The Italian Omelette from Saizeriya Singapore

No, this wasn't anything to get excited about. I'm just amused because it's basically Saizeriya throwing together a bunch of various toppings and sides that they use in their other dishes and creating a new one with a fancy-sounding name. And I'm not complaining either; after all, I'm pretty sure that's why they are able to keep their prices so darned low. Too bad they didn't throw in some of their spinach though.

Morinaga Izakaya Restaurant At Midpoint Orchard, Singapore

Despite the many times I've been to Toku, somehow I completely missed their neighbors two doors down (I randomly came across them today when looking for Sign A Taste, which has sadly closed down). But I was happy as a clam to have found these guys (220 Orchard Road #B1-08, 9101-3016).

Maybe the reason why I missed them was because their sign said that they did "Japanese Economical Rice," presumably in reference to the lunch boxes that they do. But they're also an izakaya, and a small and cozy one at that. They're less booze-heavy than Toku, but the spirits are still plentiful and affordable.

I was happy. Those mildly sweet Hokkaido potatoes above were topped with a knob of butter and salty squid, while those crispy kibinago herring behind it were fun too. Being a one-man shop, the service wasn't fast, but it was warm and engaging. And the operating hours are more accessible than Toku.

Hacking the Original Angus Cheeseburger at McDonald's

McDonald's was selected for dinner tonight, so I looked up my experience last time so that I could apply what I had learned. This time, I again got double patties and lettuce on my Original Angus Cheeseburger. But I opted out of ketchup this time, while going for double onions.

I rather enjoyed it, particularly since it was nice and salty. I'm not sure if that's because they unintentionally put too much salt on it, or if it's because the removal of all of that other stuff like ketchup meant that I could taste the salt more clearly. But I kinda liked it.

Now, the beef was still rather dry and tasteless. And yes, I'd much rather go to Five Guys. But when the venue selection is out of one's hands and we end up being at McDonald's again, then I'll go down this path, perhaps with triple onions if they'll let me.

Nan Xiang Chicken Rice at Square 2 @ Novena

 

I'm a little confused as to whether this small chain from Whampoa Market is related to the famous stall out in Tanjong Katong. Indeed, the thing to get at the Katong stall was the char siew, but the one from this shop (10 Sinaran Drive #02-07, 6996-0052) was rather forgettable. Still, the chicken was very moist and tender, and fortunately wasn't sitting in a sweet sauce . The chili and ginger sauces were pretty good, and they even gave an option for a chicken rice ball if you requested it. But really, that char siew was not anything that I'll get again, and I'll pass on the soup too given that the dumplings were stuck together and lukewarm when they served it to me.

Fifth Season's Kolkata Beckons in Little India, Singapore

The folks at Fifth Season opened up a Bengali restaurant down the street (52 Race Course Road, 6291-5244), and I ordered some for delivery today. I stuck with one of the few Bengali dishes that I knew: those banana leaf-wrapped macher paturi chunks of fish at the bottom. They were moist, delicate, and coated with lots of punchy (indeed, almost bitter) mustard and spices inside.

That thing in the upper right corner was also fish, but coated with a green chili pepper and coriander paste before being deep fried and served with - you guessed it - another strong (but tangy this time) mustard. I liked it, but it probably would've been even better had I eaten it on-site while it was still hot from the fryer.

Off-camera was a serving of begun bhaja, or eggplant fried in mustard oil, as well as some greasy luchi flatbread. It was all delicious enough to eat quickly, but that was also a function of the disappointingly small portions. In that sense, I'd rather go to Mustard instead, even if it's been so long since I was last there that I can hardly make a valid comparison.

Chef Kang's Prawn Noodle House in Toa Payoh

So this is the *prawn* noodle house from Chef Kang (85 Lorong 4 Toa Payoh #01-328), not his "noodle house" just one street away. There were only two things on the menu: the namesake prawn noodles, as well as a claypot rice version.

To my surprise, it was the latter that was much better, with firm and crunchy grains of scorched rice coated in lard, egg, and crackling (and thankfully it wasn't sweet; it even came with some salty fish sauce on the side to spike it with). The prawn noodles, on the other hand, sat in a broth that was not very savory.

The prawns were certainly large, but that also paled in comparison to the pork chop, which was impressively tender, moist, and with the added kick of prawn paste lining it. I'm not rushing to come back, but if I do, it will be for the rice.

Denmark's Leckerbaer at Shaw House in Singapore

A Danish pastry shop has opened up at Isetan Scotts (350 Orchard Road #01-K2, 6235-2069), and it looked interesting enough to try. They specialize in gourmet småkager cookies; mine was rich and flaky, all while delivering a punchy sugar rush. They also have some savory tarts (like egg & salmon and peas & avocado) that sound worthy of a try next time, if we're not too distracted by the time Luke's Lobster opens next to it. If I read it correctly, both of these shops were brought into Singapore by the same team, and they were also the ones that opened Lady M too.

IPPUDO Singapore's Tori Ton Soba Special

IPPUDO is running this limited-time special right now. It was a bit different from their tori ton kasane, but not so exciting that I'd get it again (the chicken was tender, but the pork was more tasty). The one thing that did keep me interested though was that little portion of mentai butter on the side, which provided a nice savory kick when I needed it.

Ganbian Tudoutiao from Toa Payoh's Xian Famous Foods

Those might look like nothing more than a box of fries, but oh man, they were awesome. Why? They were tossed with dry chili peppers and huajiao Sichuan peppercorns, making this thing very fun to eat, despite having gotten soggy after sitting in a takeout box for half an hour. Next time I should order this on-site at Biang Biang Noodles Xian Famous Foods to see what the texture is supposed to be like.

(Note to self: don't bother with their roujiamo nor Xinjiang chicken noodles next time. The former was dry and the latter came with bone fragments and wasn't that spicy either.)

Potato Fritters from Smiths Authentic British Fish and Chips

I noticed these on the menu at Smiths and ordered them precisely because I had no idea what they were. I figured that maybe they'd be some kind of little patties made from shredded or mashed potatoes mixed in with some spices or something. Instead, they were just slices of potato that had been battered and fried. It didn't sound like much, but they were pretty good when reheated in the oven, especially when I sprinkled on some of the leftover dry seasoning from those Sichuan noodles the other day. But next time I should remember to pass on the rather coarse haddock as well as the surprisingly sweet tartar sauce here.

Maru-Ten Udon at United Square, Singapore

There's a little assembly line-style udon shop downstairs at United Square (101 Thomson Road #B1-07, 6265-7550), but I didn't really like it. Sure, I ate that mentaiko udon above quickly enough, but the noodles weren't quite as bouncy as Tamoya, and the tempura were largely breaded and lifeless. Granted, I never tried their basic broth, but I'm not too motivated to go back to be sure.

Guangyou Spicy Wide Noodles from Mianyang in Sichuan

Time for more spicy instant noodles. Actually, this one was more salty than it was spicy. And these extra wide noodles were a bit rubber band-like. But I was still happy to eat it.

Addendum: the trick, I realize now, is to only use the chili oil packet at first, while only gradually sprinkling on some of the dry packet before it gets too salty. Maybe only a third of the packet was enough for me.

Chye Kee Goldhill Roast Chicken Rice & More at Rocovo Restaurant

Yes, that is a very long name for what is basically a chicken rice stall inside a corner koptiam at Goldhill Shopping Centre (151 Thomson Road #01-151, 9696-9457). I liked it, as the chicken wasn't sitting in a sweet liquid like many other shops do. Instead, it was just sesame oil, all on top of plump yet decently firm grains of rice. No, there was no cilantro nor spring onion garnish, but it was good enough for me to devour quickly.

Chadol and Wusamgyub from Ju Shin Jung, Singapore

Ju Shin Jung runs an "Unlimited BBQ" option, but that didn't include chadol. So we went a la carte instead, grabbing a plate of chadol, as well as some wusamgyub, which *is* on the unlimited menu. The former was a bit more refined and moist than the latter, but one really had to pay attention in order to notice, especially since the wusamgyub had a lot of fat attached too. That being the case, next time we'll just get the unlimited option, as the wusamgyub was good enough.

The Crab Roe Dry Ramen from Sushiro Singapore

One of the things rotating through Sushiro's list of specials right now is this crab roe ramen. Yes, it's kinda similar to their sea urchin ramen, but obviously featuring crab rather than uni. Sure, I love my back fat, but I wasn't a huge fan of how it was just a hot clump of noodles, and was also a tad sweet. No, I don't need to get it again.

The Cheese Board from L’Entrecôte Singapore

We had a nice meal from L’Entrecôte tonight, inclusive of this nice cheese board after our steak-frites. They included the requisite Comté and Camembert, but also a nice stanky Sainte-Maure, as well as my favorite, the Bleu d'Auvergne in front. It was so nice and salty that I wished they had given us more.

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 ayam 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.

The Lei Cha Fan from SunnyChoice Cafe

I had never heard of this little chain of organic markets and cafes. But I randomly walked by one outlet today and the sign for their lei cha fan caught my eye. I'm really glad that I tried it too, given not just the quality of ingredients in there, but also they kept the broth nice and thick; so much that it was almost sauce-like, but also aromatic. I'd be happy to eat that again.

Tengjiaoji Mixian from Mademoiselle Tang Noodle

I know, I've been eating from these guys a lot lately. But each time I explore something new on the menu, I find something more interesting. This one was kinda like a cross between yesterday's waxiangji (especially with those potent green tengjiao peppercorns on the vine again) and their usual bridge crossing guoqiao mixian (or even their xiaoguo mixian), especially with not just the broth and noodles, but also those long cuts of garlic chives. Yep, it was potent yet light at the same time, which was exactly what I wanted tonight.

Trying Out Some Sake-Bushi Natto from Hokkaido

I'm still a bit confused on whether this features salmon or bonito (it tasted like the latter, but the label said it was the former). Nonetheless, this was an eye-catching thing that I saw in the natto section at Meidi-Ya. Rather than the usual soy sauce and karashi mustard, this one came with a separate tray of fish flakes in a mildly sweet sauce to top your natto with. And the Meidi-Ya folks highlighted it because it was featured in some famous magazine. I prefer savory over sweet, so this wouldn't be my first choice. But I still happily ate it.

Guanguan Waxiangji from Mademoiselle Tang Noodle

I'm not sure if waxiangji from Yunnan is supposed to be this spicy or not, but this thing from Mademoiselle Tang Noodle was blazingly hot. Or rather, it was brutally numbing thanks to a number of green huajiao peppercorn clusters buried underneath that chicken. One one hand, I could hardly feel my tongue after eating it. On the other hand, I kept wanting to eat more, especially by dousing that delicious oil over steamed rice. I'm liking these guys more and more; they separately also have an awesome red chili oil with a tasty roasted aroma; I wish I could buy a jar of it to bring home.

The Roasted Chicken Rice from Wee Nam Kee

On a whim, I tried the roasted chicken rice at Wee Nam Kee this time. It was practically drowning in that sweet sauce, but in this case, I somehow didn't mind it, especially since the chicken was super moist. I'd eat it again, actually.

Rahmah Kitchen at Zion Riverside Food Centre

I had always been kinda curious about this Malay stall at Zion Riverside Food Centre (70 Zion Road #01-29). I braved the line at lunch today and got this soto ayam. It was a tad sweet, but her chili sauce was pretty powerful too, which made me happy.