Some Packaged Food From Japan

Here's some random packaged food from Japan that we've been eating this week, starting with those instant noodles above from Daiso. They came in tiny little bricks without any seasoning packets; you basically just poured hot water on it and the broth made itself. The packaging also suggested eating them like Mamee noodles if you'd like, although it got really salty with all of that soup base sticking to the noodles.



This pack of natto was interesting in that it was plum-based. Or rather, it was just natto (with some nice-sized beans), but it came with a thick plum-flavored jam-like tare. It was only mildly sweet, so I still finished it, but I'd definitely opt for a more traditional shoyu and karashi mustard instead.

The Scallop Higawari at Teppei Japanese Restaurant

Back in his early days, I used to go to Teppei's original restaurant almost every day, in part just to see what his higawari daily lunch special was. But then it got so crowded that I never bothered. Obviously, these days there aren't many people out, and I was able to cruise on in with plenty of space around me to spare (and plastic veiling in front of the counter to shield the kitchen from the diners).

There were two specials today, one of which featured crab and uni. But it was the second one that sounded more interesting to me, as it featured not just scallop sashimi as well as those sauteed scallops on the left. And those were delicious thanks to all of the butter that they were sauteed in. It made me forget all about those coarsely cut chunks of pre-seasoned fish that came on the right.

Some More Mala-Flavored Packaged Food

I'm generally not a big fan of BreadTalk. But they started selling these Mala Twist thingies in a bag, and they were awesome. They were crispy, flaky, and yet also full of spicy mala oil (no, it's not sweet...think more in terms of the red oil floating on top of a proper hot pot). It took quite a bit of self control for me to stop myself or else I would've decimated that entire pack in minutes.



And here's yet another variant from the Haichijia guys. The most notable thing about this bowl was the noodles; they were almost like rubber bands, and not necessarily in a good way. The spicy sesame mixture still made it edible, but I think I'd rather go for one of their other bowls instead.

Hiyashi Ramen from YAYOI Singapore's Takeaway Menu

It looks like YAYOI overhauled its menu during the circuit breaker period, optimizing its dishes for takeout and delivery. And despite in-store dining having resumed last month, it's still using the same takeaway menu. That meant items that were not on the menu before, like onigiri or that hiyashi ramen above. To my surprise, this was accompanied by a sesame dressing (presumably the Kewpie bottled stuff), and there was no karashi mustard either. But it was still refreshing enough for me to inhale those skinny noodles quickly.

Chef Kang's Noodle House at Jackson Square, Toa Payoh

This wasn't the shop that I wanted to go to. Indeed, I'm pretty sure that I'm not the only one who has mistaken this stall with Chef Kang Prawn Noodle House just one street away. See, they are both run by chef Kang, who runs his eponymous Michelin-starred private kitchen, as well as these two more casual shops that I confused today. I was more interested in the prawn noodle shop, but I didn't realize that he also ran a wanton mee stall not far away from it. That's where I mistakenly ended up this morning (11 Lorong 3 Toa Payoh Block A, 8280-2782).

To be sure, this stall has a Bib Gourmand listing. And the quality of the ingredients was very good, including not just the fatty, moist, and tender pork, but also the wonderfully skinny noodles in particular (apparently they are bamboo pole noodles hauled in from Hong Kong). But it was a tad sweet and the chili sauce wasn't spicy, making me all the more bummed that this wasn't the prawn noodle shop that I thought I was headed to. Well, the prawn noodle shop wasn't open this early in the morning anyway, so I'll have to come back again some other time.

The Medium-Sized Bowl at Whitley Road Big Prawn Mee

Normally when I order prawn noodle, I'm tempted to ask if they offer a kosong version: basically, screw the hassle of shelling those darned prawns and just give me the greasy/spicy noodles and savory broth. They usually don't oblige though, and today at Whitley Road Big Prawn Mee, I was glad that it wasn't an option, as I was happier about the prawns than I was about the noodles. Why? The prawns in my medium-sized bowl above were very fresh and delicate, and I wanted to eat more. Next time I'm going to splurge on their "jumbo" bowl to see how those bad boys fare. Oh, and I must remember to get more of those wonderfully airy yet savory prawn crackers from the ngoh hiang counter in the back of the shop.

Biang Biang Noodles Xi'an Famous Food at Toa Payoh Mall

There is a small Shaanxi shop near HDB Hub (190 Lorong 6 Toa Payoh #01-518), and they serve not just biang biang noodles, but also other dishes like this Qishan shaozi mian above, which sat in a pleasantly sour and spicy soup. The skinny noodles weren't as fun as their thick and chewy biang biang mian though, so their namesake is still my first choice (note to self: next time see if they can make it spicier). There are also many other noodle dishes on their menu that look promising, along with roujiamo, dumplings, and Shaanxi liangpi. We'll definitely be back.

The Salted Egg Sauce from Fish & Chicks

This local chain, as the name suggests, sells fish and chicken, along with other things like steak and pasta. But the thing that they are known for is the yellowish-brown sauce that is admittedly cut off on the left side of the photo: a salted egg sauce to go along with it. I finally tried it today, and it was a bit sweet, although that shouldn't have been a surprise. And it didn't stop me from eating it all, especially since the fish was light and crispy coming straight out of the fryer. The fries were tasteless though.

Nanta BBQ at Goldhill Shopping Centre, Singapore

This place (175 Thomson Road #01-175, 6258-1391) made for a convenient dinner tonight. We grabbed a portion of chadolbagi and LA kalbi, the former of which fared much better than the latter. They pre-cooked it for us in the kitchen though, plus the banchan wasn't that exciting and the beer was kinda flat too. We still ate it all, but I'd much rather go to one of the places in Tanjong Pagar. Up here, I guess the nearby alternate is Hansang over at Square 2, especially since Ssikkek isn't around anymore.

Trying Out Popeye's Ghost Pepper Sauce

There was a lot of signage at Popeye's advertising the return of their ghost pepper sauce. Fortunately, there was an option on the menu to just get the sauce on its own without any chicken, so we grabbed one of those. We still needed a medium with which to consume it though, so we got a single biscuit to go with it.

Yes, it was spicy, and also a bit sweet, although fortunately it wasn't anywhere as sweet as the pictures made it look. It was interesting enough that I got a second biscuit after that to consume the rest of it. Gotta love how pleasantly greasy and flaky those biscuits are, BTW.

The Chili Crab Ramen from Ura Hototogisu

To be clear, this is *not* the crab ramen that he does at his Paragon outlet. This is a chili crab version at his Causeway Point outlet (with a limited run at his 100 AM outlet too). It features snow crab rather than blue crab, and was generously portioned at that, including not just lots of shelled leg meat, but also a small patty of meat underneath that. I can't recall Keisuke's kani ramen enough to make a comparison, but I won't order this again. That shredded lettuce on the side was just plain weird and out of place, while the broth wasn't anything that exciting either. At least it wasn't sweet like I worried it would be.

Ayam Cabe Ijo from Nasi Lemak Ayam Taliwang

I asked the guy at Nasi Lemak Ayam Taliwang for a sambal that wasn't sweet this time, and he suggested this green cabe ijo because it was sour. Actually, it was still a little sweet, so it's probably best described as tangy. But at least it wasn't as sweet as the taliwang, and yet it still packed a decent amount of heat. I was happier with this one, although I am kinda curious about their spiciest one next time.