Thai Dynasty @ Level Five Cookhouse by Koufu in JEM Shopping Mall [Singapore]

Any eatery with the word "dynasty" in their name would conjure an image of a pretty large establishment decked out with furniture and interior design that scream of opulence! 

Which, by the way, isn't the case for this Thai Dynasty stall that's located within a food court in JEM. It's not my first patronage although I was all prepared to order more this time as I had two more friends with me this time to share the dishes, and calories.

Less than fifteen minutes after placing our order, the table was literally full. It didn't feel that much until we saw it with our eyes although I think the iced desserts did kind of seal the deal of just way too much to digest for the three of us. Anyway, here's my review:

Green Curry Chicken - gravy with a thick consistency and so flavourful; this was easily one of the better ones in the whole of Singapore! Okay, maybe I exaggerate a little even though it's indeed delicious and a perfect companion with the plain, white jasmine rice! Only issue, which is the case with most green curry chicken in Singapore, is that the pieces of chicken had that frozen taste that left a relatively bad aftertaste in the mouth. 

Thai Omelette with Prawn - loyal readers of this blog would be aware I super love thai omelette with its puffy look, crisp edges and fluffy insides! The above looked authentically like the one I had in Thailand; taste wise, it was more our local furong egg and that's a disappointment despite the fact that it would have fared pretty well as a furong egg dish in a local, tze char stall. 

Pad Thai with Seafood - I am apprehensive to request for another carbohydrate dish but not being able to travel to Bangkok for my favourite thipsamai means I have been craving for pad thai for quite a while now! 

This was flavourful with a smoky aroma; not as good as thipsamai yet I greatly appreciate that it's nicely fried and managed to retain moisture without being all dried and clumped up like some pad thai I had in Singapore. 

Steamed Seabass with Lime - it's super rare to find me ordering fish as I find them way too pricey and I am not exactly a huge fan for fish, unlike my mom! However, the discount of S$11 (30%) was irresistible! 

Took a bite of the meat; okay lor, not much bones and tasted like any other normal steamed fish. Key action was to eat the meat with a spoonful of the lime-infused broth! Spicy, sour with a tinge of warm, comforting sweetness! 

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In summary, the food was above average and definitely decent for the price we paid for the meal in an air-conditioned food court. If the promotion for the steamed fish continues, I would jio my mom to check it out since she seldom steps into the western side of Singapore, and she loves her fishes, as food. 

Address

50 Jurong Gateway Rd, #05-01,

Cookhouse by Koufu, JEM, 

Singapore 608549

Menu

As above

Pricing

Green Curry Chicken - S$5.90

Thai Omelette with Prawn - S$6.90

Pad Thai with Seafood - S$6.90

Steamed Seabass with Lime - S$18.90

Jasmine Rice - S$1.00

(NETT)

AMK Curry Puff - Childhood Memory from Ang Mo Kio @ Toa Payoh's Super 28 Coffee Shop [Singapore] #currypuff

Back in the 1980s, the public transportation system in Singapore wasn't as advanced and one of the "hot" spots we frequented often was the nearby Ang Mo Kio town with its wider range of amenities. As kids, we were darn excited whenever we got to go out and aside from the chance of having a mug of root beer float from A&W; my mom would also buy for us curry puffs from a corner coffee shop near the now Jubilee building. 

It remained a good memory and while it was a bit fuzzy, it did ring a bell when my elder sister informed us that the same old curry puff stall had relocated to Toa Payoh (TPY)! As there were just too many food options in TPY, I finally managed to leave a bit of stomach space to recollect my childhood curry puff moments. 

Newspaper articles, blog reviews proudly framed up at a corner beside the stall. For those who are unaware, the original stall at Ang Mo Kio is still around but it's tagged as a second branch as the original company was sold off and rebranded as Tip Top which currently has seven branches across Singapore. 

Got my hands on the original (chicken) curry puff! 

At S$1.60 each, it's a rush of good, old memory as I took my first bite; thin, buttery crust and the mashed up potatoes mixed with pieces of chicken that featured the memorable punch of spicy curry! To be frank, it tasted somewhat like my favorite Swees curry puff from Batam; less sweet, spicier and a lot more expensive. 

However, with the current travel restrictions, I think AMK Curry Puff would be my favourite for the time being! There were other options like Sardine and Yam, similar to Swees Curry Puff and I would definitely be back to check them out soon!

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Address

184 Toa Payoh Central, 

Super 28 Coffee Shop

Singapore 310184 

Map

As above.

Pricing

Chicken Curry Puff - S$1.60 each

The Five Flavour Claypot from 848 Claypot Chicken Rice. Stew Soup @ Yishun Block 848 (Opposite Khatib Sheng Siong Supermarket) [Singapore] #claypotrice

Whenever I patronized Sembawang Traditional Claypot Rice (三巴旺原味煲仔饭) and shared the photographs with my elder sister, she would mention that the one from Khatib (Yishun) would better at much cheaper pricing. 

Hence, I finally decided to take her advice and arranged to meet up with her family and my mom for brunch at 848 Claypot Chicken Rice. Stew Soup last Saturday! I have no idea what this coffee shop is called but it's easy to find as it's the only one right opposite Sheng Siong Supermarket near Khatib MRT station.

As our family doesn't take a lot of rice, we ordered just two portions to be shared amongst four persons. Instead of their claypot chicken rice, Joyce opted for the Five Flavour Claypot which included Cantonese waxed meat like pork belly and sausage.

After an expected wait of about 20 minutes, of which we had already cleaned up a plate of Char Kway Teow from 海南仔, the two burning hot claypots were finally placed in front of us! 

Can't wait to dig in but before then; it's a necessity to mix up everything! If not, all the rice hidden below would be burnt; can just imagine unwitting foreigners not knowing what to do and thinking this must be a terrible dish from Singapore! 

One plus point from this particular stall; all the oil and black sauce were already added and you don't have to grapple with the dilemma if you have put in enough oil / black sauce. I super hate making the decision as my tendency is to throw in more black sauce! 

All mixed up and ready to take a bite! Taste was surprisingly good and I think the sweetness was just right. Key highlight was the chicken; the stall was generous with the portion and trust me, they were so tender although I think Yuan Yuan Claypot Rice at ABC market was still a notch tastier. Frankly, I didn't quite fancy the waxed meat and think I would just go for the cheaper Claypot Chicken Rice (at only S$5.50) next time. 

Strongly recommended for sharing! 

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Address 

848 Yishun Ring Road, 

Coffee Shop Opposite Sheng Siong Supermarket, 

Khatib, Yishun,

Singapore 768688 

Menu 

As above. 

Pricing 

Five Flavour Claypot Rice - S$7.50 a pot

海南仔 Char Kway Teow @ Yishun Block 848 (Opposite Sheng Siong Supermarket) [Singapore] #charkwayteow

海南仔 might ring a bell in the head of some of you as it was less than a week that I blogged about the hokkien mee! But this particular stall came from another coffee shop near Khatib MRT station; turned out there are at least three branches of 海南仔 in Yishun!

Since I was tempted to try the char kway teow at its Kim San Leng branch; I thought I might as well order from the khatib branch as I was looking for brunch anyway! p.s. photograph taken from iPhone Pro Max and it didn't escape my eyes that it looked a bit funny! 

Much better version of the same plate of char kway teow; my DSLR was sadly sent for servicing although the main reason for buying an iPhone Pro Max was its supposed superb photo quality. Maybe I should check out the user guide to ensure I am using the correct settings. 

So how did this plate of char kway teow (with an extra egg) fare? Honestly, decent tasting with pieces of crispy pork lard that were stir-fried together with the noodles, just like the hokkien mee. The wok hei was there; just not as intense and I personally would enjoy the noodle better with more sweet, black sauce. 

Whatever the case, I still managed to devour everything! To be frank, I shared with my mom and elder sister as we were also having claypot rice in the same coffee shop. As the saying goes, sharing is caring; bullshit by the way as our family philosophy is to share the calories so that we can eat other things.

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Address 

848 Yishun Ring Road, 

Coffee Shop Opposite Sheng Siong Supermarket,

Singapore 768688

Menu

As above.

Pricing

Char Kway Teow - S$3.50

Add Egg - S$0.50 

Meomi Cat Cafe @ Bugis (Near Haji Lane) in Singapore #catcafesg #animalcafesg

Singapore has quite a number of animal cafes and it's about time for me to start exploring them since all of us can't travel out of the little red dot at the moment and I need more diversity in this blog; can't be always writing about food! 

Hence, I shall bring to you to a cat cafe in a very accessible area; Bugis! Many people would not find it hard to locate Meomi Cat Cafe as it is right next to the entrance of the absolutely charming Haji Lane.

It might be hard for you to spot the store if you are walking right past though as the signage on the glass panel wasn't that noticeable. Rest assured, I would share the map and address nearing the end of this post.

Main entrance was more a retail area with a counter. Most of the "actions" would take place behind the glass doors, as with the case of many animal cafes. I can't remember if we make payment note or later as my friend was picking the tab that day.

A few photographs of the retail section where you can  find quite a number of feline-image products including plushies, tote bags, floor mats, coin pouches, masks, keychains etc.  

First thing first; remove your shoes before you allowed to step into the 'cats' area! 

Second thing; keep in mind the family rules! Children are allowed with but must be accompanied and supervised by adults. I knew because both Jerald and Jovyn had been to Meomi Cat Cafe before and Jovyn was then maybe 7-8 years old only. 

The felines on duty! The staff on duty was quite on-the-ball; he actually talked a bit about the cats on duty and let us know the temperament for some of the cats. He even highlighted one who had a sad-looking yet adorable expression. 

Let's step in! 

To be frank, it's quite a small activity area and with safe distancing measures put in place, the number of people allowed to interact in this small area was heavily reduced. Not that the cats mind, I feel.

Food and drink corner; we are not allowed to feed them and compared to other cat cafes I visited in Bangkok, there's no option of you buying a snack to bribe the cat to go to you. I thought that's a good move as the demand for snacks would just result in the cats ignoring basic, nutritional food heathier for them. 

Wi-Fi password; a good-to-have if you would like to upload videos of the felines to your social media page. With the increase in data from telecommunication providers nowadays, I guess it's no longer as essential to request for Wi-Fi password. And yes, I don't think oreo is pregnant too! 

Comments written on post-it notes pasted on the glass! Anyway, are you prepared for the deluge of photos showing the cats we encountered at Meomi Cat Cafe?! Here they come! 

Frankly, as I have never kept a cat before; I am not really that well versed in their breeds and couldn't quite identify them except for maybe the persian in some of the photos.

Wall installations for the cats to stroll and jump across; when I was in the midst of purchasing my own flat, I did consider having a feline as a pet and one of the things I thought to incorporate into the renovation was the wall-mounted cat tree that rans all over the flat. 

See that big castle cardboard behind the two ladies? As usual, my curiousity was piqued and even though curiousity kills the cat, the fact that I was at a cat cafe means no cat has been killed yet! So why not go over and take and look?

It's a hidden place for the cats' litter boxes! 

The sad looking cat! The way it looked at things always feel that it had a lot of thoughts going on in its head; for example, the last picture seemed to imply a message that "use this kind of bowl of bluff me, think I stupid?".

Here were our beverages! Pricing is based on entry per person for the first compulsory hour and then subsequently in blocks of 30 minutes. A complimentary drink would be provided. 

Our drinks; for 3 persons.

More photos!

This is Mario; a tom with a relatively stern looking face. It was resting on a perch for the longest time and finally decided to come down for a walk. That's when I was caught surprised as it looked like a large feline.

It's a munchkin with a long body and short legs! Super adorable! When I was considering on whether to keep a cat, I did think if I should get pure breeds; the consideration then was either a scottish fold or a munchkin! 

Lastly, my selfies with the felines! Overall, it's not comparable with the cat cafes in Bangkok (Mohu Mohu, Caturday, Kitty) which have much bigger premises but since the main objective is the felines, there are already two that caught my heart that day; the munchkin, Mario and the sad looking one. 

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Address

668 North Bridge Rd, 

Singapore 188801

(Near Haji Lane)

Map

As above.

Website

https://www.facebook.com/meomicatcafe/

Pricing

Adult - S$13 for the first hour and subsequently S$5 per half an hour

Child - S$9 for the first hour and subsequently S$4 per half an hour 

(One serving of complimentary drink per person)

Drink List

As above.