Johor Bahru Pau / Tim Sum [新山手工包點] @ Changi Village [Singapore]

This Malaysian-originated operator is a common fixture in Singapore's food fairs and i have personally tried its signature Amy Yip big bun which was seriously quite good. 

Just the other day, i brought my bun-crazy sister down to check out the shop since she has never been there! What to do, she doesn't know how to drive and loves being chauffeured around! Anyway, let's talk about the three paus (buns) we have that day.

Salted Egg York Custard Bun (流沙包)

It's hard not to order this whenever i see it available on the menu board even though it is incredibly sinful and should be considered as the "must not eat" item for any person on diet!

To hell with the diet! This came steaming hot yet the rich, golden sauce turned out to be surprisingly cold! Nonetheless, it was still a kick to my taste buds but i have to comment that the dough was a bit too thick for comfort.

Char Siew Bun

The size was similar to the custard bun and my sister enjoyed this the most. I could not fault her since she is a veteran for char siew buns and buns in general (p.s. i thought it was okay only, given the fact that it could be sweeter in my opinion).

Amy Yip Jumbo Bun

葉子楣大包, an affectionate term known by many lechers to describe the magnificent bosom of this sexy Hong Kong star popular in the 80s and 90s, can be have had for just S$3.20.

How did it fare with foodies like us who are plainly interested in eating and not fondling touching the bun? It was definitely filling for a person although taste wise, we felt the meat was too fattening with the aftertaste being a bit of an anti-climax. As with the custard bun, the dough skin was way too chunky! 

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Location

Block 4, Changi Village Road, 

#01-2082 [Next to Crepes and Puffs]

Price

Salted Egg York Custard Bun - S$1.20 each

Char Siew Bun - Could not remember

Amy Yip Jumbo Bun - S$3.20 each

Additional Information

This place sells a very unique version of bun known as Bao Zhong (包中) which would be popular with punters given its pronunciation that sounds like "sure to win"! What it has is literally a whole dumpling into a big bun!!! Kaoz, that will be such a heavy meal!!!

Nuffnang - Your Account Has Been Involved In Click Fraud

Like any honourable person out there on the street, i absolutely detest to be called / implied to be a cheater or a fraudster! To suggest that i am a fraudster TWICE is making me extremely incensed! 

No thanks to the Nuffnang team who sent me the above email this morning.

It is my second time receiving this email and although there were supposedly sufficient evidence to prove that fraud activity is involved, the most the company did is to offer three possible scenarios of what MIGHT have happened:

- clicking on your own CPC (cost-per-click) ads repeatedly

- getting your visitors to click your CPC ads repeatedly

- your visitors clicking on your CPC ads repeatedly

The first time i received the mailer, i was really keen to understand what could have contributed to the fraud activities since i don't encourage readers to click on any of the advertisements on this blog! I even went a step further by sending a ticket to Nuffnang requesting for details, nicely. 

It has been almost a year and i have yet to receive any reply. Never mind, the kind-hearted soul in me has calmly told me that Nuffnang is a huge company and it might be facing a manpower crunch, like many other companies in Singapore nowadays. 

So, coming back to the root of the problem, 

what could i do to deter click fraud?! 

Nothing i guess, save for asking readers NOT TO CLICK ON ANY MORE ADVERTISEMENTS lest it makes me more pissed to receive a third email with similar content in the future!

On second thought, i think that's a great suggestion! It's best not to click on any more advertisements since you might be contributing to additional stress and frustration for the bloggers. 

Just continue to patronise our blog; we could still earn via another mode that takes into consideration unique visitors which i believe is tied to individual IP addresses. 

Mini Bouquet of Flowers To Commemorate Your Loved Ones this Qing Ming Festival @ Petite Blossoms

05 April 2014 

The above is the actual date for this year's Qing Ming Festival (otherwise known as Tomb Sweeping Day) when cemeteries and crematoriums come alive (literally with breathing humans)! 

Now, i did mention in my post last year to the Mandai Crematorium that stalks of fake flowers were placed in the holder of every niche; a gimmick i believed to be the works of caretakers who see the need to add some vibrancy to the boring white blocks of 'alternative' housing.

However, it didn't take long for a fashionista to comment that there were colours but not much originality. That's when the following online shop comes into picture; Petite Blossoms. 

Why petite? Because it focuses on a very niche (pun not intended) market that basically has limited room to accommodate large bouquets of flowers; primarily, the crematoriums. 

At the moment, there are nine types of bouquets to choose from; my favourite is the petite rose bouquet which has that plain elegance deserving for a grandmother who had never lifted a finger on you when she was alive. 

Select from the dozens of available nickel and lead free charms (i.e. microphone charm for that adorable granddad of yours who loved to sing his favourite "夜来香" in the bathroom) to further personalise the bouquet so that it stands out from the rest! From the viewpoint of the older Chinese generation, it is a matter of "got face"! 

Purchasing a bouquet is as easy as online shopping nowadays; create an account, select your bouquet / charms and check out (payment can be made via Visa, Mastercard and Paypal)! Shipping is currently free within Singapore! 

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To enjoy a $5 discount for every 3 bouquets purchased, indicate "Entree Kibbles" in your checkout! For your information, i didn't get any extra benefit for posting this. 

Website

http://www.petiteblossoms.com/

Special Order

Want something even more unique that could not even be found on the website? Log in your requirement via the contact us page on the website for a quotation! 

No Name Cheng Tng - Second Best in Singapore @ Bedok South Avenue 3 [Springleaf Eating House]

I vaguely recalled searching for the best cheng tng in Singapore some time back and although my favourite Ye Lai Xiang was featured heavily in the search engine, there was another stall that stood out with good reviews.

No Name Cheng Tng - yes, that's the actual name on the signboard and i find it frustrating when companies come out with such a confusing label! It's like someone saying no comment which is rightfully still a comment! 

Anyway, the generous amount of ingredients in the sweet soup kind of caught me by surprise, especially when this was almost half the cost of Ye Lai Xiang! 

For those who were accustomed to the fragrant sweetness of Ye Lai Xiang's cheng tng, this might not be of the same level; it did its basic job as a thirst quencher on a hot, sunny day but there was just something missing in the flavour.

Ingredients used were not as luxurious as well; think tiny cubes of dried winter melon and the lack of mung beans etc even though i have to keep reminding myself the huge difference in cost! Nevertheless, No Name Cheng Tng would still count as the second best i have so far for the economical price it commanded!

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Location

Block 69, Bedok South Avenue 3

[Within Springleaf Eating House]

Map

As above. Sorry for the blurred picture. Do visit streetdirectory.com and type in "69 Bedok South Avenue 3" for more clarity. 

Price

S$1.50 a bowl.

Red House - Refurbished for the Living @ Pasir Ris [Singapore]

My younger sister has never checked out the haunted red house in Pasir Ris and i thought i should take the opportunity this morning to show her around after having breakfast at the nearby Changi Village. 

As my car neared the red bungalow, i was wondering if i have made a wrong turn since the place looked different from what i remembered; the signature red-tiled roof appeared to be way too new! 

My worst fear came true; the building with a number of spooky stories that often sent chills down our spines during overnight ghost story sessions in chalets is gone. 

Not literally but it is no longer the same. Its spanking new appearance, as compared to the old dilapidated, rundown look in the past, would no longer command the same level of fear...

In a way, i wasn't entirely devastated by the change; the aura of sadness, so apparent in the past, can no longer be felt and i can only hope that laughter (not those scary sounding laughter by the way) would be part and parcel of its upcoming environment. 

Renovation works are still ongoing and i would have to make another trip to take more photographs of the finalised outlook so as to conclude the end of the haunted red house. 

The only familiar structure left.

Which would likely be demolished very soon. Hence, for those born in the eighties and before, you may wish to pay it a visit to relive those good old memories of the red house before its structural demise. 

Could not quite remember how it used to look like? Check out the post i had of the red house three years ago. Click HERE for the pictures (including the stone lions that were said to move their heads for the unsuspecting)! 

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Location

Along Jalan Loyang Besar

[near Downtown East]

Map

As above.

Additional Information

Google Map seemed to have a more updated picture of the red house before the refurbishment. Don't you just love the street view of Google Map?! 

Lady M - Red Velvet Cake & Gâteau aux Marrons @ Marina Square [Singapore]

A walk was suggested after a fulfilling Vietnamese meal with my mom and younger sister. By the time we reached Marina Square, our feet were sore enough to demand for a resting spot and the first place that came to mind was Lady M Confections! 

I was so eager for them to try the original mille crepes but it was already sold out! Most of the cakes i wanted were sadly unavailable too and i had to make do with alternatives. 

Red Velvet

The crazy fascination some people have for this cake never really gets into me as i seriously don't see what's so great about a cake with a reddish tinge! 

Didn't like one from Lady M as well since it appeared to have too much cocoa and i am not a great lover for dark chocolate. To be fair, dark chocolate lovers might have a better opinion.

Gâteau aux Marrons

Appearance wise, this was hardly appealing and the reason i ordered was simply because i have limited choices and i felt a need to have something different so that i can blog about it! 

Looks can be so deceiving! The chestnut cream was light yet wonderfully tasty while the almond-infused dough was subtle enough to play an entirely complementary role! And don't you just love the bite of roasted walnuts while sinking your teeth into a thick layer of luxurious creaminess?!?! I know i do.

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For my first review of Lady M,

which includes more info, click HERE.

Location

No 6, Raffles Boulevard, #02-103, 

Marina Square Shopping Mall

Price

Red Velvet - S$9.00

Gâteau aux Marrons - S$7.50

[Subject to GST and Service Charge]

Need Fresh Fish? - Interesting Business Proposition from an Indonesian Businessman

Like many people, my email account is a recipient of a large amount of spam mail; many of which are thankfully automatically thrashed to the junk mail folder. Nonetheless, there is still the occasional hassle of sieving through the folder just in case of legitimate emails accidentally sent there.

I was about to click the "delete" button for the above email when my eyes roved to the segment where there were quite a number of picture files! Knowing that picture files are less likely to be carriers of computer virus, my curious cat persona dictated the need to open up all of them.

Individual photographs of fish that could be supplied from the Indonesian man who emailed me! The one question swimming in my brain was "why did this Mr Ong email me?" I doubt i am the right target group unless he doesn't mind sending small quantity; bet my mom would be pleased to have such fresh catch for dinner.

However, who in the right mind would send a few fishes all the way from Indonesia to Singapore especially when i am such a price-sensitive consumer and have the convenience of a wet market that was merely a ten-minute walk away!?

Having said that, that's me and i could not say for the rest of you. If you are interested to make purchases, please feel to email Mr Ong at ong.surya@yahoo.co.id or call him on +6281341773931. 

Do note that you might require an AVA permit to import fish and seafood from overseas. Be careful not to risk a fine! 

D'Laksa - Original Penang Laksa [No Pork, No Lard] @ KSL City Mall [Johor Bahru, Malaysia]

When i stepped onto the escalator going down to the lower ground level of KSL City a few months ago, i was caught off guard by this spicy, pungent stink that only got significantly unbearable towards the end. 

Originator of the stench: the above shop known as D'Laksa. Given its proud tagline of original Penang laksa (which is well loved by many Singaporeans), i made it a point to have a bowl in my most recent trip! 

Fuss free self service - you queue, place your order, make your payment, collect your laksa (with the exception of the queue, the follow up steps were done in at most a minute) and lastly, find a spot among the limited seating to dig into your bowl of steaming hot assam laksa! 

The black sauce in the middle was actually prawn paste and i believe its inclusion totally changed my view of Penang laksa which i initially thought had a flavour of extreme spiciness and sourness.

What sieved through my taste buds was an amazing myriad of flavours that were savoury, sourish, spicy, zesty and fishy with a balanced touch of sweetness! I can so feel the pores of my hair tearing but that definitely didn't stop me from drinking the soup till the very last drop!

Thick bee hoon were used although both my sister and i thought they appeared to be thicker than the one we normally get in Singapore. Oh well, we can only say this would have appealed to our dear mom.

Ingredients were not as pathetic as the Penang laksa my friend had at Spice Table in UTown; i can taste fish flakes (tasted like tuna) in almost every spoonful and there were even slices of pineapple! Delicious (honestly, the smell wasn't that bad as i slurped up the contents)! 

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Location

Lot No.S20, Lower Ground Floor,

KSL City No.33. Jalan Seladang, Taman Abad,

80250 Johor Bahru, Johor, Malaysia

Price

RM 5 a bowl

Website

http://www.d-laksa.com/

Additional Information

As with all good food in this part of the world, seeing a queue is almost always a representation. Hence, find a seat first before you queue. If you go alone, ask to share a table! 

The owners of D'Laksa participate frequently in Singapore's food fairs, so you might in fact be able to have a taste of their epic assam laksa without the need to go through the horrendous causeway jam! Check out here for upcoming events.