Kallang Western Barbeque (Chicken Chop) @ Bedok Hawker Centre

I am all for traditional tastes when it comes to food i immensely enjoyed as a little boy.

Coming from a typical Chinese family with elderly members who don't speak a word of English (even Mandarin can be a challenge); my first foray into the Western cuisine (西餐) was no doubt memorable.

Back then, chicken chop was "in" and that's my favourite Western dish until steak overtook it. I still remember my first piece of succulent red meat - from the now-defunct Ponderosa in Marina Square.

Let's not digress too much from the subject title!

After many years of trying various chicken chops sold at hawker centres or coffee shops in Singapore, i have concluded that only two stalls are worthy of my patronage.

One of them is Kallang Western Barbeque located at Bedok Hawker Centre (otherwise also known as Bedok Interchange Hawker Centre).

With a facade that remains relatively unchanged for the past twenty years, it's sad to say that i have faithfully stuck to my order of old-school Chicken Chop and persistently ignored the other items on the menu.

This is the original and classical display of chicken chop in Singapore - two slices of cucumber, a spoonful of baked beans, crinkle fries and of course, the delicious piece of grilled chicken thigh!

No fanciful mushroom or black pepper gravy that totally spoils the taste of any good meat.

Nonetheless, it would be horrifying not to have any type of marination or seasoning and the honey based marination is precisely the reason for me to continually patronise this stall (or the other) to fix my chicken chop craving.

The meat glistened with oily moisture yet it maintained a smooth tenderness that would not result in an intake of astronomically high level of LDL cholesterol.

Nothing's perfect (unfortunately) because the slightly charred skin, with intentionally burnt sides, is as important as the meat! The delicious goodness is at its maximum level only when you have them together.

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Location

Block 207, New Upper Changi Road,

#01-30, New Upper Changi Road Block 207 Food Centre

(next to Bedok Bus Interchange and near to Bedok MRT Station)

Price

Chicken Chop - S$5 nett

Additional Information

The lady boss approached me after noticing that i was taking loads of pictures. For a moment, i thought she will rudely tell me that photography is disallowed!

Thankfully, she actually recommended that we should seriously consider trying her chicken cutlet and pork chop the next time we are at Bedok!

Jovyn - A New Addition to The Family!

A week ago, while relaxing in the Indonesian island of Batam, i received a phone message tagged with a picture from my elder sister - the bloody arrival of my first niece!

Baby Jovyn.

Mom is overjoyed since she has always loved babies and had worked as a nanny for some years. Frankly, she was so dedicated that she spent more than what she earned, on the kids!

Jovyn is an adorable little thing, isn't she? Unlike most babies, she didn't have that wrinkly look that makes it difficult to separate one baby from the other.

Seeing the two plump cheeks, mum and i cannot resist the cruel temptation of leaving them untouched! C'mon, who can forget crayon shinchan and his balloon size cheeks!

Obviously, we were trying to check if this little gal is as promising as that lecherous kid from Japan.

She didn't see the funny side of things though and started bawling after that. Well, we were not too worried about this failed attempt; there is ample time for us to analyse and maybe realise her potential.

Wahahhahahahaha.

Swiss Grill (Portabello Burger & Grilled Meatballs with Duo Cheese) @ Coronation Plaza (Bukit Timah Road)

Brought to you by the same group of people that gives us Swiss Butchery, this bistro is not very noticeable even though it is tucked in an 'ancient' shopping mall along the traffic-busy Bukit Timah Road.

However, 29 reviewers on HungryGoWhere gave it a high recommended rating of 9.0! That again proves the point that wherever good food exists, location is usually not a problem.

Having said that, everyone is different and the only way to know whether the food is good or not is to try it personally.

Mushroom Soup

This was good - as good as what you can get from a usual can of campbell soup with more mushrooms thrown in.

Don't get me wrong, i love campbell's mushroom soup and it's true that some restaurants could not even match that taste but at S$7.90 a bowl, this is not something i will order again in the future.

Roasted Tomato Soup

On its own, the initial few mouthfuls were not that big a difference from the savoury tomato base i am accustomed to have on my pasta; except that it was more watery.

Unfortunately, without the pasta to dilute the sauce, you get an increasingly overbearing sensation with each additional spoonful.

Grilled Meatballs with Duo Cheese

This was delicious!! It's like a combo of cheesy lasagna with grilled meatballs, pieces of bacon and mushrooms thrown in for that additional kick.

The only complaint i had was the insufficient meat-tomato sauce. It's too good and was like a perfect companion to the complementary bread.

I would have loved to show you more pictures but the night was drawing near and lighting conditions were not favourable (if you must, you may also blame it on the quality of my camera).

Swiss Portabello Burger

With premium ingredients like grilled chuck beef, bacon cheddar cheese and creamed portabello mushroom, i thought i have found a fierce competitor to counter de burg decadence.

It was better than a normal burger and could have been even better if the burger bun is changed. I was a bit disappointed although i have to admit that separately, the juicy beef and creamy mushrooms were rated pretty high on my taste bar.

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Location

587, Bukit Timah Road,

#01-05 Coronation Shopping Plaza

Opening Hours

(for Swiss Grill)

Tue-Sun: 11.30am to 10pm

Closed on Monday

Price

Mushroom Soup - S$7.90

Roasted Tomato Soup - S$7.90

Grilled Meatballs with Duo Cheese - S$14.90

Swiss Portabello Burger - S$15.90

Full menu pricing is available at their website located at http://www.swiss-butchery.com.sg/. There is no Service Charge and apparently no GST although there is a sale tax in the receipt that works out to be about 6%.

Additional Information

Seating options are pretty limited and the Gang of Four had no choice but to choose the alfresco area after the friendly service staff had kindly informed us that the air-conditioned unit is not working.

Since the butchery is in the same shop, special dishes may be available and they shall be listed in this wooden board outside the shop. The incredibly good grilled meatballs with duo cheese is one such dish that is not listed on the normal menu.

Forgotten - Dumped At One Corner

While clearing my room for my first paint job, i chanced upon a dust covered box right next to the vacuum cleaner.

Sighs... Mum loves to collect empty boxes, especially gift boxes with exquisite designs that are frequently introduced by retailers during festive seasons like mooncake festival, Chinese New Year etc

I was about to dump it into the "trash" section without her knowledge (she would have fervently protected this box with her life if she has gotten wind of my action) when my right wrist felt a heavy downward force!

Great! Maybe some useless pans, plates or bowls that shall add to the thousands the Teo family kept in the kitchen and the storeroom. Housewives have that insatiable tendency to buy loads of kitchen appliances!

My eyes glimmered with excitement (and to a lesser extent, cravings) when i fully opened the festive box embossed with the word "Skylight" - a brand synonymous with abalone.

Six cans of premium products and i counted favourites like bird's nest, clams and braised sharkfin! And why the heck are they kept in my bedroom?!

The reason must be simple - to protect them from my younger sister....

Muthu's Curry @ Dempsey Hill

Ask me two years ago if i have dined at any of the Indian curry restaurants in Singapore and my answer will be a straight, affirmative "no".

Things are different now; i have been to Samy's Curry twice and my most recent curry visit was to Muthu's Curry.

My Caucasian boss actually prefers Muthu's Curry even though i have no idea what the differences are. To me, curry is spicy, hot and elicits liquid beads of perspiration from my scalp.

Anyway, the most obvious difference (at least visually) between Muthu and Samy is the decor. Both are located within the exclusive Dempsey area but Muthu's decor is more in line with the high class environment.

Let's start on food now - Cavin is more concerned on food taste than decor! The accolades and certificates were definitely assuring.

Basics

Papadum! I seriously have no idea what's so good about these plain, crunchy biscuit like stuff but i just cannot resist them!

As usual, you get a plate layered with a piece of banana leaf, rice and a few side dishes. In my case, it's curry brinjal and stir-fried vegetables.

Vegetable Golden Coin

Bite sized biscuit that looked like a type of Chinese New Year cookie; this was way too spicy for me! Even the cashew nut failed to generate much interest from me.

Fish and Potato Cutlet

The best way to describe this is "curry puff".

A damn good appetiser with mushy fish-potato mix rich in Indian spices.

Muthu's Prawns 65

Don't ask what the number 65 signifies - i have no idea!

Not bad although my vote will go for wasabi prawns anytime. That's the problem when you live in Singapore; you can compare across so many cuisines!

Mushroom Pepper Fry

This gave me the impression of black pepper chicken procured from any Chinese economical stalls in the coffee shops!

Would have been really delicious if the chef could eliminate the starch-like stuff surrounding the mushrooms.

Stir Fry Chicken Pepper

I might be a crazy adrenaline junkie‎ but numbing hot curry with "generous amount of ground pepper" will not be accorded the same treatment! Unless it's a dare with substantial reward!

Stir Fry Mysore Mutton

Too hot for my tongue again!! And it could do with more fats...

I have to add that my other colleagues love the way these Indian spices invigorate and excite their taste buds. NOT ME!!!

Squid Sambal

One dish i confirm will order in my next visit!

It wasn't as fiery hot with a slight tinge of sweetness that went well with plain rice. And the sotong was so tenderly soft that my teeth used minimal effort to break it down!

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Location

Block 7, Dempsey Road,

#01-01 (Tel: 6474-5128)

Price

Basics - S$3

Vegetable Golden Coin - S$6.90

Fish and Potato Cutlet - S$4 a piece

Muthu's Prawns 65 - S$12

Mushroom Pepper Fry - S$9

Stir Fry Chicken Pepper - S$10

Stir Fry Mysore Mutton - S$10

Squid Sambal - S$7

Subject to GST and Service Charge. Plenty of iced water is available at no additional cost!

Additional Information

The bill was not as exorbitant as i expected for such a wide spread of food! Coupled that with nice ambience too. :)

For that authentic feel, eat with your right hand! It's not easy and i am more incline to use the spoon and fork.

Non-air-conditioned seating is available right outside although i seriously don't understand why anyone would choose to sweat more under the hot and humid weather.

It's DEMPSEY - you will never starve! Block 7 has around eight dining establishments for you to choose from and it's only one of the several blocks in the vicinity.