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

Hee Kee Desserts

Our tastes and sense of adventure when it comes to food nowadays knows no bounds.
We used to stick to what we knew and what we were familiar with. Even if something new came along and was  Halal, it might take awhile for an idea to catch on. But now, anything is possible.

One particular thing that we all seem to fancy is dessert!
You'd be hard-pressed to find someone who doesn't take at least a little enjoyment when indulging in their sweet tooth every once in awhile. Traditional Chinese-style desserts that are Halal is definitely a rarity in Singapore.

Well, finally we have somewhere to go to enjoy such delicacies!!

Hee Kee Desserts is located in Jurong Point which is quite a ways away for us East-siders so we made sure to cover the whole lot since we made the trip!

Traditional Steamed Milk Pudding ($3.50)

I know a lot of you are going "It looks so... boring..."
Well let me tell you - some of the best tasting things ever are the ones you least expect!

As plain as this looks, it was one of our faves! The milky flavour was divine and so smooth. It was not overly sweet so you can really taste the milk in the pudding. A lot of you might compare this to beancurd and it's pretty close but I'll prefer milk to soy milk anyday!

But if you REALLY insist on adding something to it, they have a Red Bean variation. Also, try the Almond Milk Pudding, Ginger Milk Pudding or the big one - Egg Yolk Pudding!
All traditionally steamed of course!

And just how smooth is the pudding?

Really smooth!!

Mango Cheong Fun ($6.00 for 2 pieces)

When we heard 'Mango Cheong Fun' we were a bit wary. The only 'Cheong Fun' we were familiar with was Chee Cheong Fun and we could not imagine any mangoes being associated with that. But oh boy were we surprised (in a good way).

The Cheong Fun skin was actually infused with coconut that you can actually taste!
And what awaits within the delicious white skin?

A nice big juicy piece of mango awaits you within! And what a combination when you eat the mango with the coconut-infused skin. You can really appreciate it if you're looking for a sweet and fresh flavour in your desserts.

I have to say that I was really surprised with this one. Not only was it something I didn't expect but I was very impressed with the innovative nature of the dessert. Damn creative right!

And speaking of innovative...

Durian Pancake ($3.30 per piece)

Hee Kee seems to be teasing us a lot by offering us stuff that is wrapped up.
First was the Mango Cheong Fun and now this. But we are not complaining! Far from it!!

Behold! The Durian Pancake! I actually nicknamed this 'The Golden Pillow' but then I realized that name was already taken... So instead... I shall call this... 'The Golden Cushion'!!

It's basically a coconut-infused crepe (that's oh-so-fluffy) that envelopes what is probably the favourite fruit of so many people. DURIAN!!! Oh yeah! The King of Fruits is ready to be devoured at Hee Kee and we recommend you enjoy it by ordering the Durian Pancake.

Now look at that. Super generous serving of durian all wrapped up within the crepe!
And just so you have a bit of variety, there's some whipped cream in there too but don't worry you durian lovers will still get to savour every single morsel.

And if you're looking for more durian, Hee Kee also has Durian Pudding and a few dishes that incorporate Sago with durian too!

Personally for me - as long as got durian means confirmed power!

Hee Kee also has other desserts with fruits as the main attraction by the way. They have a whole series called 'Manog Mania' and other desserts feature fruits like Rock Melon, Papaya and Watermelon too!

Durian Sauce with Sago ($5.80)

You all probably know we have a couple of obsessions here on The Halal Food Blog.
(I'm talking about obvious ones!) One of them is Poached Eggs and the other is... Salted Egg Yolks!
Maybe it's something about the 'runny' nature of the 2 but there's just something about them...

And the reason we mention this is because.. There's Salted Egg Yolk at Hee Kee!!

Salted Egg Yolks Glutinous Rice Balls in Osmanthus Sweet Soup ($3.80)

So here are these golden orbs of goodness... Dumplings made from glutinous rice containing some of the most delicious fillings ever known to man... Salted Egg Yolk! In fact you can see some already seeping out from the side there LOL

Okay so it's more of Salted Egg Yolk custard paste but it still counts and the salted egg yolk flavour still prevails when we take a big bite of those balls.

I don't know about you but I'm going ZOMG right about now...
And as always, we try to capture the perfect video of the oozing salted egg yolk but again we FAIL!!

But trust us. If you like Salted Egg Yolk, then try this dessert. Before this, we only had salted egg yolk for dessert in the form of a pau so this was a new experience for us. And the glutinous rice balls were not too thick so they had a good bite to them. Plus, they're swimming in a bowl of sweet Osmanthus broth which gives it a nice balance because it's really light.

Whole Coconut with Coconut Ice Cream & Peanut Crush ($8.80)

 If the first thing that comes to your mind when we say "dessert" is ice-cream, well they have it too!
And it's not going to be those sundaes that are over the top and too sweet... this is the natural stuff!

So you get a whole coconut complete with shell which they have hollowed out for you and fill it up with with really tasty coconut ice-cream! You can really taste the coconut flavour and the sweet flavour was just nice. They even have the coconut flesh which the scrape off the sides for you! Topped off with some crushed peanuts and you're all set!

And as an added bonus, they will serve you the coconut water from the coconut itself!
Nothing goes to waste here!!

Curry Chicken Ball ($3.80)

If you're like me and you need a little something else before you start on your desserts, fret not because Hee Kee also has something special in the form of their curry!

You can choose from the Chicken Ball (it's actually Chicken Luncheon Meat! ZOMG so good!) or the Curry Fish Ball. They both come with some really tasty curry and some tau kwa too! Perfect small bites to get you started on the road before your desserts!

And I have to say I was quite surprised by how tasty the curry was! To be honest it looked to be on the watery side but boy oh boy was it packed with curry flavour! Apparently it's a take on the popular Curry Fish Ball which is really popular in Hong Kong. Well, it made me wanna have prata after that!
LOL

Hee Kee really gives us the chance to sample and enjoy some traditional desserts because it's quite rare to find the ones that are certified Halal in Singapore. I'm talking about special desserts like Almond Paste, Taro Paste, Black Sesame Paste, Glutinous Rice Balls, Steamed Puddings and even Beancurds.

If you really wanna go all-out, they also have Birds Nest which is prepared traditionally in many variations like Red Date Soup, Rock Sugar and even Coconut Soup too!

If you're ever in the area, you should really drop by. In fact, it might even be worth making the trip all the way to the West because to be honest, the desserts here are pretty exceptional and we're glad that such a place exists that we can enjoy such desserts that we don't normally get to enjoy so often.

Hopefully they open one in the East or Central soon! *hint hint*

Hee Kee Desserts

JP 2, Jurong Point
1 Jurong West Central 2, #03-54/55

Tel: 6743 8480
www.facebook.com/heekeedesserts

Operating Hours:
11am til 10pm Daily

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

Sunshine Bakeries - Sprouted Wholemeal Series

Sunshine is a household name when it comes to bread and all kinds of tasty goodies.
I mean, who has not heard of Sunshine bread am I right??

We ate it while we were growing up. Mum made sandwiches for the picnic and for school lunches.
Even while serving National Service and even Reservist, Sunshine Bread was there as a night snack in the form of their Cream Rolls. And by the way - Top One bread is from Sunshine too!

Another thing that the Sunshine brand is synonymous with is healthy eating.
Their range of White, Wholemeal and even their Flavoured Bread (e.g. California Raisin High Fibre, Muesli, Milk Toast etc) ranges are enriched to give us a healthy edge.

And now, Sunshine is taking it to the next level -

I know you have all heard about Wholemeal and all the benefits that Wholemeal breads provide.
Sunshine Bakeries now introduces - Sprouted Wholemeal which takes the benefits of Wholemeal breads to a whole new level.

Let me tell you a little bit more about it.

The 'Sprouting' Process

I don't want to go into all the scientific terms and all that so I'm going to break it down for you the way I understand it (which is hopefully the simplest way!)

In the picture above, you can see the Sprouting process.
Whole grains are healthy but Sprouting is what unlocks the grains' nutrients and extra health benefits including a lower glycemic index (GI) and an increase in soluble fibre . This means that we will be able to digest it more easily and not put so much strain on our digestive system.

On top of that, studies by the US Whole Grains Council have shown that Sprouting increases folate, Vitamins B and C as well as iron and amino acids. Bottom line is that this is a breakthrough that will ultimately benefit us all!

Image courtesy of Sunshine Bakeries

Sunshine's Extra Fine Sprouted Wholemeal bread has 80% wholemeal flour.
Normally this might mean a slightly more 'chewy' bread but this bread is super soft!!
In fact, my household has gone through 3 loaves since I brought home the first loaf!

You can see that the bread is actually sliced quite thick but is still super soft!
Not only is it healthy but also tasty too! Eat it on its own or simply spread on some butter, margerine, jam, kaya, cheese or whatever tickles your fancy!

Sunshine also gave us the chance to sample some special creations made with Sunshine's Extra Fine Sprouted Wholemeal bread and they were actually quite delicious!!

Queen's Coronation Egg with Cranberries

Refreshing Cucumber Tea Sandwiches

Smoked Salmon Alfalfa Triangles

Peanut Butter Banana Marshmallow Toasties

Come on. Tell me you don't wanna try those mouth-watering creations...
From savoury and even a sweet treat!! And all so easy to make too!!
(Let me know if you need the recipes! Sunshine was kind enough to pass them to me!)

And if ready and on-the-go snacks is what you're looking for, then Sunshine has you covered!

Image courtesy of Sunshine Bakeries

Image courtesy of Sunshine Bakeries

Image courtesy of Sunshine Bakeries

The Choc Wholemeal Cream Roll range is here!
And the word Choc in front means that the bread is a Chocolate Roll!!

We have 3 cream flavours to choose from - Caramel Cream, Cocoa Cream and Coconut.
Caramel and Cocoa are pretty self-explanatory. The Coconut Cream is NOT KAYA (which I'll bet some of you might have been thinking) but it's actually a cream that has some coconut flavour and even some coconut bits in it. Creative!!

And in case you were wondering...

They are NOT stingy with the cream! Plenty to enjoy!

During my visit to the launch of Sunshine's  Sprouted Wholemeal Series, I heard from experts such as Cynthia Harriman, Director of Food & Nutrition Strategies at The Whole Grains Council and Ketki Vinayachandra who is a registered Naturopath, Herbalist, Nutritionist and Iridologist .

The one message that got through to me what that we really need to pat more attention to what we eat and this means that even a small difference like the bread we eat can go a long way in better health for us and our families.

About a week has gone past since I brought back our first loaf of Sunshine Sprouted Extra Fine Wholemeal bread and we've bought another 2 loaves since then! Not only is it healthy but it's really tasty too. A little bit extra goes a long way!

Just try it and you'll see what I mean :)

You can scan the QR code above with your smartphone and get more information on this great new range from Sunshine!

Special thanks to Sunshine Bakeries for having me down!

Sunshine Bakeries

Tel: 6257 8455
www.sunshine.com.sg
www.facebook.com/SunshineBakeries

KL Sedap Part 1: Grand Seri Garuda Emas

So we're going to begin our KL Sedap series!

I know a lot of us probably travel overseas to KL more often than any other city.
It's convenient, not too far away and is a modern city but still rich in history and culture.
AND HAS PLENTY OF MAKAN!

Let's face it, whenever we go to KL, confirm plus chop plus guarantee we're definitely going to spend a good amount of time eating. There's just so much to eat! From the street stalls to the restaurants, there's simply no end I tell you!

Well anyways our adventure begins at a place that my darling wife went to on one of her previous visits.
She kept raving about this dish she had called 'Ayam Pop' which was apparently the BOMB!
We tried a version in Singapore but it was a complete disaster so we've gone to the original source of my wife's fascination with this dish.

And since this was a family trip, my trusted brothers-in-law (and fellow foodies) Razali and Azim were along for this makan adventure in KL. Read more about them at our Bio page!

So Restoran Grand Seri Garuda Emas actually serves authentic Minang-style food.
We're talking about good old 'put everything on the table and we charge you for what you eat' kinda thing.

As you'd expect, they have the usual Padang favourites like Daging Salai, various seafood and vegetables.
They even have otak (brains)!!

And let's not forget the favourite Cabe Hijau (Green Chilli)!!!

Yeah we all know about Nasi Padang (or Minang) but what about this Ayam Pop eh?

Ayam Pop

 So what's so special about Ayam Pop anyways?
Apparently, the chicken is marinated then boiled in coconut water.

So the coconut water does nothing much for the flavour of the chicken but it surely makes the chicken meat very tender while retaining a moist texture. And let me tell you something else. Another thing it doesn't help is the appearance! But appearances aside, this chicken is really super tender and you DO get a hint of the coconut water and when you bite into it.

Well, anyways Azim wasn't buying into any of the coconut water talk and says it doesn't make much of a difference. But both he and Razali agree that.. it.. doesn't.. look.. appetizing....

They give you this special sambal to go with the Ayam Pop.
It's basically a mix of petis (fermented shrimp paste) and chillies. It's actually pretty spicy but the petis definitely kills any chance of it being overpowering.

I love me some petis so this was definitely a hit.

But for those of you who aren't interested in any boiled chicken...

Ayam Goreng

Great news! They also some pretty good Ayam Goreng!
(It definitely looks better doesn't it?)

Adam's Verdict:
Ayam Pop 3/5 -- Ayam Goreng 3.5/5

Maryah's Verdict:
Ayam Pop 4.5/5 -- Ayam Goreng 3/5

Razali's Verdict:
Ayam Pop 2/5 -- Ayam Goreng 3.5/5

Azim's Verdict:
Ayam Pop 2.5/5

Well besides the Ayam Pop and Ayam Goreng, the rest of the dishes are really good too.
I really enjoyed the fried beef dishes and the vegetable dishes like 'Terung Sambal'!
Worth the trip if you're in the area and hankering for some Nasi Padang!

Restoran Grand Seri Garuda Emas

No 176 Jalan Raja Abdullah
Kg Baru, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Tel: +60 0322027170
www.garuda.my

Operating Hours: 10.00am til midnight Daily