Chin Sin Huan Eating HouseBlock 7 Jalan Batu#01-113 (Off Kampong Arang)I finally made my way down to this little coffee shop located in the quiet neighbourhood of Jalan Batu. This was almost 2 years after I heard about the delicious wantan mee there from colleagues. All this while, I was only savouring the mini Char Siew Paus which were brought back to the office courtesy of my ex-bosses after they had their bowls of noodles. This little coffeeshop only has 3 stalls; a wantan mee stall, a pau stall and a drinks stall.Jin Ji Wanton Noodles 金記丹戎禺雲吞麵
Thanks to DC, I managed to find out what the hype was about today. Honestly, I'm not a big fan of wantan mee. Even if I decide to have a bowl, I prefer the dark soy sauce version. I guess it's because I was accustomed to eating it this way during my days across the Causeway.
Jin Ji happens to do their noodles the way I like them. The noodles were nicely done and springy when I had them today. The wantans and soup were pretty tasty too; unlike the watered down, msg-laden versions that I've tried previously. I did however, find the chilli lacking bite although it really wasn't much of a problem because I thought the soy sauce covered noodles were already delicious.
Prices are pretty cheap considering that a bowl costs around $2 to $2.50. My male colleagues opted for the 'upsize' because they felt the portions were too small but I would advise against it cos there are other things to save your stomach for. The noodles sell out fast during lunch time. At 1pm, they were already out of char siew so I recommend that you don't arrive too late if you're keen on visiting.Tanjong Rhu Pau The original outlet of Tanjong Rhu Pau is located in this little coffee shop. You'd see a couple of middle-aged and elderly man kneading the dough and wrapping the fillings in for steaming. It's quite interesting to watch how fast their hands move and how nifty their fingers are.
Never been a pau fan myself. However, I was introduced to the Yin Yang Pau a couple of months back and found it to be irresistable. This is a 3-in-1 pau where you get a combination of red bean paste and lotus seed paste with a salted egg yolk planted right in the centre. Since the Mid-Autumn Festival is nearing, I'd liken eating this to something like a steamed mooncake. This is absolutely fantastic for people who can't decide whether they prefer the red bean paste or the lotus seed (ie. myself) and thus get the best of both worlds. My only gripe is that the egg yolk is a bit dry. In addition, it doesn't do my cholestrol levels good so I usually eat only half of it. I recommend having this right after the noodles so that it's warm and soft. It can give your meal the sweet ending it needs.Kaya Bread Roll (Drinks Stall)If you still have space in your tummy, order a kaya bread roll from the drinks stall. The stall owner slaps on kaya and butter onto a piece of soft white bread instead of toasting it like the regular kaya toast you get at most coffee shops. He then rolls up the bread and brings it for steaming. When it arrives on your table, the bread is warm and soft. 
Biting into it was such a guilty pleasure because of the kaya dripping and the slightly melted butter which was soaking through the bread. This is definitely not for the faint hearted because the big blob of butter will definitely put the health cautioners off.I need to hit that treadmill soon!
Hyang To Gol 향토골165 Tanjong Pagar RoadLevel 2 Amara HotelTel: 6220 7160 It was really nerve wrecking going on radio today, especially when I wasn't really prepared given the short notice. It was fun though and in a way, an enriching experience because I went on air to share something that I felt strongly about. For once, it wasn't because I was going on a game show! 93.8 Live has an ongoing segment around 12.15pm weekdays where they invite food bloggers to go on air to share a daily food pick so be sure to tune in. There are a lot of other floggers out there who really know their stuff when it comes to food so you definitely won't be disappointed. I definitely wasn't when I attended the Floggers' Dinner last Sat. More details on that later.I thought it'd be good to post whatever I talked about on radio today. I'm going to make a bold statement that Hyang To Gol in my opinion, is the best Korean restaurant in Singapore at the moment. To be fair, I haven't been to ALL Korean restaurants but from the ones that I've tried, this comes out tops cos of the variety of dishes you get there and needless to say, the delicious and authentic cuisine. Prices are also more reasonable compared to other places. I've heard a lot of people saying that Korean food in Singapore just doesn't make the cut but I thought Hyang To Gol isn't faring too badly. I made this judgement comparing the Gam Ja Tang 감자탕 (spicy pork ribs potato soup) which I ate in Seoul last year.Eating this dish always brings back fond memories of my trip. When I found this dish at Hyang To Gol, I was really excited cos it was a rare find in local Korean restaurants. Although Hyang To Gol uses meaty pork ribs in the dish whereas restaurants in Korea use the spine of the pig for the soup, the soup is still rich, flavorful and satisfying. The soup gets thicker as you boil it cos of the starch that comes out from the potato. At the end when the soup is almost finished, throw in a bowl of rice and kimchi then mix it all up. You will go back for more the next time. Even Dad who isn't a fan of Korean food thinks of visiting Hyang To Gol for the Gam Ja Tang from time to time. This dish is definitely the must-have when you're there.
This was the photo I took of the dish in Seoul. I don't have a photo of it from Hyang To Gol but it looks similar except for the lots of spring onion stuff on the top.Another dish which I mentioned is also another one of my favourites which I've yet to find at any other Korean restaurants that I've visited locally. It's called Hoe Deop Bap 회덮밥; rice mixed with raw fish and vegetables in a mild chilli sauce. It's something like the hot stone Bibimbap. I really like this dish cos it's very light with the pairing of raw fish and fresh vegetables. There's also the Korean pear that's thrown in there that gives that bit of sweetness. A delicious contrast to the Gam Ja Tang. I always order these 2 together so that the meal isn't all too heavy.
Mix is all up and you get... 
There's also another dish that's delicious where you have the boiled pork belly wrapped with lettuce. I can't remember the exact name but its fantastic because you eat it with a chilli paste that has fresh chillis and pine nuts in it. Wrapping it all up with a slice of fresh garlic then putting the whole wrap straight into your mouth produces great flavours with bite. I'll update again the next time I have the name of the dish. They also have an alternative with pork trotters that I've yet to try. I should probably give that a shot to make some comparison.So that's my food pick for the day. I really hope you'd end up liking this place as much as I do.
Just got back from an afternoon tea with D at Cedele. I was at AMK after catching a movie and decided to go all the way to VivoCity just for tea. I had intended to visit Corduroy's Cafe since I was having a craving for milk shakes. Actually I had visited previously on a couple of occasions to try their milk shakes and probably because it was always after dinner, I was told at all except one visit that they had ran out. On that one exception where they were still serving milk shakes, I was told they only had vanilla milk shakes left and I had to wait at least an hour for it. So up 'til today, still no milk shakes from Corduroy for me.I thought today would be different cos I took the effort to travel all the way from the north to the west around 5pm which happened to be tea time and presumably the time where a popular cafe would have a buzzing crowd. Again, I went home empty handed cos they ran out of milk! At 5pm! On a Sunday! Erm... I think the last I checked, Corduroy's Cafe was supposed to have a Milk Bar??! Just because they ran out of milk, almost half the drinks on the menu were unavailable. There were no pies & no quiches. I understand that business is good but after months of business, I thought they should be able to get a gauge of how much their supply should be to meet the demand. If it was late like my other visits, I could understand but I was really a bit put off when they told me that a whole list of things were unavailable at 5pm on a Sunday knowing that their milk shakes are popular! So I politely told the person at the counter that I was there just for the milk shakes and headed off to Cedele for their delicious soups instead. Am I going to visit again?? As much as I'm inclined to give up visiting, I'm going to say 'yes' just cos I want to know just how good their milk shakes are. The best I've had was at Uberburger because their's was so thick and rich, just like the ones in the US. Sadly, Uber's no longer around. I just hope Corduroy's milk shakes doesn't disappoint. That is of course when I can get a sip of it or rather IF I can get to one day.
I attended the Floggers' Dinner last year and had a wonderful time. I was actually quite taken aback cos it's kinda funny how we only knew each other by our blog names but yet we were able to yak non-stop about food for the whole evening! Til today when I share this with my friends, they get appalled at how I managed to have dinner with 17 other "strangers", people whom I've only come to know through their writing but have never met in person. Well, it's all because of one thing, our love and indulgence in good food.June of Nibbles & Scribbles is doing the honours of organising this year's dinner and I'm sure it's going to be a night of delicious food, great fun and even better company. So if you're a flogger too, sign up now! You can get all the details here.See you there!
Sushi Yoshida10 Devonshire RoadTel: 6735 5014
After several raving reviews from Mia, June & Weylin, I finally paid a lunch time visit to Yoshida on a laid-back Friday (It felt darn good not to be working on a weekday!). It's a pity that I didn't visit earlier when their set lunches were going for $28. After lunch that day, I was really starting to kick myself over "lost" opportunities. The price hike was a little drastic really but understandable I guess. For the food you get, it is pretty priced in now although it really would burn a big hole in my lunch pocket.
For the $38 price tag, you'd get a starter of half-boiled egg with some dashi broth (I think). Simple, yet delicious. Then you'd get a whole list of mains to choose from. D ordered the Sushi Moriawase which looked pretty appetising. He was a little disappointed that day though cos we had a little tasting of Yoshida at a party and he was so impressed. That's partly the reason why we decided to pay the restaurant a visit. He just couldn't forget how great it tasted so he had to satisfy his sushi craving. It's not that it wasn't good; it still was but just not great, so he says. One thing we did agree on was that they make a fabulous tamago. Yoshida's version is of course, freshly made and somehow has this Japanese brown pickle taste. Can't really describe it but you'd have to try it to know what I mean.
After all that recommendation I got from Mia's blog, I had to order the Chirashi. I can now understand why she's so in love with it. The fish was fresh and they certainly were not miserly with their portions. My favourite parts? Biting on my fatty piece of toro and the ikura bursting in my mouth! I have a big thing for ikura cos I really love that sudden burst of saltiness on my tastebuds. 
We also had a choice between the miso and clear soup in the set lunch. I chose the clear soup and was pleasantly surprised to find slices of fish in it. That followed by the fresh fruits ended my sumptious lunch on a good note.I loved the food but honestly still find it a little hefty on the pocket. Afterall, I am used to eating food court after food courts during office hours. Yes, I am a typical desk-bound employee. As sucky as it is, I guess I'd have to put off a second lunch visit to Yoshida to when I'm on leave or when I feel like indulging a little.
