The Lack of Non-Food Posts - Blame it on iPhone!

I want to steer away from frequent food posts in my blog; it is not a food blog, contrary to belief from many faithful readers! 

For the past one to two years, i have been aiming for a non-food post every other day and this has been pretty consistent until the past few weeks.

One, blame it on the freakish weather! It can be hot and sunny with clear blue sky one moment and in the next moment; you will hear rumbling thunder and an overcast sky unloading zillions of raindrops!

Two and also the most valid reason: the stuck iPhone's power button! As any iPhone user is aware, the power button is extensively used for taking a screenshot [press power button together with home button].

I would love to share my stellar completion of quite a number of games; Angry Birds Space, new episode for Angry Birds Seasons, Water and would also like to touch on the recent Scramble with Friend but i am unable to do any posting due to a lack of personal achievement pictures!!!

The frustration has reached a new high.

I guess i have to fork out the S$70 to repair the button!

Either that or pray for some lottery winnings this weekend.

Wish me GOOD LUCK!

A Short Walk in Mount Pleasant Cemetery [Along Mount Pleasant Road and Near the Old Police Academy]

Along the long and winding Mount Pleasant road lay a pathway that is always missed by motorists, especially if you are speeding (which is quite common given how empty the road is).

Known infamously as "Pontianak Land", Mount Pleasant cemetery is originally part of the Bukit Brown cemetery and was eventually cut away due to the construction of the 42.8 kilometers Pan-Island expressway (PIE).

I finally got the chance to visit the place last weekend with the Gang of Four! Compared to Bukit Brown, this cemetery was devoid of any explorer or visitor and didn't feel as serene.

Maybe it was the lack of human presence. Maybe it was the towering trees. Maybe it was the many derelict tombs that were obviously unattended for a long time. Note: this was before i read from the internet sources that this place is known as Pontianak Land.

One of the better maintained tombs. Unlike Bukit Brown, the tombstones in this area were more sombre with many featuring basic designs. I didn't manage to explore beyond the path as it was supposed to be just a short, leisurely walk.

Another picture to show how simplistic the designs are.

Exhumation services were advertised in quite a few prominent locations. The signposts looked new and could be recent installations to target the crowds for the Qing Ming festival over a month ago.

This tomb attracted our attention with its golden inscriptions and pictures of flowers and birds. I am really grateful for my Chinese education as i can roughly make out the year of death to be 1943 and belongs to a man with the surname Xu.

Unfortunately, many tombs were just like the above; almost hidden in the thick undergrowth. God knows how many famous people are actually buried here.

Red captures attention. At the same time, it also makes you wonder why red paint was used when any association with red is considered as taboo for the dead.

The sun was setting and i could feel that the others were not interested in trekking any further. Well, i did mention it is a short walk!

But i would be back again to solve the mystery of the signs pointing to no 56.

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Location

Red star. It's located next to onreat road which is interestingly inaccessible despite showing on google map and streetdirectory.com.

Minced Pork Noodles (肉脞面) @ Hill Street Tai Hwa Pork Noodles (大华猪肉果条面) - One and Only Original [Crawford Lane]

While Vanessa was deciding which fruit rolls to buy from Naomi Kitchen, Kon chanced upon this long queue at the coffeeshop right next door. What surprised him was the timing; 4pm which is two hours away from the typical dinnertime!

Hill Street Tai Hwa Pork Noodles - this name rang a bell although i vaguely thought the shop is located somewhere else. Nonetheless, the numerous accolades plastered around the stall and a sign stating that it is the one and only original stall with no other outlet gave no doubt on its authenticity.

Kon, ever the adventurous foodie, deemed it necessary to order two bowls just to "try out". This kind of abrupt order frequently happens in the Gang of Four outings and fully explains why i may look slimmer at the end of the working week yet significantly prosperous-looking at the start of it.

The bowl of dry minced pork noodles belongs to the vinegarish genre - truthfully not the type i prefer. Put it simply, if i like vinegar, it's not too hard for me to buy one big bottle from NTUC and drench my noodles with them.

To be fair, the noodles were actually not too bad; slightly thicker than the normal mee kia, they were smooth enough to slide down my throat without much effort and delicious enough for me to demand for more!

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Location

Block 466, Crawford Lane,

#01-12 [near Lavender MRT station]

Map

As above

Price

S$5 a bowl [minimum S$4]

Website

http://www.taihwa.com.sg/index.htm

Dim Sum (点心) - Satisfying My Craving @ Crystal Jade Kitchen (翡翠小厨), Nex Mall

Har Gow, Siew Mai, Liu Shao Bao; i have been desiring these dim sum for the longest time ever.


Thanks to the bull dog cheek baby (who needed porridge for her meal), i finally satisfied my craving at Crystal Jade Kitchen yesterday!

To think about it, i have never had dim sum at Crystal Jade although i often have xiaolongbao, which is considered to be a Northern China delicacy. For the uninitiated, dim sum originates from the Cantonese in Southern China.

The offerings on the simple paper menu are quite little compared to many established dim sum restaurants and i counted not more than fifteen items. Nonetheless, quality counts more than quantity and you have to note that the dim sum is freshly cooked only upon your ordering.

Without further ado, let's begin!

Salted Egg York Custard Bun (流沙包)

In my search for this edible package that spewed out golden, savoury sauce upon breaking its soft casing, this has to be the least favourite.

The dough was too thick and the golden sauce, usually the key, did not manage to elicit any excitement from any of us. Honestly, the taste was alright and would likely cater to those who prefer plain, healthier fare.

BBQ Pork Bun (叉烧包)

These are typical Cantonese style BBQ pork bun.

Why did i say so? They had a higher concentration of oyster sauce with a smokey aftertaste. Not exactly my type since i have always preferred sweeter BBQ pork buns.

Ha-Kau (水晶鲜虾饺)

Nowadays, it's hard to find shrimp dumplings that are remarkably good. Most were likely to feature hardened "skin" filled with dollops of real prawns that had a uniform taste.

Not these at Crystal Jade; as i chomped down the first one, i can instinctively feel the softness of its translucent skin, followed by a stream of juicy seafood freshness and finally, the tender bite of succulent prawn meat!

Siew-Mai (蟹皇蒸烧卖)

Like har gow, i find it equally hard to find siew mai that was out of the normal league.

And just like the har gow i mentioned above, the ones here in crystal jade were so damn juicy (and delicious); it put the rest of siew mai i had so far, to shame.

Beancurd Skin Roll (鲜虾腐皮卷)

A need to have crunchy, crispy stuff forced me to order this.

Crunchy alright, crispy alright but what i love most is the unique ammonia aftertaste! The only way to describe it is to compare it to having century egg. Either you like it or hate it.

Fried Rice in Hot Stone Pot

The pig sister needs her carbohydrates and asked for this fried rice with shrimp, black bean, minced garlic and cut chilli in hot stone pot.

Peppery, a bit charred with a tingling spiciness afterwards - this is sufficient to fulfill the carbohydrates devil although my mom can definitely whip up something better.

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Location

23 Serangoon Central,

#01-01/02, Nex Mall

Price

Salted Egg York Custard Bun (3s) - S$3.50

BBQ Pork Bun (3s) - S$3.30

Ha-Kau (4s) - S$4.80

Siew-Mai (4s) - S$4.50

Beancurd Skin Roll (4s) - S$4.30

Fried Rice in Hot Stone Pot - S$13.80

[Subject to GST and Service Charge]

Daily Fresh BBQ Chicken Wings (夜鲜烧烤鸡翅膀) @ Chomp Chomp Food Centre [Serangoon Gardens]

Everyone goes for BBQ stingray when they visit Chomp Chomp. I am not such a big fan of this sambal dish but one item i frequently purchased is BBQ chicken wings. 

Being the nostalgic traditionalist, an order of the barbecued wings from Daily Fresh is a must! See, the boss has done this for so long; he was comfortable enough to lift up one leg while doing his business (as in barbequeing).

The perfect BBQ chicken wing must have the appearance of just the right amount of charring; possible only with years of experience and buckets of patience. And there should not be any trace of blood which is a sure sign of imperfect barbecuing! 

Although i prefer honeyed marination, a lot of hawkers in Singapore prefer to use a type of marination that is less sweet and more salty. I have tried a few (note: really not that many) BBQ chicken wing stalls in Singapore but the juicy ones from Daily Fresh are so far my personal favourite.

Squeeze in the lime, dip the steaming hot wing into the spicier-than-your-typical-chicken-rice-chilli chilli and tear it apart; barbaric yet so blissful! 

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Location

20, Kensington Park Road,

Chomp Chomp Food Centre Stall 04

Price

S$1.20 each

Minimum 2 pieces

For my general post on Chomp Chomp Food Centre, please click HERE.

Ah Hock Fried Hokkien Noodles (亚福炒福建虾面) @ Chomp Chomp Food Centre [Serangoon Gardens]

A wait of more than forty minutes is not impossible on weekends when you order hokkien mee from this famous stall in Chomp Chomp hawker centre.

Nonetheless, i am grateful that Ah Hock is not a self service stall where you have to stand and queue in a smoky environment for extended period of time!

The whiff of freshly fried noodles simmered in a seafood stock was invigorating for the soul; especially when you couple it with a hungry stomach eager to snatch any edible thing that was placed on the table.

Each mouthful of the yellow noodles mixed with strands of beehoon was met with the flavourful seafood essence but we found the dish to be too dry and would definitely do better with more delicious gravy! At S$3 a plate, i counted two prawns and quite a generous serving of sotongs (squids).

Overall, this was quite a good (note: not exceptional) rendition of Singapore style hokkien mee.

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Location

20, Kensington Park Road,

Chomp Chomp Food Centre Stall 27

For my post on Chomp Chomp Food Centre, please click HERE.

Mount Vernon Columbarium Pagoda (翡珑山骨灰龛塔) - A Lonesome Visit To Satisfy My Curiousity @ Upper Aljunied Road

Curiousity is my middle name and this trait has unfortunately resulted in many misdeeds, especially in my childhood. However, it has its benefits as i never stop learning new things!

I frequently drive along Upper Aljunied road and in the midst of all the greenery that used to be Bidadari cemetery, i can steal glimpses of what appeared to be a Chinese style pagoda.

Many people are aware what it holds; hundreds, if not thousands of niches with urns of the deceased.

It would be exciting to visit at night but i also know the pictures might turn out to be unusable as experience from my trip to Bukit Brown cemetery tells me.

First up is the communal burner that has been tarred through years of paper burning.

The octagon-shaped Chinese tower is nine floors high and if you think i would climb all the way up to the top floor just to satisfy my curiousity, you are dead wrong!

There is a lift for visitors! It is definitely convenient although it was honestly very eerie when i took it alone. The whole compound was devoid of any human presence and the decade-old lift was taking its own sweet time to reach the eighth floor.

A climb up to the top level (9th floor) is necessary and i am thankful i chose not to walk up from the ground floor. The stairways were dark and every little noise was amplified, making even a short walk unnerving! I could so imagine the excitement at night.

Anyway, i was rewarded with a beautiful unblocked view at the end of the staircase.

Right ahead of us is Cedar Girls secondary school and i guess everyone knows the landscape at the background; the scenic skyscrapers in Singapore's central business district, including Singapore Flyer!

A light breeze relaxed my tired soul and i could understand why relatives of the deceased would choose to pay top dollar to house their loved ones at the higher levels besides the fengshui reason.

From the top, i could also clearly make out the layout of Bidadari Gardens - a memorial created to remember the former Bidadari cemetery in the area. For my post on the gardens, please click here.

This would interest more people even though this is the last picture you would see today of these low-rise buildings housing niches from as long as fifty years ago.

Rest assured, another post is in the works. =)

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Additional Information

As the notice issued by NEA said, Mount Vernon is not yet slated for redevelopment despite the rumours circulating in the internet. Therefore, do pay visit before it is too late!