S$10 Food Trail @ 51 Old Airport Road Food Center

Last Saturday, Miss Tam Chiak and I had organized our March Food Outing at 51 Old Airport Road Food Center together with 20 friends on an S$10 Food Trail gathering. Since we have a large group, we divided all the participants into 4 groups and each group will share 10 different dishes + 2 dessert which we selected from some of the well-known hawker foods that are available at the food center. Below are some brief descriptions of the food that we had during the Food Trail.

Talk about Char Kway Teow, I am sure most of us will have a desire stall that fried the most tasty kway teow. If you have being to Old Airport Road Food Center, you would have heard about this well-known Char Kway Teow stall known as Lao Fu Zi Char Kway Teow (老夫子炒粿条), #01-12. Actually their fried kway teow is a bit towards the sweet side with average taste that somehow or rather lack of wok fragrance. But surprisingly it is always pack with queue during meal hours. So I guess perhaps it might be that extra “Fried Lard” that draws patrons' attention towards the stall.
Opening Hours: 11.00am - 11.30pm
Price: S$3 - 5 per plate

Xin Mei Xiang Lor Mee (新美香卤面）, #01-116 stall in the Old Airport Road sells both prawn noodles and lor mee but it seems there are hardly anyone in the queue that order prawn noodles. Their Lor Mee gravy is smooth and yet not too thick like glue texture and one of their special ingredients added is shark's meat which is not deep-fried like others Lor Mee stalls. The shark’s meat from Xin Mei Xiang is fried till crispy and golden on the outer skin then flake it before adding on top of the noodle.
Opening Hours: (Mon - Wed): 7:00am -3:00pm; (Fri - Sun): 7:00am - 3:00pm; (closed on Thursday)
Price: S3, $4, $6 per bowl

Xin Mei Porridge(欣美粥品）, #01-91 has a wide varieties of porridge range from the usual century egg with lean pork, chicken, fish, cuttlefish and etc. We ordered their century egg with lean pork, peanut and chicken. Each bowl of porridge is served with their freshly handmade hot and crispy fried fritter,(youtiao) which they don’t sell it separately even if you want extra servings. Their porridge is very smooth and fragrance and each mouthful makes you crave for more.
Opening Hours: 7.00am - 2.30pm
Price: S$2.50 onwards

You can always see a long queue during lunch hours or weekend at this Blanco Court Kway Chap(白兰阁粿汁）, #01-136. This stall is very well known for their Kway Chap and Braised Trotters. The meat and intestines for the kway chap was well flavoured, clean and fresh which lightly infused with the fragrance from the braising spices and sauce.
Opening Hours: 11.30am - 4.30pm (closed on Monday)
Price: S$3.30 per serving for kway chap

There are a few Prawn Noodle stalls available in Old Airport Road Food Center. And the one we tried was from Whitley Road Big Prawn Noodle(威利大虾面）, #01-98 that comes with 2 medium prawns which slice into halves and a few pieces of pork ribs. Everyone has different view of this stall, some comments that the soup is good and flavour while others find that it seems to lack of something which cannot  brings out the unique taste of the soup broth. No matter what is your choice, it is always good to give it a try to see whether it suits your personal taste buds.
Opening Hours: Tue–Fi: 9.00am – 8.00pm; Sat–Sun: 9.00am – 9.00pm (closed on Monday)
Price: S$4.00 onwards

When you mentioned about Western Barbeque, #01-53 at Old Airport Road Food Center, the first thing that everyone thought of is their unique garlic sauce. Here we ordered their famous Chicken Chop that served with french fries, bread and baked beans. Chicken was grilled with a crispy charred outer layer leaving it tender and juice when bite.
Opening Hours: Noon onwards (closed on Monday)
Price: S$5.00 for Chicken Chop

Tan Beng Otah Delight (陈明乌打), #01-74 has being operating in Old Airport Road Food Centre for more than 10 years. They have about 6 different types of flavours including prawn, sotong, crab and fish head. And they even have a special fish otah cater for children where the otah are more unique and are white instead of the traditional orange colour because they not contain chilli. Other than Otah they also have 2 different types of Nasi Lemak available for your choice. Overall we find the Otah quite nice with the seasonings and hint of spiciness.
Opening Hours: 10.00am - 9.00pm
Price: S$1.50 for Otah; S$1.80 per packet for Nasi Lemak

If you like those soft, smooth and silky handmade Chee Cheong Fun, you won’t want to give this Freshly Made Chee Cheong Fun(现做现卖猪肠粉 ）, #01-155 a missed. Although there is a similar stall near our area at Chong Pang Market but the standard was average compare to the outlet at Old Airport Road where their Chee Cheong Fun was simply smoothing and taste great with their self-made soy sauce.
Opening Hours: Daily 8.00am - 10.00pm
Price: S$2.00 for Chee Cheong Fun; S$4,S$6, S$8 for Hae Chor and Sui Gao

Besides the Array of Chee Cheong Fun that we had, we also ordered some mixture of Hae Chor and Fried Dumpling. Their hae chor was quite tasty and contains lots of crunchy water chestnuts but on the down side perhaps it might due to the waiting crowds some of it seems to be overcooked and burnt.

I didn’t know that queuing up for a plate of Rojak can be so high-tech till there is a LCD screen displaying your queuing number even in Hawker center upon your order. This Toa Payoh Rojak(大巴窑罗惹 ）, #01-108 stall at Old Airport Road Food Center can be consider as one of the well-known Rojak stall in Singapore. Their portion was quite generous with fresh ingredients such as pineapple, cucumber, you tiao, turnip, roasted crushed peanut and their self-made Rojak sauce.
Opening Hours: Daily 12.00pm – 8.00pm (closed on Sunday)
Price: Range from S$3.00 - S$5.00

I love Curry Puffs especially those wrapped with Sardine fillings and the outer skin must be hot and crispy. Personally I prefer those flaky crust outer skin compare to those shortcrust like Old Chang Kee. And the bonus point about this Wang Wang Curry Puff (旺旺脆皮咖哩卜专卖店）, #01-26 curry puff stall is that it is freshly and handmade and deep-fry at the stall itself where you can be assured that these are not factory made. Other than the standard Curry Puff, they also have other flavours such as sardine, black pepper chicken and yam.
Opening Hours: Daily 9.00am - 9.00pm (closed on Monday)
Price: S$1.20 minimum

I have heard about this Chi Shuang Shuang (吃爽爽）, #01-51 stall long ago but I always did not get the chance to try it as I was either too early or sold out. But a few ago I managed to try out some of their items such as the 3-in-1 Nian Gao and deep-fried During. Their durian paste was freeze in rectangle shape, deep in flour batter then deep-fried till golden brown and crispy, so when you give it a bite the durian paste will melt and ooz out from it. Worth trying if you like Durian but don't expect to pay S$1.60 for Mao Shan Wang standard of durian paste. For the food trail we have tried their Fried Durian, Banana and Jack fruit.
Opening Hours: Noon onwards
Price: S$1.60 for fried durian

I love to eat Soya Beancurd especially those from Mr Bean or one of that soya bean milk stall at Hong Lim Food Center which is behind the famous Ipoh Crayfish Hor Fun. This Lao Ban Soya Beancurd (老伴手工豆花）, #01-127 has a very unique fragrance from their soft and skily beancurd which always sold out within a few hours. According to the boss these beancurd can be kept in the fridge for 2 - 3 days too, no wonder people always buy in bulks of at least 3 tubs.
Opening Hours: 10.00am - 9.00pm
Price: S$1.00 (Small), S$1.50 (Big) for original flavour; S$2.00(Big) for almond flavour

BONUS DISHES
(not included in the Food Trail Gathering)

I was honour to tag along with Maureen from "MissTamChiak" where she source and interview those "hidden gems" among the hawker stalls for her MyPaper 《贪吃妹寻美食》, Hawker Food Column which is published every Tuesday.


Recently we are there at Old Airport Road Food Center to interview one of the Cze Char Stall known as Mr Cook (双宝小厨), #01-130. This stall opens daily from 12pm to 10.30pm except on Thursday and they have a wide varities of signature dishes such as Assam Fish Head Curry, Steamed Herbal Chicken, Salted Duck Soup and etc. You can read more details at Misstamchiak's column HERE.

While waiting for the boss of Mr Cook to prepare the Assam Fish Head, we also tried some of the famous stalls such as this Hua Kee Hougang Famous Wan Ton Mee（华记后港祖传驰名云吞面 ）, #01-02 which is always flooded with long queue. And since we are early before the lunch crowds, I was number 4 in the queue.
Opening Hours: 11.00am - 11.00pm
Price: S$3.00/S$4.00 per bowl

At a glance this bowl of wanton mee seems to look good even before eating but after we tried a few mouthful, we were rather disappointed with their self-made Char Siew(roasted pork) which taste a bit of those porky smell. Although the noodles was springy and good but the char siew and wanton are not towards our liking. We still prefer the Tiong Bahru Food Center wanton mee over this one at Old Airport Road Food Center.

[S$20 Budget Meal] Leek and Potato Soup, Grilled Chicken Cutlet and Green Apple Salad

Thinking of what to cook and what to buy is always one of my biggest problem while planning our weekly menu. Despite of all the tones of recipes, fresh ingredients and etc that can be easily access sometime I am still stuck with all these meal planning. And also due to the rise of food pricing it is very important to have a proper planning and try to utilise as much as possible on the specified budget to minimise wastage of food. In this post I will be sharing on how to plan a western set meal including soup of the day plus a quick and easy dessert to serve 2 - 3 with a total spending of S$14.25 (about US$11.50).

As some of you might know I seldom prepared western soup as I always have a mind set that it will be very troublesome and difficult to work with. But on the other hand I am actually a great fan of Cream of Mushroom, Cream of Pumpkin and Clam Chowder. So for this set meal I take up the courage to try making this short-cut version of Leek and Potato Soup(without cream).

Ingredients: (serves 2 - 3)

2 Stalks of Baby Leeks, thinly sliced
3 Cloves of Garlics, peeled and roughly chopped
10 - 15g Unsalted Butter
400ml Instant Chicken Stock
150ml Hot Water
250g Potato, peeled and cut into small chunks
Freshly Ground Black Pepper

Thank God that I tried making this or else I won't know that this  Leek and Potato Soup can be so tasty and creamy even without adding any cream in it. And moreover it is so simple and easy to prepare with just a few basic ingredients.

Method:-

1. Melt butter in a saucepan. Add leeks and garlic, cook over low heat till soft and fragrance (about 5 minutes) before stirring it the potato chunks and cook for another 1 minute.

2. Pour in stock and hot water, bring the mixture to boil, reduce heat and simmer gently until potatoes are soft and tender.

3. Turn off heat and let the mixture cool to room temperature before transferring it in the food blender. Or you can use a potato masher to mash up everything directly in the pot. (you can reserved a few potato chunks as garnish too)

4. If using food blender, pour the puree back into the same saucepan. Dilute the mixture with extra chicken stock or hot water accordingly to get the consistency that you preferred. Warm Through.

5. Ladle soup into serving bowls, season with freshly ground pepper and serve.


Total cost for this dish is about S$3.00 with breakdown shown below:-
Cost of Ingredients:
~ Leek and Potato = S$2.00
~ Instant Chicken Stock = S$1.00

Creamy Leek and Potato Soup

Garden Salad is always one of the best choice to pair with either grilled or deep-fried dish. Here while choosing between either salad or boiled vegetables such as broccoli, carrot and etc. I finally decided to choose our favourite Garden Salad with some extra granny smith wedges to pair with the grilled chicken cutlet.

Ingredients: (serves 2 - 3)
1 Packet of Ready-To-Eat Garden Salad with Sauce
1 Green Apple, cored and cut into thin wedges
1/4 Cup Sultanas

Method:-

1. Wash apple with salt water, halved and cored before cutting it into thin wedges. (soak the apple wedges in salt water for about 15 seconds to retain it's colour)

2. Combine all the ingredients in a bowl, toss well and divide it onto serving plates.

3. Drizzle salad dressing only before serving.


Total cost for this dish is about S$4.40 with breakdown shown below:-
Cost of Ingredients:
~ 1 Packet of Baby Honey Salad from Cold Storage = S$3.60
~ 1 Green Apple = S$0.50
~ Sultanas = S$0.30

This Grilled Chicken Cutlet was rather something very quick and easy to prepare which requires minimum seasonings and cooking time. For this dish I did not prepare any drizzling sauce or gravy as I just want to keep everything simple and with it's original taste.

Ingredients: (serves 2)
2 Chicken Drumstick with thigh, bone removed

Seasonings:
1 Teaspoon of Sesame Oil
1 Teaspoon of Cooking Wine
1/2 Tablespoon of Light Soy Sauce
1/2 Tablespoon of Cornflour
Dash of Ground Pepper

Method:-

1. Trim and remove excess fat from the chicken and marinate it with seasonings for at least 1 hour in the refrigerator. (remove it from the fridge at least 5 minutes before cooking time thawed)

2. Preheat grilled pan with 1 teaspoon of olive oil, fry the chicken skin side down on medium heat for about 8 minutes till golden brown before turning to another side. (you can sprinkle some freshly ground black pepper on the chicken while grilling for extra taste and fragrance)

3. Continue to grill for another 8 - 10 minutes till chicken is cooked through.


Total cost for this dish is about S$3.80 with breakdown shown below:-
Cost of Ingredients:
~ 2 Chicken Drumstick with Thigh = S$3.80

If you prefer Western Food over Asia Dishes, I hope this 2 Dishes 1 Soup idea on our western set meal do give you some ideas on how to prepare your own budget food at home with a good and healthy planning. For example you can have a bowl of yummy homecook Leek and Potato soup for just a dollar each bowl and you are sure that all the ingredients used are freshly bought and prepared.

With this quick and easy set meal shown above, you will be surprised that it only cost a total of S$11.20 which even allows me to whip out another dessert with the balance amount left.

BONUS!!!!!

Ginkgo Barley with Beancurd Sheet (白果薏米腐竹糖水)

Since I only spent around S$11.00 for the above set meal with soup and main course, I decide to whip up a simple dessert which I saw from "Miss Tam Chiak" blog that she published recently (click HERE). This is a very easy to prepare dessert that cost approximately about S$3.00 which is great for cooling the body during this hot weather season.

Ingredients: (serves 4)
¼ Cup or 4 Tablespoons Of Pearl Barley(洋薏米)
1 Packet Of Ginkgo Nut(白果)
½ Packet Of Dessert Bean Curd Sheet(腐竹)
Cane/Rock Sugar To Taste
1.8 Litres Of Water
Few Pieces Of Pandan Leaves, wash and tied into knot
1 Egg, lightly beaten

And for this dessert, the key factor lies on the beancurd sheet which you must get the correct type for cooking desserts so that it does not required long hours of cooking time. These dessert beancurd sheet cooked in less than 15 minutes and the texture is rather smooth and silky compared to those used for making stew and soup.

Method:-

1. Rinse barley in several changes of water until water runs clear. Set aside.

2. Bring about 1.8 litres of water to boil, low the heat and simmer for about 15 minutes together with the prepared barley and pandan leaves.

3. Meanwhile rinse the ginkgo nuts, drain well and using a toothpick to gently remove the germ out of the nuts which are bitter to taste.

4. Next marinated the ginkgo nuts with 1/2 tablespoon of castor sugar and set aside for later use.

5. Prepare some water in a big mixing bowl or pot, add in the lightly crashed beancurd sheet and soak it in water for about 10 minutes to remove the oil and discard those thick strips which does not soften  as it will affect the texture of the dessert. Drained well and set aside.

6. When the barley begins to soften and the water turns cloudy in colour, removed pandan leaves and add in the bean curd sheet and ginkgo nuts. Continue to simmer on low heat for another 15 minutes.

7. Lastly add in the sugar to taste according to your preference.

8. Turn off the heat and quickly stir-in beaten egg till well combined. Serve either warm or cold.


Total cost for this dish is about S$3.05 with breakdown shown below:-
Cost of Ingredients:
~ 1/2 Packet of Beancurd Sheet = S$1.10
~ 1 Packet of Gingko Nut = S$0.95
~ Barley = S$0.30
~ Pandan Leaves = S$0.20
~ Cane Sugar = S$0.30
~ Egg = S$0.20

Remember to join us on our [S$20 Budget Meal] Event, detail at HERE. Closing date, this Sunday, 27 March 2011 at 2359 Hours.

Doggiestyle Cafe @ Pet Safari Vivo City

It has being a few months since I last step into Vivo City Level 3 where Daiso and Imperial Restaurant are. Previously we used to hang around "The Pet Safari" (which is just beside Daiso) during most of our weekends as my boy loves those cute little hamsters, dogs, fishes and etc over there.

Last week, after our usual shopping at Daiso we decided to pop-by our favourite Pet Safari to take a look at some hamster toys for our pet. Along the shop entrance we were attracted to this small cafe selling all kinds of mini snacks which at first glance I thought it was a newly open cafe in the pet shop.

Look at all these cute donuts, muffins, pies, tarts and etc. I am sure you would be delighted to have some for tea-break but upon closer look I realised that all these are not meant for human consumed. These yummy looking goodies are made especially for pet owners to purchase for their beloved pet dog(s). To my surprised they even have custom made birthday cake for pet too. So if you are thinking of what to get for your pet dog perhaps you can drop by the Doggiestyle Cafe for a look at their range.

The Pet Safari

1 Harbour Front Walk
VivoCity
#03-05 and #03-05A
Telephone: 6376 9508
Website: http://www.petloverscentre.com