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iHerb Top 15 Healthy Must Buy - New Edition

2017-05-29T22:46:00.002+08:00

New hauls from iHerb this year! For those who are new to iHerb, you can check out my 1st post to know the advantages of buying from iHerb. Basically, save on shipping fees and middle man fees when you buy directly from the US. The following are my recent favorite items:

1) Barbara's Bakery, Cheese Puffs, Jalapeño

I highly recommend these! This is the real deal - made with real aged blue & cheddar cheese and non-GMO corn. It is not as scary as it sounds. (blue cheese) Just a better version of our childhood snack Twisties, with a hint of Jalapeno, without those chemicals you can't pronounce. It is not really that spicy and very addictive! A great snack for your cheat day.

2) Great Lakes Gelatin Co., Collagen Hydrolysate (Beef)

As we all know, our body natural collagen (cartilage/bones/skin) starts to deplete during our mid twenties, this consumable gelatin helps to build connective tissue structures to support the functions of the cells. I love this more than beef hide gelatin as it does not harden into jello. It dissolves well in cold water as when and I always add them in my fruit juices and blends. I noticed it really helps my joints and I can feel that my skin complexion is getting better.

3) KIND Bars, KIND Bars, Nuts & Spices, Dark Chocolate Nuts & Sea Salt

After trying out several brands of energy bars such as Lara Bars/ Quest Bars/ Combat Crunch, I find that these are one of the more great tasting natural bars out there. If you love nuts like I do, you will love KIND bars. Only 5g of sugar, 7g of fiber and 6g of protein that kept me full if I am really busy and have no time for a full meal. With this bar is my bag, it prevents me from eating unhealthy snacks within my sight.

4) Lily of the Desert, Organic, Aloe Vera Juice, Inner Fillet

For a while I have been suffering from poor digestion and acid reflux. Feeling nausea in the morning and experiencing constant bloating after meals. Then, I found this miracle Aloe Vera Juice. I saw the improvement in a few days. Over 2-3 weeks, even when I stopped consuming it, my stomach was so much better. Taste wise, it wasn't exactly super pleasant (unlike the sugar loaded aloe vera juice we have in the mart) but it was good enough for me to swallow 2 tablespoons every morning.

5) Mad Hippie Skin Care Products, Vitamin C Serum, 8 Actives

This product really helped fade my acne scars a lot. Like really. Of course it is not all magical. It took me like 3 to 6 months to really see the results. My pores seemed to have shrink as well. It is not the cheapest products out there but it is worth its price. It comes with a dropper which is great so I can control how many drops of these precious serum I need on my skin. I am on my second bottle so I highly recommend it!

6) Muscletech, Nitro-Tech, Whey Isolate + Lean Muscle Builder, Cookies and Cream, 2.00 lbs

This is one of the best tasting protein shake I ever had plus it dissolves well. The company claimed that their formula is 70% Better Than Regular Whey Protein for Gains in Lean Muscle. If I were to buy again, I would choose the Vanilla version as it is more versatile if you want to try different flavors everyday (Like with different fruits or greens). I find that you can't combine and change much taste wise for Cookies and Cream. Nonetheless, it is still delicious.

7) Natrol, MSM with Glucosamine Creme

For those who play sports, this glucosamine cream is a must! I remember having a very bad knee and I can hear the pop sound when I bend my joints. This creme works wonders. The plus point is it only cost about 11 bucks so it is super affordable.

8) Panda Licorice, All Natural Blueberry Licorice

I hated licorice when I was younger. I remember getting excited when my parents bought me these and utterly disappointed after the first bite. Now as I am getting older, (and wiser hopefully) my taste preferences changed. Like how I grew to like red beans, green onions and kimchi, I started to like the taste of Licorice. These licorice from Panda are so good. A great substitute for sugar. They have other great flavors like Raspberry, you should try them if you don't hate the taste.

9) Traditional Medicinals, Herbal Teas, Organic Spearmint, Caffeine Free

I first get to know about spearmint tea when I was researching about hormonal imbalance. I am always having a bad break out (at least 5 to 6 pimples) when my period is nearing that I was so stressed out (more pimples!) I drink this every few days and I only have like 1 or 2 mild pimples on my skin. I was really impressed with the results. Apparently studies shown that drinking 2-3 cups a day of spearmint can reduce androgen levels and hirsutism, excessive body hair. It helps regulate hormones and tastes refreshing.

10) Y.S. Eco Bee Farms, 100% Certified Organic Raw Honey

After reading so much good stuff about raw honey such as its amazing nutrient content and how it promotes sleep, I decided to try this. The thing about raw honey is that its consistency is more towards a paste than syrup. You will need to add a little bit of water and stir it up a little to get the consistency of the honey we find in supermarkets. I had a really bad sore throat once and I made honey lemon with these and I woke up okay the next morning. (though my throat still feels sandy but I no longer feel pain when I swallow)

Read more benefits of raw honey here: Dr Axe

If you like my recommendations, feel free to use my discount code MDC242 to get 5% off your first order or click here to get to iHerb!

Macarons and Swiss Roll - City Square, Johor Bahru

2017-05-01T00:36:00.000+08:00

I headed to Malaysia over the weekend and bought some pastries from the different shops.

First up - French Macarons from Lavender Bakery.

Macaroons at RM $4 each. I got a box of 3 for RM $13.20 (Around SGD $1.40 for a macaron slightly cheaper than the ones sold locally)

These sugar babies were packed in a convenient drawer style box.

From top to bottom: Matcha, Citron, Earl Grey.

Matcha Macaron. - It is great that it has a rich Matcha flavour without the bitterness at all. I love how all the macarons have a thin sugar crust and is soft and chewy on the inside. It is like eating a sugar cookie and candy at the same time.

Earl Grey Macaron. My favourite among the 3 flavours. If you love anything earl grey, this is one not to be missed. Very rich earl grey taste that lingers in your mouth.

Citron Macaron. This one is lemon flavoured. It tasted like those lemon essence from the baking store so I'm not really fond of it.

I think the macarons tasted fantastic but there is just one downside to it - they all got air bubbles. (Hollow in the middle) I'm not sure if it was just the batches of macarons that day but it will be perfect if there weren't air bubbles!

PS: A good read over here if you wanna know more about macarons. - 10 Signs of a Bad Macaron

Next up Mika Swiss Roll. They got a ton of flavors but I chose:

Raspberry Swiss Roll - RM 13.90

The other end looks neater but I wanna take a close up of the nice thick Raspberry cream.

I love the sponge cake, Super soft and fluffy.

Spiralling cream in the middle of the cake. The cream has a very rich raspberry taste with raspberry seeds in it.

I like how the sweetness level is just right. I can finish the entire swiss roll for dessert.

Korean Convenience Store - Ice Cream Adventure (Part III)

2016-11-15T20:10:00.000+08:00

I'd watched a lot of korean reality shows/ dramas where they are munching down on ice cream cones or ice lollies. It looks so yum yum I had to try them all! Unfortunately I can't because of my short stay in Korea and I was having a bad cough the first few days of the trip.

Taking the subway and I saw Lotte ice cream product placement with some Korean idols. It was a sign that I must carry out my task of trying out ice creams from the convenience store!

Some of the convenience store I'd been to includes: GS25, random mini mart, CU and 7 eleven.

First up Cled'or Vanilla Almond Cone. I can't remember how much it cost but I think 1500won?

It says "Refreshing Premium Ice Cream"

It tastes pretty much like a normal vanilla almond ice cream very similar to Cornetto but I must say that Korean waffle cones are on another level compared to the cones available in Singapore. The waffle cones in Korea are longer, slightly thicker and crispier!

Lotte - Cookie O - 1600won (치즈샌드 - Cheese Sand)

I have never tried an ice cream sandwich before so this is really tempting! (Noob) The orange and white packaging makes it looks so delectable. It says "For those who wants the best cheese ice cream sandwich".

I presumed that the biscuit is really soft due to the moisture of the ice cream. It is easy to chew and there is a slight cheese aroma, not too overpowering. Pretty delicious. It looks small in the picture but it is of decent size.

Lotte Green Tea ice cream - 1000won (녹차마을 - Green Tea Village) I love green tea and wanted to have the waffle cone again! This has got a bright lime green packaging. Lotte has a way to make things look delicious.

It taste really creamy and with a slight hint of green tea. I can smell the fragrance of green tea while eating. This is not bitter at all so you can give it a try!

At this point in time, I'm starting to notice that the pricing in the ice cream differs a lot depending on which mart you go to. For instance I bought this in a random mini mart near my guest house and a lot of the ice cream here only cost around 1000 won compared to pricier marts like GS25, CU and 7 eleven.

However, I must say the interior of GS25,CU and 7 eleven are so much cleaner and brighter compared to the random mini mart I entered. Larger chain marts provide tables and chairs for eating unlike those mini marts.

Binggrae - Cookie Ice Cream Sandwich - 1500won (빵또아 - PangToa - Sponge cake)

It says in Korean "Smooth". 200 calories of goodness is not really that sinful. (At least to me)

This is one of my favourite ice cream ever. It is more like an ice cream cake. Indeed, it is really smooth and creamy with two thinly slice, ultra smooth sponge cake sandwiching the cookie ice cream. The whole thing is just so smooth and with a little bit of texture from the cookie bits. (I keep mentioning smooth but it is the only world I can think of.)

I can eat this everyday!

Another one from Binggrae - Fish shaped ice cream waffle with red bean paste. (붕어싸만코 ) - 1500won Plus 1 for the design!

It looks similar to the fish shaped Korean street snack which has red bean in it as well.

The waffle is soft and chewy. It is like eating a soft vanilla ice cream cone with lumps of red bean. I like red beans so this is pretty good.

The only ice lolly I tried. 해대 (탱크보이 - Tank boy) Apple ice - 1000won. The first time I saw this, I think it was in a Korean drama called Full House. Rain was eating this ice lolly on a swing with Song Hyo Kyo.

This is pretty easy to open. Just pull off the tab and you are good to go. This resembles a condiment bottle and it tastes pretty much like apple flavoured ice.

We have this in Singapore - those 2 segment bars but with artificial flavours that most of us used to eat during our primary school days. However, there are no tabs so we have to chew and twist the plastic tube like a drill so I really think that this packaging is thoughtful.

I figured I can some of these ice cream back here in Singapore but they cost lesser in Korea and it is the feeling of eating Korean ice cream in Korea that made it a unique experience.

Another point to note is that I have yet to taste any soggy cones in Korea so it was really nice to pay roughly a similar price (after currency conversion) and have a crispier and larger ice cream.

I will be back in Korea next year! Hopefully I can make a sequel to this. I love ice cream.

Korean Food Hunt (Part II)

2016-11-04T20:07:00.000+08:00

Here are some of the must try Korean food / food I'd tried in Korea.

#1 Naengmyeon (냉면 - Cold Noodles)

There are different kind of Naeng Myeon available and the one I chose was Mul Naengmyeon. (물냉면) If you like it hot and spicy, I would recommend the Bibim Naengmyeon.(비빔 냉면) In Korea, all your meals comes with Banchan (반찬), which are small side dishes that can be refilled at no charge at all. I was being served with some picked radish and kimchi as side.

Mul Naengmyeon. (물냉면) - 5000won.
I think this is one of the best thing I had eaten in Korea in summer. This is so cold and refreshing! The cold broth comes with half an egg, thinly shredded cucumber, radish, buckwheat noodles sprinkled with sesame seeds. There is also some mustard. (green wasabi on the left edge of the bowl) I added a little too much and it cleared my nose! Honestly, there won't much ingredients in it but it tasted so delicious. The buckwheat noodles are so chewy and savory! Yum.

#2 Bibimbap (비빔밥)

Bibimbap (비빔밥) - 5000won

#3 Bulgogi Dolsot Bibimbap (불고기돌솥비빔밥)

I love bibimbap. This one was alright. I'd tasted better bibimbap in Singapore though. Filled with seafood, leafy greens, beansprouts, black fungus and sprinkled with sesame seeds. However, I really love the potato side dish.

Bulgogi Dolsot Bibimbap (불고기돌솥비빔밥) - 6000won

This one is really worth it! With an additional 1000won, the dish was served in a hot stone bowl and comes with various side dishes and a bowl of hot soup. Additional gochujang bottle was given in case it wasn't spicy enough.

Sizzling deliciousness. I think the hot stone bowl gives it a slight charred taste to the rice. The ground beef, leafy greens, fungus, egg and Gochujang fusion. I think in the future I will only order dolsot bibimbap as it makes a whole lot of difference!

Kimchi and some corn and carrots in generous amount of mayonnaise

Kimchi Dubu soup (Kimchi and Tofu Soup)

#4 Tteok Manduguk (떡만두국 - Rice Cake and Dumpling Soup)

Tteok Manduguk (떡만두국) - 5500won
If you love dumplings and rice cake like me, why not have both? It is basically a warm bowl of egg drop soup (beaten egg in hot soup) with vegetables, dumpling and tteok (rice cake). I love the generous portion of flavourful dumpling (like seriously tons of dumpling with a lot of chives and meat) and chewy tteok topped with seaweed. Highly recommended!

#5 Korean Fried Chicken

Korean fried chicken with a bottle of coke, pickled radish, sauces (chilli and mustard), and a bowl of korean crackers. - 27 000 won. In Korea, you have to try the korean fried chicken. Chicken and Meokju (beer) However, we didn't really like beer so we had some cola.

A really huge portion of fried chicken on the left with the the sweet and spicy sauce and on the right plain. I don't know what they use in the sauce but it taste like sweet and spicy chilli sauce with a little marmite. I like the plain one dipped in mustard.

#6 Lotteria

Bulgogi burger set meal - Bulgogi burger, french fries and coke - 5300won

I figured I have to try some Korean fast food while I am in Korea. I don't really like the burger though, the meat patty is kind of slimy with a lot of mayonnaise (does not taste like the mayo I used to eat) French fries are really dry too. It is kinda of a disappointment. Maybe it is just that outlet. I'll be sure to try it a second time before concluding it is bad!

#7 Have cup of tea or coffee while chilling in a cafe!

I was chilling in Chloris Tea & Coffee cafe (second floor) in Hongdae! Really great ambiance and the ladies at the counter were polite. My cup of Lemon grass tea (I can't remember the price but I think it was around 5000won?) The prices of coffee and tea in Korea is about the same in Singapore. Around 5-7bucks. I really love this lemonade like drink with subtle hint of lemongrass fragrance! If you have time, chill here while reading a book.

#8 Krispykreme

Yes you read it correctly, Krispykreme! As many of you know that the Krispykreme donuts in Singapore is way overpriced. An original glazed doughnut will cost you S$2.60 and even if you buy in a dozen (you might not want to eat so many), it still cost you around $1.90. In Korea, you can get a doughnut for 1000won. (Around S$1.10-S$1.30)

Original glazed - 1000won
Fluffy fried goodness with sugar. Sinful but heavenly!

Fifa World Cup is ongoing and how about a chocolate doughnut with some icing? Soccerball - 1200 won
This is a little too sweet. However, I do love the lemon gooey filling in the middle. Adds a little sourness to neutralize the sweetness.

There are definitely more yummylicious food in Korea but here are some of the ones I tried during my short stay in Korea. Do let me know what good food to try in Seoul!

12 Must Try Street Snack In Korea (Part I)

2016-11-02T20:04:00.000+08:00

This is a repost from my other blog. I went to backpacking in Korea in July and here is a reblog to share with you what to try while in Korea.

#1 Mandu (만두) - Korean Dumplings

There are different kinds of mandu available here in Korea: Pan-fried, steamed, boiled so you might wanna try out a few versions. The one I had was 찐만두 - Steamed mandu.

I bought mine in Namdaemun market while shopping. There was a huge crowd and I got curious. I waited for some of the crowd to disperse before I was able to get some.

Koreans like to sell things in a pack/bundle so it is always cheaper when you buy more.

The mandu pricing: 1 for 1000 won, 3 for 2000 won and I can't remember how much it is cost for a dozen but it is definitely cheaper. It makes sense to buy 3 at one go.

These are pretty huge, slightly smaller than the diameter of a baseball. There are two flavors available - Pepper pork / Kimchi pork(Bright orange red). By the way a lot of food in Korean especially mandu has pork in it so it's non-halal.

It is not like those Xiao Long Bao (Soup Dumpling) but it not too dry. This is pretty peppery stuffed with pork, vegetables and glass noodles. I absolutely love the Mandu skin. Korean love food that are 쯜깃쯜깃 - Chewy. The skin has a chewy texture, in between that of a steam bun and teok (rice cake). I will definitely recommend this if you are popping by Namdaemun market.

The Kimchi flavor one is surprisingly not that Spicy. The stuffings are similar but with additional kimchi. I was pretty stuffed after eating 3! (I think it is because of the mandu skin and generous portion of meat) This is proof that 2000 won can buy you a meal.

#2 Steamed Bun With Red Bean (왕찐빵)

There is a long queue for this at Namdaemun market as well. I forgot to snap a picture of the location but it is easy to spot, with a large banner across the store. Apparently their buns made it on Korean TV.

Pricing 1 for 1000won, 5 for 2000won. I mean how ridiculous can it gets? I was backpacking in Korea alone so only got 1 for myself. Imagine it will only cost 400won if I got 5 and I am paying more than twice the amount for this. Korea is really a place for people travelling in groups. :(

It was raining so this warm bun made me felt really good! I think it was worth the price though. The bun again is 쯜깃쯜깃 - Chewy! I really love it. Red bean paste is not too sweet and I finished the whole bun within minutes. Kind of missing it back here in Singapore. Thumbs up!

#3 Gyeranbbang (계란빵 - Egg bread)

I saw many recommendations for this Egg bread. You can almost find it at any street food alley but these Gyeranbbang selling near Ewha Womans University are really famous.

Version 1- In the mould. These are flat ovals - 1 for 1000won. The man selling this was really friendly.

Be careful not to scald your tongue because this is pretty hot. The bread is like a cake/waffle slightly sweet and salty with one whole egg in it. Delicious!

Version 2 - Muffin style in a cup. 1 for a 1000 won as well. This one is selling closer to the subway exit while the version 1 is closer to the university.

I really love the fluffy bread. It is larger, sweeter than version one with a completely different texture.

This has a whole egg in it as well. If you ask me, I love both of them and it depends on what kind of texture you want: Chewy soft or fluffy soft?

#4 Hoddeok (호떡 - Brown sugar syrup pancake)

Again, this is a very popular street snack you can find in a lot of places. I saw a lot of blogs mentioning about the Hoddeok but they did not mention that there are several variations of Hoddeok available here in Korea. I shall do just that!

Version 1 - The hollow crispy circle. 1 for 1000 won.

I would have absolutely love this if it is piping hot. I got mine near Ewha Womans University but too bad it is cold. It taste crispy like some Chinese pastry with sweet brown sugar and black sesame seeds inside. The sugar is not liquid like but dried on the inside of the Hoddeok. I would say that this more like a pastry than pancake.

Version 2. - Chewy pancake in a cup! 1 for 1500won selling along the Myeong Dong shopping district.

This is piping hot. I scalded my tongue because of the flowing syrup! Absolutely love this. Sweet pancake!

Version 3. - Crispy and chewy pancake with nuts! 1 for 1500won. I bought mine in the food section (Basement 1 of Shinsegae Department Store)

This is my favourite as it tasted the best out of the 3. Piping crispy and chewy pancake cut opened and showered with different kind of nuts and seeds. If I would to rank them:
1) Version 3
2)Version 2
3) Version 1

Let me know which one you prefer in the comment box! :)

#5 Sausages on a stick

1 stick for 3000 won. This is the first snack stall I found once I exited the subway to Myeong Dong shopping district. It looks pretty ordinary but there different kind of sausages in there. The second and the fourth sausage from the top has teok wrapped in it. One of it has cheese in it and one tasted like curry/paprika?

It is pretty unique but a little oily though.

#6 Cane Ice Cream (지팡이아이스크림)

Original flavor (Vanilla) 1 for 2000 won. These are making a craze in Korea and right now you can only find them in Korea.

There are other flavours like Strawberry and Chocolate which cost more though (3000-4000 won). The cane is made of corn. It kind of taste like breakfast corn cereal but chewy with vanilla ice cream. I really love this! I hope they start selling them in Singapore.

#7 Jajangmyeon (자장면- Black Bean Noodles)

1 bowl for 3000won. I didn't want to eat too much carbs as it is very filling so this small bowl of Jajangmyeon is great. Comes with a slice of pickled radish at the side. Compared to those Jajangmyeon I have in Singapore, these are thicker, slightly chewier that is good for slurping. The sauce is darker with larger chunks of onion and minced meat. Pretty good.

#8 Tornado potato

Super long stick of fried swirly potato at 3000 won per stick. There are different kind of seasoning powder available: Garlic, Cheese and Chilli so you can feel free to roll on it. I purchased mine in Myeong Dong.

This tasted similar to potato chips, just that it is softer, thicker and less crispy. I regret dipping mine in cheese seasoning because I do not like the smell in it. (Smell like those packet cheese that comes with your pizza) and it is sweet.

It is pretty tasty in my opinion. However, I find this really oily so if you don't like oily food you might want to pass this. I found Tornado potato selling Taiwan but they are not available in Singapore yet.

#9 Jeon (전 - Pancake)

There are so many kind of jeon in Korea! The two kind I tried were Bindaetteok, (빈대떡) - made with mung beans, vegetables and some seafood, and Saengseonjeon (생선전) - made with fish.

After negotiation with the ahjumma, I managed to get this Jeon for 10000won. Originally she wanted to sell the Bindaetteok for 7000won and the Saengseonjeon for 5000won. (So it's a 2000 won discount)She was pretty rude though.

Jeon are sold in large portion so if you are backpacking alone you might wanna give it a miss or just you can buy it back and microwave in the hostel as this is pretty filling. Luckily I went with my Korean friend and we shared this huge portion!

#10 Tteokbokki (떡볶이 - Spicy Rice Cake)

1 plate for 2000 won. These rice cakes are larger than the ones I ate in Singapore. Basically it tasted like sweet chilli sauce with chewy rice cake. Pretty good! Some of Tteokbokki comes with Odeng (fish cakes) but this one only has rice cakes in it.

#11 Soondae (순대)

Pork blood sausages! This is selling at 7000 won a plate but I was in Gwangjang market alone so the Ahjumma was kind enough to sell me 5000 won worth of Soondae. She was really friendly and offered me a piece of Tteokbokki and wrapped up the remaining Soondae for me when I was not able to finish it.

Blood sausages are made with pork intestine stuffed with glutinous rice, glass noodles and pork blood. There are however some that uses cow intestines so you will have to ask.

There are different kind of soondae such as the one I had is most common one. It is surprising good. There is no pork smell and it is chewy with a slight pepper taste. The pork livers on top however is overcooked.

This is a must try if you are in Korea!

#12 Odeng soup (오댕국)

2000 won for Odeng Guk. The broth is sweet! Soft odeng with fried beancurd skin. This is one of the most common street food you can find.

I hope you guys find this post useful and have good food when you are in Korea!

There are more Korean street food that I have yet to try so I will continue a Part II my next trip to Korea.(Not so soon - 2015)

Iherb Top 15 Healthy Must Buy

2016-09-30T15:20:00.000+08:00

I apologize for the inconsistency in my on and off blogging! I'd been trying to juggle a lot of things on my hand but I'm back once again.

I always try to have a balance between good food (mainly arteries choking) and healthy food (that don't always taste good). Over the years, I realized that healthy food can taste good too, especially after reading "Eat This, Not That!". I usually get my health groceries from Iherb.com and it is by far one of the most reliable website I had ever used.

iHerb, based in US, carries one of the largest selections of high-quality nutritional products in the world. I like to order from iHerb for the following reasons:

1) Shipping is pretty cheap - Free for orders above US$40! Approximately SGD55.50 for items that weigh up to 14 pounds (6.35kg) and value up to $200 and it only takes about 1 week or so for the goods to arrive.

2) The items are well packed. So far, I have not received any damaged goods: always in excellent condition. However, there was once I was missing a product. When this happens or if there are any issues with your shipment, you can always take a picture, email them @ info@iherb.com and receive a refund back to your card. (They are pretty responsive - they replied me the next working day.)

3) Transparent information. The nutritional values is all clearly stated on the website - such as the ingredients, calories (yes!), fats, protein and so on... The expiry date is also clearly written down so there is no uncertainty.

4) Ongoing Loyalty Rebates. You get a rebate of 5% of your total amount you shopped, which can be used for your following order. It is a way that iHerb makes us order more.

If you plan to buy from iHerb, do check out my following "Top 15 list of healthy snacks and meals"!

1) Nature's Way, Organic Coconut Oil, 16 oz (454 g)

I discovered coconut oil a few years back. You will be surprised by recent research on the many benefits of coconut oil such as:

Weight loss - Coconut oil contains medium-chain triglycerides (MCTs) which can increase energy expenditure - meaning you burn more calories. One study in 2009 reveals that women who consumed 2 tablespoon of coconut oil daily for 12 weeks did not gain more weight and also had a reduction in the amount of abdominal fat. Read more here: Authority Nutrition and Dr Oz.

Moisturising effects. When applied to skin and hair, coconut oil improve the moisture and lipid content of the skin.

Reduces heart diseases. - Coconut oil contains about 50% lauric acid, which prevents various heart problems like high cholesterol levels and high blood pressure.

2) Now Foods, Real Food, Certified Organic Popcorn, 24 oz (680 g)

I love popcorn. Popcorn itself is a healthy snack but the ones in the market are always packed with sugar and butter such as caramel popcorn, maple syrup popcorn. Why not make your own popcorn? It is totally fun to make and not to mention much healthier and cheaper.

Check out the 30 recipes on Greatist to make your own healthy flavoured popcorn.

I like to pop mine with some nice coconut oil. Now foods organic popcorn allow you to eat a large bowl of popcorn (using 1/4 cup kernels) for only 110 calories. How's that?

3) Bob's Red Mill, Organic Steel Cut Oats, 24 oz (680 g)

I stopped eating oatmeals after I discovered steelcut oats. Oatmeals never kept me full for breakfast. I was always hungry a couple of hours later after eating but steelcut oats last me till lunch time. The reason being: Steelcut oats are unprocessed oats which has a higher contain of fibre and protein. Read more on the benefits of steelcut oats here: Livestrong

One down side of steelcut oats is that it takes a longer time to cook. - Around 20 minutes but trust me it is worth the time. Very delicious to eat together with trail mix and fruits or Pb2 peanut butter. (No.7 on this list)

4) Tree of Life, Original Almond Beverage, Unsweetened, 32 fl oz (946 ml)
( Unfortunately, this item has been discontinued.)

If you drink milk, you might want to try almond milk. I like the unsweetened version because too much sugar spikes your insulin level and slows down fat burning process. If you like it sweet you can order the original pack. A cup of the unsweetened almond milk is only 40 calories.

I also like to make myself some overnight oats with almond milk. Check out the recipe here: Katheats

5) Sun Warrior, Classic Protein, The Ultimate Raw Superfood Protein, Vanilla, 35.2 oz (1 kg)

Sunwarrior protein powder is made with brown rice and I like it because it mix well with water. I prefer the vanilla flavour and consumed it as a post workout shake blended with almond milk, berries and bananas. Very nice and refreshing! Check out more recipes here: Bodybuilding

6) Mrs. Dash, Tomato Basil Garlic Seasoning Blend, 2.0 oz (57 g)

Mrs Dash has an excellent range of seasoning that are all 0 calories and salt free. (Too much sodium causes water retention and makes you look bloated.) Mrs Dash uses natural spices and herbs to enhance the taste of meat/soups. I love to use the Tomato Basil Garlic seasoning in my carrot soup. Some of the flavours include: Southwest Chipotle, Fiesta Lime, Lemon Pepper and Garlic and herb.

7) Bell Plantation, PB2, Powdered Peanut Butter with Premium Chocolate, 6.5 oz (184 g)

If you are a fan of peanut butter, this is the perfect substitute with lesser calories! It taste just like peanut butter and 2 tablespoon of the goodness is only 45 calories. In my opinion, the version with the premium chocolate enhances the nuttiness. Add it in your breakfast oats or protein shake and you are good to go. Very addictive!

8) Navitas Naturals, Raw Chia Seeds, 16 oz (454 g)

Chia seed expands 10 to 20 times in water over time and makes you feel full. I like to add them in my protein shakes and almond milk oats. It also contains a high amount of fibre, protein, magnesium, calcium and other minerals that are beneficial for heath.

9) Sambazon, Organic Freeze-Dried Acai Powder, 90 g

Acai is a superfood that is high in antioxidants, amino acids and omega fatty acids which help slow the ageing process by boosting immune and metabolic function and removing destructive free radicals from our bodies. I like to add 1 scoop (3g- 20 calories) of acai powder to my plain yogurt. It tastes yummy.

10) Walden Farms, Pancake Syrup, 12 fl oz (355 ml)

This is a dream come true. O calorie, fat free and sugar free pancake syrup. Instead of drizzling the sugary maple syrup or pancake syrup, try this! It taste as good as the real deal without the unhealthy sugar.

11) Quest Nutrition, Protein Bar, Chocolate Brownie, 12 Bars, 2.12 oz (60 g)

One of my all-time favourite snack. Quest Bar makes one of the best tasting protein bars packed with a lot of protein and very little sugar. It has a large variety of flavours such as Cookies and Cream, White Chocolate raspberries, Cinnamon roll, Coconut cashew, Peanut Butter, Lemon Cream Pie and so on. Highly additive protein bars.

12)Nutiva, Coconut Flour, 1 lb (454 g) - Gluten free

Instead of eating usual high calories pancakes with pancake mix, I like to make my own coconut pancakes. Check out the recipes here: Paleohacks

Blogilates also shared her Coconut Quesadilla on Cheapclean eats.

13) Bare Fruit, Crunchy Cinnamon Apple Chips, 2.2 oz (63 g) - Gluten free

I like to snack a lot so here's another one. Each pack contain 4 apples. These cinnamon apple chips are very crunchy and delicious. It also comes with no added sugar (only natural sugar) and no preservatives.

14) TerrAmazon, Raw Organic Cacao Nibs, 6 oz (170 g) - Gluten free

These cacao nibs in yogurt taste great. Thet are very crunchy like cereal and I like the slight bitterness of cacao that makes the yogurt nutty. These nibs are high in antioxidants, fibre and potassium.

Not to mention, they make you feel better! - One of those unique neurotransmitters released by cacao is phenylethylamine. This “love drug” releases endorphins giving us alertness, contentment and a better sense of well-being. - Read more on Lifehack.

TerrAmazon is one of the cheapest brand on Iherb with great taste.

15) Go Raw, Organic Super Cookies, Chocolate, 3 oz (85 g) - Gluten free

Last but not least, let me end off with yet another snack. These super cookies are so good. It has a mild chocolate taste, topped with coconut and sesame seeds. A great source of fibre and it is also low in calories. - 18 pieces of cookies for 160 calories.

Finally if you find my post useful, please use my code MDC242 to get 5% off your first purchase! I'll greatly appreciate it.

If you have any awesome products you are using do leave a comment below and share it with everyone. Thanks for reading! Check on my 2017 edition of iHerb must buys here!

Bread & Hearth - Keong Saik Road, Outram Park

2016-09-29T02:55:00.000+08:00

Bread & Hearth serves artisan bread baked daily, fresh out of the oven! One good thing to know is there are no preservatives were used in process. Although the b

I tried some of the food from Bread & Hearth over a span of 2-3 weeks so I decided to do a compilation of the food I tried.

Located at 18 Keong Saik Road, 089125.

This place can be a little hard to find if you never been around the area.

Nearest MRT: Outram Park, Exit H

Opening hours - Daily 8am - 930pm.

Good variety of breads, tarts, puddings and viennoiseries available.

Devil's Food Cookie - $3.80

I love the cookies. Rich dark chocolate flavour cookies with crushed walnuts. These cookies have a hard outer layer and a chewy center. Very addictive.

Their coffee menu are above the counter so look up for the prices!

Latte - $5 a cup.

Bread & Hearth mixes their own coffee blends and their coffee has a rich nutty flavour. I also love that fact that the coffee is not sour at all (I hate sour coffee). It really does complement the breads and pastries well like they mentioned. The hot coffee are served with a piece of financier cake - sponge cake with shredded coconut filling. Yum.

Bacon Egg Mayo (Pain De Campagne) - $9

My favourite sandwich here. Anything with bacon goes! This rustic bread has a crackly crust and a slightly chewy interior filled with bubbles. Pain De Campagne contains 20% dark rye flour. The dark bread has a kind of fragrance that I really like. The bread is drizzled with olive oil and layered with cheese, bacon strips, lettuce and egg mayo. A very flavourful sandwich.

Lemon Chicken Sandwich (Herbaceous Ciabatta) - $7

This has a crispy crust and a chewy interior and it is much softer than pain de campagne. The aroma of the herbs goes well with the lemon chicken. The bread is also drizzled with olive oil and the basil in the sandwich adds another kind of fragrance to it.

Ham and Cheese Sandwich - Jambon Fromage (Pain Au Tomate) - $8

If you ever order the Jambon Fromage just go with the default baguette. I chose pain au tomate bread which is sour because of the sundried tomatoes and on top if it, mustard is used as a spread here. You can imagine how this is more sour than it should be.

Matcha Orange - $2.80

The bread are toasted when you dine in. If you are having takeaways, do request for the bread to be warmed up. (It just makes the bread 10 times tastier) The warm matcha bread has a crispy crust and a chewy interior. The bread is pretty dense and there is a subtle green tea aroma lingers in the mouth. The citrus orange peel is a pleasant surprise.

Lemon Meringue Tart - $6

Real lemon juice are used to make the lemon filling. I think the different flavour is well balanced. The sourness of the soft lemon filling with the sweet meringue on a mildly sweet, thick buttery crust.

I purchased some viennoiseries and breads back home. Their breads can be only be kept till the next morning (no preservatives) so it can last till breakfast.

Pear Danish (Pain Au Poire) - $3.20

I love viennoiseries.

Basically viennoiseries are bread that has laminated dough (a lot of layers) and the most common viennoiserie is the croissant. This one comes with sweet custard and pear slices. Sweet.

Butterhorn - $3.50

I really like this one. Sugar coated, crispy and showered with a lot of caramelized bread crumbs on top! A little messy to eat because it is very crispy and flaky.

Pizza puff- $6.50 Not the ordinary cheap pizza bread. Love the layered crust, topped with pineapples, capsicums, onions, mushrooms and cheese on top. Mildly sweet and salty.

Croque Monsieur - $4.50

I find this one pretty ordinary. Cheese on the top and more grilled cheese and ham in the middle. I guess if you like grilled cheese and ham then this might be the bread for you.

Viennese Chocolat - $2.80

This is a soft and fluffy white bread with lots of chocolate chips. I expect it to be super sweet but surprisingly it tasted only mildly sweet and I was told that they used dark chocolate chips for this.

Overall, I think they serve excellent coffee and good bread. This place gets pretty crowded during brunch hours but is a good and quiet place to chill in the late afternoon/evening/night on a weekday. They provide free public wifi only when you check in via their facebook page.

Great news is that they do not have service charge and there is a 10% discount for UOB cardholders for dine in.

Teadot Cafe @ Westgate

2016-08-23T23:13:00.000+08:00

Regular Yuzu Oolong - $6.45

This is pretty ordinary, Oolong tea with some Yuzu skin on the bottom. It is basically sugar and citrus so you need to stir to dissolve the crystals. If you had tried the Korean Citron Tea, it is about the same.

Lemon Merigue - $4.80

This is my favourite. I love lemon pastries. Lemon bars, lemon tarts you name it. This lemon merigue is flavourful. Sweet and sour lemon with yummy cream on top. Love the thick crust.

Opera - $6.90

Rich coffee and chocolate. I can taste the layers, cake, coffee and cream. I really love this as well.

Matcha Latte - $6.80

You can choose any artwork to go with your cup of latte I chose to have a cat. I think the artisan added too much milk while trying to create the cat face for me. It was too milky and overpowered the green tea.

I love the design of the teadot cafe. Relaxing place to chill with a couple of friends. There aren't usually many people here as the food is a little expensive. I think the drinks are way overpriced but the pastries are worth it and definitely a must try if you are here at Teadot.

Chilli's @ Jcube

2015-09-30T11:09:00.000+08:00

Dining with my best friend today. I really like Mexican food a lot and Chilli's is one of the best.

Pictures are low quality because I forgot to charge my camera!

Old Timer with Cheez - $19

The burger looks small here but it is pretty big. About 1.5 times the cheeseburger of Mcdonalds. The beef patty is thick but pretty bland. However, it tasted just right with the cheese, mustard with more tomato sauce in it. Meat lovers gonna love the thick patty.

Fries are super long and soft on the inside.

Fajita Trio - $35 Grilled chicken, prawns and beef. Comes with a plate of dips and tortillas.

I get pretty confused with all the terms like tortillas, wrap and fajitas and more but a little research helped: Fajitas are made with grilled meat and veggies usually bell peppers and onions wrapped in a corn tortilla or flour tortilla.

Chicken slices are tender, prawns are springy but the beef is a little hard to chew. Bell pepper and onion on the bottom with a slice of lime at the side.

We got four pieces of mini tortilla.

Here are the dips and ingredients to go with. Shredded cheese, mexican crema, guacamole sauce, salsa sauce and lettuce. Guacamole sauce is creamy with avocado. My favorite combination of adding everything in it with all the meat and wrapped in the tortilla. Yum.

Pat. Pomegranate Margarita - $19

There was a promotion going on so 2 cups for the price of one. This is really fruity taste. The pomegranate juice is not that strong, taste a little like grape actually. The alcohol is thankfully not that strong as well like those of breezers.

Seoul Garden Hot Pot - Somerset

2014-12-27T02:58:00.000+08:00

Location: 8 Grange Road, #B1-08 Cathay Cineleisure Orchard S239695

Opening Hours: 12pm – 10:30pm

I didn't know that Seoul Garden started a Hotpot chain until my friends brought me there. We shared out hot pots to try out everything. Great news for all my Muslim friends - Seoul Garden Hotpot is certified Halal.

Kimchi Mandu Hotpot - $10.90

Choose between two kind of soup bases - Kimchi/ Miso

We picked Kimchi. Generous amount of mandus to be found. Filled with chopped prawns and minced chicken. The kimchi broth is pretty rich, not those diluted soup from some shabby food stalls.

Kimchi Chicken Hotpot - $11.90 + $1 (Upgrade to Kimgaru rice)

Okay seriously guys, just give that $1 already. The Kimgaru rice is addictive. Fragrance of the sesame oil and seaweed makes the rice appetizing. Usually I would have some leftover rice but these are so good I finished it all.

Chicken slices are tender. Other ingredients include mushrooms, zucchini and glass noodles.

Kimchi Bokkeum Bap - $11.90 + + $1 (Upgrade to Kimgaru rice)

Okay the final verdict is Kimgaru rice is a must try here. Bokkeum Bap was filled with seaweed and kimchi and chicken.

Baby octopus, Nakji - $4.90

It tasted like the usual nakji but not as sweet as those sold in the sushi section of Fairprice. Very small plate of banchan. Not very worth it in my opinion.

Cold cinnamon tea - $3.30

At first the cinnamon taste was too strong for me. The ginger made it slightly spicy.

However after eating the hot pot, my tongue was numb and I can't feel anything so it turned out fine. Still, it is not a pleasant cup of tea.

Seoul Garden Hot Pot is not that fantastic but they serve decent food and provide fast service. It is a shame they don't serve free flow banchan (side dishes) No queue here during dinner time on a weekend so it is a good place to pop by when everywhere else is crowded.

Ah Yat Abalone Restaurant - Bugis

2014-12-20T02:26:00.000+08:00

Location: Hotel Grand Pacific #01-06, 101 Victoria Street, 188018 (Opposite of Bras Basah complex)

My friend and I bought the Groupon deal which cost $45 for 2 pax (Weekday Lunch buffet) inclusive of GST. (but excludes the order of peanuts, towel and Chinese tea)

Important things to take note:

1) Leftover food is chargeable at $5 per 100g and no takeaways are allowed.

2) Reservation is required

3) Groupon mobile verification is required before the start of buffet

3) Additional payment of $10 nett for peanuts, towel and Chinese tea even if you don't want it.

When we arrived at the place, we were guided to the upper level of the restaurant for the buffet.

Buffet starts 11.15am - 3pm (last order at 2.30pm) We arrived at 11.30am on a Wednesday in the restaurant and there weren't a soul to be found. (except the servers) The crowd started pouring in later around 1230pm.

Peanuts, a pot of tea and wet towels. ( We chose Pu Er Tea)

After all the charges, it cost $27.50 nett per pax for a weekday lunch buffet. We chose from the list of items available on the green sheet and passed it to the server.

Century Egg and Pork Congee

Starting with a bowl of hot porridge to warm up the stomach. This is a small bowl, like those soup bowls from the hawker centres. It is actually better that one not to have all the carbs filling up the stomach. Pretty average tasting though.

Deep-fried Crispy Dumpling with Salad

One of my favourites. Big juicy prawns with hot crispy skin dipped in mayonnaise. Highly recommended.

"Ah Yat" Steamed Shrimp Dumpling

This taste like the usual Har Gow I always have. Big prawns.

Steamed Crystal Dumpling With Chives

The glutinous skin is a little too thick for me but still hot and juicy. Love the chives.

Steamed Custard and Salted Egg Buns

This is a must try. Very rich and well balanced salted egg custard. Not too sweet nor salty and the buns are soft and fluffy. Sadly, I only ate one basket of buns because it fills me up too much.

Steamed Dumpling in Chilli Oil

Loved these babies. The chilli oil is good.

Steamed BBQ Pork Bun - Char Siew Bao

Ordinary Char Siew Bao with thick skin. Very filling.

Baked Mini Egg Tart

The crust is too thick, soft and tasteless. Egg custard filling tasted more like sugar. A big nono for me.

Steamed Rice Sheet Roll with Shrimp - Chee Cheong Fun

I think Ah Yat really serves good prawns. Anything with prawn in it is good here. Smooth Chee Cheong Fun with appetizing sauce.

Steamed Fish Roe Siew Mai

Finally a decent Siew Mai with real filling! I really dislike Siew Mai with minced up fillings with unidentifiable taste. Fresh chunks of prawn and pork within so it is really worth the try.

Steamed Pork Ribs With Black Bean Sauce

Pork ribs are served with chunks of yam.

Steamed ShangHai Dumpling

This basket of Xiao Long Bao is disappointing. The pork filling is mushy and watery. Why would you place a slice of carrot under it? Maybe it is just me but I tasted better from Canton Paradise so this is not that fantastic at all.

To sum it up, I think the dim sum buffet is value for money only if you can eat a lot to make your $27.50 worthwhile. Servers are pretty friendly and efficient. (maybe because we were the first) I'll definitely recommend trying the Deep-fried Crispy Dumpling, Salted Egg Custard Bun and Steamed Fish Roe Siew Mai.

Chiso Zanmai - Clarke Quay

2014-11-19T02:47:00.002+08:00

I went to Chiso Zanmai on a Monday afternoon with some of my friends.

6 Eu Tong Sen St, 059817 (The Central #02-17)

Located at Soho 1, at the end of a corner. It can be a little hard to find but it is pretty close to Goods of Desire on the second level.

Adults: $14.99++

Free flow drinks $1.99++

We spent $20 nett per person for a lunch buffet from 12-3pm. I would recommend a weekday lunch because it is cheaper than the dinner buffet and there isn't much of a crowd.

The place is huge. The food counters serves a variety of cooked and raw food.

The drinks bar serves free flow instant coffee, tea and soft drinks.

There aren't exactly a lot of variety of sushi but nonetheless delicious.

Got some chicken and eggs for the hot pot.

There are also free flow pork and beef shabu shabu available.

Okonomiyaki, Potato Croquettes and Vegetable Tempura. I would recommend the potato croquettes. Very creamy potatoes and crisp batter!

The cooked food available are pretty ordinary so I would recommend you guys to eat more from the hot pot!

Ramen and Udon noodles are available.

If you love spicy broth, go for the Tom Yum soup base. It just makes all the ingredients 10 times more delicious. Tom Yum ramen is great!

Each person is entitled to a $5 portion worth of sashimi (Around 6 slices with kelp so remember to collect it near the cotton candy area.

Time for some dessert. Soft serve ice cream is available with toppings like raisins, marsh mallows, cornflakes and syrups like chocolate and caramel.

*I tried putting soft serve in root beer and it was awesome!

You can also find mochi, chocolate brownies, cheese cakes, fruits and other sweet treats.

Make your own cotton candy time.

Check out this cool cotton candy machine!

I read a lot of reviews that the variety of the food is limited but for me it is a great deal considering that it is $20 for so much food! I definitely think I ate more than $20 worth of food and I will be back for a second visit.

Gifts from Tokyo

2014-11-07T11:55:00.000+08:00

My friend bought me some gifts from Japan so I thought I would share with you guys.

These Tokyo Bananas have been popular on social media sites for a while now and I finally got to try them. I googled them up and it turns out a box of banana is pretty expensive, around $28.

Tokyo Banana (東京ばな奈)

Opening the Package. Really elegant and minimalistic wrapping. I love the design and layout.

The box looks amazing as well.

12 banana cakes neatly arranged in a box.

Best consumed within 7 days of purchase.

The tokyo banana has a fluffy sponge cake with banana custard in the middle.

(*Sorry about the lighting.)

Banana puree was used to make the custard and you can expect them to be super smooth. I actually don't really like banana but this is pretty good. Great quality with natural ingredients.

Here are 2 other flavours I tried: Tokyo Banana Caramel キャラメル味(Left) and Tokyo Chocolate Banana チョコバナナ味 (Right)

Cool print on sponge cake.

This chocolate banana version. It is chocolatey but the chocolate does not overpower the taste of the banana.

If you don't really like the banana taste, I would recommend the caramel flavoured banana. The custard tasted more like toffee than banana.

After trying out the different kind of Tokyo bananas, I think I know why they cost so much. This sweet treat requires much work to make. It is exquisite - from packaging to taste. A great gift for your loved ones.

Next up more sweet stuff.

Hokkaido Creamy Milk Cake. Another beautiful packaging.

Initially, I thought there is a difference between the baby blue and yellow pack but they tasted the same.

Tasted like steamed cakes. Buttery and milky with a soft, fluffy cake.

It gets a little too sweet and cloying on the second cake. I need a cup of hot Matcha.

Another Hokkaido treat: Shiroi Koibito - Chocolat Blanc Langue de Chat

This one has got white chocolate.

The biscuit is soft and crumbles easily. Smooth white chocolate sandwiched between 2 milky and buttery biscuit with some coarse sugar.

The thing I like about Japanese food is the details and thoughtfulness they put in to make the products. Many thanks my friend! :)

15 Must Try Street Snack In Taiwan

2014-11-05T03:51:00.003+08:00

I travelled to Korea and Taiwan in July 2014 during my backpacking trip. It lasted for a short 19 days but I made a lot of friends!

I'll be posting on the food I tried, recommended by my friends, while I was in Taiwan.

#1 Mee Sua (Vermicelli)

No I don't think Mee Sua is overrated at all. In my opinion, the Mee Sua in Singapore and Taiwan taste very different.

In Taiwan, there are a few versions of Mee Sua available. The one I tried was at Xi Men Ding (西門町) and there was a really long queue. The shop assistants were moving quickly - it was sort of like a food ration speed - Pour in a bowl, stick a spoon in it, Next. (The only difference is that you need to pay. Bad joke) I can totally imagine how many bowls they sell a day.

Type 1: Pig Intestine Mee Sua (Definitely non-halal)

Pig Intestine Mee Sua - NT $50 (Small) *Caution: It is really hot.

The mee sua here is not soggy at all as compared to the soggy, overcooked mee sua we can find in Singapore's Shilin. This mee sua is firm but soft, swimming in flavourful sweet broth. Also, it has got no "pig smell" (which I cannot stand) at all so it was really awesome. The pig intestines are soft, not too chewy and the parsley gave it a great fragrance.

Type 2: Oyster Mee Sua

Oyster Mee Sua - NT $50

I love oysters. This is bowl of Mee Sua was from Rao He Street Night Market. The shop I went to was one with a long history and was passed down several generations. (I actually forgotten to note down the shop name) Needless to say, you can expect a long queue. The oysters are huge and fresh. This traditional bowl of oyster mee sua came with pig intestines and was pretty good. However, it had a slight "pig smell" so minus points for that.

#2 Taiwanese Bubble Tea

There are tons of bubble tea shops in Singapore but the great thing that makes a difference is you can get a Ginormous cup in Taiwan.

Miyahara bubble tea - NT $110

Look at the size of this. This was at 宮原眼科Miyahara. If you are in Taichung do visit this place. The architecture there is amazing.

Milk tea with pearls - NT $40 (At Xi Men Ding)

Bubble tea are everywhere and it pretty much taste the same. Good tea and chewy pearls.

#3 Scallion Pancake (蔥油餅)

Scallion Pancake (Half) - NT $30

I only ordered half a pancake because the full one is too big. It seems pretty small in the picture because I ate some plus the fact the it is all folded and stacked together. It is the best thing to eat at night. The fragrance of the scallions is amazing. The pancake was slight chewy and springy (like good hot and soft roti prata texture) There was a subtle sesame seed aroma that adds to the deliciousness of pancake. You can be sure that your mouth is going to stink afterwards but it is definitely worth it.

#4 Oyster Omelette (蚵仔煎)

Oyster omelette - NT $50

I would eat this everyday if it doesn't make me put on extra pounds and clot my arteries. The Taiwanese oyster omelette is totally different from Singapore's version. In Taiwan, they use more potato starch so it has a soft and slimy texture unlike the crispy ones we have here. There is also a special sauce on it, which is kinda salty (from miso). Honestly, I love the oysters in Taiwan but if only this omelette can pan-fried crispier with hot sambal chilli. How I appreciate the word - fusion now. Slurp.

#5 Taiwanese Fish balls

When my friend recommended me to try the fish ball noodle I was like What? You kidding me? I don't even eat much fish balls in Singapore.

How wrong was I. This is seriously some good fish ball and I would definitely recommend you trying it.

Assorted Fish ball Soup - NT $50 Add NT $10-35 for other carbs to go with the soup. I chose glass noodles.

This was purchased at a shop that serves traditional fish ball soup at Jiufen (九份) in Taipei. It is a double storey shop and there were a lot of tourists.

These fish balls are not like the super smooth kind we have in Singapore. The fish balls got has a chunky meat ball kind of texture. It is springy and not fishy at all. In my opinion, it actually tastes closer to fish.

You can order it with a side like vermicelli/ glass noodles or braised pork rice which brings me to the next must try food.

#5 Braised Pork Rice (卤肉饭）

Assorted Fisball Soup - NT $60

Braised pork rice - NT $30

This one is a polarized kind of food - Either you love it or hate it. Personally I really love this.

My mum cooks braised pork all the time so this feels like a home cooked meal.

The entire bowl of rice was showered with pork fats that melts in your mouth while you savour your rice. I like braised sauce with lots of pork belly fats. The pork floss is also really yummy, giving the rice a combination of texture. It is one the more sinful food I had in Taiwan. I will definitely recommend this together with a huge bowl of assorted fish ball soup.

#5 Taiwanese Sausage (台式香腸）

There were a variety of flavours on the menu but I picked the original pork flavour. I think this tasted sort of in between Singapore's "Taiwan Sausage" and Lap Cheong (臘腸) It is definitely very salty. The sausage is springy from the chunk of fats. Give it a go and you probably will know what I mean.

#6 Fried Squid (椒鹽花枝)

Fried Squid - NT $150

At first I have no idea what in the world is Hua Zhi(花枝) until I saw the image of the squid. I'm so used to it being called Wu Zei (乌贼)/ Sotong in Singapore.

There are a few version of fried squid but I like this one is the best. If you have eaten Taiwanese fried chicken you can imagine the taste.

It is the same spicy seasoning with crispy batter. The squid is springy and easy to chew. I guess the seafood smell has all been covered by the seasoning as there is no fishy smell at all. It is a little pricey but pretty worth a try! ($6.25)

#7 Black Pepper Buns (胡椒餅)

This was at Raohe Street Night Market (饒河街觀光夜市)

There was a really long queue and we waited around 10 minutes to get our black pepper buns.

We watched them make the traditional Fu Zhou black pepper buns while waiting in line. Look at that huge ball of marinated pork. Freshness is guranteed. Our pepper buns were scalding hot, right out of the charcoal oven.

NT $50 each.

Sesame seeds on top of the bun.

I waited like a minute or so for the steam to go off before I can take a picture. It has a thick chewy crust and a giant meat ball with spring onions in the middle. The meat ball is very peppery and super juicy. (I hope you like pepper)

#8 Grilled Oyster

Grilled Oysters - 10 for NT$100. We bought this at Raohe Street Night Market (饒河街觀光夜市)

By now you would have realized that I really like oysters. Oysters in Singapore are ridiculously priced so I found myself eating them every other day here in Taiwan. (I know it is high in cholesterol but I couldn't resist plus the fact that they are so cheap here)

The oysters were fresh and there were condiments such as chilli on the table of each stall so feel free to help yourself to them. I would suggest going there before night fall if you don't like queueing because night market can get really crowded.

#9 Scholar's Cake (状元糕)

A little information about the cake - It got its name as it resembles the shape of a scholar's hat in the past. (Let's not go too deep into Chinese history).

2 for NT $30

4 for NT $50

8 for NT $100

2 flavors available - Peanut or Sesame, you are allowed to have an assorted flavours.

I pick peanut of course. This kind of reminds me of Tu Tu Kueh but the texture is completely different. This fluffy and chewy, in between the texture of a rice ball and chinese kueh. I really like this. I would have bought 8 if I wasn't full from eating all the street food at Rao He. (Bought this last when I exited the night market.)

#9 Fried Milk (炸鲜奶)

I'd tried weird stuff like fried ice cream, fried mars bar and now fried milk. I was really curious how to fry liquid milk.

Fried milk - 1 stick for NT $20, 3 sticks for NT$50

Turns out that it was not exactly milk, it is closer to a custard with mild milk taste. Pretty cool stuff.

#10 Grilled Scallop Skewers (干贝烧)

This store is located at Danshui (淡水) along the long row of shop fronts. Apparently it is very popular - they have a few franchises in Taiwan and Malaysia. You can see pictures of celebrities on their signboard.

We were given a ticket while we waited for our grilled scallop on a stick.

I picked the choice taste flavor - NT $50. This is slightly spicy. For me it tasted pretty ordinary like scallops with seasoning but I have to say the scallops are really fresh. If you love scallops you can give it a try.

They have a website too - Omak Taiwan (If you wanna find out more)

#11 Meat Ball (肉圓)

Meat ball - NT $40

You should never miss this signature dish. The Taiwanese meat ball has a thick glutinous/ starchy skin is that is chewy. For this particular meat ball, there were chunks of pork, mushrooms and bamboo shoots in the centre.

#12 Ah Gei (阿給)

Honestly, I have never heard of Ah Gei in my life but I think everyone else in Taipei had.

The name Ah Gei was derived from Aburaage (油揚げ), a fried and stewed Japanese tofu pouch. Another name for it is called Tau Pok Skin.

Top: Meat ball Bottom: Ah Gei

Most food were served at NT $35 per dish.

Ah Gei - NT $35

This is a must try dish in Tamshui (淡水) according to many travelling websites. The Tofu Skin is filled with Glass Noodles and sealed with fishcake paste and with a generous amount of pink gravy. I have no idea what the gravy was but it tasted a little like Yong Tau Foo Sweet Sauce but salty.

In my opinion, the taste is pretty ordinary but then again, it is their speciality and who knows you might like it more than me.

Meat ball - NT $35

Okay, I love meat balls.

I think the taste of the meatball varies from places to places, here the meat ball was minced and soft and the give a generous amount of gravy.

#13 Shaved Ice (刨冰)

Fruit Shaved Ice - NT $60

Here's come dessert. I'm sure there are other exciting shaved ice but fruits and ice, showered with condensed milk and syrup) is a pretty good combination.

#14 Ice Cream Cones

Who don't love ice cream? You see them everywhere.

I can't remember how much this cost but it taste exactly like the Mcdonalds ice cream only it is so much more bigger.

Strawberry ice cream - NT$40

I bought this ice cream towards the end of Shifen Old Street (十分) and it was so worth it. The ice cream is made of real strawberries, with a slight hint of sourness of strawberry and mildly sweet. The thick crispy waffle cone is the real deal not the cheap ones. There are so many other flavours to choose from.

Mixed Chocolate and Vanilla Ice cream NT $15

I only ordered the small. I saw some people ordering the big ones which was super long. I like the vanilla more than the chocolate. The chocolate tasted like plain sugar with diluted chocolate. I would suggest you to try other flavors than chocolate (it probably taste way better), take the big cone and finish it if you can.

#15 Aiyu Jelly (愛玉凍)

The aiyu jelly itself has no taste and is sweetened by the lemon juice and honey. An ice cool bowl of Aiyu Jelly in summer is cooling.

I'm sure I haven't covered all of the good food in Taiwan. Do leave a comment of what you would recommend and I will try them out the next time I'm in Taiwan.

Chomp Chomp @ Serangoon

2014-08-30T23:15:00.000+08:00

I had some great food at Chomp Chomp but one thing I really hate is the amount of touting going on. An uncle kept coming towards our table and shoving his menu at our face. We eventually bought the oyster omelette from him but it doesn't taste that awesome so I won't be posting it.

Hokkien mee - $5

This Hokkien mee is near the entrance of Chomp Chomp. It tasted fantastic and there was a long queue. They used pork lard to cook this so it is really sinful but flavourful. The noodles absorbed the stock really well and the sambal chilli is awesome. A good amount of seafood can be found within and the portion is definitely worth the price.

Chicken wings - 1 for $1.20 (Drumstick plus wing)

Taste like any other chicken wing you can buy at a western stall but it goes well with Hokkien mee.

Sugar cane with lemon - $1.50

Large cup of sugar cane juice. The shop looked the cleanest and hence we bought it there. The price of the sugar cane cost the same with or without lemon so just go with the lemon! Very refreshing!

Ministry Of Food @ Jurong Point

2014-08-25T23:09:00.003+08:00

Having some food at Ministry of Food, level 3 Jurong Point. Here, a variety of food are served such as Japanese, Italian and Western.

Oysters - 4 for $8 (MOF members)

I was expecting a lot but sadly it disappoints. The oysters were not that fresh and I bite on a large grain of sand.

Carbonara Creamoso $14.90 + egg yolk ($1)

I haven't had Carbonara for a really long time. This tasted really fantastic during the first two bites. The bacon and the heavy cream mixed with the egg yolk. Everything went downhill from there as it got really cloying and I downed a few cups of water.

Service was pretty fast considering the crowd. It took around 8 minutes wait for my oysters and carbonara. One good thing about eating here is the short wait. There are tons of tables even at peak hours. The food is decent but not that spectacular in my opinion.

Just Acia @ Dhoby Ghaut Exchange

2014-08-16T21:47:00.000+08:00

Dining at Just Acia with friends today.

Set meal - Basically you get to choose a main dish and then have an option to add $5.90 for free flow drinks and ice cream.

Aglio Teriyaki Chicken Spaghetti - $9.20

This is a pretty weird combination. The aglio olio is buttery and salted while the teriyaki chicken with sauce is sweet. Personally I don't think they go well together so I ate them separately. I think the chef added way too much garlic. After eating all the spaghetti, there is still half a tablespoon of garlic on the side. Pretty decent aglio olio but not the best I've tasted.

Teriyaki chicken was a little overcooked.

Chawanmushi - additional $1.20 (with any set meal)

The egg was really smooth. There is nothing much in here, only the slice of fish cake on top as you can see with another cube of chicken to be found in the egg. However, for $1.20, there is nothing to complain about as the price is really low to begin with.

Free flow soft serve ice cream (from dispenser)

Tasted like Mcdonald's vanilla ice cream.

Free flow ice cream (scoop it yourself) - Jackfruit, Taro, Lime Shermet, Blueberry vanilla (Clockwise, starting from the left)

The jackfruit and blueberry vanilla were a little sweet. I really like the Taro flavour - yam fragrance when it melts. Lime sorbet was very refreshing and not too sour. There are more flavours there but I didn't try it all.

All in all, I think Just Acia offers a wide variety of meal such as Western, Japanese, Korean, Thai and weird fusion to choose from. There are a lot of seats available so it is pretty good when you are meeting up with a large group of friends.

Saizeriya @ The Cathay

2014-08-09T22:55:00.000+08:00

It had been 4 years since I last visited Saizeriya. Getting older. Compared to my visit 4 years ago, the portion seemed to shrink a significant bit.

Mushroom soup - $2.90

Really thick and rich mushroom soup with lots of mushroom bits in it. Thankfully the portion is just right so it does not get too cloying. I would love it if they serve this with a small piece of garlic bread.

Free flow drink bar - $2.80

I tried some latte, Schweppes and ice milo. Definite nono for instant coffee. Get the soft drinks instead.

4 "Wings" - $3.95

Somehow the spacing made the portion looks pathetic. Juicy and oily at the same time. The skin was a little crispy. Come to think about it, $1 for a joint of a wing is very expensive. I felt cheated.

Pepper Chicken Steak - $6.90

My main dish. Portion was tiny. Comes with a chicken chop, some corn and three potato wedges. I believe the dipping sauce is brown sauce mixed with vinegar. (I hope my taste buds were right) Chicken is juicy. The dipping sauce was a saver as it made the dish tasted better if not, a little bland. A side note: I really don't like corn.

Oven Grilled Escargots - $5.90

Escargots were a little oily and buttery. The texture is in between a scallop and cockle. It was pretty nice and I finished it in 30 seconds.

I always find that Saizeriya is a value for money place to dine in but now it seems like it is not the case anymore. However, I really like that they now have a bell on the table to page the staff when we are ready to order so we do not have to wave like idiots to get their attention.

Decent food (pathetic portion), clean environment and I love the drink bar.

Amirah's Grill @ Bugis

2014-08-02T22:31:00.002+08:00

My very first time trying out Mediterranean food in a restaurant. I usually get my kebab along the streets. This place is located in one of the night spots in Singapore. Pretty lively here with a lot of foreigners and locals to be seen chilling.

Amirah Grill's is located along the Bussorah Street. A 10-15 minutes walk from the Bugis MRT station, exit B.

Address: No. 14 Bussorah Street, Singapore (199435)

For more information, you can check out their website. There is a map available on their site to locate their restaurant.

Turkish Kebab Set - $21.90

The rice is well cooked, not too moist nor too dry. The aroma of the spices filled my mouth as I chewed on the grains. Chicken Kebab was tender and juicy. However, the gravy was a tad too watery and the chicken tasted a little bland for me. I was hoping for a stronger flavour to them. Carrots and cauliflower were the usual stir fry.

The portion looks small but it is definitely filling. Overall it tasted good.

Sharwama - $14.90

It is my first time trying a beef Sharwama with hummus dip and some french fries. I absolutely love hummus - I think it goes well with everything, especially fries. The beef was a little too dry and hard to chew. I don't know how it is supposed to taste like maybe it was meant to be like that, I don't know.

Cairo Fresh Lemon Juice - $4.60

Fancy name but it just tasted like lemonade to me.

Amirah's Grill is a double storey restaurant so we had some fun exploring upstairs. You can see they served buffet but the food seemed a little cold so we decided not to have them.

Nice ambiance, great for family and friends gathering.

Slouching on the couch and staring at the ceiling. It was so cosy I nearly fell asleep.

Looking down on the streets.

Overall, I think Amirah's Grill serves decent food so if you like to have some Mediterranean food, you can give it a go. Excellent ambiance, a good place to chill on a friday night. Prices are slightly expensive but value for money for the exoticness of food and great ambience. Food took a while to serve, around 10-20 minutes. (Depending on the crowd )

PS: If possible, get your seats on level 2 as the air-con is cooler and it is more cosy upstairs.

Neighbourhood food: Jurong East

2014-07-03T12:40:00.002+08:00

I'm back after a long hiatus. I'd been eating a lot of good food but failed to document them due to sheer laziness. I shall continue my food hunt.

This time round, I'm going to introduce some food stalls with a variety of food.

By bus:
Buses there - Bus 51, 66, 78, 78A, 79, 97, 97E, 143, 176, 197, 333 and 335
Bus stop code: 28431

By train
From Jurong East MRT station: 5-10 mins walk from Exit A

1) 宜家筵 Seafood Restaurant

Fried bee hoon with pig leg and mushroom.- $8

This is one large plate of bee hoon. It tasted a little like the canned pig trotters that can be bought from the supermarket. Maybe they have 2 cans worth of pig trotters in here because the meat portion is pretty generous. It taste pretty decent but not the best I've tasted. They serve better Hor fun and Xin Zhou Bee Hoon.

Szechuan soup - $4.50

The Sze Chuan Soup has a thick consistency and it is appetizing. A little spicy and sour with tofu, carrots, ginger, mushrooms. Pretty nice to dip the dumplings in and I tried it together with the bee hoon (which was a little dry) and it goes well together.

2)鑫鹏拉面小笼包

Here comes my favourite food store.

Shandong dumpling - 12 pieces for $5

Introducing the must try food here! This stall is opened by the mainland Chinese (PRC) and it tasted really delicious unlike most that tasted really horrendous. There is always queue during dinner time and the Shan Dong dumplings are a must-try.

The dumpling skin is not too thick and I just love it when the soup flows out when I bite it. It is very moist and I love the sweetness of the pork with ginger and vinegar. The meat filling are made with pork and chives.

Fried dumpling - 12 pieces for $5

You can peek through and see the meat in it. This is very juicy and savoury with an extra crispy skin. I just love juicy meat. Give it a go.

Nook DIY Pancake House @ Bukit Timah

2013-08-11T11:59:00.000+08:00

Location: Bukit Timah, 21 Lorong Kilat,#01-03 S’pore 598123
Opening Hours :
Monday – Friday, 12pm – 10pm
Saturday, 10am – 10pm
Sunday, 10am – 10pm
Phone : 6466 1811

Last week my friends and I went to the Nook's Pancake House for dinner. The place is a little hard to find because it was late at night (so it was really dark) plus it was located at some hidden corner of the street. Nook's pancake serves pancakes and other dishes like soups, salads and all day breakfast set.

Creamy mushroom soup - $8.90

This does not taste like campbell mushroom soup at all. It ihas a thicker consistency with mushroom bits in it. I don't know why this reminds me so much of thick coconutty curry chicken gravy. The first few mouthful was really great but it gets a little cloying towards the end.

Please do click to enlarge. Check out Nook's pancake menu on http://nook.sg/ I don't know why they don't put the prices on the website. I always quote prices of the food I ate on my website because I prefer the certainty of knowing the pricing and knowing what to expect so I thought other people might feel the same.

Some free flow chocolate and maple syrup for our pancakes!

Nook ran out of nutella so the leftover spread was actually on the house. We choose cheddar cheese and oreo chunks for our toppings and gourmet chicken sausages and hashbrown as savoury fixings.

Original and red velvet pancake mixture. These bottles remind me of the glass deco art I used to do in school. Strangely, I miss the idea of wearing a uniform and spending time in school doing nothing in particular with my friends.

The following are some ugly pancakes I did:

Ugly pancake #1 with chocolate syrup.

Normal pancake with cheese sandwiched in it and some leftover syrup on the plate.

I tried to make some mohawk evil creature.

As expected it looked ugly but it taste so good with maple syrup.

Random crazy swirly bear.

Pancakes are just pancakes to me. Soft and fluffy and they don't go wrong most of the time.

More pancakes.

This is Patrick's back view decorated with some leftover parsley.

Breakfast bully - $18

The set consists of garden salad, ham, sausages, bacon, bread, mushrooms, baked beans and eggs. I may be wrong but I think these are chipotle sausages. I love the mushrooms and garden salad the most. Big portion breakfast.

To sum everything up I think Nook's pancake house has a good concept.

Pancakes are cheap and easy to make with instant food available almost in every mart or supermarket. It is the idea of making of "do it yourself" pancakes they are selling. 10 bucks for a bottle of pancake mix is a little expensive for me but it I think they probably can justify it with the rent and decorations. The other dishes on the menu are pretty good as well and in my opinion more value for money.

Nonetheless, I still enjoyed myself decorating and eating my own pancakes. It is a good place for parents to bring kids to and have a good time. While eating there, the family with young kids were so excited.

Ramen Play @ JEM (Jurong East)

2013-07-27T00:26:00.000+08:00

Another shopping mall opens in Jurong East.

I'm really glad that I don't have to travel to Orchard to shop now since the brands I love are now in JEM. I visited Ramen Play with a couple of my friends.

Crispy Dango $3.60 for 3

It is served piping hot and I feel like I'm eating a chicken meatball takoyaki. The chicken is juicy and the takoyaki sauce, mayonnaise and nori made it taste even better.

Cha Shu Uobushi Tonkotsu Ramen - $12.80

Ramen is cooked really well and I love the sweet Tonkotsu (pork) soup base. The Cha Shu has got thick rings of fat. Semi liquid tamago (egg) is heavely. Everything is good except the bamboo shoot. There was an awful bamboo smell. I can't really describe it but it stinks. The bowl is perfect without them.

Lotte Korean Mart - Tanjong Pagar

2013-07-20T01:00:00.000+08:00

A trip to the Lotte Korean Mart after work! Just a few minutes walk from my workplace

Location: 67A Tanjong Pagar Road 088488

It is a 5 minutes walk from the Tanjong Pagar Station, Exit A. Located along somewhere in middle section of the long stretch of shophouses. If you spot the Orchid Hotel, just walk along it.

Haneul Bori - $1.50 (Barley Tea)

I was expecting this to be sweet and similar to our barley drink, of a different shade but I was so wrong. This is sugarless. For those who had tasted Oolong Tea without sugar, it is kinda similar to it. There is a wheaty barley taste that lingers in the mouth and tasted more pleasant each mouthful.

Any TTMIK listeners out there? I started learning Korean a few months ago with the podcasts from TalkToMeInKorean (TTMIK)

Coincidentally, I bought the tea that Kyeon-Eun Shi was talking about in the video. (Watch around 0:40s onwards.) This video is in full Korean but with translated annotations.

I really appreciate the free podcasts that they provide. Thanks TTMIK!

Milkis - $1

This looks kinda cute. I think there is a lot of unexpected taste when it comes to Korean beverages, and partially due to the fact that I can't read Korean labels.

This is a actually a strawberry yogurt drink but with fizz. Imagine drinking strawberry yogurt drink (similar to the Marigold Strawberry Yogurt drink) but with carbon dioxide from a soft drink fizzing in your mouth. It's like drinking sprite and yogurt drink at the same time. Pretty cool.

It gets a little too quiet here if not for the TV. Some Korean snacks, drinks, instant noodles, frozen food can be found but there were not much variety compared to larger Korean marts in Singapore. There is a nice Korean guy working in the mart though.

Sushi @ Fairprice Xtra (Jurong Point)

2013-07-13T00:21:00.000+08:00

Some sushi for dinner. - $9 It was around 7 pm or so on a Saturday night and the sushi sets were on discount.

It was the first time I spotted scallops in the sushi section in Fairprice. I told myself I must get this. The best scallops I had in Japan were gigantic.

I think the salmon and scallop are alright. It was a little too soft and lacks the springy raw seafood texture. Not that great but not too bad either. The sushi had been there for quite a number of hours I presumed. For a cheaper price, you can expect a lower quality.

Still delicious on an empty stomach.

Itacho Sushi & Jika Udon @ Jcube

2013-06-30T14:39:00.000+08:00

Itacho Sushi & Jika Udon is located on level 2 of Jcube. My friend and I queued for around 45mins before we entered the restaurant. While waiting, we came up with reasons why the queue was so long:

1) The food is really delicious
2) The food is really cheap
3) The shopfront is small
4) Service is slow

Moving on to the food.

Roasted salmon roll $3.80 (Itacho Sushi menu)

I think that it tasted ordinary and it is way overpriced. 4 large fish roes with a slice of torched salmon, some rice with asparagus in the middle of it.

Steam egg with crab $4.20 (Itacho Sushi menu)

I really love this one. Soft steamed egg with a layer of crab on top of it. It feels like I am eating shark fin soup and Chawanmushi at the same time. In the middle of the steam egg was a crab stick. It is a little pricey but it is pretty worth it.

Passionfruit green tea $2.50 (Jika Udon menu)

Moving on to the Jika Udon Menu. The passionfruit green tea is good. Not too sour so you can taste the passionfruit and green tea as well. The pearls are super soft and chewy.

Udon with cod fish roes (Cold) - $10.50 (Jika Udon menu)

I was feeling adventuorous so I decided to try something different on the menu. To my horror, it is the complete opposite to how it looks. The worst udon I have ever eaten in my life. The noodles were half cooked and it is so tough. The cod fish roe were mixed with so much mayonnaise and it is cloying. I feel that it was too much for me to take after 2 mouthful. Times like this made me feel like I should stick to my comfort zone.

To sum it up, I think there are certainly nice food from the menu. I suggest you do a little bit of research before going there to eat so that you will not be as disappointed as I did.

Regarding the reasons why I think the queue was long, it has to be 2 and 4. The cashier was moving at a snail pace. There were only 2 person in front of us but we waited for 5 minutes to pay up.