EAT. Fishball Noodles

EAT. has many chain outlets scatter around different parts of Singapore. Just within my area, I can spot 3 outlets selling different varieties of fishball noodles, laksa and Ngo Hiang(wu xiang) and etc in the Shopping mall.

You can either select the set meal which comes with a bowl of noodle and a drink of either coffee/tea. They have a wide varieties of noodles which you can choose from, like eg. Mee Poh, Kuey Tiao(flat rice noodles), Bee Hoon (rice vermicelli) and etc. Bak Chor Mee is usually served with minced meat, pork slices, fishball, sliced mushrooms, fried dumpling(wonton - 云吞), beansprouts, bits of deep-fried lard and a slice of lettuce.

Apart from the dried version, you can order the soup version too. We ordered a bowl of Lao Shu Fen(Silver needle noodles - 老鼠粉) which is one of my favourite noodle. The soup is great, it taste sweet and fragrant due to the adding of soup bones and etc.

In certain outlets , the stall also prepare some side dishes such as Ngo Hiang(wu xiang), fried beancurd, fishcake, chicken wings and etc. We love to order their Ngo Hiang which consists of meat and carrot, yam and etc that are marinated with seasoning and wrapped with beancrud skin and deep-fry. This can be eaten as finger food itself or it also goes well with the dried noodles.

Seafood Delicacies @ Rabbit Brand

Had being working in CBD area for more than two years plus and yet I have no ideas about this budget Seafood Restaurant. It is located near the Boat Quay Shop Houses which is about less than 10 minutes walk from Clarke Quay MRT. The outlet at Circular Road consists of upper and lower dinning area which draw large crowds during office lunchtime hours.

Although the outlook of the shop and their menu is not well presented, but they do offer seafood delicacies such as shark fin and abalone at an absolutely cheap prices. The cheapest on their menu is about $5.50 to the most expensive at $12.50. So this is indeed a good budget tips for those who craves for abalone, shark fin, sea cucumber or scallops.

Look at the generous amount of ingredients found in this "Buddha Jumps Over The Wall - 佛跳墙". It consists of Fish Maw, thick Abalone slices, Shittake Mushroom, Chicken Shark's Fin, Scallops and etc. Overall the soup was very fragrance, thick and full of taste that is well absorb by the ingredients.

This Set A which is at S$9.50 comes with a personal serving of Mini Buddha Jumps Over The Wall, Rice, Balanced Beansprout, Tea and complimentary dessert. This is sure worth of penny to have such a delicacies for a hearty meal.

We also ordered Set B "- 鲍鱼"@ S$8.50 which included a generous topping of baby abalones and shiitake mushrooms braised in their special thick fragrance gravy that serves with extra balanced vegetables and rice. Even though the so called "Baby abalone" might be as good as the full size Abalone but the gravy and its contain is good enough for you to eat with a second helping of rice. Each set meal is also given a complimentary bowl of dessert, ours for that day is "Snow fungus with dried logan".

Other than the above sets, we also tried their special signature "Spinach Doufu - 菠菜豆腐" dish. The doufu has a very crispy outer layer and soft texture inwards that tops with some shredded spinach leaves. As usual, this deep-fried doufu dish is also served with their special sauce that makes this simple doufu more appetising. This dish can be order as a rice set or as individual dish at S$2.10 each.

Teh Tarik & Mee Goreng

Teh tarik or "拉茶" in Mandarin is a hot tea beverage which can be commonly found in restaurants, outdoor stalls and kopi tiams in Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei. The derived from the pouring process of "pulling" the drink during preparation. The mixture is poured back and forth repeatedly giving it a thick frothy top. The purpose of doing this is said to cool the tea to drinking temperatures, and helps mix the tea with the condensed milk more thoroughly.

You can even choose the Ginger flavour Teh Tarik if you like to have something more spicy and consists of that extra ginger fragrance. Some of the stall also severs it with an extra piece of Murukku which is made from a mixture of urad, rice flour, salt, and flavourings such as chili, or cumin.

Mee Goreng meaning "fried noodles" is a dish famous in Indonesia, Malaysia, and Singapore. It is made with thin yellow noodles fried with onion, fried tofu, chili, vegetables, tomatoes, and egg. It is commonly available at stalls in Singapore & Malaysia and is often spicy.

You can find many different preparation styles of Mee Goreng in Singapore, e.g: Malay style(which is shown above), Indian sytle (click link to view picture) which is more reddish in colour and Chinese style (click link to view picture) which consists of prawns and etc. No matter which type you prefer, I am sure there is one that suits your liking .

Chicken Chop With Broccoli & Cheese

Take a look at this interesting dish which will capture your taste bud with 3 different combination of flavour:- (1) Lemon Scented Chicken Chop, spread with a layer of (2)Olive Flavour Broccoli paste and finally baked with a layer of (3) Cheesy Shredded Cheddar.

This is a very interesting sauce that I have ever tried using the combination of Extra Virgin Olive Oil and cooked Broccoli. Broccoli is closely resembles cauliflower, which is a different cultivate group of the same species. It is high in vitamins such as C, K, and A as well as containing multiple nutrients with potent anti-cancer properties,

Ingredients of Broccoli Paste:
100g Broccoli Florets
20ml Extra Virgin Olive Oil
10g Of Butter, soften

Method:
1. Trim and Washed the Broccoli Florets then blanch in boiling water(add pinch of salt in the water) until soften.
2. Removed, drained well and blend in the food process together with olive oil and butter until it became a smooth paste.
3. Scrap out from the blender into a bowl and set aside for later use.


This is the "Star" of the dish which is the Lemon Scented Chicken Chop. The grated Lemon rind and juice give the chicken an extra tenderness and citric fragrant. While preparing the chicken chop, you need to marinate it for at least 30 minutes or more then you can choose either to shallow pan-fry it or Grill it on a grill-pan.

Ingredients: (serves 2)
2 Pieces Chicken Maryland, without bone
1/4 Teaspoon of Crushed Black Pepper
1 Teaspoon Oyster Sauce
Rind of 1 Lemon
1/2 Tablespoon Lemon Juice
1 Tablespoon Plain Flour

Method:
1. Trim, wash and pat dry the chicken portions then combine all the seasoning and marinate it for at least 1 hour or so. (if you are running out of time, you can leave it to marinate for at least 20 - 30 minutes)
2. Removed the chicken from the fridge 5 minutes before cooking to bring it to around normal room temperature.
3. Preheat a pan with about 2 Tablespoons of Olive Oil to shallow-fry the marinated chicken chop(skin side down first) over medium high heat until golden brown and cooked through.
Dish up and set aside.

Note:
~ Chicken Maryland simply refers to a butcher's cut comprising the thigh and leg of the chicken.

Lastly come the interesting part of the dish where you get to assemble the prepared ingredients together to present the final product.

Ingredients:
2 Pieces of Cooked Chicken Chop
Prepared Broccoli Paste
Some Shredded Cheddar Cheese

Method:
1. Place the cooked chicken chop on a baking tray wrapped with aluminium foil.
2. Spoon some broccoli paste on top of the chicken chop and spread it out evenly.
3. Sprinkle some shredded cheddar cheese on top.
4. Pop into the toaster oven and baked for about 5 minutes till the cheese melt and turn golden brown.
5. Serve immediately with some lemon wedge, fries or potato gems.


From the view of the pictures, you will find that this dish is towards the "Greenish" side which my son named it as "Tortoise". He said the end-bone of the drumstick resemble the tortoise "head" while the golden brown effect cheese and greenish broccoli paste look kind of like a tortoise shell. So from his perception, in certain angle this dish resemble like a "Tortoise" to him. So after looking at the picture, what is your opinion on his allegation?