In this blog post, I feature some food from the Pasir Panjang Food Center, which is a mid-sized food center located right beside the Pasir Pajang MRT station. This place reminds me of Newton Food Center, except that the prices here are definitely cheaper.
Sambal Stingray
This place is well known for grilled BBQ style seafood. We came here once to get BBQ Sambal Stingray, to bring back home. Here is what it looked like. This serving for $10. This place is crowded during weekend evenings, as you can see in the video below. This section of the food center is open air. There were a few stalls to choose from. We picked one randomly.
Thai Food - Tom Yum, Pad Thai
On another day, we tried this Thai food store, which had many different choices of Thai food to choose from. We took a $8 Tom Yum seafood soup, which came with plenty of seafood, as well as a Pad Thai, all to share. Taste was very good indeed!
Hainanese Chicken Rice
On another day, we dropped by during lunch hour for some food. This time, I tried this Hainanese Chicken rice store, which I think is only open during lunch hours. I chose the Chicken Rice set and this was what I got. A decent sized portion of tender white chicken meat, an entire hard-boiled egg, a good serving of boiled vegetables and chicken rice. All this for $4. Very good deal!
Prawn and Pork Rib Noodles
Tried the prawn noodles one later afternoon as I was feeling hungry and there weren't that many stores opened. Turned out that the noodles weren't great. It was just ok. So now you know.
Char Kway Teow with Plenty of Vegetables
This store featured a rather unique type of Char Kway Teow, one that is served with plenty of vegetables. There were many news paper cuttings in front of the store, so many until I can hardly see the uncle frying. Decided to give it a try. It tasted really good! I wouldn't mind eating it again. Definitely recommended. The portion I got was $3. You can always buy a bigger portion if this wasn't sufficient.
Thai-Style Steam Fish, Green Curry and Fried Kang Kong!
There are at least 2 different stores selling Thai food. We tend to dine at this Thai store (which is run by 2 men), on the sheltered side of the hawker center. Today, we had Thai-style steam fish, with fried kang kong and green curry. Very awesome!
Thai-Style Food - 4 Dishes for $21, including rice.
On another day, we had Tom Yum soup, Fried Kang Kong, Fried Egg and Pandan Chicken, for $21 including two plates of rice. So much to eat and so delicious!
Care for a mini hot-pot? This serving for $5. Look at all the delicious food, plus a generous portion of white rice. Wonderful meal and very delicious. There were three types of broth - chicken, tom yum and milk. Chose the chicken broth as it was the the most neutral. Plenty of flavour from the chilli. Got a coconut to go along with the meal too. Good!
Some Phad Thai? Quick and easy meal. $4 for this serving and piping hot!
Thanks for reading and watching my videos!
Saturday, October 22, 2016
Nespresso Used Coffee Grounds Fertilizer for my Lime Plant
What do you do with your used Nespresso capsules? I used to throw them away. Then I was given a recycling bag by the Nespresso boutique. I asked the boutique staff how they recycled the capsules and they told me the grounds were used as fertilizer.
I found this link online - http://www.nespresso.com/ecolaboration/ch/en/article/2/3245/the-coffee-grounds-are-used-as-natural-fertilizer-for-the-lavaux-vineyards.html - the coffee grounds were indeed used as natural fertilizer in a vineyard. Nice. Then I figured if this fertilizer was good enough for a vineyard, it would be good enough for my potted plants. And that led me to start using the coffee grounds for my Lime plant, and this video shows you how. Very easy. Just cut the soft aluminum top open and pour the stuff out. We used a disposable chopstick to help extract the coffee ground. Grow, lime plant grow!
Thanks for watching!
I found this link online - http://www.nespresso.com/ecolaboration/ch/en/article/2/3245/the-coffee-grounds-are-used-as-natural-fertilizer-for-the-lavaux-vineyards.html - the coffee grounds were indeed used as natural fertilizer in a vineyard. Nice. Then I figured if this fertilizer was good enough for a vineyard, it would be good enough for my potted plants. And that led me to start using the coffee grounds for my Lime plant, and this video shows you how. Very easy. Just cut the soft aluminum top open and pour the stuff out. We used a disposable chopstick to help extract the coffee ground. Grow, lime plant grow!
Thanks for watching!
Sunday, October 9, 2016
Far East Flora @ Queensway Flowers Plants and Other Gardening Stuff
Along Queensway, beside the McDonalds, there is a large nursery which is a branch of Far East Flora. We like to come here to take a look at plants and other gardening stuff. A pleasant place. Some of the flowers are very beautiful, like this moth Orchid.
See this video compilation for more Orchids.
Some more flowers in this video. Grab some home to grow if you wished, but we didn't.
They also have plenty of indoor furniture, as well as indoor plants, which you can see in this video. Some claim that having indoor plants in your home will help you fight the haze. Not sure how true this is, but here they are.
Back home, we decided to grow some humble Coriander. Good fun to have fresh coriander at dinner. The plant in the pot seems to be thriving, under a tree. Pretty neat. The taste was good!
Far East Flora @ Queensway. Check it out if you like plants.
See this video compilation for more Orchids.
Some more flowers in this video. Grab some home to grow if you wished, but we didn't.
They also have plenty of indoor furniture, as well as indoor plants, which you can see in this video. Some claim that having indoor plants in your home will help you fight the haze. Not sure how true this is, but here they are.
Back home, we decided to grow some humble Coriander. Good fun to have fresh coriander at dinner. The plant in the pot seems to be thriving, under a tree. Pretty neat. The taste was good!
Far East Flora @ Queensway. Check it out if you like plants.
Alexandra Village Food Center Various Food Shops Compilation
Alexandra Village Food Centre is a very famous cooked food centre along Alexandra Road. Very busy during weekday lunchtime, and even in the evenings, this place has plenty of good food. In this blog post, I will put a compilation of the various food that I have enjoyed at AV Food Centre for your easy reference.
The Old Stall Hokkien Street Famous Prawn Mee
Had a hearty bowl of dried prawn mee (kway teow plus yellow noodles mixed) for breakfast at this store, which is in the middle row. The store has many newspaper cuttings on the signboard, you won't miss it. It sells its own specially made chilli powder and has a very cute sign on 5 'must-eat' reasons. Did I enjoy it? Yes, good taste. Worth a try if you like prawn mee.
Soya Sauce Chicken Noodle (Hong Kong style)
This Hong Kong inspired eatery specialises in soya sauce chicken noodle. They claim that this is the only store, and no other branches. How did it taste? The chicken was good. Tender. The noodles, well, just average. Overall, quite a decent meal. Give it a try if you fancy some Hong Kong style soya chicken noodles.
Jin Pai Zi Char - Beef Kailan Rice
A hawker store selling Zi Char? Yes. At first, I was skeptical, given that the store looked so small. There was just one cook and one lady helping (I assume they are husband and wife). But I noticed that their business was pretty swift, so I decided to try a one-dish meal and chose Beef Kailan with rice. I was blown away! The portion was very generous, the beef was tender, the Kai lan was soft, the sauce was good and all that for just $4! Impressive. You would be aware that Zi Char stores at coffee shops and other eating places are not that cheap these days.
Jin Pai Zi Char Kung Pao Chicken Rice
Same store as above, this time round I get the Kung Pao chicken with rice. Again, serving was generous, cooking was not bad. Best of all was the price. $3.50. Good stuff! Support local hawker fare!
Dover Road Kai Kee Wanton Noodles
Bought lunch for the family from this store, after a friend told us that this store had a long history. In fact, they started decades ago, at the Dover Road Market (which is now closed). There was a good queue. We bought many packets for the family and brought home to eat. At $2.50 per serving, it was a good size portion. Makes for a cheap lunch! Enjoy!
Lian Kee Bak Chor Mee
Had this Bak Chor Mee for breakfast one morning and it wasn't too bad. Price was $3. Enjoy!
Thanks for reading.
The Old Stall Hokkien Street Famous Prawn Mee
Had a hearty bowl of dried prawn mee (kway teow plus yellow noodles mixed) for breakfast at this store, which is in the middle row. The store has many newspaper cuttings on the signboard, you won't miss it. It sells its own specially made chilli powder and has a very cute sign on 5 'must-eat' reasons. Did I enjoy it? Yes, good taste. Worth a try if you like prawn mee.
Soya Sauce Chicken Noodle (Hong Kong style)
This Hong Kong inspired eatery specialises in soya sauce chicken noodle. They claim that this is the only store, and no other branches. How did it taste? The chicken was good. Tender. The noodles, well, just average. Overall, quite a decent meal. Give it a try if you fancy some Hong Kong style soya chicken noodles.
Jin Pai Zi Char - Beef Kailan Rice
A hawker store selling Zi Char? Yes. At first, I was skeptical, given that the store looked so small. There was just one cook and one lady helping (I assume they are husband and wife). But I noticed that their business was pretty swift, so I decided to try a one-dish meal and chose Beef Kailan with rice. I was blown away! The portion was very generous, the beef was tender, the Kai lan was soft, the sauce was good and all that for just $4! Impressive. You would be aware that Zi Char stores at coffee shops and other eating places are not that cheap these days.
Jin Pai Zi Char Kung Pao Chicken Rice
Same store as above, this time round I get the Kung Pao chicken with rice. Again, serving was generous, cooking was not bad. Best of all was the price. $3.50. Good stuff! Support local hawker fare!
Dover Road Kai Kee Wanton Noodles
Bought lunch for the family from this store, after a friend told us that this store had a long history. In fact, they started decades ago, at the Dover Road Market (which is now closed). There was a good queue. We bought many packets for the family and brought home to eat. At $2.50 per serving, it was a good size portion. Makes for a cheap lunch! Enjoy!
Lian Kee Bak Chor Mee
Had this Bak Chor Mee for breakfast one morning and it wasn't too bad. Price was $3. Enjoy!
Thanks for reading.
Saturday, October 8, 2016
Book the Cook Singapore Airlines Business Class Meals
Book the Cook is a premium service offered by Singapore Airlines where you can reserve your main course dish up to 24 hours before flying. They have a comprehensive list of dishes available for selection, from certain departure airports, with Singapore offering the most choices. On this blog post, I will update on the Book the Cook dishes that I have tried, for your easy reference. All the videos and pictures are from my travel experience on Singapore Airlines Business Class.
Screengrab from Singapore Airlines website.
In the same video above, you will also see the Book the Cook breakfast of Dim Sum Selection. This is a shorter video showing just the Dim Sum breakfast.
Lobster Thermidor (ex-London)
A slightly different variant of the Lobster Thermidor is served when you fly London to Singapore. Instead of rice, potatoes are used. The dish was beautifully presented on this flight from London to Singapore. Watch the video below from the 9:00 minute mark for the version of the Lobster Thermidor served out of London.
Nasi Lemak
I have had this dish a couple of times for breakfast. According to SQ website, the description is fragrant rice cooked in coconut milk, accompanied by spicy sambal prawns, fried chicken, fried anchovies with peanuts, spicy pickled vegetables (achar), an omelette wedge, and grilled fish cakes (otah). The online reviews of this dish are not good but I enjoyed it thoroughly! I must say that it constitutes a very hearty breakfast, and hence not suitable if you don't like eating a lot of breakfast.
Sliced Grouper Congee
Grouped cooked in rice porridge with spring onions and ginger - this was a wonderful (and light) breakfast I had on one of my flights. An excellent choice if you want something light, yet sufficiently flavourful.
Singapore Chicken Rice, Satay, Beef Brisket Noodle
You may wonder, why even choose Chicken Rice (which is widely available in Singapore at hawker centers) on a premium Singapore Airlines flight? Well, you've got a point there. The first dishes I tried on Book the Cook was the Lobster Thermidor. But there was a particular trip I made where I reckoned that after being away for some time, and flying home, the Singapore Chicken Rice meal on board SQ would be quite cool! So I did it! (Bucket list item). This flight was on SQ 305 ex-London. In the video, not only will you see the Singapore Chicken Rice (lunch), you will also see the Satay Service as well as my breakfast choice which was beef brisket noodles. The breakfast choice was from the menu (i..e not Book the Cook).
The description of Singapore Chicken Rice from the SQ website as follows - Poached chicken, sliced and served on long-grain rice cooked in chicken broth. Accompanied by dark soya sauce, tangy ginger and fresh chilli and lime sauces.
Citrus Steamed Sea Bass - Deliciously Wholesome Selection
Singapore Airlines added many new dishes under a 'Deliciously Wholesome' section of Book the Cook starting April 2016. I chose a dish called Citrus Steamed Sea Bass with Lettuce Puree, Legumes, Radishes and Sunflower Seeds in Citrus Vinaigrette. See the video from the 1 minute mark. Certainly a mouthful of a name, and it looked pretty much like a forest when it was served. The large chunk of white fish was refreshing and suited my taste.
Duck Rice at 35,000 feet. This was on a flight from London Heathrow back to Singapore. Served on the bone, much like what you would get in any Cantonese restaurant. May not be suitable if you are not used to eating meat from the bone though. The taste was decent, but because I just had some fantastic duck in London, it wasn't a great choice for me.
Chargrilled Soya Beef On a flight from Singapore to New Zealand. It ended up being served for breakfast, instead of supper. Why? Watch the video to find out more! To be continued as I fly more on Singapore Airlines! Thanks for reading and watching the videos.
Screengrab from Singapore Airlines website.
Classic Lobster Thermidor (ex-Singapore)
Arguably the most famous Book the Cook dish - Lobster tail sauteed in butter, flambeed in brandy, sprinkled with cheese and served with creamy mushroom sauce, garlic and spicy mustard, and buttered asparagus.
Watch my enjoy the Lobster Thermidor below, from the 9:00 minute mark of the video. This was on flight SQ 322, Singapore to London on the A380.
In the same video above, you will also see the Book the Cook breakfast of Dim Sum Selection. This is a shorter video showing just the Dim Sum breakfast.
Lobster Thermidor (ex-London)
A slightly different variant of the Lobster Thermidor is served when you fly London to Singapore. Instead of rice, potatoes are used. The dish was beautifully presented on this flight from London to Singapore. Watch the video below from the 9:00 minute mark for the version of the Lobster Thermidor served out of London.
Nasi Lemak
I have had this dish a couple of times for breakfast. According to SQ website, the description is fragrant rice cooked in coconut milk, accompanied by spicy sambal prawns, fried chicken, fried anchovies with peanuts, spicy pickled vegetables (achar), an omelette wedge, and grilled fish cakes (otah). The online reviews of this dish are not good but I enjoyed it thoroughly! I must say that it constitutes a very hearty breakfast, and hence not suitable if you don't like eating a lot of breakfast.
Sliced Grouper Congee
Grouped cooked in rice porridge with spring onions and ginger - this was a wonderful (and light) breakfast I had on one of my flights. An excellent choice if you want something light, yet sufficiently flavourful.
Singapore Chicken Rice, Satay, Beef Brisket Noodle
You may wonder, why even choose Chicken Rice (which is widely available in Singapore at hawker centers) on a premium Singapore Airlines flight? Well, you've got a point there. The first dishes I tried on Book the Cook was the Lobster Thermidor. But there was a particular trip I made where I reckoned that after being away for some time, and flying home, the Singapore Chicken Rice meal on board SQ would be quite cool! So I did it! (Bucket list item). This flight was on SQ 305 ex-London. In the video, not only will you see the Singapore Chicken Rice (lunch), you will also see the Satay Service as well as my breakfast choice which was beef brisket noodles. The breakfast choice was from the menu (i..e not Book the Cook).
The description of Singapore Chicken Rice from the SQ website as follows - Poached chicken, sliced and served on long-grain rice cooked in chicken broth. Accompanied by dark soya sauce, tangy ginger and fresh chilli and lime sauces.
Citrus Steamed Sea Bass - Deliciously Wholesome Selection
Singapore Airlines added many new dishes under a 'Deliciously Wholesome' section of Book the Cook starting April 2016. I chose a dish called Citrus Steamed Sea Bass with Lettuce Puree, Legumes, Radishes and Sunflower Seeds in Citrus Vinaigrette. See the video from the 1 minute mark. Certainly a mouthful of a name, and it looked pretty much like a forest when it was served. The large chunk of white fish was refreshing and suited my taste.
Duck Rice at 35,000 feet. This was on a flight from London Heathrow back to Singapore. Served on the bone, much like what you would get in any Cantonese restaurant. May not be suitable if you are not used to eating meat from the bone though. The taste was decent, but because I just had some fantastic duck in London, it wasn't a great choice for me.
Chargrilled Soya Beef On a flight from Singapore to New Zealand. It ended up being served for breakfast, instead of supper. Why? Watch the video to find out more! To be continued as I fly more on Singapore Airlines! Thanks for reading and watching the videos.