Tuckahoe Pie (茯苓夹饼)

Don't ask me what's tuckahoe!

My first thought; it must be a snack for the farmers in  ancient China! Unexpectedly, this pie is in fact a palace snack popularised by the great empress dowager of the Qing Dynasty, Cixi!

Kaoz, such noble beginnings!

When i looked within the box to steal a bite, i was surprised to find a few round and thin wafers. The white area looked like paper and felt like recyled toilet paper!

These 'wafers' had dark coloration in the middle that looked suspiciously like the stuff i paste on the areas of my aging, aching body. On a disgusting note, don't you think it resembles a pile of shit excretion poo flattened by two pieces of paper?

My brain was struggling then; should i try or not?

Well, since my colleague had kindly brought it back from Beijing, i mustn't disappoint him right? To a MUCH lesser extent, never try never know. And........ i was hungry then.

On one hand, the white paper-like crust (the tuckahoe is used for this portion) was almost tasteless leaving a slight chalky aftertaste.  

On the other hand, the dark coloration area (sandwiched in between the wafers) was very savoury, a strong contrast to the crust. I guess this sweet, strong taste could be due to the haw jam used.  

A google of this product revealed that tuckahoe is a herb and one benefit of this herb is as a stimulant for one's appetite. This pie is also said to be highly nutritious and has a pleasant taste.

My only comment?

It's an acquired taste.

Depressing

My dear old companion, Rubee, has been looking kind of gloomy after his recent bout of illness that reduced his weight by 3 kilograms and his first overnight stay in an animal clinic. In total he was "hospitalised" for 4 nights, blowing the S$1,200 savings i had intended to spend on another overseas trip.

I am not complaining and definitely will not, so long he is alive, well and bouncing with vitality.

After this life-threatening incident, i cannot help but treasure him more. I have to accept the fact that he is indeed getting older; his hearing and eyesight are no longer as alert , the usual playfulness is not as frequent as before. His immune system is also affected, with a serious tick infestation and a skin condition that is, fortunately, improving.

Furthermore, i cannot help but notice that he looks depressed at times; like an old man who has spent his whole life toiling and is just waiting for life to end.

It is really a torment, mentally, for me. At night, i will pull him nearer to me, so that i can be right beside him, if need be....  

My only wish?

If he is to pass away, i sincerely pray it will be a painless or at least a minimum-pain death.

Marvelous Cream French Sweets Parfait @ CityLink

It is no secret i love ice cream. And having heard so much about this ice cream parlour located in CityLink, my heart had been yearning for a single bite! That chance finally came on Friday after a meal at Jack's Place (which i hope to blog pretty soon) in Marina Square.

With its eye-catching frenchy fused with jappy decor, i knew the existence of this shop for a long long time, without knowing its name. I didn't bother then. Because my sixth sense told me the things in there will not come cheap.

I wasn't too far from the truth but not too near either.

At S$5.90 for a regular serving in a waffle bowl (cannot remember if we paid an additional S$1 for the bowl), the regular scoop was in fact slightly bigger than the regular scoop found elsewhere. Taking into account the additional fruits for mixing and toppings, i thought the price was only slightly higher than other parlours.

Too lazy to consider the multi-level options necessary for custom concoction, i chose one of the shop-creations: Strawberry Banana Bland. Though the apparently-came-from-Hokkaido ice cream tasted light and not overly creamy (which means bland to me), the whole package was, in fact, pretty good.

With god-damn certainty, i am going to try the other creations in days to come!! Including some delicious looking desserts i saw at their counter, especially the yellow one shown above.

Wahiro Boutique Japanese Restaurant @ Goldhill Plaza, Novena

I am very stingy when it comes to Japanese food. Try asking me to pay S$30 for a plate of sashimi and a single word "Siao!" will bounce back. "Siao" means "Crazy" in the Hokkien dialect by the way. Hence, you don't see me dining often in high end Japanese restaurants. Even if i do, the first visit is usually the last.

Wahiro is different; today is my second visit.

The food was still good although i should have sought clarification on the choices of the kushiyaki set. From S$15 a set, my beloved family ordered the today's set lunch, sushi lunch set, kushiya & sashimi set and gindara teriyaki & tempura set.

Just a pictorial run-down of what were consumed.

This picture was taken on my first visit. The salad i had for the second visit was not as colourful but the freshness and crunchiness of the vegetables remained the same.

I love the sashimi here! Being a late bloomer for this raw dish, i can only say "FINALLY, I CAN TASTE THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN CHEAP AND EXPENSIVE SASHIMI"!

The sushi was good like most sushi. What else do you expect? So long the rice is gently moisturized with a tad of vinegar and the ingredients used are fresh, it should be good right??

Definition of a good tempura (at least to me): fresh, fleshy ingredients (prawns etc) and a batter that is not thick, yet crispy. Wahiro's tempura? Good.

Forgot to ask what was the name of this dish. Can see that it was fish. Tasted like one too. And it was delicious!! I can confirmed it was fish. Wahaha. I know it's not funny...

Gindara Teriyaki. Yum yum yum! Definitely better than the common salmon teriyaki, i am going to persuade my mom to try cooking this grilled silver cod fish with teriyaki sauce. The taste is still lingering in my mouth at this very moment.

Known also as grilled Japanese satay, most people mistakenly thought Kushiyaki (串焼き) was generally termed as Yakitori. Yakitori only means it is chicken based and kushiyaki can be pork or vegetable based.

The ones in Wahiro were fabulous!! However, do remember to request for a change (within the kushiyaki set) if you hate offal like me! I forgot about it this time! I realised one of them (out of the six sticks) was liver when i started chewing!! VOMITS! For my first visit, we requested for non-offals and the dining experience was so memorable!!!!

=(

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Location:

1 Goldhill Plaza #01-19/21. It is walking distance from Novena MRT Station.

Operating Hours:

Daily from 12pm to 2pm (Lunch) and 6pm to 10pm (Dinner). Do note that i went for its set lunch for the past two visits. Prices may differ for dinner.

Additional Information: 

It is famously said (by who, i am not sure) that the authenticity of a Japanese restaurant  (likewise for any country specific cuisine) can be judged by the level of human flow of its countrymen. Although we didn't see a lot of customers, around half of the diners were Japanese.

If you are driving, consider parking in the multi storey or outdoor carpark of Goodhill Plaza. It is S$2 per entry for Saturday and Sunday. Shop at United Square, Velocity or Square 2 after your meal. An efficient way to fully utilise your car park charges!

Lastly, the set meals include miso soup and fruits too!

Strawberries - The Best Way to Have Them!

What's the best strawberry you have eaten?

The one you hungrily gobbled after taking so much time plucking in one of the strawberry plantations in Cameron Highlands? Or was it the mini one you bought from the supermarkets in Singapore?

The best i have eaten came from Kunming in Yunnan, in China. Big, red, sweet; optimal conditions for the best strawberry. And all of them were bloody good! Every single one of them!

My fellow tour mates said they may be chemical induced though. It's with disbelief that strawberries can taste so wonderful!

Heck care! We bought a lot and ate a lot (especially my younger sister who was, in fact, drooling while she waited for the lady to pack the strawberries in the picture above). We were so full, we burped strawberry breath.

You will love to smell it!!!

On the sinister side, what happen if the strawberries you bought are small, sour and on their way to rot? Would you throw them away? Or would you take the risk of having a personally induced, non-medicated colon cleansing?

That's when the crystalline substance comes into the picture and save those pathetic strawberries of yours!

SUGAR

Pictorial steps with minimal text as follow:

 Dump the strawberries in salted water.

Cut them up

Sprinkle the sugar

Result: A bowl of yummy strawberries laced with a layer of sugar syrup.

A sentence of caution!

Sugar does not kill bacteria and if the strawberries indeed have colon cleansing ability (those nuclear type), sugar wun help.

Well, at least the taste is worth the risk.

Ten Miles Painting Gallery (十里画廊) @ Zhangjiajie (张家界), Hunan, China

As the name suggests, strolling along the stretch of boardwalk is equivalent to walking in a very lengthy exhibition hall with real life landscape paintings right beside you.

The misty rock formations changes every hundred meters, offering individualistic angles for camera beholders. Like me. Whaahhaaha.

Alongside my loved ones (mom and dad) in such cool weather (around 15 degrees celcius), my mind had never felt so relaxed. If not for the tight itinerary and the persistent tour guide, i would have taken my own sweet time. =_=

Sighz...

That's the bane of signing up with tour groups.

Cravings for the East (Cheng Tng, Hokkien Mee, Ayam Penyet, Mee Kuah) @ Bedok Corner Food Centre

The east area of Singapore has always been touted as the "happening" place and with good food in so much abundance, it's impossible to keep track. In Bedok town alone, i can tick off quite a few good stalls.

This time, my view is focused on the Bedok Corner Food Centre, a place i found out just a few years ago. Full of Halal food, this is a great place for many of our Muslim friends.

Located in an inconspicuous location hidden in the midst of private housing plus a relatively small area compared to other hawker centres, this food centre kicks a really heavy punch to its fellow mates. The proportion of good food is surprisingly high, directly explaining the heavy traffic around the area during makan time! 

Ye Lai Xiang Cheng Tng

Cheng Tng is one of the more popular desserts in Singapore...... besides the Ice Kacang of course. In the past, every cheng tng tasted the same to me; every single one of them.

The only difference? Whether one was sweeter than the other. The usual ingredients include lotus seed, honey dates, dried longan, Chinese barley, white fungus, red dates, rock sugar etc. 

The veteran of this centre and the one i MUST patronize everytime i am here, however, has a slight variation; he adds in dried winter melon strips, dried pessimons and even tau suan (split green bean). And instead of using shaved ice for cold cheng tng, he uses crushed ice.

Now, this is unique!

The additional ingredients contribute to a stronger flavoured soup and the crushed ice complements by slowing down the dilution of this flavour compared to shaved ice. 

And one last thing that lightens up my day whenever i am there; the affable persona of the stall owner.

No, his name is not like Lai Xiang. That's a woman's name.

Price: S$2.00

Saimah Ayam Penyet

My first ayam penyet (literally means smashed chicken in malay) was in Hougang Plaza, in a seemingly make shift stall (it is permanent though) and i was blown away by the thin, hot & crispy chicken skin covering the tumeric-marinated whitish meat and the chilli that was so hot but so taste-buds tempting!

I try to seek the ultimate in Singapre with the special factor that differentiates many of the good ones (including the ones i tried in Indonesia, supposedly the birth country) but so far, nothing THAT outstanding.

On the same note, this ayam penyet was good and one key factor that stands out from the rest was the chilli!

Was it hot? Yes. Was it very hot? No!

(the one in NUS Science canteen wins hands-down for its hotness)

I am not really a "chilli" person and i find most chilli for ayam penyet too hot! The chilli padi seeds were distributed so generously i wondered if the stall owners hate the customers. 

The chilli for this ayam penyet in Bedok was so so right. Hot but not overpowering for my tender taste buds.

Price: S$4.00

Bedok Corner Hokkien Prawn Mee

This is such a common dish in Singapore that competition is intense (like chicken rice). Privately, i have two preferred stalls and one of them is this one in Bedok.

Instead of the heavily used yellow noodles for hokkien mee, they used bee hoon; allowing a smooth delivery to your stomach.

The stock for frying the carbos (and of course the prawns, sotongs etc) was also laden with delectable sensation. If only fried pork lard was available to enhance it further. 

Price: S$3.00.

Mee Kuah

I am ashamed.

Over a quarter of a century had passed and it was the first time i tried this common malay (or was it indian) dish. The visual exhibition of the dish initially caught our attention; the shape of a square-like sampan.

The taste test at the very beginning was a bit disappointing. It had a very complicated flavour, like chilli crabs with tomato, mee goreng and even minestrone soup. But as i pushed further, the "dishes" merged and created a heavy, savoury flavour that got better and better.

Everything was good until i found a beetle drowned amidst the thick, reddish sauce.

Price: S$6.00

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Location:

1, Bedok Road (please visit StreetDirectory and key in accordingly)

Additional Information:

Try to reach before 6pm.

You will not find a table easily if you come after that and food items like cheng tng could be sold out after 9pm.

Motorists beware! The "aunties" check rather frequently on your existence and validity of parking coupons. 

It was horrendous to find a vacant lot after 6pm!

Parklane Zha Yun Tun Mee House (百灵炸云吞面美食屋) @ Bugis

Sometimes in life, we have things (living and non-living) that are not well-loved but deep in our pumping human hearts, we will miss and crave them at certain times.

One good example?

Parklane Zha Yun Tun (Fried Dumplings) Mee (Noodles) House.

Although a number of friends and family members commented it was really nothing to scream about, this is ONE DISH i perpetually has craving for. And it must only come from Parklane.

At S$3.50 a plate, it was not cheap for my standard. At first glance, the strands of dough that looked suspiciously like maggie mee were devoid of any springiness, a key factor to a good plate of noodles.

The fried dumplings were pathetic with more flour than meat, the char siew with slightly charred sides seemed hard and the bowl of dumpling soup glared at me as if i am going to die straightaway after drinking from it!

Fine, the last point was blown beyond context! 

I am finished with the first glance. Now the first taste; a manual mix of the noodles with the special dark sauce increased the outlook sharply. The noodles were more oily and with it came the springy dark look. The taste was traditional; the kind i like as i get older. 

Age plays a very important role when it comes to food tasting. 

Although the fried dumplings were crunchy, it was overall quite a normal item. It's the small dish of mayonnaise that performed a mysterious transformation. They were so popular (with the mayo), you can order just the fried dumplings without the noodles.

The Char Siew was not the best i had. The weird thing was, charred bits should be the key for most char siew, the ones here, however, lacked that perfect burnt texture and they were not fatty either (another essential point). But they do have that special, magical power (again) to make you want more.  

Nothing much about the dumpling soup; personally i found it to taste as if MSG was the main component. 

Another weird point that seriously made me ponder if the dark forces were at work here. I rarely eat green chilli but here, i need to have my noodles with some green fruits from the capsicum genus. Purpose was definitely not to cover the taste but rather, the chilli complements the noodles really well.

Is the force with me? 

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Location: The first floor of North Bridge Commercial Complex (red dot), along North Bridge Road and opposite Bugis Junction (directly opposite Pet Lovers Centre). Streetdirectory is the clue to its location. 

Others: They have more than just fried dumplings noodles.