Half Chicken, Swenson's Restaurant Suntec City

We ate at Swenson's Restaurant, Suntec City recently. I chose the chicken as I was feeling carnivorous. This Swenson's restaurant is a branch located at the basement where there were many other crowded restaurants around the Fortune Fountain.

The chicken was very soft, easily cut by teeth, with bits of chewy tendons. As expected of chicken, the fatty parts under the skin were minimal but not overshadowed. I liked the texture of the chicken, although the seasoning was too salty for my liking.

The carrots and vegetable were softer than I had come to expect. I severely felt the absence of an outstanding sauce, and it really affected the overall chicken taste in this dish. Otherwise I would have given the chicken dish at this Swenson's restaurant branch a grade higher than 7.5 out of 10.

Claypot Seafood Beancurd At Dian Xiao Er, Changi Airport T3 Branch

Claypot Seafood Bean Curd At Dian Xiao Er, Changi Airport T3 branch

The look of Dian Xiao Er's seafood bean curd as presented to our table was average. Looks about the same with other Chinese restaurants that serves such seafood beancurd dishes in a claypot.

The gravy was a tad salty for my liking although those who like sodium chloride with their plain dry white rice will apppreciate it better. The toufu or beancurd appeared similar to those we buy from the supermarket, with a few deformed edges fromthe cooking process. There wasn't much of an inspiring taste from this comfort food that I have grown so used to.

The seafood ingredients was rather limited to a prawn or two and portions of squid. I liked the springy texture of the squid that had criss cross incisions on its side. Some carrot slices and celery made up the rest of thisclaypot dish.

My grading for this dish is a 6 out of 10. Not so comfortable comfort food.

Deep Fried Kailan At Dian Xiao Er In Changi's Terminal 3

Deep Fried Kai Lan at Dian Xiao Er in Changi's Terminal 3

First look to even a casual observer would have raised an alarm. Where's the kai lan? Is there a mistake in the order?

Closer inspection would still lead you to believe that the green curly stuff is NOT kai lan. You check with the waitresses and they reassure you that there's not any mistake in Dian Xiao Er's kitchen.

You take a chopstick full of this green stuff and pop it into the mouth. It still does not taste like the usual kailan dish that you get at the zi char stalls or other restaurants in Singapore.

The light green thick blades of stem do pass the identification test for kai lan. It is kai lan but it tastes so different. And very good. Perhaps the sweetly salted bah hoo or pork floss has something to do with that.

Together, the curly kai leaves that have been fried to a crisp, with the thick stems and the bah hoo / pork floss, this dish is a 9 out of 10 in my books. At $9.80 per small size plate, it is a uniquely delicious way of cooking kai lan that works.

Ten Wonder Duck At Dian Xiao Er, Changi Airport Terminal 3 (T3)

Ten Wonder Duck At Dian Xiao Er, Changi Airport Terminal 3 (T3)

Another wonderful bite of meat, this Ten Wonder Duck at Dian Xiao Er in Changi Airport Terminal 3 (T3). First taste of this wonder-blend of ten herbs (which I have absolutely no idea what they are) is a pleasing combination of salt, sweetness and herbal sensations. No spice here, unlike the Spicy Mongolian Prok Ribs that I tasted earlier.

The skin is rather crispy, with a mild crunchiness. The duck meat is cooked just soft enough to melt under each bite. I love the combination of this outer crunchy duck skin with the soft duck meat.

The bones are the difficult bits to handle. I would have preferred if they had deboned the duck thoroughly. But that's the thrill of duck eats, you get the choicest bits with the bone breaking parts too. Sorting out the two is rather easy, I must add.

My grade for this is a 8 out of 10. the price at S$12.80 for such a small serving is hardly value for money and not enough to provide for five hungry stomachs.

Spicy Mongolian Pork Ribs At Dian Xiao Er, Changi Airport T3

Spicy Mongolian Pork Ribs At Dian Xiao Er, Changi Airport T3

My first bite of Spicy Mongolian Pork Ribs at Dian Xiao Er of Changi Airport Terminal 3 (T3) gave me a coughing fit of epileptic proportions. The black pepper and red cut chilli bits nearly squeezed my airway to toal occlusion.

Since that initial near fatal bite of Spicy Mongolian Pork Ribs, I showed more respect for the power of its spiciness. This browny lumps of pork ribs may not look fiery nor appetising upon first glance. But it certainly packs a punch for someone like me who can take a moderate hit with anything spicy.

The meat is soft while the tendons provide a springy firmness. Chew on the solid rib bones and your bruised gums will regret it. Mark my word, this potent mix of different textures with a spicy punch is worth the $11.80 for the smallest portion available at Dian Xiao Er.

I will feature other dishes at Dian Xiao Er soon.

Shredded Duck Vermiceilli At Xin Wang White Sands Shopping Centre

Shredded Duck Vermiceilli At Xin Wang White Sands Shopping Centre

This dish can be found at Xin Wang Hong Kong restaurant, the White Sands Shopping Centre branch at level 1. It costs $8.90 for quite a large plate to satisfy two persons on a low diet outing.

I like the soft stewed duck shreds that come with a plate of light brown fried vermiceilli. The duck tastes sweet, lightly flavoured and gives the jaws a bit of exercise.

The vermiceilli feels robust with a mildly chewy sensation under the palate. The soy taste is not overpoweringly salty. Mixed with sour plum bits, the mildly plum fragrance gives the dish an unusual oomph.

If you mix the crunchy shreds of lettuce with the soft vermicelli, the combination seems to work really well.

Personally, I would rate it 9 out of 10.

Hokkaido Sotong Balls At Tampines Mall Atrium

Hokkaido Sotong Balls At Tampines Mall Atrium

EM bought six Hokkaido sotong balls at the Tampines Mall Singapore atrium today despite the long queues. The famous and highly popular Hokkaido Food Festival had been underway since 5 July 2008. This Japanese food festival has been a fixture at Tampines Mall for a couple of years. She tried to purchase some Japanese food on a Sunday but she couldn’t get a toehold in the maddening crowd. Only today did we get a chance to sample delicacies from Japan’s Hokkaido Prefecture.

Six huge solid-looking sotong balls stared at me during lunchtime today. A glassy piece of edible material was laid on top of the pieces with a thick Japanese mayonnaise paste. I bit a little of the this glassy stuff and it melted in my mouth without much taste.

When I chewed onto the sotong balls, the soft paste-like outer layer was mushy to touch with a mild sweetness. Under this layer, the sotong parts were apparent on my tongue, like springy chewing gum with a robust texture. The difference in contrast between the soft out shell and the firmer core made this an interesting bite-sized dish for lunch.

As I enjoyed the morsels of sotong between my teeth, I could imagine the sotongs must have undergone plenty of cardiovascular work out in the oceans off Hokkaido before they landed up in some Japanese fishing vessel to be brought to Singapore for our dining pleasure. The world is indeed getting smaller by the years.

Japanese Food at Downtown East Pasir Ris

Japanese Food at Downtown East Pasir Ris

I love to eat Japanese food and I heard it's the favourite foreign cuisine amongst Singaporean stomachs. My current favourite restaurant is Nihon Mura at E!Hub Downtown East in a corner of Pasir Ris, which opened recently.

This cozy little restaurant tucked at the highest level of E!Hub in Downtown East offers a plethora of famous japanese dishes. Don't expect to be presented with a traditional menu here. After you are urshered to your table, grab a cup and head straight to the buffet spread. There you will find one of a tag which comes in a wooden stick like the ones doctors used to stick into your throat with the Teriyaki chicken don written on it. Collect this tag and any others that you wish to order into your cup. Once you're done with your menu selection, present this tag to the cashier and wait at your seat in this japanese restaurant. In a while, the dish you ordered will be presented to the table.

My current favourite japanese dish is the Teriyaki Chicken Don. It comes in a piping hot bowl that will burn your japanese rice if you do not scrape the bottom regularly. Even so, some grains of japanese rice still gets burnt but that just adds to the unique flavour. It's almost like eating claypot japanese rice!

The Teriyaki sauce gives a pretty shiok zing to the bits of chicken slices. The crust is rather crunchy with a soft springy core that leaves the mouth full of Teriyaki taste. I particularly like to savour these slices without the japanese rice, so as not to dilute the flavour.

A raw egg sits on the top of this bowl of japanese rice. If you press it with a spoon, the yolk will burst out of its sac and soak into the japanese rice. Once it reaches the hot metal bowl, it will cook rather quickly and relinquish an eggy aroma that sends my salivary glands into overdrive. I prefer to mix the raw egg evenly throughout the rice and sort of fry it like in a frying pan.

No adjective can adequately describe the unique experience of eating this Teriyaki chicken don. Even as I write this post, the rush of saliva forming up in my mouth is making me swallow more frequently than usual. Mmmm... perhaps this weekend again...

Pasir Ris Bowling E!Hub Downtown East

Pasir Ris Bowling at E!Hub Downtown East

The new E!Hub at Pasir Ris' Downtown East has an Orchid Bowling alley. With 32 bowling lanes, this is a popular bowling sport for many residents of Pasir Ris estate and nearby neighbourhoods. Current location is inside E!Hub of Downtown East at the junction of Pasir Ris Drive 3 and Pasir Ris Close.

I visited the Pasir Ris' one and only bowling alley at Downtown East recently. This Pasir Ris bowling centre is targeted at kids, children, youths, adults and all family members. There is even a first-in-Singapore miniature bowling available at Downtown East's E!Hub!

Acording to their website, it is operated by FAMILY LEISURE PTE LTD, a subsidiary of NTUC Club Investments and Singapore Labour Foundation Leisure Enterprises. There are a total of four bowling centres, making them one of the biggest bowling operators with a total of 140 lanes.
What Are The Bowling Rates and Peak Hours?
Off-peak hours are 10am to 6pm. Peak hours are 6pm to closing.

Bowling Rates:

• Public $4.00 (off-peak rate), $4.50 (peak rate)
• Special Group $3.60 (off-peak rate), $4.20 (peak rate)
• NTUC Members $3.00 (off-peak rate), $3.50 (peak rate)
• Young NTUC $2.70 (flat rates)
• nEBO $2.50 (flat rates)
• Students $3.00 (off-peak rates), $4.50 (peak rates)
• Shoes rental $1.20
• Socks $1.50

This place to visit Singapore was teeming with visitors who took out all the lanes when I was there. I am not very fond of bowling and bowling centres, but I don't mind watching others bowl. The bowling balls are very heavy and I get wrist pain if I bowl too much. My bowling scores are below average, so I am not inclined to practice on a sport that I can't excel in. Talk about kia-su!

E!Hub Ferris Wheel Pasir Ris Singapore

E!hub Ferris Wheel Pasir Ris Singapore

NTUC's e!hub at Pasir Ris Drive 3 and Pasir Ris Close has just officially opened recently. The new e!hub ferris wheel at Pasir Ris has capsules that can seat 6 persons. This e!hub ferris wheel ride doesn't come cheap. The last time I checked a few days ago, adults and children pay the same rate. A ride on the e!hub ferris wheel costs $6.50. There is a slightly cheaper family ticket for two adults and two children at $18.50. The list price of the e!hub ferris wheel ride is here: 1 pax @ $6.50, 2 pax @ $11.50, 3 pax @ $15.50 & 4 pax @ $18.50

I tried the e!hub ferris wheel ride at Pasir Ris recently. I bought the tickets from a counter about ten metres away. At the foot of the ferris wheel, you show the ticket and climb the stairs to get onto the ferris wheel. I stepped onto the cage with my family but my movement created a lot of unwanted swing. Each ticket allows you to complete only two revolutions, which seems expensive for such a quick ride.

I suggest you try it when there are more visitors. This way, you stay up longer as the loading and unloading of passengers keeps you in the air longer. As the tallest and highest indoor e!hub ferris wheel, the 5-storey high ride is thrilling and fun. It is very clean and brand new. In the evenings when the sky gets dark, the ehub ferris wheel lights sparkle and appear very attractive. I would probably try it with my friends another time, despite the high ticket price.

Introduction: Pasir Ris Not Paris

Welcome to PASIR RIS NOT PARIS!

'Pasir Ris Not Paris' is my place to chill out once in a while.

'Pasir Ris Not Paris' is my place to share my photographs.

'Pasir Ris Not Paris' is my place to express my thoughts.

'Pasir Ris Not Paris' is my place to hang up the memories.

'Pasir Ris Not Paris' is my place to socialize with others.

'Pasir Ris Not Paris' is my place to get more of life.

'Pasir Ris Not Paris' is my place to welcome my friends, visitors.

'Pasir Ris Not Paris' is my place to do the things I dream of.