Ramen & Desserts @ Tampopo Restaurant

Hearing so much about tampopo and doing nothing to try their celebrated ramen is embarrassing for a person who always has ramen craving!

I am still short on cash and it's not helpful that the 13th month bonus is no longer applicable for my current position. Well, i have my means to get food (and it doesn't mean demanding free food from food establishments)!

Tampopo is not a pure-ramen restaurant as it offers a wide variety of Japanese food like any full fledged Japanese restaurants.

Their main selling point seems to be the famous black pig meat but my focus was on ramen and ramen it shall be (plus one side dish and two small desserts to conclude the meal)!

Miso Deluxe Ramen

The star of the day!

Although chef-recommended, i know i should not have expected too much from the chicken+pork soup as it was obviously miso based. It was still tasty (due to the big slab of butter i guess) but scored a notch lower when i compared to pure pork broth (think Ippudo)!

Dislike the imported Hokkaido noodles! They had that taste of flour found typically in thicker noodles. Maybe they were just not soaked long enough!

I was satisfied but not amazed with the much-publicized black pig meat (kuro buta) in my ramen. Each slice had a porkier yet savoury taste that was akin to a normal chashu with slightly salty charred sides.

Not sure if it's the norm because i find that this Hokkaido style ramen had a lot of ingredients!!! Like the generous serving of corn kernels which provided a nice crunch to an otherwise slurpy meal.

Instead of asking you to pay additional for this looked-like-hard-boiled-but-actually-not seasoned egg, my order came with it at no extra charge! All for only S$15.80 a bowl! Comparatively cheaper than most ramen restaurants in Singapore.

Hotate Cheese

Wanting a smaller meal, Alex opted for this tiny plate of scallops with cheese and onions.

The scallops were in fact nothing special! We were more more taken with the extremely cheesy cheese!! And you don't need me to explain further on my favourite onions!

Scoop Cake

When i was looking through the many reviews of Tampopo on the internet, one strong recommendation was the Japanese desserts in Tampopo.

Looking perfect in every possible sense, i was quiet for a few seconds before using the fork to destroy it! The sweet tooth monster cannot resist it!

What struck me initially was how fantastic the cream was! It was not insanely sweet yet exuded an incredible vanilla fragrance that proved to be too irresistible for me!!

It's definitely the main factor for me to patronise Tampopo again!

Custard Pudding

Truthfully, this is the first time i had custard pudding that was so fulfilling!

Not only was the pudding dense and bouncy to the max, no expense was spared on the syrup, which again was full of flavour without creating a sugar overdose!

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Location

177 River Valley Road

#01-23/24 Liang Court Shopping Centre

(besides Clarke Quay)

Price

Miso Deluxe Ramen - S$15.80

Hotate Cheese - S$12.80

Scoop Cake - S$6.00

Custard Pudding - S$5.00

Subject to GST and Service Charge. Plain water served with no additional charge.

Additional Information

Using the chopsticks sleeve to write your feedback is a really innovative, cost-saving method. A box is placed next to the cashier for you to "throw away" your comments.

Tampopo supposedly serves very good pork cutlets!! With most tables surrounding us having at least a serving of the deep fried black pig meat, I guess i have to make another trip in the near future! 

Central World after the Red Shirts Rioting (2010) @ Bangkok, Thailand

Touted as the biggest shopping complex in Southeast Asia and the third largest in the world, Singaporeans would love this place as there are loads of unique shops and restaurants (at least for a foreigner)!

Not to mention the various artsy fartsy artifacts planted in numerous locations within the mall that are great backdrops for camwhoring!  

One of the questions i am always asked was whether Centralworld (เซ็นทรัลเวิลด์) has opened its doors after the infamous rioting by the Red Shirts in May 2010.

No Bangkok lovers can forget the horrifying scene on TV showing a gaping hole in the touched complex.

Coming back to the question; yes, Central World has re-opened on September 2010 (this was evidenced by my recent post on Yoshino Okonomiyaki) although roughly 30-40% of the original complex remained close to the public.

To attract more crowds to meet pre-riot levels, the management has been very diligent to organise events! In the three days i was shopping in Centralworld, i remember the arrival of one Korean boyband, Elle fashion show, two product launches and another Korean star; Lee Min-Ho.

There's even a brand new skating rink!  

Judging from the building's damaged facade, i doubt Centralworld will be fully operational for at least one, two years. I am not too worried as most of my preferred shops (and restaurants) are in the operational wing!

Heng ah!

Samurai Burger @ Macdonald's, Singapore

The samurai burger is finally back in Singapore!!

You can imagine my shocked yet happy face when i turned to the front page of The Straits Times last week and saw this advertisement confirming its return!

With a little bit of strategising, i managed to persuade our dear Mr Alex to blanja (singlish for treat) me a meal in Macdonalds! Seriously, i am not even such a person to scheme for free treats from people but Alex is an exception. Hahaha!

As you can see, the single patty burger looked distinctly different from the one in the advert (besides the extra patty) and i am willing to accept it (not gonna waste my time writing a letter of feedback like what i did to Coffee Bean) since it was wrapped tightly and tasted as delicious as it should be!

Bringing back sweet memories when i had the samurai burger in my teens, it's without question this burger with teriyaki sauce has to be the best burger the Golden Archers ever has!

Frankly, I prefer the pork samurai burger from Thailand! For the sake of my Muslim friends, i would make do with the beef-based samurai burger in Singapore until i embark on my annual Bangkok trip!

Sun Temple (太陽宫) @ Bedok, Singapore

Sun Temple (太陽宫)

@ Bedok, Singapore

Conversation as of Wednesday, 8 December 2010

Mom: Free to bring me somewhere this Saturday?

Me: Where?

Mom: Tai Yang Gong (Sun Temple)

Me: But you went there last week leh.

Mom: The horoscope column in Wanbao recommends that people born in the horse year visit any temple that worships the sun.

I don't dare to declare how filial i am although i tried to satisfy my mom's requests to the best i can since i have only one mother and all of us know that time is not unlimited.

My first impression of this particular sun temple (太陽宫) in Bedok was how unglamourous, how unassuming, how basic it is. There isn't the grandeur found in most temples with towering statues, big manicured gardens and roofs that bounced off radiant colorful tiles.

Don't be deceived by the outlook as this temple that worships the tai yang gong gong (or grandfather sun; an affectionate term for the sun used by many Singaporeans of Chinese descent) has a somewhat fasinating beginning! And it used to be stationed in Pulau Tekong; an island any Singaporean men know!

According to the big donation plaque, it was said that a lady living in Pulau Tekong by the name of Madam Dai the Sixth (戴六娘) was afflicted with a weird ailment when she was 50 years old and no one can cure her.

A miracle happened one day when she was apparently possessed by the Guan Yin goddess. Besides passing her two types of medication and three talismans, Madam Dai was also asked by the deity to perform duties on behalf of tai yang gong gong and help the world.

I am not a researcher and i am not interested to comment how true or untrue the story is. People who know me personally know i am a skeptical person by heart.

Without further ado, here come the pictures!

Unlike most temples, this has only one altar area and it is quite big with minimal decoration and furnishing.

The patron of the sun temple (known as Tian Kong Buddhist Temple on streetdirectory.com); Tai Yang Gong Gong! Though i mentioned that this is a "basic" temple, the statue was adorned with many gold necklaces!

Resident hound for the temple! It is a people's dog and even though it was supposedly tick infested, most of us could not resist the temptation to continue playing with it. 

All the statues are arranged nicely in a glass enclosure and as you can see from the picture, they are not humongous statues favoured by many temples.

Buddhist books that touch on scriptures, karma and the way of life.

A hand-drawn map of the old Pulau Tekong! Gosh, this is such an unexpected find!

Mom was praying and i know exactly what she is praying for; well-being for the family. And constant winnings of lottery every week!

This is an unusual statue as it is a clearly a man wearing the traditional Malay attire. This is most likely the Grandfather Datuk (Na Tuk Kong).

Chrysanthemum flowers with an illuminating yellow tinge to brighten up the otherwise really boring hall!

Thicker, longer incense sticks are favoured here; reason unknown! I should have asked since the temple caretakers are really nice and helpful.  

Pictures of Pulau Tekong before the government eviction! I expected villages on stilts but the pictures reflected a little town instead! Thankfully we still have Pulau Ubin!

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True to its origins, the temple opens when the sun is up!

My mom just told me that accordingly to the horoscope column, she has to pray at the sun temple EVERY WEEK!!! And the temple is super near to Singapore Expo!!!

Argh!!!! I need more $$$$$$$$$$!

Fried Hokkien Mee (福建面) @ Nam Heng Restaurant (南興餐室)

It's time for another food review at Nam Heng Restaurant (南興餐室)!

This round, it's Fried Hokkien Prawn Mee (福建面); one of Singapore's signature dishes commonly found in hawker centres and coffee shops.  

The strong aroma of freshly fried Hokkien mee and the group of customers waiting to collect their takeaways managed to entice me to try a plate despite having ordered toasted bread and wuxiang!

Using more bee hoon than yellow noodles (just like the famous hokkien mee in Bedok Corner); i am again convinced that the use of more bee hoon contributes to a better trapment of the yummy broth that has absorbed the all-important wok hei (essence of the wok).   

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It was good but i could not help comparing that the thicker broth from the stall in Bedok Corner is more flavourful and delicious. Well, at least you will be served with a smile in Nam Heng.

Price

I forgot again!!!! :(

It should be around S$3.00 a plate

Location

949 Upper Serangoon Road

(Junction of Simon Road and very near to Kovan MRT Station)

Additional Information

I forgot to mention that Nam Heng is open daily and their operation usually ends at night except for Sunday and Monday when they close at 4pm.

Avatars Inspired by SouthPark

Thanks to one of Karen's uber interesting posts, i got to know of this website that allows individuals like me and you to create cute cartoon avatars inspired by the highly crude and vulgar Southpark!

Although there are already flash websites that create avatars for individual use, the creators of Southpark have imprinted on our minds the perceived body structure of Southparkers.

And you can now have a free hand to see what you will look like if you are ever featured in South Park!

I have done up a few avatars based on my pair of squarish (aka ah pek) spectacles and short hair (due to the shave i did for CCF five months ago) but i am unsure which is the best.

Should i have this one which shows me with food on both hands and yet resisting the temptation to have them as i have been gaining weight? Look at the beads of sweat on my agonising face! The tail symbolises the devil's temptation!

Maybe this one is better? I was my usual self; salivating whenever i have food on my hands. The devil has apparently won the game in this picture.

An angelic avatar showing fruits on both hands; healthy and totally at ease. Such innocence is SO me! Hahahahaha.

With Christmas coming in a few weeks time and as a typical cheerful, forever optimistic Cavin, i thought this avatar was almost right. To perfect it in the spirit of Southparkism, I was trying to hold the rabbit by the neck but the system is not allowing it!

Just joking of course.

I adore animals okay!

*love the rabbit stew when i was young*

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Want to create your very own Southpark avatar? Please click HERE. The full address is http://www.sp-studio.de/index.htm.

Enjoy laughing and bring the joy to others!!!! :)