Cathay Cineplexes Cinema Snacks Certified Halal!!!

In case you have not heard...
CATHAY CINEPLEXES CINEMA SNACKS ARE NOW CERTIFIED HALAL!!

That's right! Cathay Cineplexes now offers you an entire menu of Halal cinema snacks including your old favourites like the Hot Dog and adding in some new and exciting items on the menu too!! Cathay Cineplexes is the first cinema operator in Singapore to attain Halal certification for its cinema snacks! Truly a milestone!

Cathay Cineplexes is honestly our cinema of choice when The Halal Food Blog Team goes out and watches movies and I'm pretty confident in saying that almost everyone reading this has also visited Cathay Cineplexes to catch a flick before too!

Cathay has 7 cineplexes island-wide and 4 of them have been certfied Halal with hopefully more to follow!
The 4 Cathay Cineplexes certified Halal as of now are;

• AMK Hub
• Causeway Point
• Downtown East
• West Mall

Hope to see the rest being certified soon as well!

Like we said, you can still get your favourite snacks like Hot Dog, Chicken Nuggets, Potato Wedges and Fried Chicken (among other goodies) but you can also get some new items as well!

Bolognese Hotdog ($6.80 Combo)

I know everyone loves to have a nice satisfying hotdog whenever we go and catch a movie. I think next to Popcorn, the Hotdog is probably next most popular cinema snack! And if you are looking to have a hotdog with a new twist, then we present to you - The Bolognese Hotdog!

I'm guessing your first reaction is probably the same as mine when I first heard about it... "Wah so extreme!"
But you know what? It's not overwhelming at all! And pretty tasty too I might add.
The bolognese sauce has got beef and onions in there for an added kick and this tomato based sauce actually give the normal hotdog more bite too. You can still top it off with more chilli sauce and mustard if you really want but this on its own was more than enough.

What's more - with the combo, you also get some wedges and a drink too!

***SPECIAL OFFER TIME!!!***

Here's some added incentive to try out the new items at Cathay Cineplexes!
For a limited time only, enjoy this special deal!!

Up til 30th April 2014, enjoy a free Wicked Wings or Bolognese Hotdog combo when you buy 3!

Yeah! Every 3 Wicked Wings or Bolognese Hotdog combos you buy entitles you to the 4th on the house!
And the best part is that you don't have to buy all at one go! You can keep your receipts and redeem on your next visit to Cathay and even mix and match!

The T&Cs are really simple too;

• Valid on any day til 30th April 2014
• Valid at all Cathay outlets (Halal certified outlets are located at AMK Hub, Downtown East, West Mall and Causeway Point)
• The purchase can be a combination/mixture of both items
• Not valid with other discounts, promotions or redemptions
• The Management reserves the right to alter the terms and conditions of this promotion without prior notice
• All information stipulated is correct at the time of this post and is subject to change without prior notice

And remember - KEEP YOUR RECEIPTS!!
You'll need to show your 3 receipts to redeem your free 4th combo if you're not having them all at one go!

AND WAIT! THERE'S MORE!!!
(Wah! Dah jadi macam game show like that!!)

***SPECIAL OFFER FOR READERS OF

THE HALAL FOOD BLOG***

As a special treat for our readers, Cathay is offering a special promo offer!
You can enjoy $2 OFF COMBO AT CATHAY CINEPLEXES!
Power or what!!!

And all you need to do is print-out this blogpost and present it when making your purchase at any one of the 4 Halal certified Cathay Cineplexes (AMK Hub, Downtown East, West Mall & Causeway Point).
Do that and you get a $2 discount off the price of your combo!! It's really that simple!

Just do take note of these T&Cs okay;

•  Print-out of blog post MUST be presented
• Valid on any day till 30th April 2014
• Valid  at ONLY at Halal certified outlets (AMK Hub, Downtown East, West Mall and Causeway Point)
• Not valid with other discounts, promotions or redemptions
• Limited to ONE redemption per transaction
• The Management reserves the right to alter the terms and conditions of this promotion without prior notice
• All information stipulated is correct at the time of this post and is subject to change without prior notice

Simple right!!
Just remember to print-out this post and present it. No screenshots on your phones allowed! :)
Anyways just need to print out the top part which shows 'The Halal Food Blog' banner and the top of this post including the title 'Cathay Cineplexes Cinema Snacks Certified Halal!!!'.

So it should look a little bit like this;

Well, what are you waiting for people! Time to make plans to watch a movie! Lots of good ones coming up!
The more the merrier!! Then can enjoy the 4th combo for free!! :))))

See you guys at Cathay Cineplexes!

Cathay Cineplexes

7 Cineplexes Island-wide

The Cathay Cineplex
Cathay Cineplex Cineleisure Orchard
Cathay Cineplex Causeway Point (Halal certtified)
Cathay Cineplex AMK Hub (Halal certified)
Cathay Cineplex Downtown East (Halal certified)
Cathay Cineplex West Mall (Halal certified)
Cathay Cineplex JEM

Tang Tea House - Rojak

So we're back at one of our favourite makan joints - Tang Tea House!
A wide array of food choices and accessible location in the East means we always head back here when we can for some good food and good times.

Today we try a crowd favourite. Something that seems so simple to make but you'd be surprised at how difficult it is to execute a good plate of Rojak.

Rojak with Century Egg ($5.00)

How can anyone resist a plate of Rojak?
There's just something about it that even if you're not the biggest fan, you're still going to take a bite or two if there's a plate of it in front of you.

My favourite part about Rojak (and I'm guessing it's the same for many of you too) is the You Char Kway that comes along with it. And it's always the first to finish and always not enough! That's why I sometimes order a whole plate of just You Char Kway (yes you can do that) but then again sometimes it's nice to have a little variety right?

Well anyways, I personally feel that they're a little stingy with the Char Kway here.

Taste-wise, it's a little less tangy than some other places we've had Rojak. Maybe less Asam water used?
Not too spicy but you can always ask for more chili if you like.

And of course, you don't have to have the Century Egg if you don't fancy it. You can always swap it out for some Sotong Kering if that's your thing. But I do have to say that Century Eggs do seem to be increasingly popular even among the younger crowds.

Adam's Verdict:
Rojak with Century Egg 2.5/5

Maryah's Verdict:
Rojak with Century Egg 3/5 

Dad's Verdict:
Rojak with Century Egg 3/5 

Mum's Verdict:
Rojak with Century Egg 4/5

I remember there used to be a different stall selling Rojak at Tang Tea House but I guess they've moved on.
Guess this stall will have to do for now :)

Tang Tea House

359 Bedok Road
www.tangteahouse.com

Operating Hours:
11.00am til 4.00am Daily

Ikea: Swedish Meatballs

I've heard so much about the Swedish Meatballs at Ikea.

For so long, they were not available to us as the original version consists of beef and pork.
But, I'm glad to say that Ikea has their own ' Halal' section in the food hall which means we have a chnace to sample some of their offerings.

They may not offer the exact same items as you might find on their non-Halal line... and I know it's kinda weird to see that they offer traditional favourites like Mee Siam (seriously) and Nasi Lemak in their Halal line-up.

But hey. We're here for the meatballs.

Swedish Meatballs ($5.50 for 10 pieces)

So the Halal version of their Swedish Meatballs consists of beef and chicken.
It's served with some boiled potatoes, Lingonberry jam and the balls are doused in a basic brown gravy.

The meatballs themselves were actually very well seasoned.
A little on the chewy side but still quite tasty nonetheless and the gravy gives a peppery kick.

I have to say I quite enjoyed the Lingonberry jam together with the meatballs.
Lingonberries are actually common in Sweden and you can even buy a jar of the jam at the Ikea Markethall.
They give a nice sweet/sour contrast to the meat and the brown gravy.

Don't expect to much of the potatoes though. They're just boiled with perhaps a little salt for seasoning.
But I love potatoes so I still whacked them all the same.

I actually dropped by to try these little balls when Ikea was having their great '10-cents Meatball' frenzy.
Normal price for 10 is $5.50 but you also have the options of 5 for $2.90, 15 for $8 or, if you're really hungry, $9.50 for 20 meatballs!

Photo by Eriyana

My great curiosity with the Swedish Meatballs came about when my sister-in-law had lunch with my brother at Ikea and sent me this picture. And it looked damn delicious!!

I think like more than a year later and I finally went down to have it lah.

Adam's Verdict:
Swedish Meatballs 3/5

If we ever do go down to Ikea, I'm not sure if we'll makan there.
But if we did, I'd probably have the Swedish Meatballs over the Mee Siam.

Ikea (Tampines)

60 Tampines North Drive 2
Tel: 6786 6868
www.ikea.com

Operating Hours: 9.30am - 10.30pm Daily

Hara Tim Sum Kitchen

So it's another walk down memory lane in this post...

When we were kids, my Dad used to buy these paus from Haig Road.
It used to come from this one stall at a coffeeshop where the current Banquet now stands and it was just this one guy selling Halal tim sum and nothing else.

It was always the same thing for us - BBQ Chicken Paus and Siew Mai.
And it was so delicious to use that we could finish up like a dozen of each with no problems.
Dad would buy a lot especially during Ramadhan where we'd eat some for buka and the rest for sahur.

But sadly, that stall closed and we couldn't seem to find it anywhere.
The only way we could find the paus were at some coffeeshops or petrol kiosks which carried the Hara Hong Kong Tim Sum product in the steamers. And there were not many around.

More common names were Nury Pau or KG Foods but... Hara Hong Kong was still top of the list for us.

Lo and behold, one day I happened to spot a sign from afar which bore the Hara name.
Could it really be the return of our favourite tim sum???

So my brother and I make our way one afternoon to check it out.

We spoke to a lady there who seemed to run the show and explained that Hara had been bought over and was now a major manufaturer of tim sum products. However, most of it was for export and for distribution which meant that Hara seldom sold its products for immediate makan on their own.

In fact, their current outlet was their one and only and they had only been there for about 2 years.

She was also quick to point out that Hara had adopted a 'Healthir Choice' attitude and incorporated a special wheat flour into their paus which gave them the appearance as above while giving you a healthier option when it comes to tim sum.

So on with the food!

Big Chicken Pau ($2.00)

Dad's favourite was always the Big Chicken Pau.
I think it was the egg that he liked.

Well it's definitely got more vegetables in it than I remember but it is a generous mouthful nonetheless.
Undoubtedly, the price has gone up as well but it's a pretty decent chicken pau.

BBQ Chicken Pau ($2.50 for 3)

Aha our favourite of all time.
In fact I still order a BBQ Chicken Pau at any place that sells Halal tim sum nowdays.

Unfortunately, it just doesn't seem the same as before.
It used to be a lot more tasty to be honest and the filling now is pretty dry.
I mean, it's still tasty but I guess times have changed...

Siew Mai ($3.00 for 4)

My brother is the supreme eater of Siew Mai.
If there is Siew Mai, he will eat it and it started because of Hara's siew mai.

And yes, it tastes as good as it looks in the picture.
Juicy and meaty and just simply delicious.

Maybe it has to do with the fact that these were from the traditional bamboo steamers they had there.
The paus on the other hand were from the modern electric steamer you'll find at the petrol stations.
I mean, when you think of tim sum, the traditional way is the bamboo steamers am I right??

Chicken Feet ($3.00)

Here's something I picked up from my Dad and my brother only recently caught on.
There's just something so comforting about a chicken's foot that has been seasoned, spiced and cooked till it's going to slide off the bones when you put it in your mouth. Sluurrrppppp.

But here's a fair warning - that's one spicy serving of chicken's feet.
It's probably the spiciest version I've ever tried anywhere. But still delicious.

Bamboo Steamers 2-1 Modern Steamers

And this next part coming up actually needs some explanation.
But I MUST point out from the start that this was probably a one-off incident. I mean, this could have happened to anyone at any makan place. So I'm just going to let you know what happened but it is not, in any way, intended to reflect a bad light on this fine eating establishment.

My brother and I enjoy the rice dishes when it comes to tim sum.
I'm talking about the all-time classics - Fan Choy & Lor Mai Kai.

Fan Choy ($2.20)

Lo Mai Kai ($2.20)

So it's basically rice (glutinous or otherwise) with some chicken or char siew chicken.
And we love it.

But this time, we had an unfortunate incident....

My brother started whacking the Fan Choy before my Lo Mai Kai had even arrived so it was half gone by the time I was ready to have mine. But something wasn't right... At first I was so insistent that it was just the glutinous rice and that maybe theirs was a special type which made it extra sticky. I even ate a mouthful to make sure.

But then my brother had a very strong case and was very confident that his Fan Choy and my Lo Mai Kai had gone bad. Bad meaning spoilt aka basi.

"No way lah!" I said. I mean, we're at the manufacturer's stall! This is like as close to the source as you can get! There's no way that this food has gone bad right?

Errrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr....................

That is not glutinous rice sticky...
That is unfortunately glutinous rice SLIMY...

A quick check with the server confirmed our suspicions.
In fact, a faulty steamer was to blame and all the Fan Choy and Lo Mai Kai from the steamer had gone south for the winter and had to be thrown out.

This was the modern steamer. The same modern steamer where our paus had come from.


Well they didn't charge us for the spoilt food (rightfully) and it's obviously impossible for me to give a rating for those 2 items.

And to be honest, the food wasn't all bad. Some of it was pretty delicious.
I guess it was just bad luck that 2 items had spoiled I guess. And I know it does not reflect on the taste of their food or quality of their ingredients but I'm afraid it does reflect on their quality control and management of their food products.

Maybe that's why it was empty during lunch time.

Adam's Verdict:
Big Chicken Pau 2.5/5 -- BBQ Chicken Pau 2.5/5 -- Chicken Feet 4/5 -- Siew Mai 5/5

Azlan's Verdict:
Big Chicken Pau 2/5 -- BBQ Chicken Pau 3/5 -- Chicken Feet 4/5 -- Siew Mai 5/5

Oh and one more thing.
The chilli sauce used to be the bomb but the new version is slightly on the sour side.
Which is actually really disappointing.

Hopefully next time we have better luck with the Fan Choy and Lo Mai Kai.
Or maybe we'll just stick with the Siew Mai.

Hara Kitchen

742 North Bridge Road (Opposite Nasi Pariaman)
Tel: 9068 0258
www.facebook.com/haratimsum

Operating Hours:10am til 10pm Daily
=====================================================================

Update! (1st September 2013)

One of our readers, Sri Yusnita, informed us that it looked like Hara Dim Sum had packed it up.

Well, Hara Kitchen has down-scaled their operations but is still operating out of the same place.
Most of the shop is now operated by Nasi Pariaman who operates mainly just across the street but you can still get your dim sum fix at North Bridge Road!

Thanks to our anonymous reader for the tip-off! Keep them coming in! :)

PS you will see mainly the Nasi Pariaman sign when you go but if you look closely on the left, you will still see the Hara sign too...

See it there? :)