iSteaks Diner at Holland Village

ABBEY: This is our post-New Year celebration with Chat. We went to iSteak (Holland Village branch). The restaurant was colored red, white and black. 

I got pork ribeye steak which came with two side dishes (mac and cheese and buttered corn kernel). Price is 14SGD. The steak is delicious and tender. I also like the mac and cheese. So cheesy. 

But the corn kernel somehow got watered down. 

iSteaks Diner at Holland Village
Fried Fish Fillet 

iSteaks Diner at Holland Village
MENU 

iSteaks Diner at Holland Village
Pork Ribeye Steak 

iSteaks Diner at Holland Village 

WILL: We are particular in celebrating anything that we can, on that night at iSteak at Holland Village, we are happy to acknowledge the next chapter on my life. 

I went for their Fried Fish Fillet with baked olive rice and macaroni and cheese. I am surprised to see the humongous fish fillet and my brain rumbled to think how to finish it. Haha. What makes it special aside from the size, it is the ectra crispy outer layer and tenders meat inside. Baked Olive Rice is a good choice to fillup your tummy. Macaroni and Cheese? Just so-so. 

The low price is huge impact on this restaurant, you can have a decent, good place to dine with for as low as $10.

***

iSteaks Diner

(W) https://www.isteaksdiner.com

(H) Sun-Thu & PH = 11:00 am - 11:00 pm

Fri, Sat & Eve of PH = 11:00 am - 12:00 am

(A) Holland Village  17A Lor Liput

(T) 6463 3165

Hong Ji Claypot Bak Kut Teh – Herbal Pork Rib Soup

ABBEY: It was New Year’s Day and we wanted to complete our Singapore Merlion Challenge. So we headed down to Ang Mo Kio to look for the statues.

We rewarded ourselves servings of Bak Kut Teh as rain drizzled that time. The bak kut teh is hot and not the same peppery taste but a herbal one. 

It is delicious and perfect for the cold weather. A bowl of soup come with rice and youtiao.

Hong Ji Claypot Bak Kut Teh – Herbal Pork Rib Soup 

Hong Ji Claypot Bak Kut Teh
MENU

WILL: It is our job to let our readers be informed about the national icon of Singapore.. the Merlion. To cap-off our journey, we visited AMK for the "twin" Merlion. And of course, we didn’t waste that journey in indulging with AMK one of the best bak kut teh. 

We dined at one of the hawker and ordered the famous claypot bak kut teh of Hong Ji. They have few branches already and this is the nearest to our home. Luckily! 

So what's the taste? Herbaly. The herbs taste afloats in every sip of the soup. Distinctively to other peppery bak kut teh. Of course, the pork is tender. That is just perfect to a drizzly season. 

***

Hong Ji Claypot Bak Kut Teh

(H) 8:00am – 9:45pm

(A) Ang Mo Kio Ave 4, St 11, Blk 107 #01-38

The Oakwood Executive Club

ABBEY: Wilma opened a new chapter of her life and we celebrated it at Oakwood Executive Club (Oakwood Premier OUE Singapore). 

For S$55++ (for two) we enjoyed free-flow of drinks (wine, cocktails, soda, coffee and teas). 

We also had pasta, satays, cocktail shrimps, salads, cheese, crackers and fruits and nuts. The place is good for exclusive dates and romantic getaway within the city.

The Oakwood Executive Club
Wines

The Oakwood Executive Club
7th Floor Poolside

The Oakwood Executive Club
Choices of Drinks

The Oakwood Executive Club
Crackers and Cheese

The Oakwood Executive Club
Shanghai Roll

The Oakwood Executive Club
Shrimp Delight

WILL: After laying down the paper, Abbey and I headed to Oakwood Executive Club to celebrate the future story in my book called life. Hahaha. 

LadyIronChef gave a promotion code and we grabbed that opportunity to have a 1-for-1. 

Oakwood Executive Club, offers a picka-picka goodies like shanghai roll, satay, cheese and crackers, shrimp with butter. They also have a pasta napoleana, salad and cuts of different cakes. The most rewarding is the unlimited wine and some alcoholic drinks. You can request the person behind the bar to produce your desired concoction. 

The place is serene and romantic, indeed and can plan well your next adventure in here. Will we come back in here? Yes! Of course!

***

The Oakwood Executive Club

(W) https://www.oakwoodasia.com/

(H) 1800 hours to 2100  hours

(A) 6 Shenton Way OUE Downtown 1, #07-01

(T) 6812 6050

South Indian Lemon Rice and Chicken Chop Recipe

Ingredients:
lemon Rice

2 cups basmati rice - cooked according to package instructions

2 chili padis (labuyo) - finely chopped

1/4 cup curry leaves

1 tablespoon mustard seeds

3 tablespoon instant lemon rice powder

3 tablespoon vegetable oil

Put oil in a pan and let it become hot. Saute mustard seeds until they crack.

The mix curry leaves and chili.

Make sure the kitchen has good ventilation. The fumes can make your breathing difficult.

Put the lemon rice powder until it become a paste and then the rice.

Mix until the rice become yellow in color.

Chicken chop

3-4 pieces boneless chicken thighs or breast (flattened)

Batter

1/3 cup potato starch

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

1/3 cup water with dissolved 1 chicken cube

1 egg

Mix all the ingredients for batter until smooth.

Cover the chicken pieces with flour and dip in batter.

Deep fry the pieces until golden brown.

South Indian Lemon Rice and Chicken Chop

VERDICT
WILL: Abbey is always telling me that I bring happiness in him. Eeee, sweet! He knew that one thing that makes me happy is a tasty and nutritious food. 

So here you go..Lemon Rice with Chicken Chop. 

Lemon Rice is not that sour as you think, it is just a hint of it. Add up the mustard seed and curry rice, whew, and it bombastic aroma and flavour. 

Abbey partnered this yummy Indian rice with boneless chicken chop. Crispy and the coating is savory. 

~ Are you aware that Abbey deboned the chicken meat himself? Yep! Talented husband! Haha ~

Cheers Cut Singapore - The Taiwanese Ninja Crispy Chicken Cutlet

ABBEY: I saw Cheers Cut in social media and I was amazed how big the chicken chop is. For SGD8.90 you can get a huge chop of chicken fried to crispiness and topped with your sauce. I chose wasabi mayo and it went well with the chicken. 

They offer free soup but need to pay SGD 1.60 more for the rice. Same taste with other fried chicken but only the size differs.

Cheers Cut Singapore
Food Republic Shaw Lido

Cheers Cut Singapore
Braised Pork 

Cheers Cut Singapore - The Taiwanese Ninja Crispy Chicken Cutlet 

Cheers Cut Singapore
Choose Your Sauce

Cheers Cut Singapore
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WILL: After vising some of Official Merlions we dined at a Taiwanese cuisine food stall in Food Republic, the Cheers Cut. 

Abbey excitedly ordered the chicken chop and I went for their signature braised pork rice ($5.90). Well, it is braised so the sauce was camerilized that brought a sweet flavour to it. This dish lit up my brain and reminds me of Chowking (conglomerate of Jollibee). The not so good is, it has a small portion not appropriately balanced with the volume of the rice. 

If you are in Orchard Area, you can head to this hawker stall before your movie starts at Shaw Lido Orchard.

***

Cheers Cut

(H) 10am – 9.45pm daily

(A) 1 Scotts Road, #B1-01, Stall 4  Shaw Centre’s Food Republic

Penang Place Restaurant - Quality Penang Food

ABBEY: Our first NEM meetup is at Penang Place (Suntec). I tried their fried rice set. It comes with crispy fried chicken wing, slices of cucumber, baby tomatoes, and pickled carrot, cucumber, ginger and radish. 

The rice is a whole meal in itself. It has shrimps, egg, and vegetables. All the elements in my plate are complementing each other. I enjoyed the meal.

Penang Place Restaurant - Quality Penang Food
Penang Assam Laksa

Penang Place Restaurant - Quality Penang Food
Fried Rice Set

Penang Place Restaurant - Quality Penang Food
MENU

WILL: It's a meetup! NEMSG meets NEMPH! Wohoo! We celebrated over food at Penang Place at Suntec City. 

I went for Asam Laksa. This taste is pretty near on the the one we ate at Kuala Lumpur. The aroma of delectable fish sauce heightens the taste of its thick soup. Yum! Noodles were firm and not overcooked. 

If a bowl is not enough for you? They are offering a buffet. 

***

Penang Place Restaurant

(W) http://www.penangplace.com/

(H) 11:30AM–3PM and 6–10PM

(A) 3 Temasek Boulevard, #02-314/315/316 Suntec City West Wing

(T) 64677003

Singapore Official Merlions Challenge #SingaporeMerlionChallenge

Did you know that you can't use the image of Merlion unless it was approved by Singapore Tourism Board (STB). Be warned. Haha!

Here are the locations of OFFICIAL MERLIONS:

1. Merlion Park -- You can find here the very first Merlions (8.6 m and 2m tall) and the only pair of statues that is blowing out water.

Address: One Fullerton, 049213 

2. Ang Mo Kio (Near AMK Grove) -- Another pair was authorised by STB just in front of parking lot entrance of Blk. 216 to 220 Ang Mo Kio Ave 1. 

Address: Block 216 (Carpark) AMK Ave 1 

3. Sentosa -- Stands 37m high and declared the tallest Merlion statue. 

Address: Imbiah Station of Sentosa Express

4. Mount Faber -- This Merlion sits at the second highest hill in Singapore. Ready yourself to take a long walk to reach its location.

Address: 109 Mount Faber Road 

5. Tourism Court -- This Merlion will welcome you when you visit the Singapore Tourism Board Headquarters. This is located at the taxi drop-off area. 

Address: 1 Orchard Spring Lane

So, how many Merlion have you met here in Singapore? Don't forget to take photo and hashtag #OfficialMerlionChallenge. 

Enjoy! :) 

Binagoongang Baboy (Pork in Shrimp Paste)

Ingredients:

1/2 kilo pork

2-3 spoonfuls bagoong (depends on your preference)

1 medium onion (sliced)

3-5 cloves garlic (minced)

Cut the pork with your preferred serving size.

Sauté onion, garlic, pork, then bagoong. Let the pork absorb the flavor of shrimp paste.

Simmer until pork until tender. Reduce the liquid after.

Serve with rice.

Binagoongang Baboy (Pork in Shrimp Paste)

WILL: Papa RS brought us his famous bagoong (shrimp paste) and what such a good meal to do with it? Of course, BINAGOONGANG BABOY. 

First, be careful to put a right amount of shrimp paste or else it will end it to a disaster. Abbey found the perfect amount that make my appetite blast upward. I made three rounds of rice on this. Haha. 

Pork is tender and shrimp paste gives a bearable salty kick on it. Yum!

Pezzo Pizza Singapore's Charcoal Dough

ABBEY : Pezzo Pizza is offering 3 unique pizza flavors on their pizza line. Each pizza is having black charcoal dough. 

We bought  a slice of What the Duck, Pump'd Up Cheese, Trufflin' Truffle Mushroom. All I can say is that they are all delicious and they really standout compared to the normal flavors. Who would have thought that aside from pineapple, you can put cranberries in a pizza? 

All three slices cost SGD 15.90.

Pezzo Pizza Singapore's Charcoal Dough 
What the Duck, Pump'd Up Cheese, Trufflin' Truffle Mushroom

WILL: Curious with black pizza black dough.. we bought the Pezzo's Charcoal Dough. This was highly recommended by Night Owl Cinematics and Abbey is restless to have a bite on it. 

Damn good! The black dough is soft and yet filling. It is overloaded with cheese and toppings. Best part are the mushrooms. You can taste its freshness and firmness, not overcooked and it is a chunk, not sliced thinly unlike competitors. 

Pezzo Pizza is IN! You will be happier when you you will eat this. Haha! 

Ramen Keisuke - Lobster King Lobster Broth Ramen

ABBEY: After we attended Startup Token Asia 2017, we had dinner. And we wanted to tick off another item from our “To Dine” list so we headed to Ramen Keisuke Lobster King at Clarke Quay. 

I got their fluffy omelet rice (SGD 10.8). My my rice was covered with runny omelet and gravy. Every spoonful is rich in flavor and creamy. Hard boiled eggs and soy bean sprouts are complimentary but be cautios with your cholesterol level.

We also happened to meet one of our friends.

Ramen Keisuke Lobster KingLobster Broth Ramen Special

Ramen Keisuke Lobster King
Fluffy Omelet Rice

Ramen Keisuke Lobster King
Hard Egg and Bean Sprout
Eat All You Can

Ramen Keisuke Lobster King Clarke Quay

Ramen Keisuke Lobster King - Menu 

Ramen Keisuke Lobster King - Menu

WILL: That night, after attending the StartupToken Meetup at Clarke Quay, we had our dinner at Ramen Keisuke Lobster King. 

It is like, we flew to Japan! The attentive waiters are wearing kimonos, the samurai is just in front of us, a hiant bell will get your attention instantly and the wooden fixtures. 

I definitely enjoyed their complimentary eat-all-you-can bean sprout. I mixed it with mayonnaise and the taste is superb. 

On my main expensive dish, the Lobster Broth Ramen Special ($21.90), by only sipping the hot  soup I felt so full and I am sorry to say I can't taste the lobster in there. Haha. The noodles are just fine and all in all, I didn't fid it "Special". 

I am more keen with their fluffy omelette rice ($10.80). The egg is velvety. Perfect! 

If you are tipsy, you can drop by here before heading home, they have a midnight promotions. :)

***

Ramen Keisuke Lobster King 

(W) http://www.keisuke.sg/lobster-king-clarke-quay/

(H) 6PM–5AM

(A) 3C River Valley Road, #01-07 The Cannery, Clarke Quay

(T) 6255 2928

NEW Chips, Crisps, and Snacks We Munched This 2017

ABBEY: From time to time we also try new chips while watching TV series. Here are some of them:

Popcorners
This has the texture of popcorn but in a form or triangular chip. Taste like popcorn but your mind will be confused with the appearance. We tried their cheesy Jalapeño and it was good.

Thins

If you’re looking for sour-cream or salt flavor chips aside from Ruffles and Lays, this is a good alternative. The chips are thin as the name implies. Easy to chew and has the burnt taste.

Bluebird Sea Salt

Cold Storage is the only grocery we see that this is being sold. It is nice to go back to the basics of potato chips. Slices of potato with salt. Good partner with soda.

Way Better Snack

These tortilla chips might be way better compared to others because of their flavors. We tried their sweet chilli flavor and simply spicy sriracha. Those are new flavors for our taste buds and definitely buy them again.

Rgies Iloilo

This sweet treat is from one of the provinces of the Philippines, Iloilo. These are butterscotch squares which have brownies texture. They come in varieties like with almonds, coffee, cashew, dates, mango bits and chocooats but I like the mango bits most.

Delisio Bluebird Sea Salt Cooked with Sunflower Oil 

Popcorners

Way Better Snacks 

Thins - Snack Brands Australia 

Rgies Butterscotch Square:

WILL: My love for chips is fading as there only few varieties available at ShengShiong store and they cost tons of money. Anyways that is better for our health and pocket. Haha.

But Abbey jolted back my affair with chips when he always bring something new from FairPrice Changi Business Park branch or other stores.

Thins: This became one in my fave list. Even it is so thin (as it was named) the flavour was packed in every chip. My favorite is their sour cream and chives. Yup! It is like you dipped it in the real thing.

Bluebird Delisio Sea Salt: Can you imagine, a simple salt can make your taste buds celebrate a feast? Simplicity is the best thing the can offer. This is only available at Cold Storage and always out of stock.

Popcorners: He knew that I love popcorn, he surprised me with a bag of this chips. Creative! Popcorn turned into a flat crispy chips! Clap! Clap! Clap! The taste reminds me of my childhood. Remember the cheap popcorn at your local store? Yes! This is the taste. But of course more crunchy.

Way Better's Simply So Sweet Chili: Yes! It bites! Haha. The sting of spiciness is there and the "healthy" feeling will justify your guilt haha. The chips has this grainy texture to support that claim. Classic! 

Rgies Butterscotch Square: Beware! This is addictive! haha! Thanks Kuya Dexter and Ate Cai for this delicacy from your hometown. Not too sweet and chewy. You will crave for more. My fave is the mango bits and original. 

***

RGies Delicacies

(A) Kamantigue Street, Gran Plains Subdivision Jaro, Jaro, Iloilo City, 5000 Iloilo, Philippines

(T) +63 33 329 5606

FairPice Finest

(A) Changi City Point #B1-08/09/10/11 

(T) 6444 1472 

Cold Storage

(A) 1 Sengkang Square #B1-25, Compass One Shopping Centre

(T) 6344 1661 

Interesting Stash We Found Only in Mustafa Centre

ABBEY: It’s very rare that we visit Mustafa as that is way too far from home. You need to plan going there. I insisted that we go there as I tasted a muruku and my colleague told me that it was from Mustafa. Then our quest began. Mustafa is full of knick-knacks and there are items that we wanted to try. So aside from the muruku, we also got the following:

1. bhakarwadi - this maybe called the Indian counterpart of Combos. I didn’t read the label thoroughly so I got mini version of the snack.

2.  A bottle of camel’s milk - this has a strong ghee-milk taste

3. Snickers chocolate drink - yes, this exists. Have you ever wonder what if the middle chocolate in the bar got liquified? Try it then you’ll know.

4. Mars protein shake - taste like my usual protein shake. Not too sweet that is overwhelming.

5. Almond milk - we mixed our almond milk to our smoothie to give it a nutty taste.

Mustafa Centre Singapore - Snickers Shake

Mustafa Centre Singapore - Camelicious Camel Milk

WILL: We roam around and got fascinated with not so familiar food around the shelves of Mustafa. We  bought some for us to taste. 

Camelicious' Camel Milk, this the most expensive milk I ever have. It costs us S$6.40 for 250mL. Abbey doesn’t like it, but I do. The richness of milk is there. It seems that I am drinking it right after extracting it out of the camel. Buttery and creamy. Yum. 

It reminds me of my childhood chocolate drink -- Magnolia Chocolate that was stored in a 1L glass. You will long for the extra sweetness but Snickers Shake won't give you that. Haha. 

Almond Milk was blended with our smoothies, it goes well with the fruits. The taste alone? A sting of almond. 


We will visit Mustafa again and that is for sure. Looking forward to see more new and exciting food. 

***

Mustafa Centre

(W) http://www.mustafa.com.sg

(H) 24 Hours Open

(A) 145 Syed Alwi Road

(T) 62955855

Easy Crispy Fried Calamari Recipe

Ingredients:

10 pcs dried squids

1/3 cup potato starch

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

1/3 cup squid water (check the steps below)

1egg

Cut the squids into strips and soak in water; minimum of 4 hours

Drain them but save the water as it is part of the ingredients.

Squid batter:

Mix potato starch, all-purpose flour, squid water and egg. Mix together until batter is smooth.

Sprinkle a generous amount of all-purpose flour to the squid so the batter will adhere to it better.

Heat oil and do a double fry. This will make the squid very crispy.

VERDICT
WILL: Abbey is on the mood for creating dishes he watched in Youtube channel of Maangchi. Thanks again idol Maangchi! 

He requested dried squid from Papa Ros and it became an instant hit for us! Again, the double fry works very well with this. 

Crispy and succulent! Great with rice or a substitute for your pica-pica on your alcoholic session with friends. 

This is amazing. Fry it. 

The Carvery Premium Meat Buffet at Park Hotel Alexandra

ABBEY: This year The Carvery (Park Hotel Alexandra) is offering Spanish-themed dishes from 4th December until 1st January the following year. 

It boasts of their US Black Angus Prime Rib, spit-roasted chicken wih orange and rosemary and pork belly porchetta. December 9 came and we tried it. Oh yes. The meats are succulent. I got a chat with the chef and told me that the chicken is the hardest one to make. But definitely the best in flavor. I ate them without any sauce. The fats and the juices will make you go for more. Partner it with red wine and it’s a feast. 

They also have salads, soups, mushrooms, beef stew, pork chorizos, and salmon. Four of us dined in but we paid for 3 pax only :)

WILL: The best way to catch up with friends is through food and to break the usual buffet dinner, we went for The Carvery at Park Hotel Alexandra. 

What's the difference with others? By its name, they specialiazed with grilled meat. Yey! They have lamb, chicken, and the crispy pork? Wowoweee! The crispy skin and melts-in-your-mouth fats.. Oh my body, please forgive me as I have committed a sin for that night. Haha. The grilled meat is perfect to be partnered with a wine so we ordered a bottle and it helped to push the meat in our tummies. Haha. 

Next on my fave list is their salmon. The white sauce is thick enough to amplify the taste of natural oils of salmon. Next, pork chorizo. Do you know how expensive the chorizo in Singapore? I indulged on it haha! They have variety of cheese too. 

Pizza was cooked with old-fashioned fire oven. It gives a natural scent of burn. Yum! 

For desserts, sad to say there is no ice cream. Log cakes are there to fill-up your sugar needs. 

The place is quite private and romantic. The lighting creates a romantic feel too. I am not surprised many couples are dining at The Carvery. 

One more thing. Citibank have a promotion: 50% off on second guest. We were all shocked to know that we saved a lot that time. 

Thanks The Carvery. Thanks Citibank. 

***

The Carvery

(W) https://www.parkhotelgroup.com/en/alexandra/the-carvery

(H) Breakfast: 6:30am to 10:30am

    Lunch: 12:00pm to 2:30pm (buffet)

           12:00pm to 3:00pm (a la carte)

    Dinner: 6:00pm to 10:00pm

(A) 323 Alexandra Road Park Hotel Alexandra 

(T) 6828 8880

(E) thecarvery.phal@parkhotelgroup.com