Hiang Kee Seafood Restaurant (香记海鲜大饭店) @ Taman Sri Tebrau Hawker Centre (大馬花園小販中心), Johor Bahru [Malaysia]

Taman Sri Tebrau, known popularly as 大馬花園 among many Chinese Singaporeans, was well-known as the place to have your dinner right across the causeway at Johor Bahru.

It wasn't my first visit although the last was during my Starhub days, which was easily seven to eight years ago when i wasn't as motivated to update this blog on a frequent basis.

Anyway, my fellow NUS colleague strongly recommended a seafood meal at Hiang Kee restaurant (frankly, this was more a tze char stall in a hawker centre than a restaurant) in our recent JB trip and we decided to take up her suggestion!

Malay Kangkong

馬來風光

Even though this had the much-needed spiciness, it lacked the wok hei flavour that so often differentiates it from the home-cooked version. The absence of pork lard was a disappointment but it could not match the disgust our faces when we realised there was sourness after chewing! We left almost the whole plate alone after that.

Sambal Squid

叄峇鱿魚

The fiery spiciness was not as intensive as the kangkong and featured a sweeter tomato-based sauce that was very much welcome after the awful vegetables.

Furong Egg

芙蓉蛋

Am i the only one who feels that chefs have recently been attempting to transform this simple dish by adding more ingredients?! It was the same case in Hiang Kee, except that it was too salty for my liking.

Salted Egg Yolk Crab

咸蛋螃蟹

Love the wet form salted egg yolk crab? This was by far one of the best i had; amazingly buttery with a strong delicious infusion of salted egg yolk that actively tingled the taste buds!

The cream was of course great to go with plain white rice. Not to mention that the crab was super duper fresh and came with humongous claws guaranteed to please your eyes.

Butter Crayfish

牛油蝦婆

Honestly, this would not have made any difference if prawns or crabs were used in place of crayfish. Basically, i am not that particular on the type of crustaceans being used so long they are fresh and meaty! Crayfish is, in many instances, not as flavoursome and contains little meat for me to indulge in. 

Having said that, crayfish had a cheaper price tag and in this case, it was the buttery crisps that impressed me more; sweet yet savoury and boasting a buttery richness that slowly melted in your mouth as you could not help but continue to eat spoonful after spoonful.

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Location

Jalan Keris, Taman Sri Tebrau, 

80050 Johor Bahru, Johore (hawker centre)

How to go there?

Take cab lah! Easy and fast.

Contact

Tel: 07-3352633

Mobile: 012-7697443

Price

Malay Kangkong - RM 10.00

Sambal Squid - RM 15.00

Furong Egg - RM 8.00

Salted Egg Yolk Crab - RM 112.00

Butter Crayfish - RM 35.00

Menu

As above [please note that fish, crabs and crayfish etc are subject to seasonal pricing]

Additional Information
That friend who recommended Hiang Kee has recently signed up a blogging account; for her review, click here! 

Sembawang Hot Spring (三巴旺溫泉) - Yishun Sembawang Heritage Trail @ Yishun [Singapore]

Despite living in Yishun my entire life (including the village), it's utter embarrassing to tell people that i have never stepped foot into the natural jewel of Yishun; the Sembawang Hot Spring!

Until a month ago that is; when i put my foot down and insisted "enough is enough"! I have been ridiculed long enough and it doesn't appear fair when i talk about other places yet draw a blank when it comes to the hot spring that is so close to where i stay.

The location was not difficult to find. What's more troublesome and inconvenient were that the nearest bus stop was a few hundred meters and there was no car park facility! For motorists, you can only park your vehicle at block 114 and then proceed to the hot spring on foot. 

From the entrance, it was a leisure walk of another hundred over meters.  

Sembawang Hot Spring; the one and only natural hot spring in mainland Singapore. Well, it was definitely not your typical image of a hot spring where there is a big pool of steaming water surrounded by manicured trees and beautified by cascading waterfalls. 

I wasn't disappointed since the national news would occasionally run a story on the hot spring and i am already aware by the pictures placed next to the article that it was just a concrete structure with taps all over the place.

For a Sunday, it wasn't as crowded as i expected since the spring water was said to contain powerful medicinal properties that can treat ailments such as rheumatism, arthritis and cure skin conditions like acne and psoriasis! 

Due to its isolated spot, there were also rumours of paranormal encounters; one of which was of a Malay boy who fell into the hot spring and literally scalded to death. Unlike plain water that boils at 100 degrees celcius, the spring water in Sembawang would only do so at 131 degrees celcius!

The faint words actually said Gambas Hot Spring which sounded more appropriate since the entry to the spring was from Gambas Road. Another name that was frequently used in the past was Salitar Hot Spring (Seletar Hot Spring).

Housing the well of the hot spring which you can gleaned through the metal gate; it was locked with dried leaves strewn all over the tiled floor. Bet this would be more scary at night although i would never get to know as the hot spring closed by 7pm everyday!

Woah; an evil curse written in Chinese! For the benefits of my non-Chinese speaking friends and readers, the content was as follows: "Attention! Anyone who vandalises the properties of the hot spring shall be the recipient of this curse. Your closed friends and relatives who are alive will all die of horrible accidents! Those dead will never get reincarnated!" 

Source of the spring water! Hmmmm, not exactly the real source even though for commoners like me and you, this would be the place for you to get a few buckets of sulphur and mineral enriched water.

Evidence of its rich mineral content.

Storage area for the caretaker. Chairs and plastic containers were found all over the vicinity but if you could not find any, i believe you can ask for them from the caretaker (if he is around).

A religious altar - i could not quite make out the words so i am unsure who was being worshiped. 

A note of caution here; the high temperature means you have to wait for the water to cool before soaking your feet! There was a widely reported case of a man who lost six toes because of gangrene after a session in the hot spring.

Bottles of vinegar; guess this would be added to the water for additional "power".

Just a few photographs of visitors enjoying themselves. I thought it was a great day to spend the Sunday with a group of friends or family members. 

There was one problem though; no washroom!

Time to leave! I didn't try out the spring water as i was poor equipped - covered shoes, no towel and brought along a new DSLR camera that i am afraid would be accidentally dunked into the hot water. 

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Location

Next to Chong Pang Camp, along Gambas Road. You may refer to the streetdirectory map i have appended above. The blue flower denotes the location of Sembawang Hot Spring.

For those who prefer a more "real" picture, you notice the bus somewhere in the middle? That is the approximate location of the spring's entrance.

Additional Information

Rules and regulations as above. Admission is free and the spring is open daily from 7am to 7pm.

Given the proximity to the military camp, please keep in mind that the soldiers have the statutory permission to shoot you if you climb over the fence.

Dragon-i (龍的傳人) @ Johor Bahru City Square [Malaysia]

A close relative has just passed away and i am actually not in the mood to blog. As each year goes by, the older and wiser I start getting more and more afraid about life in general and what it holds for me in the future.

Oh well, the ever cheerful me would work it out eventually. As the saying goes, life goes on and no matter what, there's always food as a denominator to cheer us up! So, let's dive into the topic today; Dragon-i.

Some of you might recall reading this restaurant in my blog as i did mention about its epic Shanghainese small dumplings (otherwise known as xiaolongbao) when i was in Kuala Lumpur a few months ago. 

This time round, i was blessed with an empty stomach that would allow me to indulge in more dishes at one of Dragon-i branches in the Malaysian city nearest to Singapore; Johor Bahru! 

Lemongrass Drink

Two words summed it well; Very nice!!!

Shanghainese Steamed Meat Dumplings

Enough has been said about the xiaolongbao in Dragon-i. Quality was deliciously similar to what i had in Kuala Lumpur and you may click HERE for my review then. 

Steamed Egg Yolk Custard Buns

Compared to what i had in Kuala Lumpur, the version here in Johore Bahru had improved markedly!

The bright yellow dough was soft like a pillow and the overflowing filling was perfectly satisfactory; showcasing a seamless teamwork between the savouriness and sweetness that overwhelmed your taste buds! 

Deep-Fried Custard Buns

Looking similar to the tiny donuts balls sprinkled with icing powder sold in many traditional bakeries in Singapore, i was quite disappointed when i took a bite.

No doubt the custard filling was generous and the hard crunchy shell could appeal to some; but what i didn't enjoy was the taste of the custard. The texture was dry and didn't amaze us as i expected it to be.

Fried Rice

w Ham, Shrimps and Fish

Alright-tasting although i cannot evaluate it on the same level as Din Tai Fung's fried rice which was seriously one of the better ones in the market that doesn't cost you a hole in the pocket. 

Steam Meat Dumplings

w Chilli Soy Sauce

The initial shot of numbing spiciness was encouraging yet the eventual conclusion was just normal wantons coated in a layer of chilli oil bearing hardly any similarity to what i had in Crystal Jade. Oh yes, there was a similarity; their appearance. 

Fried Radish Cake in XO Sauce

w Prawns and Dried Scallops

Cantonese style carrot cake seldom impressed me since i am more a black-sauce carrot cake kind of person. However, this was good with a generous splattering of fragrant hae bee! 

Deep-Fried Crispy Aroma Duck

Alarm bells should have rung in my brain when i caught that apprehensive expression on the waiter's face when we asked if this was good.

Appearance wise, i thought it looked pretty alright and boasting a sinful crunchiness i personally like in any poultry dish. By the way, you are supposed to treat this dish as you would with the Beijing Duck.

Which means you have to wrap them up! Well, having had authentic Beijing duck last year in China's capital, i must say this was a total letdown. It would been nicer to eat the duck on its own without any fancy condiments but even so, the marination was a bit on the salty side. 

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Location

106-108, Jalan Wong Ah Fook

Lot No. J3-36, Level 3, 

Johore Bahru City Square (Office Tower)

Price

Lemon Grass Drink - RM11.00

Xiaolongbao - RM10.30

Steamed Egg Yolk Custard Buns - RM8.00

Deep-Fried Custard Buns - RM9.00

Fried Rice - RM18.00

Steam Meat Dumplings with Chilli - RM12.00

Fried Radish Cake in XO Sauce - RM13.80

Deep-Fried Crispy Aroma Duck - RM38.00

[Subject to GST and Service Charge]

Coral Seaweed Jelly - 100% Vegetarian 'Sea Bird's Nest' Rich in Collagen from Arkon [Lemon & Sour Plum Recipe]

Let me introduce to you a very healthy yet delicious product that was promoted as a 100% vegetarian dessert supposedly similar in taste to a Chinese ancient delicacy known as bird's nest.

Coral Seafood Jelly - made from kappaphycus (known as coral seaweed for layman like myself), it boasts tremendous nutritional value that includes being a natural water based fiber that aids in digestion, improve the immune system, and is rich in collagen, calcium and iron! 

Honestly, the benefits sound more like i am promoting a multi-vitamin and minerals pill rather than a dessert. Well, if pills taste this delicious, i would not mind popping a few every few hours!

There are generally two packaging to choose from; either the 600 grams six-cube pack or the 450 grams nine-cube pack. My family always go for the bigger bag since we can never get enough of it! 

A number of recipes are available and the following is a simple lemon and sour plum recipe imparted to me from the lady manning the temporary food kiosk in Northpoint:

Thoroughly clean a fresh lemon and scrape its skin (only the yellow portion) using a peeler. Throw everything into the water (one cube from the 600 grams pack would require roughly 1,500 ml of water) and bring it to boil. The amount of water would determine the sweetness and texture of the eventual product. 

I am using two cubes; hence the humongous pot that contained three liters of water! By the way, you have to wait for the water to boil before you add the cubes which feel a bit like rock sugar. In the meantime, enjoy the refreshing citrus fragrance in the kitchen!

Wait for the cubes to dissolve although you may wish to give it an occasional stir every now and then. Once that's done, add in one or two sour plums, boil for a few more minutes and turn off the fire.

At this point, you have to wait patiently for the liquid to cool down (I took my cue by observing the evaporating steam) before transferring it to the container of your choice. Remember the lemon just now? Cut and squeeze half of it into the water and stir for uniformity. Last step: put the container into the fridge! 

Compared to typical jelly or even the nutritious konnyaku jelly, this coral seaweed jelly is less sweet, has no artificial flavouring with a texture welcomed by even the elderly and absolutely enjoyable to have on a hot day! 

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Where To Get It?

Call the delivery hotline at 8499-8726 between Mondays and Fridays (10am to 5pm). But if you just want to try it out, you can find it at the following outlets:

NTUC Finest and Xtras (300 grams only)

OG (600 grams only)

Yue Hwa Chinese Products (300 grams)

Food Exhibitions (which is where i usually get my orders)

Live in or near to Yishun? You may find the sea bird nest for sale in the small-scale food exhibition on the ground level of Northpoint. I think the exhibition would end this Sunday, 10 November 2013.

Price

4-Cube 600 grams - S$16 a pack