Penang Asam Laksa

The best Penang Asam Laksa is in town - at Singapore Expo hall 4. This is the best Penang Asam Laksa that we have ever eaten. We first came across this Penang Asam Laksa recently at KSL, JB. The distinctive asam aroma hooked us up when we walked past their mobile stall. It was selling at RM5 per bowl. We thought that it was a reasonable price and we gave it a try.

Weeks after we have tried it, we hoped that there will be opportunities for us to indulge in this delicacy again. Fortunately, we are blessed to know that they will be exhibiting their delicacy in Singapore Expo. So, we headed to the Expo for a savouring Asam Laksa lunch; we even bought 5 packets home for dinner.

The Penang Asam Laksa is generously served with shredded sardines, sliced asam, thick & sweet prawn paste, bit-sized pineapples, thick rice noodles, finely sliced onions, cucumber and lettuce. The asam, sardines and lemongrasss are the key to the distinctive aroma - sour, sweet and spicy. The aftertaste is absolutely awesome!

The Damage

7 X Penang Asam Laksa - $17.50

Our Ratings (out of 5)

Food/Drink: 4.5

Service: 3.0
Price: 3.5

Ambiance: N.A.

Address: N.A.

Contact No: N.A.

Website: N.A.

Don Pie Club

Yes! It's a Friday. It has been a busy week for both of us and we were comtemplating what's for dinner. And Don just flashed across my mind. It has been quite a while since we last patronized Don. So, we made a swift decision and headed to Don.

The Claypot Crab Bee Hoon Soup - sweet and milky soup base, flavoured with traditional Chinese herbs such as Angelica Sinensis or a.k.a Dang Gui. Besides being a delicacy, it serves to nourish your body and enhance your well-being.

The Claypot Crab Bee Hoon Soup is served with pieces of yam and chopped, medium-sized crab with big claws, sliced fried ginger and coriander. Both the crabs and Bee Hoon have absorbed the essence of the Chinese herbs. The crab meat is very firm and taste sweet with subtle aroma of Chinese herbs. The texture of the Bee Hoon is very smooth and silky. We were literally digging out more Bee Hoon in the Claypot - we thought we could get more of it as we were not satisfying-full.

The price of the Claypot Crab Bee Hoon Soup has since increased from $16 to $20 - I feel that the price is at the slightly expensive side as the portion of the crab and Bee Hoon does not seem to have increased. This will probably reduce the frequency in patronizing Don.

Pieces of Crab and Yam

Q and Silky Bee Hoon absorbed the essence of the crabs and herbs

Appetizing Homemade Sour and Spicy Chilli Sauce

Pink Guava Juice

The Damage

2 X Claypot Crab Bee Hoon Soup - $40.00

2 X Pink Guava Juice - $7.60

Our Ratings (out of 5)

Food/Drink: 4.0

Service: 3.5
Price: 3.0

Ambiance: 3.5

Address: 20 Cross Street, #01-34/35/36, China Court
Contact No: 6536 0925

Website: http://www.donpieclub.com.sg/

Taste of Thailand

I have been a loyal customer of Taste of Thailand for approximately 25 years and counting. With this accreditation, you can safely infer that the food quality has been maintained at an acceptable level after all these years. I must confess that they serve one of the best Thai food in Singapore. They were initially located at the basement of Sembawang Shopping Centre and subsequently shifted to a higher level later. Owing to the demolition and rebuilt of the Sembawang Shopping Centre, they shifted to Yishun Ind Park and opened another outlet at Yishun Ave 5 called Bei Sheng Seafood. Everytime I patronize Taste of Thailand, it reminds me of my childhood memories at Taste of Thailand. Time flies...

Taste of Thailand is usually fully packed during weekend (dinner). Crowd usually starts to form at around 6.30pm. To avoid the crowd, I would recommend you to arrive at about 6.30pm for dinner. It is generally not packed during lunch.

During peak hours, dishes are served very quickly - in less than 10mins. To make your meal more worth it, the boss usually gives about 5% to 10% discount on your final bill. Isn't that great?!

Home-made Thai Chilli Sauce

Thai Deep Fried Fish Delight - fresh sea bass served with its home-made Thai chilli sauce. The chilli sauce complements very well with the fish. The fish is cripsy on the outside, smooth and extremely firm on the inside and does not have a fishy aftertaste. Almost every tables will have this dish. This is a must-order dish.

Deep Fried Cuttlefish - cuttlefish strips is cripsy on the outside and crewy on the inside. The home-made Thai chilli sauce complements very well with the cuttlefish as well. Similar to the Fried Fish, this is a must-order dish.

Pineapple Fried Rice - generously sprinkled with pork floss and pineapple chuncks, chinese sausage chuncks, shrimps and eggs. The rice is sometimes slightly dry to my liking; sometimes, the texture of the rice looks grainy and glossy, which makes it more appetizing. I realized that the small or medium portion usually taste better than the large portion. It could be due to the difference in the amount of ingredients that the chef has to manage when preparing this dish. Despite of this inconsistency, I will order the Pineapple Fried Rice undoubtly.

Seafood Tom Yum Soup - it is slightly sour and very spicy with plentiful of ingredients, which include sliced fish, squids, prawns and mushrooms. A small size Seafood Tom Yum Soup can serve 2-4 pax.

Thai Fish Maw Soup - soup base is thick and sticky. The ingredients include fish maw, minced crab meat, sliced mushrooms and shredded carrots. It is best served with chinese black vinegar. A small size Thai Fish Maw Soup can serve 2-4 pax.

The Damage

1 X Small Thai Deep Fried Fish Delight - $13

1 X Small Deep Fried Cuttlefish - $6

1 X Medium Pineapple Fried Rice - $5

1 X Small Seafood Tom Yum Soup - $4

1 X Small Thai Fish Maw Soup - $5

Our Ratings (out of 5)

Food/Drink: 4.5

Service: 3.5
Price: 3.5

Ambiance: 3.5

Address: 1001 Yishun Ind Park A, #01-1001

Contact No: 6758 9121

Website: N.A.

Lit Lit Sin Popiah and Dessert

Lit Lit Sin Popiah serves one of the best popiah that we have eaten thus far. The filling includes sliced sweet mang guang, sliced eggs, shrimps, crushed peanuts, bean sprouts, garlic, sweet sauce and one secret receipe (I do not know). The popiah skin is neither hard nor wet (by the sauce of the mang guang). As you munch the popiah, you will feel the slight crunchiness of the mang guang and crushed peanuts and the aromatic flavor scattered in your mouth.

Chendol with Red Beans only

The Damage

4 X Popiah - $5.20

1 X Chendol - $1.30

Our Ratings (out of 5)

Food/Drink: 3.5

Service: 3.0
Price: 3.5

Ambiance: 3.0

Address:  928 Yishun Central 1
Contact No: N.A.
Website: N.A.

Happy Deepavali

I would like to wish my Hindu, Sikh and Jain readers, a joyous Deepavali.

Pastamania @ Sun Plaza

Spaghetti is our recent craving. To satisfy our craving for spaghetti, we have been patronizing Pastamania at least twice a week. They serve cheaper spaghetti and provides delivery (limited areas) service. The branch at Sun Plaza opens till 3am. So, if you are considering a place for supper, Pastamania @ Sun Plaza is the place; cosy and comfortable.

We love Turkey Bacon Aglio. It is the only spaghetti that we order whenever we patronize Pastamania. It is served with thin-sliced turkey bacon, minced garlic, chopped basil leaves, tomato chuncks and the generous use of olive oil makes the spaghetti smooth and spaghetti-sipping possible. It is best served with a little more chilli padi to bring a little bit more spiciness to the aftertaste.

The Damage

2 X Turkey Bacon Aglio - $16.60

Our Ratings (out of 5)

Food/Drink: 4.0

Service: 3.5
Price: 3.5

Ambiance: 3.5

Address: 30 Sembawang Dr, Sun Plaza, #01-18

Contact No: 6758 3018

Website: http://www.pastamania.com.sg/

Hong Kong Zhai Dim Sum

We must confess that Hong Kong Zhai serves one of the best and cheap Dim Sum in the red dot. In our opinion, the quality of the Dim Sum is on par with the ones served in most of the restaurants.

Crispy Banana & Red Bean Paste - it is neither oily nor greasy. Best consumed when it is freshly fried and drained (the oil); the hot and crispy outer layer with banana aroma and subtle sweetness from the red bean paste is sensational. This is a must-order dish.

Pan-fried Carrot Cake - thin crispy layer with dried shrimps aftertaste  on the outside from frying, and soft on the inside. This is a must-order dish.

Creamy Custard Bun - the filling is slightly sweet and salty. The warm creamy custard flows out when tore apart. The smooth creamy custard contains crispy tiny bits, which creates an additional aftertaste. This is a must-order dish.

BBQ Pork Bun

Siew Mai - the filling (wrapped by a thin layer of lye water dough) contains prawn, pork and bite-size pieces of water chestnuts is included to bring some crunchiness to the Siew Mai. Prawn is very spongy and pork is fresh and does not have strange odor. This is a must-order dish.

Shrimp Dumpling - the filling contains whole prawn wrapped by a thin layer of lye water dough. Munching the whole-prawn-shrimp-dumpling makes you feel extremely satisfied.

BBQ Pork Rice Roll - the textual of the rice roll is very smooth and thin. It is served with home-made slightly-sticky soy sauce. BBQ pork is fresh and does not have strange odor.

Scallops Rice Roll - the textual of the rice roll is very smooth and thin. It is served with home-made slightly-sticky soy sauce. The scallops are spongy. 

Steamed Glutinous Rice in Lotus Leaf

The Damage

1 X Crispy Banana & Red Bean Paste - $3

1 X Pan-fried Carrot Cake - $2
1 X Creamy Custard Bun - $3

1 X BBQ Pork Bun - $1.50
1 X Siew Mai - $2.50
1 X Shrimp Dumpling - $3
1 X BBQ Pork Rice Roll - $3

1 X Scallops Rice Roll - $3
1 X Steamed Glutinous Rice in Lotus Leaf - $3

Our Ratings (out of 5)

Food/Drink: 4.0

Service: 3.0

Price: 3.5

Ambiance: 3.0

Address: 107 Ang Mo Kio Ave 4, #01-138

Contact No: 6457 2248

Website: http://www.hongkongzhai.com/

Blackball

We ordered the Blackball Signature dessert, which is served with Grass Jelly, Yam Balls, Sweet Potato Balls, Taro Q Pearls, Red Beans, Condensed Milk and crushed, silky ice.

We have tried a couple of desserts on their menu but we prefer the Blackball Signature dessert the most. The Yam Balls, Sweet Potato Balls, Taro Q Pearls are Q and chewy. The Red Beans are sweet and the addition of condensed milk will enhance the aftertaste.

The Damage
1 X Blackball Signature - RM6.90
1 X Additional Condensed Milk - RM0.50

Our Ratings (out of 5)
Food/Drink: 4.0
Service: 4.0
Price: 3.5
Ambiance: 3.0


Address: KSL City Mall, L2-132
Contact No: 013-720 5210
Website: http://www.blackball.com.my/

Shun Fa Bak Kut Teh

It was a fortnight affair where we crossed over the border to Johor Bahru (JB) for yet another fooding experience. We decided to review one of the popular restoran - Shun Fa Bak Kut Teh. They have two branches in JB - one is located at Jalan Sutera and the other is located at Permas Jaya. The one that we are reviewing is at located at Jalan Sutera.

Lemon Honey Ice Jelly

Garlic and Black Soy Sauce

Salted Vegetable served with Fried Lard.

You Tiao

The sizzling hot Claypot Sesame Chicken is one of the signature dish. It is served with spring onions, shredded ginger and Hua Diao Jiu (chinese cooking wine), which enhanced the aroma and taste of the entire dish. You will feel the tenderness of the chicken chunks on every bite of it. However, the chicken bones seem to distract the enjoyment of the chicken tenderness. The sauce is thick and slightly sweet and it goes well with white rice.

This is the signature dish - Claypot Bak Kut Teh with additional Ingredients for 2 Pax. Look at the great variety of ingredients. It will definitely excite you with the personalized taste and experience. Ingredients include pork ribs, pork belly, enoki mushrooms, sliced button mushrooms, pig intestines, pig stomach, pacific clams, fried beancurd skin, meatballs, and fish maw.

The soup base itself is clear and has a very subtle herbal taste and aroma unlike the other Bak Kut Teh. Personally, I prefer Bak Kut Teh with a stronger herbal taste and aroma. Depending on your preference, you may prefer Bak Kut Teh with subtle herbal taste and aroma.

The Damage
2 X Lemon Honey Ice Jelly - RM5.00
1 X Salted Vegetable - RM2.00
1 X You Tiao - RM2.00
1 X Claypot Chicken with Sesame Oil - RM8.00
1 X Claypot Bak Kut Teh with additional Ingredients for 2 Pax - RM20.00
2 X White Rice - RM2.00

Our Ratings (out of 5)

Food/Drink: 4.0

Service: 3.0

Price: 3.5

Ambiance: 2.5

Address: Jalan Sutera 1, Taman Sentosa (near to The Store)

Ayam Penyet President

I came across the Ayam Penyet President restaurant about a year ago when my intention was to dine at a Ayam Penyet restaurant (without the President) - located at the same level where the Ayam Penyet President restaurant is. I used to work (6 - 8 years ago) at NAC previously and I frequent the Ayam Penyet restaurant (without the President) almost everytime I work OT. The food was generally appetizing and affordable - within the amount that I am allowed to claim my meal for working OT.

Back to the Ayam Penyet President restaurant - I think the word "President" in the restaurant name attempts to convey a message that the food/beverages and the free flow of complimentary soup served are of high excellency and fineness; similar quality that is served to a president. In my opinion, it is just a marketing term in this context. Nevertheless, the food/beverages do stimulate our taste buds so it qualifies for a review in the Fooding Heaven.

Es Kelpa (Iced Coconut) is a cool, refreshing beverage with thin rose cordial syrup and sliced crunchy coconut pulp. It is slightly sweet with light coconut aftertaste. The sweetness level can be controlled by the amount of rose cordial syrup supplemented to the drink. I will order this drink every time I dine at this restaurant.

Ayam Bakar (Grilled Chicken) is one of the popular main dish in Indonesian cuisine. It comes in either chicken breast or chicken thigh. We ordered chicken thigh although both are absolutely fine with us. People who prefer chicken drumstick may opt for chicken thigh. It is served with a piece of fried mashed soy beans and fried bean curd. We are not a fried mashed soy beans or fried bean curd lover so it did not stimulate our taste buds.

When the Ayam Bakar was served, it was not sufficiently heated up. This is the only negative feedback that I have on this dish. On the other side of the coin, the chicken was soft and tender; with a layer of grilled chicken skin that created a subtle burnt taste.

This is our first time ordering Nasi Kuning (Yellow Fragrant Rice) to complement it with Ayam Bakar. It is served with sliced fried egg and crispy/spicy fried beans. A little disappointing though as the rice was slightly damp and tasteless. Definitely not worth the $2.

This sweet sauce with chilli padi complements very well with the Ayam Bakar. Dip a mouthful of Ayam Bakar into this sauce or mixed it with Nasi Kuning and you will experience the sweetness in the mouth and spiciness aftertaste.

At first sight, the Rujak Mangga (Mango with Special Indo Chilli Paste) looks sour. We were expecting ourselves to give a "sour" expression when savouring the first piece. But, it was totally not within our expectation; it did not taste sour at all! It was not sweet though. However, it leaves a mango aroma in your mouth while you are chewing the sliced crunchy mango. This desert definitely completes your meal.

The Rujak Mangga is served with the Special Indo Chilli Paste. The texture is sticky and it is sweet and extremely spicy. If you are not someone who can withstand spicyness, just dip a little.

The Damage
2 X Es Kelpa (Iced Coconut) - $6
2 X Ayam Bakar (Grilled Chicken) - $12
2 X Nasi Kuning (Yellow Fragrant Rice) - $4
1 X Rujak Mangga (Mango with Special Indo Chilli Paste) - $5

Our Ratings (out of 5)

Food/Drink: 4.0

Service: 3.0

Price: 3.0

Ambiance: 3.0

Address: 304 Orchard Road, Lucky Plaza, #03-36/37, Singapore 238863

Contact No: 6735 1262