Fresh Bulggogi @ Changi Airport

Is blogging a phase I go through, like some teenagers do? Or am I the kind of person that gets passionate about something at the start and then loses interest somewhere along the way?

Hmm. I am beginning to think I fall into the latter category, sometimes not having the motivation or inspiration to wax lyrical about all things halal (mostly food and not other halal-related issues), or ruminate over the issues facing the Malay community. 

But there are the rare moments when I do feel inspired, especially when I have a relatively good or exceedingly bad experience while eating.

Before I start my review of Fresh Bulggogi, I must add a disclaimer that my sensitive senses cannot stomach anything remotely connected to table barbeque food (like Seoul Garden, Hans River etc). This revelation could not have come at a more inopportune time when I nearly projectile vomitted on the lawyer I was working for before I matriculated, in the middle of a table barbeque meal (I shan’t say where!). This has nothing to the with the food being served at the restaurant itself, but due to the fact that the food I was cooking and eating were either undercooked or burnt. Although I ordered something that was already cooked in Fresh Bulggogi, the smell of the table barbeque was nauseating in itself causing me to make a premature exit, even before Ayah had paid for the meal.

The first thing when I asked myself when I read about the restaurant in Berita Harian was What in the world is a Bulggogi? So when I saw that there was a Chicken Bulggogi Rice dish on the menu, which was cooked and ready to eat, I immediately told the rest of my family that this is what I was ordering. 

And if you are wondering why I would have agreed to torment myself to such misery knowing the probability of me projectile vomitting in the middle of the meal, this restaurant was chosen by Kakak and Mak who were both celebrating their birthdays! And the meal was being fully sponsored by Ayah, since we both had a consensus that he would settle the food while Abang and I would settle the gifts for Kakak and Mak.

Although I am a soup kind of guy, I thought the dryness of the rice were compensated by the different tastes in the dish itself – from the spiciness of the Kimchi, to the sweetness of the Chicken Bulggogi (which I am assuming that it is the sauce that is used to cook the chicken) and the natural tastes of the tauge and vegetables. To all those who cannot stomach table barbeque food but have to accompany friends, family or loved ones to this place, this is a definite must try, and would appease your sensitive senses, as it did mine.

This was another cooked meal that I dared to eat – Fried Mushrooms. I must say that this was better than the ones I had in ZingDo, simply because they offer a wide variety of mushrooms, not only one type. I wish I could list you the names of the mushrooms that are available on the menu, but between eating my food and trying to prevent the nausea from causing me to projectile vomit on my brother sitting across me, I did not had the chance. The mushrooms were crispy, yet chewy on the inside, just the way I like it. YUM!

The only unique thing about this restaurant is that you must specifically order what you want to cook and eat. This is different from Seoul Garden or Hans RIver where you pay a certain amount for the buffet that allows you to take as much as you want (which does not mean that you have to finish them). And another cool thing about this place is that you don’t have to call a waiter to order your food. You simply order it through the computer located at your table as you can see on the top right hand corner of the above photograph. Which would explain the rather unresponsive service staff who seemed to forget that my mother wanted a glass of plain water, or that we wanted to refill the soup in the middle of our table barbeque. 

All I can say is, if you would like to experience the novelty of ordering through a computer, please go right ahead.

 

Fresh Bulggogi

Changi International Airport

Terminal 2 No 2 Airport Boulevard

Viewing Mall South

Unit No 036-059 at Level 3

Emicakes Premium D24 Cake

Happy 24th Birthday Kakak!

After such a wonderful orgasmic experience during Mother’s Day 2006, my dad made a special request to have this cake for my sister’s birthday! I had nearly forgotten the taste of a deliciously crafted durian cake after one long hard year of absence. But the sweet creamy taste of the durian, nestled between small slices of cake sponge never ceases to titilate my senses to a new level of sweetness! Other than a Chocolate Etoile from Temptations Cakes Pte Ltd, or a Chocolate Fudge Cake from Royal Cakes and Puffs Pte Ltd, the Premium D24 cake is sinful as all calories-fearing extremists would testify against! This is a cake that all durian lovers should try once in their lifetime. I’m definitely sure that my whole family truly enjoyed eating the cake.

Emicakes
Blk 264 Tampines St 21
#01-110
Singapore 520264

Qiji @ Century Square

I bought the my father’s favourite Qiji Popiah today after work. I must confess that I was not a popiah lover. BUT after tasting this heavenly blend of vegetables, sweet sauce and thin moist popiah skin, I am now a Qiji Popiah convert through and through! An almost translucent homemade popiah skin, laced with sweet sauce and chilli, lovingly envelopes the small pieces turnip, bean sprouts, lettuce, parsley, crispy bits, eggs and garlic! Taking a slice of the popiah using your chopsticks and putting it into you mouth, you will experience a symphony of tastes, from the crispyness of the turnip and beansprouts, to the soft tenderness of the lettuce and eggs, from the spiciness of the chilli and the sweetness of the sweet sauce. A whole slice is just enough to fill your mouth with the utmost pleasures as you savour the Qiji Popiah. Though a self-confessed omnivore through and through, eating this purely vegetarian dish (not including the eggs!) is enough to make me not miss the taste of meat (well except maybe Komalas but that is another future post!)! A definite must try for all, Popiah or Non-Popiah lovers out there.

I am definitely going to try the other dishes there like the Nasi Lemak or the Laksa. Anyone wishes to join me?

Qiji Pte Ltd
2 Tampines Central 5
#01-36B Century Square Shopping Centre
Singapore 529509

Padi & Nooch @ Far East Square

My sister, cousin and I finally managed to go to Padi & Nooch on Friday 250507 and it was finally opened! The dish that I ordered, called the Chicken Ramen consisted of grilled chicken, seaweed and ramen, soaked in a creamy savoury broth that is simply divine! The broth, reminiscent of the Campbell’s cream of mushroom, is heavenly light and savoury and it captures the essence of the chicken. I thought it was a welcome surprise, unlike the more spicy ramen soups which I had usually tasted before in other restaurants. Though I would be definitely happier if they had given me more chicken! A must try for those eating @ Padi & Nooch!

My cousing ordered the Chicken Teriyaki Don which was a honey sweet dish only for those who have a sweet tooth! From the sweet teriyaki sauce that coats the roasted chicken to the rice / don cooked with eggs and onions – the sweetness ranges from the utterly fragrant and strong Teriyaki to the subtle heat of the onions and eggs. What makes this dish different is the fact that the rice is not plain but served with eggs and onions. My cousin aka “too much onion!” had to meticulously pick out all the onions in the dish because she was anti-onion. But she definitely liked the sweetness of the rice and eggs and the genereous serving of chicken.

This may seem like an innocuous unassuming dish, but the peppery hot gravy is unlike any other! Served with a generous serving of spaghetti and seafood, what I thought was most startling was the fact that the gravy was surprisingly peppery hot! It adds a new dimension to the whole plethora of spaghetti dishes, from the creamy carbonara to the tomato puree sauce. The lightness of the gravy, coupled with the pepper hot spices and spaghetti, creates a very different texture to the dish – an almost fluid blend of spaghetti and sauce. My sister had to sip lots of water during her meal as she savoured every peppery spice of the dish. The only gripe she had was the fact that she wanted more seafood, which echoed my own sentiments for my dish!

All three of us concurred that the food was fantastic! And there was a choice of a set meal which you can top up 3 dollars and get a drink, mini salad and a single scoop of ice cream, which I thought was worth it. Anyone who wishes to go there must take note that it is Alfresco dining, meaning that there is no airconditioning. As luck would had it, when we were there, a rock concert was being held right in front of the restaurant at The Pavilion! So though the ambience was terrible, the food was fantastic! The service was also superb as the manager served us our food promptly and tried to make our meal as comfortable as he could. What I liked was the fact that when my cousin called in to make sure that it was opened (we had learnt our lesson!) they informed us that there was a rock concert going on and that it would be very noisy, and even suggested that we come on Saturday. To me, this is a true mark of honesty and sincerity since he priorities our needs above his own desire for money. So please come and try this place.

But not on Sundays please, as we have learnt the hard way previously.

Padi & Nooch
26 China Street
#01-02 Far East Square
Singapore 049568

Happy Mother’s Day!

I would like to wish my mother a truly Happy Mother’s Day! You are the greatest mum one can ever have and all three of us are testament to your success! More than just mere tokens of gratitude, the gifts are simply symbols of our love for you! I love you Mak!

Anyway, the cake above was a Premium D24 Cake from Emicakes. When I ordered the durian cake, I did not know what to expect, except, well durian! But the cake totally exceeded my expectations in terms of its taste, texture, aroma and over all presentation. Its simple design is truly exquisite, and does not distract the eaters from the truly intoxicating aroma of the durian. (And I mean that in a good way!) What I found truly shocking was the layers of durian cream in the cake itself, and I mean 100% durian cream taken off the fruit itself! Even a non-durian fan like me could help but take a second helping of the cake, simply because it was so good! AAHH!!!

Happy Mother’s Day!