Showing posts with label Food. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Food. Show all posts

Monday, March 09, 2026

胖胖干贝烧 - Torched Scallops @ Yizhong Market, Taichung in Taiwan

I usually resist from having seafood like squid and scallops at night markets given the higher risk of food poisoning but I can't stop myself from moving towards the above stall, as the aroma w
as just so irresistible! 

Looking plump and juicy, and the fact that it wasn't starch heavy like rice, bread, noodles; I decided to splurge on a stick of scallops, with a sincere prayer that my stomach shall turn into a tummy of steel.

With three flavors to choose from, original, salt and cheese; I guess it's a no brainer that given the same price, it would always feel more "worth" to go with cheese. 

Smeared with two types of cheese and torched into a melty consistency, this had all the natural, seafood flavour of scallops, and honestly; I was expecting a cheesier flavour. Good as it was, but don't expect the experience to be spectacular.

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Address
Within Yizhong Market,
Yizhong St, North District, 
Taichung City, Taiwan

Pricing
Torched Scallops - NT$60

Sunday, March 08, 2026

胖子雞丁雞排 - Fatty Chicken Cubes and Cutlet @ Yizhong Market in Taichung [Taiwan]

I relied heavily on food recommendations from Taiwanese variety shows when I was planning my Taiwan 2025 trip, and one of them was for 胖子雞丁雞排 (Fatty Chicken Cubes and Cutlet) at Yizhong market in Taichung City.

It was almost 9.30pm; hence, I wasn't expecting much of a queue. The visual display of the food in front of me reminded me that should Singapore's health minister be at Yizhong, he would likely frown upon view the deep fried products! 

Anyway, recommendation was said to be the boneless chicken cubes but they were sold out! Hence, I had to relegate to the common chicken cutlet again, which was sliced into smaller, longish pieces.

Was it the weather? I couldn't know for sure but this steaming hot chicken cutlet (with bones) was delicious! Addictive batter that didn't feel heavy, not cloying, not oily, and the chicken was tenderly juicy. Alex was persuaded to take a small bite, and before I knew it; he finished half the pack, and kept praising "this was good"!

You might not believe it but we actually returned the very next day for the boneless chicken cubes! Given that it was just about 4pm, I think it would be safe to say we shouldn't have much problem securing a pack. 

And we did. 

Surprisingly, we didn't quite like them. Maybe the expectation was too high since the cutlet was so unforgettable. While the chicken filling retained the same tenderness and juiciness; the taste was saltier and overall unimpressionable. 

Well, well, well. Alex insisted.
And we were back for the 3rd time. 

Verdict; the cutlet was 1001% better than the chicken cubes and for the utmost satisfaction, do ask for the whole chicken cutlet, without slices, without cuts. To be fair, it wasn't just the chicken cutlet that made us return; the stinky tofu stall next door played a part too! 

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Address
No. 20, Yizhong St, North District, 
Taichung City, Taiwan

Map
As above.

Menu (in Chinese)
As above.

Pricing
Chicken Cutlet - NT$80
Chicken Cubes - NT$80


Monday, March 02, 2026

Fresh Cheese Corn (起司瀑布) @ Hanxi Night Market in Taichung [Taiwan]

I love buttered corn kernels in a cup and every night market in Taiwan, it's mainly ears of corns which didn't appeal as they were a handful to eat, as compared to dumping spoonfuls of already peeled corn kernels into my mouth.

Hence, my eyes were drawn to the above stall. Literally called the cheese waterfall with a picture of a corn, I was motivated to order with the three key Chinese words on the signboard; aromatic, rich and tasty!

Our order was freshly made and even though I am not that big of a cheese fan (meaning I don't feel that adding cheese to everything is a godsend); it was so therapeutic to see the strings of cheese being skillfully pulled, and combined, and pulled again.

Video for your viewing.

For NT$80 (about S$3.20), some would argue this was too pricey but from a personal perspective, I love the layers of saltiness, cheesiness and sweetness with bursts of natural corn flavor as I chewed through. Very nice even though I can't discern any taste of seaweed! 

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Address
Section 1, Hanxi E Rd, 
Hanxi Night Market, East District,
Taichung City, Taiwan 

Map
As above.

Pricing
One Serving - NT$80



Sunday, March 01, 2026

Obongzip 오봉집 Korean Restaurant @ Tanjong Pagar in Singapore

Compared to blogs, I admit vlogs have a lot more allure, with the ability to capture attention immediately. Even I would refer to vlogs on new restaurants, before making a decision to check them out.

One such restaurant was Obongzip 오봉집, a Korean restaurant that hailed from South Korea, which has over 300 outlets and opened its first branch in Singapore late last year.

Needless to say in food-craze Singapore, the queue was long when we arrived at about 6.30pm. Putting in an on-site reservation (time-slots were unavailable online), we were only brought into the restaurant at about 8.20pm! 

There were just the greatest Kon, Alex (the small eater) and I; hence, the Obongzip Special platter would be the best option since it comprised the three signature dishes of Obongzip; fire grilled spicy octopus, bossam pork and spicy buckwheat noodles. 

Complimentary water, with serviettes hidden under the table. 
That's the way things should be for ALL restaurants in Singapore! 

Together with the platter was a sizeable bowl of seaweed soup and a range of side dishes! Served on birthdays, there were large pieces of seaweed said to be beneficial for health and the only thing needed improvement was that it should have been served piping hot, instead of lukewarm.

Rest of the side dishes didn't generate much surprises; not lousy for sure, just not breathtaking enough for us to shout wow! So, let's now dive into the main dishes! 

Fire-grilled Spicy Octopus - selecting mild instead of hot a
nd extra hot, the spiciness was just right for us and complemented perfectly with the grilled aroma of the octopus, combination of which was so delicious; the words that came out were "wow, wow"! I would gladly eat this one dish for dinner! Yum yum! 

Pork Belly Bossam - now, this was one dish I see often on menus in Korean restaurants but the seemingly boiled pork honestly always don't look and feel that appetising. So, this was my first time (I think) eatingh bossam.

Turned out this was even better than the fire grilled spicy octopus! I was absolutely blown away when I paired the pork belly with the accompanying kimchi. By itself, the pork belly was tender (and fatty) with your usual pork flavour.

Main star was the kimchi, which was unlike any kimchi I have had before; with a crunchy texture and a spiciness that wasn't tongue numbing yet had that undeniably tempting sweetness! So unforgettable was this dish; I will be returning back to Obongzip very soon, with my dearest mom of course! 

Spicy Buckwheat Noodles - called makguksu, this dish was your typical "buckwheat noodles tossed in a sweet, tangy and spicy house sauce", mixed professionally by the staff on duty.

Being a fan of buckwheat noodles, this was a unique version that I would define as refreshing! Flavorsome would be the first word that came to my mind and I so love the addition of nuts; nuttiness with extra crunch! 

Grilled Tteok - looking like a puffy golden pillow, many diners would immediately whip out their phones when this dessert is served to their table.

A spectacle no less; with the eyes almost popping out from our sockets when the sticky mochi stretching so high up! Another thought that was going through our minds; it would be hard for us to finish this dessert! 

With a crispy shell that held so much Korean rice cake inside, it's a carbohydrate-heavy meal that would further stuff our already stuffed tummy. And I heard from Alex that he was full, before this dessert was  even served.

On its own, there wasn't much taste for the grilled tteok and we benefited greatly from the saucer of sweet sauce (malt sugar we believe) where we happily dipped the pieces of tteok in before putting them into our mouth. While this was worth a try, especially when you have a larger group, the mochi lost their melty elasticity when it cooled, and it could be very jelak.   

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Before and after! Will definitely be back for the Obongzip Special platter! And kudos to the Greatest Kon for gallantly cleaning up the grilled tteok! It was too much for Alex and I; former of whom just took one piece, I believe.

Address
77 Tanjong Pagar Rd, 
Singapore 088498

Map
As above.

Instagram Page

Pricing
Obongzip Special - S$108.00
Grilled Tteok - S$28.00
(Subject to Service Charge and GST)