Blue Mountain Cafe (B.M.C) @ 313 Somerset, Singapore

"蓝山咖啡; translated as blue mountain blend coffee, i first heard of this term over a Taiwan soap opera on channel 8 (or was it channel u?).

Supposedly expensive due to its popularity and high demand, my initial impression of the similarly named Blue Mountain Cafe (B.M.C) was that this should be one of those bistros that sell pretty normal stuff at exorbitant prices!

In usual circumstances, i will never step in without finding more on hungrygowhere.com. As fate has its way, we decided to have some drinks while playing a new board game Mr Kon bought.

The atmosphere felt 'right' and despite the higher downtown car park rates, the gang of four was there again last weekend; mostly due to Alex's insistence in buying some card games!

Fruit Tea

Looking all delicious with pieces of freshly cut fruits swimming relaxingly in the midst of that bright orange freeze, this should rate high for drinks i like!

Unfortunately, the taste factor failed miserably; it was sourish and tardy. Possibly the two tastes i am most averse too!

Cream of Mushroom Soup

This wasn't the best i had although i have to mention the mushy texture (baby food lookalike) that was most inviting to mushroom lovers.

I can accept mushroom soups that still have some pieces of blended mushrooms but not those that had almost nothing left after going through a strainer.

And i love the garlic bread with REAL garlic bits you can see with your eyes!!

French Onion Soup

Having drunk a similar one from La Petite, this had a surprisingly strong beefy flavour without that pungent sweetness typical of onions! As you can see, there was much more soup than onions.

Fisherman's Baked Rice

Not a big fan of baked rice, i felt that this was cheesy enough on the surface.

It's underneath the surface i am more worried (for the cafe); the lack of a significant amount of tomato sauce resulted in a rice mixture that can only be deemed as less flavourful compared to its many competitors in the market.

Nothing's lost though! The sotong (squid) was so soft and tender; i used little effort to chew it to pieces yet took a longer time to slowly take in the taste!

Rosemary Chicken

Totally unexpected as i was anticipating a chicken chop garnished with some dubious sauce that had no use as chilli sauce would be used instead to force it down my throat!

Besides a super juicy chicken thigh that was seasoned with rosemary herbs (according to the menu), it was the special honey mustard sauce that made this dish exceptionally delicious! If it's a chicken chop, this has to be the best in Singapore!

With an herby sweetness to it, this was one of the rare times i never had any chilli or tomato sauce to go with a meat dish! A dish i would die to go back for!!

Maybe i should patronise the cafe again this Sunday?

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Location

313, Somerset Road,

#03-23/24, Singapore 238895

Price

Fruit Tea - S$6.90

Cream of Mushroom Soup - S$4.50

French Onion Soup - S$4.50

Fisherman's Baked Rice - S$10.90

Rosemary Chicken - S$9.90

Subject to Service Charge and GST

Additional Information

My memory tells me that there was a free latte for each main course ordered!

At this moment, this seems pretty ridiculous as the latte cost S$5.90 each and the main courses we had had a value of roughly S$10 each!

Does that mean (in mathematical term) we only paid approximately S$5 per main course?

Hm..... Guess it should be a damn value for money meal as there was no charge for the two yummy lattes in the bill leh!

Pet Section @ Chatuchak Weekend Market

Further to my original post HERE, Chatuchak (or Jatujak) weekend market takes up such a big space with thousands of stalls, i will normally recommend two days for most visitors.

The first day (Saturday) is purely to see what they offer and last day (Sunday) for all your purchases! There will always be some stalls you miss out on the first day!

One section (or soi as Thais call them) i particularly enjoy every time is the pet's section. Not surprisingly since i am quite an animal lover myself.

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Buying a small, simple dog bed may set you back by around S$20 in Singapore. In Chatuchak, you will be spoiled for choices and a high quality bed may only have a price tag of S$10! Well, the thought of dragging it back to Singapore seems mentally tiring enough to deter me from taking out my wallet!

Some stalls have dogs caged up in incredibly tight enclosures that make moving a continual, difficult chore. With Rubee having the free run of my house, seeing this lack of freedom was an eyesore for me! And mind you, i have seen worse in Singapore.

Compared to most Singapore's pet shops that sell live animals, i have to agree with most people that the animals in this market are well groomed and there's no hint (okay, maybe only minimal) of the obnoxious doggy smell!

So well groomed to the extent that some animals are clothed!! Looking real adorable and staying still within the tiny cages, i sometimes wonder if the animals are drugged. C'mon, how can they stay so perfectly still!?! Except for the moving nostrils.

When pet's fashion first reached the lion city eons ago, prices were sky high just for a normal t-shirt. However, Pampet (imported from Thailand) changed the pet fashion landscape entirely with attractive designs at a much more affordable price. And needless to say, you have a lot more choices here in Chatuchak at even cheaper pricing!

Just now, i showed small animals in cages. In fact, most shops adopt a partial open concept with animals placed on an elevated "table" and mixing with one another! Psychologically, the open concept gave the impression that the shop owners are giving the animals breathing space.

Realistically, the open concept is an easier access to sell you the animals due to the higher human traffic in Chatuchak. Grab and pass instead of "unlock cage", "grab a frightened puppy", " attempt to push it to a corner", "finally grab it", "pull it out from the too small door" and "pass it to you"!

With so many pet accessories imported from Thailand, there's no question that you can get the same thing at only a fraction of the cost you pay in Singapore!

At times, the price is so low your brain will tell you to buy dozens of them so that you can sell them to Singapore's pet owners at 400% profit margin (estimation)!

Before the rise of China, the cheapest rawhide came from Thailand! These chewy edible treats/toys are still bloody cheap in Thailand! Just that you can get them at dirt cheap prices in China.

This knotted rawhide only cost 120 Thai Baht (roughly S$6)!!! How much would you think it costs in Singapore??!?!?

Let's continue with more animal pictures! A big sized hamster that never seemed to stop munching when i was looking at it!

Short Coat Guinea pigs! Do you know they are very vocal rodents? Especially when they are hungry!!!

These are called sugar gliders and though i have not come across pet shops in Singapore selling them, the Singapore's pet forums seem to suggest otherwise.

More pet beds! These are the kind my elderly Rubee prefers since it involves less strenuous motor movements!

You may find other pet related products in Chatuchak like the purse with dog images. For me, i bought 15 (yes, one five) t-shirts that have pictures of canines and felines!

Some collars and doggie hair bands displayed nicely in a shop! In terms of product section within Chatuchak, the dog section has one of the highest numbers of air-conditioned stalls! This is a plus factor when the high temperature sets in at noon!

Besides basic clothing, accessories like hairbands are also used to spruce up the cute factor! Gosh, the puppies look like a perfect, angelic addition to any house!

The cutest has to go to the rabbits! They looked like furry ballerinas! And with the rabbit year coming, this will definitely be a big hit!!!

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Remember!!! You need a permit to bring animals to Singapore! And to me, it's good to "look see look see" but note that some shop owners can be very fierce when it comes to taking pictures and touching the animals.

Additional Information

Getting to Chatuchak weekend market is very easy with public transportation. It’s within walking distance from Mo Chit station (BTS Skytrain) and Chatuchak Park MRT station.

My original post on Chatuchak can be found at http://cavinteo.blogspot.com/2010/12/chatuchak-weekend-market-bangkok.html.

0172 BBQ Seafood @ Changi Village, Singapore

Time: 11.20pm

Day: New Year's Eve

Cravings strike at weird timing and that's exactly what happened when Ms SaNeVa said she was yearning for the chicken chop hor fun from the hawker centre at Changi Village!

Notorious for its famous nasi lemak that continues to attract a queue at almost midnight, Changi Village food centre has quite a few notable stalls that sell good food besides the "coconut rice" (which i personally feel is too overrated).

One notable stall with a row of accolades as long as its headboard had attracted my attention in the past. But the loyal soul in me has persistently ignored its existence due to chicken chop hor fun!

Hey, there's only so much my stomach can hold; regardless of any rumour you might have heard.

Since the hor fun stall was closed, we decided there and then to have a few dishes from this supposedly popular stall. No rice since we are on diet; that's how committed we are to maintain a healthy body!

 

Barbequed Stingray

Chilli lovers will totally dig this dish!

It was so bloody spicy; i had to grab Alex's sugar cane drink in order to quench the fire that was burning my lips!! Spiciness aside, the meat could be softer. I have had better ones in Chomp Chomp.

Barbequed Sotong

Same color, identical smell; it's the same sambal chilli!!

Beads of sweat were already dripping down my forehead but as i slowly chewed the first piece of squid, every bite was surprisingly satisfying and in this case, the belachan played an important role in making this dish exceptionally good.

Seafood Egg

At S$8.00 a plate, the price was a killer for something that mundane and without much seafood.

However, it was goodness to the max! Though each bite guaranteed oily lips, egg lovers will love this for its simplicity yet fantastically strong eggy taste.

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I will be back just for the seafood egg. And a plate of chicken hor fun. Plus 10 sticks of satay, two banana fritters, one bowl of ice jelly and a cup of sugar cane.

Location

0172烧烤海鲜, Block 2,

Changi Village Rd, #01-72,

Changi Village Hawker Centre

Off on Wednesday and operating from 5pm till late.

Price

BBQ Stingray - S$8.00

BBQ Sotong - S$8.00

Seafood Egg - S$8.00