In recent years, someone from sarawak set up the jia xiang sarawak kuching kolo mee chain of small eateries selling this favorite dish. To make it even more authentic, the noodles and ingredients are air-flown directly from sarawak daily.

Well, I haven’t actually tasted the kolo mee in sarawak before, so I really have no benchmark to compare this with. But the kolo mee at jia xiang tastes really good, if a little expensive!

Kolo Mee
SGD6

Due to the air-flown ingredients, a bowl of noodles is priced at $6, inclusive of a bowl of soup with prawn and wanton. To be perfectly honest, I must say that this is too expensive. But hey, at least the food is good.

(Update: good news. There IS a cheaper version of the noodles at $4 without the prawn and wanton. I say go for that!)

The noodles are firm, springy and light, and don’t feel oily, which is a plus point. The minced meat is savory and delicious. But most of all, I love the sweet and tender char siew, which is perfect in taste and texture. It also looks healthier than your regular char siew with the fatty bits and the charred bits, although I know some people would prefer the “unhealthy” version.

In sarawak, kolo mee is normally served with cut chili. But at jia xiang, a metal container of sambal chili gravy is offered at every table instead, perhaps to cater to local taste. The sambal chili is GOOD! I would mix two or three spoonfuls of it into my noodles.

The bowl of soup is a good pairing with the dry noodle dish. In it, you would find a couple of fresh prawns and some wanton. The wanton is rather skimpy with very little meat filling. But for me, the main focus is still the noodle dish itself.

The food is good, and I really like the fact that the whole dish isn’t oily like your average dry-tossed noodle dish. Highly recommended with a lot of the sambal chili!

For now, does anyone have other recommendations for nice kuching kolo mee in Singapore?

(Note: all photos in this post had been captured using my LG Viewty.)

Posted by Veron in Food category | Chinese, Noodle, Toa Payoh

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But in land-scarce Singapore, buildings with a rich history or sentimental value are being torn down to pave the way for modern developments. Likewise, oasis had to suffer the same fate when it closed down in March this year to make way for the upcoming sports hub.

Thankfully for its many loyal patrons, oasis opened again a month later in Toa Payoh town park — right opposite my office! In keeping with its tradition, the restaurant is still a standalone building. It even overlooks a large pond that should give its customers a sense of nostalgia.

Naturally, a colleague of mine who has fond childhood memories of patronising the restaurant was eager to visit it again. So one weeknight after getting out of office, we simply crossed the streets and had our dinner there!

We ordered a number of classic zi char (home-cooked fare) dishes which, on hindsight, was quite a large spread for two persons. But since we were so excited about the meal, we wanted to sample as much as possible!

Fried Chicken with Spices
SGD7++

A staple dish for me when it comes to zi char is kung pow chicken. The closest thing we could find on the menu was the fried chicken with spices, which turned out very disappointing. The taste of garlic (the only spice I could detect) totally overpowered the dark sauce, which made eating it a highly unpleasant experience (and I don’t even hate garlic).

I’m usually a big fan of chicken (any form) but in this case, I simply couldn’t bring myself to eat much of it. If anyone is looking to have chicken here, I heard that the deep-fried salted chicken is good. But stay away from this one.

Fried Kang Kong (Chinese Kale) with Chili and Belachan
SGD6++

Another staple zi char dish for me would be fried kang kong (chinese kale) with chili and belachan (fermented ground shrimp). I have had enough renditions to know that when it comes looking soupy like this, it ain’t gonna be good. And I was right. The entire dish was bland, forgettable and once again, disappointing.

To be fair, the two dishes mentioned above taste best when they are cooked on roaring fires commonly witnessed in hawker center stalls. This allows the food to absorb wok “heat”, the special flavor that results from quick, high-heat frying. The process is probably absent here because when cooked in small portions like this, the food simply gets overcooked.

Sotong (Calamari) with Sambal
SGD7++

Luckily, the sotong (calamari) with sambal fared much better. The sambal sauce had just the right amount of flavor and kick to satisfy a spicy food lover like myself. I would have preferred sotong rings though, and a bigger portion, please.

Clay Pot Beancurd
SGD１0++

If I had a choice, I would rather not have any form of tofu (except when it’s the fried tofu at Sakae Sushi). So I was pleasantly surprised to find myself liking the clay pot beancurd. It was very satisfying to have the delicious beancurd in your mouth with the flavorful soup oozing out. The taste was somewhat reminiscent of bak ku teh (pork rib tea). Yum!

Almond Jelly & Longan
SGD5++

After a successive progression of these dishes, desserts are always a welcome relief. To complete your meal, oasis offers a range of popular choices such as almond jelly and herbal jelly. Pretty standard stuff, and safe too.

Herbal Jelly
SGD5++

So the overall standard of the food here may not be overtly good, but that should not deter loyal followers from its 35 year old customer base, judging from the long queues on weeknights. With the idyllic feel of a park setting, many people would find dining here rather peaceful and relaxing, especially for families. Oasis is definitely here to stay.

Oasis Taiwan Porridge
Toa Payoh Town Park
303 Toa Payoh Lorong 6
Singapore 319393
(65) 6346 4418
Service:
www.oasisbay.com.sg

For now, I must mention something that really put the stinker on the whole dining experience. One thing about restaurants that really irks me, besides refusing to serve water, is when they charge you for something without letting you know in advance.

When our bill came, we were certainly not prepared for the number of items that were charged to us without warning, such as the little plate of peanuts and a $3 plate of something (that I can’t even remember since we virtually left it untouched) that were served to us the moment we sat down.

So people, never assume that these things are complimentary simply because they look cheap. Always check with the waiter(ess) whether you would be charged for that cup of Chinese tea you didn’t drink, or the basket of keropok you didn’t order, for example.

I have had such encounters at quite a number of restaurants, notably Asian ones, including oasis and Bali Thai. Trying to make a quick buck by overcharging customers for cheap items that they haven’t asked for, nor have been told about, I’m sorry, that’s just low. What’s disturbing is that many more restaurants are doing it and people in general are willingly, or unwillingly, paying for these things without putting up a fight.

Come to think of it, I should start a blog post titled “10 things restaurants can do to annoy customers”. Now, that would be fun.

Posted by Veron in Food category | Chinese, Toa Payoh, Zi Char

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Some months back, this little restaurant opened in Toa Payoh central. It is such a breath of fresh air and easily stands out from along a row of nondescript shops where it is situated. Being just the size of a single shop unit, seats are limited and especially so during chow time. Hence, besides indoor seating, there are also tables spilling out to the outside of the restaurant.

The owners have given the place a funky decor, with colorful wall motifs and brightly colored furniture and cups. Food-wise, what you would find here is mainly Italian and Western cuisine. And it certainly doesn’t fail to impress! After all, the chef has 15 years of experience whipping up dishes at n.y.d.c.!

Lasagna
SGD6.95

Lasagna! Check out the garlic bread that comes with it. It is yummy and has cheese too! In fact, we liked it so much we even ordered a separate helping of it. Of course, the lasagna tastes great with the thick tomato gravy. It is most unlike the many soggy and oily lasagnas out there — and at just half the price too!

Hot Chicken
SGD8.50

To get my daily chicken fix, I went for the hot chicken. Why “hot”? Apparently it is a hot seller (since it isn’t spicy)! Having had too many chicken cutlets and chops served in gargantuan sizes at ABC Market (I shall blog about that another time), I wasn’t too impressed with the chicken serving here. But to be fair, it was definitely more than enough to fill my stomach, especially with the wedges.

I like the fact that instead of the usual fries, the chicken is served with chunky potato wedges that are oh-so-fluffy on the inside. My lunch partners wasted no time in finishing them for me! Worth mentioning, too, is the mustard dressing that is made from scratch.

Prawn Aglio
SGD7.50

Spicy food lovers wouldn’t want to miss this. The prawn aglio here is the spiciest pasta I have ever tasted! Pan-fried with garlic and lots of chili, the average person may find this too hot to handle! But beware: once you eat it once, you may find yourself hooked, as are my colleagues who are hooked on this and the lasagna!

All three dishes that I have introduced are house recommendations, as indicated by the cute puffy flower stickers. I like the fact that the menu items bear playful names such as “curry puff girls” and “hotter than you”! Yee haa!

Chocolate Truffle Cake
SGD3.95

If you’re craving something sweet, you can take your pick from a range of desserts and cakes. The chocolate truffle cake we had was decent enough, though not as chocolatey rich as I would have liked. I heard they serve drinks that are code-named BFGs (big friendly giants), with rainbow sprinkles and whipped cream. Yum! I’m so gonna have me a BFG the next time round.

So those of you that are working in Toa Payoh, or just happen to be passing by, don’t forget to give food addict café a try! Who knows, you may get really addicted!

Food Addict Café
185 Toa Payoh Central
#01-324 Singapore 310185
(65) 6259 4218
Service:
foodaddictcafe.blogspot.com

(Note: all photos in this post had been captured using my LG Viewty.)

Posted by Veron in Food category | Toa Payoh, Western

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The answer is no. There would simply be too many pictures to take and too many posts to write! The rule of thumb I follow to decide if the place is worth blogging about is that it must be either of the following:

• nice place with good food, for e.g.: graze, aerin’s or Wild Rocket
• cheap and good, for e.g.: Gu Zao Ren, rong guang BBQ seafood or riverside Indonesia BBQ
• has an interesting and unique concept, for e.g.: lagnaa, Eclectic Attic or sho-u
• so bad that I feel you guys must be warned! For e.g.: Mushroom Pot or mussel guys

And in my opinion, the chocolate lava cake at délifrance falls under the classification of being “so bad that I feel you guys must be warned”!

Fondant de Chocolat Chaud
SGD6.95++

First of all, chocolate lava cake or fondant is my most favorite dessert. (okay, it’s either this or chocolate mousse… I can’t decide!) it should be moist and chocolatey, with a thick and viscous chocolate lava at its core. Something like this one at bakerzin:

Now compare it with délifrance’s…

I mean, what the heck is that? It just looks all wrong! In fact, it even looks a little dirty to me.

I wouldn’t have minded the way it looked if it tasted good. But no, the chocolate cake was dry and crumbly, like stale cake! The chocolate lava was rather watered down and tasted a little funky.

Actually, it looked like one of those instant lava cakes that you can find at a supermarket. You know, the kind that you pop into the microwave oven and eat afterwards.

Argh! To think I had thought that I could enjoy my favorite dessert all the time since there’s a délifrance café AND a bistro délifrance right at my workplace! But now it looks like I’m gonna give it a miss — forever!

Bistro Délifrance ( Halal certified)
Toa Payoh Community Library
6 Toa Payoh Central Singapore 319191 [map]
(65) 6354 9253
Service:
www.delifrance.com.sg

I’m always on the hunt for good chocolate lava cake. The ones I’ve had so far come from the following places:

» tcc
» the olive ristorante
» white dog café
» bakerzin
» Wild Rocket at mount emily

Next on my prowl list (in no order of preference):

» abof restaurant and tea lounge at Millenia Walk
» corduroy & finch along Bukit timah road
» dan ryan’s chicago grill at Tanglin place
» esmirada at chijmes
» the chocolate factory at mohamed sultan road

If anyone’s game to hunt for good chocolate lava cake with me, let me know!

Posted by Veron in Food category | café, Halal, lava cake, Toa Payoh, Western

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Despite its humble location, the prices here aren’t exactly cheap. The elderly lady who works at the stall tried to hard sell some of the dishes rather than giving us the chance to look over the menu. Personally, I really dislike it when salespeople try too hard to push their products. It’s kinda… Fishy.

Crispy Codfish Dou Fu (Tofu)
SGD12

Nonetheless, the crispy codfish tofu was a good recommendation. The nice rectangular strips are codfish blended with tofu which are deep-fried. It wasn’t a greasy dish like I expected. Bits of water chestnut in the tofu gave it a very nice and crunchy feel. Of course, the mayonnaise dip that came along was marvelous too.

Baby Kai Lan
SGD6

The second side dish we had was the baby kai lan (what’s kai lan in English?). As with most vegetable dishes, this was sort of plain and nothing spectacular.

Curry Codfish
SGD28

Finally, we got what we came for — the curry codfish! Well, most people actually come here for the curry fish head, which is also the house specialty. But I simply cannot stomach fish heads!

Upon my first sip of the simmering hot curry, I was wowed! I even turned to my dinner partner and exclaimed, “i can drink the whole pot!” it was really, really good! The curry taste was sinfully rich, yet not too spicy. Most people would be able to take it comfortably. A variety of ingredients went into the pot, such as pineapple and lady’s finger (aka okra), lending much flavor to the gravy.

Deep-fried Buns
SGD1 for 3

At a dollar for three, these cute little buns are impossible to resist! They go extremely well with the curry too! Look, how shiny!

Well, well, so the meal didn’t start off on a good note. But I’m glad the food turned out to be excellent! We didn’t have to wait long for the food to be ready too.

Now, if only the prices were a tad lower. The meal for two cost came up to almost 50 bucks, which isn’t exactly the kind of price you are expecting at a neighborhood stall, codfish or otherwise.

Posted by Veron in Food category | Chinese, coffee shop, seafood, Toa Payoh

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On Thursday evening we were at the sizzler restaurant in Toa Payoh. I didn’t realise there were only two sizzler restaurants in Singapore! This time round I thought the menu was a lot more sparse than the one in Bangkok. I had a tough time finding something I liked. In the end I opted for the teriyaki chicken. When in doubt, always go for the chicken!

Teriyaki Chicken
SGD19.99++

I thought chicken sizzling in teriyaki sauce can’t go wrong! The sizzling factor definitely gave it bonus impression points. But as it turned out, the chicken fillets were a tad stiff and dry. They weren’t tender enough and definitely weren’t drenched in delicious teriyaki sauce as I thought they would be!

Their signature all-you-can-eat salad bar didn’t disappoint though. The buffet comes free with all a la carte items and it’s the deepest impression sizzler left me with after I dined there twice in Bangkok. With so many delectable items, even the fussiest eaters can pick something they like.

Cream of Mushroom Soup

The cream of mushroom soup is the richest of its kind. Rather filling actually.

Salad bar items

A few other salad bar items that I liked were the Hawaiian chicken, chili prawn, and satay chicken. A pity this time we were in quite a rush. I didn’t get to check out the sundae bar because I was too stuffed by the time I finished all the food on my plates. Until next time then!

Sizzler
Blk 190 Toa Payoh Lorong 6
#02-516 Singapore 310190 [map]
(65) 6258 7336
Service:
www.sizzler.com.sg

February 3, 2007: My list of Best (& Worst) Restaurants in Singapore for 2006
- Nominated for “Best Value Buffet”

Posted by Veron in Food category | buffet, Toa Payoh, Western

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