Phuket Power! Part 3: Amena Burger (aka Soi Sansabai Burger)

Finally - the post all of you have been waiting for...
(And by 'all of you' i mean 'my brother')

So my brother headed to Phuket back in May 2012 and he came back raving about some burger that was apparently supposed to be very nice. "Soi Sansabai Burger aka SSSBB" he would keep saying.
He even went as far as to say - it was the best burger he'd ever had.

Some mighty claims to make for a burger eh.
Apparently he wasn't the only one who thought this burger was the bomb. Apparently it's so popular that they even have a fan page on FB! Hmmmm....

So we had to wait almost a year before we would have the chance.
It was actually quite irritating to heard my Brother keep repeating how much he was craving for the "SSSBB" month after month after month.

And finally, we made the trip to Phuket in March 2013.
This had better be worth it...

The very first night we were there, we started the walk to what was supposed to be the best burger in the world... But then something weird happened.

Apparently they had opened another stall which happened to be on the way to the original stall.
And it was a good thing we spotted it to.

So it's called Amena Burger and that's the entire menu.
And if you noticed - the sell BURGERS!

So since we were going to be there for a few days, we decided to try out the new outlet that just opened and go to the original stall later on.

So what did we decide to have?
Pretty much everything lah.

That's a picture of delicious proportions I tell you.

If you get the Beef Burger, it's a giant patty of beef.
If you get the Chicken Burger, it's strip of tender chicken.
All this in between a crisp bun with fresh veggies and sauces.

How can this possible get any better??
Oh wait. It can.

CHEESE!!!

Cheese Beef Burger (฿80)

This is one helluva beef patty.

It's seasoned just nicely and when they grill it, they leave a nice crispy char on the outside so you get a nice juicy bite with a little crunch.

The lettuce, onions and tomato are fresh so you get a nice serving of your veggies as well.

And of course, cheese is always welcome in my burgers.

One thing I actually really like is the bun.

It's not your average Gardenia or Ramly burger bun. I'm not sure if they make it themselves but this bun is perfect because it's got a nice crisp to it and it doesn't get soggy like other buns once the sauces hit it.

And believe you me, this is a big plus when you're eating a burger loaded with mayonnaise, chilli sauce and ketchup on the sidewalk in Phuket.

Chicken Burger (฿80)

For those expecting some minced chicken meat patty, think again.

Amena's Chicken Burger is made up of tender chicken breast strips.
It's grilled just nicely and of course you get all the usual trimmings like veggies and cheese.
The bun still rocks so go ahead and add in your sauces.

Some might say this is more of a sandwich and not a burger since there's no patty.
Well, call it what you want - it's still THE BOMB!

And for those egg lovers out there, you can add a little egg-wrapper ala Ramly burger style if you like!

Oh and by the way. Please don't let the photos fool you.
The images you see do not fairly depict the actual size of the burger you get...

Yep it's THAT big.

So order one first and then order a 2nd if you're still hungry.
Don't go and order 2 at one go and then later cannot finish because this is a monster burger that will definitely fill you up!!

If it's just the extra patty you're after, order a Double Burger for an extra ฿40!!

Chicken Hotdog (฿80)

Not in the mood for burgers?
Well you're in luck! They also have hot dogs!

It's a chicken sausage in the same type of bread as the burgers (but obviously shaped accordingly) and with all the usual veggies and sauces as well.

It's very filling and quite nice but I think that after I had the burger, all I could think about was another burger!

If you're stopping at the 2nd outlet, look out for these 2.
They're going to cook you up a storm of yummy burgers and they're very cool people!
If they're not too busy, strike up a chat with them!

If you head down to the original stall at Soi San Sabai, look out for this guy who is usually there with the Head Boss, Amena.

We headed down there the next few nights and had some burgers and they were bloody delicious I tell you.

One advantage of heading down to the original stall is that they set up some tables and chairs so that if you're eating there, you have a place to sit down and enjoy your burger.

The 2nd stall only has some chairs at the side of the sidewalk which means you're going to face a bit of a challenge trying not to look like a weirdo when you tuck into your burger.

And one important thing to note it that the stall only open in the might hours so I'm afraid you need to head out after the sut has set in order to enjoy the burgers.. but it's definitely worth it!



Adam's Verdict:
Beef Burger 4.5/5 -- Chicken Burger 3.5/5 -- Hot Dog 2.5/5

Azlan's Verdict:
Beef Burger 5/5 (He actually gave 6/5) -- Chicken Burger 5/5

Raffiq's Verdict:
Beef Burger 4.5/5 -- Chicken Burger 5/5 

John's Verdict:
Beef Burger 4/5 -- Chicken Burger 4/5

So was my Brother exaggerating when he said it was The Best Burger In The World?
Well, it's definitely the best burger that I have ever had.

And if you have any problems finding the burgers, just ask around.
I guarantee you someone will be able to point you in the right direction!

That's (the actual) Amena by the way

Updated 30 October 2014

Amena Burger (Original)

Yorkshire Hotel
Soi Sansabai
Kathu, Patong, Phuket, Thailand

 www.facebook.com/groups/106970172677113/

Operating Hours:
Between 12.00am til 7.00am 

Amena Burger (Moved)

Soi Sansabai (Beside Rock City)
Kathu, Patong, Phuket, Thailand

www.facebook.com/groups/106970172677113/

Operating Hours:
Between 12.00am til 7.00am

Phuket Power! Part 2: Royal India Indian Food

So it's a couple of days into our trip in Phuket and we're waiting for our day to begin.
And what better way to start your day than with a nice hearty breakfast am I right???

We asked around the locals because we actually had no idea what the locals had for breakfast.
Someone said fried rice. Most of the street peddlers seemed to be selling little packets of rice or noodles with veggies and minced meat.

So believe it or not - we settled on some Indian food.

The main reason for this was we were waiting for a buddy of mine at the hotel and there happened to be this new shop just across from our hotel which was selling Indian Food. Royal India sounded like a trustworthy name am I right?

Well we actually wanted prata (seriously) but I guess we had to settle on some other stuff instead.

Garlic and Butter Naan (฿60 each)

The place had just opened so I guess they had no choice but to make these naan fresh.
Nice and steaming hot fresh from the oven for sure. I have to say the Naan was actually quite nice.
In fact it may have been the only thing I enjoyed.

Lamb Curry (฿150)

Okay the mutton curry actually was not bad.
Well it's not like it was the best lamb curry I ever had but at least it was edible.

Edible? Why would I say edible?

Chicken Curry (฿150)

We actually received the Chicken Curry first.
When I first tried it, I commented that it had a little bit of a sour tang to it. We decided it might be because they might have added some yoghurt to the curry which was actually very common in Indian cooking.

And then, my brother took a nice big bite of a piece of chicken.
And then he spat it out.

Apparently, the chicken had gone rancid.
This wasn't a case of yoghurt in the curry or even the chicken not being washed properly.
This was a case of ROTTEN CHICKEN CURRY.

We pointed it out the the waiter and he told us "All Phuket chicken tastes like that."
Errr we've eatena lots of chicken in Phuket and no not all Phuket chicken tastes rotten.


Adam's Verdict:
Garlic Naan 2.5/5 -- Lamb Curry 2/5

Azlan's Verdict:
Garlic Naan 2/5-- Butter Naan 3/5

Raffiq's Verdict:
Garlic Naan 3/5 -- Lamb Curry 3/5

Kumar's Verdict:
Garlic Naan 0/5 -- Lamb Curry 0/5

As you can tell, Kumar was really angry about the Chicken Curry.
In fact, they all have negative ratings (-10 and -5) but of course, we don't give ratings for rotten food here on The Halal Food Blog. Remember the Lo Mai Kai?

Needless to say, we didn't pay for the Chicken Curry.

And the worst thing is - that guy in the font of the restaurant had the balls to keep asking us to come in and eat again EVERY DAY after that.

Take this more of a warning than a review. Avoid the Chicken Curry!!

Royal India Indian Food

Sawatdirak Road
Patong, Phuket, Thailand

Operating Hours: 10pm til 10.30pm Daily

Prima Deli: Mother's Day Special

Advertorial

Happy Mother's Day!!!

For those of you who had any doubts, please kindly allow me to confirm it for you.
Mother's Day falls on the 2nd Sunday of May every year. This year, it falls on 12th May 2013.
OMG that's only one week away!

Well fret not there is still time for you to go and get your Mum something nice.
And for those of you who might be having problems coming up with some ideas, we have just the thing!

This Mother's Day, Prima Deli would like to celebrate with you by offering some sweet treats!
They are offering 3 different varieties of cakes specially prepared for Mother's Day!

We were lucky enough to have the opportunity to try one of the cakes being offered for this special offer.

Yummy Yam Cake

So one of the choices is the Yummy Yam Cake.

It's vanilla sponge with fresh yam and sago filling and all covered in vanilla fresh cream.
Those letters and hearts/stars you see on the cake are - Pink Chocolate!

When I first saw the word "Yam" and "Cake", my first thought was " Whoa! Seriously?!" and I'm guessing that some of you are probably having the same reaction right now. Well, fret not.
The yam and sago cream filling was absolutely fine. You can tell it's Yam but it is not overpowering at all.
The sponge cake was so fluffy and light that even my Mum enjoyed it! (And she's not really a cake-eater)

Anyways, for those of you who are not fans of Yam, Prima Deli is also offering Black Forest and Mixed Fruit variations of their special Mother's Day cakes so your dearest Mum is going to be spoiled for choice!
And the best part is - Prima Deli is 100% Halal-certified!!

It's $39.80 for a 1kg cake if it's Black Forest or Mixed Fruit and it's $22.80 for a 540gm Yummy Yam Cake. For the quality you're getting, that's a great deal!
Plus!You also get 2 bottles of Brands Bird's Nest absolutely free! Great deal!

These special cakes are available from 26 April til Mother's Day (12 May) so get cracking!
But one important thing to note is that you need to order at least 3 days in advance. That means that the last order they can take will be 10 May which is 3 days before Mother's Day.

So give your sweet Mum a sweet treat this Mother's Day!

Call Prima Deli at 6276 3333 or pop by any of their outlets if you have any enquiries.
Visit www.primadeli.com today!

Phuket Power! Part 1: Banana Pancake

Just across the street from our hotel (White Sand Resortel), there's this guy and his cart.
And he sells pancakes.

Muhammad Hassan is his name. Remember his face.
He actually used to work in Singapore making (you guessed it) pratas!
So by Banana Pancake, we meat the sorta-like-prata type not the flour-crepe type.

Banana Nutella Pancake (฿60)

Tell me that doesn't looks appetizing.
You've got Banana and Nutella wrapped in the thin crisp pancake and condensed milk drizzled on top.
YUMMY!

If the first picture didn't get you then I'm sure this one did.

You actually have a wide range of choices for your pancake.
He's got

Banana + Chocolate

Banana + Nutella

Banana + Honey

Banana + Cinnamon

Banana + Peanut Butter

Honey + Lemon + Sugar

Coconut + Chocolate

Banana + Coconut

Banana + Chocolate + Coconut

Egg + Banana + Chocolate

Banana + Blueberry + Chocolate

Banana + Pineapple + Chocolate

Banana + Honey + Starwberry

Egg + Cheese + Cinnamon

Egg + Banana + Raisins

Banana + Nutella + Chocolate

OMG. Choose wisely because you probably can't try every single one in your one trip.

No bananas were harmed in the making of this pancake.
And even if there were, they all went to heaven.

Banana Chocolate Pancake (฿40)

There's a difference between Nutella and Chocolate obviously.
If you can't decide, then maybe you can try the Nutella + Chocolate + Banana one.
I wish I had...

I actually tried the Honey + Lemon + Sugar pancake.
It was pretty tasty and definitely different but it didn't have the same kick because there was no filling.
I'm guessing anything with Banana would be a minimum choice.

Adam's Verdict:
Banana Nutella Pancake 4/5 -- Honey Lemon Sugar Pancake 2/5

Azlan's Verdict:
Banana Nutella Pancake 4/5 

Raffiq's Verdict:
Banana Chocolate Pancake 3.5/5

John's Verdict:
Banana Chocolate Pancake 5/5

If you're in Phuket, this is a must try!
There'll be plenty of the same type of stalls but not all Halal so look carefully okay.

Banana Pancake

Cross Junction of Sawatdirak Road headed to Patong Beach
Patong, Phuket, Thailand

Operating Hours: 12.00pm til 9.30pm Daily

Image from Google Maps

Makan In Malacca Part 5: Sri Mawar Ria

Well this is the last in our 'Makan In Malacca' series.
We sampled all kinds of delicious food in this wonderful city and our last meal on Malacca soil happened to be a place we had decided to go to from the very start. 

In December 2012, we were invited by Mr Ridzuan Yeo posted on our FB wall, inviting us to sample his delicious Cantonese/Nyonya food at Sri Mawar Ria in Melaka.

"Si nyonya Melaka menyimpul sanggul,

Diselit dengan si bunga cempaka.

Pelbagai kaum sudah berkumpul, 

Makanan dipilih mengikut selera."

Well when people open 'pantun' to invite, surely we must humbly accept!

I think that one of the best things about Sri Mawar Ria is that it's located at Melacca Sentral Station.
This basically means that you can eat there when you get off the bus in Malacca or before you get on the bus headed back home.

Rojak Petis (RM4.00)

For starters we went with some Rojak.
And this is not just Rojak Buah like you'd normally get around the area. This is 'Chinese style' Rojak with you char kway and tau pok amidst the veggies.

I simply love petis (fermented prawn paste).
And this is not too spicy but I reckon you can ask for it to be spicy if you'd like.
A nice generous sprinkling of nuts and this is a winner.

Sup Sayur Campur Tom Yam Seafood Bihun (RM6.00)

My darling wife was hankering for something a little spicy so she went with the Tom Yam.
They have a few types including 'Chicken' and 'Seafood' and you either have just the soup or add some noodles to it for a full meal.

But don't be fooled by the fiery colour because this wasn't that spicy.
The Tom Yam taste was very overwhelming either to be honest. I think our palettes are so accustomed to having super spicy food (especially when you think of something like Tom Yum) that we forget it may not be the same everywhere we go. Even though this was not what we were used to, it was still very tasty!

If you REALLY want, then try and tell the guy taking your order to make it extra spicy. Maybe he can throw in a few extra chilli padi for you.

Hokkien Mi Ayam (RM4.90)

 I haven't had Hokkien Mee in YEARS so I was pretty excited to have this BUT it didn't come out as what I remembered as Hokkien Mee unfortunately. Maybe I was thinking of something else.

This dish reminded me of Mee Hong Kong but with black gravy.
It's tasty but I was expecting a bit more of a vinegar-sour which was absent so I kicked it up a notch with some chilli jeruk. Yummy!

The only real problem I had with this dish was that I found the serving too small.
Or maybe I was just really hungry. 

Oh and you can have the Seafood version if you like.
You can substitute the yellow noodle for bee hoon or kway teow if you'd like.

Adam's Verdict:
Rojak Petis 4/5 -- Hokkien Mi Ayam 3.5/5

Maryah's Verdict:
Rojak Petis 3.5/5 -- Sup Sayur Campur Tom Yam Seafood Bihun 3/5

This was definitely one of the more popular makan places at Melaka Sentral.
And it's location is so convenient for us to stop by and grab a bite before or after our bus trip.
Be sure to try it the next time time you're in Malacca. Especially if you took the bus!

Restoran Sri Mawar Ria

Terminal Melaka Sentral
Jalan Tun Abdul Razak, Peringgit, Melaka
Tel: +60 17-690 1450
www.facebook.com/RestoranSriMawarRia

 
 

  

The Singapore Memory Project

A couple of days ago, we received a comment on one of our posts.

The comment was actually an invitation to be part of a national project called 'The Singapore Memory Project' which aims to capture and preserve Singapore's heritage and culture. No no I'm not talking about like what they do in the museums we go to. Something like that but a little different.

With this initiative, the memories collected are by the people.
The people who have lived through it and the people who are proud to share this with not only the rest of the world but also our future generations as well.

In mediums like print, audio and video, The Singapore Memory Project aims to preserve the materials and make them available to one and all.

Actually, I'm pretty sure a lot of you have come across this project before.
On Facebook, you may have seen some posts that you or friends may have 'Liked'.
Normally it's a post or a picture of something we probably saw in our childhood or something like that.

You know the one I'm talking about right?
You can visit the FB page at https://www.facebook.com/irememberSG

The Halal Food Blog is proud and honoured that our humble blog can be a part of this project.
We have made our pledge with The Singapore Memory Project and hope that we can all do our part to preserve our memories for generations to come.

It will take approximately 2 months for the process of our blog's inclusion to be completed.
In the mean time, we proudly display the badge on our page.

You can click HERE for more information on The Singapore Memory project.

Makan In Malacca Part 4: The Chicken Rice Shop

I'm guessing some of you may have eaten at The Chicken Rice Shop before.
They not only have restaurants across the Causeway but they also have outlets in Singapore!
But it seems like the number of outlets is shrinking though... Down to only 2 in Singapore!

Hmmmmmmm.....

It seemed logical for us to order a set meal.
It's like $15 and you get ALL that food which is actually really a good deal.
Plus we wanted to try the special item Ayam Sodap Belado!

And we also ordered some ala carte items also :P

Nyonya Pai Tee

Sai To Fishball Soup

Pak Choy with Oyster Sauce

Both of the items above are part of the set meal by the way.

I actually quite liked the Pai Tee aside from how stingy they were with the filling.
The Fishball Soup was nothing special and seemed quite redundant because they give you a small bowl of soup with your Chicken Rice anyways...

As for the Pak Choy (not to be confused with Kai Lan), it definitely provides the salty factor.
Well it's literally just blanched Pak Choy with oyster sauce. Errr... ya.

Chicken Rice (Roasted)

I went for the traditional Roasted Chicken Rice (you have a choice of Roasted, Steamed or Soy Sauce).
The chicken itself was not bad. Really tender actually but a little on the dry side.
The rice was also a little dry. Maybe we're just not used to this kind of chicken rice?

The chilli was also a bit weird.
It comes with the minced ginger which you can mix it for added flavour but it didn't help the overall taste very much to be honest.

I guess we're used to the kind of chilli with a bit more kick.
A little more vinegar maybe?

Ayam Sodap Balado

My my doesn't that look nice and spicy?!
Well it's not.

It actually tastes like Asam Pedas... (I guess they DO love their Adam Pedas in Malacca!).
And it's a tad too oily. The only good point is that the chicken itself was cooked to perfection.

Maybe the ala carte items would fare better!

Kerabu Mango (Mango Salad) (RM 7.99)

My darling wife says this was the winner of the lot.
It had a nice kick to it but it was a little on the sour side for me.

The unique thing is that they had slivers of basil leaves mixed in which gave a very welcome surprise.
It's funny how something so small can make a big difference.
And that's shredded dried shrimps (udang kering) on top by the way.

Crispy Wanton (RM 7.99)

Fried wanton has got to be a favourite with a lot of people.
I'm sure you're at least 75% going to order it if you see it on the menu am I right?

Well let me warn you about the Wantons at The Chicken Rice Shop.
They had a sour tinge to it. We have no idea if the chicken was going south or if they seasoned it that way on purpose. Well I finished it anyways because it was at least one of the more edible items there.

So far it seems like most things are seasoned or flavoured differently from what we may be used to.
I wonder if the same items taste the same way at the Singapore outlets...

Well maybe the last item would be super nice.

Golden Fortune Wings (RM 3.99)

We purposely ordered this item because it looked so good on the menu.
And we're suckers for chicken wings.

But guess what? This was sour too!
I could detect the strong taste of Hoisin Sauce (looks like the marinated the wings in it) but trust me - I can take sour tastes but this seems like it wasn't intended to taste this way.

I'd love to guess again that the chicken was going south (like the wanton) but we didn't even get that far.
Just the skin alone was enough to make us put it down. My darling wife even said that if she could, she'd give it a negative score.

Kuching Famous 3 Layer Tea (RM 5.50)

I know it's weird for me to have a Kuching specialty when I was in Malacca but hey what can I say...
I was intrigued when I saw it on the menu.

Okay so let's run through.
Layer 1 at the bottom is Gula Melaka. (Seriously)
Layer 2 in the middle is milk.
Layer 3 at the top is the tea.

It actually tastes a lot like bubble tea.
Just make sure you stir it up properly before you drink it...
If you make the same mistake I did, then you're in for a mouthful of Gula Melaka.

Adam's Verdict:
Chicken Rice 2/5 -- Nyonya Pai Tee 2/5 -- Pak Choy with Oyster Sauce 1.5/5
Kerabu Mango 2/5 -- Crispy Wanton 1/5 -- Golden Fortune Wings 0/5
Kuching Famous 3 Layer Tea 3/5

Maryah's Verdict:
Chicken Rice 2/5 -- Ayam Sodap Balado 2/5 -- Pak Choy with Oyster Sauce 1/5
Sai To Fishball Soup 1/5 -- Kerabu Mango 3/5 -- Crispy Wanton 0/5 -- Golden Fortune Wings 0/5


This was actually the first meal we had when we arrived in Malacca.
Its kinda made us a little worried to be honest. Definitely one of the weirdest meals EVER.
But it's definitely the kind of place you can bring your family or a large group for a meal.

Maybe we'll try the outlet in Singapore just for comparison's sake.

The Chicken Rice Shop

Mahkota Parade
No 1 Jalan Merdeka Lot No F15 First Floor
Tel: 06-2824928
www.thechickenriceshop.com

Operating Hours:
10.00am til 10.00pm (Sunday til Thursday)
10.00am til 10.30pm (Friday and Saturday)