NUS Claypot Rice

I was at NUS today and although it wasn't meal time, I couldn't resist walking down to the science canteen (not too sure what it is called now) to order claypot rice. Beancurd claypot, to be precise. Just looking at it makes me smile.



I wanted so much to tell Auntie that I came to this canteen JUST for her claypot, but was afraid that it was too much info. :P

While waiting for the food to be heated up, I realised that they have won quite a number of awards and they were actually the winner for that Felicia Chin school canteen show! I was so happy to see that because I really think they deserve it.

Auntie accidentally hurt herself when she brushed her fingers against the extremely hot claypot. That's when she started to share with me how she refused to let her customers change the orientation of the claypot for their own good, but some of them refused to listen. She even showed me all the red marks on her hand resulting from the burns in her daily course of her work. :(( So guys, if you are having claypot at NUS science canteen, just be nice to Auntie. She may look fierce, but she's a nice lady.

Food wise, I still prefer the taste few years back (wonder what's missing), but there's still a sense of happiness after I have finished the food. :)

Getting nolstagic, perhaps. :P

Ba Kut Teh @ TPY

It's comforting to know that my hubby didn't like my Ba Kut Teh, not because it wasn't tasty, but because he preferred the 'Teochew' version of it.

This Teochew guy has this satisfied and contented look after eating the following...

Teochew Bu Kut Teh (8/10)

... with this.

Tau Pok (8/10)

Address

Toa Payoh Central

(I couldn't find the exact address on the web, but according to the online map, it's at Blk 179. It's a shop by its own and has been advertised on media before)

If anybody knows the shop name, do let me know!

Mr Chicken Rice

I have heard so much about him, or rather, his famous chicken rice at Mandarin Hotel. It got me really curious how different his chicken rice is, from the normal chicken rice stall in a hawker or kopitiam.

Years passed and I have yet made a trip down to Mandarin Hotel to satisfy my curiosity. It's the price, no question about it.

If not for my hub, I could have passed by this 'Mr Chicken Rice' shop, thinking that it's just another chicken rice eatery.



"It's owned by the Mandarin Hotel Chicken Rice chef"

That got me really excited. 'Posh' chicken rice at civilian's price? There's no time to wait!



Chicken (6/10)

I must, however, admit that I am disappointed. Putting aside the fact that I raised my expectations way too high, this chicken dish is still not on par with the standards of a typical 'good chicken rice stall'.



Vegetables (6/10)



Soup (7/10)



So what's missing here? Chef Low himself? The hotel environment? Or is this simply a case of poor expectation management? ... Or, is this really how it taste like at Chatterbox? :p Branding.

Oh, btw, if you haven't been to downtown east for years, do check it out one of these days. I enjoyed myself thoroughly when I was there! :D

Place
Downtown East
#02-120

Chen Fu Ji

Appetiser (some fish strips) - 8/10



The following looks like some really posh dish you see on tv huh? The background of Suntec Shopping Centre is a giveaway. :P



Chen Fu Ji Fried Rice (8/10)

The famous expensive fried rice that created quite a stir a decade or so ago. According to their website, there is 'No hint of oil' in their fried rice. Wow, if this is true, I wonder how did they do that?

I find the fried rice good, but it's not something that I will be hooked to. My hub likes it very much - Must be the expensive crab meat on top, which ironically, I prefer to do without. :P



Roast Duck (8/10)


This is surprisingly good. :)





Barley Drink (9/10)

Must try!



We were the only customers back then and it was dinner time! There were so many staff idling around (not that they want to). I wonder how are they going to survive at this rate...

Place
Suntec City
3 Temasek Boulevard
#03-18

Imperial Treasure

Roast Duck (7/10)

Kailan (6/10)

The photos of the above are 'beyond resuscitation'. :P

Beancurd (8/10)

Durian Pudding (9/10)

It was my hub who wanted me to order this, despite my (feeble) resistance. But I am glad he made me order this for this is the best I have tasted so far! This dessert is also the reason why I decided to put up this post.

Unknown dessert

I still cannot recall what this red substance is. Whatever it is, it is defnitely no match for my durian pudding! Yumms! :D

Place

1 Kim Seng Promenade

#02-06 Great World City

Rajah Inn (Lunch Porridge Buffet)

If not for Yvonne, I wouldn't know that Rajah Inn serves Porridge Buffet during lunch time!

Porridge Buffet (7/10)

The food is decent, nothing short of those you find in food courts/kopitiam. For the variety and the price of $6.90 per pax, I'd say it's value for money!

Place

Tiong Bahru Plaza
#02-13/14/15

Crystal Jade Kitchen

I don't know about you, but I really loathe walking that long stretch in Citilink from City Hall to Suntec City and Marina Square. It's ok if I have company, but if I am not and was rushed, I can get a bit cranky... :P

That's what happened that day. My hub was way too early for our appointment and I had to double up so that he didn't have to wait long.

Shark's fins (3/10)

To make things worse, I didn't like the first dish that came up - 'shark's fins', which my hub ordered primary because it was on a 50% promotion. >_<" I took only 3 spoonfuls of it and my hub finished the rest of it, claiming that 'it's nice wat'. I think he was trying to justify his implusive purchase. :P



Prawn salad (7/10)



Tofu with mushroom (8/10)



Place
Crystal Jade Kitchen
3 Temasek Boulevard
Suntec City Mall #B1-013/014

Lao Beijing

Prawns (5/10)



Xiao Bai Cai (7/10)



Crispy Chicken (7/10)



Price
$60+

Lao Beijing

Gong Bao Ji Ding (7/10)



Fei Cui Dou Fu (9/10)



Seasonal Vegetables (Brocolli, fried with garlic) - (7/10)



Almond Jelly with Fruits (8/10)



Price
$52.50

Place
Tiong Bahru Plaza
#02-12

Tai Seng Noodle House

I have hardly taken leave without a purpose for it. No thanks to my company, I was 'forced' to take one on this day. No other family members or friends I know is in a company with such policy, so I was alone on this day.

I knew I had to meet someone. JN came to my mind straightaway at 12noon sharp (so zhun!). I sms-ed her immediately and to my delight, she's available!

Being her 'territory', JN decided to bring me to the ever-so-famous Amoy Street to have our lunch. There were queues everywhere and the place was so warm, we felt as if we were having sauna in an open area! >_<" It was after rounds of walking (15 minutes?) that we finally found a table in which we used our tissue to 'chop' the seats.

We also came to a consensus to queue for a wanton noodle stall. It was a very long wait - at least 20 minutes? I pity those pple who spent most of their lunch time searching for seats and queueing up!

It was then I started to feel how lucky I am to have lunch in my workplace where it's cool, where seats are readily available and where not much waiting time is required. :P

Having said that, the wanton noodles we bought were definitely worth the wait. The wantons were crispy, the noodles were springy. At least the meal managed to appease a sauna-ed, tired and hungry foodie. :P

And just look at the generous serving! More than 10 wantons (some in the soup) altogether?

Wanton Noodle (9/10)

According to JN, the noodles we had were much better than before. I guess the inconsistency in the quality and the long wait could be attributed to the fact that it's a one-woman show. Only one auntie at the stall to manage the huge crowd. >_<

Price

$3

Place

Amoy Food Centre

#02-123

Rajah Inn

Tahu Telor (8/10)



Steamboat - Pork in chicken soup base (9/10)

QQ Noodle

Hor Fun (10/10)

Pu Tien

I have been racing against time recently. So do pardon my irregular postings. Due to time constraints, I decided not to post some of the moderate / not-so-tasty food. Here's one of the better restaurants I've been to recently. Enjoy!

Homemade Beancurd (9/10)

You will never go wrong by ordering this dish.

Sweet and Sour Pork in lychee (9/10)

The additional ingredient - lychee makes a difference! In novelty and in enhancing the flavour. Alas, there were some fatty meat in the dish - else it would be a perfect 10.

Spinach in salted egg and century egg in supreme stock (8/10)

Herbal Prawns (9/10)

I wanted to take photo in the bamboo container but my brother was too quick to ask the waitress to dish the contents in bowls for all of us. :P I love the soup even though it's herbal, something I usually don't like to take. Almost every table had this dish. Enough said huh? :)

Take note of the name. There are many Pu Tien's in Singapore. Some are its outlets, some are just... you know lar... :P In fact, there's another Pu Tien within a 2 minute walking distance from this one. It's not too difficult to judge which is the better one. One has a huge crowd and probably a queue at the entrance. The other has many empty tables. :P

Price
$86 for four persons

Place
127 Kitchener Road
Singapore 208514
(Prepare for some walking if you are going there by MRT. You will pass by the 'imitation' restaurant first...)

QQ Noodle House

Fried QQ noodle (9/10)



Sambal Rice (10/10)



Yes, I am back for the Sambal Fried Rice. It taste as good as before. Spicy, hot and shiok!

Meatball Soup (9/10)



Taste like wanton soup base.

Price
$16.50

Place
231 Victoria Street

QQ Noodle House

I was attracted to the name of this restaurant, but was undecided whether to take the risk of dining in an unfamiliar place...



Ok, I admit that I made up my mind after seeing these. :P



Sambal Fried Rice (10/10)



This is the plate of delicious fried rice that my mother has ordered. It is of the same rating as that in Lemongrass, but tasty in its very own way. The sambal was evenly coated on each grain of rice. The whole plate of rice was hot (in terms of heat and spiciness) and I could only think of a word to describe it. Shiok!!

When she saw that I enjoyed the fried rice so much, my ever-so-selfless mother kept asking me to take a few more spoonfuls. Luckily, I managed to hold myself back from doing so, else she would have ended up taking my noodles for dinner instead. LOL.

QQ Noodles with Char Siew (7/10)



Actually it's not that bad too. The char siew and meatballs were ok. The soup was exceptionally tasty. My mother was helping herself to the soup too. hehz... the only imperfection comes from the noodles. Too chewy and 'Q' for me.

Ngor Hiong (6/10)



Even my chin-chye mother also 'hiam' that the ngor hiong are not crispy enough. A bit oily too.

Price
$16.50+0.40 for 1 glass of plain water >_<"

Place
231 Victoria Street
(Just opposite Parco Bugis)