The Jelly Hearts

Hey all! Hope it's been a great Raya so far!

So my darling wife and I are always heading to Downtown East to watch a movie every once in awhile and obviously also to have some good eats.

I remember the first time we saw Jelly Hearts was when we went to Yumen Hut to review the food.
Literally along the same row is The Jelly Hearts so we stopped to take a look because the cakes all looked so yummy. But alas, we found out it was not yet certified Halal so we decided to wait.

Well just over half a year later, we are glad to announce that The Jelly Hearts has been officially certified Halal and we can all now whack their goodies lol. But what goodies exactly?

Classic Original Cream Cheese ($3.60 for 2)

So you guys know cheesecake right? I'm talking specifically about the type of cheesecake with a layer of jelly on top? Well, that's what The Jelly Hearts does and they do it well too!

Added creativity by adding fruits and different flavours too! (You'll see what I mean in awhile)

Right below you have a layer of Graham Crackers which gives you that nice cookie crunch.
Next layer is a nice smooth cream cheese. Cheesecake lovers will know the joy of having a tasty cheesecake and this definitely fits the bill! And last but not least, topped off with a layer of jelly and some fruit too.

The Original has Strawberry Jelly with actually Strawberries carved into the shape of a heart!
That's right.. REAL STRAWBERRIES!

And you can see form that picture above alone how precise the art of making these delightful little squares of joy is. Truly work of art... too bad I'm still gonna eat them!!

Well, you can order those little square ones if you'd like. If you've got a big group, you can always buy more for cheaper of course. One square is actually $3.00 but you can buy 25 square for $40.00.
Good deal or what!!

But if you're looking for something bigger, they also have nice big cakes for you too!
Perfect for celebrations and parties. They can even carve the strawberries into alphabets so you can have a special message on the cake!!

A 6" cake is about $28.00 and enough for 6-9 people. You can go all-out and get the 12" for $118.00 and that should feed about 40-50 people. Or just ONE OF ME. (Seriously)

Well if Strawberries are not your thing, there also other choices for you too.
They've got Mango and Lychee! I was lucky to try the latest addition to the range - The Blueberries Cheesecake!

One thing I noticed about the fruits, whether it was strawberries or blurberries, is that they fruit was always sweet! Definitely a good thing since we're having cheesecake!

Besides choosing your fruits, you also have to choose which type of Cheesecake you'd like!
The Classic Original is always a good choice. For more creative ones, check out the Rainbow Cheesecake! Looks good right!

They also have good ol' Chocolate and even Oreo too! Confirmed to be a big hit at parties and gatherings! They actually have a lot more creative ones (like a Mahjong Cake!!!). Check out the full range at their website okay!

I guess this is really something unique and I'm glad they finally decided to get certified Halal.
Yeah I know it's something that we can actually make at home if we have the time but it's not easy to replicate a good quality result and The Jelly Hearts seems to have perfected the art of the Jelly Cheesecake.

Great ideas for parties (especially kids parties), dinner at home with the family or even with colleagues at the office. If you really want to think out of the box, you can order from The Jelly Hearts for your special event like your Bridal/Bay Shower, Engagement or maybe even your wedding too! Definitely something that will make your guests buzz with excitement!

The Jelly Hearts

1 Pasir Ris Close
E!Hub @ Downtown East @02-111

Tel: 6583 8782
www.thejellyhearts.com
www.facebook.com/thejellyhearts

Operating Hours: 11.00am til 9.30pm Daily

The Chicken Rice Chronicles Part 6: Fitra Chicken Rice

Well we're already at the end of Ramadhan and we've run out of special posts for the month so we've decided to release the next installment of The Chicken Rice Chronicles!

"Chicken Rice Chronicles? What the heck is that?"
If you're not sure what we're talking about, you might wanna read THIS first...

And this time we are at another reader-recommended Chicken Rice joint in the East this time!

Chicken Rice (4.50)

Fitra is located in Century Square's Food Junction now (I heard it used to be in the now closed Food Culture) and they serve all kinds of goodies like noodles and the likes. But some of our readers pointed out that the Chicken Rice at Fitra was worth checking out.

And since it's nearby for us, we decided to drop by after some shopping!

Maybe I'm just being fussy but I feel that the guy who cut up my chicken was lazy.
You may not be able to see it in the picture but there was still some parts of the chicken which I guess I don't normally get when I have Chicken Rice at other places. I'm talking about small things like the excess gristle etc.

I guess overall the chicken was quite tender but not as tender as some other places. I am basing this on a Roasted Chicken standard of course. Wasn't too fantastic taste-wise either.

Found the rice a tad dry. You can see from that picture how dry it is.
Not too bad when you eat it all at one go withe the chicken and the chilli though. Add some soup if you must!

Despite all that, I think I was most disappointed with the chilli.
If the chilli is goof, I think I could have been more forgiving with the chicken and the rice.

It was watery and I wasn't really enjoying it very much.
I'm a bit fan of the type of chilli which has quite a bit of vinegar in it but even that could not redeem this one. It does have a bit of a spicy kick to it which might be why some people like it I guess.

Adam's Verdict:
Chicken Rice 1.5/5

Unfortunately this was not the best of the series so fare...
Why oh why do the nice Chicken Rice joints always seem to be so far away!!

Oh well, maybe we'll have more luck next time.

Fitra Chicken Rice

Food Junction @ Century Square
#03-20/29

Tel: 6781 3114

Operating Hours:
10.30am til 9.30pm Daily

Krispy Kreme Singapore: Part I

Krispy Kreme has got plenty of fans in Singapore and it's little wonder why. When they opened their first store at Tangs Orchard, it was to much fanfare! And even more joy when their 2nd store opened in the CBD!

And now, as you would probably have heard by now, Krispy Kreme Singapore is opening its 3rd store and it's going to be at Changi Airport Terminal 2! Set to open in early August!!

And to celebrate Krispy Kreme's first store in the east side of Singapore, we've decided to give a rundown on some of the staple range of doughnuts on offer! Plus it's a chance to look at some photos of some realy yummy doughuts! LOL!

And we start with what is our fave doughnut and probably the same for a lot of you as well.

Original Glaze

One of the simplest yet most delicious confectioneries on the face of this planet.
The Original Glazed from Krispy Kreme is a legend. Just a nice thin layer of sugar glaze on a super soft doughnut. No way you can go wrong. So simple and so good!

Powdered Strawberry Filled

A doughnut with Strawberry Jam filling and sprinkled with powdered sugar!
A classic for sure! They have a Blueberry version too by the way!

Chocolate Iced Glazed

Chocolate lovers looking for something simple but still getting your chocolate fix?
Well, this is the doughnut for you!

Red Velvet

 

I'm guessing this is another fan favourite. But I think most people tend to forget that this a cake doughnut so it tends to be a bit more crumbly since it's pretty much a cake. Read more about our first encounter with it HERE.

New York Cheesecake

Cream cheese filling in a doughtnut topped off with some apple crumble!
Definitely one of the more creative and tasty doughnuts on the line-up!

Chocolate Dreamcake

Another one for you chocolate lovers! Chocolate Icing with chocolate filling and chocolate shavings! No wonder they call it the Chocolate Dreamcake!

Cinnamon Apple Filled

I actually quite like this one. Maybe because I like apple fillings (like apple pie) and I also like Cinnamon too!

Well there you have it people. Part I of our rundown of the doughnuts you might get yourself at Krispy Kreme! Hope we get to go through Part II soon!

And don't forget to visit Krispy Kreme's newest store located at Changi Airport Terminal 2 set to open most probably in early August! Look for out a special contest on The Halal Food Blog's Facebook page where you stand a chance to win some Krispy Kreme merchandise!

Ramadhan Special 2014: Kala Thai Coconut Ice Cream

I remember seeing this super long queue about 1 or 2 years ago at the Geylang Serai Bazaar. I found out it was some Coconut Ice Cream that everyone was raving about but I was too lazy to queue up so I never got a chance to try it.

Well, this year we went back and finally got to see what all the fuss was about...
Was it worth the wait? What is it exactly anyways?

Coconut Ice Cream ($4.00)

This was actually pretty tasty! I can see why everyone was queuing up now.

A smooth and tasty Coconut Ice Cream which was not overly sweet and have a great Coconut-y taste to it topped off with some Gula Melaka and sprinkled with nuts and you might find an Atap Seed aka 'Kabong' in there too. And not forgetting - the slivers of coconut flesh!

The coconut was so soft and tasty you can even scrape it off the shell with a plastic spoon!

Mango Sticky Rice

In case Coconut Ice Cream is not your thing, you can try the Mango Sticky Rice!
We didn't try it but the mangoes look huge!

Adam's Verdict:
Thai Coconut Ice Cream 3.5/5

Maryah's Verdict:
Thai Coconut Ice Cream 4/5

Go early and try to avoid the crowd okay!
PS look out for imitations! This is the original!

Kala Thai Coconut Ice Cream

Geylang Serai Bazaar
Tentage near Paya Lebar MRT

Operating Hours: 4.00pm til 10.00pm

Ramadhan Special 2014: The Manhattan FISH MARKET

That's right kiddos! Time for another special Ramadhan menu and this time it comes from one of the more popular names in town! The Manhattan FISH MARKET!

And until the end of July, we've got the chance to enjoy a special platter and also some special desserts too! So let's see what we've got!

They have some dishes suitable for single-person servings but at The Halal Food Blog, we like to go straight to the big stuff!

Lamb Stew & Fish Rendang Platter ($37.95)

Check it out! That's enough to feed 2-3 people! Or maybe it may even be just you alone if you're REALLY hungry! Hehehe

So what exactly do we have have on this platter fit for a group?
It seems like a whole lot of stuff so let's break it down for you okay.

Sambal Mussels

For a start, we have some Sambal Mussels to get your appetite going.
Fresh mussels smothered with a tasty and spicy sambal is a sure winner! It's got a spicy kick but don't worry it's not going to burn your mouth off.

Grilled Calamari

All you Sotong lovers can rejoice. They've got a nice and generous serving of Grilled Calamari for you to chomp down on. Nice and succulent and grilled to perfection.

And now on to the stars of the platter!

Lamb Stew

Succulent lamb stewed with some veggies like Celery and Carrots all bathing in delicious stock.
Sounds good doesn't it! The lamb was tender to the bite and it was a very tasty stew. Nice and hearty especially if it happens to be a cold day!

Fish Rendang

This was something new that we've never tried at Manhattan FISH MARKET before. A little local flavour in the form of Fish Rendang! Quite interesting right?

Well, there's a very intense flavour to this and if you're a lover of Rendang and spicy food, I guess you'll probably like this. Bite-sized chunks of Redfish in a special sauce waiting for you!

And all of these resting on some Garlic Herb Rice!

So you actually have a mix of lamb and seafood so I guess this kind of makes this an alternative version of Surf N' Turf if you think about it.

Lamb Stew and Grilled Dory ($16.95)

Fish Rendang ($13.95)

They also have some individual meals like we mentioned earlier.
Just nice if you don't want to have anything too heavy like a platter or you're just looking for something specific.

Well, with the spicy and tasty it's always good to wash it down with some desserts!

Sizzling Banana Fritters with Ice-Cream ($5.90)

Is your mouth watering right now? Cos mine is!
Imagine the warm banana with ice-cream and coconut cream! Tastes delicious! And the sizzling experience makes it all the more appetizing!

This was actually my fave of the night!

Strawberry Peach Poppers ($5.90)

So if Bananas or Coconut Cream are not your thing, they have something else that might be more suitable for your taste.

There's still ice-cream but this time with strawberries and peaches and completely smothered with marshmallows. And they torch the marshmallows! That means they'll be nice and soft and toasty when you dig in!

Well, whatever your tastes, you can see they have quite a selection for you this Ramadhan at Manhattan FISH MARKET. And remember - they still have their usual selection of great dishes for you to whack too!

The Manhattan FISH MARKET

16 restaurants island-wide
www.manhattanfishmarket.com

Operating Hours: 11.00am til 10.00pm Daily