Father's Day @ Mayim (Again)!

It's the father's day!!!

Okay okay, i know this post is well past its annual expiry but it's better late than never right??

Though the relationship with my very tanned father is not as close as my mother, i know that beneath the bo-chup surface is a man with few words who does care for the family.

Alright, let's save the mushiness and start on the food we had in Mayim!!!

Roasted Chicken with Fruit Salad

Juicy chicken meat stacked underneath a thin layer of skin. LOOOOoooooveeeee this!!

Spicy Pork Balls with Bread Crumbs

Essentially filled with a huge dollop of wasabi that explained that "spicy" in the name, the "pork" was however negligible as  in the taste factor.

Seriously, this was too much for my family! Wasabi lovers would love to get their hands tongue on this!!

Honey Spare Ribs with Sliced Garlic

These ribs were heavenly!!! 

The honey started the love story with a sweet beginning for my taste buds while the slightly crispy meat oozed with delicious juiciness!

It's indescribable but without these deep-fried-until-so-fragrant garlic slices, this dish might just have been another normal honey pork ribs.

Mango and Pomelo Sago

One word: Thirst-quenching!

Is that two words or one ah?

I am not going to post the pictures of other dishes since a lot of them (the good ones) had already been talked about and shown in my previous entry HERE!

=====

Location

Northpoint (Yishun)

#02-01

Pet Peeves - Pasted Flyers

Most, if not all of us, have pet peeves that may be ignored or disregarded by the general population but to the person in question, a pet peeve can be an irritating annoyance that tends to get on his/her nerves everytime he/her encounters it!

I have a particular one that makes my eyes twitch everytime i see it or them.

My housing block recently went through a lift upgrading exercise! It was great since my rubee is getting old. 

He had taken to stop walking once he reached the stairs and looked at me with his huge grumpy eyes!

There are of course disadvantages to have a lift landing on every floor.

But one incident particularly irked me!

It was nice afternoon and i was unlocking my metal gate for a relaxing walk downstairs with Rubee.

A man stepped out of the lift at the same time and proceeded to paste a notice on the wall. He stepped into the lift again once he's done.

I locked my gate and with Rubee trotting slowly beside me, i pressed the lift button. After waiting for a while, there was still no sight of the lift!!

Looking at the LED display, i realised that bloody man was stopping on every single level to paste the f*cking damn notices~!!!

A notice to buy and sell properties!!!!!!!!

I carried fat rubee, walked a floor down and went to another lift landing at the other end of the block.

GUESS WHAT?!?!

From the LED display, the lift was again stopping at every single floor!!!!!  

ARGH!!!!!!!!!

*spewing all sorts of vulgarities*

Uncle Leong Seafood @ Ang Mo Kio

When I first got to know about Butter Crabs, it was from this really popular seafood stall (named Mellben) that's located at a housing block in Ang Mo Kio.

The problem is, the waiting time can be really unbearable due to the crowds!

And it was during one of their peak periods that my friends and i decided to try the less crowded seafood stall opposite the block, which was said to be owned by the brother.

That’s the beginning of my patronage to Uncle Leong Seafood.

Yesterday, the family celebrated the elder sister’s birthday in advance!

As with the title of this post, Uncle Leong Seafood was hand-picked for the customary birthday dinner paid by anyone but the birthday boy/girl.

Here's the dishes!

Longevity Noodles

It’s been a long time since I last had this!

My distant memory told me that only the elderly will order this dish and my terminology of elderly is my grandparents’ generation!

Though it’s been a long time, I have never had a more delicious longevity noodles. Prawns were very fresh and the use of minced pork really enhanced the taste.

Kangkong in Sambal Style

This dish has attained such a following that it’s rare to find one that is really extraordinary.

The one in Seafood Paradise lacked the shiokness and could do with more sambal chilli!

Crispy Tofu

When served hot from the frying pan, this tofu was crispy on the outside and gooey soft for the inside.

By itself, it would not leave any lasting impression on diners.

With the sweet sauce, however, the impression is etched deeper! Hot, crispy, soft, sweet!!!

Guiness Stout Pork Ribs

“Disappointing” was the apt word when I saw this.

Disregarding the number of pieces, each pork rib was so damn small, I can see more bones than meat!

Taste was unsatisfying because based on my previous sessions in Uncle Leong, the pork ribs were then more meaty with a very unique flavor that made me crave for more.

Not this time!

Claypot Crab Bee Hoon

The highlight for this birthday dinner!

 

A huge (almost 2 kilograms) meaty crab submerged in a delightful milky broth with springy Bee Hoon was a great finale to end the meal!

Look at this! My mouth is drooling just looking at the picture!

======

Location

Block 233, Ang Mo Kio Avenue 3,

#01-1194.

Price

Claypot Crab Bee Hoon - S$64.00

Birthday Noodles – S$15.00

Crispy Tofu – S$10.00

Guiness Stout Pork Ribs – S$12.00

Kangkong in Sambal Style – S$12.00

Subject to 7% GST.

Today is my sister's birthday!
Happy Birthday Joyce!!!! 

Durians Feast @ Sims Avenue

It's once again the durian season and it's only during this period that prices of these thorny fruits will drop tremendously!

My colleague told me she recently had a fantastic durian feast at only S$1.00 per fruit!

Kaoz, such good deal right!?!

But that's her luck. My rotten luck always revolves around unripe fruits, hardened flesh, bugs-filled husks for such cheapo durians.

A good guide is to get those durians priced in between the cheap and the expensive. In addition, always look out for the signs stating (包吃) or (包食); it means the fruit is guaranteed to be good for devouring!!

For my case, it's usually either the Mao Shan Wang or those durians priced at S$5.00 each.

I have my personal favourite stall for Mao Shan Wang (the one in balestier lor) but for the S$5.00 durians, my instinct is to drive to Geylang and have my pick at the numerous durian stalls along Sims Avenue.

It's a must to have durians by the roadside, sniffing in the polluted motor fumes while slowly peeling open the painful looking durian husks and gorging the fleshy meat within!

What are you waiting for?!

Better rush to Geylang and have your fill before the season is over!!

Note:

Never buy those ready-to-eat durians packed in styrofoam boxes and wrapped with a clear plastic film!

No matter how cheap they are!!

Stressed-Induced Craving for Aston's Specialties @ Sembawang Shopping Centre

The work stress is really getting into me and my big brain is just too filled with work-related matters to think of any new posts.

When Cavin is stressed and wants to unleash the blood-thirsty devil within him, he will crawl to Aston's Specialties for a chunk of economical red meat that still oozes blood in the middle.

What else can be better than this?

Using nectar-sweet blood to cleanse the internal bloody soul!

Qiji (奇) @ Century Square

I am still down with a persistent cough and an irritating scratchy throat but i have to blog this local cafe that has sprouted numerous branches in Singapore.

The first item that caught my attention was their popiah.

At S$1.90 for a regular roll without prawns, this is much more expensive than the S$1.20 per roll i usually have in Yishun Central.

But it was also much more delicious with a paper thin popiah skin, moist filling and most importantly, a lot of desirable sweet black sauce (now we know why the popiah looked so dark)!

Looking at the tables surrounding us, we saw a lot of diners wolfing down Nasi Lemak.

The elder sister, unfortunately, ordered the Laksa...

:(

Well, the mom was craving for some soupy stuff.

I had a taste of the laksa and found the gravy to be lacking in flavour, thickness and creaminess.

====

My parched throat is now craving for the black popiah!!

Location

2 Tampines Central 5,

#01-36B, Century Square Shopping Centre

Other branches can be found here.

Han's @ Thomson Plaza

My first memorable cake came from Han's, then a bakery near the kampong i resided in Old Nee Soon.

The creamy black forest cake with its distinctive cherry infusion left a really deep impression in my childhood memory.

As i was growing up, Han's expanded with another branch in Yishun, then my family's new home in the concrete village that the gahmen was encouraging.

In my teens then, peer pressure entailed hanging out after school and Han's was a favourite hangout place amongst students for its economical set meals, air conditioning and cafe style format.

Fish and Chips was another dish arising from my teens that was unforgettable in my 30 year old memory.

And it was exactly with these fond memories that i visited a branch in Thomson Plaza, expecting no less from what i remember.

Disappointment greeted me when i had a bite of the fish and chips.

The exterior was too soft with a (too) thick layer of mushy batter while the fish meat should have been flavourful but came out tasteless.

This was the time when chilli sauce no longer served a complementary role but as an important condiment for me to finish the food.

A side order of custard cream puffs was thought to save the day (the black forest cake was sold out!).

With a thick layer of custard cream smacked in between, this was surprisingly yet another almost tasteless order.

Is there anything wrong with my taste buds?!

========

Prices

Cream Puff - S$2.00 for two

Fish and Chips - S$8.80 for a set.