather than having my dinner at the coffee shop opposite, I decided to go for nicer stuff. I ended up having this for dinner...

'A sizzling Claypot of Fishhead Curry' When I was working around this area, I have given the 'Curry Chicken' and 'Curry Fish Meat' a try before. Since I haven't been eating 'Curry Fishhead' for a very very long time, I have decided to do something crazy and I have ended up placing an order for a Claypot of 'Curry Fishhead'. Even though it's merely half a fishhead, but the portion is big enough for an individual. Anyway since all the Fishhead Curry are not prepared upfront, that means upon ordering the 'Curry Fishhead' you will have to wait for another 20 minutes or more for the food to be delivered to your table.

Here's a closer look of the 'Curry Fishhead'. Vegetables like 'Yam', 'Tau Pok' (a type of fried Beancurd), 'Lady Finger' have been added into this dish. And probably because all the ingredients aren't boiled for too long, therefore most of the ingredients still have this crunchy touch. On top of that, the sizzling thick curry is pretty yummy and it's a little bit spicy. However, the excitement that I'm getting from the 'Curry' have slowly decrease as the pot of Curry cool down. One should always finish up the Curry when it's hot. :P

Even though I'm getting half a fishhead only, but the portion that I'm getting is pretty generous and the flesh of the fishhead is pretty fresh. However, even though the flesh of the fishhead is pretty fresh, but probably due to the fact that all the ingredients aren't cooked long enough, therefore the taste of the 'Curry' haven't blend into the flesh of the fishhead completely. The Curry have blend into the vegetables completely, but not for the flesh of the Fishhead, which is a big disappointment. For a 'Fishhead Curry', this have definitely failed miserably, but if you considered it as 2 separate dish, it have actually fared pretty good.

So where can you give the delicious 'Curry' a try?

The name of this stall would be 'Marina South Curry Delight'(濱海南咖喱魚頭). It's located inside 'Tiong Bahru Market'.

Notes:

• Opening Hours:
  11:30 - 21:00 Daily
• Besides for 'Curry Fishhead', they are preparing some other 'Curry' dishes like 'Curry Chicken', 'Curry Mutton', 'Curry Pork Ribs' and 'Curry Vegetables'.
• By the way, if business was good, they might be closed before 7pm. So in order to avoid disappointment, you probably want to pop by the stall very early. :D

* Click here for the location of 'Tiong Bahru Market' on Google Maps.
^ Click here for the list of delicacies that you can find & get near 'Tiong Bahru Market'.