Little Vietnam at Paya Lebar

Met up with friends from university the other day and a friend suggested meeting at Paya Lebar for Vietnamese food. I'm always keen to discover new places with cheap and authentic food so I agreed.

Little Vietnam is a short walk from Paya Lebar MRT station. Walk to City Plaza from the MRT station then cross the road towards Geylang. When you reach the junction, turn left and continue walking. You will see Little Vietnam tucked away in this little corner outside the building.

I was running late so I reached way after our agreed time and found Little Vietnam really crowded. There were tables outside in the open and inside the air-conditioned area. It was a blistering hot day so I really wanted a seat inside. Thankfully we found a seat and settled down quickly.

My friend recommended the carrot cake but it was sold out for the day. What a bummer. So we settled for pho (chicken for me), some chicken rolls and morning glory.

The chicken pho was really really good! I think the pho here is better than Nam Nam and Long Phung! The soup base was sweet and fragrant, the pho was chewy and tasty and I really like the smooth tender chicken pieces.

Our chicken rolls were average though and they were too dry for me. The morning glory was average too, just a plate of bland greens with sauce.

The best part of the meal was definitely the pho. While the pho at Little Vietnam triumphs that of Nam Nam and Long Phung, I feel that Long Phung serves the best Vietnamese food generally while Nam Nam is definitely the most accessible.

#01-25 Grandlink Square
511 Guillemard Road

Pow Sing at Serangoon Gardens

One day after work we found ourselves heading to Serangoon Gardens for dinner at Pow Sing. I've been hearing much good things about the chicken and roast pork so I was quite excited to finally be able to try it. The journey to Serangoon Gardens from our office took quite awhile though, and I was so hungry when I finally reached.

To get to Pow Sing, we took the North East line to Serangoon before taking a bus to the vicinity of Chomp Chomp where we alighted and walked over to Pow Sing. There are two Pow Sing outlets and we tried the one further away from Standard Chartered Bank.

We ordered a chicken, roast pork, dumpling soup and some stir-fried vegetables. The roasted chicken was pretty good, tender and very fragrant. The roast pork was really good! Very crispy exterior, not too fatty, with a lean salty red portion of the roast pork. I love the taste of the roast pork! The dumpling soup and stir-fried vegetables were okay, not too bad.

If Pow Sing was in a more convenient location, I might actually come by more often but I doubt I will be making my way here anytime soon unless I'm craving for some really crispy roast pork. Or if I find my way to the recommended dessert shop nearby.

65 Serangoon Garden Way

Cajun Kings and Wimbly Lu

This whole week has been particularly queer; I've been going to sleep really late but somehow I just drift awake before 6am when the sky is still dark. I proceed to toss and turn for like another hour trying to catch some much-needed rest but I simply just cannot. This is bad, I don't think I'm sufficiently recharged everyday for the past week.

Anyway so I finally got to try Cajun Kings! I've been wanting to try it for ages but it's really so out of the way and other than having dinner and drinks, there really isn't any other activity in the area. Am actually really happy that I finally got to try it (much thanks!). Despite the inconvenient location, Cajun Kings was really crowded and I was thankful we made a reservation. 

I wished I had taken a picture of the interior design of the restaurant and the shopfront, but it sort of just slipped my mind. I was just too... hungry. The place has a rustic feel to it - wooden paneling, wooden tables and chairs, large mahjong paper spread out over every table. 

The menu was pretty simple and we ordered Bamboo Clams, Pork Belly Cracking and baguette.

The first thing I noticed was, where is the cutlery? But I quickly realised that we were supposed to eat with our hands. That was the first thing that made me want to swallow a laugh, especially when I decided that it wasn't really necessary to wash my hands before I dig in. HAHA, I know I know, don't judge.

The second thing that made me want to swallow a laugh was when they served the bamboo clams in a plastic bag! My immediate remark was Uh this isn't going to look too good in pictures. The baguette dipped in the sauce with the bamboo clams was amazing. We took Level 2 for the spice level and it was super nice and spicy. The bamboo clams were so fresh, sweet and juicy!

I didn't take a picture of the pork belly crackings because, well, my fingers were all yummy from the bamboo clams and I didn't want to make my way to the back to wash my hands just so I could dig my phone out of my purse and snap a picture. The pork belly crackings were basically like deep fried roasted pork. It was so very tasty, so crispy with bits of fat that melted in my mouth. While I was eating it, I couldn't stop remarking about how unhealthy it is but ahhhhh, maybe its true that food can only be tasty, cheap or healthy.

After our meal at Cajun Kings, I wanted to have friday drinks but I also wanted desserts. So Wimbly Lu was a good option because they serve desserts and beer! 

Was a choice between Rocky Road and chocolate ice cream on waffles. I chose chocolate ice cream on waffle (I cannot remember why), but I kind of regretted my choice after that. Should have taken Rocky Road instead! The chocolate ice cream wasn't mind-blowing but the waffle was good. And oh yes, I still love Little Creatures Pale Ale after all these years.

15-1 Jalan Riang

Ah Heng Curry Chicken Noodle vs Heng Kee Curry Chicken Noodle, Hong Lim

Once in a while, we will feel inspired enough to make the long walk from our office to Hong Lim for the yummy and affordable food there. I've always loved the curry chicken noodle at Hong Lim and recently I managed to try both Ah Heng and Heng Kee so this will be my meek attempt at comparing both of them.

Let's start with Ah Heng. Ah Heng is situated directly above Heng Kee on the second floor of the Hong Lim Food Center. The queue is long but it moves really quickly and we took roughly 15 minutes to get our curry noodle in a queue of about 10 people. 

The curry was thick and full of flavour, spicy but not so bad that I have to run for water after finishing my bowl. The tau pok has absorbed the curry fully and it was fantastic popping one tau pok into my mouth and experiencing an explosion of curry when I bite into the tau pok. The chicken was tender and tasty. It was definitely a good bowl of curry chicken noodle.

Heng Kee is situated on the first floor of the Hong Lim Food Centre, facing Barcook Bakery. The length of the queue was about the same but the going was omg slow. We waited more than 30 minutes for our bowls of curry noodles. In fact, it took so long that I completely forgot about taking a picture of the noodles and ended up just digging in without so much as a second thought.

Heng Kee is more generous with their ingredients and there was definitely more pieces of chicken, tau pok, fish cake and potatoes. The taste of the curry is slightly stronger as compared to Ah Heng and spicier as well. However, the chicken at both stalls were just as tender and tasty.

Between the two, I would say that Heng Kee serves better Curry Chicken Noodle but I would patronize Ah Heng more often because the queue at Ah Heng moves along faster and the slight difference in taste does not justify the extra time spent standing in line waiting for Heng Kee. 

Ah Heng: #02-58 Hong Lim Food Centre

Heng Kee: #01-58 Hong Lim Food Centre

Doong Ji Korean Restaurant, Katong

Ahhhhhh rainy Saturday afternoon when I'm writing this post. This week has been interesting, but the weather has been so erratic. I hate the insanely hot mornings and rainy late afternoons. Why does it have to be so hot when I'm making my way to work??

Met up with Stef on Thursday and we decided to have korean food at Doong Ji along Katong. It is right beside Coriander and is a small little Korean Restaurant tucked away in the row of shop houses. The place was already quite crowded when I entered and I'm thankful Stef reached earlier to snag a table for us near the door. 

Our initial plan was to get a bibimbap and a soup to share. But just when we were about to order, we spied the steamboat sitting on the table at the back of the room and it looked so good! Hot soup in a big pot over a steady flame. We were debating whether we would be able to finish the whole pot by ourselves and whether it would be wiser to keep this option in view for the next time we head here with more people. But being the stubborn, ambitious, (and stupid) girl that I am, I declared loudly that we would definitely be able to finish it and somehow convinced Stef to go along with me. HAHA why do we always have to do insane stuff together?? But yes, so we ordered the Seafood Steamboat gleefully.

IT WAS HUGE. 

When it arrived, we started scooping it out happily, all the octopus, prawns, crab, tofu, rice cake, instant noodles and mushrooms. The soup was thick and rich, spicy and delicious, absorbing the essence from all the seafood soaked in it. The seafood was very fresh and sweet, and I was really impressed when we found a small crab inside the steamboat! 

The side dishes were good too. I was particularly fond of the potato chunks in dark sauce while Stef liked the vermicelli. 

We were so so so stuffed when we were about halfway through the steamboat. I felt so bloated and was very thankful that I wore a dress that day so there was no waist band cutting into my burgeoning belly. We had to pause for a bit to resume our chatting so that our food could digest a little more and we could accommodate more food afterwards. Eventually we decided that we could chew no more octopus so those were the first to be neglected. We strive to finish the prawns and crab so we did. 

Too much food gave me a sugar rush apparently, and I couldn't stop laughing about something (which I have cleanly forgotten what it was). It was a total seafood overload and oh my goodness, when I stumbled out of the shop, I cannot remember when was the last time I made such a bad decision in selecting my food. 

In any case, I had indigestion the next day and was very very fidgety at work the whole day because my stomach just felt so weird. Sigh. I've learnt my lesson - always order in moderation. Shucks. I should be more disciplined and less greedy.

Read about Part 2 of Doong Ji here. 

222 East Coast Road

De Burg Burgers

We were around the Alexandra area, shopping at Queensway Shopping Centre and Ikea, when I suddenly recalled a friend mentioning De Burg Burger recently. There were a lot of food options nearby; we could have stayed at Ikea for the usual poached salmon and meatballs, or we could have walked over to Alexandra Village Food Centre for good zi char at a fraction of the price. But we were keen on trying De Burg Burger so we drove out of Ikea and went for Block 119 Bukit Merah Lane 1.

It was actually really close to Ikea. We didn't have to drive at all (though I was glad we left Ikea's car park since the parking was so exorbitant) as De Burg was in a coffee shop that was within walking distance from both Ikea and Queensway Shopping Centre. The coffee shop faces the OG Factory, next to Alexandra Village Food Centre, and near the nest of car workshops behind.

We were hungry but we were too early. The kitchen only opens at 6:30pm so we had to make do with a cup of soya bean milk for 45 minutes before zooming back promptly when they switched the lights on signalling the start of the evening shift. 

De Burg takes up one side of the large airy coffee shop and it is hard to miss the eye-catching signboard and pictures of burgers all over the place. I approached the stall eagerly and snatched up the menu placed neatly in the tray. 

The large selection of burgers!!! I've heard many good things about the beef burgers but sadly I don't take beef so I'm stuck with either pork or chicken burgers. As you can see from the picture below, some of the burgers have two prices, one in blue and one in green. The blue-coloured pricing indicates the cost of the 100g burger while the prices in green indicate the same burger at 200g. The 100g burger comes with one side while the 200g burger comes with 2 sides. After much deliberation, I decided to go for the 200g Asian Chicken Burger which was marked as very popular in the menu while the boyfriend took the Bacon Cheese which was also very popular.

I practically leaped out of my seat the minute the signboard lit up and made a dash for the cashier but alas, the little girl and her mum reached the counter faster than I did. I'm obviously getting too old and slow on my feet. Standing patiently in line, waiting for my turn eagerly while watching the screen rolling out advertisements about their burgers at the side. It was my turn soon enough, and I discovered with much glee that civil servants are entitled to 5% off! So do tertiary students from NUS/NTU/SMU etc. They handed me one of the buzzers that rings when my food is ready so I need not stand in line waiting for my food!

My buzzer rang and I made another dash for the counter to retrieve my burgers. This is my Asian Chicken Burger with salad and chips as my sides. The salad with balsamic vinegar and Olive Oil was tasty and the greens were crisp and crunchy. The fries were thick and crispy. But the best part was definitely the burger! I love the chicken patty with salted egg sauce. It had this unique salty taste and the patty was soft and juicy. The 200g burger was huge and whilst I could finish my burger, I was struggling with the last few fries. Felt like such a waste to let the fries go though...

Strongly recommended for those who would make the trip down to Alexandra for a burger or who live in the area or who are simply around Ikea and Queensway Shopping Center like I was.

119 Bukit Merah Lane #01-40

Update: De Burg has closed. Will do another blog post when their new shop at CT Hub is ready!

Garden Picks - Healthy Wholesome Snacks

My new motto. Working out isn't that hard and I am always disciplined enough to hit the gym at least once every week and the mat almost everyday. But eating clean is terribly difficult, especially with my fondness of food and this blog is just spurring me to try all sorts of yummy food. 

I decided to take baby steps in adjusting my diet. First, all unhealthy snacks are out the window. That means chocolates, sweets, chips, cookies, and all that stuff in the dry pantry, which I happily snag and store in my drawer for rainy days, have to go. But that also means I will be terribly hungry every day at 11am when the hunger pangs start.

I stumbled upon the best solution at this bazaar in my office building a couple of weeks ago - Garden Picks. The first time I tried snacks from Garden Picks was when I was still a pupil and I bought a few packets from their pushcart at Raffles Place Exchange. I didn't even have time for lunch back then so these snacks went a long way in keeping my gastric problems checked. Then I left and forgot about these yummy wholesome snacks until the bazaar that day when I bought 3 packets - Iran Figs, Dried Kiwi and Baked Almonds. They were so good. 

So I decided to place an order with them online. They do delivery for all orders above $50 and you get one free packet if you purchase more than $60. They have a wide variety of dried fruits, nuts and seeds with all packs priced at 3 for $10. I decided to get some for my extended family and my boyfriend's family as well so I managed to accumulate $60 worth of snacks and placed my order.

I placed my order late one night and was so muddle-headed I actually wrote down the wrong timing I wanted the delivery to be. Thankfully they called me before the delivery and I realized my big boo boo. They were very accommodating and assured me that it was not a problem and they can always deliver the next day at the timing I wanted. So yes, I received my orders within 3 days!

They provided a couple of plastic bags inside the box as well. So thoughtful! I could easily pack the snacks into separate plastic bags for my extended family and my boyfriend's family without having to dig around for bags myself. As you can see in the picture below, the snacks come in resealable bags which is awesome because I don't want to have to tie a rubber band around my snacks and fear that ants will get into them before I do. 

The Iran Figs are my personal favourite. My mum and dad love the dried kiwi and I bought the cranberries and blueberries because they are good anti-oxidants. I love the Honey Macademia Nuts and Baked Almonds too!

http://www.gardenpicks.com.sg/