Istanbul Gourmet

So it seems that a lot of people remember 'that Kebab shop from Simei Eastpoint' even though it closed down quite awhile back and Eastpoint itself is undergoing major renovations.

Well I'm not sure how many people knew but the one at Eastpoint was apparently just a smaller branch.
The main restaurant is actually at Joo Chiat Road! I actually walked past the one at Joo Chiat awhile back and I made a note to bring my darling wife there one day but I had no idea at all that it was the same place! Founded since 1999!

Open for so long means they should be doing a thing or two correctly am I right?

So anyways they opened a new stall at Changi City Point recently and since I spotted it, I've been hearing nothing but praises from people about their Laksa! Hmmm... well let's see what the fuss is about.

Chicken Kebab ($4.50)

So when I think Turkish food, i automatically think of Kebab.
Kebab actually refers to the sliced roasted meat so you can have many many different types of Kebab including more common ones like Doner, Roll, Kofta, Iskander and Shish.

The Kebab here at Istanbul Gourmet is the Doner version which is basically the meat and veggies in between some flatbread or pita bread.

The chicken meat itself was quite tender but I felt it was lacking in flavour. Maybe I was expecting too much after all the good reviews I had been hearing. I saw that the chicken was being cooked in the traditional way on the rotating roasting spit and the meat was definitely not over-cooked and still juicy.

Or perhaps the lack of seasoning in the chicken meat was intentional?
The description on the menu says "Freshly-baked bread with with choice of chicken or mutton. Topped with onions, lettuce, tomatoes and Istanbul Gourmet's signature salad dressing".

Well I'm not 100% sure but I think it was just mayonaise and chili sauce in there.
And some pieces of potato! (Which was a welcome surprise)

Mutton Kebab ($6.50)

I normally go for the 'other' kebab instead of chicken. So this is normally lamb, beef or in this case - mutton.

As it's quite safe to say, the mutton was not cooked the same was as the chicken meat on the rotating spit.
This mutton was minced and scooped out of a warmer when I ordered so I'm not really sure how it was prepared.

Anyways I have to say that this was the first time I was having MINCED meat in any kebab.

What I can tell you is that it is definitely more flavourful than its chicken meat counterpart.
You can really taste the spices in the meat but unfortunately since it's minced, you don't really get to take a nice big satisfying chomp into the meat.

For both versions of the kebab, they give you a nice soft bun which unfortunately gets a bit soggy by the time you get home. Because there is no seating area at the Changi City Point outlet ("No Frills Dining"), you'll have a bit of a challenge if you're gonna buy back some kebabs to bring all the way home.

Maybe you might consider eating it on one of the benches in the mall so you can enjoy it fresh?
But then you'll have the challenge of not looking like a clown because kebabs do tend to be a little messy in nature if you're eating it especially in public. Having sauce dripping down your chin onto your clothes would be a nightmare so be careful! :)

PS you can add Cheese to your Kebab for an extra $1.

But hey what about this Laksa I was hearing about so much eh???

Istanbul Laksa ($4.00)

Hmmmmmmm...

Well so basically this is their take on the local favourite - Laksa.

One of the special things about it is that they put a serving of the Chicken Kebab meat and some fish cake so you have some extra bite. No prawns or cockles. Just Chicken Kebab meat.

Okay I can't avoid mentioning it anymore. What's up with the oil??
That's quite a layer of oil am I right? And I'm not sure where the oil is coming from...

Once you actually dig in, the Laksa gravy is actually quite tasty!
It's got quite a unique taste to it... Not like your typical Laksa. A bit of a tangy/spicy hint to it.
Take a bit of getting used to but I guess it was tasty enough that you keep going spoon after spoon after spoon til it's all gone!

And as you can see from the picture, the oil was just the top layer so I'm not sure where the oil came from.
Perhaps from the Kebab meat? Hmmmm.... Anyways just like the Chicken Kebab, the meat was not really seasoned very strongly so it contributed nothing to the taste of the Laksa. Just some meat to munch on.

My darling wife didn't have much but after a few spoonfuls she commented that it didn't taste the same as what she remembered from the old days at Simei Eastpoint.

Adam's Verdict:
Chicken Kebab 2/5 -- Mutton Kebab 2/5 -- Laksa 2.5/5

I wasn't really impressed with Istanbul Gourmet on this visit. Especially since it was the founder, top chef and big boss - Mr Henry Teo - who was behind the cooking counter when I visited (I recognize him from his picture on the name card). I guess maybe I set my expectations really high but having to bungkus makes a difference.

But I do intend to visit the Joo Chiat restaurant because I really feel not being able to eat there makes a big difference to the food. Plus there are some items that seem really interesting... Like the Beef Bomb!!
Hope my 2nd try of Laksa goes better!

Istanbul Gourmet

5 Changi Business Park Central 1
Changi City Point
B1-20

Tel: 64406026 / 98410260 (Mr Henry Teo)
www.facebook.com/istanbulgourmetsingapore

Operating Hours:
10.00am til 10.00pm Daily

Swensen's - Spaghetti Aglio Olio

Spaghetti Aglio Olio ($12.50)

Okay so Swensen's is not the first name that comes to mind when you think of pasta.
But since the revamped their menu a few years back, they have quite a few pasta dishes to offer.

Favourites include their Crayfish Pasta, Black Pepper Seafood Pasta and Baked Rice choices.
But one pasta dish that most people seem to enjoy is Aglio Olio.

The Spaghetti Aglio Olio at Swensen's is quite a generous serving actually.
The pasta was okay and the mushroom and garlic flavour really do come through very well. A little bit on the salty side though...

One thing to note is that it is quite spicy! If you look closely, you can see the cut chili padi!

Maryah's Verdict:
Spaghetti Aglio Olio 2/5

I guess there may be other places for you to have a better dish of pasta but if "you're SO going Swensen's" then you know that have a pretty decent one to offer if you really want some pasta.

Swensen's

Changi Airport Terminal 2
Mezzanine Level, Arrival Hall North,

Tel: 6542 8219
http://www.swensens.com.sg

Operating Hours: 24 Hours Daily

Elovea's

If you don't know by now, I have one hell of a sweet tooth. If it's sugar - I want it.
That means desserts are a definitely green light in my book!

So we caught wind on FB about an up and coming cupcake and desserts shop opening in the East so we decided to drop by and pay them a visit! This was our visit to Elovea's!

Wah my photographic skills are on the up and up! :P
Just try and tell me that you don't feel like gobbling down those cupcakes...

Elovea's (E Love A) is actually the brainchild of Asyraf & Emilia (which explains the name... E & A... geddit geddit) and they've been baking delicious goodies for about 8 years as a passion.
And by the way, we understand that Asyraf does a big chunk of the baking! I'm a Home Ec guy myself from Secondary School so let me give my thumbs up to my fellow gentlemen bakers!

Well if they've been baking for about 8 years then surely they have some skills.
Let's have some cupcakes!

Red Velvet ($3.00 per cupcake)

Here at The Halal Food Blog Team, we love our Red Velvet cake.
We've tried it pretty much everywhere we find it (like at USS and Aquamarine) and sometimes we like it and sometimes we don't.

I guess everyone has their own idea about how they like their Red Velvet to be...

The Red Velvet Cupcake at Elovea's is actually pretty good!
I found the cake itself very moist and soft to the bite.

I had tasted some Red Velvet cakes in the past where there was simply no Red Velvet taste at all so it was pretty much just a normal cake but Elovea's version still has the Red Velvet characteristics at least. The taste is not too strong but you can tell it's definitely a Red Velvet taste!

The cream cheese frosting is smooth and goes well with the cake.
But it's not the type with the strong cream cheese taste so if you're the type that goes for that cheesy taste (like me), think of this as a more creamy Vanilla version.

Elovea's considers this as their specialty and we can see why!
With the popularity of Red Velvet nowadays, this must be flying off the shelves!!

Choco Loco ($3.00 per cupcake)

ZOMG you chocolate lovers can rejoice!

A Chocolate cupcake with Chocolate Ganache frosting?
One bite and the chocolate flavour exploded in my mouth (aka this cupcake is the bomb!)

The cake was super moist so you're probably gonna get chocolate cake and cream all over you mouth (or was that just me?) Just remember to pace yourself and breathe in between bites okay (OR WAS THAT JUST ME AGAIN??)

Totally unexpected but this turned out to be my favourite cupcake of the day!
Have I mentioned that the Ganache frosting is the bomb?

Sweet Sea ($3.00 per cupcake)

Here's another up-and-coming flavour.
It used to be just Caramel we went for but nowadays the combination of Salt and Caramel seems a sure winner. I guess there's just something about combining Salty & Sweet that works with desserts.

So you have a Vanilla cupcake with Caramel frosting and Caramel syrup then they top that bad boy off with some Sea Salt.

And for those of you who are worried - it's not as overpoweringly sweet as it looks!
It's just the right balance and a good choice for those who like a traditional vanilla cake instead of chocolate or red velvet.

Strawberry Milkshake ($3.00 per cupcake)

And if you want to go even more traditional than that, then you probably can't go further than the Strawberry frosting on a Vanilla cupcake!

 Good Vanilla cake flavour for the cupcake which goes well with the Strawberry frosting which was pretty thick. Kinda reminded us of the type of buttercream you'd enjoy spread all over a birthday cake.


When I see this cupcake, the first thing I think of is "The kids will go crazy for this."
Perfect choice for kids' parties!

Adam's Verdict: 4/5
Maryah's Verdict: 2.5/5

Asyraf & Emilia - The masterminds of Elovea's

Like I said, everyone's got some idea or other about how they like their cakes and desserts.
Elovea's definitely offers some tasty treats which we enjoyed and we hope to be able to go back for more!
Besides, how many Halal dessert places like this can we find in Singapore?

They also have other goodies like brownies and cookies and more cupcakes!!
For example, I saw on the FB page today that the special for the day was a cupcake called 'Banatella'!
Banana cupcake topped with Nutella!! Ultimate win!

Elovea's makes their cupcakes and desserts on location the night before or on the day itself so you can be sure you're getting some really fresh stuff. They also cater for functions and parties so if you have some ideas for cakes or that kind of thing then you should definitely consider checking them out! They are even able to customize your orders if you have some fancy ideas. Check out their FB page for more info!

We love to support our local food scene and also young entrepreneurship so it's really great to see the new generation paving their way like this.

We wish Elovea's all the best and a bright successful future!

Elovea's

Blk 510 Bedok North Street 3
#01-09

www.facebook.com/eloveas

Operating Hours:
11.00 am til 8.00 pm Tuesdays til Saturdays
11.00 am til 6.00 pm on Sundays
Closed on Mondays and Public Holidays

Makan vs Makan --- Fast Food Chicken & Rice

I actually wanted to have this be a 'Fast Food Chicken Rice' post... but after I sampled the dishes from both the fast food outlets, I realized it would be more accurate to label it as 'Chicken & Rice' instead...

Read on dear readers... and you will know what I mean.

POPEYES VS KFC

This one was REALLY impromptu by the way.

I'd seen the commercials on TV. You know... the irritating one where the aunty goes "DIDN'T EAT RICE AH?". Yes. That one. And I actually said to myself - "No way am I gonna have that lah".

And then one day, we found ourselves at the airport and having lunch at Popeyes.
When I saw the poster for the Cajun Rice Platter, I thought to myself... Time for a battle!!!

Popeyes' Cajun Rice Platter ($4.30)

So for the price you pay, you get some Cajun Fried Rice with a choice of either a piece of Bonafide Fried Chicken, Louisiana Pepper Nuggets or Chicken Tenders.

As you can see, I chose the Fried Chicken because it seemed the most worth it among all the choices.


Well the Cajun Fried Rice itself was nothing extraordinary.
I mean, it wasn't bad. It was actually pretty tasty but I guess it just wasn't spectacular. It was quite a generous serving and I guess it was would suit whatever form of chicken to accompany it.

The Fried Chicken was (as usual) deep-fried goodness with all the oil and juices. Rip it up and have a whole mouthful with some of the Cajun Fried Rice. But honestly, you'll probably spend more time with the chicken than the rice - in which case you should have just bought a 2-piece Chicken Meal am I right?

No special sauce here though. Ended up eating it with the normal chili sauce.

KFC O.R Chicken Rice ($5.95)

Let me start off by saying that the presentation was NOT at all impressive.

May be I'm being too nit-picky... The tomato is fine but to put the same shredded lettuce that's put in the burgers? Errr.. kinda messy lah!!

The rice used here is supposed to be 'Chicken Rice' rice. And I guess it's close enough. It's not a tasty as your favourite Chicken Rice stall but you can still detect a hint of the chicken stock flavour.

I purposely ordered the O.R chicken because I really love the taste of the KFC's Original Recipe.
I know they call it O.R here but this wasn't really the same thing to me. The skin was a bit more crispy (which I can understand) but the O.R taste was really lacking so I'm guessing it's not the same at all. They should have just chopped up the patty from their O.R Fillet Burger and it would have been better.

Well the one thing they DID use was the sauce from their Shrooms Burger.
Unfortunately, it didn't really go very well with the rice and the chicken....
Ended up eating it with the normal chili sauce. (Deja Vu) 

They also had 2 other types of Chicken Rice - The Zinger one with Chilli Crab Sauce and the Roasta one with Honey Glaze.

And the winner is -

POPEYES CAJUN FRIED RICE WITH CHICKEN!!

But it wasn't by a very big margin to be honest...

The rice for both wasn't very outstanding. Both did not have a special sauce which made any difference.

I guess it all boiled down to the chicken which also was a little bit close to compare.

Price-wise is about the same because it's almost $6.00 when you top-up at Popeyes to have a drink and a side dish (Popeyes Mashed Potatoes are the bomb!)

But having said that... if I really wanna eat Chicken Rice.. then maybe I should just have Chicken Rice...

Did anyone else try either one of these offerings from 2 fast food outlets?
What did you think? Which was better?

 

Texas Chicken: Mesquite BBQ Burger

When I saw that displayed in a Texas Chicken outlet, the first thing that came to my mind is "Yes! Looks like Texas-style Pulled Chicken!". And boy oh boy do I love it. (Read HERE for more info)

So anyways, I had some time to kill so I got me a meal.

Mesquite BBQ Burger Combo ($6.60)

Firstly, let me say - that is NOT how it looks in the first picture.
Not at all.

I mean. I don't mean to sound like some Action Jackson dude but...
Is it my imagination or is that bun missing some sesame seeds compared to the first pic above?
Okay never mind. Small issue. What's important is the meat right?

Well, that didn't go very well either.

I'm sorry but that chicken tasted funky.
You know the 'chicken' taste you get when you either don't wash the chicken properly or if the chicken has been kept too long? Well, this had that taste. And if I can still taste it through all that BBQ sauce, then you know what I mean.

Call me fussy if you want but I'm pretty sensitive to this kind of thing and I surely didn't expect it here.

Texas Chicken claims that they make all their food items freshly and they use the freshest ingredients.
This did not seem to be the case at all.
And we pay $6 for this which is no small amount and can get us a meal at almost all other fast food joints

I ordered that meal at about 10.45am which is when the store has JUST opened.
That means 1) either they're lying about the 'made freshly' part or 2) they served me leftover chicken.
But hey, I'm not going to make wild accusations without trying to confirm things right?

So I went to their website and tried to send them some feedback and hopefully get a response.

================================================
"Hi Texas Chicken. I just have a quick enquiry. For your Mesquite BBQ burger, is the chicken meat fresh (as in is it prepared from meat which specially cooked for the Mesquite BBQ burger) or is it made from meat which may have been left-over (from perhaps chicken pieces which were not sold the day before)?

I had it this morning at your Tampines outlet at about 11am this morning. The burger was hot which means it was freshly prepared but the chicken meat had a distinctly 'stale' taste to it. And to me, if BBQ sauce cannot mask that taste then that chicken may not be fresh.

I am not making any accusations but I'm just curious about this matter. Hope you can shed some light.
Thanks."
================================================

I didn't get a response after 2 weeks so I re-sent it again.
I have not gotten a response even up til now.

Adam's Verdict:
Mesquite BBQ Burger 1/5

I'm not sure if this was my bad luck to get the stale chicken burger or if anyone else has experienced this.
For all I know, this might be someone's favourite burger and I just happened to get the wrong one.

I've heard that Taxes Chicken sells some pretty tasty Fried Chicken.
But I think I'll stay away from the Mesquite BBQ Burger.

Texas Chicken (Tampines Mall)

Tampines Mall
4 Tampines Central #04-23/24/25/26
Tel: 6783 5373
www.texaschicken.com.sg

Operating Hours:
10.30 am to 10.30 pm (Sun to Thu)
10.30 am to 11.30 pm (Fri & Sat)

Royal Kublai Khan Steamboat Buffet & Seafood Restaurant Part II

So do you people remember the post we had about Royal Kublai Khan Steamboat Buffet & Seafood Restaurant right? Yes, the one featured on Jus! :P

Well, as previously mentioned, they not only have a Steamboat Buffet spread to offer but also some ala carte food items for you to choose from. And to be honest, I was quite surprised at the variety that was offered on top of the Steamboat Buffet spread.

You've got the works. Beef, chicken, seafood and vegetables among other things.
They even have a wide selection of crab dishes for you to choose from including Chilli Crab and Black Pepper Crab. The most interesting of the lot is actually the Cheese Crab!

Well, we didn't have any crabs. But we did have something new though.

We actually ordered this special set menu offer that they had.
For $8 per pax, you get to choose from a wide range of dishes from this special menu.
The great thing is, the more people eating, the more dishes you get to choose. Consfused?
Well, 2-4 pax get to choose 3 dishes, 5-7 pax get 5 dishes and 8-10 pax get 7 dishes. Not bad right?
And all come with soup and rice!

Spring Onion Beef

OMG you actually won't believe how delicious this dish was. Something so simple as that was actually probably the most delicious thing we had during our whole meal.

The meat was super duper tender and it was drowning in any sauce. Stir-fried simply to perfections with some spring onions and carrots. I still can't get over how tender the beef was.
Even if we didn't have the set meal, we'd probably order this ala carte because it's a must have!

Anyways the only other beef dish you can choose from the set menu is Black Pepper Beef.

Coffee Chicken

I was in the mood to try something new and since we were not having any Cheese Crab, we decided to try the Coffee Chicken. I've heard and seen people cooking with coffee before but this would be the first time I was actually trying something cooked with coffee.

To be honest, it was actually pretty nice.
The chicken was tender and the sauce was not overpowering. It really tasted like coffee!
To closest thing I can compare the taste with is that Roti Boy bread because of the coffee and butter combination going on.

Not in the mood for coffee? Well you can also choose from more classic options like Kung Po Chicken and Mango Chicken.

Fried Chili Prawn

So Fried Chili is actually Sambal so I have no idea why not just call it Sambal Prawns.

By the way, the prawns actually look bigger in the picture than in real life. They're not the big tiger prawns you might be expecting but they're medium sized, fresh and definitely reasonable. The sambal itself was quite tasty and not too spicy.

Bring the lazy guy I am, I would have preferred if the prawns were peeled... :P

Other seafood options include Curry Fish, Black Pepper Butter Prawn, Sweet and Sour Fish, Cereal Prawn and the simple Salt and Pepper Prawn. You can also order side dishes like several Tofu dishes, Ngoh Hiang or Spring Roll as well.

As you can see, being the greedy buggers that we are, we ordered all meat for our 3 dish choices and no veggies at all! But we can't have a good meal without some veggies right??

Sambal Kangkong ($8.00)

Our first choice was actually the Salted Egg Lotus but it was unfortunately not available so we decided to have a classic veggie dish that everyone is familiar with. Sambal Kangkong!!

Okay so this was pretty okay lah. Nothing like super spectacular in my view. Most probably because I like my Sambal Kangkong to be a little wetter. As you can see from the picture above, it's kinda dry...
But if you're like my brother, you'll probably like it...

Adam's Verdict:
Spring Onion Beef 5/5 -- Coffee Chicken 4/5 -- Fried Chili Prawn 2.5/5
Sambal Kangkong 3/5

Azlan's Verdict:
Spring Onion Beef 5/5 -- Coffee Chicken 4/5 -- Fried Chili Prawn 3/5
Sambal Kangkong 4/5
Wow let me tell you this.
Steamboat Buffet? Superb! Don't feel like Steamboat? No problem! Because their ala carte rocks too!

Maybe next time it's time for the crabs...

Royal Kublai Khan Steamboat & Seafood Restaurant

175 Bencoolen Street
#01-56 Burlington Square (facing La Salle)
Tel: 6836 2389

http://kublaikhanbbq.com/royalkublaikhan

Operating Hours:
11.30am til 10.00pm Daily
Steamboat Buffet starts at 5.30pm

The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf: All-Day Breakfast

The Halal Food Blog Team never had a good impression of food at The Coffee Bean.
Sure, it was a great place for a coffee (or an Iced Pure Chocolate!) but the food was... lacking.

I guess it all boiled down to one experience. Our first dining experience at The Coffee Bean in fact.
It was a few years back and it was at the outlet located at Changi Airport T2.
It was pasta and it was horrible.

And we always joked about going back to The Coffee Bean for another "great" meal.
So you can imagine our caution when we heard people telling us about the "fantastic" and "delicious" breakfast menu at The Coffee Bean.

One weekend, we woke up (in the afternoon) and walked over for some All-Day Breakfast goodness.

Salmon Brioche Eggs Ben ($11.90)

You guys probably read our review on Swensen's Breakfast so you know I'm a sucker for Eggs Benedict.

The Coffee Bean actually does have a more traditional Eggs Benedict on the menu but I thought I'd go for the brioche instead. In case you were wondering, Brioche is actually just a type of bread with a higher egg and butter content which gives it a unique crumbly but rich texture.

As always, smoked salmon is my preferred topping of choice (which is why I didn't choose the traditonal Eggs Benedict) and the smoked salmon here was of a superb quality. I really really enjoyed it!

The Hollandaise sauce was not too bad and went well with the brioche but it does tend to overload after awhile because of the richness of the brioche. But the side salad is just nice to cool your palette with some fresh and sweet flavours.

But what about the egg???

When I said in our Swensen's review that I was disappointed with the eggs there, can you imagine how I felt here? Probably like 10x worse.

It's supposed to be a poached egg. I complained that the Swensen's one was not runny enough but this one was worse because it was not runny at all! Yikes! Oh well. At least I enjoyed the smoked salmon.

And by the way, don't let looks fool you. It's REALLY filling because of the brioche.

Country Breakfast ($11.50)

The Country Breakfast was a bit more traditional.
Scrambled Eggs with some baked beans, hash browns, a black pepper sausage, brioche and a side salad.

When I look at this, I can't help but think to myself that it's something that most of us can whip up at home.
Scramble some eggs, get some hash browns, sausages, veggies and beans from the supermarket and maybe use some bread or a muffin. Sounds simple right?

Hahaha it ALWAYS sounds simple but most of us just want a hassle-free breakfast without cleaning up am I right? Well, if you're looking for a hearty choice this is probably it.

Nothing special or spectacular taste-wise I guess. Hash browns were a little soggy actually but the eggs were cooked better than the ones I had that's for sure. Overall quite okay lah for breakfast.
But the black pepper sausage was delicious by the way. Black pepper kick early in the morning!

And by the way, the price of your breakfast gets you a choice of either a hot or cold beverage.
You can choose from a list they have. We had the tea!

Adam's Verdict:
Salmon Brioche Eggs Ben 2.5/5 -- Country Breakfast 3/5

Maryah's Verdict:
Country Breakfast 4/5

I have to say that the menu offered does look very promising and I can see why so many people have actually been raving about the breakfast at The Coffee Been and also Beanstro.

I have a feeling there's going to be a Part 2 to this post. Maybe even a Part 3 and 4?

The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf

EHub @ Downtown East
1 Pasir Ris Close #02-08

Tel: 6582 0208
www.coffeebean.com.sg/coffeebean

Operating Hours:
8am til 10.30pm Sundays til Thursdays
8am til Midnight Fridays & Saturday

Mid-Autumn Festival - Halal Mooncakes

So we were a little late in thinking about it this year but it seems the response was pretty good when we asked our readers via our FB page if they'd like to see a write-up on Halal Mooncakes.

I guess it shouldn't be much of a surprise because there are so many places offering Halal-certified Mooncakes nowadays and so many exciting new flavours too!

Well even though we didn't have enough time to go hunting, we thought we'd let you in on some places which offer Halal mooncakes. Hopefully you'll have just enough time to grab a box or two!

First on our list is none other than one of our favourite places - Prima Deli!

Snowskin vs Baked

I guess in recent times, more and more people have started leaning towards the newer type of Snowskin Mooncakes while there are still plenty who prefer the old-school Baked version...
The good news is - Prima Deli has both!!

I guess one of the main draws of Snowskin Mooncakes is the wide variety of exciting and interesting (albeit not-so-traditional) flavours compared to the typical (and some say boring) flavours of traditional Baked Mooncakes.

Well, between you and me, I'm more of a traditional guy myself.
Red/White Lotus with Double Yolk for me any time!

Royal Gift Set ($41.80)

If you're one of those people who are adventurous with your mooncake flavours and/or have a liking for the Snowskin version of mooncakes then there's some good news for you!

You get 9 mini-mooncakes in an attractive special package for $41.80.
The flavours are Mini Chocolate Truffle with Macadamia, Mini Mango Lemongrass, Mini Black Sesame with Mochi, Mini Strawberry Chocolate, Mini Pistachio, Mini Cranberry Cheese, Mini Oreo Chocolate, Mini Lychee and the Mini D24 Durian mooncake which is rated as "One of the Best 6 Durian Snowskin Mooncake in Singapore".

But if you're not getting the gift box, then you can also buy individual mooncakes no problem.
Prices range from between $4.50-$8.20 per mini-mooncake for the Snowskin variety. Regular size mooncakes range from between $10.50-$17.90 per mooncake.

If you purchase before 19 September, you enjoy a 10% discount (conditions apply) with further discounts for Citibank Credit Cardmembers and Prima Privilege Card holders.
Visit www.primadeli.com/promotions/promo_Mid-Autumn.asp for more info!

The 2nd place we're featuring is Concorde Hotel which offers mostly traditional-style Halal mooncakes.

No fancy Snowskin here. Familiar mooncakes include Pure/White Lotus with Yolk(s) and are sold in boxes of four mooncakes. Prices range from between $54.00 to $62.00.

They do however have 2 special and new flavours.
The Pearl of Prosperity mooncake is "a Cantonese pastry skin covering a pandan lotus paste mixed with mung bean and golden salted half egg yolk." while The Imperial Ivory mooncake is "a creamy milky butter pastry skin with winter melon paste made of chunky dried longan and melon kernel seeds, mixed with macadamia bits in single yolk." Prices for these 2 are $58.00 for a box of 4.

Discounts are offered if you purchase multiple boxes of mooncakes.
Visit http://singapore.concordehotelsresorts.com/promotions_view.php?promo_id=48305 for more info!

Last but certainly not least is a place you would probably not think of when it comes to mooncakes...

Delifrance is offering some Halal mooncakes in some very interesting flavours!

White Lotus with QQ Milky Green Bean, Pure Lotus with Melon Seed, Mango Lotus Paste with Diced Mango, Walnut Tiramisu, Pandan Lotus with Custard and White Chocolate with Cranberry Paste are up for grabs. Some pretty interesting flavours like I said.

Price for each mooncake is $10.80 per piece or buy a box of 4 for $42.80.

Well folks. Sorry we didn't have more time to do more research (aka Mooncake hunting) and we didn't even have the chance to sample some mooncakes to review. We thought we'd better release what info we had first since there's still time for you to go out and grab some.

Besides, why waste time talking when you can be out there makan-ing!! Am I right?

So if anyone does try out any mooncakes or if you know of any other places offering Halal mooncakes, please do let us know! We'd love to heard from you!

Al-Tasneem Restaurant - Murtabak Rusa

So we had just returned from our KL trip and arrived in SG at night.
We actually wanted to have some Bone Steak at M.A Deen Biasa but after a long walk - discovered it's under renovations!

So we walked a little further at chanced upon Al-Tasneem.

We had some Bone Steak after all (Look out for the special Bone Steak Battles coming soon!) and we also ordered something that none of us have had before...

Murtabak Rusa ($10.00)

So Deer meat (aka Venison) is not really something you see everyday at your local Mamak stall am I right?
I'm thinking it's more like Italian or some western cooking for that kinda thing but here we were with some Murtabak Rusa for the first time.

The size of the murtabak itself is about the size of a $5-6 mutton/chicken murtabak I reckon so the Rusa seems to almost double the price of your dish.

You can see that it's minced up really finely and spread out sparingly in your murtabak.
To be honest, the meat itself was actually pretty salty when I tried it on its own.

It wasn't overpoweringly salty on its own but unfortunately, the curry that was served together with the murtabak was salty. Seriously salty. So when you put the two together, SALT OVERLOAD!

Azim commented that the texture kinda reminded him of floss. As in like beef/chicken floss.
Razali added that for the price we were paying, we expected a more generous serving of the meat. (Everyone seems to agree with that one) Plus with it being so dry, perhaps the cooking style of frying might not be suitable since we haven't really mastered how to cook Venison like the Westerners do.

Adam's Verdict:
Murtabak Rusa 3/5

Maryah's Verdict:
Murtabak Rusa 3/5

Razali's Verdict:
Murtabak Rusa 3.5/5

Azim's Verdict:
Murtabak Rusa 4/5

Overall, we'd say that this is definitely something different for you to try.
"Murtabak? Chicken? Mutton? How about Rusa?!" Be adventurous!!

Just hope that the salt level goes down a little.

Al-Tasneem Restaurant

709 North Bridge Road
Tel: 6291 1781 / 6298 2047

Operating Hours:
8.00am til 11.00pm Daily

Streats Hong Kong Cafe Part 2

We love Streats Hong Kong Cafe because

• It has delicious HK-style makan
• Dim Sum! Dim Sum! Dim Sum!
• It's really near to our place (definitely a big factor)

And yes they serve Dim Sum but I'm still compiling all the different types they have so in the mean time, how about more or something else they're good at - oodles of noodles!

Nissin Spicy Noodles (Dry) with Chicken Chop ($7.20)

If you remember, I actually order the version with the Luncheon Meat normally.
Well, my darling wife felt like having noodles with a spicy kick so she settled on this.

The noodles are still the standard HK-style Nissin instant noodles we all love.
This time, they give you a spicy chilli sauce at the side to kick it up a little bit. But don't worry it's not that spicy so you don't have to worry about smoke coming out of your ears.

However, please note that the Chicken Chop is actually really big.
You might actually feel like putting it aside on a separate dish for awhile so that you can have a go at your noodles first.

HK Shrimp Dumpling Noodle (Dry) ($7.20)

ALERT!!
Shrimp Dumplings are not to be confused with Shrimp Wantons.
These are apparently 2 very different types of dumplings so please don't get the wrong idea.

As to what exactly is the difference between the Dumpling and the Wanton - I have no idea.
I must make it a point to ask them the next time we visit.

And quite honestly, the Shrimp Dumplings were not really impressive.
You do get a whole shrimp in each dumpling but taste-wise it's not really racking up any points.
Even the chicken char siew (which i love) could not redeem this dish.

Young Baby Cabbage with Salted Egg ($7.90)

When a side dish costs as much as a main dish, this means it has to be really really nice right?

Well, as lovers of salted eggs, my darling wife and I really expect to have the kick of salted eggs when we order anything with "Salted Egg' in the name of the dish. For this dish, it definitely uses the salted egg yolks in the gooey sauce which bathes the baby cabbage.

Not too bad actually but you'd better eat fast because after awhile, it starts getting to being a watery mess.
This is because they blanch the cabbage and just pour the sauce over it. This means that since the saus is only on top, any water trapped in between the cabbage is going to start seeping out and mixing with your salted egg which is a big no-no.

Lime Cooler & Iced Honey Lemon Tea ($3.80 each)

And of course, some refreshing beverages to wash down your meal.
Just a tip, you might wanna try something else if you expect a full and strong tasting drink.
These two are a little... mild.




Adam's Verdict:
HK Shrimp Dumpling Noodle (Dry) 2/5 -- Young Baby Cabbage with Salted Egg 2.5/5

Maryah's Verdict:
Nissin Spicy Noodles (Dry) with Chicken Chop 3/5 -- Young Baby Cabbage with Salted Egg 3/5

Obviously, our adventures with Streats Hong Kong Cafe are far from over.
Hopefully soon, we will be able to release the Dim Sum post!

Streats Hong Kong Cafe

Downtown East
1 Pasir Ris Close
Tel: 6584 4001

Operating Hours: 11.00am til 10.00pm Daily (Closed on CNY)

Delifrance: Le Paris-Singapore

To celebrate 50 years in Asia, Delifrance decided it would be a good idea to commemorate the occasion by releasing a special edition sandwich!

So they got a pair of 1-star Michelin chefs, Jacques & Laurent Pourcel (they are brothers by the way in case you didn't notice), to come up with something special to mark this momentous milestone.

So they came up with the Le Paris-Singapore.

Le Paris-Singapore ($10.80 ala carte)

The bread used is a Rustic Baguette which is not what you'd normally have at Delifrance I guess.
It's got a slightly harder crust for a bigger bite. I think the best way for me to describe it is a cross between a baguette and a ciabatta bun. Not too bad actually.

Inside, you've got oyster sauce and mayonnaise as your base. On top of that, you've got chicken breast with chilli sauce, pieces of pineapple and also wakame (seaweed).

Let me just say that I didn't really get this sandwich.
Chicken breast is fine. The chili sauce was basically a sweet Thai chili sauce. Pineapple gave it a nice tang when you bite down. But the biggest shocker was the wakame.

If the sweet chili sauce seemed like a weird choice, the wakame really takes the cake. I love Japanese food and I definitely have no problems with seaweed but a sandwich is just a weird place to find seaweed!
They claim it gives the sandwich 'walnut notes'. Well, they should have just put walnuts then.
I give them full marks for trying something different. But definitely no marks for thinking about it first.

And with a name like Le Paris-Singapore, I really expected to have a sandwich that has flavours from France or Singapore at least. After all, it's not called Le-Paris-Singapore-Bangkok-Tokyo.
So much for the 1-star Michelin chefs. Pffft.

Adam's Verdict:
Le Paris-Singapore 2/5

Don't get me wrong. This is still an eatable sandwich. You just have to not think about what's inside.
Because the disappointing part will be when you think about what you expected instead. If you just eat it as any other sandwich, then maybe it's not so bad.

That being said, maybe it'll be more satisfying (and cheaper) to stick to a Chicken Mayonnaise Croissant.

Delifrance

Tampines Mall #01-38
Tel: 62608552
www.delifrance.com.sg

Operating Hours:
8.00am til 10.00pm Daily