Ramadhan Special 2014: Bussorah Street Bazaar

3rd year in a row we're going back to the Bussorah Street Bazaar!!

Despite feedback that the stalls are pretty much the same every year and there's nothing special, I guess we feel that this is one of the original bazaars around (even though the location has shifted a little bit).

And indeed it was mostly the same stalls but some newer ones too I guess...
Let's talk a walk together...

There was this guy I saw. At first I thought he was selling some kind of noodles since he was dunking something into scalding water.... And then upon closer inspection...

Rojak Bandung!!

Familiar names like Anjung and Dahlia Cafe were back again for another year!

Saw this stall called Noe's Kitchen and stopped by because my Darling Wife was feeling like some Badak Berendam! And it looked they might actually have it because they were selling mainly desserts and stuff like that.

In that last pic, we saw something that looked like our target - Badak Berendam.
We even asked the lady if it was Badak Berendam and she acknowledged yes it was.
So we bought it.

Well, unfortunately it was not Badak Berendam. Something close but not quite.
The 'Badak' itself was kinda different and the 'santan' was more of a sugary water with some santan.
Maybe we have the wrong idea? But cannot be right? Oh well.

Wow! Rendang Kebab! Something new!!

There was also this stall that seemed really popular based on the queue.
They were selling Nasi Bukhari. You could choose from Chicken or Mutton.

Another regular at the Bussorah Street Bazaar was Amirah's Grill ready to serve up delights!

It's not a very long stretch and it's actually really quite crowded because of the cramp space.
But I think if you're in the area, it's quite nice to actually walk around and soak up some of the bazaar atmosphere.

Hopefully they'll be able to have this bazaar every year :)

Bussorah Street Ramadhan Bazaar 2014


Bussorah Mall/Muscat Street
Operating Hours: 3.00pm til 8.00pm

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

Ramadhan Special 2013: Bussorah Street Bazaar

The street bazaar at Bussorah Street is back again this year.
It's been quite a favourite for the past few years even though it shifted location about 2 years ago.
And because of it's location, you'll find quite a few tourists as well soaking in the local festive atmosphere.

So what's up this year at Bussorah Street?

Khad's Kebab

El-Nour Nasi Arab

Warung Wak Emran

Quite queue in front of Watong Wak Emran.
We quickly learned that the stall was offering something you don't see very often.

Kentang Bol

Definitely something we love to eat but maybe lacking the time to make.
So if you'd like, get some Kentang Bol at Warung Wak Emran!

And we spotted another one of our faves at the bazaar again this year.

Anjung Otah-Otah Mini

That's right they're back again this year.
Anjung Otah-Otah Mini & Pau Johor still proving popular this year. What a long line there was!

In case you missed it, read our original review of Anjung here.
Definitely something to try!

Anjung Otah-Otah Mini (5 for $2)

Putu Piring

Mr Botak Favourite 1 Icy Chendol (That's the same guy in the logo!)

Roti Kirai ($4)

We bought the Roti Kirai just to check it out.
A little pricey at $4 for 3 pieces with some chicken curry I guess...

Yusof Power Briyani Dam (Longest queue at the bazaar!)

If there is one thing I actually regret not buying when we visited Bussorah Street is this dish called Nasi Kukus Ayam Dara which literally translates to 'Virgin Chicken Steamed Rice'.
Sounds interesting right?

Apparently it's been around for quite awhile and the draw is that since the chicken was a 'virgin', the meat is going to be all the more tender and delicious. Hmmmmm...
Guess I'll just try it next time!!

Errrr... anyone tried it before??

Well anyways it's obvious that the Bussorah Street Bazaar is still super popular.
Maybe it's the central location. Maybe people really love the stalls there. But even with rainy weather, the crowd was really out in full force.

We even bumped into my Godson there!

Raheel says "Memang sedaaapp!!"

I think it's actually really nice to have the bazaar around. Kind of like a throwback to the old days.
Even though it's not exactly the same, I guess we can't complain.

Let's enjoy it while we can.

Bussorah Street Ramadhan Bazaar 2013


Bussorah Mall/Muscat Street
Operating Hours: 3.00pm til 8.00pm

The Battle Of The Bone Steak Part 1: Al-Tasneem

So we have the Quest For Briyani Series. Soon we will have the Nasi Lemak Chronicles.
But the one thing that A LOT of readers have been asking me to start is a series that samples the various offerings of Bone Steak aka Tulang Merah that we can find around our little island.

It used to be really simple because the only place you needed to go to for Tulang Merah was the Beach Road Army Market where there was a row of shops for you to choose from and indulge in a plate full of the fiery red dish we all love. But the times have changed and now there are makan places spread far and wide across Singapore and trust me -people are willing to travel from one side of the island to the other just to get some of their favourite Tulang Merah.

So this time we are not starting at the 'heart' of Bone Steak in Beach Road...
But it's pretty nearby.

Tulang Merah ($10.00)

Al-Tasneem is not really the first name that comes to mind when someone says "Tulang Merah".
In fact, we didn't even know we were going to be having Bone Steak when we made our way there!

We just got off the bus at Beach Road and wanted to have some dinner.
Our original destination was actually M.A. Deen Biasa for some of their famous Tulang Merah but unfortunately they were closed for renovations. So we walked a little further down and stumbled upon Al-Tasneem.

What caught our eyes initially was the Murtabak Rusa but when we found out there was Tulang Merah on the menu, there was no question. It's definitely value for money because you get about 6-7 bones for $10.

If you're like me, then the meat around the bones is a really big factor. And at Al-Tasneem, you meat lovers will have absolutely no problems!

The meat on the bones is plentiful and EXTREMELY tender. It tears off the bones easily (you can even use a fork and spoon) and it does not have that overwhelming mutton smell/taste that you might expect.

A nice piece of bread to soak up all that delicious gravy!!
Doesn't that look lovely?? *mouth watering*

The gravy itself is a little on the spicy side but I don't think anyone will complain about that. Razali says that it's good for tourists who wanna try the local flavour but maybe can't take the spicy food.
It's mixed up with some eggs to give it a big of texture (Azim thinks it's a little too much egg) and your bread is all ready for action from the plate to your mouth!

I know one thing is cause for concern - the red food colouring problem.
Quite a lo of places add artificial red colouring to give their Tulang Merah the extra 'merah' part and that means that yr hands an mouth ad face (ad possible clothes) will be red by the time you are done.
So is this the case?

Not at all. I am glad to report that there is little (or I dare say NO) food colouring used here.
And although that means no red coloured faces, my darling wife warns all ladies to try and 'maintain' while eating the Tulang Merah or else you might have a different type of 'red face' especially if people are watching.
Hehehe.

But I do have one down side to report - the gravy was a little on the salty side...
It was so weird because even the Murtabak Rusa (and curry) were salty too. Maybe a case of the chef having a bit too much fun with the salt that night? Hmmmm....

So am I forgetting anything? Oh yes.

Something is peeking...

This is something I am SURE is one the big reasons people love to eat Tulang Merah.
The much coveted marrow or 'som-som' is an acquired taste for sure but once you you start, you're probably going to need to start wrestling with others for it.

And the quality of the marrow at Al-Tasneem that night was extremely fresh and plentiful.
It was so fresh that it comes up in one big piece for you after a few knocks as compared to some places where it's half-liquid by the time you complete your struggle to knock it out.
No straws required here!!

Adam's Verdict:
Tulang Merah 3.5/5

Maryah's Verdict:
Tulang Merah 3.5/5

Razali's Verdict:
Tulang Merah 3.5/5

Azim's Verdict:
Tulang Merah 3/5

I'd say this is not bad for start on our grand tour of Tulang Merah.
Hopefully next time we visit Al-Tasneem, it'll be less salty!

Al-Tasneem Restaurant

709 North Bridge Road
Tel: 6291 1781 / 6298 2047

Operating Hours:
8.00am til 11.00pm Daily