Smelly Tofu (Again) @ Mini Star [星仔(香港)臭豆腐], Geylang, Singapore

A much needed update since my last post in 2006!

Reason No 1: Expanded Menu

Reason No 2: Better pictures (compared to HERE)

Reason No 3: I can never get enough of this heavenly scented snack!!

I shan't discuss about the usual smelly tofu since much had been said typed in this blog. The soft shell crab bun as well. Better quality pictures will be posted though; to tempt most of you to, at the very least, try it!!!

Seriously, you skeptical ladies and gentlemen really don't know what you have missed!!!

As mentioned, Mini Star (the shop's name) has more menu selections now! I ticked off numerous dishes that are rice and noodle-based.

Well-intentioned but with so much good edible food in Geylang, most of us probably will eat our main meal somewhere else and then proceed to Mini-Star for JUST its smelly tofu.

I could be wrong. For all i know, these main meals could be another die-die-must-try-when-you-come-to-geylang type! But before i even try them, i maintain my reservation.

One new kid on the menu was ordered though; the fragrant yet ultra crispy smelly tofu in slices. Especially catered for people who can never get enough of the crispy exterior! Personally, i find it to be less smelly than the original cube-form smelly tofu.

Don't think i mention this before. One important complement to the smelly tofu is the special chilli-sweet sauce concoction with pickled cucumbers!! It is so popular, it has upgraded to have a plate to call its own instead of sharing the otherwise limited space with the tofu!

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Location:

795 Geylang Road (near Lorong 41).

Additional Information:

For train commuters, this place is pretty near to Paya Lebar MRT station. If you are driving, you can park along Lorong 41. Since this lorong is pretty far from the "exciting areas", it should not be difficult to find a parking lot.

The Killings in Faroe Islands

 

I received an email recently on this unique, deep-set culture for an autonomous island province of Denmark. With a history that stretched over 1,500 years, there lies a practice to trap and kill a few hundreds of long-finned pilot whales every year!

Traditionally, this is necessary to secure scarce food source. Contemporarily, this has become a festival celebrated by the ethnic Faroese; it is such a hunt that children are often given a rest day from school!

How it works?

According to Hoax-Slayer:

"When a school of whales is spotted close to shore, messengers are dispatched to inform local inhabitants of the particular island involved. A formation of small boats is then used to drive the whales ashore, where they beach themselves in the shallow water and are killed by waiting islanders. A special whaling knife is used to sever the animal's spine near the dorsal fin."

Personally, i find this practice inhumane but i do respect the many cultures in the world. Should we force our values on others just because we don't think it's right?  We should stop eating meat (chicken, pork, mutton, beef, fish) if we really want to eradicate cruelty towards animals!

Is killing a dolphin any less cruel than killing a cow? Or a chicken? A torturous long-drawn death versus a quick death; both painful. Which is better?  

There was an argument by the Faroese that in the modern world, humans have become so far removed from the harsh realities of animal food production that they have formulated unrealistic notions of how food actually gets to their tables (as quoted from Hoax-Slayer).

No matter how much i detest this social culture of whaling, i cannot deny the above mentioned argument. All i need is a video showing how pigs are slaughtered and i will wean myself from pork for the next few weeks or even months.

That, my dear readers, is the cruel reality.

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In contrast to the email(s) that most of you have received, this cruel slaughtering does not involve Calderon dolphins. Instead, the victims are the long-finned pilot whales that belong to the dolphin family.

A Place in Memory @ Bidadari Garden

Hint: It's for the dead.

This is a place ironically named in remembrance to the eerie yet beautiful Bidadari (which means "fairy" in Malay) cemetery, which i am afraid is no longer in existence. A great pity, no doubt.

It wasn't more than 10 years that i had the opportunity to be stationed at one bus stop opposite the Christian section of this cemetery for more than twelve hours; main purpose was to collate the statistics of vehicles along the stretch of Upper Senagoon Road.

Back then, the Christian cemetery was a place of tranquility and beauty with human-size statues, crosses dotting the big area of gravestones.

In the morning, the area was usually covered with a thin layer of mist that added to its mystery and secrecy. At night, a commonly held belief that cemteries are scary and full of horror still hold pretty strong.

When the government earmarked this area for urban development back in 1996, they decided to build this garden as a reminder for Singapore's past. I mentioned "ironically" in the beginning of this post since i don't think many people know this garden.

The garden is divided into three areas; Christian, Muslim and Hindu, in accordance to the specific religious burials allowed for the cemetery then.

Besides the memorial plaques and numerous gravestones of famous occupants like Lim Boon Keng and former Health Minister Ahmad Ibrahim, this garden also bears an iron-wrought gate (first picture) dated 1908 for its entrance.

Although it is not worth the travelling, this miniature Bidadari Garden does provide an informative aspect of Singapore's history regarding the handling of death. If you are interested, SPCA is located merely a few hundred meters away.

For the daredevils or paranormal enthusiasts, the gates to the garden remain unlocked at night.  

Location: Beside Mount Vernon Columbarium.

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.