Zheng Ming Drinks Stall (正明茶室) - Amazing Local Breakfast Toast Set @ Hong Lim Food Centre [Singapore] #honglimhawkercentre

Most people would be quite familiar with Hong Lim hawker centre which is right behind Chinatown Point but I bet those who are not working / staying at that area would not likely be aware that there are more food stalls at the back on the ground level. 

I was introduced to Zheng Ming Drinks Stall (正明茶室) by my elder sister a few years ago and even though I wanted to revisit; the chance never came as the stall would closed by 2pm and it doesn't operate on Sundays! 

The traditional toast set is a must order; came with two soft boiled eggs, two slices of toast and one coffee / tea! It's a bit pricey at S$4.00 a set but worth very single cent.

My kopi gao (thick) siew dai (less sugar) was smooth, aromatic, strong with just the right amount of sweetness that doesn't make me feel that I am going to be diabetic or overly bitter for my palate! 

The perfectly cooked soft boiled eggs - to be honest, I am okay not to have soft boiled eggs although the same cannot be same for Alex; he adores them and I have seen him ate four in one sitting.

You need condiments for your soft boiled eggs; pepper and dark soya sauce! Light soya sauce can do too but I always prefer the sweet aftertaste from dark soya sauce. 

Give the eggs a good mix before you have them! Alex was impressed and his actual words were "very satisfying"! Needless to say, he asked for another two more soft boiled eggs and might have ordered more if I hadn't stopped him. I need someone to share my calories and Alex with a full tummy is of no use to me.

Two pieces of toast that were sliced thinner and then toasted; resulting in a crispy texture that I super love when it comes to traditional toast! Perfection - only when a slice of cold butter was added in between and then spread with delicious custard kaya! 

Yummilicious! Compared to the green pandan kaya, orangey custard kaya was a preferred, personal choice. I initially thought the kaya was specially made but the owner candidly told me it's from a can and the brand can only be sourced from Malaysia! Whatever the case, the entire package was irresistible and I cleaned up the toasts in no time! 

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Address

531A Upper Cross St, 

Hong Lim Market & Food Centre, 

#01-46, Singapore 051531

Pricing

Toast Set - S$4.00

Aburi-EN in Vivocity - Wagyu Karubi Don, Asari Miso Soup & Sumibi Chicken Yaki @ Singapore #vivocity

I seriously think Aburi-EN should consider adding cute cow lanterns to its decor as I honestly thought, initially, its signature meat was pork when beef is also featured strongly on their menu! 

It was a porky bowl of enjoyment in my last visit at its somerset branch but this time, the chef-recommended wagyu karubi don caught my attention, together with the sumibi chicken yaki. It was a pork-filled meal last round and this time, I shall focus on other meats. 

Asari Miso Soup - a top-up to the main meal, I assumed this would be more than just miso soup but it turned out to look the same when I removed its cover! 

Fret not as I did get quite a number of clams in the soup which unfortunately didn't differ much in taste from typical miso soup. 

Sumibi Chicken Yaki - when the hot plate was placed on my table, I was immediately drawn to its smoky aroma; gosh, I miss my barbecue sessions at Yishun Dam when I still had a car! 

Each piece was grilled perfectly, a bit of burnt bits with the meaty chicken meat retained both tenderness and juiciness! The marination appeared to be simple salt and pepper which I personally feel resulted in a rather bland flavour. 

Wagyu Karubi Don -  I can't afford the Japanese wagyu and shall make do with the Australian wagyu! As can be seen, I can't even see the bed of grade-A, Japanese rice from Hokkaido. 

Love the thickness of the beef! Each slice gave so much satisfaction I am more than willing to just have the beef and ignore the rice! Aside from the delectable grilled aroma, the sauce was definitely a dealbreaker; it's like the sauce from McDonald's Samurai burger, albeit less sweet yet more flavourful. 

Premium Buta Bara Don - I persuaded Alex to order this instead so that I could steal a few bites! Strangely, it wasn't as good as the one I had at the somerset branch. 

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Address

1 Habourfront Walk,

#01-159/160, Vivo City,

Singapore 098585

Website

https://aburi-en.com/

Order List (Food)

As above.

Pricing

Asari Miso Soup - S$2.80

Sumibi Chicken Yaki - S$8.80

Wagyu Karubi Don - S$19.00

Premium Buta Bara Don - S$16.00

(Subject to GST and Service Charge)

Bubble Tea Shops in Northpoint City Mall @ Yishun [Singapore]

Northpoint shopping centre wasn't that huge of a mall when it opened for business in the 1990s but after going through two major expansions; it almost tripled its original size and is now officially known as Northpoint City! 

While there are many shops now, one thing that caught my attention were the sheer number of bubble tea shops, and that's not counting those outside the mall. I was on leave a few days ago and decided to do a pictorial count.

Tiger Sugar on level one, near bus interchange - famous for their signature brown sugar pearl milk that was delish but could be overly sweet for those looking for a less sinful milk tea. 

Playmade by 丸作 on level one, near bus interchange - started business in Singapore in 2017, I was drawn to the shop because of its grape yakult green tea. It was an expensive indulgence and I eventually made do with a home-made version instead.

Gong Cha on level one, near Starbucks - one of the older brands, with about 1,500 brands worldwide. Took Singapore by storm initially with its delicious milk foam on top of the bubble tea.

LiHO Tea on level one, next to Maybank - the company behind this local bubble tea brand originally owned the franchise for Gong Cha. From memory, I only tried it once but by that age, I had severely cut down on bubble tea.

ShareTea on basement one, opposite Cold Storage; I never tried before despite passing by on quite a number of occasions. Maybe I should as its top seller is the classic milk tea.

CHICHA San Chen (吃茶三千) on basement one - with a shopfront that's easy to miss unless you walk past, this brand is one of the most popular bubble tea brands in Singapore now, with fans heaping praises on the quality of the tea leaves. 

iTea on basement two, along the new underground passage from Yishun MRT station to the bus interchange - business always appears to be good for this shop and I heard it's really value for money.

The Alley, also on basement two, along the new underground passage from Yishun MRT station to the bus interchange - one of the newest bubble tea shops in Northpoint, it's a brand I have heard before and would be keen to give it a try.

Xing Fu Tang (幸福堂), also on basement two, along the new underground passage from Yishun MRT station to the bus interchange - also one of the newest bubble tea shops in Northpoint, I think I should check out their signature oolong milk tea! 

Koi, on basement two, opposite NTUC Fairprice - easily one of the most popular bubble tea brands with about 36 outlets in Singapore (and another branch in the next building, at Yishun Ten), I still remember how much I enjoy their oolong milk tea in the past, when they first started operating in the little red dot! 

Nine Fresh (九鲜), on basement two, near Koi - famous for its taro ball signatures which are desserts rather than beverages, I decided to add this store in as they do sell decent tasting bubble milk tea! 

So did you do a count? I did and there are eleven bubble tea shops in Northpoint City! There could be more as I didn't bother adding in restaurants like Feng Taiwanese Food that served bubble teas too. Are Yishunians that crazy about bubble teas?!  

SL II Muffin @ Hong Lim Food Centre [Chinatown, Singapore] #honglimhawkercentre

It's no secret that I super love the baby muffins from Uggli Muffins and have been recommending stall in Toa Payoh to friends! While taste might differ from person to person, one common feedback is that the baby muffins were a tad expensive! 

Given that I don't have muffins often (most of the times, I indulged for free), I am not aware of the common pricing for the normal-sized muffins; hence, imagine my surprise when I realized that the muffins sold at this hawker centre in Hong Lim Food Centre cost, generally, S$1.50 apiece! It's about doubled the size of  Uggli Muffins yet priced only about 20% more.

I am no stranger to the stall as I am quite a frequent patron to Hong Lim Food Centre and always noticed a queue, especially during lunchtime! For reasons unknown to me, I always thought it's called SLJ Muffin and its correct name is SL II Muffin / SL Two Muffin. 

Whatever the case, let's buy half a dozen although there are 14 flavours to choose from! My selection is limited to apple cinnamon, banana, walnut, chocolate chip, lemon and cranberries! 

First one to stuff into my mouth is definitely the banana muffin which I had to wait an additional five minutes for as the batch was still baking in the oven. A well-worth wait, if you ask me. 

Its exterior was crumbly, peppered with tiny pieces of banana and featured a thin, crisp layer that you could jolly well enhance in the oven / air fryer, as I did with the rest over the past few days. The inside was fluffy soft, buttery and just the right sweetness for me!  

Now that I have the muffins from SL II Muffin, I did think that Uggli Muffins were indeed pricey. But I would still occasionally visit Uggli Muffins for a simple reason; I love the muffins' crisp edges! It would be such a waste for me to just attack the tops of SL II Muffin and throw the bottoms away.... 

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Address

538 Upper Cross St, #02-32, 

Hong Lim Hawker Centre,

Singapore 050538

Map

As above.

Menu

As above.

Weak and Sore Shoulder - Let's See if Bloodletting (Traditional Chinese Medicine) would Help

For the past few weeks, I have been nursing a sore and weak left shoulder and I decided enough is enough; the polyclinic said it's not a major issue and I headed for acupuncture via the traditional Chinese medicine mode instead.

The physician suggested bloodletting instead and the above was the result! I didn't manage to take any photograph as I was lying flat down although I did feel the soreness of an acupuncture with one needle, then a lot of needles and finally the suction of the cup.

More bloodletting and with me sitting up; it's easier to take pictures! As you can see, the blood were oozing from the needle holes which were a result of this staple-like equipment that rapidly pierced through my skin! 

Another cup had an attached tube stuffed with paper towel and cotton wool. As you can see, the one without the tube had amassed quite a bit of blood. 

After removal; I bet the area would start bruising tomorrow. To be honest, I was all prepared for a bit of suffering, so long my shoulder can regain its strength and I can continue with my push-ups.

The two cups, with my blood in it. 

According to the physician, there were blood clots and bloodletting would improve blood circulation and help alleviate the symptoms my shoulder was feeling. I am not as convinced about the blood clots as blood coagulates shortly after it is exposed. What the case, my wish is simple; please make my shoulder well again.

Alex's Birthday 2021

It was Alex's birthday a week plus ago and since he lives with me; I decided to surprise him with a classic original cake from Jelly Hearts when the clock struck midnight! I didn't manage to do so at exactly 12.00am as the candles kept moving due to the jelly! 

And the poor birthday boy had to quickly blow the lighted candles as the fire was on the verge of cooking the jelly! Oh well, we had a good laugh over it and that's a good start to his birthday. 

I have known him for more than 17 years and counted him as one of my closest friends who is aware of my good and bad traits, including my crazily bad temper. Of course he is no saint too and over the years, we just sort of complemented each other and knew when not to press certain buttons! 

He still looks young for his age and many people would also agree that as far as character is concerned, he didn't really change over the years; still as childish and as ignorant as I was, albeit with a lot more body aches. 

p.s. the cake from Jelly Hearts is not bad and I thought this would be a good alternative if you are sick of normal cakes. This original classic one had a cheesecake layer in between the biscuit base and jelly with strawberries.