Roast Duck & Char Siew from 尖东港式炭烧烧腊 @ Yishun Bus Interchange (Next to Northpoint) [Singapore]

Unlike many residents in Yishun, I do not have to step into the bus interchange in Yishun on a frequent basis as my residence is within walking distance from Yishun MRT station and my workplace is better served via the train network. 

However, Alex visits quite often; not to take the buses though. His main objective is this particular roast delight stall in the staff canteen which, according to him, served a mean tasting roast duck rice! 

I tried to find an English name for the stall but the signboard only indicated its Chinese name;  尖东港式炭烧烧腊. Never heard of it but Alex's recommendations can turn out pretty good sometimes. Since I was working from home last week, I thought I should give it a try, together with my mom.

Knowing I could not resist the beautiful looking char siew, I decided to have a platter of roast duck and char siew for two persons. The roast duck should have been the highlight but there seemed to be more char siew on the plate!  

Plain, white rice that wasn't fluffy and should have been deemed a failure if not for the generous amount of char siew sauce drenched over it! Next time, I would ask for the more sinful chicken rice and pray it would have a better texture.

I am glad I decided to get the char siew as they were delicious; meaty, juicy with a yummy, sweet tinge, and surrounded with desirable charred bits. Definitely one of the better ones around in Yishun! 

Visually, the roast duck didn't elicit any excitement from my mom and I; guess it has something to do with the plating. Thankfully, the disappointing appearance didn't have a direct correlation with the taste; there was this nice dang gui aroma that reminded me of the roast ducks from the more famous (and expensive) Dian Xiao Er and meat texture was tender! 

Two thing could be improved; the meat was a tad salty and the roasted duck skin would appeal to me more if they were to have that light, crisp crunchiness. In my humble opinion, the char siew actually ranks higher than the roast duck. 

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Address

930 Yishun Ave 2, 

Staff Canteen,

Yishun Bus Interchange, 

Singapore 769098

Pricing

Char Siew, Roast Duck Platter - S$11.00

Additional Roast Duck - S$5.00 

8°1 Seafood Tze Char (八度幺海鲜煮炒) @ Yishun Block 747 [Singapore]

There's really nothing to complain about the area I live in; the train station is just a stroll of about 6 minutes, there's a supermarket beside my block and I have three coffee shops within walking distance! 

Usually, there's a resident tze-char stall in each coffee shop and I was quite familiar with the one at Hiap Hoe Eating House at Block 747, until it changed hands twice, I think, in the past few years. At the present moment, the current stall is called 8°1 Seafood.

Given that it was the seventh day of the new lunar year, also known as everyone's birthday, my family decided to give the stall a try since the location is quite convenient for most of my immediate family living in Singapore's most infamous town; Yishun.

Let the feast begin! 

Fried Baby Squid - from the look of it, the supposedly baby squids appeared to be larger than the size I was accustomed to having in the past. Nevertheless, the crispiness appealed to me and I was glad this was heavily doused with sweetness instead of spiciness. p.s. some of you might find them overly sweet.

Sweet and Sour Pork - So long Jerald join us for tze char meals, sweet and sour pork would be a must-order! These had the desirable old school gu-lu-rou flavour but don't wait too long as the otherwise crispy texture would turn chewy! 

Salted Egg Sotong - caked thickly of the delicious salted egg sauce, these were good in my opinion, albeit the batter was a bit too much; however, a few of my family members didn't quite like the texture of the sotong which I personally thought were acceptable.

Marmite Chicken - I am well acquainted with the marmite flavour this this tasted more like sweet butter, instead of marmite! Don't get me wrong; they still tasted alright but would get cloying after a while.

Hotplate Tofu - normal; I am aware I am usually quite neutral about this dish as it hardly surprises. Not sure why we ordered also since Jovyn decided to order western food from another stall instead.  

Egg Gravy Hor Fun - a long, long time ago, my favourite hor fun came from the tze char stall in the same coffee shop. Pity the version for this 'new' stall didn't wow me and I think my carbohydrate need can be satisfied elsewhere. 

Yangzhou Fried Rice - for a period of time, this was one dish that Alex always bought for takeaway and I tell you, the aroma was so tempting; I stole a few bites even though I already had dinner! 

The wok hei was obvious in every bite but maybe because we had so many other dishes; the flavour was relatively diluted and it didn't help that the prawns and char siew were diced up too finely. Maybe I should ask for takeaway next time, and throw in some gourmet bak kwa for that extra punch! 

Number One Superior Pot - just like hotplate beancurd, I have no affinity with this dish as it's just a saucy mish mash of expensive ingredients commonly comprising of sea cucumbers, prawns, scallops, fish, mushrooms that the older generation tends to enjoy for reasons unknown to me.  

Burp! 

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Address

Blcok 747, Yishun Street 72,

#01-108, Hiap Hoe Eating House.

Singapore 760747

Map

As above.

Menu

As above.

Pricing

Fried Baby Squid (S) - S$12.00 

Sweet and Sour Pork (L) - S$20.00

Salted Egg Sotong (M) - S$16.00

Marmite Chicken (M) - S$15.00

Hotplate Tofu (S) - S$10.00

Egg Gravy Hor Fun - S$4.50

Yangzhou Fried Rice - S$4.00

Number One Superior Pot (L) - S$30.00

(NETT)

Manulife Sky Nets (Walking) - Challenge Your Fear for Heights @ Jewel Changi Airport [Singapore] #jewelchangiairport

The name for this attraction at Jewel Changi Airport is descriptive on its own although I do find it a bit ironic; walking on nets suspended in the sky while thinking about your insurance policies! Definitely something worth considering!

Known as "the walk you can't forget", there's also a bouncing version that I was less keen in given my fear for height. Anyway, let's try walking first, before we think about bouncing. 

Frankly, it didn't look daunting after I scanned our tickets; just a matter of walking up a steep slope, which wouldn't be too much of an effort for a pretty fit guy for me.

My first step.

Reached the top in no time and the sight ahead of me was , impressive! Doesn't it look like a rolling hill, with the exception that the netting replaces the green grass? As I was marveling at the view, my companions were struggling, and I wondered why.

One of them pointed down; that's the moment I turned my head down and missed a few heartbeats at the free 25-meter high space beneath me! 

My knees went soft at the same time and the immediate reaction was to climb to the edge where I could better support myself, in the event the nets were to give way! 

Maybe my friends got used to the height as they bravely went to the deeper compression in the centers of the sky nets; hello, it would be a free fall resulting in an almost immediate death if anything happens to the net!

To be fair, this is Singapore and I strongly believe the authorities have cleared the safety measures and the strength of the nets before giving the "green light" to the operator. But for someone with acrophobia, there's always an uneasiness despite the assurances.

Bouncing version that was differentiated by its surrounded green nets. Don't think I would ever consider paying to try it, unless Jovyn or Jerald begs me to bring them. 

Given I was in the middle of the route, guess it would be easier for me to grind my teeth and force myself to complete the heart-stopping walk. It's good to challenge my fear; just like the time I went through Forest Adventure at Bedok! 

Trust me, I was a lot more scared than my friend.

This photo I dared to take since the height wasn't as high as the one that looked down a few floors down! My naïve mind told me I could probably fall and land on my feet even if the net breaks.

View of the netting field at the end of my walk. Okay, legs were still trembling a bit but hey, I survived and it's easier to proclaim now that it's a piece of cake and while I wouldn't pay S$15 (an adult) for a 10-minute attraction; I think it's fine if you are buying the bundle packages. 

Took this photo when I was on the second floor, I think and boy I didn't know the sky nets were so high up! note: you might be barred from entry if you are wearing skirts and do be mindful of your modesty as anyone can just look up!

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Address 

78 Airport Boulevard, 

Jewel Changi Airport,

Singapore 819666

Map of Canopy Park

As above.

Website

https://www.jewelchangiairport.com/

Pricing Menu

As above; second photo is for annual pass. 

Mutton Briyani from Mr Tandoor @ Ayer Rajah Hawker Centre [Singapore] #ayerrajahhawkercentre #nasibriyani

It was only recently that I realized that there were quite a number of nasi briyani stalls at Ayer Rajah Hawker Centre! Even though my former favourite Hassan Rabit Mutton Dam Briyani is no longer in operation; the craving for a delicious plate of nasi briyani would still hit me occasionally, as it did last week. 

I decided to throw in my lot for the nasi briyani at Mr Tandoor, which took over the space vacated by a char kway teow said to be there for decades, before the elderly operator decided to close shop. 

Frankly, the mutton briyani didn't quite wow the eyes and the metal plate, with its unique shape, actually attracted more attention than the meal. And how come no pappadum was provided?! 

When it comes to food, appearance is secondary to the taste and I must said the latter tasted much better than the looks of the former! Rice was surprisingly soft and fluffy, and while tasty on its own; the flavour was elevated by the aromatic gravy that wasn't as spicy as it appeared to be, and the onions.

The pieces of mutton were delicious and the only complaint was the bones that came with them! As mentioned a few times before; when it comes to nasi briyani, my order would definitely be mutton briyani. The other meats, like chicken or fish, just don't appeal to me. 

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Location

Block 503, West Coast Drive,

#01-30, Ayer Rajah Food Centre, 

Singapore 120503

Map

As above.

Price

Mutton Briyani - S$6.50