Archive for the ‘Merry Traveller's Plate’ Category

Penang Foodies, Hard At Work

Tuesday, February 2nd, 2010

At the risk of exposing my entire gluttony being, I bring to you pictures from the recent Penang getaway where we promised to eat at each stop and made no attempt to stop eating and test the stretchability of our tummy power.

The best of the rest is this char kway teow. At a hefty price of 8.50 ringgit a plate for the biggest plate (which is really not big at all), we would have screamed foul if it hadn’t been so incredibly, mindblowingly tasty. It was the first stop of the day and set the precedent for every single meal after. At the end of the day, it won the unanimous vote of championship from our 6 greedy mouths.

We were told that there is a good wanton mee and hor fun store just down the road from where the char kway teow is but we didn’t know how near we were. It was barely 2 minutes before we sat down again in a different kopitiam no less and continued ordering.

The texture of the noodles in Penang is different from the ones in Singapore. The noodles here were springy and bouncy, a product of it being well-made and well-cooked. You know how noodles turn into a starchy lump when overcooked? These noodles are what I’ll like to call as well-defined but it’s probably the wrong term for it. The gravy of the hor fun is a little too starchy for my taste but overall, they are delicious. For one, I am impressed by the number of bones stewing away in the broth to give them the flavour.

Tzi Char, a mix of vermicelli and noodles, stir-fried.

Prawn noodles with hardly discernable prawns but the soup base is amazing.

I am not a big fan of assam laksa but I ate because it is one of the signature dishes of Penang.

Succulent, barbecued chicken wings but the ones in Singapore could be as good.

This wanton mee is cooked in a dark soy sauce as compared to the one we had earlier.

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The Foodster Speaks; Behold!

Friday, December 4th, 2009

Ever since I was informed to my surprise that I was selected as a finalist for the DBS Foodster contest, basically a culinary adventure at the expense of DBS Indulge Dining Program but at the price of what would be my contributed food reviews, I had been sitting and wondering about the impulse that helped me to be shortlisted.

People who know me and know me well would find it quite hard to believe that I could actually be bothered to succumb to marketing strategies. In my defense, the contest was made easy for anyone to participate with a few taps on their keyboards and a click of the mouse. To enter the contest, you just have to have a twitter account, follow @dbsfoodster and tell them why you should be a DBS Foodster! All without moving from the very comfortable chair you are ensconced in.

I love typing seriously. I have a morbid fascination of my thoughts forming into words and stringed into sentences and I become quite obsessed with it at intervals, not that I do it often now. Allowing those wild, random thoughts to take form in a structure and get it out of my system is strangely therapeutic because it means I don’t have to remember them. I get to compartmentalize them, arrange them in no particular order and even have the option to file them away for future references. That way, the mind is kept clutter-free and I wish the same could be said of my room in real life. Clearly, my idea of neatness is mutually exclusive of what’s physically in front of me and what’s virtual in my brain.

Well back to the Impulse. It just so happened that I received an email, being a part of the HungryGoWhere portal, of what it means to be a foodster when pleasant thoughts of myself having meals with friends drifted into my mind. No doubt we couldn’t claim that every meal we had together was the best and there were no promises of them culminating into gastronomical orgasms but it is the company that made the meal. The form of cognition we achieved when savouring fares and holding discussions strengthened our bonds and the best thing is that because Food is a basic form of necessity (like you didn’t know huh) thrice a day, we could always be trusted to make time even if it is a paltry one hour lunch break. Voltaire once said that “Nothing would be more tiresome than eating and drinking if God had not made them a pleasure as well as a necessity” and that pleasure stemmed from a combination of good food, pleasant company and merry chatter. Food and People walk together, like Carrots and Peas in your fried rice. Haven’t there been some chinese story during your school days saying that if you eat alone, even with the best meal in front of you, it would appear bland?

And so something clicked in my brain and my contest line sprung forth in a rush:
“The true making of a @DBSFoodster lies in the ability to merry-make through their meals, for better or for worse and I am she.”

There is an interview to be had (and I thought the contest was going to be easy and relaxed in the comfort of my own home!) so I’ll head down for the experience. There are many other worthy finalists so I might not be the lucky one. However, not being a DBS Foodster doesn’t stop me in my quest to seek merriment through food and company so I can afford to take things with a pinch of salt and let come what may!

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Heaven’s Loft, Orchard Central

Monday, July 13th, 2009

The gang agreed to meet for brunch on a lazy Sunday – the transitory period of time where you cannot decide whether you are going to eat for breakfast or for lunch and so decided to do a little of both. Since I had not been to Orchard Central, except being told that there are “levels and levels of food”, we decided to give it a go.

We went all the way up to Level 8 and walked around, looking for a suitable restaurant. We found “Heaven’s Loft” which seems pretty quiet which is perfect for chitchatting under no pressure. I like the name of the place since it was situated high up on Level 8 and had a verandah that overlooks the hustle and bustle of downtown traffic.

I started off with the Wild Mushroom Soup. For a person who doesn’t waste food, I left half a plate untouched. The mushroom soup was .. too frothy. It did have the taste of wild mushrooms that made me want to run into the forest barefooted to pluck my own but it was too watery and not in the style of the thick, comforting soup that I would have like. And yes, it disconcerts me that I was also tasting the bubbly froth.

This could have been the only saving grace that prevented me from classifying the brunch as “catastrophic”. The crispy calamari was served with salsa and tartar sauce and freshly fried till a golden brown. I had a funny feeling biting into the calamari, it’s like … the calamari wasn’t really there at all. There is just only a tinge of its taste (since it was so thinly sliced) but it could have been both good and bad. Bad for those who like their calamari rings to actually taste squiddish but the good part is that you can pop in ring after ring and not feel that it is too much of an overdose.

An image of the Nachos we had but there is nothing much to review about. It is average.

Basil pesto chicken spaghetti was an interesting one for me, because 1. it is not visually appealing (I’ll challenge you to contest) and 2. I cannot decide about the taste and flavour of it. I understand that pesto makes the dish greenish and I am not blaming the restaurant for its lack of visual appeal just like how you can never present squid ink pasta to look appetizing. If you are not a big fan of herbs and olive oil, you might not like how the pasta is soaking in them. Because I could not decide about the taste, I ate mouthfuls after mouthfuls till I came to the end where I found centimetres of olive oil drowning the last few strands of spaghetti and that’s when I stopped and felt mildly sick.

A picture of their more famous Beef Cheeks which I did not try but according to the gang, it tasted alright.

Verdict: I don’t know if I was plain unlucky by ordering the wrong type of food but in any case, for the prices I paid, I am not in a hurry to be adventurous. I deserted desserts just because I couldn’t stomach another setback.

Heaven’s Loft can be found at:
181 Orchard Road
#08-01/02
Orchard Central
Singapore 238896

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Nine Doors, The Easier To Run Away

Friday, August 1st, 2008

A coworker told us that we can find old Beijing food in a food street set in a traditional courtyard called “Jiu Men Xiao Chi” (九门小吃). Since our aim in Beijing is to eat, live, tour Beijing, we took note and paid a visit. I couldn’t see how different old Beijing food can differ from the current anyway so with an empty stomach, we set forth.


Entrance of the “Jiu Men Xiao Chi” literally translated as “Nine Doors Small Eats”

What an interesting name, I thought. I wondered if there were nine doors to the eatery. It was quite a small street consisting of no more than ten stalls. Business was sparse but I attributed it to the fact that we might have been too early.


“Da Lian Huo Shao” (褡裢火烧), a sort of beef meat pie wrapped by fried sesame crusts


Mung Bean Milk or “Dou Zhi” (豆汁), a favourite drink of the old Beijing folks


I have no idea what this is but for what’s it’s worth, it looks like the sesame crust coiled around by a fried doughstick atop of flaky pastries.


An array of dubious fried food and cardboard-like crusts. Like the eggs placer.


Year cake or “Nian Gao” (年糕). This one looks soft and chewy though.


Our first breakfast in Beijing. Well-anticipated but less than well-received. From top left: fish in soy sauce, shaved goat’s head meat (yes you heard right), beef meat pie and goat’s milk.

Unfortunately I think whoever recommended this place to Eileen and I had it bad for us. It was a strange and awkward meal with many a deliberate chewing and occasional hurummmms of uncertainty. Eileen watched a Taiwanese food show and excitedly ordered shaved goat’s head meat on impulse (or so I would like to believe). The stall owner lifted a decapitated goat’s head onto his chopping board and started shaving pieces of meat off its ears. Its very dead eyes were boring into mine. I’ll never touch it, I declared but all the same, I was coerced into trying and I swear I’ll never eat it again. It was cold, crunchy, salty and had a strong smell to it. In fact, all the food were cold and seemed like leftovers. The best of the lot had to be the meat pies since the sesame crusts were warm and vaguely gave a semblance of normality. We left most of our food untouched which was a real pity but we just could not stomach it.


Candied haw/fruits in sticks or “Bing Tang Hu Lu” (糖葫芦). I tried the candied peaches and the flavours and the juice were wonderfully retained, sending you into a sugary high.

To conclude, old Beijing food has been around from the olden days and they are worth a try just because they gave us the idea what people used to eat and this is from my most diplomatic point of view.

“Nine Doors Small Eats” does need the nine doors … for me to run away from in a hurry!

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Quack Up A Storm!

Tuesday, July 29th, 2008

北京前门全聚德烤鸭店

The moment we touched down in Beijing, our first dinner thoughts reached out to Peking ducks. How could we not, when we flew this far to attest flattering reports of crispy duck skin and tender, juicy meat? A friendly chat with the local cab driver sent us to the Quan Ju De’s (全聚德烤鸭店) multi-leveled outlet in He Ping Men (和平门) which he said is the most authentic and delicious of all outlets.


A welcoming sight of rows of ducks still in their birthday suits greeting us

The restaurant was run in absolute efficiency as they quickly ushered you through the levels by use of walkie-talkies to ensure that you have a seat. The ducks were roasted with non-smoky hardwood fuel such as peach and pear to give its subtle fruity flavour.


We were well rewarded for our six hours flight when we took an initial, crunchy bite. It tasted of heaven.

The helpful waiters/waitresses also stopped by each and every table to explain the history of the very duck being violated and demonstrated with ease on how to make a roll with the use of just a pair of chopsticks but in the end, I gave up, the process was too time-consuming.


They were efficient with the chopsticks while I was still living in stone age where my hands are my chopsticks but what’s the fuss? The duck is still well-appreciated!

It was very gratifying to sink my teeth into such succulent meat after a flight of anticipation but I have to say that after your basic craving is satisfied and the need for duck goes away with every bite, my marginal utility level dipped. It was too oily to be consumed in great quantities. Nevertheless, visitors to Beijing should definitely put this on their agenda to try at least once. I would advise that no one gets too over zealous since almost every single dish on the menu has something to do with ducks. You end up getting duck rice, duck noodles, duck meat soup and vegetables fried with duck and it could be very disorienting.


The surgeon and the duck in which there was no hope of survival under the blade.

地址/Address:
北京前门全聚德烤鸭店 Beijing Qian Men Quan Ju De Kao Ya Dian
北京市崇文区前门大街32号 Bejing Chong Wen Men Qu Qian Men Da Jie 32 Hao
电话：01067011379

老北京炸酱面大王

One of our very last meals in Beijing, we decided to end it with a duck note. “I come for duck, I leave with duck” was my skewed mentality at that time. After a full one day tour at the Great Wall, the Ning tombs and the Temple of Heaven, the cab driver (we ingratiated well with cab drivers during our trip, they withhold a wealth of culinary information!) made a recommendation that we try out Lao Beijing Zha Jiang Mian (老北京炸酱面) which is translated to “Old Beijing Minced Meat Noodles”.


Image taken from Fan Tong

You are served with a plate of plain, unadorned noodles with an array of sides that you could choose to mix your noodles with to customize your favourite way of eating Zhang Jiang Mian. The dark sauce ii the picture is yellow soybean paste which is very salty so please go sparing on it. The pink strips are ginger slices and the greens are chopped celery and cabbages and there are also different kinds of beans. In Singapore, you can also find Zhang Jiang Mian in some of the handmade noodles stall in hawker centres or food courts and even Crystal Jade La Mian restaurants. However, mostly the local Zhang Jiang Mian are only topped with minced meat and thinly sliced cucumber strips.


A deep-fried crispy duck with tender meat on the left. Preserved vegetables fried with glass noodles on the top and soft deep-fried milk desserts on the right.

I apologize for the desecrated duck since we tucked into it way before recalling we needed a picture. The duck turned out ugly but had the most crispy skin and tender meat. Never judge a duck by its outlook. It was not oily at all, a little bit on the dry side but you could eat the whole duck without feeling inundated. The deep fried desserts were very soft, sinking your teeth right through the milky goodness. I imagine them to be very popular with toothless old folks.

I likened Zha Jiang Mian to be a form of Chinese Bolognaise pasta (only in Beijing, there’s no minced meat in the minced meat noodles). I didn’t like mine as much as I like the Singaporean form. The yellow soybean paste was too salty for my liking but those who have an affinity to trying pasta worldwide should consider giving this a go.

地址/Address:
老北京炸酱面大王 Lao Bei Jing Zha Jiang Mian Da Wang
崇文区 崇文门外大街29号 Chong Wen Qu ChongWenMen WaiDaJie 29 Hao

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