Lunch at Waterloo

I was a bit irritable & moody this past few days.  In fact, I felt that I had a horrible week..maybe not enough sleep or it could just be one of those days.  What better way to channel my irritation and frustration is to write about...food glorious food!  Food always makes me happy and cheery!  My hubby always say that when I am moody, 90% I am hungry.    

So, last week hubby fetch me from work and we decided to grab a bite to eat somewhere near my workplace. As usual we cannot decide on what to eat but hubby suggested a good chicken rice stall behind Waterloo Street.  So chicken rice it is!

We came at about 3-ish in the afternoon & good timing also as the lunch crowd has long been gone.  Went to the Soya Sauce Chicken Rice stall where it's known for the yummy ginger chicken rice.  The stall got newspaper clippings so I would say that it's a guarantee you can get a wonderful yummy meal here.

I have had Chicken Rice all over Singapore & this probably became one of my favorites.  I love the generous amount of ginger & you can actually taste a hint of Chinese black vinegar on the chicken drippings or sauce. 

Not the healthiest thing to eat but I have to give in at least once in a while.  I love Char Siew Pork, who doesn't?  Just look at those charred grilled bits, sweet & savory, melt in your mouth yumminess!  It's not easy to watch your weight when food such as these are readily available to you.  

We also had the Soya Sauce Chicken Rice which is just as delish as the rest.  You can taste the star anise spice, not too sweet & again the chicken is very tender.   Overall, hubby & I left with happy tummies.  It was a nice meal & will definitely come this way again!

After a wonderful meal, we had to at least burn what we ate...ok maybe not today!  We walk around Waterloo Street & there's a different vibe here like you are not in Singapore.  With the temples, the scent of joss sticks, Chinese fortune tellers, flower vendors &  interesting trinkets on sale, it is such a lively vibe.

   

Kabe no Ana Pasta

One sunny weekend hubby & I decided to check out Nex Mall at Serangoon Central.  It's our first time there as it's kinda out of the way from where we are staying.  We figured might as well check out what they have to offer when it comes to food.  Walking around plus the weekend crowd made me a bit giddy & hungry.  

Tucked-in the corner end of Basement 1 are chains of small Japanese restaurants.  Ichiban Boshi, Shimbashi Soba (http://melodyindisguise.blogspot.com/2011/06/my-weekend-part-two.html), Fish Kuriya Market, Ya-Tai & Kabe no Ana.  There's also an interesting Japanese bakery called Green Pumpkin which you guys might want to check out.

We love Mentaiko Spaghetti & have not had it for a long time so, we decided to chow down some real Japanese pasta.  Kabe no Ana literally means "hole in the wall" & is known as the Original Spaghetti House in Japan.  It was established in 1953 starting from a hole in a wall restaurant in Showa. Takayasu Matsunari invented the  "MentaikoSpaghetti" which was a real yummy treat in my belly!  

I had Mentaiko with Shrimp & Mushrooms.  Yummy to the last bit!   

Hubby had the Mentaiko Carbonara.  It's creamy, amazing savoury bacon flavor you just can't get enough of & it's not swimming in carbonara sauce.  I love the poached egg!

This shows how much I enjoyed my Mentaiko.  All pasta dishes are made to order & it takes about 15-20 minutes or so.  I say it's worth the wait.

We also shared some Japanese Potato Salad which by the way is delish!

Kabe no Ana http://www.kabenoana.com.sg/ is located at 23 Serangoon Central B1-80 NEX Mall.  I hope they would open a branch somewhere nearby like in town perhaps or East Coast.  But for now I have to go all the way to Serangoon just to satisfy my Mentaiko cravings.  

   

Okonomiyaki

I love Vimeo!  This video is from ROFILMS.  I check out all sorts of food videos here & amazed at how good they are producing such videos.  I wish I can do stuff like this.


okonomiyaki {japan Vol.01} from ROFILMS on Vimeo.

My Love Affair with Assam Laksa

I had my first Assam Laksa in Malaysia (KL & Penang) and after my first bowl of noodles I knew that this will become one of my favorites.  My first bowl was at KL Pavillion's food court that has become a regular thing for me whenever hubby & I are in Malaysia.  I have also tried the ones at Little Penang Cafe which also serves a pretty mean Char Kway Teow.   The Penang Assam Laksa is actually ranked 7th of the 50 Most Delicious Food in the World...need I say more!

For those of you who have not tried Assam Laksa it's not for everyone. It's actually an acquired taste like eating blue cheese or bagoong (shrimp paste) perhaps.  It may not be delish for some but for me, I love it the first time and yes it's fishy but in a good yummy way.  I craved for it every now and then.  Assam Laksa is a fish broth noodle soup that is spicy, tangy, pungent & full of wonderful flavors. The key ingredients of this bowl of goodness are Tamarind or Assam in Malay, Daun Kesom/Daun Laksa also known as polygonum leaf (Vietnamese mint) & the aromatic ginger flower. It has julienned cucumbers, chunks of fresh pineapples and shredded mackerel.  Did I tell you that it comes with dark shrimp paste on the side.  Yum!

So when I get a sudden craving for Assam Laksa in Singapore I go to "Penang Asam Laksa" at 76 Geylang Lor 25A  near Aljunied MRT Station.  It's probably one of the closest (flavor & taste wise) Assam Laksa to the one I had in Malaysia.