Makan Treats From The East And North East

After weeks of waiting the upgrading works at Changi Village hawker center is finally completed. I know the first thing that comes to mind at the mere mention of Changi Village would be the well-known Changi International Nasi Lemak that serves a never-ending queue of customes. However, there are other stalls that's worth exploring and one of our prefered stall would be Rong Ji (pictured below). Came to know about them through a local variety food program and has since been their loyal customers for years now. I've tried both their Hor Fun (Ipoh & Chicken Chop), Bak Chor Mee and Wanton Noodles, and my vote goes to the Hor Fun. Although I have to agree that the authentic Ipoh Hor Fun is unbeatable for it's smooth as stain texture, this is no where near, but the taste is commendable for a local standard. If still unconvinced, they are also on Makansutra's billboard. Note though their friendly competitor - Amigo - next door, too, serve both versions of Hor Fun and has their own pool of loyal customers but Rong Ji is still my choice if I have to decide between the two.

The Chicken chop is crispy and the gravy is light yet flavoursome.

This is a newly opened Fried Hokkien Noodle stall just across from Rong Ji. Their signboard screams plain and boring, but it was the Live To Eat certification that caught my attention. I say it's a cross between Tian Tian Lai at TPY Lorong 1 and Thye Hong @ Food Republic, though I would prefer it if they had used a bit more stock while frying the noodles, as it was a bit dry. Despite this I rate them 3.5/5. I'll try them again.

********************

Woke up to a rainy Saturday morning... Perfect! Unfortunately my Mee Siam supplier across the road is closed for renovation so had to crack my brains on alternatives. Finally, we headed down to He Ji at Jalan Kayu (few shops down from Jerry's BBQ) for wanton noodles. We were quite excited when we saw that their noodles are made from duck eggs, because the first time we tried similar noodles was in Johor, Pontian, and it was absolutely fantastic; the noodles has a nice crunch to it from the first strand you pick up to the final bits after a satisfying meal... It was heavenly... BUT we were disappointed by this self-acclaimed "people from all over the world knows about them" noodles. Crunch at first bite and it was soggy thereafter. Nonetheless, they were quite generous with the charsiew which was also mediocre (2.5/5).

I'm a fan of dumplings and theirs was acceptable. If only they had water chestnuts and black fungus like how my Mom does it, then it would be good. Taste wise - 3/5.

Non-spicy vs spicy vesion. I think the former looks more appetizing though Hubby said there's nothing to rave about.

"It takes some skill to spoil a breakfast - even the English can't do it." ~ John Kenneth Galbraith

Happy Deepavali to all!!!! If only the government declares tomorrow an holiday too, that would be lovely. Wishing thinking on my part.

Hubby said it doesn't feel like a long weekend which I totally agree. We're "grounded" at home due to my upcoming exams. Have been trying very hard to focus on my revision but there's always one thing that I'm easily distracted with... it's none other than food. The thought of Saturday dinners never fail to excite me. Simple as it may seem - due to my limited culinary skills I have to admit - to many but it's that little effort that goes a long way.

Hubby likes rocket salad and I'm into Mozarella cheese, what better to prepare than this appetizer? Drizzled with a light splash of olive oil, balsamic vinegar, salt & pepper and a touch of Italian herbs... the way I like it.

Hubby's main - Opps! I forgot what fish was that...

My main - Salmon fish, rich in Omega 3, good for the brain which is much needed for my exams ; ) For the sauce, I simply mixed 2 portion of sour ceam with 1 portion of mustard and a squeeze of lemon juice.

********************

Last evening I managed to complete the jog from home to Punggol End. Boy! I was huffing, puffing and sweating like a pig when we hit the jetty but it sure felt good after concurring 2 rather steep uphill slopes. If not for safety reasons I would like to make that my usual jogging track as the road is well sheltered with little traffic.

********************

Today's Straits Times featured an article on HORROR LIFTS. Hubby witnessed one such act recently, i.e. the person before him defecated in the lift... he concluded the person must have had a severe case of food poisoning thus the inability to control his/her bowels... The next thing that came to mind was, what if the culprit was caught red-handed? How embarrassing can that be? Also thankfully I wasn't there or I would have been the culprit next in line, as I'm pretty sure I'll instinctively puke along the lines of the "object" and that makes 2 horrifying sight. Gross....