Han N Han Peanut Pancake @ Yishun Block 848 (Opposite Khatib Sheng Siong Supermarket) [Singapore]

Han N Han Peanut Pancake appeared to be a franchise name as I have seen the name at numerous areas even though quality differs from branch to branch; personally, I enjoy the ones from Yishun Block 414. 

This one at Yishun Block 848 would not have attracted my attention if not for the queues I encountered a few times when I visited the coffeeshop for claypot rice and / or popiah. 

I finally got to trying it! Initially thought a new batch of pancakes would be cooked but no, the operator had already kept aside some and it's only a matter of slapping the filling in the middle. Well, can't fault the efficiency. 

Unveiling my pack of three pancakes.

Namely, peanut butter, red bean paste and coconut! 

I had the intention to get one but I am a sucker for discounts for its buy one for S$1.10 and three for S$3.00 promotion! The filling was generous and pancake edges were lightly crisp although batter was a tad too thick and the pancake was at most lukewarm. 

Taste wise, it really depends on the filling and I must say the peanut butter was surprisingly pretty good even though the moist coconut was heartwarming good! 

Overall not bad but I still prefer the ones from Yishun Block 414.

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Address

848 Yishun Ring Road, 

Coffee Shop Opposite Sheng Siong Supermarket, 

Khatib, Yishun, Singapore 768688

Menu

As above.

COVID-19 Positive

Ever since my company started distributing ART kits, I have been diligently poking my nose on a weekly basis to ensure I am cleared of any COVID-19 infection.

For this week, I have been doing it more regularly (in fact on both 21 and 22 February)  as I was nursing a low grade fever and cough that seems to only start at night and would subside by morning. But I am facing more issue with my rib cage, which has been throbbing with pain since my recent cruise.

I decided to pay the clinic a visit; and honestly disclosed that I had both fever and cough, although ART results showed a negative result. Nevertheless, I was brought to another queue for high risk patients, and was asked to do another ART test, administered by the clinic staff.

Pain at my rib was getting progressively unbearable and I secured the document to take X-ray at Clementi Polyclinic. Alas, my plan was ruined when the clinic staff came out and announced the rest of my test.

COVID-19 positive. My symptoms are not severe and feel more like a normal flu. It's more the pain on my ribs that are making me more uncomfortable but given the positive COVID-19 outlook, I couldn't take the x-ray at all and are required to go home immediately. :(

After which were a flurry of SMS from MOH on what to do. Frankly, I am thankful my symptoms are mild and I can still follow through with the process to upload my TT data and submit the close contact registration form. I can imagine the frustration faced the older generation who might not know English or too ill to look through the content. 

p.s. there will be a delay in posting for this blog as I was constantly drowsy throughout the day, given the medication. Worst part is that I can't exercise. 

Herbivore - Japanese Vegetarian Restaurant @ Fortune Centre [Bugis, Singapore] #vegetarian

I am not a huge fan of vegetarian food, mainly because of their pricing which can sometimes be more expensive than meat, although I do crave for the occasional bee hoon with mock char siew and crispy vegetarian goose meat. 

But vegetarian cuisine has improved in variety, quality and taste over the years and one of my favorite vegetarian restaurants would be Elemen. Today, let me share another interesting vegetarian restaurant; Herbivore, and it serves Japanese food. 

Photo of the interior when we, the last group of customers, were leaving! I think Herbivore used to be named Zen Japanese restaurant which I think is more representative of its Japanese roots compared to herbivore which sounds more like a fusion restaurant. 

Refillable iced water was chargeable at S$0.50 per person. Ordering was via the tablet and for those who are always stuck in a dilemma on what to have; they do have a good selection of bentos. 

Unagi Maki - first to be served, it looked absolutely legit from afar! Take a closer look and you would notice that the unagi meat was in fact tofu that was grilled until its edges were crisp.

I put one into my mouth and chewed; OMG, it tasted exactly like a real piece of unagi maki,! How did they even replicate the signature unagi flavor?! Interestingly, the tofu-ness was obvious when you eat the 'unagi' separately but not when you munch it down together with the rice, the cucumber and the avocado. 

Teriyaki Chicken Don - when I was a teenager, teriyaki chicken don was a comfort food when it comes to Japanese cuisine but I am not sure when it is in vegetarian form. There was that teriayki tinge but the 'meat' tasted like mock meat. 

Tonkatsu Bento - I am extremely picky with tonkatsu and would only eat at Saboten. This vegetarian option had the desirable crispiness of a good piece of tonkatsu but the similarity stopped when I got to the meat. It's funny that non-vegetarian judges vegetarian food by how close it tastes to the real thing. 

Have never enjoyed Vietnamese spring rolls.

They appeared extremely healthy though.

Chawanmushi Maki - amongst all the bentos, I thought this looked the most appetizing on the digital menu and the inclusion of Japanese steamed egg custard also helped to quicken my decision making process! 

Least favorite had to be the salad. Anyway, the chawanmushi was a letdown; texture was rough and the 'egg' was actually steamed tofu, with minimal resemblance in taste to egg. 

Maki was legit nice, thanks to the crunchy pickles wrapped within whereas the crispy gyozas tasted pretty good after you dip them into the accompanying sauce! Without the sauce, it would have been another disappointment.

The classic Japanese teapot soup was known for its natural sweetness and even without the seafood and sometimes, chicken; this was satisfying as a mushroom flavored soup that had ingredients almost filled to the top! 

Again another mock meat that would not likely overpass the unagi maki; or so I assumed until I tore off the first section. *wide eyed* the ham-like bacon would have passed off as real ham and it's not just your normal slice of rolled up ham; it was ham I actually like.

Dessert, part of the bento, was yuzu jelly. The sourness and sweetness was just the right combination to conclude this 100% vegetarian meal.

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There were hits and misses but this would be a fantastic place, aside from Elemen, for my parents who would faithfully follow a vegetarian diet on the first and fifteenth day of every lunar month. 

Address

190 Middle Rd, #01-13/14,

Fortune Centre, Singapore 188979

Map

As above.

Website

https://www.herbivore.sg/

Pricing

Unagi Maki - S$15.00

Teriyaki Chicken Don - S$18.00

Tonkatsu Bento - S$26.00

Chawanmushi Maki - S$35.00 

(Subject to GST and Service Charge)

Eggslut Singapore @ Scotts Square along Orchard Road

Almost half a year ago, there was a massive hype for Eggslut; a popular eatery from Los Angeles which was opening its very first branch in Southeast Asia! Catchy name aside, I was excited given my love for eggs, in general. 

Queue was said to be terrible, a norm whenever a popular, overseas outfit sets up shop in Singapore, and I decided to wait it out until two Fridays ago. No queue. Hype has died down and to be frank, I had heard of numerous, not as glowing reviews about the restaurant. 

Located on level one of Scotts Square (next to Tangs Orchard) with the shopfront facing the main street, there were plenty of seats that stretched all the way to another entrance / exit within the mall. 

The hand washing machine looked kind of familiar and I did a check; Eggslut was brought in by the same organization that gave us Shake Shack! 

I realized a lot of food organizations are banking on their fame to come out with memorabilia for extra income. For Eggslut, there were tin cases (S$8.00), key rings (S$11), memo pad (S$11.00), capsule umbrella (S$19) and lego figurines. 

Ordered our food at the counter, paid first and then continued to wait for the buzzer to ring. Concept is more fast food than properly served restaurant; no issue for me since service charge wasn't imposed. 

Open concept kitchen. Main food at Eggslut was their range of sandwiches, with added options for sides like side salad, cookie, biscuit and hashbrowns. 

Bottled Water - normally you wouldn't see me reviewing bottled water. Technically, this isn't a review as my purpose was to show the shape of the bottle which seemed similar to a bottle of lubricant from Don Don Donki! 

Our trio - truffle hashbrowns, sausage egg and cheese sandwich and fairfax sandwich. If you are not into buns, you can also opt to switch to salad at no cost. 

Truffle Hashbrowns - in bite-sized round shaped, I am usually not a fan of hashbrowns but these honestly appealed to me despite the weak truffle flavor. Served piping hard, every piece was crisp on the outside, moist on the inside. Alex, ever the potato connoisseur, loves them! 

Fairfax Sandwich - from the look of the above, it's fair to say there was some inkling of a sandwich or the definition of a sandwich that I am aware of; two slices of bread with fillings in between. 

In reality, it's more a burger, bursting with soft scrambled eggs! Aside from eggs, the ingredient list included "chives, caramelized onions, cheddar cheese and sriracha mayo". 

Brioche bun was warm and soft although didn't generate much surprises. Scrambled eggs were nice but like the bun; not something so amazing until I would return just for it. I was hoping that the onions were help to enhance the taste but there wasn't much in the first place to make a difference. 

Sausage Egg and Cheese Sandwich - I stole a bite from Alex's sandwich. The brioche bun should be the same as fairfax sandwich but his was softer and together with the chicken sausage (more a burger patty) and the honey mustard aioli; overall, a much better package compared to what I had. 

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Done with the meal. Pricing was similar to Shake Shack and given a choice, Shake Shack would be a preferred option. While I love eggs in general, it's not that easy to have that much of a taste differential; I can't discern the differences between caged and caged-free eggs! If you prefer a larger variety of egg dishes, you may consider Tamago-En instead. 

Address 

6 Scotts Rd, #01-12, 

Scotts Square Singapore 228209 

Website 

https://www.eggslutsg.com/ 

Menu 

As above. 

Pricing

Bottled Water - S$3.50 

Truffle Hashbrowns - S$4.50 

 Fairfax Sandwich - S$12.00 

Sausage Egg and Cheese Sandwich - 12.00 

(inclusive of GST)