The Shake Shack Burger

Burger joints galore on our island these days, but Shake Shack- since the day it reached out shores- seems to always make the mark pretty well.

Doesn't mean that the other joints aren't good- McDonalds will always be McDonalds, Burger King will always be Burger King, and we still have Carl's Jr- but there're just days when you don't feel like eating at the millennial, hipster burger joints nor want to go to the food place nearest your house. 

That's where Shake Shack comes in.

They serve a fairly decent burger at reasonable, if not a slightly more premium price.

You'll have to head down to their outlets though. 

Shake Shack's very strategic with their location, by the way.

You won't find them at places where there's little footfall.

Neither will you find them at places where there're no youth, families or working crowds coming to hang out. 

Hence they're at places like Westgate, Great World City, Suntec City, Vivocity and Jewel. 

They're also at Orchard and the old Tiger Balm Building on Neil Road. 

S far I've been to just two. 

The Suntec outlet is very central, very convenient, very working crowd, and so  more lively. 

The Vivo outlet, on the other hand, is more spacious, more romantic, more fun (a little bit), and boasts a most fantastic view.

This is the outlet where you queue in the air-conditioned mall to enter but can decide to sit alfresco for the Keppel sea breeze. 

The burgers that I order here tend to vary, but most of the time it has leaned towards the Angus beef. 

With cheese. 

I don't think I've ever had a burger here at Shake Shack without having it with cheese. 

It's just the way they do it. 

It's so good.

What they do inside the kitchen I don't know, but the cheese sinks deep into the crevices of the patty, letting you savor a warm, delicious mishmash of tender, meat, gooey cheese, grease, between two pieces of soft, bouncy buns in every bite.

Each mouthful simply melts, I tell you. 

Just ignore the grease. :P

We've had burgers with a serving of crisp applewood smoked bacon. 

We've had burgers with a handful of truffle mushrooms and lettuce and truffle mayonnaise slathered about inside.

And we've also had a box of their chicken bites, with a side of their thick crinkle cut cheese fries. 

There're still many things on their menu which I haven't tried. 

Maybe one day I'll go all out and order whatever I want. 

Like their Shrooms burger that's got a crispy fried portobello with three kinds of cheese.

Or their chicken burger that's slathered with buttermilk herb mayo.

Maybe I'll order a milkshake to go along with my burger- I'm eyeing salted caramel.

And maybe I'll have that dessert they call a Concrete- a vanilla custard blended with Mrs Kueh Orange Citrus Sugee Cake that they call a Sugee Boogie.

Boat Noodle @ Bugis

We discovered this place on the second floor of Bugis Junction not too long ago.

I wasn't very impressed the first time I came here. 

But then I came here a second time, a third time, and I've now come to like it since. 

We've started coming to this outlet quite frequently. 

And if you come at peak hours, there's always some sort of queue.

It might be because Boat Noodle is one of those millennial places where you can eat a variety of foods, feel really shiok about it, and get a marvelous bang for your buck all at the same time.

There're a lot of dishes that can be ordered here. 

One of the things you've got to order when you come here are the boat noodles (of course). 

Boat Noodles are basically small little bowls of noodles at a wonderful price of $2 (most of the time) which you can then order a couple and try them all. 

Here at this place they come served with either chicken or beef, and you've got four different soups to choose from. 

I've tried the Creamy Tom Yum and the Ayutthaya. 

I've not tried the Sweet Kway Chap.

Neither have I tried the Pathumthani. 

I've since come to favor the Ayutthaya over the Creamy Tom Yum.

There's a bit of spice, a bit of creaminess, a bit of sour sour taste and a lot of sweet. 

 

Actually I don't mind the Creamy Tom Yum, but it reminds me too much of Mama instant noodles, which I genuinely like, but don't want to eat it here lar.. :D 

What I do is to order two bowls- one of chicken, one of beef- with rice noodles, and combine them together in one bowl. 

My friend, on the other hand, is a big fan of the Kra Pow something-something. I don't remember the full name- but essentially it's basil pork with egg and rice. 

I've been told it's got enough spice to kick in an appetite. 

Maybe that's the intention (we won't know) because Boat Noodle really does have a lot of great dishes here. 

There's two different versions of fried rice, a Pad Thai, a crabmeat omelet rice, and an ayam legend sticky rice set. 

The sticky rice set sounds pretty good. 

 

There're also plenty of side dishes. 

You've got grilled chicken meatballs, grilled beef meatballs, flame grilled ayam (legend), stir fried kangkung and som tam (green papaya and carrot salad).

Not forgetting the fried chicken, fried wantons, a huge platter of deep fried snacking stuff, and deep fried kangkung with flavorful batter. 

We like to order the balls.

They go well with the noodles. 

But what really adds to the millennial vibe here is the snack stuff, the desserts, and the drinks. 

It's amazing what sharing a platter of deep fried snack stuff, or mango sticky rice can do. 

It's even more amazing how fun one feels armed with a cup of iced Thai milk tea or iced lemongrass and a plate of steamed bread surrounding a kaya dip. 

Maybe one day when the appetite hits I might order one of those platters or make my dinner mango sticky rice, but for now we stick to little bowls of noodles, a plate of kra pow something something, a couple of balls now and then, and a bowl of fried chicken skin. 

It's really good how they do it here. 

Light, crispy, moreish and tasty, it's never possible to stop at one bowl. 

So we make it a point to sometimes order two. :)

Ah Hoi's Kitchen @ CNY

Ah Hoi's Kitchen at Hotel Jen Tanglin is one of those places that's very close to our hearts.

It's not a grandiose type of place in terms of Chinese restaurants- no gold colored tablecloths, chandeliers or tapestries on the walls- but its high ceiling, its airy interior and its proximity to the pool remind me either of seafood restaurants by the river, or sundowners in a sugarcane plantation. 

I was delighted when told we'd be having a Chinese New Year dinner here. 

Hey, it has been a while. 

One of my favorite dishes here has to be their eggplant deep fried with batter topped with pork floss. 

But it unfortunately was not on the menu this year. 

Not to say that their offerings were meagre. 

Far from it- the menu was quite extensive. 

There were selections in the form of appetizers, vegetables, poultry meats, seafood, noodles, rice, soups and desserts.

It took us a long time to choose.

Eventually we decided on an order of soft shell crab with salted egg sauce, an order of ee-fu noodles, and an order of fish. 

It was nice sitting at the table beside the balcony, listening to the clings and clangs of festive music being played overhead whilst feeling the quiet drifts of an early evening breeze. 

Nothing much in Ah Hoi has changed, except that now they dont' serve vegetable crackers anymore and the fish tanks that used to take centerstage of the restaurant are gone. 

We had a fine time reading the fortune cookie of my dining companion. 

Mine I kept for later. 

It was a great thing that our food didn't take too long to arrive. 

The soft shell crab arrived first, the fish and noodles arrived around the same time not too long later.

One thing about the food at Ah Hoi's is the size. 

They don't do small here. 

Forget the regular size from your favorite zichar stall at the coffee shop downstairs your house. 

What they serve here are easily twice (or thrice) what they serve there. 

The soft shell crab, glistening with creamy salted egg sauce and bits of spring onions, looked like a whole mountain of crab mounted on a very small plate. 

I'm not joking. 

The pictures speak for themselves. 

The salted egg sauce was amazing. 

I don't know how much of a portion there was between the powder mix and the actual egg, but it didn't taste artificial, the taste wasn't dry or stingy, and the sauce melted so well into the crab that each bite of the meat was soft, tasty, chewy, full of flavor and full of mixed textures all at the same time. 

The noodles too weren't a small portion either.

At first glance they didnt' look like much but then we dug into the serving dish and quickly realized just how huge of a heap they were. 

And they were good- smooth and thick with skillful wok hei and the flavors of beef tossed together with gravy in a nice, rounded way. 

I was a little surprised by the fish. 

Not because it wasn't good, but because I couldn't tell the difference between a sea bass and a sea perch. 

I thought both were more or less the same.

They weren't. 

Now, I don't know how to describe how a sea bass tastes like, but this sea perch (looking deceptively small, by the way) had no fishy taste, no fishy smell, with a firm, thick flesh that was both silky and smooth. 

I liked the sauce. 

It gave the fish a hint of flavor without taking anything away. 

The crunchy bits (again I don't know what they are) added texture to the dish too. 

We finished the soft shell crab and the sea perch. 

The noodles, however, we took home, and stirred them together with (frozen) Hokkaido scallops for lunch the very next day. 

CNY Eats!

Out of the many things that one losok forward to during Chinese New Year, food has to be one of them. 

There are some dishes that hold greater meaning during festive seasons. 

Like pen cai (which I unfortunately haven't had much chance to appreciate) and pineapple tarts (which I look forward to, year on year)

Some people look forward to new furniture, new outfits and all the socializing. 

I look forward to the food.

Soft drinks, chocolates, snacks, special meals- the like. 

And I enjoy whatever it is that comes along my way. 

Celebrations on the eve of the eve of Chinese New Year began with a plate of roast duck. 

It didn't come from any of the popular Chinese restaurants or the franchises, but from this little joint at Jalan Besar near Lavender Street and Hoa Nam Building. 

A quiet, cozy place, it looked like it were more for the millennial and the millennial couple than a four-generation family. 

But the skin of the roast was good, and the meat- even though a little tough at parts- wasn't too bad either.

The plum sauce (like the kind used for Peking Duck) was particularly good- so we asked for two. 

Next day on Chinese New Year eve I had a (much awaited) bowl of katsudon and a (much anticipated) dessert of tofu cheesecake with a cup of lemon tea. 

I say much awaited, because I'd been wanting to have this katsudon of breaded pork cutlet and egg with rice for nearly two weeks. 

And I say much anticipated, because despite having eyeing the tofu cheesecake in the menu many a time, today would be my first try. 

I loved the katsudon. 

I loved the cheesecake as well.

Such a delightful meal- one that I thoroughly enjoyed- and so full was I from the late lunch that I decided dinner would be simple. 

The plan was to buy a McDonalds takeaway but then I thought about it, changed my mind and cooked a bowl of ramen topped with siew mais boiled in the pot instead.

It was a comfortable, heartwarming meal. 

Did I mind? 

Nope, not at all. 

Chinese New Year Day One saw us having a fusion-style lunch at a Vietnamese cafe that happened to be open all three days of the New Year holidays. 

It took us a while to study the extensive menu, but after some deliberation we settled for one well-seasoned pork chop, one side of deliciously fried onion rings, a basket of salted egg yolk buns, and a basket of Chinese-style steamed dumplings served with sliced ginger and vinegar. 

It might seem unusual, but the onion rings were good and the pork chop even better.

In case you think it's a little odd to have foods cooked in the Western style for Chinese New Year, let me just tell you that breakfast that morning we had a cup of coffee, buttery, crispy pan-warmed croissants from Maison Kayser and scrambled eggs made in the pan.

No traditional Chinese breakfast for me (what is a traditional Chinese breakfast anyway), but there were green pea cookies, pineapple tarts (two kinds!), and strawberry flavored love letters bought from HAO supermarket down the road. 

 

Of course, one of the most memorable meals this season would be the zichar dinner we had at Ah Hoi- these guys at Hotel Jen  Tanglin never fail to disappoint- which portions were so huge we couldn't finish everything at dinner, and tapaoed the noodles to cook with Hokkaido scallops at lunch the next day.

I'll write about this later but, yes, I cannot compliment enough the soft shell crab, the fish, and the noodles. 

You'd think that all these meals would be more than enough for a three day celebration, but noooo, there was still the lunch at Ichiban Boshi which we decided to have on the third day. 

I couldn't resist the chewy fried udon. 

I couldn't resist the egg salad of mashed hard boiled egg, lettuce and cherry tomato. 

Nor the carefully sliced beef simmering slowly in the pot with onions and garlic and a dark brown gravy. 

CNY Chinatown 2022

One of the things I always like to do during the Lunar New Year season is to make a trip down to Kreta Ayer Chinatown and take pictures. 

This year was no exception. 

It didn't matter if there was no bazaar (again) at Temple Street. 

The vibes of Lunar New Year at Chinatown cannot be so easily removed. 

It was, of course, a little quieter compared to the years of konnyaku jellies, shitake mushrooms, seaweed crackers, mochi snacks, colorful sweets, preserved persimmons and waxed meats. 

Still, judging by the crowds- and the (necessary) deployment of both security officers and patrolling SDAs, many of us locals/visitors trooped down anyway. 

We're known to be creating Atmosphere with a capital A. 

From the streets of Pagoda Street to Trengganu Street to Temple Street to Smith Street and to Sago Street, the atmosphere was prevalent everywhere. 

It began, perhaps, at the junction of Upper Cross Street and Eu Tong Sen Street where, like every year, the (official) entrance of Chinatown was marked by a gigantic sculpture-lantern featuring the zodiac animal for that year. 

2022 saw two majestic-looking tigers (with the strongest animated expressions ever) perched on top of a rock looking to the horizon in two different directions.

The two tigers were fascinating enough, but I thought the banners and butterfly decor of Yue Hwa Building in the background a very charming sight too.

Not too far from this junction was bak kwa shop Lim Chee Guan- with their socially distanced queue of patiently-waiting customers stretching all the way down (past Fragrance) to the turn of Pagoda Street. 

It was nice, honestly, to see the queue. 

Because, virus or no virus, it means something to everybody that we continue to keep the mood. 

No problem if you didn't have much of a mood- help was close by in the form of Chinese New Year songs- techno version- blasting through the speakers of the (impromptu) fruit stall on one side of Pagoda Street.

If that wasn't enough, there was the sight of stuffed toy tigers outside the shop that on regular days sold keychains, sling bags, caps, fridge magnets, wooden chopsticks, table runners and cushion covers (in chinoiserie-style) for the interested Tourist.

I thought the buzz particularly strong in the shops offering festive greeting decorations and banners. 

I also thought it strong in the stalls open along Trengganu Street.

There was a stall offering greeting banners with words printed in the classic calligraphic style. 

There was a stall offering a variety of nuts (peanuts) and seeds (melon seeds) from large sized sacks. 

And there was a stall that brought out little wooden figurines and stuffed toy tigers of different designs onto their shelves.

I wish I'd managed to take at least a couple of pictures. 

But then it was late afternoon by the time I got there, and the whole place was busy.

There were several sights I didn't miss out on though. 

Like the stall at the corner of Smith Street near the (former) alfresco food place selling jars of Chinese New Year cookies. 

Like the shop on Smith Street near the hawker center selling some of the prettiest and brightest ornamental decor of the season. 

It's not every day I get to see festive reds and golds hanging in abundance on the racks. 

It's also not every day I get to see ornamental decorations in bright pinks, bright blues, shiny golds and glorious greens so pretty on the shelves. 

It wasn't just these decorations that were colorful and pretty. 

There were the flowers too. 

In fact they were one of the most charming sights to be seen at Chinatown. 

For the very simple reason that they have been there- either at the bazaar- or at the junction of Smith Street and Trengganu Street- (almost) every year. 

Yes, everyone needs flowers. 

And everyone deserves to be able to look at them, especially during the season of Lunar New Year. 

I'm thankful for this picture. 

No, I'm thankful for all the pictures. 

Because- I'll be honest- if you haven't been able to tell yet- my mood was a little on the bland side this year- and it took many deep breaths before I could go down to snap this collection- but at least I've got something (distinctive) for this blog, and the series of CNY Chinatown 2022. 

Bus Ride Sights: East Coast Road-Bedok

The plan was to go to Bedok.

I needed shampoo. 

But because we wanted to have dinner at Isshin Machi over at East Coast Road, we decided to make it a late lunch/ early dinner thing before taking a bus there. 

I was quietly delighted by the plan. 

Especially when I found out that the 14 bus route would be a long one. 

I like long bus rides. 

They give me a chance to stone. 

They also give me a chance to take pretty pictures of the scenery along the route. 

We got up the bus at the bus stop that sits somewhere between the Sin Hoi San (Seafood) Restaurant and the coffee shop that sells one of the best wanton soup noodles in the area.

Across Still Road the bus went, entering the area I like to call "Telok Kurau that side". 

Technically it isn't Telok Kurau but I think there're very few shops amongst the lorongs and generally everyone comes here for the coffee places, the cafes, and restaurants. 

I don't know exactly how many there are, nor which they are, but I've had a meeting at Penny University (it's a coffee cafe) once and I've had good chye tow kuay at a coffee shop here. 

From here the bus passes by the grounds of St. Patrick's School, then the junction leading to Frankel Avenue, then Siglap. 

It's a good thing that the blocks of Siglap Estate are still around. 

Of course, no one lives there now- the shop signs on the ground floor have been long removed- the staircases long been boarded up- but it's a little nice seeing the blocks standing there still.

From here, the bus headed on along East Coast Road, passing by Bedok South Road, the SingTel building, Bedok Food Center (with very crispy orh luak) across the junction that leads you to Bedok Camp.

After this junction, the bus makes a turn up the road that (to me) leads straight up to Simpang Bedok before turning left onto New Upper Changi Road towards Tanah Merah and Tanah Merah MRT.

Down New Upper Changi Road the bus then goes before turning right into Bedok North Road and Blk 85 Fengshan (with the very popular hawker center, delicious Cantonese-style porridge, sambal stingray, and Ah Balling tang yuan)

I took this picture because of the lanterns hanging from the branches of the trees. 

I thought they looked charming. 

It wasn't merely just the lanterns alone. 

All the trees- every single one of them- were genuinely beautiful. 

Until today I'd never realized just how huge they were. 

I'd never realized just how large their canopies were. 

Or even how majestic they truly were, standing like graceful sentinels by the road in the glow of an early evening sun.