Entree Kibbles

Thursday, February 20, 2020

Meixi's Kitchen - Batang Seafood Soup @ Bgain 442 Eating House in Clementi [Singapore] #seafoodsoup

I find it hard to resist whenever i see a stall offering seafood soup featuring that milky broth that reminds me so much of the epic one from Yan Ji at the now-defunct Old Woodlands Town Centre.

Twice i rejected the temptations but i finally threw in the towel and ordered a bowl of seafood soup from Meixi's Kitchen at Clementi Central. I have since patronized three times and thought it's time for me to blog about it.

Like most seafood soup of this particular richer genre, you need to exercise patience as it takes slightly longer for the chef to prepare the broth as compared to the common seafood soup you found at stalls selling sliced fish / fried fish soup.

At S$7.00 a bowl, it's a dollar more than OAR Seafood Soup at Old Airport Road Hawker Centre but you cannot deny the fact that you get the pricier Batang fish, a lot more soup and generous ingredients like minced meat!

Cheapo me would usually get the dory fish seafood soup that costs S$2.00 lesser but my friend commented that it's a small price to pay for Batang which is of a better quality with tastier meat; never looked back since then.

As far as the flavour of the soup is concerned, the one at Meixi's Kitchen feels more like a watered down version of OAR and Yan Ji seafood soups; still good, just not as spectacular. I enjoyed the freshness of the Batang fish and the singular prawn and the fatty tenderness of the minced meat.

Despite the misgiving about the soup (which was still tasty; just not as good compared to the other two i had before), it's still worth it as a satisfying meal for me! Now, i should really make an effort to Marsiling Mall Hawker Centre where Yan Ji is now located and check if the standard is still as amazing.

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Address

442 Clementi Ave 3,

Bgain 442 Eating House,

Singapore 120442

Map

As above.

Menu

As above.

Pricing

Batang Seafood Soup - S$7.00

Wednesday, February 19, 2020

The Protests in Hong Kong, Before the Violence #hkprotests

Singaporeans, in general, are not accustomed to the concept of protests and associate them with violence, disruption and futility. Hence, it's an eye-opener when we chance upon protests although in many cases; we do our best to avoid.

When we were in Hong Kong in July 2019, we had to make a big detour to Tsim Sha Tsui Star Ferry Pier from sky100 observatory as some roads were closed due to an approved protest. I did my best to avoid but i got curious when i saw people looking out by the railings of a overhead pedestrian bridge.

Throngs of protesters at the far end but their route didn't cut through where we were. Frankly, this particular anti-extradition bill protest was still relatively controlled with much less anger, although there were signs in the next few weeks pointing to increasing escalation.

Closure of the MTR station's entrances was announced on the digital signage. It was orderly and surprisingly didn't result in any confusion and chaos.

What i didn't expect was how close we were to the action. It should have been a telltale sign when we chanced upon one of the now many Lennon Walls near Tsim Sha Tsui Star Ferry Pier; filled with handwritten post-its notes encouraging Hong Kongers to forge ahead, i saw participation from both the young and the old.

And i started receiving airdrop messages pertaining the demands of the protest! Before this, i actually didn't know we could drop messages this way among iPhone users!

I could literally just walk 10 meters and be part of the rally! Honestly, i am keen to check out the protests; however, our dear Alex was dead against my idea. :(

It was drizzling but it sure didn't dampen the spirits of the protesters! "Organisers claimed more than 230,000 attended the march, while police estimated around 56,000 only". If you were to ask me, i didn't feel there were that many people.

Whatever the case, let's just continue to stay away.

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For the summary of my seven days' itinerary to Hong Kong (with a day trip to Shenzhen), please click here.

Sunday, February 16, 2020

The Eyes in the Sky @ Krabi [Thailand]

I happily blogged about day one of my Krabi trip without realizing that i have missed out one posting; the eyes in the sky which is literally photographs taken when i am in the plane!

The bird's eye view of the land beneath us has always been spectacular and i pray for a window seat every single time i check in to the airport; yes, i am too stingy to pay extra for a specific seat.

What i love to do after downloading the photographs to my computer is to open up google map and see if i can identify the places via their satellite view! It can take me ages sometimes as i have to pick my brain on the path undertaken by the pilot and it can be confusing!

This was easy to find; Krabi Power Plant.

Pilot was flying above the mainland instead of by the sea; the latter would have resulted in more scenic photographs as the former was just filled with swathes of greenery, likely palm plantations and / or agricultural land.

Although i lived in the village when i was a kid; i doubt i am able to get accustomed to kampong life should i need to retreat to non-urbanised district as I dislike squat toilet, scared of the dark and display high sensitivity to the surroundings!

In addition to the noticeable descent; one hint that you have reached Krabi would be the line of islands appearing on the horizon of our left.

Nuea Khlong, a district near the Krabi Airport and the one that stands out from the photo would be the 12-storey pagoda on the left which belongs to the Chengchui Chosukong Shrine.

Time lapsed video taken of the landing!

The pictures before the above were taken when we landed at Krabi International Airport from Singapore and the photographs henceforth were shot on our way back to Singapore!

Again; the Chengchui Chosukong Shrine and the limestone hills dotting the landscape.

That glow on the horizon was mesmerizing and as it was only about 4.30 pm; i was wondering if there's any strange phenomenon happening at that area.

From the above picture, it's almost like the islands were mountain peaks with thick, pillow clouds shrouded around them! I can recognise one of the islands which has that iconic chicken head-like natural structure.

Guess it's the angle of the sun which is shining on that particular patch of the sea. While it looked stunning for us on the plane, i wondered how would it look like if you are on any of the islands hit by the rays?

Low tide! I have always wanted to walk all the way to the water edge when it's low tide as the things to be found can be a lot more interesting which might include seashells and other marine creatures.

Last two photos of the glowing sea!

Click here for the

itinerary of my 4-day visit to Krabi

Shake Shack - The Famous US Burger Chain @ Jewel Changi Airport in Singapore #shakeshacksg #jewelchangiairport

Opened for business almost 10 months ago; the hype surrounding Shake Shack @ Jewel Changi Airport (first in Southeast Asia) was unstoppable and whenever i saw the long, snaking queue outside the fast food restaurant; my motivation dropped!

However, the recent COVID-19 virus has dampened food traffic and when i read about the almost non-existent queue at Shake Shack; i sneakily asked my friends for a change in venue from Vivo City to Changi Airport!

Guess i am not the only one following the news;although not as crowded as before, there were still people waiting in line to give their orders and this wasn't even dinner peak. p.s. photo was taken at about 5.30 pm on a Friday.

BFF taking on another meaning - ordering would be at the counter and once you pay, the above pager would be given to you. Wait for it to ring and once that happens, collect your food from the collection counter. Do note to look through the menu when in the queue and decide what you want; this would allow the queue to clear faster!

Take your cutlery, sauces (ketchup, mustard etc) and serviettes from this side counter.

Food at Shake Shack are not cheap and if you are as poor as i am; you can save money by taking the water from the dispenser! If you are of a higher social status, you can pay $2.50 for bottled water.

Fancy some Shake Shack memorabilia; you can get a adult tee shirt for S$29.00. Cheapest item is the pair of socks costs S$2.50 whereas most expensive would be the shake shack block and Bynd artisan leatherette notebook at S$35.00 each.

After a mere 10 minutes; the pager rang and here's our food; one shackburger, two shack stack burgers, one serving of French fries, one pandan shake and one lemonade!

Don't you think that the display and arrangement were like so professionally done; basically camera ready for instagram and maybe even worthy for a magazine shoot!

Pandan Shake - "vanilla custard blended with pandan and coconut", this Singapre-exclusive drink is the milk shake version of an ondeh ondeh topped with gula melaka crumbles! Sinfully thick with a sweetness that friends found too over even though i thought it's still quite acceptable for a beverage that's like a dessert!

French Fries - i super love the crinkle cut fries as unlike many in the market; they were crispy throughout with not much "soft inside". Bet this was a rare occurrence as a result of too long a frying in the scalding hot oil.

Shack Stack Burger - i couldn't decide if i should have their signature shack burger (your typical cheese burger) or others and decided on this (a combination of cheeseburger and shroom burger) with Jammie's endorsement as she had tried Shake Shack in other countries!

It was delicious; the fresh lettuce and tomato, the melty cheese, the juicy fried portabello mushroom, the soft bun, the pinkish beef patty and the lip smacking good shack sauce! I didn't even need the chilli sauce to go with my burger which is uncommon!

To be honest, it's the epitome of what a plain, good-old cheese hamburger should be. However, this status also commensurate with its high pricing of S$9.20 for a fast food joint; not exactly acceptable for some.