Halal Food Hunt

Imagine this. You have no idea what to cook. And even if you did, you don't know where to find the Halal ingredients. And on top of that, you're working on a budget!!
Sound familiar? Well - fret no more!!

HALAL FOOD HUNT TO THE RESCUE!!!

I think those scenarios above are actually quite common and I'm guessing you've probably been caught in many more similar situations and you just wish you had someone to help. Well, the ladies from Halal Food Hunt are here to make it really simple for you.

What exactly do they do? Well, they
Go out and source for Halal ingredients
They make videos that show you how to cook dishes with the ingredients they buy
You can then buy the Recipe Packs from them and cook away
They will even deliver the Recipe Packs to your doorstep!!!

Well, if that's not making things simpler for us then I'm not sure what you wanna call it...
What a great idea right?? They make it so simple that all we have to do is order the recipe pack and then cook! No more need to hunt for ingredients and even if you were to find them outside, no more need to figure out what to do with those ingredients!

But don't take my word for it... I'll let the ladies tell you themselves...



You can head down to their website HERE and order the recipe packs.
Recipe packs can range from Western faves like their Mega Burger and pasta dishes to Asian dishes like Fried Carrot Cake, Nasi Lemak and Wanton Noodles and even sides and desserts like Prawn Popiah and Red Velvet Cupcakes! YUM!!

Ordering is really easy too and they even deliver the pack to your doorstep!!
Lazy people like me confirm happy!! LOL

Anyways the great news is that Season 2 is finally here!!
And guess what - The Halal Food Blog Team were lucky enough to be invited down to try some of their dishes!! Power or what!

Halal Food Hunt Team with 1/2 of The Halal Food Blog Team

We got a chance to try their version of Teriyaki Chicken Wings and also some Chocolate Truffles!
And you can see in the video just how much we actually enjoyed the dishes!!
(Seriously I'm not kidding you can literally see the look on my face)

Well, most of the time you're reading our words so for those of you who miss hearing our voices, here's the video for your enjoyment!! (Please ah make sure you enjoy!)



And let me just repeat myself in case you didn't case it the first two times...
THE FOOD WAS THE BOMB!!

Teriyaki Wings (image from Halal Food Hunt)

The Teriyaki Wings were excellent! Juicy and tender chicken wings with a delicious sweet teriyaki glaze! I'm the Chicken Wings guy and I can eat my fair share and these were really good!

I especially like a little bit of char on the skin so you have some crispy parts. The wings were so tasty that you won't even need any extra chilli sauce! Sedap giler!!

The Chocolate Truffles were a big surprise because we didn't really know what to expect. We've had truffles from shops before but how would home-made ones fare? After all, it's difficult to make truffles right??



Oh my how wrong we were! It's so easy and the result was spectacular!
The chocolate ganache was rich and the dark chocolate taste was delicious when in contrast with the sweet chocolate! And let me tell you... when you pop it into your mouth, prepare for a literal 'explosion' of chocolate!! (Oh you'll see how good it is by the look on my face in the videot)

2 excellent dishes - so easy to make and economical too! Cut out the hassle from your cooking with the Recipe Packs!!

You can actually view the episodes on the Chocolate Truffles HERE and the one for the Teriyaki Chicken Wings HERE.
And more importantly - you can order the Recipe Packs from their site HERE!!!

In fact, we loved it so much that we'd like you to have some too! (But you gotta cook it yourself!)
That's right! The Halal Food Blog & Halal Food Hunt are giving you a chance to win Recipe Packs and have your own fun cooking up a storm and feasting on your resulting glory!!

Head down to our Facebook page for full details of the contest out soon!
A few simple steps and you could be one of the lucky winners of a Recipe Pack courtesy of the lovely ladies from Halal Food Hunt!!

Okay enough talking and more cooking/eating please!

Remember to head down to Halal Food Hunt's website, Facebook Page, Instagram  and YouTube channel and make sure you subscribe so that you receive all their updates too!

And we're gonna leave you now with a fun video that the ladies from Halal Food Hunt made to celebrate #HAPPYDAY with Muslims in Singapore. The video has been viewed and liked by people all over the world. That's right it's international baby!!

So show your support.
And remember that the ladies from Halal Food Hunt always say...
"Halal first, everything else later!"

Mohamed Arafat Indian Rojak

So we found ourselves in the Harbourfront area again and looking for something good to eat.
We had the Chicken Rice from Aspirasi already and also the power Mee Rebus from Haji Daliman so how about something else...

Indian Rojak

We chanced upon a stall selling Indian Rojak and suddenly we found ourselves being led (by our stomachs) towards it... They had other typical Mamak fare like Mee Goreng, Sop Kambing and Roti Prata but we decided to go for the Indian Rojak instead.

Quite a big selection to choose from actually and several different pricing levels of course.
Things like Egg Dough fritters, Plain dough fritters, hotdogs and Coconut fritters cost $0.80 each.
Fish cake, Potatoes, Ngoh Hiang, Fish Fillet and Wadeh go for between $1.00-$1.30.

Like I said... lots to choose from!
And we were lucky because they'd just opened and a lot of it was fresh out of the fryer!!
There's also Sotong too! But didn't fit it into the picture... Hehehehe

As always, the kuah plays a major part for Indian Rojak and luckily the kuah at Mohamed Arafat does not fall short. It would have been such a waste since their rojak items were nice and fresh!

The kuah was really tasty and not too watery at all. In fact, it's got quite a spicy kick to it!!

The plate of Rojak you see above cost us about $6.50 and was more than enough to share between 2 people. We took Fish Fillet, Fish Cake, Potato, Hot dog, Sotong, Wadeh and Egg Dough fritter. Nice and fresh and crispy. A great plate of Indian Rojak!

Adam's Verdict:
Indian Rojak 3.5/5

Maryah's Verdict:
Indian Rojak 4/5

The signage at the stall says 'Waterlook Street Indian Rojak'.
I'm not sure because I've never heard of Indian Rojak from Waterloo Street being the bomb but I can tell you that the Indian Rojak at Seah Im also quite power!!

Mohamed Arafat Muslim Food

Seah Im Food Centre
2 Seah Im Road
#01-48

Operating Hours: 5am til 9pm Tuesdays to Sundays
Closed on Mondays

Domino's Pizza

So for pizza delivery chains, I've covered RITE Pizza, Canadian 2-for-1, Sarpino's, Pezzo and even Pizza Hut's Signature series. Now I'm adding another to the list!

 

Domino's is actually really popular but I guess maybe we don't really know the scale because they don't really put too much into advertising? I mean, how often do you see a TV commercial for Domino's Pizza am I right?

Domino's actually started out in America so I guess they've got the classic American pizza image going on for themselves.

But through advertising with flyers and word of mouth, Domino's still manages to have quite a big following through good pizza and also what they boast as the best delivery ever - 30 minute delivery!

Classic Pepperoni

As always, I like me a bit of Pepperoni when I have pizza. I know there are always plenty of other flavours to choose from and just Pepperoni can be considered a bit boring maybe?

As you can see, the Pepperoni slices at Domino's are the big type and not that mini-sized Pepperoni you might get at other pizza places. They are pretty thick too so you get a nice bite when you take a nice big chomp. The Pepperoni is beef by the way in case you were wondering.

Top that off with a nice layer of Mozzarella cheese and you have a great pizza!!

Simply Cheese

I think a lot of people are probably going "Wah! Your pizza choices so boring!!".
But hey what can I say. We've got simple tastes! :P

Actually, to be honest, I really love cheese and I really love cheese pizzas but I seldom get the chance to order because the majority will always order something like Hawaiian or some Meat Lovers thing and of course an All-Cheese pizza will most likely be left out so let me say I was really happy that I finally got the chance to order myself a cheese pizza!!

Domino's version has Mozarella and Parmesan cheese topped off with some Oregano. I know some other pizza places have like 5-cheese pizzas but this is a good pizza and a good start!

Both pizzas above are actually tomato sauce-based. The tomato sauce is generous but it does not overpower the taste/flavour of the toppings because it's not as sour as we might be used to.

Domino's also has some non-tomato sauce based pizzas for you to choose from. They have like 6 sauces for you to choose from! Then you have to choose from a really big selection of pizzas ranging from their All-Time Favourites Range, Classics and First Class. They have some interesting and even some really extravagant pizzas to choose from.

And of course, there's also the matter of the type of crust!!

Domino's is quite famous for their thin crust pizzas and you can see why...
When they say thin crust, they REALLY mean thin crust!! Nice and crisp too!

But if you're not a fan and want more bite, you can also choose the Classic Hand Tossed, New York Crust, Cheese Burst and the Cheesy Crust.

And what about pricing?

Adam's Verdict:
Classic Pepperoni 3.5/5 -- Simply Cheese 4/5

Azlan's Verdict:
Classic Pepperoni 3.5/5 -- Simply Cheese 3.5/5

Mein Brudder thought it was nothing special probably because he's used to ordering more fantastical pizza choices compared to these 'boring' 2 here. But overall you can see it's not too bad actually.

Best thing for you to do is check out their website and take a look at all the choices you have.
Sauce. Crust. Pizza choice. Take your time. I can tell you I'll probably be ordering from them a few times during this World Cup season!

And if they deliver your pizza later than the promised timing of 30 mins, you get a voucher to use for your next order with them!

Domino's Pizza

15 stores Islandwide
Delivery Hotline: 6222 6333
www.dominos.com.sg

Operating Hours:10.30m to 11.00pm Daily

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