Chap Chye Peng Stall (Golden Mile Tower)

I had my lunch and was exploring Golden Mile Complex for the first time. Little did I know that the basement was linked to Golden Mile Tower! At Golden Mile Tower, I saw a unique scene. There was a queue in front of a stall called "Dessert House". There was around 10 person queuing in front of the stall and the queue was not moving at 1220pm on a weekday. Being a kaypoh (busybody), I stood around and observed. This queue was not moving because the stall had not even opened for business yet.

 At around 1230pm, the stall opened for business.

The queue had already stretched to more than 20 persons long. I had to go up to level one to get a good picture of the queue. If I had not eaten and was not full, I highly suspect that I would be in the queue. Nevertheless, I made 3 other trips just to check out this stall for myself; why there were so many people queuing and waiting patiently.

On certain days, the queue moves very slowly. While on other days, the queue was fairly quick. Once, I queued for 18 minutes when there was just 5 persons in the queue. On another day, I queued for nearly half an hour when there was 19 persons in the queue.

Ps: Once, there was 32 people queuing up!

Now to the food! This stall sells Chap Chye Peng / Chai Peng (variety of dishes with rice). Amazingly right? Chap Chye Peng can be found everywhere! Yet this stall commands such a following! The variety of dishes are not a lot compared to others which I have seen. But a unique selling point (USP) here is the free flow soup! And its not any just MSG soup! There are ingredients in the soup! Customers can also help themselves to the curry sauce.

$4.30

After I tried the food for the first time, I knew instantly why this stall managed to command such a following. The food here are simply delicious! Comfort home-cooked food that simply warms the heart. The food here just taste so good. The steam egg was so decently executed; soft, wobbly and tasty. The fried chicken wing was well-marinated, tasty and well fried. If it was more meaty, it would be perfect. The curry sauce was addictive and goes well with plain rice. The fried vegetables which I hesitated in ordering was surprisingly good. Unlike other Chap Chye Peng stalls, this one was so fragrant, with hints of shrimp / hae bee along with sweetness of the vegetables.

Sweet corn, Carrot and Onion Soup

The icing on the cake was the soup which was free! Inside the pot of soup, there was sweet corn, carrot, onion and pork. These were the ingredients used to cook the soup. The soup was not salty and had a distinct (naturally) sweetness from the corn, carrot and onion. Very comforting bowl of Chinese soup. What a bonus!

$5

During my third visit, this was what I ordered. I ordered different items compared to my 2nd visit on purpose for comparison sake.

The curry sauce was the same; delicious. But the chicken given was just so-so. Probable because of the chicken part given. The vegetables was really just so-so (i.e. average). The fish cake was decent and I believe you can get this fish cake at most places.

Lotus Root Soup

 Just when I thought the food was just average, the free soup just wowed me!

Lotus Root Soup

This Lotus Root Soup was cooked with cuttlefish and pork. This soup was just fantastic! The lotus root flavour kept me longing for more. In addition, the plus was the pork meat came with soft bones (collagen).

$4.30

 This was what I had for my third visit. I arrived quite late at around 130pm.

The chicken wings was as good as what I had during the first time. They will always fry a new batch of chicken wings when the current one finishes. This is a huge plus point as no one likes soggy and cold chicken wings! The fried bittergourd with egg was excellent and well fried! No raw bittergourd taste. As for the braised egg, you can easily get that elsewhere.

This time, the free soup was radish and carrot soup. It was cooked with pork bones and red dates. I am really impressed with their soup. During each visit, their soup has never disappoint me! This is coming from someone who is particular about saltiness!

The value for money, delicious home-cooked style food and free flow soup are probably the factors which draw such a crowd to this stall during lunch time at a ulu (out of the way) place. These are also the reasons why the some of the office crowd who know of this place bother to walk from The Concourse to this stall!

Now you know where to go if you are looking for 3 dishes with 1 soup (三菜一汤) without breaking the bak! Glad to find this hidden gem. If you intend to visit, do note the opening hours appended below.

Chap Chye Peng Stall <Hidden Gem> (Golden Mile Tower)

Dessert House

#B1-62 Golden Mile Tower

6001 Beach Road

Singapore 199589

Opening Hours: Sun to Fri 1230pm to 5pm

                          Closed on Sat

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Starbucks Singapore: Buy 1 Get 1 Free Box of Cookies (till 1 Feb 2015)

Source: Starbucks Singapore

Starbucks Singapore: Buy 1 Get 1 Free Box of Cookies (till 1 Feb 2015)
Purchase 2 boxes of the Starbucks Wafer Rolls and get the second box for 50% off

- Valid till 1 Feb 2015
- While stocks last

3 Petits Croissants: 1 For 1 Soft Serve at only $3.90

Source: 3 Petits Croissants

3 Petits Croissants: 1 For 1 Soft Serve at only $3.90

- Valid for a limited time only
- While stocks last

(CLOSED) Ban Mian 福州板面 (Toa Payoh Central)

*CLOSED*

Dry Pork You Mian $3

 I have heard about how awesome the dry Ban Mian located in J99 Eating House at Toa Payoh Central is.

Hence, We made a special trip down to Toa Payoh for this on a Friday evening. The stall name is called Ban Mian 福州板面. It is less than 5 minutes walk away from the Toa Payoh MRT station and HDB Hub. 

Needless to say, both of us ordered the Dry Pork You Mian $3. Most Ban Mian stalls are self-service (i.e. customers would need collect their own orders and bring it to their table. Whereas for Ban Mian 福州板面, all we had to do was order and give our table number. The food would be delivered to our table. This was probably because there was a need to wait for a good 15 minutes. 

Dry Pork You Mian $3

 The Dry Pork You Mian $3 was served with a bowl of soup.

Dry Pork You Mian $3

 A generous amount of ingredients (minced pork, vegetables, anchovy (ikan bilis) was given.

Dry Pork You Mian $3

As this was the dry verison, there was dark sauce at the bottom of the bowl. Before eating it, the sauce should be mixed with the noodles till every strand was well coated with the dark sauce. To be frank, this bowl of Dry Pork You Mian was not fantastic. We felt thirsty the entire night.

Pork Ban Mian $3

On another Friday night, we went to try their soup version noodles. We ordered the Pork Ban Mian $3 and Pork You Mian $3.

Pork You Mian $3

The Ban Mian was slightly undercooked while the You Mian was overcooked. These soup version Ban Mian and You Mian were decent but not the best. What is certain is that their soup version fared well better compared to their dry version.

I doubt I will try their dry Ban Mian again. If you are keen to try the dry version, try the one at 161 板面 Ban Mian (Bukit Merah Central). It tasted way better. 

Ban Mian 福州板面 (Toa Payoh Central)

J99 Eating House

Blk 186 Toa Payoh Central

Singapore 310186 

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Gelare Singapore: 1 For 1 Lunch Promotion (till 25 Jan 2015)

Source: Gelare Singapore

Gelare Singapore: 1 For 1 Lunch Promotion (till 25 Jan 2015)

- Valid on Mon, Wed, Thu and Fri, excluding public holidays, from 11am to 3pm
- Available at all stores except for Tampines 1
- Complimentary item must be equal or lesser value of the item purchased
- Not valid with other discounts or promotions
- While stocks last
- The management reserves the right to amend the terms and conditions without any prior notice

Inspirasi Stall (Bedok Interchange Food Centre)

Soto Ayam $2.50

Inspirasi is a muslim hawker stall located at Bedok Interchange Food Centre. The food centre recently underwent renovation. It is now well-ventilated and airy due to its high ceilings and numerous fans. 

Inspirasi sells Mee Rebus, Soto Ayam, Mee Soto, Chicken Porridge at $2.50 and fried potato patties (Begedil) at $0.50. 

This stall is well known within the area and there would be a perceptual queue during lunch and dinner hours. In fact, there would always be a long queue at this stall just before it opens for business. 

Soto Ayam $2.50

I ordered the Soto Ayam $2.50 because to me, this is probably the best Soto Ayam in Singapore. It consisted of cubed rice with shredded chicken and bean sprouts in a chicken broth.

Soto Ayam $2.50

The two factors that I believe made this stall so popular is because of (i) fresh ingredients and (ii) chicken broth. The chicken meat was surprisingly soft; tender while the bean sprouts were not only fresh but also cooked just nice. 

The chicken stock was clear, light, flavourful and slightly sweet. I always add the sambal chilli (which you can add according to your preference) into the soup to give it a wonderful spicy kick and an added dimension to the taste.  

This Soto Ayam is a must try! 

Inspirasi Stall (Bedok Interchange Food Centre)

 #01-11 Bedok Interchange Food Centre

207 New Upper Changi Road

Singapore 460207

Opening Hours: Mon to Sat 1130am - 930pm

                           Closed on Sun

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Milkcow Singapore: Pre-opening 50% Off Soft Serve Ice Cream on Groupon

Source: Groupon Singapore

Milkcow Singapore 밀크카우: Pre-opening 50% Off Soft Serve Ice Cream on Groupon

- Limited period only on Groupon Singapore
- Voucher is valid till from 7 Feb to 30 May 2015
- Valid for dine-in or takeaway
- Not valid with other promotions and discounts.

Starbucks Singapore: 1 For 1 Handcrafted Beverage of any Size (20-22 Jan 2015)

Source: Starbucks Singapore

Starbucks Singapore: 1 For 1 Handcrafted Beverage of any Size (20-22 Jan 2015)

- Valid from 20 to 22 Jan 2015 from 3pm to 7pm
- Limited to 2 orders per customer

Minced Meat Noodles (Sim Lim Square Food Court) 2nd Post

Abalone Mushroom Minced Meat Noodle $4

With the recent Sim Lim Square Saga on customers being scammed, most people (locals and foreigners) are avoiding the shopping mall. Most of us would have forgotten that there is a food court at Sim Lim Square basement. What I would like to highlight is that the Minced Meat Noodles at Sim Lim Square is worth a try. Delicious and value for money. (no hidden cost, no warranty charges, no need to sign any contract!)

It has been around 2.5 years since I last visited this stall.  Some of the food items remained at the same price while others were increased by $0.30 to $0.50. There was a queue of around 5 persons when I visited during lunch time on a weekday. 

The bowl of pork lard which used to be placed at the front of the counter was now placed at the back of the counter. Nevertheless, I am sure if you require more pork lard you can request for it.

Abalone Mushroom Minced Meat Noodle $4, Dumpling Soup $1

I ordered a bowl of Abalone Mushroom Minced Meat Noodle $4 and added a bowl of Dumpling Soup $1. 

Abalone Mushroom Minced Meat Noodle $4

Look at the variety of ingredients (mushrooms, fishball, meatball, minced meat, prawn, bean sprouts, fish cake, dumpling, lettuce, scallion) given in this bowl of Abalone Mushroom Minced Meat Noodle which is priced at just $4. Value for money and delicious! 

Dumpling Soup $1

There were 3 pieces of dumplings in the Dumpling Soup. The dumplings were decent and at $1 it was so value for money too!

Mini Pot Noodle $5

 On another visit, I ordered the Mini Pot Noodle which cost $5.

Mini Pot Noodle $5

The bowl of noodles stole the limelight from the mini pot. Look at the ingredients in this bowl of noodles. Normally when such a dish is order, the noodles be accompanied by only beansprouts. But in this case, it was accompanied with braised mushrooms, dumpling and even a slice of abalone!

Mini Pot Noodle $5

In the mini pot, the ingredients were quite usual with the likes of minced meat, prawn, fish ball, meat ball, fisk cake, dumpling and an egg. The mini pot tasted was so-so.

Minced Meat Noodles (Sim Lim Square Food Court)

1 Rochor Canal Road Basement 1

Stall 23, Sim Lim Square 

Opening Hours: Daily 11am to 11pm

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Hotel Miramar Fern Tree Cafe: 1 For 1 International Buffet Promotion (till 31 Mar 2015)

Source: Hotel Miramar

Hotel Miramar Fern Tree Cafe: 1 For 1 International Buffet Promotion (till 31 Mar 2015)

- Valid till 31 Mar 2015 except 18 to 22 Feb, 25 Feb and 5 Mar 2015
- Buffet includes free flow coffee, tea and soft drinks
- All prices are subjected to GST and service charge

Starbucks Singapore: 1 For 1 Beverage of any Size (13-15 Jan 2015)

Source: Starbucks Singapore

Starbucks Singapore: 1 For 1 Beverage of any Size (13-15 Jan 2015)

- Valid from 13 to 15 Jan 2015 from 3pm to 7pm
- Limited to 2 orders per customer

Twelve Cupcakes: Cupcakes At 50 Cents Each For 50 Mins (12 Jan 2015)

Source: Twelve Cupcakes

Twelve Cupcakes: Cupcakes At 50 Cents Each For 50 Mins (12 Jan 2015) [SG50 Deal]

- Valid on 12 Jan 2015 at 12pm
- Valid for 50 minutes only
- Limited to 24 cupcakes per customer with a minimum purchase of a box of 3
- Valid at all Twelve Cupcakes outlets in Singapore
- While stocks last

Marché Mövenpick: 1 For 1 Breakfast on Weekdays

Source: Marché Mövenpick

Marché Mövenpick: 1 For 1 Breakfast on Weekdays

- Valid for a limited period on weekdays from 8am to 11am, except public holidays
- Valid only at Marché Mövenpick Asia Square and Marché Mövenpick Jem

O'sulloc Tea House 오설록, Okrumong 옥루몽 (South Korea, Seoul)

Green Tea Ice Flakes 녹차빙수 14,000 KRW (S$17.50)

If you have been to Jeju Island, you have probably heard of O’sulloc 오설록 which specialises in green tea. O’sulloc 오설록 with its cafe, museum and tea plantation is a popular tourist attraction. It is so popular that it has several tea houses / cafes in Seoul at Myeongdong, Insadong, Apgujeong and Daehangno.

We visited the O´sulloc Tea House 오설록 티하우스 at Myeongdong. It is located next to McDonald's! The place was huge, occupying two floors.

Menu

Menu

The menu..

Besides selling beverages (tea) and desserts such as ice cream, tiramisu and ice flakes (aka bingsu), they also sold tea bags which tourist can buy back home as gifts for their love ones.

ps: You can find some of these tea bags at a cheaper price in the supermarkets in Seoul such as E-mart 이마트. In fact we bought S$400 worth of things in E-mart including Happy Call Pan and Neoflam Pot. =)

Although there were several empty table and chairs at level one, we decided to explore level two. Level two was quieter and had even more seating capacity. There were magazines at the side for browsing and comfortable sofas. The downside of sitting at level two was that we still had to go level one to collect our orders when the drink and desserts were ready.

Green Tea Ice Cream 녹차아이스크림, Jeju Orchid Green Tea (Hot) 제주난꽃그린티, Green Tea Cheese Tiramisu 그린티치즈티라미수

During the first visit, we ordered the Green Tea Ice Cream 녹차아이스크림, Jeju Orchid Green Tea (Hot) 제주난꽃그린티 and Green Tea Cheese Tiramisu 그린티치즈티라미수. Needless to say, everything we ordered consisted of green tea flavour.

Green Tea Ice Cream 녹차아이스크림 6,00 KRW (S$7.5)

The Green Tea Ice Cream 녹차아이스크림 6,00 KRW (S$7.5) was served with green tea (matcha) powder sprinkled on top. The ice cream was not overly sweet and the green tea flavour was distinct, but not overwhelming. Quite pricey considering that it consisted of just one scoop of ice cream.

Green Tea Cheese Tiramisu 그린티치즈티라미수 5,000 KRW (S$6.25)

We also ordered a Green Tea Cheese Tiramisu 그린티치즈티라미수 5,000 KRW (S$6.25) for sharing. The Green Tea Cheese Tiramisu consisted of mostly sweet mascarpone cheese while the top layer was generously filled with bitter green tea powder.

Jeju Orchid Green Tea (Hot) 제주난꽃그린티 5,800 KRW (S$7.25)

Jeju Orchid Green Tea (Hot) 제주난꽃그린티 5,800 KRW (S$7.25)

The Jeju Orchid Green Tea (Hot) 제주난꽃그린티 5,800 KRW (S$7.25) comes with a cover and the tea bag is attached underneath the cover. Its a good idea as it keeps the drink warm and when you feel that the flavour has been extracted, you can take the tea bag out and leave it on the cover prevent it from being dirty. You are then able to "reuse" and "refill" as many times as you wish with the self-serviced hot water provided.

Green Tea Ice Flakes 녹차빙수 14,000 KRW (S$17.50)

We made a second trip to this shop for their Bingsu aka shaved ice.

Green Tea Ice Flakes 녹차빙수 14,000 KRW (S$17.50)

The Green Tea Ice Flakes 녹차빙수 14,000 KRW (S$17.50) was huge! Green tea ice flakes, green tea ice cream with red bean puree. This is best shared between a group of people. In terms of bingsu standard, I find this average. The shaved ice was a little too hard. The best bingsu is the one from Okrumong 옥루몽 (I shall talk about this towards the end of the post).

Do note that the drinks and desserts at O'sulloc Tea House 오설록 티하우스 are pretty pricey. But I guess its okay to indulge and pamper ourselves once in a while =D.

Now back to Okrumong 옥루몽. My Korean friends bought us to this dessert place called Okrumong 옥루몽 which is located in Dongdaemun Design Plaza 동대문디자인플라자 at Basement level 2, Store 11.

Red Bean Bingsu 가마솥 전통팥빙수 and Black Sesame Bingsu

They ordered Red Bean Bingsu 가마솥 전통팥빙수 and Black Sesame Bingsu for sharing. The shaved ice were just so incredibly soft and snowy! In addition, in terms of taste it was not overly sweet! This is a must try! The address of this at Dongdaemun Design Plaza (Basement level 2, Store 11), Eujiro 7-ga, Jung-gu, Seoul. I understand that they have several branches in Seoul. 

O'sulloc Tea House 오설록 티하우스 (South Korea, Seoul)

12, Myeongdong 7-gil
Jung-gu, Seoul 
서울특별시 중구 명동7길 12 (명동1가)

Tel: +82 2 774 5460

Opening Hours: Sun to Thur 9am -1030pm
                          Fri to Sat 9am - 11pm
Website

Directions:  From Myeongdong Station (subway line 4) Exit 6, turn left onto Myeongdong 8-gil road. Go straight about 400m, until you see O´sulloc Tea House on the right.

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Pizza Hut: Weekday 1 For 1 Promotion (till 27 Jan 2015)

Source: Pizza Hut

Pizza Hut: Weekday 1 For 1 Promotion (till 27 Jan 2015)

- Valid till 27 Jan 2015 from Mondays to Fridays
- Not valid on eve of or public holidays
- Not valid with other discount or promotion
- Free item must be of same or lower value as the purchased item
- Valid for dine-in only
- While stocks last

Starbucks Singapore: 1 For 1 Beverage of any Size (6 - 8 Jan 2015)

Source: Starbucks Singapore

Starbucks Singapore: 1 For 1 Beverage of any Size (6 - 8 Jan 2015)

- Valid from 6 to 8 Jan 2015 from 3pm to 7pm
- Limited to 2 orders per customer
- While stocks last