Batam Reprise

We've been going to Batam fairly regularly now that I've stopped travelling for work, and this time round we cooked curry chicken and mixed vegetables with the kids.

As usual, the trip started with a visit to the local market

I thawt I thaw a puddy cat.

The snappers were huge.

We stopped at the chicken stall to buy 10 chickens.

And the dry goods stall for oyster sauce

We saw a few poor birds get slaughtered while waiting

All the dried fish on display

We finally made it to the orphanage, all ready to chop and cook

And got the kids to join in this time

Curry in a hurry

We cooked cabbage and carrots with garlic and oyster sauce

In went the cabbage

Mixing it all up

And someone hit on the brilliant idea of adding fishballs to the veggies. They were a hit!

Curry all done and ready to serve, with potatoes and tau pok

Ready to eat

Keisuke Tokyo (Parco Marina Bay)

Keisuke's opened up a branch near my office and while I've lined up a few times there, I've come to realise that I can't afford the time to stand in line while lunch hour ticks away. And they've only got the tonkotsu soup base in Tg Pagar, while the Millenia Walk branch has got the crab ramen. So off I went for dinner one evening to give it a try.

I love their taugay.

All the stuff on the side.
This was what it looked like when it came - we ordered it with an egg which cost an extra $2. The egg was very nicely done, with a soy infused soft yolk that wasn't too runny nor hard.

I liked the texture of the noodles. Very good to bite into.
The gyoza was ordinary. Ok but nothing exciting to shout about.

Between Nansuttei and Keisuke, I'd go for the crab ramen again any time- it's got a really unique flavour and isn't as oily as the pork broth.

9 Raffles Boulevard, #P3-02 Parco Marina Bay, Millenia Walk
Tel: +65 6337 7919

Nansuttei at Parco, Millenia Walk

We went to try the ramen places at Parco Millenia Walk some time back and were quite happy with them. First up was Nansuttei.

I can't remember what this was, but it was not too bad - something with black sesame?

I ordered one that was more spicy.

The mother ordered one with a lot of negi.

The gyoza wasn't that exciting, if I recall correctly.

The noodles were good - al dente, firm and good to bite in to.

Next up: Keisuke Ramen.

The White Rabbit Burger

I've found my favourite burger at the White Rabbit. It's a fabulous patty with some wagyu in it, and mushrooms and cheese as well. I'd go back anytime!

Beggar Chicken somewhere in JB

I'd like to keep a secret a secret, but I also know many friends who really enjoy reading this blog and finding out about certain places. So here goes - I won't reproduce the name of the restaurant, but if your Chinese is good and your determination level high, go google it.

We had some foodie friends bring us to JB one day for a makan tour, telling us that we were going to someone's house to eat beggar chicken. And we ended up in a Residential estate, clearly with no change of use or temporary permission for Commercial use, and no evidence of car parking provision.

Their front porch looked like this

Their backyard looked like this

Winter melons waiting to be cooked

The charcoal fire at the back of the house, where all the beggar chickens were being cooked. It was very warm in there.

They brought out a clay-encrusted something in a wheelbarrow (?!), and proceeded to crack it open. It was the beggar chicken.

Wrapped in paper and plastic, with all the juices intact.

In its full naked glory

Super soft, juicy and tasty!

We had a winter melon soup as well

It had some chicken inside. Not much salt, yet quite tasty.

A plate of achar - this was okay

The tung hoon was good! Tasty and not too oily.

Apart from the beggar chicken, the most amazing thing was this fish. At least that was what I thought when it arrived - that it was a fish.

Check out the silver skin. But it wasn't a fish.

It was fishcake. Very dense, solid, tasty and wonderful fishcake. I have no idea how they get the silver part of the skin back on the fishcake after scraping off the fish meat!

This was tofu, mixed with mushroom and other things and deep fried with egg white, presumably. Great with chilli and steamed rice.

Super retro sink for washing hands.

Little Creatures Bright Ale + Steak

Our favourite beer for the past few years has been Little Creatures, which unfortunately is relatively more expensive in Singapore. We had dinner last year at Little Creatures in Melbourne, and bought a few bottles back for safekeeping.

Their Bright Ale isn't very Bright, but it isn't as Pale as their Pale Ale (ok, sorry). It has a mellow flavour, that's easy on the lips and has an amazingly refreshing aftertaste.

The main reason for opening this last bottle was because we were having a home-cooked meal for the first time in a long time, on a quiet Saturday night. Steaks courtesy of the husband, done to medium-well perfection.

Topped with garlic and rosemary mustard lovingly handcarried back by the husband from Hunter Valley.