Bangkok, the enigmatic gem in the Land of Smiles, the budget shopper's paradise and a non spicy eater's nightmare. From the indie to plebeian, high class luxury to ghetto queer, there's everything and anything for anyone. Following my post on A different kind of traveling, this post will provide some specific tips and things to do in Bangkok in a weekend. I will follow up with other posts on my eats soon!

It's been a while since the boy and i headed back to the start of our travel adventures. Bangkok was our first travel destination as a couple. Back then I don't suppose we thought it would have been this long. Haha. Even as poor undergraduates, our spending power was multiplied (thanks to our strong currency) and we lived like kings and queens. Every long holiday or during breaks, this would be our home. That was before we started exploring the other continents. It's been what.. more than 5 years since we last had our awesome bowl of tom yum gung? So anyway S & i decided it was time to drop by for a visit and so we did, over a weekend in March! Gotta love weekend escapades. 

Tip 1: Location Location Location

One thing that we remembered about BKK was the horrendous traffic jams. We had to factor at least 1.5h to get to the airport by cab previously. Now say hello to an efficient airport train that brings you right into the heart of the city (it connects with the Subway as well as the BTS sky train). It took us about 30mins to get to the Siam area. 

If you only have a weekend to explore Bangkok, Siam is the best place to base yourself. We stayed at Holiday Inn Bangkok which was just in front of the Chit Lom BTS. It is a station away from Siam Square and Siam Paragon shopping area and shopping starts right outside your door stop. The other plus point is that you can walk anywhere from here and it's all sheltered. 

No time for sightseeing? It's alright. The Thao Maha Brahma, a famous 4 face Buddha temple is right across the hotel. That is usually my dose of sightseeing in Bangkok. We tried to visit a temple this time round but we didn't have the luxury of time considering how we wanna just enjoy and soak up the Bangkok atmosphere. :P 

Tip 2: Plan for a mid day break

The dust and grim, soot and dirt could be quite annoying and uncomfortable after a day of shopping. So why not take a break and head back for a mid day break? Taxis are readily available and even with the crazy traffic at times, it doesn't cost much to cab from anywhere in the city. (Make sure the meter is set to run when you board the cab). We used to head back to the hotel mid day to wash the dirt off ourselves and reward the aching feet with a soak in the jacuzzi. Trust me, it's the best break you can get. Make sure you factor in the mid day hot tub relaxation time. Can't go wrong with that. 

Tip 3: Street Food FTW, Tom Yum Gung ALL THE WAY!

The best food are eaten off the streets (Not literally off the pavements! The 5 second rule does not work ANYWHERE my friends). We used to head to the Suan Lum Night Market at Lumphini for local designer shopping in much cooler weather and also to enjoy the street dishes at the alfresco food court with live entertainment. Damn the closure! :( Anyway, i have yet to taste any bad tom yum gung in Bangkok, so this dish is safe to eat anywhere. Some good options are those little eateries hidden in the alleys in Siam Square. We saw long queues and the food smelled awesome. This particular tom yum soup is from a seafood restaurant at Siam Paragon and it was pretty good too (we were really too tired to walk and hence it was a convenient option).

Yummy huge ass juice crunchy prawns! Love love tom yum gong. You simply gotta have this at every meal. Really. If you don't, i guarantee you immediate regret the moment you plonk your behind on the plane seat back home. There is never too much tom yum. Period. 

Tip 4: MacDonald's Pork Burger

A must eat for you phatty Chinese girls and boys out there because this will never appear on the shores of our sunny island. The MacDonald Samurai Pork Burger is a simple snack in between meals or as a late night snack. The Thais aren't that big on supper i feel. Perhaps we just didn't explore the supper spots. Do tell me if you know any! Holidays are meant for overeating. It's our prerogative.

The pork patty is very tender, even more so than our grilled chicken burgers. Glazed with a light teriyaki sauce and simply served with lettuce, a dollop of mayonnaise and sandwiched between 2 soft sesame buns. Somehow the bun is more fluffy than those we have in Sg. Boo.   

Tip 5: Forgo the touristy Chao Phraya Boat Tour

Maybe it's just our bad bad luck but this is the 2nd time we tried to take the boat down the Chao Phraya River and we still failed! The first time round we decided to explore the Khao San area and then find our way back to Chinatown by the ferry. We walked through workshops and deserted alleys and had to ask for directions a million times. Not sure if they understood us in the first place. When we finally got to the dock, they told us that the river was closed for the rehearsal of the King's birthday. Bad luck. 

So what happened this time? We decided to play smart by cabbing to the Sathorn-Thaksin pier. Can't possibly get lost right? Wrong again. Cabby dropped us at the private tourist boat area but we wanted the authentic local experience! After figuring how to walk to the right pier, we boarded the wrong ferry which took us across the river. Ferry trip FAIL. Never again will i do this. Anyway we checked out the right queue and it's crazy. Moral of the story? Don't waste your time taking the ferry. Take the BTS. Take a cab. Or walk. Better still, take a pink Tuk Tuk. 

Tip 6: Cafe hopping at Thong Lor

Sick of all the shopping and squeezing with the impossible crowd at the Chatuchak weekend market or the air conditioned Platinum Mall? Need some indie chill out place to soothe the raw nerves? Head to Thong Lor then (be prepared to walk though). There are some really really cool cafes and shops and a very strong Japanese culture brewing here. 

Some high end boutiques and stores selling branded second hand goods. I was lusting after a particular brand new Hermes Cuff and AMQ clutch and Chanel ear rings. It was quite funny because S and i were wearing matching singlets that I bought from Vietnam and that didn't go very well with high fashion. 

Another cool restaurant that we chanced upon while walking to our cafe destination. Reminded me of the cool boutiques opposite Harajuku shopping street. Will be back to explore this area more thoroughly soon. Indie and luxury is more up my alley and i'll be posting my indulgent eats in Bangkok soon. Watch this space!

Tip 7: Check out the full service flights

For weekend trips, you obviously wouldn't want to be spending too much on the flights. BUT, do not immediately book yourself on a flight on Jetstar (that's the bare minimum i can accept and only for short flights). Do check our the full service flights because for a little more ka-ching, you will enjoy better service, better food and better entertainment. I think it's very reasonable to pay about $50 extra for full service. Sometimes, budget airlines end up charging close to or more than full flights. For this particular trip, we went with Thai Airways which is comfortable enough. Nice food. Friendly service. Not too bad entertainment system (acceptable for short trips). I've taken Cathay to BKK before (it's really great of course) and TA comes close. :))

My 7 cents worth of tips for a faboosh BKK weekend. Do check back on my indulgent eats soon! Till then, BKK my love.

Finally visited Alkaff Mansion for dinner with a couple of friends. I have read several restaurant reviews on this charming place and have been meaning to explore the southern part of Singapore for good eats. Most of the bloggers visited Alkaff Mansion for brunch or lunch but I haven't really seen how the place looks like at night. So this was a great opportunity to check out the restaurant tucked away on Telok Blangah Hill.

During the day, the place is a chic white tower that is majestic and grand with the vast canopy of greenery surrounding it. It's a summer palace fit for the royalty. At night however, she reveals the sensual and intimate side which draws couples in for romantic first dates. The versatility of the place also makes it a romantic place for wedding events, and a dramatic place to hold private events.

Much work has been painstakingly put into retaining the heritage and design of the 2 storey building; Retro furnishing and flooring reflects the rich past of place. The interior is cosy and somewhat dim with yellow lights. We were quite surprised when our private room lights were suddenly dimmed by a significant bit after our orders were taken. 

First up was the Crispy Duck Foie Gras with caramelized onion, beer and cherry relish ($28). There is an interesting crust on the exterior of the liver which was actually a crisp layer of polenta flour. Call me traditional but i prefer my Foie Gras pan seared. The texture was not the buttery and melt in your mouth sort. Quite unacceptable for something that costs this much? I've had better ones even at little cafes like La Petite, Le Cuisson or Saveur. The chunky slice of artery clogging liver barely makes up for the disappointment in flavor.

The Smoked Sturgeon with avocado and crab served with citrus fruit emulsion ($30) looked promising when it was served. Extremely pleasing to the eye, this dish is a mixture of the land, the sea and the garden. The flavors complement each other wonderfully. I didn't even taste the fishiness of the sturgeon, in fact, i didn't even noticed it! I could taste the ocean sweetness of the crab which was coated with the creamy and buttery avocado. Each mouthful was a surprise.
The hype that surrounded the Veal Ravioli with porcini mushroom cream sauce scented with white truffle (S$26) had Jess set on ordering it. However, the dish was served lukewarm! I was appalled by the coldness of the dish. It was as though it had been sitting there for a good 10mins before the rest of the mains were ready. Cold food is always a bad thing, no matter how they taste. Could hardly taste any veal because it was almost non existent? Did i mention how pathetic the portion is as well? Jess was considering ordering another main because there were only a few pieces of ravioli. Tsktsk. Would i pay $26 for synthetic truffle oil? Never.

The Pappardelle with wild boar ragout (S$26) was another crowd pleaser. The wild boar is marinated for 7 days in red wine sauce to give it the tender texture. Is the dish good? I would say it's a good lasagna but then again, how can you go wrong with lasagna? I would be expecting a WOW lasagna at this price and this was NOT. 

The Black Squid ink Fettuccine served with assorted seafood in a fresh tomato sauce (S$24) was nice but not outstanding. The chewy al-dente fettuccine was kinda missing the smoky ink taste and was just bland. 

I was charmed by the promise of black truffle sauce in the Grilled beef tenderloin served with Kenya beans($38). Turns out that i was sorely disappointed and then annoyed. Firstly, my medium rare order was served medium well. I would expect a fine dining establishment to do better than this. Again, the steak was luke warm. How is that possible? So food was sent back and the 2nd steak didn't turn out to be much better (once again luke warm). Do they flash freeze the food before serving? The pan-seared mashed potato was dry and powdery. That was flour. Or powdered mash. Or something synthetic and unknown. And what black truffle sauce? I didn't even taste any.

S had the Oven Roasted Pork Tenderloin served with hand peeled broad bean and Herbs Sauce ($26). Boy was too hungry to even let me take a picture of that pathetic portion. The meat was flavorful enough but again not spectacular.
You would think that the evening couldn't get worse but it hit rock bottom with the desserts. We ordered 5 desserts for sharing. From the top and clockwise- Tiramisu, Chocolate Lava, Lavender Creme Bruelee, Semifreddo and Panna Cotta.

Alkaff Signature Tiramisu ($14) was average. Da Paolo has better and i would get a TUB at a lower price. Enough said. Creme Brulee garnished with Anice Tuile ($12)=boring. Caramelized almond Semifreddo with coffee sauce ($14) is a two layered dessert with frozen cream and ice cream. Really icy. Coffee Club's Mudpie is better. The Eggless custard Panna Cotta with fresh raspberry compote ($12) is simply a wobbly cream jelly which is bland and boring. There is a slight hint of anise in the panna cotta which is a weird combination. It's almost medicinal. The best dessert was the Cioccolato dark Chocolate Lava eruption with pistachio gelato ($16).

Verdict- Will not be back. 

Food: 3/5 Mediocre. Overpriced.

Service: 3/5 Slow. Inattentive service. Clumsy wait-staff.

Ambience: 4/5 Great atmosphere. Perhaps just stick to a good wine and cheese platter. Could hardly go wrong with those.

Alkaff Mansion Restaurant
10 Telok Blangah Green
Singapore 109178
Tel: +65 6510 3068
Daily: 11.30am–2.30pm, 6pm–10.30pm

I was invited to Gu Ma Jia Food Pot (姑妈家) by fellow food blogger Derrick of Sgfoodonfoot for a food tasting. Even though i live just a couple of train stops away from Food Pot and it's only a stone's throw away from my work place, i didn't know about this hidden gem in the Potong Pasir area until now! 姑妈家 refers to Auntie's house. The recipe and kitchen is helmed by 姑妈 as she is affectionately called by all her nieces and nephews. The restaurant came about as "Gu Ma Jia" is often the family gathering spot for the entire extended family. It is not wonder the food is all so hearty and full of the warmth of home cooked food. 

Gu Ma Jia's signature dish, the Assam Fish Head (S$25). The red snapper fish head is carefully handpicked by the cooks every morning. Freshness guaranteed! The fish head is tender and succulent and sweet because it's so fresh. We all loved the Assam flavoring which is sour, spicy and tangy all in one. If you are not a big fan of spice, you can request for a less spicy version but the chili is so good. I don't care if my tongue is on fire but it's so good! I'm not a fish fan as you guys know but i love this dish. And a huge fish head for only $25? Super worth it. This dish serves 5 perfectly but i think it's good for 2 big eaters too. ;P

Next up, the Crispy Bean-jal (SML S$12, $18, $24). Wondering what exactly it is? I didn't know what it was even after i ate it. The deep fried crispy koropok style battered thingy is actually sliced brinjal! It has the quality of yam after it's been tempura-ed. It is then tossed and stir fried with french beans in a sweet and lightly spiced sauce. Very interesting dish.

Kyoto Pork Ribs (S$20) was absolutely delightful. The meat is so well marinated i could taste the flavor right in the middle of the meat. The meat is also very tender and it separates from the rib quite easily. Some soy, some honey, some sesame and secret ingredients makes this a simple but delicious dish. Doesn't really taste like Kyoto but great dish nonetheless.

Sambal Seabass on Hot Plate (S$25) has the nice salty taste of the fermented beans along with a hint of dried shrimps. The deep fried fish is crunchy and makes a perfect beer snack with the sambal concoction. The sambal isn't very spicy though. I prefer the Assam fish head. 

Usually when we order oyster omelette at hawker centers, the oysters are so puny you gotta view them under the microscope. Gu Ma Jia's Oyster Omelette (S$12) has huge, fresh and creamy oysters so big that you would think they have hidden pearls in them. No potato starch at all, the batter is deep fried eggs that is fluffy and tasty. If only i can make omelette like that at home. 

One of my favorite dish is the Butter Baked Salted Egg Sri Lanka Crabs (Seasonal Price). I love Sri Lankan crabs because they are huge and meaty! The crab is really well cooked because it was succulent and also juicy inside. I love the butter baked salted egg dry gravy and it goes so well with the creamy crab roe. Sinfully awesomeness. Would love more of that gravy though.

I was amazed at the size of the Prawn Roll [$8 (8pcs) $16 (16pcs)]. I have never been served such huge ones before and it's packed with fresh pork and water chestnut. Love the crunchiness and slight sweetness that the chestnut brings out. Chinese Wu Xiang (5 spices) is used to flavor the meat though it is a little on the bland side). 

The Cereal Sotong with Curry Flavour (SML $20, $30, $40) is very unique. I have never tasted fried calamari in curry flavor before. The spice is very subtle and it's hard to tell what it is unless you pay very close attention to it. Very fresh and chewy squid with an slight chewy batter. Goes perfectly with the cereal crunch. 

Special Made Tofu with Lingzhi Mushroom (S$12) is simply executed but gratifying nonetheless. The beancurd is made from soy milk and eggs to give it that silky smooth texture. It's like eating tau hway (beancurd dessert) but in a savory form. The dish made us feel a little better for eating so much because it seems healthier? 

In comparison, the Thai Style Beancurd (6pcs for S$6) appears to be bland. This dish is better as an appetizer but we had it at the end of our meal because Melissa wanted more food. Haha! This is plain toufu that is purchased from the market and then deep fried and served with the thai sauce. I thought the sauce was too sweet and lacked the supposed punch of the Thai Chili.

To wash everything down, we had the Herbal Chicken Soup (S$8.80 for a small individual pot). Celes and i shared 1 and it was enough for us because we were pretty full anyway. We even donated some of our soup to Melissa (who already finished a pot on her own). That girl's appetite is amazing! Haha.

The soup is full of goodness. Even with my bursting tummy, i couldn't resist by try some of the meat. The chicken meat simply falls off the bone! The herbal taste isn't very strong and it actually enhanced the sweetness of the soup. We also found a few sea clams in the pot. It's like a treasure hunt for us. :)

We finally concluded our meal with Black Glutinous with Ice Cream (S$4) and Ice Jelly with Lime. The Black Glutinous rice isn't very sweet and i thought the texture is quite perfect (not too hard) or too gooey. Instead of coconut milk, a vanilla ice cream was used to lightly sweeten the dish. Healthier version! The ice jelly with lime and little agar agar balls was very refreshing and helped us wash down all that food. Phew.

I really enjoyed the dinner at Gu Ma Jia Food Pot. The food was mouthwatering and scrumptious. I still can't believe we ate 12 dishes (13 if you include the ice jelly)! Would like to thank the boss Ms Gwen and Gu Ma for inviting all of us. I will definitely be back with my family to enjoy the food. There is a function room on the 2nd storey which is available for booking of private functions. There is also a karaoke set! Perfect for huge family gatherings. :)

The working crowd in the area would be pleased to know that there is a lunch set promotion for only S$6.50 (Weekdays 11am- 3pm, except PH). Delivery and catering is also available. Check out their website for more details!

Gu Ma Jia Food Pot
45 Tai Thong Crescent, Singapore 347866
Tel: +65 6285 2023
Daily: 11am - 10pm

Monday Blues are best combated with a spot of afternoon tea. Jewels artisan chocolate is a hidden gem at Orchard Central Singapore that I chanced upon while whiling my time away before yoga class. The chocolates are of course the gems here and a lot of care is put into maintaining the exquisiteness of the chocolates. The preparation room is kept at a constant 18˚C - 20˚C to maintain the quality of the cocoa products! A selection of chocolates and desserts are available all day to sweeten your monotonous or bitter days. But you know what is the best here? The Macarons!

Being my greedy self, i went for their Teatime indulgence set at S$14.80 only. The High Tea Sampler includes a selection of Jewels' signature products: Praline/Truffle, Macaron, 85% Dark Chocolate Gateau cake (1 piece each), 1 scoop of ice cream/sorbet and 1 pot of Tea or Cup of coffee from the Drinks menu.

The Mocha i had wasn't perfectly gourmet but the dark chocolate in the drink was definitely good quality. Of course i know this is not a third wave coffee joint so i'm not complaining. The coffee is decent and much better than some of the regular coffee chains. I like that it's not overly sweetened even with the chocolate. 

Dark Chocolate Gateau Cake was very rich and had a tangy taste. I'm not sure why i thought it to be a little woody? Maybe it's the appearance of the cake with all that chocolate shavings. Yum. The sponge is a little dry though but you can really tell they are serious about the chocolate.

The highlight of the tea set was obviously the macarons (not the chocolate). Perhaps it's because i've been searching for the best macarons in Singapore and hence i didn't pay much attention to anything else. So far my search has come up empty. My other favorite in Singapore is Obolo but Jewels was indeed  nothing compared to Pierre Hermes. The texture of this traditional French almond pastry is really good- a crunchy exterior which gives way to a chewy inside that has the right amount of stickiness. I had since gone back a couple of times to buy more of the macarons for the boy. He loves it. Even though the consistency in height isn't perfect, but i would say 90% of the time the shells are baked perfectly.

I like that the macarons aren't too sweet. Lousy bakeries often add a lot more sugar to mask the fact that the texture or taste isn't good. Of course this discerning tongue is able to see through all that fluff. Some unique Asian flavors have been infused and melded to perfection. Butterfly Pea Bloom (Kaya & pandan almond cream) has a light fragrance and the kaya is quite good. I'm surprised by the sophistication of the taste. Other flavors include Green Tea, Raspberry, Passion Fruit, Black Palm Island Salt (Salted egg with almond cream!!) Brun (hazelnut), Chocolate and Korean Black Garlic?!! I like that the exotic flavours carry with them a subtle sweetness which empowers your senses without overpowering your taste buds. Some of the macarons have a nice sweet and savory taste to them. So good. So this goes for S$3 a pop and it's S$18 for 8 pieces.

Verdict- Recommended. Macarons are the must eats!
Food- 4.5/5 MACARONS!
Service: 4/5 Friendly staff who knows when to leave you alone.
Atmosphere- 4/5 Quiet location, perfect for chilling out. Just opposite the Lush99.5fm studio

Jewel Artisan Chocolate
181 Orchard Road

Orchard Central #02-31/32

Singapore 238896
Tel: + 65 6509 8998

Daily: 11am - 11pm

I was invited by the nice folks at myVillage at Serangoon Garden for a food and fashion tour some weeks back. It was a great opportunity to review some of the restaurants at myVillage; I usually only have ice cream at Udders and macarons from Obolo and tiramisu from Da Paolo. It was the first time I tried the Peranakan food at Chinta Manis. If it weren't for the invitation, i think i would have missed out on this hidden gem.  

Serangoon Gardens is well known for the Singapore hawker centre Chomp Chomp, a supper haunt of many north-eastalites. Of all the cuisines available, I believe Chinta Manis is the only Peranakan offering in the immediate area. Located at Basement 1 of myVillage (just opposite Subway), Chinta Manis serves a variety of hot food as well as Kuehs (Malay cakes and desserts). Previously, CM was only a little kiosk selling kuehs but due to the overwhelming demand for more of Bibik's delectable cooking, they have taken over the next stall and now there's a small dining area for yummy Pernankan dishes.

I'm a Roti Prata fan and i've never eaten Roti Jala until sometime early this year. I still wasn't a fan but that's probably because the first one i tried wasn't impressive. So what's the difference? Roti Jala is more delicate and definitely healthier than Prata. The egg and flour batter is drizzled in the form of a lattice pattern over a hot grill and then rolled into a spring roll form. Texture wise, it is like a crepe, airy, spongy and slightly chewy as well. 

I really fell in love with Roti Jala after trying it at Chinta Manis. This is a perfect tea time snack in my opinion. For $3, you will get 3 rolls served with curry, half a boiled egg with sambal and Bibik Nyo's hash browns. All of the bloggers and our friends were raving about the chilli! Like any decent establishment, Chinta Manis makes their own rempah, which is a delicious and devilishly spicy mix of spices that is used in the curry. SO DAMN GOOD. The hashbrowns are slightly starchy and soft and have absorbed all the goodness of the rempah. The sambal chilli is very fragrant, you can taste the sweetness of the dried shrimps in this one. Of course, we were all scrambling for our cold drinks to douse the fire in our mouths. This snack is only available after 2pm but not to worry, there are other hot food available throughout the day.

Other savory hot meals includes their Signature Nyonya Dry Mee Siam as well as the Spicy, Sour and simply Sedap Assam Laksa ($4.80 each). Since my last adventure to Malacca (read about it here), my eyes would light up everything i see Assam Laksa. I'll definitely be back to try this one!

To cool our burning tongues, we had the Chinta Manis' specialty drinks. Lovingly prepared at the Chinta Manis central kitchen and bottled. There are no added preservatives and they are not very sweet as well. From left to right- Chrysanthemum Wolfberry ($2), Barley ($1.80) and Tamarind Lemongrass ($2). The Chrysanthemum reminded me of my primary school days where my mama would buy us those brewed teas at the old school Chinese medical hall. Fond memories..

I love the Pandan Chiffon Cake ($5.80) because i love to play with them. They are so squishy and spongy and you can just mould them into any shape you want. As a kid, i love to soak my cake in milo. Interesting flavor i must say. Anyway, this pandan cake is fluffy, firm and and slightly moist. Very fragrant pandan and coconut taste because it is baked with fresh Pandan juice to give it the naturally green colour and aromatic taste. There is a nice buttery saltiness to it which i simply adore. W says that they probably glazed the tin with salted butter. Love!

Just look at how airy it is, all that little pockets of air. The colour is not very uniform and according to W the baking expert, it is not that perfectly cooked. It is indeed a little drier on the edges but it is still an awesome cake. My other blogger friend Aimakan was telling me about the Chocolate Ecstasy cake which is dense and very rich. Make sure you reserve yourself a slice. I didn't even get to try it because all the cakes were reserved already! :((

Verdict- Recommended!

Food: 4/5

Ambience: 3.5/5 Good for a quick bite or drink. Comfortable and clean.

Chinta Manis

Basement 1, myVillage, Serangoon

1 Maju Avenue, Singapore 556679
Tel: +65 6634 5424
Weekdays: 11am - 9pm
Weekends: 10am - 9pm

On the eastern side of Singapore, lies a famed hawker centre called Bedok Interchange Food Centre. This is the best place to go for cheap and delicious local dishes. Today i'm introducing the usual stall i eat from whenever i visit the place- Hock Hai Curry Chicken Noodles.

Hock Hai Curry Chicken Noodles has been around for a while. I'm not sure if it's the same one as the Hock Hai (Hong Lim) brand available at Maxwell Food Centre (another great hawker centre). Anyway, there are 2 curry chicken noodles stalls at Bedok Interchange. 1 face the interchange and Hock Hai is the one that faces the car park behind the bus terminal. The former's curry chicken noodles has an herbal taste to it which doesn't sit well with me. Hock Hai's has a richer coconut milk flavor which is fragrant and flavorful.

You may wonder how is this different from our famous Laksa dish. Well, i like this better because it has more meat (i'm such a carnivore). Chunky pieces of succulent steamed white chicken meat, which has been deboned for ease of eating, will be placed on top the noodles of your choice and generously drenched with the lightly spiced curry (IMO). As you can see from the picture above, there are other ingredients such as fish cake, tau pok (fried beancurd skin) and pig skin (eeeww) that are stewed in the pot of curry before being served. Oh yums.

Obviously you can tell i'm too much of a health freak to be eating this too often but i simply gotta have this whenever i drop by Bedok Interchange. Funny thing is, i thought the fried pig skin was a different kind of fried beancurd skin for the longest time. The texture is pretty much the same but it has a slightly chewy bite to it. That was till my mama told me the truth. I remember being quite insistent of the beancurd origins of that piece of thing. :/ Anyway, ever since i knew about it, i would request the store owner to remove that from my dish, along with my most hated bean sprouts.

Tau Poks are the best sides to this dish because it soaks up the curry gravy in its porous center. I try not to drink the gravy consciously so i kinda cheat by eating the tau poks.

If you are worried about the spiciness, fret not for it's quite mild. I usually add more of that homemade chilli paste that is available at the counter for that additional kick. Prices start at $3.

Food: 4/5

Service: 3.5/5 Adequate and efficient

Ambience: 4/5 Local experience guaranteed (which also means it's a little hot, and you gotta share a table with strangers). I think it's a lot better after the food centre was renovated. There are more fans now!

Hock Hai Curry Chicken Noodles
Blk 207 New Upper Changi Road, Stall #37

Bedok Interchange Food Centre, Singapore
Daily: 10am – 11.30pm

Z, my skinnyfat twin, finally came back from another of her month long Europe trip and of course an overdue pigging out session was planned! Since our tummies often crave for the same foods, it's not too hard coming to a consensus on what to eat but our temperamental taste buds also meant that we only decide on a particular cuisine on the morning of our date. We are particular that way. :P For our ladies' night out, we decided that tapas was the way to go- wide variety of food and plenty of sangria! 

We headed down to Australian celebrity chef Luke Mangan's Salt Tapas & Bar at Raffles City Shopping Centre for our catch up session. Luke is also behind the Salt Grill at Ion Orchard (which has an awesome view) but Salt tapas definitely has a more relaxed atmosphere. The mix of warm lights, raw brick walls, Spanish tiles and wooden table tops radiates a laid-back ambience. We decided to sit at the alfresco section where we had a barrel for a tabletop and high stools for our bums. That gave us a good view of the Raffles hotel minus all that Cityhall crowd. 

The food is an Australian style tapas with Middle Eastern and North African influence. There are only a few dishes reminded us of Spanish tapas e.g. Chorizo and Iberico ham. That was pretty fine with us since our main course was in fact the sangria and the food was just to prep our tummies for the drinking ahead. :)

For starters, we had the Oyster in chickpea cumin batter and tzatziki ($5 each). I must say that the oysters are really puny. I could hardly taste much of it but the chickpea tempura batter was light and buttery. The tzatziki at the end was refreshing even though the taste was a little bland. We kinda like this but wished it the oysters were bigger.

We also had the truffle fries which were a miss ($10). Could hardly taste the truffle oil and the fries were soggy after a while. I must say PS cafe still has one of the better shoestring truffle fries. The Coastal Settlement also has yummy truffle fries.

Tapas- Soft shell prawns with chilli and garlic aioli ($15). Crispy fried shrimps tossed with a salt and spice mix, Chinese Canto style. Perfect savory snack to go with beer or in our case, sangria. I'm usually uncomfortable about eating the entire prawn with head and all but these were crispy enough to eat and the meat were still juicy. The aioli dip is a tad heavy and kinda masks the taste of the prawns but it's nice if you just add a dash.

We love the chewy, sinewy texture of the BBQ spiced beef tongue with fried cauliflower, pistachio tabbouleh and harissa yogurt ($14). Tongue can be kinda iffy but trust me you will fall in love after eating it. The chewy texture is kinda like pig's liver (another iffy thingy) but liver is a little more powdery. This is chunky, moist and somewhat tender. This dish is definitely Moroccan inspired. Love the mix of pistachio tabbouleh with the yogurt but the sourish cream kinda overpowers the meat. The pistachio tabbouleh reminded me of my favorite Walnut cake at Pasha (read about it here). Nevertheless, it's definitely a healthier substitute for mayonnaise. Really interesting dish.

More meat coming your way. The Wagyu sausage with soft polenta, capers and tomato ($14 for a small portion- 1 sausage; $25 for large portion) is well seasoned and tender. Did i mention super juicy as well? I love the use of polenta as a replacement for mash because it isn't too very starchy or heavy; it has a light powdery style that is slightly grainy.

The highlight of the night was obviously the Sangria! How can you do Ladies' night without drinks right? The economists in us decided to go for the Punch Bowl ($70) because 2 glasses per pax ($17/glass) would already cover the cost of the Bowl. That was despite knowing that we could never ever finish it. 4 freaking litres of Sangria! I had 5 glasses and Z another 4 and it was still half full/half empty. Ethan (or was it Ian?) offered us free drinks in replacement of the unfinished drinks the next time we head back. How nice. The servers were so patient with us despite us holding them back from closing. Must have the Luke's very own Sangria concoction. This is definitely our happy juice. Sangria Challenge accepted! Must finish the entire bowl next time. 

Despite being stuffed and all, we still needed desserts to conclude our meal. Gooey Hot Chocolate Tart with Caramelized Banana and Salted Caramel Ice Cream ($14) was our choice and i would say their desserts are not that impressive. The chocolate wasn't dark/dense enough and i found it too sweet. The tart was bland too. I am almost certain that quality chocolate isn't used. :/ The ice cream was way too salty! I was literally eating salt flakes. Not the best execution. 

The really happy us! Surprisingly i wasn't red! I think my alcohol tolerance has been raised. Now now, who is up for the Sangria Challenge? :))

Verdict- Recommended!
Food: 4/5 (skip the desserts and go for the sangria!)
Service: 5/5 The servers were ever patient and friendly. They gave great recommendations too!
Atmosphere: 5/5 Laid back and chillaxing. Great place to hang out with friends over drinks!

Salt Tapas & Bar
#01-22A, Raffles City Shopping Centre
+65 6837 0995
Daily: 11.30am - 10pm