Comforting Myself @ Arnolds Chicken (City Plaza)

PISSED!

It is rare that anyone would see me so pissed off! At the very least, I am so humongously angry that I decided to update my blog. Okay, a bit of an anti-climax but i am seriously, sincerely pissed.

PERIOD.

Since im here, I might as well share a recent GEM (obviously food) that was introduced by a likewise foodie (as usual, our beloved Mr Kon).

The name of that GEM is called Arnolds.

Does anyone of you still remember the old KFC? Those in their late 20s and older would remember the good, old days; chicken served on plates, coupled with shiny, shimmering cutlery and well dressed, polite attendants.

Well, Arnolds is just like that, minus the cutlery and attendants.

To put it plainly, fast food outlets ARE fast food outlets; Orders are machine gunned to the customers to attain the best efficiency. But to fry a good piece of chicken was not easy. Our dear old colonel had done a good job but quality is dwindling fast (except for their ice lemon tea);

1. It is a well known fact that the KFC chickens are delivered frozen.

2. Taste of the chicken has lacked the ever important tenderness!

3. The skin is not fat but has super duper oil-dripping fats (note: plural)

4. Some bones are black-reddish in color. I believe they have been abused.

Serious!

So what is so GOOD about Arnolds? It has only one full branch (there is an express outlet in Pasir Ris) since 1984. It is in an obscure place called City Plaza (how many people actually know where it is?). Instead of placing itself at level 1 or basement (like most fast food), it is located at level 2! The answers shall be as followed;

1) Chicken

This is obviously the most important factor to compare with KFC. Served on a usable plastic plate, the chicken was served hot; piping, searing, deliciously hot. No, the bones were not abused (it is proudly stated in their website that the chickens are delivered fresh to their shop DAILY!) but the deciding factor that triumphed KFC was the skin. Thin with just a slight hint of fat. A bite of that highly memorable deep fried skin exuded a taste that served to remind us what we missed out all these years!

Rating 4.7/5.0

 

2) Coleslaw

The coleslaw was not laden with mayonnaise like its competitor. It was mixed to a consistency (ball shaped ok!) that is just right and did not make me gee-lat! If only they can introduce the vegetable salad that KFC used to serve.

Rating 4.0/5.0

3) BunStill remember the soft bun that accompanied the chicken? Although long deemed to be a small player (so small until it was not commonly seen nowadays), it imprinted a long lasting impression on me. THIS one in Arnolds was also a small player but so AAAAAaaaaaaah!!!

Rating 4.5/5.0

4) French Fries

I still like KFC fries but my friends prefer the ones in Arnold. It had the same thickness as MOS burgers and for people who love to taste the REAL thing (potatoes), it is a good choice.

Rating 3.5/5.0

5) Squid Rings

I have a thing for Squids also known as Sotongs. Especially when they are deep fried like in Old Chang Kee. Arnolds served deep fried squids that had the springiness of rubber bands but the price was a bit steep for my liking (at $4.20 for 6 pieces). However, it is worth a try (quote: never try, never know).

Rating 4.1/5.0

Beside the above mentioned, Arnolds also served Fish and Chips, the aptly named Fish and Squid, Criss-Cut Fries, Natural Chips, Ice Kacang. Yes, they served the local favorites too! Attendants would also serve you with no 10% service charge!

Oh! Be prepared for long queues at times!
I waited for half an hour on Sunday!

My Nephew - First Time Uncle!

I know it has been a long time since i stepped into the realm of blogging but as most of you would have known, im busy with work, ds lite, books, meals and most importantly, my family. And my family has become bigger in the past few months, with the addition of the new born brat, Jerald!

Yes, i know im officially an UNCLE and to tell you the scary truth, im dying to be called uncle. No, not by any tom, dick, harry, nor any mary, jane, neither by those noisy, unreasonable, spoilt little brats (boys and girls alike) that i saw on the MRT but only reserved for my dear chubby nephew!! Of course, i know he is currently gabbling in some foreign language that only he seems to understand but well, i am willing to wait for just an happy, jubilant "Uncle"!

To be consistent, i love kids in general! As long as they dun shit, dun cry, dun shout, dun go into mischief and are always smiling innocently. My mum says those kinda kids only appear in fairy tales, not in real life and its impossible for anyone not to shit!! My nephew shits, cries, shouts, screams, vomits milk, salivates excessively but i still love him.

BIG QUESTION: WHY??

I dunno whether all uncles feel like that but my family is a close knit family and you can see me frequently going out with my family for shopping, holidays, makan trips etc etc. And i saw my sister going through the pregnancy, saw the baby 2 hours after he is borned, saw how he grew (horizontally and vertically) in the past few months

Even though i am only an uncle, my tear ducts almost started loosening when i saw him for the first time and his innocent young black eyes meet with the old, near-sighted eyes of mine. Added to that, he has two big, drooping, squeeze inducing mechanising apples at the sides of his face that are irresistible to all aunties and uncles alike. So people, how to not love him?!

Okay, the question is answered. Seriously, as i get older and older, i want to spend more time with my family. We only live a while so why not make it worth the while. SO! Let's;

1. Gorge ourselves with food (which i strongly believe and practise)
2. Enlarge our brains with ds lite (which i do even when i am having a "hard" time, albeit bombing, in the toilets) and,
3. Make our hearts more alive by spending time with our families.

Hence, i would like to wish every family and of course everyone,

恭喜发财,

家家幸福,

合家欢乐,

全家团圆美满!

For those that dun understand Chinese, i have tried my very best in deciphering the characters but i appear to translate it like those restaurants in China. The overall meaning means happiness and prosperity for the whole family, period.

Just an addendum; I still run like mad when my nephew shits, when he vomits milk and my arms would be attacked with those numbing cramps after i carried him for like less than 5 minutes (He is heavy!).

"Shrugs"

Chin Swee Caves Temple @ Genting Highland, Malaysia

I have been planning to blog this for ages but i have been busy with my work. Though busy, its satisfying. Hahaha. Anyway, talking about chin swee temple, how many of you actually know the existence of this marvelous place? A note; it does not refer to one of our founders, Mr Goh Chin Swee hor.

Maybe i should just ask another question, how many of you actually know genting highlands? *can imagine a lot of hands being raised up* And how many of you have ever gone to genting highlands for their scenary, weather, theme park and most importantly their casinos? *can also imagine a lot of hands being raised up*

This Chin Swee Temple is at the half hill of Genting Highland and i bet alot of you will have notice the all surrouding majestic pagoda when you are in the midst of travelling up to curb your gambling vices. AHhhhhhhhhhh, i can hear the agreement from most of you. Hahaha.


I was up in Genting during the National Day holidays with two old people, my mum and dad. And with one being a devout buddhist and potential nagger, my mum and i decided to roam around Genting for its scenary. Plainly scenary due to the facts that i cannot expect my parents to have the guts to take the roller coaster with me and also becoz a few friends told me the weather had changed and they were then sweating in the highlands. ITS FREEEEZING BLOODY COLD@!!! I was amazed my mum managed to escape unscathed.

Due the above mentioned with particular mention to my highlands-loving dad, i decided to bring them to the Chin Swee Temple. And boy was i glad i made the trip, it was like the highlight of the whole trip!

A little history about the temple. It was built by the founder of genting highlands and it is supposedly to honour a Reverend Chin Swee from China. Rumours abound however that he needed to appease the Mountain God (yes, in Malaysia too) and also to ensure that devotees who pray there will not win at casinos (i won though, RM20 hahaha).

From afar at the Skyway Cable terminal, i noticed the pagoda and the temples. I mean yes, the pagoda is tall but how different can the different style of temples be? I can vividly visualise a typical temple. But once you reached the real place, you will be amazed by the amount of scenary spots offered.

42 Reasons Why We Love Singapore!!

I find the below listed reasons to be so funny and yet so true to the heart. They were taken from the I.S Magazine!

1. The Education System - It may seem unforgiving, but it is so competitive that by the time kids here complete tertiary education, they can face anything; nightmarish jobs, hellish bosses, crazy deadlines and everything else.

2. The Safety - When you see a group of kids walking towards you late at night, you don't have to cross e road.

3. The Perennial State of Good News - With the local media reporting only the good stuff, it is as if nothing bad ever happens. And after a while, you find yourself believing it!

4. Our Location, Location, Location - Get on a plane and in a few short hours or less, you are at some of the world's best holiday destinations.

5. The Fact That Our Island Is Small - That way, we can go to 10 parties in one night. And i have to add that you can never get LOST in Singapore.

6. The Tropical Climate - We can go outside anytime of the day or year. Winter season, we can still see the beaches full of scantitly dressed babes. Oh, we dun have winter.

7. Our Penchant for Acronyms - Its funny to keep foreigners guessing what MRT, PAP, AWAL, MC, BS, NS, MPH, CCB and LPPL means. Even our expressways are confusing, PIE, CTE, TPE, AYE, KJE and ECP.

8. Driving On The Roads Here - With blind as a bat, can't see a signal drivers, all you need is a brief stint on our roads to become one heck of a good driver! For faster results, drive to Kuala Lumpur.

9. The Thriving State of Singaporean Cinema - Yes, we realised Jack Neo and Eric Khoo ain't the only movie maestros around, and talents like Royston Tan, Tan Pin Pin, Kelvin Tong and Daniel Yun are also forging a name for themselves with flicks inspired by a myriad of Singaporean issues, concerns, phobias and worries. Catch 881, the getai inspired movie by Royston Tan!

10. Our Local Literature Scene - Although the government has panned literature as a somewhat pointless subject, our local authors haven't given up and are still penning their thoughts, experiences and specific brand of Singaporean angst on paper. Think Yong Shu Hoong, Alfian Sa'a, Cyril Wong, Paul Tan, Damien Sin and loads more. I have to add Russell Lee to my list! hahaha

11. The Food Man, the FOOOOOOOOOD - You guys and gals should know judging by my blog. Where the hell can we get such a good variety of food from most of the races! One day Chinese, tomorrow Malay, day after Indian, sometimes Peranakan, at times Western.

12. Fresh Fruit On The Street - We take this for granted but if you have ever had to pay $15 for a mango in a supermarket in Europe, you'll know what we mean.

13. Flip Flops and Shorts - Hey, they are the national dress, man! See them everywhere from the markets in suburban areas to Orchard road!

14. Shortened Sentences - How Singaporeans pack everything in just two or less words; like " how", "so", Ffffff.

15. Our Uber-advanced Medical Facilities - What will we come up with next? A cloned dodo bird or a cancer cure?

16. Our Chewing Gum Ban - We never have to worry about sticky situations on our shoes or our fingers when we pressed for the lifts.

17. Changi Aiport - With a swimming pool movie theatre, spa, designer shops, bars, restaurants, supermarkets, its a city by itself!

18. Singapore Airlines - There's no better way to fly but i never fly one before.

19. Our Colorful Local Celebrities - think Dick Lee, Kumar, Ivan Heng, Najip Ali, Jack Neo. They are fun, hilarious and to top it all, Singaporean.

20. The Ever-faithful Generousity of Singaporeans - We are still donating money to charities like there is no tomorrow - gold taps or not, peanuts or not.

21. The Pragmatic Nature of Singaporeans - We maybe a tad too grounded at times, but at least we get things done instead of just talking up a storm,

22. The Esplanade aka The Durian - It represented the fruit of our (artistic) labour and the fact we LOVED it!

23. Our Shopping Centres - They are everywhere - and some of them even help you to exercise and shop at the same time, like the million sqquare feet mall of Vivocity.

24.Our MRT Stations - They are squeaky clean (there ain't evey rubbish bins!). shiny and efficient.

25. Our SMS Culture - How it can even win us world records and how a one-minute phone conversation (that cost 20 cents) can be used to send 20 SMS (at 1 dollar).

26. The Speed At Which Things Get Done Here - The government makes it really easy to pay for things like taxes, ERP, fines..... so we have no excuse not to.

27. Our Ambition - We always aspire to outdo ourselves - everytime.

28. The Cleanliness of Our Drinking Water - Heck! We even have NEWater to call our own.

29. Our Fickleness - Trends come and go really fast but that way, we simply get to experience more. Think bubble teas, nail parlors and the current donuts.

30. The Ever-Thriving International Dining Scene Here - You can find great food in the restaurants here; Mexican, spanish, Western, Japanese, Vietnamese - You name, we have it!

31. Our Resourcefulness - Just look at how we "chope" seats in crowded hawker centres by using packs of tissue paper.

32. Our Long Suffering Patience - We queue for hours if we think its worth our time. I queue 3.5 hours for 24 donuts.

33. The Multitude of Concerts and Festivals Here - think Singapore Arts Festival, Singfest, Singapore Food Festival, WOMAD.

34. Our Ah Lians and Ah Bengs - They are completely Singaporean and you have got to love them for their stylist togs, tinted hair, white slippers and short shorts.

35. Our Sturdy Resilience - The haze, Asian Currency Crisis, SARS, dengue fever and even the increase of GST, can't get us down.

36. Our Multi-Linguistic Abilities - Singlish is our first language, English is the language we use for work , while dialects are for swearing.

37. How There's Air-Conditioning Everywhere - If there wasn't, no one would bother working or moving.

38. Latecomers - If we arrive late for an arts performance, we get a little stool to sit on outside the theatre to watch the performance on a video screen on the wall. In addition, we got ample ridiculous reasons where we are late; from the family, to the pets, colleagues and even the people on the roads! But never ourselves.

39. The Infinite Knowledge of Taxi Drivers - We love how they manage to unearth the latest ad more scandalous insider gossip about celebs and politicians, their conspiracy theories, for everything and their tips on the best coffee shop, betting shops, durian stalls and late night hangouts! There are even a show on the most popular food haunts of taxi drivers!

40. Our Currency - The fact that when we cross the bridge to the other side, we are twice as rich! And it can be used in another country as a legal tender!

41. How We Beat The System - Like smokers at a club smoking with one foot in the smoking zone.

42. Our Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew - It is thanks to him that we are what we are today and you will never know what he is going to say next. 

Another Famous Donut

I have been thinking of uploading this for a few weeks but didn't have the motivation to do so. Hahaha. Anyway, i bet most of you remembered my blog entry about Donut Factory, the one i queued for a bloody few hours! The donuts im gonna talked about have attracted quite a lot of discussion on whether Donut Factory is better or "the one im gonna talk about soon" is better.

Yes, its KRISPY KREME!!

I read quite a few reviews on Donut Factory and people were comparing it extensively to Krispy Kreme! Unfortunately, it is not available in Singapore but it was my fortune that my bro-in-law's brother happened to be in Australia and he bought a few boxes back!!!

Thank you Jordan, my deepest, utmost thanks!

My sister had no knowledge the storm this brand has stirred in US and when i told her, her reaction was nonchalant (Her reaction: Oorrrr)!! Sighz......

Anyway, from the pictures, the donuts were already been in my sister's fridge for 2 days but the lustre, brightness of the donuts remained (see above). I cannot resist sharing one with my friend Weeyuan. First impression, it was hard from the cold condition synthesized by my sister's fridge. Second impression, it was sweet! VERY VERY SWEET!

 

I tried a few in the next few days (my younger sis, as usual, had her fair share). Overall, impression was that Americans love their stuff sweet. For a sweet tooth beholden guy like me, i found the sweetness too overbearing on my taste buds. Almost every donut had a sugary freeze to it (see above).

Now i know why i gained so much weight recently.

White Rabbit Creamy Candies (大白兔奶糖)

How many of the kids from 80's and before remember this widely popular sweets? I remembered how i loved to pop piece after piece of this delicious creamy candy into my mouth. Hahhaa.

I remembered it used to come in a large bag and kids like me then will snatch with cousins and even aunties and uncles! We will quickly unwrap the candy and eat it, chewing on it, awaiting for the sweet taste and the aroma to spread and dissolve in our oral cavity!!

But as we grow older and older, the popularity of this candy is overtaken by the so many choices that we have now! My memory got rekindled when it was involved in a food recall! My gosh, beside dog and cat food, even an animal-branded candy is not excused!

It was claimed by the Philippine Food and Drugs authority that it contains formalin, an ingredient used to embalm corpses! Luckily it has been cleared by our dear Singapore AVA, which HAS to be highly credible right?

And luck will have it that i saw the candy again in National Museum Shop! They are currently selling things from the past and i really feel old looking at those toys and games that we used to play. They even have a book on it!!

Sighz...... Back to the candy, beside the plain creamy, milky taste flavour that Big Rabbit brand used to have, they have introduced flavours like Chocolate, Red Bean, Yogurt and Strawberry!

I am very very TEMPTED and even though it was selling at 6 bags for $4.80, and each bag has around 6 sweets, i grabbed it! Yes, i paid for it as well. The sales assistant even kindly informed me it was cleared by AVA even before i asked about it! I guess sales must be badly affected. Hahaha. But like wat my colleagues say, formalin SHOULD be able to help preserve youth!

I tasted all the new flavours except for chocolate but i heard it was not bad. I especially liked the strawberry and yogurt flavour! The strawberry becoz contrary to most strawberry candies nowadays, the Big Rabbit brand was not too sweet and the taste was really mixed well!

My only reservation was the Red Bean Flavour (give me Red Bean ice cream anytime) and the Big Rabbit Brand candies seem to be harder than before!! I used to be able to chew thru it, now i had to wait for a while for dissolution to occurs before i can sink my old teeth into it~!

I just surfed the website and realised that beside the 5 flavours available in Singapore, there are flavours like coffee, toffee, peanut, coconut, lychee, mango, butter plum and fruit have been introduced!!!

Gosh!!! When will they be coming in!?!?!?!?!?!?!

Dulukala Peranakan Restaurant @ Beauty World Centre (Upper Bukit Timah Road)

It was  a normal Saturday and the usual 4 of us were pondering where to eat. Weeyuan suggested a place that was always packed and somemore, its makansutra-endorsed!! I will like to mention that anything endorsed by tv shows lah, famous people lah, are always worth going to. Why? Becoz sometimes e food is really so bad that you can always gossip about it. Of course, reasons are plentiful as to why the food does not taste good;

1) Tastes differ from individuals (tat i agree, Van taste buds are weird, Alex's taste is anything sweet and full of MSG or just junk food).

2) The stall owners give money to the tv shows producers to feature them (this one im not too sure but hey, money is everything).

3) It is a different person cooking (this i agree; alot of time, once a stall becomes famous, they employ more ppl to cook for them)!

4) The place becomes so crowded after the show premiered that they cannot cope, hence the drop in qualiy and taste~ (same point as point 3)!

5) The person that is taking your orders dun like you (tats why i seldom offend those ppl in the food industry. Only offend them after you have eaten their food and u are at least almost sure they will not add/eliminate stuff from the food).

Anyway, back to the topic, i have only eaten Peranakan cuisine a few times and do not really count them as my favourite food. However, the food from the above mentioned restaurant really did make my taste buds yearning for more of their Rendang. And if its not for the fact that im still slightly sick on the day of the food session, i bet i can savour more and can detailed you with more of the food.

So how's their food, you wonder? Hm....... I will begin with the bad points of this place first. We ordered only the dishes with the star, which obviously mean recommended. Hm.... Just wondering if restaurants have a highly NOT RECOMMENDED dishes list. Hahah.

Keluak Curry

The Lychee Looking Stuff.

Anyway, one of their recommended dish is Keluak, a strange ayam curry dish that has some lychee looking fruit which u can dig black stuff out (sounded like nose digging). The taste was just weird; abit salty and abit like eating charcoal but the curry itself was fortunately sweet and flavourful. Hahaha.

Inside of the Omelette

Another strange dish was their Omelette Chichalok, which looked like those normal Furong Egg we see everywhere on the outside. Dissection of the egg revealed pieces of chilli, small prawns and the ingestion revealed a taste that was quite sour. We din not manage to pinpoint what it was.

Burbur Cha Cha

Their Bubur Chacha looked beautiful with its 4 different color/types of potato/yam but it was too tasteless. Most Bubur Chacha have a sweet, coconut taste that flows smoothly down your throat but this one tastes almost like water. A bit sad though because i have not eaten any Burbur Chacha that has tasted this bad.

Now the good dishes:

 Ayam Rendang

The tender Ayam Rendang with its not too spicy, and yet fragrant and flavourful curry was great for our tastes buds! The portions were disappointing though... Only 3 pieces!!! And there were 4 of us!!! Sighz..... Luckily we did not killed ourselves on how to divide it. Hahaha.

Ngoh Hiang

Their Ngoh Hiang was also worth mentioning. Though the amount of meat in this Ngoh Hiang was minimal, it won with its crispy beancurd skin and the sweet sauce that came with it. Beside that, at least it came in 8 pieces.

Chendol

Furthermore, i love their Chendol!!! Its not too sweet and just right to the taste buds! Their crushed ice was just enough to melt the moment the heated surrounding in your mouth did their work.

Chap Chye

Finally their Chap Chye, which means mixed vegetables. I found it to be quite normal. I guess its becoz im sick bah. Nothing to complain about this dish, just plain normal. Shrug.

FINAL REVIEW

We ordered a total of 5 dishes with rice, drinks and desserts that cost $46.10, which i personally think to be on the high side. The biggest disappointment we had though, was that the portions were not enought for all of us!!

However, though the presentation of most dishes was bad (everything is almost brown or yellow), the tastes were really fabulous~!

The restaurant is situated at the top of Beauty World and at first look, the ambience is really simple. Service is not bad though and i guess i will be back there again!

Ranor Ramly Burger - Taste of The Past

Alot of memories were reflected back nowadays and most of them were of food, not suprisingly. I dunno if its becoz im getting older as in physically (tats why i always like to think back) or just that im going retro. Lol.

Anyway, talking about memorable food memories, i still remember whenever i am holidaying in Malaysia, i will always bring back one or two Ramly burgers to Singapore. The smell of it, the taste of it and the slight peppery, curry flavor whenever my teeth bit into that thick beef patty!

But as the time goes by and the popularity of Ramly burgers spiked in the last few years, the quality dropped. The bun is now seldom smeared with butter, the patties now look factory made, low quality/tasteless mayonnaise and Worcestershire sauce are used, and a pathetic HALF piece of cheese is added. Thank god I dun adore CHEESE.

After going through the hardships faced by me in trying and buying Ramly burgers, i read up in a blog about this brand called Ranor Ramly Burgers, which is supposed to be the original taste of Ramly!! Since it is now in Yishun Mrt Station Pasar Malam, i have no qualms about risking torturing my taste buds. At the most, i can always blame that blogger!

As seen from the above pictures, the patty (beef) has bits and pieces of meat all minced together. The shine and the total sexual appeal exuded by the patties made me rather impatient! I want to bite into it!!!

The "PRESENT" Make of Ramly Burgers as shown above. I remember though, that the egg last time used to be one fried egg, unlike the thin, burnt at the edges egg that we see nowadays.

But of coz, this is the best quality. Beside that, while waiting for the burgers, be prepared to see the guy performing some bartender's stunts. I am going back again!