618 Sim 菜頭粿 Carrot Cake (Yishun)

White Carrot Cake $2.50

618 Sim 菜頭粿 Carrot Cake is located at a coffee shop called Fujo Eating House tucked away at a quiet corner of Yishun estate. This stall is located at Blk 618 and is nearer to Khatib MRT station compared to Yishun MRT station.

I visited on a weekday and was surprised that there was still a need to wait for 10 minutes. I wonder what will be the waiting duration on a weekend.

618 Sim 菜頭粿 Carrot Cake sells both White and Black Fried Carrot Cake with the option to add prawns. Interestingly, the Black Carrot Cake is sold only on weekdays from 630am to 930am and they do not sell it on weekends or public holidays. Whereas the White Carrot Cake is sold during all opening opening hours.

White Carrot Cake $2.50

As we visited just slightly after 930am, only the White Carrot Cake $2.50 was available. We did not have to wait long as it was a weekday.

White Carrot Cake $2.50

The White Carrot Cake served with lots of diced preserved radish (chye poh) was beautifully cooked and delicious! Each piece had a crisp texture, and was firm and soft on the inside. At just $2.50, this carrot cake is totally value for money considering the huge portion. In addition, this carrot cake was not oily!

On another occasion, we visited on a Sunday morning just slightly after 10am. We ordered the White Carrot Cake with Prawns $3.50. We had to wait for a good 15 minutes before it was served to our table.

White Carrot Cake with Prawns $3.50

The prawns were cut into smaller pieces and fried together with the carrot cake. We all preferred their fried carrot cake without the prawns.

This White Carrot Cake is the best I have tried in this area! As such, I am going to rate this a must try. If you are staying in Yishun or in the North, you should give this a try! I will definitely go back for more and also try its Black Carrot Cake!

ps: I went on a weekday recently at 8am. But they were so busy that they decided not to fry the black carrot cake. In the end, I ordered the White Carrot Cake and had to wait half an hour! 

618 Sim 菜頭粿 Carrot Cake (Yishun)

Fujo Eating House

#01-3230 Block 618

Yishun Ring Road 

Singapore 760618

Opening Hours: Wed to Mon 630am - 3pm
                          Closed on Tue

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Bindaetteok, Mayak Kimbap and Boribap at Gwangjang Market (South Korea, Seoul)

Bindaetteok (Mung Bean Pancakes) 빈대떡 5,000 KRW (S$6.25)

Gwangjang Market 광장시장 established in 1905 is one of the oldest and largest traditional market in Korea. The market with two levels has over 5000 stores selling a wide variety of products ranging from silk, satin, bedding, fabric, hanbok, kitchenware, clothing and food is popular among the locals. In recent years, the number of tourists visiting the market has increased significantly. Despite that, Namdaemun Market and Dongdaemun Market are still more popular among tourists compared to Gwangjang Maret.

We visited the food section of Gwangjang Market which is located at the right hand side of exit 9 of Jongno-5(o)-ga Station.

The food section is located at the ground level of the market. This is one of the 3 food alleys where the street food is located at. The Boribap 보리밥 (which you will read about towards the end of the post) is located near the toilet signage in the background of the above photo. 

The first food we went for was the Bindaetteok 빈대떡, also known as Mung Bean Pancakes which the market is famous for. You will be able to find several stalls (located next to each other) selling this at the center of the food section in the market where the three alleys meet. Despite the presence of so many stalls, you would need to wait for a seat. Turnover was relatively fast as it was essentially a eat-and-leave concept. We ate ours from the stall shown in the above photo. 

At each stall, you would see stone pestles which are constantly revolving, grounding the mung beans into paste. 

We sat long enough and saw stall owners making the Bindaetteok (Mung Bean Pancakes). They first add the grounded mung beans paste into a large container. Then added beansprouts, green onions, and garlic along with condiments. Then after that give it a good mix using their hands with their gloves on of course.

The end result is this - a well mixed mixture. They did not add any water.

They would then scoop out the mixture and fry it in a shape of a thick round pancake.

Bindaetteok (Mung Bean Pancakes) 빈대떡 5,000 KRW (S$6.25)

The Bindaetteok (Mung Bean Pancakes) 빈대떡 which cost 5,000 KRW (S$6.25) is a must try!  It was served with soy and onion dipping sauce. The freshly fried Bindaetteok was so crisp and tasty. The addition of the beansprouts was a fantastic idea as it provided a crunch to the otherwise soft ingredients. Perfect snack. Despite the large portion, we finished it and in fact I was wishing that we had the (stomach) capacity to order another! Considering the ingredients, I was amazed by its taste - Simple + Fresh ingredients = Delicious! 

Next we went for the Mayak (Drug) Kimbap 마약김밥. We visited the stall with the bright red signboard as shown in the above photo. This stall is also located at the center of the food section in the market where the three alleys meet.

This is the stall which was featured on Running Man Episode 186 with CNBLUE as the guests.

Mayak (Drug) Kimbap 마약김밥 

The Mayak Kimbap 마약김밥 are similar to kimbap; dried seaweed rolls stuffed with carrot, pickled daikon radish and rice. The main difference was that they were in bite-size. These small Mayak Kimbap are also known as as "Drug Kimbap” because they are so addictive! With its dipping sauce (mustard or sesame ), I was told that you would never stop at one!

Eomuk 어묵

The stall also sells Eomuk 어묵 - fishcakes served on a skewer in broth.

We followed what the locals in front of us did. Order, pay and collect our food. The food are placed in small black plastic bag. Then walk to the side where you would enter the area where customers could sit. It was not very spacious and customers would normally eat and go. There was a water cooler inside, and toilet papers and fans placed at strategic locations.

Mayak (Drug) Kimbap 마약김밥 2,500 KRW (S$3.13)

This was the Mayak (Drug) Kimbap 마약김밥 2,500 KRW (S$3.13). True to its words, it was addictive. But personally, the Bindaetteok surprised me more.

Eomuk 어묵 500 KRW (S$0.63)

We also ordered a Eomuk (fishcake) 어묵 500 KRW (S$0.63). This is a popular street food which you will see everywhere in Korea. Their Eomuk are thin and rectangular in shape.

After that we went on a quest to hunt for the stall which Running Man visited for its Boribap 보리밥. The above picture shows the stall which Running Man visited.

Featured in Running Man Episode 186 with CNBLUE as their guests.

Boribap 보리밥 and Miyeok Guk 미역국 5,000 KRW (S$6.25)

The Boribap 보리밥 which cost 5,000 KRW (S$6.25) was served with a bowl of complimentary  Miyeok Guk (Seaweed Soup) 미역국.

Boribap 보리밥 5,000 KRW (S$6.25)

Boribap 보리밥 is similar to Bibimbap. The main difference is that instead of plain rice, it comes with a mixture of rice and barley! It was served with fresh vegetables such as lettuce, bean sprouts, zucchini and pickled greens, and topped with gochujang (red pepper) sauce and sesame oil,

Boribap 보리밥 5,000 KRW (S$6.25)

Boribap 보리밥 5,000 KRW (S$6.25)

Give the Boribap a good mix and its ready! The Boribap was refreshing and tasted surprisingly delicious. The addition of barley added a lot more crunch into this dish. Shiok and healthy!

The food at Gwangjang Market was yummy! I wished we had the time to make a second trip down to this market. Nevertheless, I will definitely visit this market again when I next visit Seoul! I highly recommend the Bindaetteok and Boribap! Must try! 

Bindaetteok 빈대떡, Mayak Kimbap 마약김밥 and Boribap 보리밥 at Gwangjang Market (South Korea, Seoul)

6-1 Yeji-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul, South Korea

서울특별시 종로구 예지동 6-1

Directions: From Jongno-5(o)-ga Station (subway line 1) exit 9, turn right into the first alley.

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Starbucks Singapore: 12 Days Of Gifting 2014 (1 - 12 Dec 2014)

Source: Starbucks Singapore

Starbucks Singapore: 12 Days Of Gifting 2014 (1 - 12 Dec 2014)
Starbucks 12 Days Of Gifting is back again! Many different forms of deals. Discounts for gifts such as tumblers & cups, one for one for beverages and even one for one for cakes, cream puffs and cookies!

Dec 1: Buy 1 get 1 free Venti-sized Christmas drinks 

Dec 2: Enjoy $5 off Starbucks seasonal favorite Red Cup mug. 

Dec 3: Buy 1 get 1 free Rasberry White Chocolate Cheese Brûlée

Dec 4: $5 off Christmas Blend VIA Ready Brew 12 pack. Free tall-sized Christmas beverage with a donation made to The Salvation Army from 5pm to 7pm. 

Dec 5: $5 off Red Holiday tumbler Travel essentials: Phone, Wallet, Keys and your new red Tumbler for $5 off. 

Dec 6 & 7: $5 off your mug on Day 6, and $5 off your tumbler on Day 7. 

Dec 8: Buy 1 get 1 free Salted Caramel Cream Puff.

Dec 9: Reload $50 into an existing Card and receive a $5 pre-loaded Mini Starbucks Card. 

Dec 10: $5 off Winter tumbler.

Dec 11: Buy 1 get 1 free pack of cookie treats.

Dec 12: Buy 1 get 1 free Venti-sized Holiday Drinks.