River Hong Bao 2017 春到河畔 2017

CHOY SUN DOU!

It is the Lunar New Year and do you know what that means?

River Hongbao - the annual event which everyone has been looking forward to - is back for it's 31st year! Just like the previous years, it is once again being held at the Floating Platform at Marina Bay.

As the folks are hosting guests at home in the afternoon, I would not want to be caught dead in the "line of fire" (interrogation), therefore, I made an excuse to slip out of the house to visit River Hongbao before the 姨妈姑姐s (blood-related or otherwise) arrive.

One Day Trip To Muar, Johor, Malaysia

It was a chilly Sunday morning. 

While most people are still warmly curled-up in their beds at 5.45am, a small congregation had already gathered at a dark, secluded corner of the neighborhood. 

My Aunt's department had organized a one day trip to Muar, Johor, Malaysia and she has asked my parents and I along. It was considered a 'blind' trip for me because I do not know the itinerary nor know where we will be going to. 

We set off on board a luxurious coach heading for Tuas checkpoint and were met with by our Malaysian tour guide after clearing the Malaysian side of the customs. 

Animal Corner At Farmart Centre

Farmart Centre is a farmers' market of sorts where one can buy fresh produces such as eggs, live seafood and vegetables. During my schooling days, I go there quite often and I even brought my classmates there a couple of times during the school holidays.

Although the farm is near to where I stay, its location at Sungei Tengah is rather inaccessible if you do not drive.

Thankfully, Farmart Centre provides daily shuttle bus service and I remember the fare used to cost 50 cents. When we alight from the shuttle bus, the driver would hand everyone some discount coupons which we could utilize at the shops.

Those were the days and in the twinkling of an eye, 19 years has passed since my last visit. As the second day of 2017 is a public holiday, I decided to make a trip there for old times sake.

From their Facebook page, I learned that from 2017 onward, the shuttle bus service will only be available during the weekends but the ride will be complimentary.

Waffletown USA @ Balmoral Plaza

Update: Waffletown USA has permanently closed.

Waffletown USA is a family-owned business that had been serving American food such as burgers, fried chicken and Belgian waffles for the last thirty odd years in Singapore.

During the 1980s, it was situated at the basement of Bukit Timah Plaza before moving to its current location at Balmoral Plaza along Bukit Timah Road. It has been years since I last visited them and as I walked through its door today, a wave of nostalgia hits me in the face. 

Everything from the furnishings to the deco remained exactly how I remembered it to be when they were still at their previous address.

Nine Fresh Desserts Taiwan 九鲜 九份甜品 @ Jurong Point

I have never been to Taiwan before but thanks to the kind folks who brought in the Taiwan desserts chain stores to our shores, I am able to have my first taste of taro balls with beancurd/grass jelly about a year ago. 

As much as I like the dessert I had then, I was hesitant to go back again as the price is almost equivalent to a meal at the food court. 

However, I am happy to have found another brand of Taiwan dessert stall offering a similar concept but with a more wallet-friendly pricing.

Introducing, NINE FRESH DESSERTS TAIWAN! They offer a few combo of desserts featuring Taiwan-specified ingredients like taro balls and pearls. Or, if you prefer, you could also create your own by selecting one of the base (beancurd, grass jelly, ai-yu jelly) and choosing your favorite toppings.

Xin Long Fish Soup @ Kopitiam, Jurong Point

Update: Xin Long Fish Soup has permanently closed.

After my dental appointment today, I chanced upon this Xin Long Fish Soup stall located inside the Kopitiam Foodcourt on the third floor of Jurong Point Shopping Centre.

Fish soup is one of my favorite comfort food so I decided to order a bowl for lunch. (yes, I ate twenty minutes after my tooth extraction!)

When it comes to fish soup, I prefer to have it with fried fish and thick bee hoon (rice vermicelli) rather than with sliced fish and rice. I can have a hearty bowl of fish soup for breakfast, lunch and dinner consecutively without getting sick of it.

National Orchid Garden *Free Admission!*

I have always thought that the National Orchid Garden is simply a small scale garden showcasing its collection of Orchids and probably not worth the price of a ticket to go in.

When I learned that Singaporeans enjoy free entry from November 2016 till January 2017, I decided to take the opportunity to check it out if it is really the "go one round and we're out" kind of small like what I had thought.

By the end of my visit, however, I realized that the National Orchid Garden is anything but small. With over 1,000 species and 2,000 hybrids, the Garden is the largest display of Orchids in the world!

Delicious Fried Carrot Cake 日夜香菜头粿 @ Redhill Market & Food Centre

There are two rival fried carrot cake stalls at Redhill Food Centre but I decided to patronize the one called Delicious Fried Carrot Cake (日夜香菜头粿 #01-33) instead of Fu Ming Cooked Food (福明熟食 #01-49).

The reason why I picked one over the other is because I heard that they add taugeh (beansprouts) to their fried carrot cake. I have eaten fried carrot cake with beansprouts at Thailand before but it is still the first time I have heard of this combination in Singapore. I must admit, it did arouse my interest to give them a try.

Manned by an elderly couple, the uncle does all the frying while the auntie helps to take order, beat the eggs and receive payment.

Both the white and black versions of fried carrot cake are available here and you can opt for or without beansprouts.

Yan 焱 Fried Beehoon And Fried Chicken Wings @ Redhill Market & Food Centre

I have finally gotten the chance to try the fried bee hoon and fried chicken wings that Mr Lee Hsien Loong had personally stood 30 minutes in line for.

It caused quite a stir back then when photographs of the Prime Minister queuing went viral across all social networks.

That was two years ago.

Black Muah Chee @ Toa Payoh HDB Hub

I am quite surprised to know that there is a black version of muah chee! 

This stall called "Hougang Six Miles Famous Muah Chee" located inside Gourmet Paradise Food Court at Toa Payoh HDB Hub sells exactly that. The black element is actually due to the crushed black sesame seeds coating its exterior.

Of course, they do sell the usual crushed peanut version as well.

Here, the muah chee are individually hand pulled from a larger dough then dipped in shallot oil before being tossed into a bed of crushed peanuts or black sesame.

Compared to other vendors who simply place a blob of the dough into the tray of crushed peanuts and then snipping them into smaller pieces with scissors, Hougang Six Miles Famous Muah Chee's muah chee is way more chewy due to the extra stretching.

Dover Road Kai Kee Wanton Noodle 杜佛路佳記雲吞麵 @ Alexandra Village Food Centre

About a year ago, Dad returned home with two packets of Wanton Noodles for Mum and me. While transferring the noodles onto a plate, I was surprised not just by the big mound of noodles, but also the number of wantons that slipped out from the plastic bag!

As I send a mouthful of noodles into my mouth, my eyes sparkled. Never mind the lean char siew and limpy wantons, the sauce is the kind I liked. So comforting, so old school but so difficult to find!

I queried with Dad where he bought the noodles from but I could not get a definite answer as he just randomly picked a stall to tapau the food from. All I knew was that it is somewhere in Bukit Merah.

Collecting Magic: From Stamps To Wands - A Harry Potter Exhibition At The Singapore Philatelic Museum

Pottermania has made a comeback this year, with the release of the latest book, Harry Potter & The Cursed Child, and this exhibition - Collecting Magic: From Stamps To Wands at the Singapore Philatelic Museum!

Your favorite child wizards Harry, Ron and Hermione have arrived at the Museum, in the form of stamps as well as movie memorabilia and collectibles from private collectors.

On display are items such as the first licensed Harry Potter stamps, First Day Covers, postcards, stamps, limited edition books and DVDs, prop replicas, movie posters, toys and more.

Supreme Pork Chop Rice 一品排骨饭 @ 67 Beach Road

I was on an errand for Dad, to send his phone in for servicing but as the service centre was not open until 11am, I decided to drop by 67 Beach Road opposite Shaw Tower to have this Supreme Pork Chop Rice that I saw on Instagram.

I wonder why I have not heard of this place before when I worked at Bugis a few years ago. (I was a faithful regular at Tong Seng Coffeeshop at Liang Seah Street. Love their Laksa and Spring Rolls!)

Standing before the gigantic red signboard with its supersized font, one had to walk down a flight of stairs to reach the stall. Due to its location at the basement, the air could get a little stuffy inside even though the fans are oscillating.

Pink Rose Tutu Kueh @ ION Orchard Food Opera

Tutu Kueh is a small steamed cake made of roasted rice flour and filled with either grated coconut or crushed peanuts. Claiming to be its creators, Queensway Lau Tan Tutu Kueh has been selling this old school snack at Queensway Shopping Centre for as long as I could remember.

However, this post is not about their main outlet at Queensway but their latest stall inside Food Opera, level B4 at ION Orchard.

Having shifted over from its previous location at Shaw House, this is the only outlet that offers their signature Pink Rose Tutu Kueh.

Heng Huat Boon Lay Boneless Duck Noodles 興發文礼起骨鸭面 @ Boon Lay Place Food Village

The duck noodles from Heng Huat Boon Lay Boneless Duck Noodles (興發文礼起骨鸭面) is Dad's absolute favorite. He will have this and nothing else whenever we came to Boon Lay Place Food Village.

At $3.50, the duck noodles here is quite value for money. Not only is there a generous mound of noodles below, the top is almost covered by the taugeh (beansprouts) which is equally plentiful. Sweeping the taugeh aside will reveal the boneless duck meat hidden below.

Boon Lay Power Nasi Lemak @ Boon Lay Place Food Village

Even though I visit Boon Lay Place Food Village quite frequently, I have never tried this Boon Lay Power Nasi Lemak before as I thought that they only cater to the dinner crowd.

A week ago, I was there to do some marketing with my folks when I happened to see the stall open. I did not know that they open in the mornings. Did they change operating hours or have I thought wrongly all these years?

Whatever it is, I knew then that I had to give it a try to know how "power" their Nasi Lemak really is. 

There is a customer in front of me so while waiting for him to be served, I glanced around the stall and noticed that they also sell an assortment of ala carte ingredients which you can choose for your coconut rice.

Chung Cheng Chilli Mee 崇正辣椒面 @ Golden Mile Food Centre

Have you ever heard of "Chili Mee" (辣椒面) before?

This stall located on the second storey of Golden Mile Food Centre sells exactly that, together with Prawn Mee (肉骨虾面) and Laksa (叻沙).

This is the first time I have heard of "Chili Mee" and I do not have the slightest clue what it really is. Consisting of ingredients borrowed from the Prawn Mee and Laksa, the impression this bowl of Chili Mee give me is chapalang because it is "a mix of everything".

I suppose it got its name due to the noodles being slathered with a generous portion of the savory chili sauce.

Mushroom Bak Chor Chai Tow Kway 香菇肉脞菜头粿 @ North Bridge Road Market

Ke Shuang Xing Fried Carrot Cake (柯双兴菜头粿) has been dishing out fried carrot cake (Chai Tow Kway) for five decades but just this month, they have roll out a new offering which is a marriage between Chai Tow Kway and Wah Kueh.

Wah Kueh (碗糕), as its name implies, is a bowl-sized rice pudding (imagine a giant Chwee Kueh) with toppings and sauce drizzled over it.

Unfortunately, this is a fast disappearing dish in Singapore. I myself have eaten it only once at Bukit Merah Food Centre while on my way to CMPB from Redhill more than 10 years ago. I have even forgotten how it taste like now.

Ivan, the owner of Ke Shuang Xing Fried Carrot Cake decided to bring this old favorite back and merge it with their Chai Tow Kway.

Qianhu Fish Farm: 9th Fish-Hub Competition 2016 - Flowerhorn Unity

I found out from Qianhu's Facebook about this 9th Fish-Hub Competition 2016 Flowerhorn Unity event so I made my way to the fish farm since I also need to get some supplies.

The event is held right in front of the shuttle bus drop-off point. There are a total of four classes and each class had fifteen entries totaling 60 tanks of flowerhorns.

I only took photos of the Class 1 Category A winners. I did not stay for the prize-giving.

Hua Kee Chicken Rice 华记鸡饭 @ Redhill Market & Food Centre

My last visit to Redhill Food Centre was more than 10 years ago when I walk pass it from Redhill MRT Station while on my way to have my pre-NS checkup at CMPB.

At that time, I knew nothing about the many good food to be found in this old, humble estate. For my return after more than a decade, I did some research online and compiled a list of the must-eats here at the food centre.

Among the popular stalls that made it to my list is 焱 (#01-09), whose fried chicken wings is supposedly so good that our Prime Minister Lee was spotted in the queue. Then, there is also Seng Heng Duck Mee (#01-28), Bak Kee Satay Bee Hoon (#01-42) and Hua Kee Chicken Rice (#01-72).