What's good for the tougue is bad for the body?
Think Big Mac + fries + coke.... upsize.
Friday, December 25, 2009
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
Baking cake
I've tried baking cake. It finally dawned upon me to keep the air in the batter - not easy.
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
Breakfast at Kelliney Coffee @ Lucky Plaza Orchard Road
If a bowl of noodles can bring you back many years to your childhood, this is not it. I brings me to a future where I will NOT order another one. Often, I take a bus to alight in front of Luck Plaza in the morning, I notice a brightly lighted, shop. This is the only shop that is opened before 8am and serves breakfast. Except for the obvious Mcdonald's this is the only one that I see.
Like moths attracted to light, curiousity overcame me today and took the few steps upstairs and into the shop.
Business was brisk with the lady, with her shrill voice, shouting orders from the customers to the rest of the staff behid the counter.
I notice that many of the prices shown in the sighboard which hangs above the counter are shoddily modified. The price for a bowl of noodles was originally $3.00 and with just a small picece of masking tape, with 50 written on, pasted over the double zeros. This exists all over the board.
I took a look at the menu and sure enough the shop is still using the old menu. That had me fooled. I thought a bowl and a coffee will cost me $4.00 as indicated in the menu: $3.00 noodles soup/dry and coffee $1.00.
Without an apology or an explanation, the lady at the counter just told me $4.60. I was taken aback. Sure that the landload may have increased the rent in these tough economic times; sure that the government had given some money for the landlord; sure that the landlord has not lower the rent or the overheads have increased. And sure I'm not going back for the overcharge bowl of noodles and coffee.
The serving was certainly big (bowl). The noodles occupies less than half of the bowl, which has a look of a very small serving. Perhaps the boiling soup used to cook the noodles did not have enough flavour that noodles has no taste at all. It seem to be steamed and pooped on top of the tomato sauce. The slices of fishballs in the bowl tasted dry and leathery.
The coffee tasted bitter- not the mood but really the taste.
All these, which you see in the picture cost $4.60.
While I was eating, and drinking, I notice many customers, mostly young women, buying a the bee hoon. I assume that since the profit does not come from the food, then IT MUST BE THE FUNGSHUI. Lucky in Luck Plaza.
Then I looked around and saw this sign:
This sign is shown to the customers already sitting and eating. A set meal of bee hoon, egg sunny side up and a coffee at $2.80. I wonder if the sign is to offer regret to customers who have ordered or to entice customers to come in to make a purchase. From the way the sigh was put, facing inwards, it is the former.
And so I proceed on the Novena and ordered the same thing from a coffeeshop. The serving was 1.5 time more noodles in a bowl filled almost to the top, with coffed not so bitter. It costs $2.50+$0.70 = $3.20. Oh yes, the noodles in Novena tastes better. Definately.(not the price but the to the toungue)
Saturday, January 3, 2009
Kitchen mogu.mogu @ basement Far East Scotts Road.
Dish: Teriyaki Chicken (rice?)
The serving comes in a standardized plastic container about 10cm by 10cm.
Rice is of the short grain variety. The rice is steamed with a bit too much water as it is sticky. By putting a grain of it between the thumb and index finger and giving it a light squeeze you can produce a small mass of starch easily.
As for the sauce, it is dark brown and a bit gooey in nature. It is sweet with a tinge of saltiness of soy sauce which marks their version of teriyaki sauce. It is poured on top of what looks like pan grilled chicken breast of which the taste is lost or masked by the teriyaki sauce.
The chicken is cooked well to demonstrate chewy-ness but not rubbery. The chicken breaks apart upon if the chopsticks are put together in a scissors like action.
As part of the presentation, 2 small quartered corn, a bit of cauliflower and 2 small quartered pieces of carrot. The vegetables are steamed and soft to the palate. It takes an almost effortless bite when vegetable is in the mouth. Although you can taste the rawness of the cauliflower, the taste of the carrot and the corn is toned to minimal.
It isn't a fantastic meal to begin with and the portion should just be right for the average weight watching teenager.
The presentation of the dish seemed to mimic Japanese style of neat and orderliness.
Crowd/Ambience:
I descend 6 steps to be greeted by a pathway flanked by a panelled wall and 2 walls of wooden planks. The wall is speckled with lighted pictures of their food. The planks for the panels are painted red and stacked one on top of another just like the side of a wooden ship except there are spaces in-between the planks so as to give an open feel.
When I step into this basement shop which is populated with about16 picnic tables, only 3 customers are sitting and having their food.
After I make my purchase, the whole room soon fill with 20years old youngsters. It takes just about 15mins to do so.
Many of them have no idea how to go about ordering food as there is no casher counter or till. I have no problem with this ordering concept as I had been to Japan before.
At the end of the pathway stand 2 vending machines. Looking at the menu both on top of the machines and into the screen of a machine, you can choose your food by pressing the appropriate rectangle.
A bill is shown and after inserting a note into the machine, a receipt pops out and the jangle of coins is heard.
There is one girl of about 20 years old dressed in white sailor blouse with blue lined collars, and a dark blue apron dress. With a little red sling bag with the sling across the chest to the waist, in white stockings and black shiny shoes, short yet broad triangular tie and small ribbon on the head, I suppose she should pass off as a school girl Cosplay.
The crew in the kitchen are dressed in dark blue overalls; exactly like the ones in the aerospace industry.
The 'school girl' solves my dilemma of returned change changes dollar coins into notes without me asking for it.
Then I pass the receipt to the man through the small rectangular cut out in the wall with curtains and proceed to sit down and wait for one of the crew to shout - yes shout my receipt number when the food is ready. Then I walk to the same cut out wall to get my food.
Japanese pop music is constantly played in the background to give a young and hip feel. Along with the cushioned seats and bright lights, is seemed like McDonalds -Japanese style. As I am finishing typing, another batch of youngsters comes to replace the one that leaves.
Business is brisk. This is in fact not a restaurant to seat and chat but a place to eat and go; suitable to on-the-go youngsters.
Do not order the o-tea. The cup is about the size of my palm and it costs a dollar!
The serving comes in a standardized plastic container about 10cm by 10cm.
Rice is of the short grain variety. The rice is steamed with a bit too much water as it is sticky. By putting a grain of it between the thumb and index finger and giving it a light squeeze you can produce a small mass of starch easily.
As for the sauce, it is dark brown and a bit gooey in nature. It is sweet with a tinge of saltiness of soy sauce which marks their version of teriyaki sauce. It is poured on top of what looks like pan grilled chicken breast of which the taste is lost or masked by the teriyaki sauce.
The chicken is cooked well to demonstrate chewy-ness but not rubbery. The chicken breaks apart upon if the chopsticks are put together in a scissors like action.
As part of the presentation, 2 small quartered corn, a bit of cauliflower and 2 small quartered pieces of carrot. The vegetables are steamed and soft to the palate. It takes an almost effortless bite when vegetable is in the mouth. Although you can taste the rawness of the cauliflower, the taste of the carrot and the corn is toned to minimal.
It isn't a fantastic meal to begin with and the portion should just be right for the average weight watching teenager.
The presentation of the dish seemed to mimic Japanese style of neat and orderliness.
Crowd/Ambience:
I descend 6 steps to be greeted by a pathway flanked by a panelled wall and 2 walls of wooden planks. The wall is speckled with lighted pictures of their food. The planks for the panels are painted red and stacked one on top of another just like the side of a wooden ship except there are spaces in-between the planks so as to give an open feel.
When I step into this basement shop which is populated with about16 picnic tables, only 3 customers are sitting and having their food.
After I make my purchase, the whole room soon fill with 20years old youngsters. It takes just about 15mins to do so.
Many of them have no idea how to go about ordering food as there is no casher counter or till. I have no problem with this ordering concept as I had been to Japan before.
At the end of the pathway stand 2 vending machines. Looking at the menu both on top of the machines and into the screen of a machine, you can choose your food by pressing the appropriate rectangle.
A bill is shown and after inserting a note into the machine, a receipt pops out and the jangle of coins is heard.
There is one girl of about 20 years old dressed in white sailor blouse with blue lined collars, and a dark blue apron dress. With a little red sling bag with the sling across the chest to the waist, in white stockings and black shiny shoes, short yet broad triangular tie and small ribbon on the head, I suppose she should pass off as a school girl Cosplay.
The crew in the kitchen are dressed in dark blue overalls; exactly like the ones in the aerospace industry.
The 'school girl' solves my dilemma of returned change changes dollar coins into notes without me asking for it.
Then I pass the receipt to the man through the small rectangular cut out in the wall with curtains and proceed to sit down and wait for one of the crew to shout - yes shout my receipt number when the food is ready. Then I walk to the same cut out wall to get my food.
Japanese pop music is constantly played in the background to give a young and hip feel. Along with the cushioned seats and bright lights, is seemed like McDonalds -Japanese style. As I am finishing typing, another batch of youngsters comes to replace the one that leaves.
Business is brisk. This is in fact not a restaurant to seat and chat but a place to eat and go; suitable to on-the-go youngsters.
Do not order the o-tea. The cup is about the size of my palm and it costs a dollar!
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
Chicken Balsamic @ Globtrotters
I had lunch at Globtrotters on the 29 October 08 at level 2 United Square. (+65 singapore)
"Chicken Fillet in balsomic glaze, bakes to perfection, served with mashed potato and sauteed vegetable." - menu
At the bottom of the dish was the mashed potato. On top of it was the vegetable. The vegetable was a mixture of (steamed?) brocoli and carrot. To cap it off was the chicken. The dish looked set in a squarish block while thin slices of pear flanked one side and a few strips of red and green capsicum flank the other.
The brocoli and carrot were not crunchy as in raw but still has a bit of crunch to indicate the precise timing of the cook and the control of the fire. The vegetables and the capsicums were crunchy yet soft to the bite. The raw taste of the capsicums, borcoli and carrot were somehow done away with, while still keeping their little original flavour, the sauce did blend the dish together.
Upon tasting the sauce alone, one can feel the mild burn at the back of the throat just like sipping vinegar. While the smell of the vinegar was not strong, the taste sure indicated its presence with the sourness. The colour of the sauce was darkbrown.
The chicken looked like the thigh of the chicken with the bone removed. An ordinary dull knife was used to cut the chicken and, like hot knife to butter, a piece got sliced off with just a gentle stroke. The meat did not show any signs of burnt or blood. It was still wet and soft, while retaining the softness and wetness, it was brought just past the treshold between raw and cooked so that it has lost its raw-ness but retained its wetness, cooked but still soft. It was very tender and very easy to chew.
"Chicken Fillet in balsomic glaze, bakes to perfection, served with mashed potato and sauteed vegetable." - menu
At the bottom of the dish was the mashed potato. On top of it was the vegetable. The vegetable was a mixture of (steamed?) brocoli and carrot. To cap it off was the chicken. The dish looked set in a squarish block while thin slices of pear flanked one side and a few strips of red and green capsicum flank the other.
The brocoli and carrot were not crunchy as in raw but still has a bit of crunch to indicate the precise timing of the cook and the control of the fire. The vegetables and the capsicums were crunchy yet soft to the bite. The raw taste of the capsicums, borcoli and carrot were somehow done away with, while still keeping their little original flavour, the sauce did blend the dish together.
Upon tasting the sauce alone, one can feel the mild burn at the back of the throat just like sipping vinegar. While the smell of the vinegar was not strong, the taste sure indicated its presence with the sourness. The colour of the sauce was darkbrown.
The chicken looked like the thigh of the chicken with the bone removed. An ordinary dull knife was used to cut the chicken and, like hot knife to butter, a piece got sliced off with just a gentle stroke. The meat did not show any signs of burnt or blood. It was still wet and soft, while retaining the softness and wetness, it was brought just past the treshold between raw and cooked so that it has lost its raw-ness but retained its wetness, cooked but still soft. It was very tender and very easy to chew.
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