Eatzi Gourmet

I'm sure you guys know Eatzi Gourmet right?
It's from JP Pepperdine - the same people who brought us Jack's Place but the difference is that Eatzi Gourmet is certified Halal!

Their Executive Chef, Heman, has thought up some new and creative dishes to be served specially in the month of June so it's a great opportunity to bring the kids out for some makan during the school holidays or maybe even for a Father's Day meal this weekend!!

But before we start on the specials, we started with some soup to warm us up.

Cream of Fresh Shiitake Mushroom ($4.80)

I think Mushroom Soup is like pretty much almost everyone's favourite soup am I right?
There's something so hearty when you dig into a nice hot bowl of creamy mushroom soup and the version here is not bad at all.

You get a very nice shiitake mushroom flavour and dig in with some garlic bread that comes along.

Clam Chowder ($5.00)

One thing I can say about this Clam Chowder is that they are definitely not stingy with the clams!
You're probably got have clams with every spoon you scoop up! Definitely a must try for all you chowder lovers especially if you'd like to take a break from the whole Mushroom Soup scene.

And then we started on the June promo menu -

The Garden of Grilled Sea Prawn with Tian of Cherry Tomatoes and Potatoes Sand ($8.50 ala carte or $6.80 with set meal)

This was the promo salad on the menu. Something to whet your appetite while waiting for the main courses to arrive.

You have nice succulent prawns on a bed of veggies. Not too much dressing for a change.
The interesting thing about this salad was the Potatoes Sand which is basically a special garnish they prepare for the salad. It looks like it's made up of potatoes and some turkey/beef bacon bits. It definitely gave an interesting touch to the dish.

Re-Constructed Crispy Chicken Cordon Bleu with Potato Crisps and Cheese Sauce ($18.80)

This was something we decided to order from the start because it sounded so good.

Traditionally, Chicken Cordon Bleu is a chicken breast/thigh that is filleted and filled with some turkey/chicken ham and cheese, breaded and then fried. Well, this is a little different.
The chicken and the turkey/chicken ham appear to have been minced up a little bit (it's still quite chunky) and some cheese mixed up in there before the whole thing is breaded and fried.

Don't you just wanna take a nice big bite? YUMMY!!

Something that made this dish memorable was the 'Peppery Peanut Melt' which was like a nice honey glaze sauce on top of the chicken. It had chopped nuts and nice kick from the black pepper. It really really went well with the chicken. Best dish of the night to be honest!

Braised Wagyu Beef Brisket with Pearl Onion ($25.80)

Here's something for all you beef brisket lovers to try.
Chef Heman's take on a classic brisket with Wagyu Beef for you to enjoy!

It comes with a grilled Provolone cheese and peach skewer, seasonal veggies, grilled cherry tomatoes and pearl onions. Finish off with some Garlic Mashed Potatoes.

N.Z. Ribeye Steak with Grilled Port Salut and Strawberry Compote ($22.80)

Not enough beef with the Beef Brisket? Fear not!

Go for the N.Z. Ribeye Steak with Grilled Port Salut and Strawberry Compote to satisfy your meat cravings. Nice and juicy cut of ribeye topped off with some grilled Port Salut cheese and slathered with Strawberries Compote.

And on the side, you have some seasonal veggies plus a signature Jacket Potato with all the trimmings! I guess the steak HAS to be good right? After all, these are the guys who brought us Jack's Place!!

If you still want steak but maybe a little Surf N' Turf at the same time, maybe you'd consider having the N.Z. Beef Tenderloin with Smoked Ahi Tuna instead.

Grilled Cod Fish Fillet infused with Blackened Tomatoes with Grilled Prawn and Yellow Tomato Skewer served with Curried Sweet Basil Sauce ($31.80)

The menu describes this dish as "A famous black cod fillet grilled to Cajun blackened style with grilled prawn and yellow tomato skewer with a curry-infused Hollandaise sauce served with butter raisin cous-cous, feta cheese, spring vegetables & baby spinach"!!

And yes - that's Biji Selasih!!

And of course, we finished with some sweet desserts!

Apple Pie A La Mode ($6.50)

Simply baked Apple Pie with a nice big scoop of delicious Vanilla ice-cream to round it up.
Interestingly, the filling was made up of both apple slices and also the pureed apple which gave it a bit of mushy texture until you bite into a slice of apple.

Creme Brulee ($6.00)

We also decided to try the Creme Brulee because I love it.
Topped with strawberries and a nice creamy texture. Definitely a sweet ending!!

FYI - you can top-up either $5.20 or $9.00 to the promotional main course items to make it a complete meal with soup, dessert and coffee/tea so it's a good deal to enjoy a really hearty meal complete with dessert too!

Just remember - these special promotional items are available only in the month of June so if you miss out, no guarantee that you'll get to try them beyond this month so make sure you head down soon to avoid disappointment!!

And they are also having a special promotion with Coca-Cola where you stand a chance to win a pair of 2-way air tickets to Rio plus accomodation!!!!

So head down while you can to either of the Eatzi Gourmet outlets at either SAFRA Yishun or ITE Ang Mo Kio to try these special dishes ASAP!!

Eatzi Gourmet

60 Yishun Avenue 4

Tel: 6852 8270
www.eatzi.com.sg

Operating Hours: 11.00am to 10.30pm Daily

Junshin Express

So I heard about this new Halal sushi place at Bedok Mall selling sushi that costs only 50 cents.
That's right - FIFTY CENTS!! But the catch is that it's all takeaway so don't have any ideas about sitting down and picking sushi up off a conveyor belt.

The worst thing is - it's so close to my workplace!!
Normally that's a good thing right? Well, for some reason, the closer something is to my workplace or home, the more likely I'm not gonna go to that place for some time. Not on purpose or anything but I guess I just happen to pass it by because I think I can always go another time since it's so close to me.

Well, I finally managed to make my way down to Bedok Mall one morning.

So the concept is really simple - Sushi is 50 cents and it's all takeaway.
They also have stuff that costs more (between $1.80-$4.80) but that's big stuff like Temaki (Handrolls), Sashimi and even Chuka Idako.

But I'm guessing we're all gonna be like sharks going after the 50 cent Sushi.

Imagine like 7 or 8 of those displays for you to choose from!

You have your pick of familiar favourites like Sake Sushi (Salmon), Maguro (Tuna), Red or Yellow Ebiko (Capelin Roe), Kani Salad (Crabmeat), Shiromi (White Fish) and Tamago (Egg) among other things.

But there are also some other sushi which is definitely not something you come across everyday.
More on that later.

One of the things I noticed about the Sushi at Junshin Express is how neatly everything is packed. So Easy to just pick up and go. Smaller sushi like the Gunkan and Nigiri Sushi are individually packed in plastic and the bigger ones like the California Roll are packed in plastic boxes.

Besides the usual Sushi, they also introduce new items on the menu from time to time.
Specials like the Teriyaki Salmon and the Aburi Black Pepper Salmon Sushi are two of the best-sellers!! Don't worry I get to try them later.... hehehe

And even the special Sushi is 50 cents each!!!

Even the Gari (Pickled Ginger) and Wasabi are 50 cents each!!
Don't worry you get some Shoyu and Wasabi when you buy your sushi but if you're hardcore like us, you're definitely gonna want a lot of Wasabi!!

But ready-to-eat Sushi is not all that Junshin Express has to offer -

Teriyaki Sauce ($4.60)

Shoyu ($3.60)

Sushi Vinegar ($3.30)

If you're into making your own Sushi or into some Japanese masak-masak, they also have some Halal-certified ingredients for you too! No need to hunt so high and low anymore!

Anyways, enough build-up because it's time for the Sushi!!

Remember that I mentioned that they have some Sushi that we probably familiar with and then they also have some Sushi that may be new to us because they're actually pretty unique. Well, they were nice enough to let me sample some of the more unique types of Sushi they had and here I am to tell you more about it!

Junshin Express actually has a whole range of Sushi which is pretty much fruits and/or vegetables.
That's right. It's not a typo. FRUITS AND VEGETABLES SUSHI!!

But before that, I simply had to try 2 of their best-sellers...

Aburi Black Pepper Salmon Sushi ($0.50 each)

This is supposed to be #1 and the most popular Sushi they have and it's quite easy to see why.
'Aburi' basically means 'Grilled' so this salmon is cooked. The black pepper give it a nice kick but it is not too overpowering so you can still enjoy the flavour of the salmon and the sushi rice as well.

This would actually be a great start especially if you're having sushi for the first time. I think even those people who are afraid to try Sushi would have no problem with this!

Teriyaki Salmon Sushi ($0.50 each)

The salmon here is also cooked and coated with some yummy Teriyaki sauce.
A definite must-try for Teriyaki lovers (like me!!)

And then I started on the more unique ones...

Shimeji Mushroom Sushi

Burdock Sushi

Mountain Vegetables

Firstly, let me assure you, these are not as scary or unusual as you might think.

Burdock is a root and the Mountain Vegetables is made up mostly of mushrooms so there's nothing to be worried about. In fact, after you take a bite, you'll actually see they are really tasty. If you are fans of mushroom and the woody flavour you normally get with mushrooms, then you'll definitely want to try these three.

Yellow, Red and Green Bell Peppers Sushi ($0.50 each)

Bell peppers drizzled with some Teriyaki sauce. It's not as spicy or overpowering as you might think. But I guess this is more for the health conscious who wanna stick to all-veggies only!

Enough veggies how about some fruits!!

Strawberry Sushi

Kiwi Sushi

Red Apple Salad Sushi

Green Apple Sushi

Dragonfruit Sushi

Aburi Banana Sushi

I know you're probably had those fruits before but can you tell me that you've had those fruits as sushi before?? Well, here's your chance!!

The sweetness of the fruits versus the slightly-sour vinegar flavour of the Sushi rice is actually quite a good combination! And when they brulee fruits like the banana, it unlocks even more sweetness!

To be perfectly honest, I actually could not believe that they had sushi made up of fruit. I only realized how great it was when I actually tried it. It may seem like a strange idea but it's actually really good! Affordable and healthy and something new for you to try! I'm pretty sure the kids will love it! (Especially the Aburi Banana Sushi!!)

They even have other fruits like Rock Melon and Jackfruit Sushi!

But don't worry! I also bought some of the more usual (or maybe not all so usual) Sushi to being home and sample just to confirm that Junshin Sushi was the real deal!

California Maki ($0.50 each)

Chuka Idako (Baby Octopus)

Wakame Sushi

Sake Sushi ($0.50 each)

Kani Tamago

Otah Sushi

That's right. Otah Sushi!
The Otah itself actually had a bit of a spicy taste to it which was really tasty/ Definitely not something you see on Sushi everyday am I right?

The usual suspects like California Maki, Sake Sushi, Chuka Idako and Wakame (Seaweed) Sushi all make an appearance on the displays but they also mix things up a little with classic Sushi.
For example, instead of just Kani (Crabstick), they add some Tamago in and make it a 2-in-1 Kani Tamago Sushi.

And by the way, they also have 2 types of Crabstick sushi.
One is the Crab-flavoured fish sticks and the other is the real deal crab meat. So you have a choice depending on your preference.

I guess whether you are a seasoned Sushi eater or something just starting out (maybe even trying for the first time!), you definitely would not mind dropping by Junshin Express for some sushi.

It's convenient, the quality is good and of course - the price is really affordable.
You can even grab a whole boxful and bring it home for the family or even back to the office to share with colleague for lunch!

It's nice to have an alternative Sushi place where we need a quick on-the-go Sushi fix when we don't have the time to sit down and have a proper Sushi meal. Think Express... Junshin Express!

Junshin Express

Bedok Mall
311 New Upper Changi Road
#B2-20

Tel: 6844 9448
www.junshinexpress.com.sg

Operating Hours:
10am to 10pm Daily

Meera Mohaideen Mee Stall - Mee Kuah

So we happened to find ourselves at Bedok Corner one evening in search of something to have for dinner. We were originally supposed to go somewhere else but somehow ended up there. And as always, we were torn between having food that we were familiar with or ordering from a new stall.

In the end, we decided to be a bit more adventurous :)
This is what I ended up ordering.

Mee Kuah (5.00)

I'd noticed Mee Mohaideen before but never ordered from it. It seemed like it was popular for its Sop Kambing even though there was another stall just beside it selling the same thing. But I didnt really feel like having just Sop Kambing so I ordered some Mee Kuah.

Okay you guys are probably going to laugh at me now because I think I might be the only person who was not aware of this stunning revelation about Mee Kuah...

Did you know - the 'kuah' in Mee Kuah is actually made up of the Sop Kambing???
As in the base of the kuah is made up of the Sop Kambing plus some additional spices (and maybe some colouring??) to give us the end product we know and love?

I must be a real jakun or really stupid/ignorant because I literally had NO idea until I ate here.
If I had not seen the guy take a few giant ladlefuls of the Sop Kambing stock, I would probably not know this fact to this day. And after I tasted the Mee Kuah, suddenly it hit me - "Eh ya... it DOES taste like Sop Kambing a bit ah!!" LOL

Oh well, I guess you learn something new everyday. Lifelong learning!!!

Anyways, back to the Mee Kuah.
Despite being made up of Sop Kambing, somehow the kuah here was kinda bland. I think I realized it was not going to be tasty when I saw how watery the kuah was. I'm talking about REALLY watery.
In fact, I don't think I've had Mee Kuah as watery as that...

In the end, lack of flavour really puts a downer on your meal because after awhile you just give up.
But I did enjoy one part though...

Thankfully I at least got to enjoy a nice runny egg yolk which I think a lot of people look forward to when they have a nice bowl of Mee Kuah. Especially when you have a nice spoonful with the kuah.
After all, I am The Yolk Guy.

Adam's Verdict:
Mee Kuah - 1.5/5

A pity about this dish. It looked really appetizing too but somehow it's really lacking in flavour which is surprising because it's made up of Sop Kambing which should already be packed with flavour. Maybe it was my bad luck?

Oh well, maybe I'll try something else from the stall next time. Maybe Sop Kambing? :)

Bedok Corner Food Centre

Bedok Food Centre (Near Bedok Camp)
Stall 786

Operating Hours:
12.00pm til 10.00pm Daily

Popeyes - Chili Garlic Wicked Chicken

So I received this brochure with the coupons in my mail for some goodies at Popeyes.
As soon as I saw the latest 'promo' item on the front, I thought to myself (in the immortal words of my good buddy, Joseph) "Mmmm... I want somma that!!" (or something along those lines).

In all honesty, that looked like some mighty fine chicken and the thought of the 'Chili Garlic' flavour really made my mouth water. In fact, I was so eager that I stepped out for lunch one day and hopped over to the nearest Popeyes at Bedok Point.

And this is what I got...

Chili Garlic Wicked Chicken with Red Rice ($6.90)

Let's take a closer look at that from above...
Just to show you the whole platter in case you think you're missing the big picture.

Okay now scroll back up to the top of the post and compare those two pictures with the first one of the brochure. Does it look like the same dish in those photos? Because the name is the same so it has to be the same dish in all 3 photos right? But why do they look so different???

Listen. I don't mean to be nit-picky and look at all the small stuff but hey - the picture on the brochure shows the chicken completely covered in the Chili Garlic sauce and that's what I thought I'd be getting. Sorry but I'm the 'Sauce Guy' and I wanted to try this dish because of the sauce.

Anyways, the chicken is the type which is the flat chicken strips so it tends to be a bit dry. Which is why the sauce would have been nice. And to be honest - the sauce was not bad! Only too little!!

Maybe if they are finding it a challenge to completely coat the chicken strips in the sauce, they should just serve the chicken and rice with a bowl of the sauce on the side so that we can just dip it in ourselves and at least be content with the amount of sauce on our chicken.

Okay fine. Enough about the chicken...

Yes. The 'Red Rice' is white.
I read on Popeyes Facebook page that the 'Red' in 'Red Rice' actually refers to the spices and seasoning to give the 'Red Rice' it's unique flavour that will go well with the Wicked Chicken.

Well, the rice I got was neither red in colour nor the taste.
It tasted just like normal white rice!!

And then I read further on Popeyes Facebook page and realized that I was not the only one who had a problem... Plenty of other people were leaving comments and feedback about this as well. I guess maybe something went wrong somewhere because there didn't seem to be a whole lot of Red Rice anywhere... And that price of $6.90 did not even include any drink or side order...

Mashed Potato

Luckily for me, I opted to top-up $2.90 for a drink and a side order of Popeyes famous Mashed Potato which is probably the best mashed potato you can find in any fast food joint in Singapore.

Well, at least my whole meal wasn't too bad. A little too pricey for something where you're not satisfied at the end of it I say.

Adam's Verdict:
Chili Garlic Wicked Chicken 1.5/5

I used to think that Burger King was at the bottom of my list when it came to fast food standards but they recently redeemed themselves with their King Dogs.
Looks like Popeyes has a lot to do to buck up.

Popeyes

Bedok Point
799 Upper Changi Road
#03-06

Tel: 6448 9312
www.popeyes.com.sg

Operating Hours: 10am to 10pm Daily