RAWR! Dinosaurs Unearthed @ Plaza Singapura!

Great news for all you dinosaur fanatics out there! 

Dinosaurs have been sighted at Plaza Singapura and if you like these prehistoric creatures as much as I do, then do not give this exhibition a miss! 

In collaboration with Sceince Centre Singapore, Plaza Singapura has brought in five animatronic dinosaurs for this mid-year school holidays.

The animatronics were quite realistic with their movements and sounds. One kid started crying from far while another begged for mercy from her enthusiastic parents not to make her pose for photos with the big, scary monsters!

Hakka Lei Cha @ Volcano Coffee House, Kelapa Sawit, Kulai, Johor, Malaysia

In my previous post, I mentioned that we were at Kelapa Sawit checking out the wall murals. Before that, however, we had our breakfast at the local coffeeshop. 

There were a couple of very old coffeeshops offering the usual wanton noodle and porridge fare but, we were actually on the prowl for a very special dish associated with this Hakka neighborhood - the Hakka lei cha.

The word "Lei" （擂） refers to the action of grinding the tea but it sounds the same as the word "Thunder" （雷） so this dish is also known as the Thunder Tea.

My Mum is a Hakka so she got to have her bowl of lei cha which is actually a bowl of plain or brown rice topped with different vegetables and a bowl of soup made by grinding different types of herbs and tea leaves together. 

Wall Murals @ Kelapa Sawit, Johor, Malaysia!

Last week, the folks and I made a trip to Kelapa Sawit (otherwise known as 26 miles) which is a small village located at the north of Kulai. The name, meaning Palm Oil in Malay, is in reference to the plantation nearby that the villagers depended on for their livelihood in the early days.

The village used to be called "Chang An Village" and had a population of about ten thousand people made up predominantly by the Hakka community.

In 1949, the British, who are the Colonial master of Malaya at that time, relocated everyone living between 24 miles and 27 miles to 26 miles which is heavily guarded and barricaded with barbed wires. 

The move is to cut off any form of aid that the villagers might have been giving to the guerrillas who are hiding in the jungle. And that, is how the Kelapa Sawit New Village came about.

Back to the topic, we were there to visit the wall murals which is an initiative started by a local art group as part of Malaysia's birthday celebration in 2014.  

Actually, this is just one of the "attraction" for our one day tour to Johor. The other places, like Stingless Bee Farm, YOYO, Fuzhou noodle and biscuit factory have been blogged before in my earlier travel posts so I will not talk about them again.

You may read more about my previous day trip to Muar and Kluang.

Army Open House 2017 @ The City (F1 Pit Building)

After an absence of five years, the Army Open House (AOH) has finally made a return! And what better time to bring it back than now because 2017 marks the 50th year of National Service (NS) in Singapore.

I visited the open house held at the F1 Pit Building near the Singapore Flyer over the past weekend. The crowd was insane and there was heightened security as visitors had to undergo body and bag checks before being allowed entry.

Da Jie Famous Wanton Noodle @ 209 Jalan Besar

Update: Da Jie Wanton Noodle has permanently closed.

When I was reading up on Hainan Chicken Rice Ball and Victor Famous Fried Chicken Wing Rice, I did not realize that there are so many good food to be found along the stretch of Jalan Besar which is somewhat out of my comfort zone.

However, I have already conquered half of it during my previous food trail to Hainan Chicken Rice Ball, Victor Famous Fried Chicken Wing Rice and Sungei Road Laksa.

It is a good thing that they are all within walking distances from one another so I only need to venture a little further during this visit to Da Jie Famous Wanton Noodle.

Victor Famous Fried Chicken Wing Rice @ Blk 638 Veerasamy Road

After an exasperating attempt to have Victor Famous Fried Chicken Wing Rice, I made a second visit the following weekend.

This time, I reached the coffeeshop at 11.40am instead, having learned a lesson the hard way previously. As I approached the stall, there is already a short queue of about five people in front of me but the queue is not moving at all.

I craned my neck and saw that the first customer is actually buying more than twenty packs of the chicken rice for the whole village. To my relief, she is already collecting the last few packs. After she is done, the queue finally starts moving.

Sungei Road Laksa @ Blk 27 Jalan Berseh

 
In my previous post, I visited Hainan Chicken Rice Ball at Dickson Road. I had also planned to visit Victor Famous Fried Chicken Wing Rice since they are about two streets away from each other.

Because Google and Burpple stated the opening hours of both stalls as 8.30am, I arranged my timing to reach there a little after 9am. However, when I reached Hainan Chicken Rice Ball, the stall owner is still preparing the stall for business (stall lights are off) thus, I went off in search of Victor Famous Fried Chicken Wing Rice only to find out that they too are not ready for business yet.

At that time, it did not occur to me that the timing I got from Google and Burpple could be outdated so I did not bother asking what time they are opening. I just thought that they might need an extra 10 to 20 minutes.

With that, I walked to and fro between both stalls for more than five times, thinking that by the time I reach the other side, they would be ready. However, that was not the case. I ended up feeling so frustrated that I ditched the plan and went for Sungei Road Laksa instead.

Why did these hawkers not put up their business hours in front of their stalls prominently for all to see, just like what Sungei Road Laksa did? (refer to photo below)

Hainan Chicken Rice Ball @ 3 Dickson Road

Update: Hainan Chicken Rice Ball has relocated. The new address has been updated at the end of this post.

The first time I had chicken rice ball was in Malacca three years ago. Frankly speaking, I was not too impressed by it. I remember the rice ball is mushy and lacked the aroma that I am accustomed to with Singapore-styled chicken rice.

When I found out that there is a stall in Jalan Besar selling chicken rice ball, I decided to see how it compares to the one across the causeway.

Jalan Besar is the part of Rochor area that I have not ventured before but the stall is surprisingly easy to find if you are coming by Rochor MRT Station.

Just take the exit towards Veerasamy Road, exit the station (you should see Lasalle College of the Arts opposite you), turn left and follow the pavement to the coffeeshop which is just round the corner.

Hong Kong Soya Sauce Chicken Noodle Rice @ Beauty World Food Centre

Update: Hong Kong Soya Sauce Chicken Noodle Rice has shifted two units down along the same row with a new signboard. New stall photo and unit number has been updated at the bottom of this post.

Just a few doors away from Hambaobao is this stall called Hong Kong Soya Sauce Chicken Noodle Rice (what a mouthful!) selling what else, but soya sauce chicken with either noodles, rice or hor fun. Do not confuse this with (*takes a deep breathe*) Hong Kong Soya Sauce Chicken Rice & Noodle, the Michelin-starred stall at 335 Smith Street which has since been rebranded as "Liao Fan".

The latter is my favorite but have become quite impossible to eat with the insane queue ever since it received the award. I had to turn to other alternatives like Ma Li Ya Virgin Chicken and Fatty Ox in order to have my soya sauce chicken cravings fixed.

This stall at Beauty World Food Centre is my latest find, and the nearest to me without having to go all the way to Chinatown where all my alternatives are located at. Other than soya sauce chicken noodle, they also sell the usual wanton noodle, dumpling noodle and beef brisket noodle.

Strangely, glutinous rice, chee cheong fun and yam cake are also available here.

Hambaobao Is Back @ Beauty World Food Centre - Till Next Year!

Update: Hambaoba has relocated. The new address has been updated at the bottom of this post.

Hambaobao (a direct translation of ham burger in Chinese) is the "new kid on the block", having set up stall at the Beauty World Food Centre about two years ago.

When I first got to know about this burger joint serving some Asian-inspired burgers like ayam buah keluak (sandwiched between two buns with chap chye, no less!) and crispy pork belly (aka sio bak burger), I told myself that I have to come try it one of these days.

However, the "one of these days" never did materialize as procrastination got the better of me.

Earlier this year, news about a mystery buyer buying over the food centre with intentions to redevelop it into an air-conditioned food court were rife. Before I knew it, the food centre ceased operations.

Original Jalan Tua Kong 132 Mee Pok @ 24 Sixth Avenue

Located in the same coffeeshop as 6th Avenue Wanton Noodle is this noodle stall called Original Jalan Tua Kong 132 managed by two guys.

The name of the stall baffles me as it is a combination of two very famous Teochew mee pok stalls like 132 Mee Pok from Marine Terrace and Jalan Tua Kong Lau Lim Mee Pok from Simpang Bedok. 

I know of the story between 132 and Lau Lim but what about this stall which claims to be the original? Is this stall hitching a ride on their names or simply a disgruntled sibling/relative/ex-worker striking out on his own?

In all honesty, I have not eaten both 132 or Lau Lim before hence, I cannot compare who does it better. However, this stall's mee pok is the best that I have tasted ever thus far.

6th Avenue Wanton Noodle @ 24 Sixth Avenue

If you have read this, you would have known that I went to Sixth Avenue for breakfast before going to the Learning Forest at the Botanic Gardens. After leaving Botanic Gardens, I decided to head back to Sixth Avenue for lunch.

Remember about the coffeeshop I mentioned that is bustling with customers? I decided to pop over for a look to find out for myself what is so "happening" over there.

Along the way, I took the time in the bus to google about the coffeeshop which I found out is called Good Good Eating House of which the wanton noodle and Teochew mee pok are highly raved. 

I could not decide which to try since they both looked so good in the pictures. In the end, I decided to be bias and ordered wanton noodle.

Swan Lake @ Singapore Botanic Gardens

In my previous post, I visited the newly opened Learning Forest at the Singapore Botanic Gardens. I took a bus from the bus stop opposite Sixth Avenue MRT station which brought me straight to Tanglin gate in front of the Garden.

As the Learning Forest is just a little further down past Swan Lake, it is therefore nearer to go by this way instead of coming from the Bukit Timah gate.

This photos in this post are taken around Swan Lake before I reached the Learning Forest.

The Learning Forest @ Singapore Botanic Gardens

After my breakfast at Master Tang's, I make my way back to Sixth Avenue MRT station. The Botanic Gardens is another two train stations away but I crossed over to the bus stop opposite and took a bus instead.

The MRT will bring you to the Bukit Timah gate at Botanic Gardens MRT station but the Learning Forest is nearer to Tanglin gate at Orchard Road side.

If you go by the Bukit Timah gate, you have to walk at least 2 - 3 kilometers to reach the Learning Forest. Taking the bus, however, brings you right to the front of Tanglin Gate.

From there, it is only a short distance from Swan Lake to reach the Learning Forest.

Master Tang Wanton Noodle @ 10E Sixth Avenue

Update: Master Tang Wanton Noodle has permanently closed.

During the Good Friday holiday, I decided to visit the newly opened Learning Forest at the Botanic Gardens. I took the downtown line and head towards Botanic Gardens station.

Along the way, I got off at Sixth Avenue station for breakfast at Bukit Timah Road. I am there looking for a certain Master Tang who used to be the head chef of Crystal Jade and is now running his own business at said location selling wanton noodle.

With this level of fame, I was expecting a huge turnout at his stall but unexpectedly, there is not a single soul at the coffee shop. On my way in, I saw the other coffee shop brimming with customers and long queues everywhere.

This coffee shop is the exact opposite of that coffee shop. I thought perhaps I was too early or maybe the stall is still not ready for business yet.

I approached the stall cautiously and I saw an elderly man wrapping wantons silently by the side while a lady was busy checking on the many simmering pots they had which were all screaming for attention at the same time.

That should be Master Tang with his Malaysian wife.

Feng Zhen Lor Mee @ Blk 787B Choa Chu Kang Drive

I have heard so much about the famous Feng Zhen Lor Mee at Taman Jurong but I have never gotten round to having a bowl of it as the location is rather out of the way.

Imagine my surprise when I found out that they have a second branch at Yew Tee which is so much nearer and convenient to me. Apparently from what I heard, the stall at Taman Jurong is run by the mother while the one at Yew Tee is run by the daughter.

My favorite lor mee is from Bukit Purmei Lor Mee at West Coast Drive but unfortunately, the stall has ceased operations due to the owner's declining health. Since then, I have been unable to find any lor mee that is worthy of its calories.

Pang Sua Pond @ Bukit Panjang

As we all know, water is a precious resource. Other than importing water from our neighbor, we depend on reclaimed water (NEWater), desalinated water, and water from our reservoirs to meet our daily needs.

Under PUB's Active, Beautiful, Clean (ABC) Waters Programme, Pang Sua Pond at Bukit Panjang is the latest addition to its network of stormwater collection ponds. 

Launched by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong on 25 March 2017, the new pond features an 80m-long elevated boardwalk which is suspended at a height of 7m above the waters.

Residents living nearby can jog or take a leisurely stroll on the boardwalk, while taking in the scenic views.

Thian Hock Keng Temple @ Telok Ayer Street

During the previous Car Free Sunday, I made a return trip to Telok Ayer Street to take photos of Thian Hock Keng Temple as well as the mural on the rear wall behind it by mural artist Yip Yew Chong.

Did you know that Thian Hock Keng Temple is Singapore's oldest Hokkien temple? Built between 1839 - 1842, many had contributed towards the building fund of the temple but the biggest donor is Philanthropist Tan Tock Seng.

The temple was designed and built according to Chinese temple architectural traditions by skilled craftsmen from China but what's amazing is that not a single nail was used in the construction. It has even received a plaque from Emperor Guang Xu (光緒帝) of the Qing Dynasty!

Imagine that! The great Qing Emperor knew of the existence of our tiny temple far away in South East Asia!

The temple was gazetted as a national monument on 28 June 1973 and among the many awards it has won throughout the years, it's latest win was an honorable mention in the 2001 UNESCO Asia-Pacific Heritage Awards.

Wall Mural By Mural Artist Yip Yew Chong @ Thian Hock Keng Temple

After my visit to the Fuk Tak Chi Temple, I proceeded to Thian Hock Keng Temple which is situated along the same street. 

I was not too happy with my shots at the 178 years old temple that day as my new lenses were not suited for wide angle shots. As I figured what to do, I took a walk around the perimeter of the temple when I realized that mural artiste Yip Yew Chong has been commissioned by the Hokkien Huay Kuan to draw a 40m mural at the rear wall behind the temple. 

For the uninitiated, Thian Hock Keng Temple is managed by the Singapore Hokkien Huay Kuan (Huay Kuan = Clan Association).

I thought I could take photos of the mural instead since my shots of the temple were not satisfactory. However, my view of the murals were obstructed by the vehicles parked alongside the wall.

Fuk Tak Chi Temple @ Telok Ayer Street

During my search for Nam Seng Wanton Mee, I accidentally stumbled upon this Fuk Tak Chi Temple (福德祠) along Telok Ayer Street. If you exit Telok Ayer MRT Station via Exit B, this temple is just right across the road on your left.

According to the plaque at the entrance, this temple is one of the oldest around since the 1820s. The temple, founded by the Hakka and Cantonese immigrants, served as a place of worship and a social meeting place for the two communities. The temple was closed in 1994 and has since been converted into a museum.

Inside, you can find a diorama depicting a street scene outside the temple with the early immigrants going about their daily lives. If you are wondering why there is a pier with bum boats docking along it, that is because this place used to be a coastal area. Much of Telok Ayer is built on reclaimed land.

In fact, the name Telok Ayer actually means "Water Bay".