Lao Fu Zi Fried Kway Teow (老夫子炒粿) @ Old Airport Road Hawker Centre

It's never a good idea to have just one dish at a hawker centre. Order a few dishes and share amongst your family or friends. Judging from this recommendation, it's probably not a good suggestion to go alone.

And when i am with the Gang of Four, an order of one pathetic dish is ALMOST unheard of.

Therefore, you would not be wrong in assuming that there's more to come from our recent expedition to Old Airport Road Hawker Centre. To tell you the truth, i am only blogging 70% of what we had then.

One of the more famous stalls in Old Airport Road is Lao Fu Zi Char Kway Teow - a tongue in cheek reference to the nostalgic comic character (Old Master Q) from Hong Kong.

The tempting aroma of char kway teow has always proven to entice many diners to order a plate and that could usually be attested by the never-ending queue outside the stall.

Costing S$4, it was wet and heavy with delicious black sauce and filled with ingredients that made me exceptionally careful whenever i took a bite. I cannot stand the disgusting taste of cockles!!!

Personally, i found this to be one of the more traditional char kway teow in Singapore - a taste i could recollect when i was much younger. But, there is one problem.

With the focus on wok hei (essentially the essence of the wok) nowadays, this plate might deserve a higher score if it was left to simmer for a while longer in the metal wok.

=====

Location

Block 51, Old Airport Road,

#01-12, Old Airport Road Market & Food Centre

For my post on 51 Soya Bean at the same hawker centre,

please click HERE

The Demise of The iPhone

I have already come out with the topic of today's post - The Invasion of the Bulldog-Cheeks Baby. Unfortunately, i don't have the luxury of time today to run through hundreds of Jovyn's pictures!

My iPhone has finally died after an extended period of abuse that started right after the three-month honeymoon. Initially, i thought it only needed a customary iTunes restoration but i kept getting error messages of numerous code (20, 1600 etc etc).

I rectified one code only to get another.

It's almost like a chain reaction.

Precious time was nonetheless wasted in checking out the world wide web for remedies; DFU mode, tinyumbrella, removing host files, reverting back to previous versions, breaking apart the iPhone etc etc etc.

Why did i waste so much time when i could have easily sent it for servicing? Because i am trying to save money and i do know that a lot of things can be done for cheaper if you search on the web (an example here).

Another factor could be my absolute reliance on iPhone. This multimedia device is my source of information, music, videos, games, connections and i cannot imagine my life without it for even a single day!

As you might have noticed, i failed miserably.

In the meantime, Joyce had kindly passed me a Samsung phone for temporary use although with such a small screen, i guess i will use it for what mobile phones are really made for; communication.

Campbell's Mushroom Soup - Cavin's Preferred Cooking Style

Since mom has been stationed permanently at my sister's place, the issue on dinner becomes a major problem for my family, especially me. I might be a person who eats a lot but when it comes to actual cooking, i am totally, utterly useless.

Thank god for the invention of canned food or else i believe i can literally fatten myself with a pack of roasted chicken rice from Eng Kee every single night!

Cooking a bowl of mushroom soup is as easy as ABC with Campbell's canned soups. Although it might look disgusting like a dollop of solidified vomit now, the end product is both palatable and aromatic.

It's never enough to just have the soup with that few pieces of pathetic mushroom bits! Buy a box of fresh white button mushrooms to add the freshness to an otherwise, pretty unhealthy meal.

Slice them whatever way you prefer. My preference is as above. According to the experienced mummy, wash the mushroom carefully as they might contain surface area pesticide powder that will no doubt be harmful to health in the long run.

When that pile of vomit has disintegrated, you may add in the squeaky clean mushrooms. The soup might seemed as if it's not sufficient to accommodate the mushrooms but do give it time, they will eventually shrivelled.

If you think i would only include mushrooms, you are dead wrong! I love my soup to be full of rich ingredients! A few live prawns plus a hotdog sausage from valley chef should be enough. I would also advise a stick (or two) of baby corns if they are available in the supermarket.

Dump them into that pot of boiling creamy broth! A sacrificial ritual or prayer is necessary for those who feel extremely guilty for this level of decadence.

Oh-La-La! Ready to be served! To ensure a thick consistency, the right ratio of water is of utmost importance. The best thing about canned food? Taste is consistent and they usually taste pretty delicious.

Each scoop is guaranteed to have more than just liquid! For Cavin's cooking style of course! Well, the broth actually had a slightly more seafood flavour that didn't taste as fantastic as the clam chowder soup Campbell has.

Nothing's better than finishing the soup with a few mugs of ice-cold root beer; the nectar from heaven! It should be a satisfying concluding 'meal' except that i had a serious bout of diarrhea a few hours later.

The culprit must have been the root beer!

Conclusion of the Car Side Mirror Incident (Su Brothers Motor Workshop)

This is a follow up to my initial post on this dumb ass driver who brutally cut off one of my car's ears.

Having to endure days of death-threatening driving without a side mirror on the driver side, i finally sent my beloved Vios for a much needed "cosmetic" consultation at my favourite workshop; Su Brothers' Motor Workshop!

My relationship with them goes way back to my days at KC Watson, supplier of Hills pet products in Singapore, and i have always been impressed with their level of service that hinges on the human touch.

Maybe i should consider sending my car there for its routine servicing.

After paying S$190 (according to the serviceman, a new support base was needed) and a wait that lasted 6 hours, my car can finally recover from what was aptly described as a traumatic experience!

To play safe and also to deter any recurrence, my family has resorted to fold the side mirrors whenever we park the car. Could you even deny that it actually look cuter without the ears?!

=====

Su Brothers' Motor Workshop (司兄弟) can be found at Block 5034, Ang Mo Kio Industrial Park 2, #01-341, Singapore 569537.

Soya Bean Curd (豆花) from 51 Soya Bean @ Old Airport Hawker Centre

Having tried beancurd from the famous shops (Selegie and Rochor), i was almost caught by surprise by my friend's comment that the best beancurd comes from Block 51, Old Airport Road.

I am skeptical although experience tells me it's never good to assume until you have tried it with your mouth and tongue. Wah, sound so vulgar sia! Hahaha.

Anyway, the Gang of Four encountered a long queue at this stall named 51 Soya Bean. Coincidentally, i told a new colleague from Japan that in Singapore, a long queue at any one stall in a hawker centre usually signifies good food or damn worth-the-price food!

So is this plastic bowl of soya beancurd, supposedly made on site, worth the wait and price?

Unlike the famous beancurds from Selegie, Rochor Road, or any other beancurd stalls, you would not find a single trace of sugary syrup in this bowl. That brings upon the question; how good can it perform its role as a dessert without any freaking source of sweetness?!

Answer; it lies within the beancurd.

Personally, i don't like this variance, this style of beancurd. It was too alike to a typical sweetened jelly, like almond jelly. Furthermore, unlike the traditional beancurd, there is no way for me to adjust the sugar level according to my mood.

=====

Location

Block 51, Old Airport Road,

#01-72, Old Airport Road Market & Food Centre

(Another branch is located at Golden Mile)

Nearest MRT Station

Dakota and Mountbatten

Price

S$1.00 (Small)

S$1.50 (Large)

Additional Information

According to Mr Kon, Lao Ban beancurd is actually the originator for the beancurd craze at Old Airport Road and i can see with my eyes that the queue was in fact two times longer than 51 Soya Bean.

Ghost Detector (iPhone) - The Free Paranormal Detector

Knowing my surface interest on anything related to paranormal, Hannah informed me that there's an iPhone application that can detect ghosts!

Without any hesitation, i immediately downloaded and installed the application despite this month being the infamous Hungry Ghosts month!

Operated like a radar scanning device, this app is apparently capable of reading abnormal electromagnetic currents surrounding your iPhone and pinpoint the level of presence of unknown entities.

Thankfully, it's easy to use without any complex setting that requires mensa-level intelligence. A blue dot means a light presence, yellow signifies something stronger and a red dot should presumably mean you should get the hell out from where you are!

Personally, i don't know whether to believe this or not. A singular coloured dot does not express any concrete evidence and could even be a result of electronic devices like computer.

Maybe i should try the app again at night in the middle of Lim Chu Kang Cemetery or Red House.

[download this app via your itunes; search for ghost detector free]

Chicken Cutlet from Rasa Sayang Western Food @ S11 Food Centre (Ang Mo Kio Central Block 711)

A lot of my food memories actually started from the time i joined Starhub and got to know the food guru. Unsurprisingly, my first outing with him was a food expedition that lasted only five hours yet managed to make me realise (forcibly) that one can eat so much!!!

One of the memorable moments was at this Western stall located at Ang Mo Kio Central; late night supper with friends like crazy jing meimei and downing the food with cup after cup of ice lemon tea.

That was the happy, carefree life then.

Coming back, remember the day my car was assaulted with one of its ears sliced off?! I had to bring it to a plastic surgeon (the car workshop in this case) for cosmetic reconstruction and therefore had a few hours to spend at Ang Mo Kio.

And it's no doubt fated that i walked past S11 and therefore decided to relive those good, old memories.

The piece of chicken cutlet remained as generous as i remember! It's always recommended to have two persons sharing one portion unless you have reached a threshold of extreme hunger. Look at how the size of the deep fried meat overshadowed the rest!

Batter wise, it was a nice golden tan with bread crumbs that shimmered brightly under the setting sun. And you will definitely love the crunch that seems to last forever as you slice it slowly.

Now on taste. *pause* it wasn't bad and it wasn't that deliciously good either. Granted the meat was juicy without a trace of being overcooked, i had to use chilli sauce extensively in order to gain the precious oohmp.

Nonetheless, i did have a filling meal despite having nasi lemak a mere three hours ago.

=====

Location

Blk 711 Ang Mo Kio Ave 8,

#01-07 S-11 Food Centre

Price

Chicken Cutlet - S$6.00. There are of course other items on the menu like Chicken Chop, Pork Cutlet, Fish N Chips etc.

Additional Information

Get a glass of the thirst quenching ice lemon tea (S$1.40) to go with your meal!

The price is not cheap considering you can have a cheaper cutlet in another coffee shop. But, seldom would you get such a big portion!

Small Getai (歌台) for the Hungry Ghosts Festival (7th Lunar Month) @ Yishun

Synonymous with the infamous hungry ghosts festival in Singapore is the frequent setting-up of temporary stages called getai in many sub-urban areas (this year's first getai was surprisingly staged along Orchard Road)! 

For those who are mystified over the term getai, please visit wikipedia at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Getai.

While going home from Yishun MRT station one evening, i chanced upon a getai that was set up in a really constricted area! Damn, how many people can you hold in this small little space that borders HDB flats within a few meters?

It would not start until 8pm and yet you could already see people looking around for seats and patiently waiting for a night of usually raw dialect entertainment.

No matter how crowded it is, no sane human will jostle for a seat at the first row known otherwise as the VIP seats. Since getai serves as a mode of entertainment to those spirits, these seats are entirely reserved for them. As you can see, it's not difficult to set them apart from the norm (hint: on the seats).

The sound and light technicians were testing the sound system, smoke effects and lighting when i passed by. Seldom would you get to be at such close proximity to the back stage! I enjoyed the good old secondary school days when i get to play this on a frequent basis.

A final look - i was too stressed and tired (plus hungry) to stay for an additional hour to catch the show!!! Let's see if there's any more around Yishun with just a week left to Hungry Ghosts Month.

If not, do look out for my post on the mooncake festival!