Kombi Rocks

I can be easy bribed with food. And I can be easily happy if I get to eat my favorite food or visit somewhere new.

On our way back from The Factory on Monday, we realized that Kombi Rocks was just at the next street!



Famed for its fleet of vintage cars and it's retro looking cafe, we had always wondered if Kombi Rocks was a place from yesteryears.

Even the menu is extra retro.



What I didn't expect from the place that looked like it would serve western crusine, just like Billy Bomers', was its Thai Chinese zi char menu.

Thai Fish Cake - S$4.00

We ordered the recommended Thai Fish cake which won our taste buds over immediately. I had not expected the food to taste good at such theme cafe.

Minced Pork Omelette - S$8.00

Ordered the Minced Pork Omelette too which wasn't my favorite because of the vegetables mixed in the eggs. But it was still surpringly tasty.

Crab Fried Rice - S$12.00

Ordered the Crab Fried Rice which we were convinced to be from a famous zi char stall. The crab meat were even in chunks!

To quench our thirst, we ordered a Steward Float which was good for 2 to share.




KOMBI ROCKS 
66 Yio Chu Kang Road (Behind Serangoon Stadium)

Radiation . The Factory

It's another battle with cancer for Grandpa.

Mount Elizabeth Radiology Oncology

Thankfully on our 1st visit, I've hubb with me to lend some support.





But there's no better perk-me-up than the promise of food.
Better still, a visit to a cafe we haven't been to:

The Factory is a small cafe located at a rather ulu Lim Tua Tou Road along Upper Serangoon Road.

Thankfully I know my area quite well, so we were able to locate the place in no time.


Nothing fanciful caught my eyes other than the fries with some rather unique dips, which is the cafe's specialty anyway. So I ordered a large fries with 2 artisan dips to share




(Top) Large fries with 2 artisan dips:
- marmite with honey aioli
- spicy melted tomato with chinchalök

I love the marmite when the fries were still fresh out of the kitchen. But the spicy tomato was a little too spicy for me.

Hubb ordered a Hearty Beef Lasagne (bottom) which came with fries and dip.He chose Chilli Crab dip which would have tasted better if served warm. Eat the beef lasagne with the fries, and it is awesome!


Since I wasn't having any mains, thought I try the soup of the day:

Tomato with Spicy Pepperika

It tasted like minestrone but richer. And I loved it!



We also ordered the fruit drink: Lychee, Longan, Giko Berries.




What a way to start the week of Radio Therapy sessions with Grandpa.
Good food just sets everything right, and make me a happy girl!




THE FACTORY
22 Lim Tau Tou Road, Singapore 547772
Tel: +65 6283 7680
Monday to Friday 1pm to 10pm
Saturday and Sunday - 11am to 10pm

Wild Honey

Few nights ago, I saw a friend posted the runny egg yolk of the poached eggs from Wild Honey. I drooled.

When I finally had a free afternoon, I dragged Hubby to Wild Honey. Alas, there wasn't a queue.


Wild Honey serves all-day breakfast. Just the type of place for breakfast when though you had just woken up at 12pm. 


I ordered the EUROPEAN since it was the dish that my friend had posted which attracted me there.

European

European is one of the signature dishes at Wild Honey. It is actually eggs Benedict served with 2 perfectly poached eggs, sauteed mushrooms, Italian prosciutto, and home made Hollandaise sauce on signature brioche.

I love the brioche! It is buttery and crispy, and simply out of this world.


Hubb, being the meat-lover, ordered the SPANISH HASH.

Spanish Hash

2 perfectly poached eggs & Hollandaise sauce sits on top of diced Chorizo, house corn beef and potato, complete with grilled ciabatta.

I adore the potato for it's fragrance, but the corn beef reminded me of pet's food. Not something I'd order again.


As usual, for drinks I ordered a Hot Chocolate.

Hot Chocolate

It was a miserable serving, but thankfully there was water served.

Overall, the service there is really infamous. But the brioche is something worth going back for.

Strangers' Reunion

Still on that list of "20 Cafes to Visit in Singapore" by Burpple in my Safari bookmark, we decided to explore yet another a cafe.

Credit: Evonnz

It was a random day out and of all unhealthy food, I was craving for roasted pork belly. (Don't ask me how I can stomach such food without worrying about clogged arteries or whatever health problems. For such food, I die happy.)

That was exactly what I ordered!

Crispy Pork Belly with Truffle Mash - S$24.90

The pork belly was crispy and tender at the same time, with little fats compared to our traditional meat dish. The truffle mash is to die for, since I love truffle.The "Ginger Date Apple and Date Chutney" to the left of the plate was an interesting dip for the pork.

At S$24.90, it was rather pricey tho.

Buttermilk Waffles with Strawberry Maceration and Ice Cream - S$12

Notable for a place with the best waffles, I wasn't too impressed by the waffles. Not doubt that the waffles mix gave the waffles a nice good fluffy look. But it didn't tasted as rich as it looks.

And all the waffles came with fruits. I'd prefer my awesome waffles plain. That's how you enjoy the taste of a good waffles.

Lotus Roots Chips with Spicy Aioli - S$12.90

For this big bowl of Lotus Roots Chips, S$12.90 seem rather worth it until one remember that lotus roots isn't that costly actually. And compared to the one at Ippudo, it isn't as tasty.

But it is a good "light bites" to order and share with friends or even order when you're there alone to read a book.

Magic - S$5.50

One of their signature drink, Magic is really double ristretto and milk.

Not much of a coffee connoisseur, I was left wondering what the Magic was about. 

And the "Magic" is that you couldn't sleep well that night.


Not a place that I'd want to go back unless initiated by friends.



STRANGERS' REUNION
37 Kampong Bahru Rd,  Singapore169356
Tel: +65 6222 4869
Daily 9am - 10pm (Closed on Tuesday)

Ippudo - Mandarin Gallery

There is not doubt I love IPPUDO so much that I need to go back for some of that ramen, every time possible.

I'm not sure whether is it the high-cholesterol pork lard filled soup that is tastier than my Grandma's own double boiled soup. Or that soft yet bouncy ramen that I cannot get enough of.

Modern Tonkotsu: Akamaru Tamago with seaweed

I had my usual Akamaru with egg, and I couldn't resist adding seaweed. Ippudo didn't used to have seaweed for their ramen previously. It's a new addition with their new menu. And I love how the seaweed taste after soaking in the tasty soup.

Spicy Tonkotsu: Karaka Tamago

Hubby had the spicy ramen, which was also his favourite. I didn't and never tried his ramen before since I don't take spicy. But I'm sure it's good, that's why we keep going back for the same stuff.

Renkon Chips

We also ordered the Renkon Chip, also known as Lotus Roots Chips. The portion has shrunk compared to the previous times we were there. It is another of our must-eat dish as the lotus roots is naturally sweet and tasty, it somehow neutralises the saltiness of the ramen soup.

Teba Gyoza

The tenderness of the chicken made us forgot what this dish is really about, until we reach the filling. It's just another japanese gyoza, except that it's wrapped in chicken.

Not my favourite dish since I hate spring onions. But you'd love it if you love such veggies.



Such hearty meals is always the best way to end the week.
Good food always make us smile!

Cake Spade - Nutella Fudge Crumble

Ever since I spotted the brownies at Cake Spade, I've been wanting to go back to try their chocolate creations.

I'm a huge fan of chocolate and I love brownies, as you would noticed from my frequent cravings for the Warm Brownie with Ice-cream. But when the term "Nutella" comes into the picture, I'd choose Nutella anytime.

  

Nutella Fudge Crumble

 

I literally forgot that I was there for brownie when I lay my eyes on the Nutella Fudge Crumble (S$4.20 for a bar / S$7 with ice-cream).

 

A layer of chocolate fudge and Nutella sandwiched between buttery short crust pastry and crumbs, it was a brilliant way to add Nutella into pastries. The buttery short crust pastry was exceptionally well-done, with just the right amount of butter and the right texture.

 

Adding a scoop of ice-cream was a good way to make the Nutella Fudge Crumble taste less chocolate if you're not a fan of sweets. But overall, the pastry isn't too sweet with or without the ice-cream.

 

 

I'd be heading back soon to try the brownie!

 

 

Cake Spade

1 Tras Link, #01-06, 
Orchid Hotel, Singapore, 
Singapore 078867

Visit their facebook page for more photos!

The Plain Cafe

It is one of those afternoons when we ran out of places to go.

With a list of "20 Cafes to Visit in Singapore" by Burpple in my Safari bookmark for emergency, we decided to explore a new cafe and we picked The Plain Cafe.

Photo credits: http://www.hungrygowhere.com

Located at the quiet Duxton area, it's quite interesting to find the cafe located next to an antique shop.

Antique shop beside The Plain Cafe

But that's beside the point.

The Plain is a Melbourne-style Cafe located at Craig road and it has an all day breakfast menu that serves simple food like toasts (S$5), eggs (S$5 – S$11.5), ciabattas (S$8.5) and sandwiches (S$9).

Photo credits: Lady Iron Chef

The interior of The Plain Cafe is causal, with grey-scale wall and simple furniture. It is a nice place to sit down and read a book, whilst having sandwich with a cup of coffee. The place is not very big and it can probably accommodate around 30-40 people.
 
We had ventured into The Plain Cafe at approximately 4pm so the crowd was just around 10 of us.

Unsure of what to expect, we stood hovering in front of the menu on the wall when we first entered. A causally-dressed girl surprised us as she popped up beside us to take our orders. She didn't look like she was a staff of The Plains!

The Pastrami Ciabatta (S$8.5)

From her recommendations, Shawn ordered The Pastrami Ciabatta. Without knowing what is a "pastrami ciabatta", he was blown away from the first bite. 

"Like corned beef, pastrami was originally created as a way to preserve meat before modern refrigeration. For pastrami, the raw meat is brined, partly dried, seasoned with various herbs and spices, then smoked and steamed." - wikipedia

I guess that as a beef-lover, it really takes a good beef dish to win him over.

Darling's Eggs (S$6.50 for 1 / S$11.50 for 2)

I wanted to play safe with my favourite type of eggs - poached.

And poached eggs with ham,cheese and roma tomatoes on sourdough toast is the recipe to make me fall head over heels. I especially love it when the poached eggs are done nice and runny enough. Many places have failed to get the poached eggs right, but The Plains is another cafe that will see me going back for more poached eggs!

Drinking Chocolate - served Hot

Not to forget the Hot Chocolate. I know my Hot Chocolate well, and this place serves the Hot Chocolate with just the right amount of choco and milk. Now I have another reason to return to the place. 


The interesting thing about The Plain Cafe is the billing system. The staff do not record down the items when taking the order, so you have to repeat your order when paying at the counter.

According to Lady Iron Chef:
I asked the owner the rationale for this and he explained that most cafes in Melbourne operate this way. Most importantly, he wants The Plain to be a place where you feel the familiarity of having dinner at a friend’s house. 

It is very admirable to charge based on a system of trust. But is this concept viable for a city like Singapore?
Perhaps time will tell.


THE PLAIN CAFE
50 Craig Road #01-01 Singapore
Tel: +65 6225 4387
Daily 7.30am – 7.30pm

Daily Scoop

It's been 4 months since we had Daily Scoop!

I remember our virgin visit to Daily Scoop @ Chip Bee Garden. It was after dinner with Niki and RR. There wasn't any ice cream flavors that got me interested in the place. Until we visited the place again on my Birthday.

I fell in love with this:

Warm Brownie with a scoop of Simple Vanilla Ice Cream

The brownie is just the right texture and sweetness. And with a simple scoop of vanilla ice cream, I'M IN LOVE!

And when I love a dessert, I will not share it. So he had to make do with his own single scoop.

 

 I really couldn't remember what flavor he had, because I was getting high on brownie!


Daily Scoop is located at  #01-78 Chip Bee Gardens and #01-04 Clementi Arcade.

Roadtrip For Pre-wedding Photoshoot

We have made so many roadtrips up North this year that I'm losing track. But it is one thing I'd never get sick of especially when there is so much food to feast on.

Been nursing a flu bug that I caught on the last day of Penang (i.e. Monday), but that didn't stop me from eating!

ALERT! CRAZY LOTS OF FOOD PHOTOS!
Read on only after you've eaten, or risk your stomach growling!


On the way up:

We stopped by the aerial plaza after the Ayer Keroh exit on the North-South Highway for our usual A&W on the way up.



I simply love their fried chicken and the hotdog (not in picture), apart from the usuals - curly fried & rootbeer float.


Dinner on 1st Night:

We reached our usual hotel at Kota Damansara in the evening and we quickly headed off for dinner at



Been hearing RR say that it is a must-eat whenever she is there, and we didn't know why... until we ate there.

The Bubba Gump Shrimp Company Restaurant and Market is a seafood restaurant chain inspired by the 1994 film Forrest Gump. The Bubba Gump restaurant is named after the film's characters Benjamin Buford "Bubba" Blue and Forrest Gump. In the film, Bubba suggested the shrimping business and ultimately Forrest pursued the idea after Bubba's death in the Vietnam War.

The interesting part of the restaurant is how to get the waiter's attention with this signage



Simply flip it over to show the "Stop Forrest Stop" wordings and someone will approach you in no time.



And they are super efficient I tell you. Even as I flip the sign over for a photo, a waiter popped by to check if we require any assistance!

Apart from that efficient service, the food is awesome too!

I wasn't feeling too good from that flu bug, so I didn't order any mains. He ordered a BBQ Beef Back Ribs (RM43.90) which looked as good as it was presented.




I had a Chocolate Dream Cake (RM15.90) for mains.



I know I really shouldn't be eating such sinful stuff when I'm sick. But YOLO, and if I died from my flu bug because I ate this, I die happy!

Anyway, my Dream Cake wasn't as good as the dessert I had at Morgansfield, instead, another dish made me fall in love with Bubba Gump.



The Shrimp Snack Mac & Cheese is TDF! Love the cheesy overdose and the way it's baked to perfection. I would travel up North just for that again!

We even got ourselves a collectible cup with the drink we ordered. Can't recall the name, but it was for the cup that we ordered the drink.



It would make an awesome memento beside our Dracula's Cabaret cup we got from Gold Coast in 2011.


Dinner on 2nd Night:

We literally skipped lunch after the hotel breakfast due to the pre-wedding photoshoot. By the time we got back from the shoot, we were mad hungry.

Thankfully there wasn't a queue at DRAGON-I, the place that serves the best Xiao Long Bao we have ever had.



Found on the menu as "Shanghainese Steamed Meat Dumplings", these Xiao Long Bao has the most mouthwatering filling that leaves you going back for more. The filling is a skilfully-balanced mix of minced pork shank, ginger and natural pork skin gelatin, which after steaming, melts into a tasty, delicious soup.

This dish was really the highlight of the trip. Especially since we had been craving for it since Jian brought us there last year end and we couldn't beat the queue despite our numerous trips there subsequently.

Other dishes we tried were the Salted Egg Custard Bun, also known as Liu Sha Bao.



We haven't had Liu Sha Bao since the disappointing last visit to Swee Choon where we used to love this dish until their standard started to drop.

The Liu Sha Bao at Dragon-I was delicious with the overflowing salted egg custard.




As a fan of White Bait, I couldn't give their White Bait a miss. Commonly known as "Silverfish" in the Chinese menu, it is one of my must-tries when I'm at a Chinese restaurant.

I dare say that this is one of the best that I've tried. The whitebait is fried to the right texture, and the seasoning is just the right level of saltiness.





On the way Home:

We always had to get our fix of the Indo Mee at the ORIGINAL KAYU NASI KANDAR whenever we are at Kota Damansara area.



There's just something about that instant noodle that we like. Perhaps it reminds us of the good times we had at Zouk KL years back.


Anyway, since I got back from Penang, I've been excited to share with him about a dessert place the rest brought me to at Gurney Plaza.

许留山 or Hui Liu Shan is a famous Hong Kong dessert chain that had opened in Malaysia last year. With outlets throughout Malaysia, there was even one at Kota Damansara.

Serving mostly mango-related dessert, we were more than glad to order everything mango since we love mango desserts. We even ordered the Mango Carnival (RM12.90) which consist of 3 mango desserts where you can choose from a variety of 9.




For full menu or location, check out their Facebook page here:
https://www.facebook.com/huilaushanmalaysia


For drinks, we decided to go slow on the mango, hence we ordered a Watermelon Juice with Bird's Nest & Honey Jelly (RM6.90).



It needed some getting used to after all that mango, but I love the honey jelly mixed with watermelon juice.

We hit the road back to Singapore after the dessert, not without stopping over at Malacca for some Taiwanese Beef Noodles.

He likes the Spicy Beef Noodles.




Since I don't exactly take spicy, I opted for the Pork Chop Noodles.




And to make up for the chance to have Chendol at Jonker 88 the last week, we headed to Jonker Walk again to have our Chendol.

This time, he persuaded me to have 1 bowl to myself...




... while he had a bowl of Durian Chendol to himself.




It was a lot of food within that few hours, so we continued our trip back to Singapore with our tummies filled.

Best thing was that the weather was on our side too.



I (personally) am terrified to travel when it rains.
But I'm looking forward to another trip up North soon, so that I can get to feast again!