Royal Wadeh

So we headed to Asli Village at Downtown East looking for something and ended up buying something else. Ever happened to you? Luckily for us, it was a pleasant surprise!

We chanced upon a shop selling one of the must-haves when we see it... WADEH!!

They called themselves Royal Wadeh (which means they have to be good right?) and we saw a couple of newspaper clippings featuring the couple in-charge, Mr Mohamed Aki and Ms Hafizah, who were busy behind the counter preparing their much coveted Wadeh.

Tiger Prawn Wadeh ($1.50 each, $5 for 5)

 Looks great right!! Makes me feel like walking over and getting a pack now LOL

This Wadeh was actually quite unique in a way. I've had 2 types of Wadeh. One is the dough type which is floury and sometimes even fluffy. The other type is the dense type with bits of lentils (dhal) inside so you get a unique flavour too.

Well guess what? This Wadeh has the best of both worlds!

 

This Wadeh has the nice dough texture which I love because it's still fluffy!

And on top of that, you can see they incorporate the dhal into the Wadeh so you get a great bite.

The Wadeh is also really tasty but if you want to spice things up, bite into the green chillies!!

One thing that's actually as important as the dough itself is the topping and it's getting really hard to find good quality ones nowadays. When I think of Wadeh, it's normally the ones we buy at the pasar malam and the prawns are either really not fresh or really small.

Well, at Royal Wadeh, we are talking about Tiger Prawns and we are talking about fresh stuff too!

And for the price we are paying, it's really really worth it!! The difference in price is comparable to what we normally pay and we are talking about a premium product here!!

Royal Wadeh has more than just Tiger Prawns on the menu though!

Really interesting toppings like Mussels, Crab Claw Meat, Baby Squid and even things like Salmon and Soft Shell Crab!! Interesting or what!!

You can see them frying up the Wadeh fresh and hot right before your very eyes!

Tell me that doesn't get your appetite going....

And of course, like most things, best enjoyed piping hot!!

Adam's Verdict:

Tiger Prawn Wadeh 3/5

Maryah's Verdict:

Tiger Prawn Wadeh 3.5/5

This is definitely a shop we will probably be visiting a lot. Not only because it's near our place but also because they have a good product! Feel like having some Wadeh? It's at Pasir Ris and confirmed power to the gedegak!

PS they even have delivery for large orders plus catering for events like weddings!!

Royal Wadeh

Asli Village
1 Pasir Ris Close, #01-03 Downtown East
Stall #7

www.facebook.com/royalwadeh
Tel: 94999 543

Operating Hours:
3pm til sold out Tuesdays til Sundays
Closed on Mondays

Swensen's - Super Nasi Lemak Sundae

Yeah I know some of you have been waiting to see this one come up.
Ever since we posted the discovery of a Nasi Lemak Sundae at Swensen's about a month ago, we've heard some pretty mixed reviews about the whole thing.

Quite a few of you must be having second (or maybe even third) thoughts about ordering this at Swensen's when you just as well order something you know you'll enjoy like a Sticky Chewy Chocolate for example.

So, as always, The Halal Food Blog is ready and willing to test it first.
LOL like mana punya hero ajer...

Super Nasi Lemak Sundae ($10.90)

Lo and behold! THE SUPER NASI LEMAK SUNDAE!!

Yeah I know. Doesn't tickle your fancy right away does it? Maybe it'll taste super nice who knows.

Let us dissect what this unique local sundae is made up of.

The main part of this sundae has of course got to be the ice-cream right?
It's a Spicy Coconut ice-cream which really does taste like coconut for the most part of it. Quite a rich and creamy flavour which is actually not bad on its own.

A reader commented on our Instagram about a "tajam2" feeling in the throat after awhile.
Well, I know what you mean now!! I think it's the 'spicy' aspect of the ice-cream! Swensen's has cleverly incorporated some chilli or something into the ice-cream. And I say clever because it's very very subtle and only hits you later. It's not like 'my mouth is on fire' kinda spicy but just a hint.

The toppings is what makes this sundae really... errrr... special.

You've got some peanuts which I guess is not that bad. After all, we do have peanuts on sundaes right? But the Ikan Bilis is definitely the kicker here.

Yeah I love Ikan Bilis especially crispy fried Ikan Bilis.
But I don't think they have any place in a dessert.

I know nowadays the line is very thin and we have savoury desserts and salty this and sweet that.
But this somehow doesn't quite go together very well...

And in case you were wondering, that's a Keropol Belinjau stuck in some whipped cream on top.

Adam's Verdict:
Super Nasi Lemak Sundae 1.5/5

I can really appreciate that Swensen's is trying to come up with new and exciting local flavours.
And I have no doubt that their other Local Infusions like Salted Gula Melaka Heaven, Chendol Delight and Durian Supreme are pretty okay since they are flavours we would be able to associate with desserts and sundaes.

But the Nasi Lemak Sundae idea.... well.... full marks for thinking out of the box that's for sure.

Swensen's (ION Orchard)

ION Orchard
B1-31

www.swensens.com.sg
Tel: 68845967

Operating Hours:
10.30am til 10.30pm Mondays to Fridays
8.30am til 10.30pm Weekends and PHs

Nefertiti Restaurant & Cafe

No we're not here to give you a history lesson about Ancient Egypt (although it's pretty interesting) but we are here to fill you in (and fill you up) about the great food that can be found at Nefertiti Restaurant. And in case you were wondering, Nefertiti was an Egyptian Queen :)

So this restaurant is in the heart of one of our favourite makan areas - Arab Street.
In fact, it's been there for quite awhile and has been serving up some pretty awesome food!

They specialize in Egyptian and Mediterranean food so let's run through what we had.

Nefertiti Mixed Mezza Platter ($19.50)

The problem with us is that we love to eat and that means as many types of food as we can. So we normally end up trying any sort of platter there might be and if anything is extra special, we'd probably order up and extra serving of it LOL

The Nefertiti Mixed Mezza Platter is a great place to start here. Gives us a good chance to sample some of the flavours offered up at Nefertiti and gets our tastebuds in tune for the main course to come. So let's run down what we have in this platter shall we? Let's go clockwise!

Vine Leaves

These are actual Vine Leaves and they are stuffed with some rice which has been seasoned.
Most people will tell you that the leaves are a little bitter but it's not that bad. In fact, if you take a bite, you'll get more of a tart and sourish taste which is excellent to get your tastebuds going!

Mirza Gasemi

Mirza Gasemi is actually eggplant with some tomatoes, garlic and some other spices to make up this delicious concoction. When we have eggplant it's normally Baba Ganoush so this was a welcome surprise!

Hummus

Here's something pretty standard and in fact one of our faves ever. We could go through a whole tub of Hummus no jokes I tell you.

Chickpea puree with Tahini (Sesame Seed Puree), Garlic, Lemon juice and Olive Oil is a sure winner in our books! If you want a bigger serving, try the Hummus Bil Laham ($12.00) which also comes with lamb!!

Hummus Bngar

This is actually Hummus (Chickpea and Sesame Seed puree) with some beetroot added in.
That's what gives it a bright pinkish/purplish hue. This also gives it a little bit more of a sharp edge but still delicious nonetheless. Scoop it all up with the pita bread that comes along!

By the way, in that picture (and a few others too!) is another item on the platter- Falafel!
Those little cutlets are made up of chickpea, onions, garlic and some other goodies before being deep fried!

Moutabel

This is also an eggplant based dish. Kinda like the Mirza Gasemi but without so many spices we guess. This one has Tahini and lemon juice added in instead for a milder flavour.

Labneh

Fattoush

Labneh is actually strained yoghurt with a hint of mint and garlic. I didn't really get the mint nor the garlic but yoghurt is always welcome on my plate. Yoghurt and Arab/Middle Eastern food always goes together am I right?

The Fattoush is salad more than anything else. Lettuce, tomatoes, cucumber with some tasty dressing plus some toasty pita bits makes for a great salad!

Are you with us so far? That was just the appetizer platter mind you. Let's start with the mains!

Mix Grill Platter ($33.00)

If you're a meat eater like us, then this is the one for you!
We're talking about a whole lot of meat to chomp down on and definitely fill you up!!

You get a nice serving of this super fragrant rice which goes so well with the meat platter. Top it off with some light onion and lettuce salad and it's a winner!

And a special mention for the condiments! That's no ordinary sambal and mayonaise!
Try it and you will see why we say it's really special!

So besides the rice, you are definitely gonna enjoy the meat on offer too.
You've got Kofat Lamb, Kofta Chicken, Shish Taouk (Chicken) and Shish Kebab (Beef) and boy oh boy were the all good!

The Koftas were superb I tell you. Even if I were not a meat-lover, I'd still tell you to try this because it's that good! Tasty and seasoned really well. And the meat was still so moist and not at all dry like some place where I've had Kofta before.

There's also a piece of lamb chop for you to dig into. Cooked to perfection. Just cut into it when you order and you'll see what we mean. If you love Lamb Chops then you should get the Lamb Chops dish (coming up in awhile)

But to me personally the winner on this platter were the kebabs and specifically the Shish Kebab which is the beef kebab. The first bite I took of the Shish Kebab and I literally went "Wow". We all know how tough and dry beef can get if it's not cooked properly and it's so easy to overcook especially when you grill it.

Executive Chef Amr Elgohary comes all the way from Egypt with over a decade of experience so it's little wonder that the food is so good!

Lamb Chops ($22.00)

As we have mentioned, the Lamb Chops are superb!
If one small chop on the platter is not enough then you should go for the full monty and satisfy your meat cravings. Plenty of lamb here!

You can also choose from BBQ, Black Pepper or Brown Sauce but as you can see from the picture, we went without any of that and the Lamb Chops were still excellent. Truly the mark of a good dish!
I guess this is a combination of a good chef plus quality ingredients!

But one thing that surprised us is that the menu had more than just your typical Egyptian / Middle Eastern fare. You can find other cuisines with dishes like Fish and Chips, Fajitas and even Pizzas and Pastas on the menu!

Executive Chef Amr Elgohary explained that they wanted to give diners the option to have some alternatives just in case but they still make the dishes really well! But if you wanna stick to the theme, then you also have other dishes like Wraps, Kebabs, Mandi Rice, Assorted Grilled Meats and even desserts like Baklava.

Turkish Coffee ($5.50)

Or you could just wash down your meal with a Turkish Coffee.
This is Espresso-style by the way so expect it to be really strong!!

Adam's Verdict:
Nefertiti Mixed Mezza Platter 4/5 -- Mix Grill Platter 4.5/5

Maryah's Verdict:
Nefertiti Mixed Mezza Platter 3.5/5 -- Mix Grill Platter 3.5/5 -- Lamb Chops 3.5/5

Azlan's Verdict:
Nefertiti Mixed Mezza Platter 4/5 -- Mix Grill Platter 4/5

In the end, I know you might say that there are plenty of makan places in the Arab Street area that serve the same type of food and yeah that's true but I think it's the small details that make the difference.

If you have not yet tried Nefertiti Restaurant, then have a go and you'll see what we mean.

Nefertiti Restaurant & Cafe

No 47 Arab Street

www.nefertiti.com.sg
www.facebook.com/nefertiti.restaurant
Tel: 6294 1135

Operating Hours:
12.00pm til 11.30pm Monday til Thursday
12.00pm til 2.00am Fridays and Saturdays
12.00pm til 11.30pm  Sundays

Swensen's - Lobster Roll & Slipper Lobster Roll

So we were browsing through our Instagram account earlier in the week and we saw on the @ieatandeat Instagram account that they had tried a Lobster Roll at Swensen's.

WAIT! THEY HAVE A LOBSTER ROLL AT SWENSEN'S???

Well, apparently they have a 'Rolling In The Deep' promotion going on now. We of course had to visit ASAP because it was a limited promotion. We asked the staff at Swensen's and they said it'll be until the end of the month only. But apparently, the promo will last til the end of November!!
Still got time!!!

Lobster Roll ($21.80)

We kinda have thing for Lobster Rolls since started watching Food Network Asia on cable. It really bugged us that it was so difficult to get Lobster Rolls in Singapore. Growing popularity in Singapore meant quite a lot of places now offer Lobster Rolls on their menus but so difficult to find a Halal one!

We were lucky enough to taste one at Catch 'N Bite recently but now (at least til end of next month) we can head down to Swensen's to try their version!

The first thing you will notice is that they are VERY generous with their serving!
The succulent lobster meat is mixed in with a honey lime dressing which is actually very tasty because it has a zesty but quite mild flavour which doesn't overpower the lobster. Finished off with some butter oil!! Ooooh!

I'm guessing I don't have to tell you that the lobster meat itself was excellent! A nice firm texture with a great bite.

I guess the one issue I had with the Lobster Roll (and even the Slipper Lobster Roll) was the bread.
But a little more on that later okay.

By the way, this thing is huge! I had a problem picking it up let alone taking a bite of of it. Look at that and tell me how lah to put in your mouth to take a bite??

I ended up eating it with a fork and knife LOL :/

Slipper Lobster Roll ($16.80)

 

The 2nd offering for this promotion is the cousin of the lobster - The Slipper Lobster Roll!

The slipper lobster meat is mixed in with some creamy mustard dressing which I honestly did not think went as well with the slipper lobster compared to the honey lime dressing in the Lobster Roll.
It was a nice dressing no doubt and I love mustard but just a bit too over to be honest.

Again, comparing to the Lobster Roll, I didn't quite enjoy the Slipper Lobster meatas much as its cousin. It's because I'm uppity or anything like that lah okay.

The Losbter Meat I would compare the texture to crab. Firm and with a distinct flavour.
Slipper Lobster Meat is closer to prawn meat. A little more bouncy in texture. And I'm  not really a prawn guy so I guess that influences my decision a lot.

The roll is the same for both Lobster and Slipper Lobster Rolls by the way.
And speaking of the bread...

The bun they used is definitely a plus because it was perfect for a Lobster Roll.
I'm sure it started out pretty soft but they do toast it a little or at least put it on the grill to get some butter into it. Unfortunately, that's where they fall short.

The underside of the bun was toasted great with some butter in there to give it some flavour and a great bite when you chomp down on that sucker. But.... we wish the inside was the same... Or least with a little butter and on the grill for awhile to give it a little toast.... Found it a bit weird to be clean and dry on the inside...

But in the end, this is still the better Lobster Roll we've had so far!!

Adam's Verdict:
Lobster Roll 4/5 -- Slipper Lobster Roll 2/5

Maryah's Verdict:
Lobster Roll 4/5 -- Slipper Lobster Roll 3/5

Even though the Swensen's staff told me it's til end of October, I'm gonna trust the Swensen's website and say this promo will run til the end of November. So get your Lobster Roll fix and head down to Swensen's ASAP!!

PS OCBC Cardholders enjoy 15% off the Rolling in the Deep promo!

Say it with me kiddies...

I'M SO GOING TO SWENSEN'S!

Swensen's (ION Orchard)

ION Orchard
B1-31

www.swensens.com.sg
Tel: 68845967

Operating Hours:
10.30am til 10.30pm Mondays to Fridays
8.30am til 10.30pm Weekends and PHs

Pizza Hut - Squid Ink Linguine & Traditional Bolognaise

Yeah okay we know. Kinda unexpected to suddenly post about Pizza Hut when it's not a special item like the last time we posted on their special Hand-stretched Signature Series.

But hey. We passed by a Pizza Hut and ate there so we figured we'd post it.
After all, we love to eat right?

Squid Ink Lunguine ($15.50)

Okay I have to be perfectly honest and say this is not what I was expecting at all.
When I see pictures of Squid Ink pasta dishes, the squid ink is normally incorporated into the pasta during the actual making of the pasts which results in a black-coloured noodle.

I had no idea that sometimes, the squid ink was made into the sauce!
It was so unbelievable to me that I had to ask a few 'experts' who worked in restaurants that served Squid Ink pasta to confirm it. Yeah I know I'm a jakun. Anyways I'm not sure why I was making such a big deal about it since it was Mein Bruder who ordered it.

The sauce was very 'lemak' because of the cream but kinda lacked any seasoning. Maybe a little bit more could have been added to the sauce to give it some taste instead of just relying on the black squid ink.

There were some prawns and slices of squid to go along to for an extra bite by the way.
And a word of advice - the stuff stains your mouth and teeth so be sure to wipe to avoid any possible embarassment!

When they say Black Squid Ink, they mean BLACK Squid Ink!!

Traditional Bolognaise ($11.50)

I went for a safer bet and had the Traditional Bolognaise (said in my best Italiano accent).
Yeah I know. Kinda boring right? But I guess I just felt like going the traditional route for lunch.

The Bolognaise was pretty standard and it comes with 3 (kinda small) beef meatballs.
Serving was just nice for 1 and made for a pretty hearty meal. Meatballs were nice too and reminded me of the meatballs at Swensen's but without the black pepper kick.

Adam's Verdict:
Traditional Bolognaise 3/5

Azlan's Verdict:
Squid Ink Linguine  3/5

All in all a pretty standard set at Pizza Hut. I guess technically it's still fast food right?
A great tip is to go during lunch so you can have the Lunch Set Meals.

The cost between $9.90 and $13.90 (depending on your choice of dish) and comes with soup and a drink too! Well worth it! And for the record, the Traditional Bolognaise was part of the $9.90 set and the Squid Ink Linguine was part of the $13.92 set.

Pizza Hut

26 Restaurants Island-wide

Delivery Hotline: 62353535
www.pizzahut.com.sg

Khan Saab Restaurant - Mee Goreng

You guys remember our post on Khan Saab right? The Quest for Briyani remember?
Well, as promised, decided to try something different this time.

Mee Goreng ($3.00)

The best Mee Goreng I've ever had is the one from KS Seeni all the way at Ayer Rajah and Saffron is a very close second place (because it's so much closer). So I do tend to try and order Mee Goreng when I run out of ideas in the hopes that I'll stumble upon the next great plate.

The Mee Goreng at Khan Saab is not bad but unfortunately not great either. I mean, it's a decent plate of Mee Goreng but tends to be a little heavy on the MSG sometimes. Maybe it's a different frying up the noodles whenever I visit because it's never consistent. I've also tried the Maggi Mee Goreng version and it seems to come up similar for me.

I always order up the 'Goreng Basah' style because that's the way I like it. Squeeze the provided lime over the noodles and you're good to go. And I keep going until the MSG overwhelms me. Oh well.

Adam's Verdict:
Mee Goreng 2/5

Hopefully the luck is good and you get the guy who fries it up nicely instead of the guy who probably has some stock in the Ajinomoto company. LOL

Khan Saab Restaurant

Blk 55 Chai Chee Drive
#01-186

Tel: 6244 4430

Operating Hours:
24 hours Daily

Nur Jannah - Beef Noodles

So here I am out running errands for lunch and I decided to have a quick bite before I head back to the office because I was super-duper hungry.

My first choice of makan place was a bust because they weren't ready to start business for the day yet (weirdly) and I had actually decided to just skip lunch and head back on an empty stomach after all. But through some stroke of luck, I passed by Nur Jannah and they had something that tickled my fancy after all.

Vietnamese Beef Noodles ($7.50)

I'll be honest and say that I've never really had Vietnamese Beef Noodles aka Pho before. But I've always wanted to and here was my chance at last!

I actually went all out and ordered something that was technically not part of the menu. Instead of just the Beef Noodles or the Beef Ball Noodles, I ordered the Beef Noodles plus Beef Balls which explains the rather hefty price of the dish. If not, it's between $5-$6.

Double Trouble

 

As you all probably know, I'm 'The Meat Guy' so the more beef the merrier!
The glass noodles were also not bad in the sense that they were not too heavy but it was quite a large serving so you end up filling up nonetheless.

The beef slices were tender and had a nice bite and beefy flavour. The Beef Balls were also great and you could taste the beef and not just the fillers. A really hearty serving.

I think the biggest disappointment of this dish was the stock. No doubt it had a beefy flavour but I guess I was expecting a much richer flavour. Not bad but could be better. I'm not sure if this was normally how the stock should taste like? Since this was my first actual experience with Pho so I'm also not sure but I know that I've had beef stock with a much heartier beef flavour.

Adam's Verdict:
Vietnamese Beef Noodles 2.5/5

In the end, I ended up paying the price of the dish just for the beef slices and the beef balls.
Maybe I'll try Pho somewhere else so I can compare.

Noor Jannah's Kitchen

2 Jalan Masjid
Tel: 6848 4654

Operating Hours: 11.00am til 12 midnight
(Other stall within may operate different timings)