Prawn Mee

You know how some popular food stalls have outlets elsewhere? And then you wonder if that stall serves food that's of the same standard as the original?

I know I have and I'm usually quite sceptical. I mean, how do they perform quality control when they have so many outlets over the island? Heh, I know Singapore is small but still, it'll be such a hassle! Anyway this post is about one such stall with many branches over the island. Known as the Noo Cheng Adam Road Prawn Mee, this popular haunt is one of the favourite places of prawn mee lovers. Funny thing is, I've never really tried the original Adam Road one. But I've eaten at their other outlets and most recently, I ate at their Bishan one.

I was rather hungry so I had the $5 portion inclusive of pork ribs. Was I satisfied? You bet. I was more than satisfied, I was a happy trooper and I knew that this was one of the best noodle dish i've eaten. Check out their prawn-rich broth:



The soup is anything but bland. I do believe they must have cooked the prawns in it for a long time. Absolutely scrumptious. The yellow egg noodles are very tasty too, thanks to their sauce which includes some spicy chilli oil i think. Sinful but oh so worth it.

I am not sure of the exact address, but it's behind Junction 8 at Bishan. If you exit from Long John's Silver or MOS burger / 7-11, it's just about a minute away, beside the construction of the new Bishan Community Library.

Oat Crazy

Today's the day I went oat crazy. It first started with me surfing through Nic's food blog - Bakingsheet and coming across her recent Oatmeal Molasses Bread post. It seemed interesting enough and I had the ingredients at hand so I tried making my own loaf.

Hmmm sad to say mine didn't quite turn out as beautiful as hers. I think it's also because I used rolled oats instead of quick cooking oats. You see the white spots? Those are the oats, not flour... But it didn't taste bad at all. Just not too holey as I would have liked. It's rather dense. Maybe I didn't leave it to rise enough? Or maybe there wasn't enough water... I wouldn't know till I try baking it again.

With my oatmeal bread disappointment I just had to bake something else to satisfy my oat craving. What else could I have baked but these:



Yes, I've blogged about these oatmeal raisin cookies before. I made them using Martha Stewart's recipe and they were a hit with my friends and I think Timmy likes it too:



Timmy's a 5-year old my mum babysits in the day time. He's adorable and intelligent and loves eating my baked goods. He's so cute! He actually told me the other day, "Godma Cheryl, when I'm 11, you'll teach me how to bake your brownies". Haha... he's been under my mum's care since he was a baby and I've come to love him as a godson. I adore children... If only I could have some sans the pain! :p Next time, when I have my own kids, I'll train them to cook and bake in the kitchen from young. It's a skill worth cultivating!

Okay enough kid-talk, back to my oatmeal raisin cookies. I love these cookies because of what goes in. This recipe calls for toasted wheatgerm and lots of rolled oats. But I cut down on the sugar because I don't like it too sweet. Besides, the raisins already give it that natural sweetness.

You can find the recipe in my previous post HERE.

Eat more oats people, it's good for you! Crazy oat-loving cheryl, out.

Spreading the passion . . . through the stomach too!

I promised some fun food pictures didn't I? Well before I show them to you, let me just explain what's it all about. Me and Ann Marie co-ordinated the recent YISS Prep Camp:


beautiful poster designed by leonard koh

The main purpose of the camp was to prepare the service team for the upcoming annual YISS in June. Organised by Amplify Ministries (of which i belong), this is the 16th one since it started in 1990. Since our target audience is the youths in Singapore, our camps are conducted in a vibrant and energetic style. Even our designs echo that youthful vibe:



In case you're wondering what all this has got to do with food... here's where you find out. It has got something to do with this:



Yep, D-I-Y Popiah! Not done by me, but catered by this fantastic place called Old Longhouse Popiah. Why popiah you wonder? You see, we wanted to create a fun and lively atmosphere on the first night of the camp. We wanted to provide dinner and allow the participants to mingle and get to know each other better. I guess offering D-I-Y popiah is something out of the ordinary. I know that everyone had so much fun. It also helped that the popiah was seriously good! It has lots of good reviews that's why I ordered it from them. No regrets at that. You should try it someday, either at a dinner party or a get-together. It's good stuff!

Aside from D-I-Y popiah, we catered food from this company called Partylines. It's actually owned by our friend's friends. They offer anything from peranakan food to international buffet and even satay & bbq. But since we were on a tight budget, we had this simple fare:



Okay, maybe it wasn't that simple - we had chicken curry, fried bee hoon and cabbage & cauliflower dish. It was scrumptious! The curry was good and they even provided us with french loaves. I love eating curry with french loaves. This company is owned by this lovely couple Katherine and Andy. I want to thank them for agreeing to help cater food for this dinner even though they were so busy. They're very meticulous too - what with the set-up of the food and all.

You know what I said before about food bringing people together? I still stick by it. And especially if it's food that's fun and delicious to make, people will enjoy it tremendously. I know these girls are:


ann marie, cass and grace hard at work, making their own popiahs

But you know what. Even something as simple as popiah making requires skill. So it helps to have skilful hands like this guy:



He was the reigning 'popiah master' that night. His popiah was simply the best! See what I mean :



I've never seen popiah that looked that perfect. And haha we didn't have any knives (couldn't find them) so he whipped out his swiss knife, washed and sterilised it and used it to cut the popiahs. My my, he certainly had many orders that night. Everyone was literally 'queuing', waiting for him to make them popiahs. Who's this skilful dude? He's Wilfred, and boy does he have lots of patience. He even taught me and ann marie his secret which will remain ours. hahaa...

Anyway that night ended great and there was also red bean soup for supper.

I hope you're not too bored with me talking about camp food and what not. I just find great joy serving through food, be it planning or actually cooking it. I think it's just in me. I cannot run away from food even if I wanted to!

Okay, here's one last picture for you:



What's that you wonder? Well that was our breakfast the next day. Camp breakfast yep. Our dear kitchen heads woke up as early as 5:45am to cook that big pan of eggs! It's one mean feat. And look at the amount of fruits.. and check out that nutella spread. Of course I had a slice of that.

The prep camp ended on Sunday and I was really pleased that it went well. You see, even through food, one can spread the passion. I won't deny that I love food alot. But I love God even more. As a Catholic, I'm always looking for opportunities to serve and I'm sure that with food, I can do a whole lot more.

Thank God for food! :)

______________________________________________

Old Longhouse Popiah
22 Lorong 7 Toa Payoh
#01-03
Tel: 9171-7157/9428-1828
email: oldlonghouse@myway.com

___________________________

Partylines Function Organisers
31 Bedok Lane
Tel: 6448-7477
email: dynaking@singnet.com.sg

_______________________________________________

Holland Village Nasi Lemak

For those of you who are familiar with Asian food, I'm sure you'd know what Nasi Lemak is. It's actually a Malay dish which literally translates into 'rice in cream'. Nasi means rice and Lemak refers to the coconut milk used to flavour the rice. You must be wondering what's the deal about the rice? Well for starters, it might look rather ordinary but hey you know how much work goes into ensuring it retains it's flavour when cooked in coconut milk? I like my Nasi Lemak rice to be tasty and yet not too oily till it overpowers the other dishes.

The thing about Nasi Lemak isn't so much the sum of it's other accompainments but rather, the power of the rice itself. I kid you not. It isn't a complicated dish I promise you. Rather easy to put together, it's child's play for some. For me, I have yet to attempt cooking this dish so I just make do with the ones I consume outside.

I was craving for Nasi Lemak when looking for a place to eat dinner after walking about Holland Village and decided to have it. Okay, I cheated. I was with JF and he actually bought a plate of it first and seeing how yummy it looked I just had to get a plate of my own. And guess what? I really liked it. The fragrant rice was so light and yummy. I liked that it wasn't sticky or clumpy at all. It was very fresh and the grains were all seperated well. The thing about this dish also, is the sambal chilli. It has to be good or else it'll fail to take off. but that's just me :)

I didn't copy down the address but it's quite easy to spot, this stall. It's at the Holland Village Hawker Centre. The one facing the main road. Just a few stores to the left of the soya bean milk stall. I know a good Nasi Lemak when i taste one and this is one of it! I know it might not be as well known as the one at Chong Pang but hey, at least they know they're doing this for the benefit of those daring enough to try others. People like me for instance. haha i love trying out new places and stalls I've heard about.

Do try out this Nasi Lemak if you have the chance to. You just might like it too :)

I'm so sleepy right now. Was away at this ministry prep camp me and ann marie co-ordinated and just came home today. Have more food photos to show you guys. It has got something to do with a planned dinner we catered. You have to see it! I recommend it to all fun loving people. More about that another day... Zzzzz...

'Cha-pa-lang' Omelette

As a spontaneous person, I tend to do things unplanned at times. It goes the same for cooking/baking. Sometimes, I'm just too lazy to leave the house just to get some ingredients I don't already have. So what do I do? Rummage the fridge of course, and suss out the stuff to use and what not.

Recently, I've enjoyed the freedom of omelettes in the morning. I am very much a breakfast person and love to eat a nutritious breakfast to start my day right and so I try to pack in as much healthy and proper ingredients as possible. What better way to do it than through a yummy omelette, no?

I love eggs and I am crazy about them because they're so versatile and besides they are crucial in most baked goods especially brownies!!! Heh... so anyway I usually vary the ingredients in my 'cha-pa-lang' omelette. 'Cha-pa-lang' actually means random. So yea, now you know whey I call it that.

And so, I've been playing around with omelettes lately and I find it oh-so-fun mixing and matching. Like the other day, I just threw in some peas to my omelette. Yea, those who hate peas will go Eeee... but I actually like peas. Weird huh? I used to abhor them. But like I said before, most foods that I used to not like, I kinda like eating them now. Yep. Any how, the picture you see up there, well there's onions, tomatoes, peas, cut chillies and cheese in it.

Here's what I do... I pour a lil olive oil into the frying pan, then I cook the sliced onions first until they caramelise and turn almost translucent. Then I add my tomatoes and the rest of the ingredients. The last step is the eggs of course. I know it sounds like a frittata, which it could probably be, if I add alot more eggs but you see it's only me eating it so I usually just make an omelette.

There you go... what a simple way to start a fantastic morning, no? I know it doesn't sound or look like much but hey, it tastes great. I usually eat it with toast. What can I say, I love eggs and bread too... :)

Sia Huat - where all cafes/eateries/restaurants are born...

On Monday, I was out with Leo & Kelvin checking out Chinatown when Kelvin said he wanted to bring us to the place where literally all eateries are born.

Of course, I didn't quite get it at first, but the moment I saw the place, the pieces started to fit. We were at Sia Huat! Okay, remember my post about this cool shop in Joo Chiat selling waffle makers and all? Yea, now, Sia Huat is wayyyy cooler and larger than that. Apparently a reader also recommended that I go see this place and I totally forgot about it until I stood outside the shop two days ago.

All I could say was W-O-W. I mean, talk about industrial sized pots and pans, and even blenders similar to the ones Starbucks use to blend their drinks. There were sooooo many things to see. They stock everything from baking equipment to utensils and even rubbish bins! Now I know where coffeeshops and cafes get their stuff from. Here are a few pictures to show you what I mean:


lots of blenders and mixers

They sell Kitchen Aid! My dream mixer! Ahhhh... you should have seen me. I was touching it and wishing that I could bring it home that very instant!



pots and pans

Now will you just look at that. And you know what? This is not the only shelf. There were many other shelves with even larger pots and pans!


lovely porcelain dining ware

I finally found the classic white ramekins. I didn't buy any because I wasn't sure if it was oven safe. But I guess it should be? I'll probably go down again to check with the staff there.



buffet food warmers

I really don't know what these are called so I shall name them buffet food warmers. These are the ones used by hotels where they keep their food warm and clean in these sleek steel warmers. Nice.



nozzles

Can't find the perfect nozzle for piping your icing? Come to Sia Huat! I think they have every kind of nozzle imaginable.



cookie cutters

This place has plenty of cookie cutters, even cute mouse shaped ones! I even saw one with chinese words. You have to check them out, especially if you're a keen baker like me.



colourful chopsticks

Ta-dah! There's like chopsticks in almost every colour! Take your pick...

Geez, Sia Huat is really my kind of paradise. I can find everything there. I'm so amazed and I have to go back there soon. This is the sort of place I will browse all day and not get bored. Check it out!

_____________________________________________________

Sia Huat
7, 9, & 11 Temple Street
Tel: 6223-1732
Email: sales@siahuat.com.sg

Fancy a Pucko?

Hahaha.... what were your first thoughts when you saw the words PUCKO?

Did the word Puke and Yuck come to mind?

Was at Ikea with some friends yesterday and one of them saw this being sold at the Ikea shop (where they sell their Swedish stuff + hotdogs and so on). Being an adventurous person who's game enough to try anything, he bought it.... and I really do think he regreted it.

Wonder why? Then I should suggest you try it for yourself.

I googled up Pucko and found that it's a chocolate drink normally drank with hot dog. Well I think it's supposed to be a good combination? But if you ask me, I'd say hell-no!

Pucko is like this really milky drink with only a hint of chocolate. But it's just too milky for my taste. It was more creamy than anything else. The drink was rather thin and there's like residue at the bottom... It was as though they used milk powder! You can actually see the dark brown residue in the photo.

My my, it was rather hilarious... all of us were actually trying to figure out how it might taste like and what does Pucko mean. One even suggested that it probably tasted like puke. Heh... and in case you're wondering, Pucko is a synonym for stupid, supposedly in an endearing way. Hmmmmm....

But the Tv ad was interesting and really brought across the 'stupid' point very well. It featured a puckosaurus even. Yea, go figure.

Actually if you're curious, you can watch it HERE.

Enjoy! Just be careful not to drink Pucko on a whim... you might just get dumber... or maybe what they mean was that only the stupid people / dinosaurs drink Pucko. OR, it might attract those who wonder if Pucko really is stupid and so they actually buy it to find out and when they do realise how bad it tastes, they finally realise the extent of their stupidity? Heh, okay this is getting nowwhere, I better stop this Pucko rambling now...

Food isn't just F-O-O-D

my homemade brownies among the other food at the potluck

When I mention to people I just meet about my foodblog, I usually sense a slight apprehension. It's understandable I guess since they might not have come across a blog that concentrates solely on food and all things to do with food.

At times, I almost feel that they actually think of me as this foodcrazy person who probably drools on anything that can be put into the mouth.

Now, I can't deny that I love food and I enjoy eating but honestly, in my eyes, food is more than just food! It's something that can bring people together, promote harmony, encourage love and so on. Might sound far fetched to you, but to me it's more than a notion, it's a reality.

I know it, because I've tried using food to create 'magic'. As some of you might know, I teach catechism class (sunday school) at my parish every Sunday morning with 3 other fun ladies. Our class is one of the noisiest and the boys cannot keep their mouth shut or sit still. It's a challenge to make them pay attention week after week! But you know what? I've come to love them for who they are since teaching them this year. They're all 12-year olds going on 13 and are still struggling with becoming teenagers so I can understand.

Anyway to cut the long story short, last month we had a potluck party during class to sort of mark the end of the first term. Second term resumes in July. So I offered to bring my homemade brownies and the other ladies brought chips, sausages, meatballs and seaweed chicken. It was a huge huge feast as you can see from the photo up there and here:



We couldn't finish the food but I'm glad to say my brownies were cleared out pretty quick. Haha, that's a good sign! I could tell the kids were having fun and it just brought a smile to my face. These kids, all 30+ of them, they're like my babies now... I'll be teaching them until they are 16 so it's a 4-year journey and it'll be interesting, seeing how they grow into a full-fledged teenager! But it makes me feel old now. I'll be turning 22 end July and somehow, I wonder what it'll be like when I turn 30 in eight years! It's not that scary I suppose but I really love being a youth so I guess I better treasure it now.

That said, I'm going to keep at it, and continue pursuing my dreams. My online bakery will take flight and perhaps in 3 to 4 years, I'll be able to have my own cafe of sorts. In fact, I am already discussing the possibility of it with some friends. I won't reveal anything just as yet but in the mean time, I'll keep you guys updated with the plans for my online bakery. I promise to sell my baked goods again this holidays and I shall, but it'll probably be in June or July. I'll let you all know in due time! Meanwhile, take care and eat well! :)

What a find!

This will be one of the rare posts where I don't really post up pictures of food.

But I trust you will find it intriguing nonetheless.

I was actually walking along Joo Chiat road a few weeks ago and I came across this huge shop selling household items, baking equipment and machines you only find in cafes, restaurants and eateries!

Okay, I know it's not that big a deal but well I haven't seen a shop selling these machines per se so I was quite tickled that I had to take pictures. They had price tags too. Now I know how much they cost so at least, I can prepare myself for my own bakery/eatery in future... haha..

Here's the hotdog warmer:



I'm sure you've seen this most often at hotdog stands. This is what they use to keep hotdogs warm. The aluminium rods roll continously to ensure heat is distributed evenly throughout the hotdogs. Cool, no?

Here's the popcorn popper:



Recognise it? So if you love love love popcorn, why not just get this huge machine? You can invite your friends over and have a movie marathon too. It costs about SGD $338. Gone are the days where you have to heat your oil to the right temperature in the pot in order to ensure the corn pops properly.

Next up is the deep fryer:



Fancy having a chicken-wing party? You'd love having this machine at home. It's H-U-G-E. But scary too... imagine how much oil it requires. Sorry, but i'm not really a fan of deep-fried food. The thought of murky brown oil just irks me so.



Last but not least are these giant rice-cookers! I've always wondered how those coffeeshops manage to cook so much rice. I think they must own one or two of these. One pot is enough to feed more than 20 people I should think! Even 50? You never know!

I really enjoy discovering interesting shops like this and just when I think Singapore is so small and predictable, things like this prove me wrong. I do suppose I have yet to search deep into the heart of my homeland. Joo Chiat is a really nice place to eat yummy food and find shops like these!

Adam Road Hawker Centre

Been wanting to write about Adam Road for a while but kept forgetting. Well, I shall do so now and rave about the wonderful food there. I tried their Chicken Curry for the first time a few weeks ago and was very much pleased. I can't remember the stall's name but I know it's quite popular - it's been featured in the media a couple of times, judging from the newspaper clippings pasted at the stall. What I do like about the curry isn't so much just the curry itself but the toasted sliced french loaf they gave:



This is seriously one of the best toasted french loaf slices I've ever been served. I chose to eat my curry with bread and didn't regret. The curry was thick and delicious, not too spicy. But then again, my threshold for all things spicy is quite high so you shouldn't take my word for it. Curries is one of my favourite foods mainly because I grew up on curries. Dad makes the best curries. I love his Devil Curry especially. I am trying hard not to drool! haha.



Here's some Nasi Goreng that JF tried. It's not too bad. I liked that they added ikan bilis (anchovies) to the dish.

We had Indian Rojak too:



It seems like I have been eating alot of hawker food lately. Which isn't a bad thing! It's so much cheaper I tell you. I'm so so glad Singapore is such a food paradise. That's why hardly anyone can starve even if they wanted to.

I'll post up more pictures of delicious hawker food again soon...

A good baguette sandwich...I like!

And so this morning I opened up the papers, flipped through the weekly supplement Urban and find this write-up about a new deli that has just opened in Raffles City Shopping Centre.

What caught my eye wasn't so much just the food featured in the photo but also the layout of the quaint yet chic nook that was the deli.

Big bold black words such as 'fresh', 'drip coffee' and 'saigon' jumped at me. It did look like a subway spoof of sorts but you know what? It isn't. That's because I actually dropped by today.

Seldom do I believe what others write about such places - or should I say, I usually ask around and find out who has tried it to confirm that it's really that good. But I have to admit that I was sold, from the moment I read that write-up. It's on page 23 if you're curious.

Anyway I happened to be around the area and was starving so I chose to try out that banh mi for dinner:



It's actually also known as a Saigon Baguette. There's the fresh and fairly generous portion of medium sized baguette stuffed with fresh veggies like grated carrots and cucumbers. And then there's the cut chillies, coriander and ham together with delicious pate. I must say, I was rather pleased with it. It wasn't astounding but it was simply nice. So nice that I finished it up quite quick. I love it actually. I am not one for so much frills and this one took the cake; ahem, the sandwich I mean.

At $5.60, it is quite reasonable and it filled me up. I wished I had tried the drip coffee or the lemongrass cheesecake but I was actually in a hurry to catch Mission Impossible 3 at Marina Square so I couldn't linger for long. Haha.

But anyway, please do check it out. The place's Baguette - The Viet-Inspired Deli. I won't say too much because you can read it for yourself in the papers and I guess you'll only know after you've bitten into a banh mi, and realise that this might just be your next favourite sandwich place!

__________________________________________

Baguette - The Viet-Inspired Deli
B1-55, Raffles City Shopping Centre
Tel: 6336-0057
Open daily 10am-10pm.

I have tasted heaven...

this is what heaven probably tastes like... i hope!

I'm a changed person. I feel different. I walk different. I smile different.

Stop looking puzzled! I say that because my life will never be the same again! That's because....

I've tasted heaven.

Or maybe I've tasted something so divine that I would imagine and hope that heaven does indeed taste this good.

HAHA....

Seriously, if heaven tasted this good, I'd die a happy person.

Okay, before you start thinking I've gone bonkers, let me explain what in the world I'm going on about.

Yesterday, me and grace made an appointment to taste one of the most phenomenal sounding drink.

We've heard about it, we've seen it, walked past it but never got down to actually tasting it.

And since we're not on any abstinence of any kind, both of us decided to take a leap of faith. Not that we don't have any faith in this brown indulgence.

So we excitedly stode to this small shop and asked for this:




Those who've tried it would probably guessed by now!

We ordered the Chocolixir:



A Godiva product through and through, this drink looked so darn promising. We had the dark chocolate decadence.

Was it that decadent? What do you think? Grace would endorse it anytime:


Grace wouldn't mind endorsing it in return for a lifetime supply of chocolixir

She looks happy eh? Haha, so was I. Because we had in our hands something so precious that we wished it'll never end. If only I had Harry Potter's powers - I'd make sure this drink doesn't end. I'd keep sipping and sipping and sipping..... till then end of time? haha

Whatever it is, this drink is a MUST-TRY for chocolate lovers. I'm hooked I tell you. Okay, it isn't that cheap ($8 per cup) but hey it's darn worth it. You're drinking Godiva chocolate mind you! It's like Tiffany's in the chocolate world. The drink was thick and had small chocolate bits in it! I thought I was dreaming - trust me, it keeps you on a chocolate high. Something I so needed after those dreadful exams!

I'm sure you can tell how much I love the Chocolixir and how thankful I am to Godiva for doing mankind a favour. Me and grace were very much taken in by the Chocolixir:


grace and I can't take our eyes off the chocolixir

So much so that we couldn't take our eyes off it. But wait. Do we look like we're seducing the drink? Or is it the one doing the seduction? Go figure...

What are you waiting for? Run run run to Citylink Mall's Godiva boutique and get yourself a cup of heaven! You won't regret! :)

The Best Choclate Eclair Ever!

Bakerzin is by far one of my most favourite places I go to for that killer dessert - warm chocolate cake. But at times, when I am too lazy to actually sit down and wait, I go for the alternative, the chocolate eclair:



I always thought Singapore had a lack of good chocolate eclairs. I had enough of eating mediocre ones/ Some really aren't fit to be called eclairs even! The fakes are the ones I dislike especially since they're packaged to be pretty on the outside but taste nothing like an eclair.

Anyways, it's pretty obvious where I think is the best chocolate eclair. Bakerzin of course! It's the perfect place for some pure indulgence, whenever whereever.

Eat your hearts out people:



Now won't you call that an eclair or an ECLAIR?

I just call it the wonder puff.

Speaking of wonder. I'm so glad my 'wonderful' exams are over. Like finally! Come on, cheer with me! :) You'll be hearing more of me....