Summer 09 Singapore trip

Went to Singapore for 3 days to accompany my Mum's medical trip.

3 days was definitely not enough to cover all the food I've come to like in 6 years. Well, these are the few of my most favorite foods in Singapore:

Sarawak Kolo Mee



I found it when I was lurking around Toa Payoh area after church. It's quite hidden in the corner, almost next to a petshop. When I first found it, the price was still $6, but now it's raised to $10 :(

The one I ate above was in Vivocity. Indeed, the restaurant Vivo has better atmosphere because it is air-conditioned, but I still prefer eating in Kolo Mee in Toa Payoh. The noodle in Toa Payoh is more chewy and more fragrant because they use minced meat in Toa Payoh (in addition to the char siew). Also, I don't remember having fried wontons in Toa Payoh branch. In Vivo, the noodle is served with fried wontons. They're okay - they're just like normal fried wontons - but I think I'd prefer minced meat over fried wontons.

I almost always had my lunch after church there. Most of the servers speak Mandarin, and I can't speak Mandarin (but I try to speak a little bit). Since I always visited that restaurant at the same time every Sunday ordering the same dish (I always ask for pieces of abalone instead of prawns), the servers there know me well, and they always gave me extra noodles and meats.


Crystal Jade La Mien & Xiao Long Bao (Takashimaya level 4)



I like most Crystal Jade restaurants in general. I like Crystal Jade Kitchen the most. To be honest, I don't really like CJ La Mien that much, so I seldom visited this restaurant. What I love the most is the Xiao Long Bao. Compared to Din Tai Fung's xiao long bao, the xiao long bao here has the best xiao long bao skin. The skin of the xiao long bao in Din Tai Fung is too thin, so the xiao long bao often burst before I can put it on a spoon. To me, the best part about xiao long bao is the broth, so if the broth is lost, I feel that it's just the same as eating normal meat dumplings.

The xiao long bao in Crystal Jade comes in 5, while the one in Din Tai Fung comes in 8. I often eat alone (very seldom people would accompany my food trip), so the serving size in Crystal Jade is just nice for me.

Viva xiao long bao!


Prata and teh tarik



The best roti prata I have ever had was in my first year of junior college in NJC. The vendor changed after a year, and I didn't really like the new vendor as much. I'd say the one in Al-Ameen (Upper Bukit Timah Road) is also a good place to eat prata.

My favorite of all prata is cheese prata. Plain prata is nice, too, but normally I'd have to order 2 pieces because 1 piece was normally not enough to make my stomach satisfied. Some people prefer to eat prata with sugar, but I prefer to eat it with curry. Sometimes, the prata is good but the curry is not. That's why I'm a little selective about eating prata.

The one in Food Republic (Wisma Atria) was not bad in terms of both the prata and the curry. The curry is a little too thin, but it's still acceptable to me.

Teh tarik normally accompanies my prata, but it's quite regrettable that the teh tarik in Food Republic was not good. There was a strange bitter aftertaste, and somehow the bitterness 'sticks' in my throat.