[Singapore] 7 Best Stalls in Tiong Bahru Market

Hi Everyone! I know it's been too long since my last post. So glad that I finally could write again!

So you might know or might not know, earlier this year, I got an opportunity to work on an interior project in Singapore. It was such an exciting and valueable opportunity for me, to be able to experience living and working in another country. But now my project is done, and I'm back here at Jakarta. I would love to share about the project later here in this blog, but for now, I want to share about Singaporean food I miss the most.

During my 7 months working period, I work in an interior and graphic design company located at the most hipster area in Singapore, Tiong Bahru. I'm so lucky, right? It's one of the food heaven in Singapore. There are famous Cafes, Coffee Shops, and Dessert Places at every corner of the street. You can never get bored!  But nope, it's not the food in the cafe and dessert places that I miss the most now. I'm currently missing the hawker food from Tiong Bahru Market.

Tiong Bahru Market is one of the most famous Hawker Centre in Singapore. It has more than 80 stalls of  local and international food serving you everyday. It's where I went for lunch everyday during my stay in Singapore. And I must say, most of the food there are really good! I didn,t get the chance to try all 83 stalls there, but here are my favourite dishes so far (not in particular order).

TIONG BAHRU BAK CHOR MEE #02-77

Bak Chor Mee (pork noodle) might be a common dish that you can find in Singapore. But what made this one special is the MEATBALLS. Their meatball is not just any ordinary meatballs. Inside that plain-looking meatball are minced pork meat with super delicious pork broth that will burst in your mouth when you take a bite. Total Meatball-gasm! The noodle itself is not bad, but it's the meatballs that make me a regular customer of this stall.

TIONG BAHRU HAINANESE CURRY RICE #02-78

I love any kind of curry, and this one is no exception. The hainanese curry rice is something similar with mixed veg rice, but with curry sauce on top. You can choose your own toppings here. My favourite would be the pork chop, pork belly, and the green beans. The pork chop is very crunchy and tasty, and the fragrant curry sauce just compliments it best. Must try! And do anticipate for the long queue if you come at lunch hour.

YEAP SENG HANDMADE PAU TIM #02-71

I honestly never buy this myself, as the stall only open in the morning, and run out of everything by lunch hour. My colleague had always help me buy their dimsum for breakfast. They might not as famous as other hawker dimsum (like Tiong Bahru Pau or Hoo Kee Pau), but for me their dimsum is amazing! Even better than the dimsum chain you ate in the mall! Their prawn dumpling is definitely the best I've tried in my entire life, and I'm not being hyperbolic. And I love their charsiu pau too.

HONG HENG FRIED SOTONG PRAWN MEE #02-01

This one is my comfort food. It's called hokkien mee, and I think we dont have this kind of noodle in Jakarta. My first time trying this dish is right here at this store, and I fell in love immediately. The noodle is like a combination of fried noodle and soup noodle, topped with fishballs, prawns, and squids. It's soggy, but so fragrant and tasty. I love this noodle so much that the entire office knows that "Nat loves Hokkien Mee". My boss also said that I should learn how to make hokkien mee and open my own hokkien mee stall in Jakarta since  love it so much, lol. Hmm, should I? :p

BLANCO COURT FRIED FISH SOUP #02-61

Singaporeans have things with soup. At first I didn't understand the logic of having soup for lunch in such a hot day, and you are eating at the non-aircon hawker centre. But this fried fish soup got me hooked, and I don't mind eating this dish for my lunch, even thou I might be sweating like pig afterwards. It is basically fried fish fillet, fried eggs, and veggie inside light but rich fish soup. So good, but even better if you eat it in rainy days. Yum!

MIN NAN PORK RIBS PRAWN NOODLE #02-31

One of the most famous stall in the entire market, the line is always long! There's the soup noodle and dry noodle version, and I prefer the dry one. The noodle and the soup are so fragrant because of the combination of pork and prawn broth, and the topping is generous! Expect something like the picture above, two big chunks of pork ribs and two large prawns. Satisfaction guaranteed!

ALI CORNER #02-17

Last but not least, something that always reminded me of home. It's ayam penyet! Even thou the owner of this stall is Malaysian, but I must admit she cooks even better than some of the ayam penyet I tried in Indonesia. I especially love the sambal!

So yeah, that's the list of my favourite dishes in Tiong Bahru Market, Singapore. If you plan to come to Tiong Bahru Market, maybe you can try visiting this link http://tiongbahru.market/ beforehand. I find it very useful! Let me know what you think, and have a pleasant meal! 

TIONG BAHRU MARKET
30 Seng Poh Road
Singapore 168898

Semarang Trip -- Cafe and Restaurant Hopping

 First post in 2015! Hi everyone, if you're following me on instagram, you would know that I just got home from a culinary trip in Semarang recently. The trip was fully sponsored by OpenSnap, a new mobile app for foodie developed by the well known food website, OpenRice. They're holding lots of exciting competitions and promotions every month, and this time me and my friends happened to be the winner of their Semarang trip competition.

The prize consists a 2D1N trip to Semarang, with the accommodation and transportation fees fully sponsored by OpenSnap. This is my first time being to the city of Lunpia, and I was so excited to try as many food as my stomach could bear. This is the first part of the story, in this post I will share about the Restaurants and Cafes we visited in Semarang. But don't worry, more excitement (read : STREET FOOD) will be coming up next.

TOKO OEN

Address: Jl. Pemuda, No.52, 50138, 50139, Indonesia

Phone:+62 24 3541683

One of the icon of the city! This colonial style restaurant has easily won my heart with their old style Dutch influenced bakery and homemade ice cream. Looking at their display was such a temptation, I want to try all the bread and cookies they have. We tried one of their old style bread from their display called "Roti Telur / Egg Bread", Poffertjes, and also Rum and Raisin and Tutti Frutti Ice Cream. Everything was incredibly good! Must must must try when you're in Semarang.

PARIJS VAN JAVA

Address: Jalan Singosari Raya, Semarang, Kota Semarang, Jawa Tengah 50242, Indonesia

Phone:+62 24 8311938

This place is such a feast for the eyes. It is decorated to look like a vintage European house, with lots of vintage furniture, floral pattern, and uber cute ornaments. Every corner is photogenic! Even better, they serve various good food here. My favorite is their Nasi Bakar Parijs Van Java. The rice is so fragrant and rich, and it is served with crispy and juicy fried chicken. Totally one of the best Nasi Bakar I've ever had.

KOENOKOENI CAFE GALLERY

Address: JL.Tabanan, No.4, Candi Baru, Jawa Tengah 50231, Indonesia

Phone:+62 24 8415454

This is just the place if you want to enjoy the true essence of Semarang. Not only because the cafe is taking form of the traditional semi outdoor Joglo House, it is also strategically located at the peak of Semarang city. You know, I always love to see the skyline of the city or the city lights at night whenever I travel. If it's a modern city, I'll find their best rooftop bar. But coming to a traditional city like Semarang, I think Koenokoeni is just the perfect place. Too bad their food wasn't really outstanding, though, but the view and the ambiance are worth it.

KABUKI JAPANESE RESTAURANT

Address : Jl. S Parman no. 56, Gajah Mungkur

Phone : (024) 8509866

When you're craving for Japanese food in Semarang, Kabuki will come to the rescue! They're serving pretty much all kind of Japanese food, from sushi to ramen and Japadog, but they are specializing in Teppanyaki. And I must say that their Teppanyaki taste could even compete in Jakarta. Tried their Dynamite Teppanyaki, which consists shrimps and squids with their signature dynamite sauce, and it was awesome!

FLORIAN ICE CREAM

Address: JL Letnan Jenderal MT Haryono No. 571-A, Karangkidul, Semarang, 50241, Indonesia

Phone:+62 24 8412070

I'm glad we did make it to Florian before our flight back to Jakarta. Love love the place, it was decorated in pastel colors, and lots of cozy sofas. I could imagine spending hours here if only we had more time in Semarang. Their ice cream was quite pleasing too. Some of the fruit flavors were too sweet for me, and kinda taste like syrup, not real fruits, but the chocolate and mocca flavor were rich and yummy. And the waffle, it was da bomb! Probably one of the best waffle I've tasted, it was buttery fragrant and moist.

So that's all the cafe and restaurant I visited during my Semarang trip. Some of them was scheduled by the OpenSnap team, while the others are found by googling and asking some of my fellow bloggers (huge thanks to them). Anyway, the street food post will be coming up next. See you!

New Menu Launching at Blackball

Good news from Blackball! The largest Taiwanese Dessert chain restaurant in Jakarta is now bringing you something new to their outlets. And not only new Taiwanese drinks and desserts, now they're also serving food! Blackball has always been my favourite place when looking for Taiwanese dessert, as they currently have 22 outlets in Jakarta and other big cities in Indonesia, it's very convenience because I could find them almost everywhere. And they have the BEST red bean for me, just ask for their honey bean topping.

Not going to babbling much about them, I believe everyone has already know this famous brands. Here are their new menus.

Grilled Shredded Cuttlefish with Mayo Dip (IDR 40.000)

Yes I know it sounds simple and looks simple, but once you take a bite, you'll definitely craving for more. It's so simple yet so good, the texture's crunchy and chewy at the same time, and the mayo dipping compliments it very well. It's love at the first bite!

Taiwan Cold Noodle (IDR 40.000)

I'm not very familiar with cold noodle, but this one's quite okay. I like the texture of the noodle which is perfect for me. The seasoning taste like peanut sauce, not something you usually find together with noodles. It tasted quite funny for me, but well I'm a first timer.

Sticky Rice Yutiao with Beef Floss (IDR 30.000)

Another anti-mainstream menu from Blackball. It looks like sushi, but it's made of sticky rice with fried dough (cakwe) inside, and topped with beef floss and mayo. The taste kinda reminds me of lemper (Indonesian traditional snack made of sticky rica and shredded chicken), actually, but it's nice and worth trying.

Taiwanese Tea Egg (IDR 20.000)

It's one of the popular Taiwanese street food, and now you can have it here at Blackball.

Qffle with Beef / Chicken Floss and Mayo Dip (IDR 30.000)
Qffle is their new hero! You could have it sweet or savory, it's so good either way! The savory Qffle comes with choices of beef or chicken topping and mayo, while the sweet qffle comes with more choices of fruit and sweet toppings. What I love is the Qffle itself, the texture is crunchy at the ouside but soft and a little bit chewy at the inside, with perfect balance of sweetness. It's not too sweet, so it could match both the sweet and savory toppings.

Qvomaltine (IDR 50.000)

Banana, chocolate, vanilla ice cream, and Ovomaltine! Couldn't get wrong with this choice.

Very Berry Qffle (IDR 35.000)
I always have a thing with berries, so yes, this one's my favourite. Taste fresh with great balnce of sweetness and acidity. Definitely what I'll order on my next visit.

Matcha Snow Ice + Red Bean + QQ Gems + Boba + Vanilla/Matcha Ice Cream (IDR 38.000)

Not only food, Blackball also comes with new choices of dessert. This one is such a cutie, with that oreo panda ears :3 Perfect option for matcha lovers.

Black Sesame Snow Ice + Red Bean + Mini Ball + Caramel Pudding (IDR 33.000)

Milk Snow Ice + Strawberry + Kiwi + Mango + QQ Gems + Vanilla Ice Cream (IDR 40.000)

Milk Snow Ice + Honeydew + Watermelon + Honey + Vanilla Ice Cream (IDR 33.000)

Honey Lemon Mint Tea (R IDR 23.000/L IDR 28.000), Matcha Fresh Milk (R IDR 25.000/L IDR 30.000) 
 And also new drinks! my favourite was their matcha green tea. Love the strong green tea taste.


I was very full that night, it was such a feast! Thank you BlackBall for inviting me :D

Blackball 

Central Park shop 132
Level 1, Opposite Tous Les Jours
Central Park Mall, Jakarta Barat
T. 021 2920 0213

Hot Stone Steak Experience at Street Steak

Get ready guys, the culinary area in Pantai Indah Kapuk will be expanding soon, because the shophouses at the front area (across Burger King and Fresh Mart area) are now completely built! Meanwhile there are already two shophouses open for bussiness: Eng's Resto -- which is famous for their Asinan Bandung (Bandung's traditional pickle), and Street Steak.

As I'm not a big fan of asinan, that evening me and my highschool girls tried the newly opened Street Steak. The PIK outlet is their second branch. The first one is located in Kelapa Gading, and they're famous for the hot stone steak.

The name's not a bluff, because when we dine here, we are literary having our meal on the street! The place is decorated as a real street, complete with the pavings and road signs. Very cute and unique.

The other unique thing here is their food presentation. Your steak will be presented on a hot stone to maintain the quality of the steak. The concept of hot stone is actually quite similar to hot plate, the stone they're using is thicker, so it can keep your steak hot for longer time.

One portion of their steak consists your choice of meat, freshly-cut onions, thick-cut fries, sauteed vegetables, and one of their three choices of sauce (mushroom, BBQ, and blackpepper). The side dishes and sauces were fine, the only minor turn down was their sauteed vegetables, which for me, seasoned too strong.

Baker Street Steak (IDR 89.000)

This is my choice of steak that night, 200 gr of Australian Prime Tenderloin served on the hot stone. Well to be honest, I wasn't expect much from this dish. I mean, if I am craving for a big chunk of super juicy meat, I would order their choices of wagyu instead. But that night, I was just looking for something ordinary and affordable, so I ordered this. But what I tasted was totally not what I expected. The meat was grilled perfectly, it was very very juicy and flavorful, I would say that it was even better than some wagyu steak I've tasted in the other affordable steakhouses (no need to mention the name). Oh, and the seasoning was so good, that I could enjoy my steak even without the sauce.

Tomahawk Steak (IDR 345.000)

500 grams of enormous wagyu sirloin steak. Look at that huge steak! My friend ordered this to be shared for the two of them, as Street Steak are having promotion for this steak. It's only IDR 280.000 during their soft opening period. I usually avoid sirloin, as I hate that chewy fatty part of it, but I took a bite of this steak, and it wasn't chewy at all. All hail the power of wagyu!

Stone Grilled Chicken (IDR 50.000)

A friend of mine didn't eat red meat, so she ordered this grilled chicken instead. It was decent, though I'm not a fan of chicken breast. I love the fatty thigh more, lol.

Another worth visited restaurant in the neighborhood, for sure. Other than the special price on the Tomahawk Steak, they also got the 50% discount on the Hokubee Premium Beef during the soft opening period. Be sure not to miss it!

Street Steak

Jl. Pantai Indah Utara

Rukan Metro Broadway Blok 9BE

Pantai Indah Kapuk

The Immigrant Dining Room

Finally a post after almost two months!  Been very busy with work and life stuffs, I literally don't have time to write a single post or two. I have tons of pictures waiting to be edited and reviewed, but for now let's start with the one I love the most, the new hippest place in town: The Immigrant Dining Room.

 Everybody probably knows Immigrant as their favourite nightlife destinations, but not everybody knows that after renovating for months, Immigrant is reopening with a new concept. The Immigrant Dining room is the restaurant, and as their tagline said, it is the place "where deals get signed and the rumors begin". And don't worry, the club area will be reopening soon! ;p

 Interior wise, I love love how they designed the place. They combined exquisite and earthy materials to amplify the cool yet cozy mood and encourage the guests to relax and chill. I could picture myself sitting all day at that leather sofa, just chilling and having light conversations with my best girls.

But as a dining room, of course food is the most important. So here they are:

 Caesar Salad (IDR 75.000)

You know I'm not a big fan of salad. But this salad has probably changed me. Romaine lettuce, anchovy, crispy beef bacon, poached egg, parmesan & croutons, love every bite of it! Haha I might love it because the grilled chicken is big and thick and good, but all the other ingredients also blended well together. I couldn't believe I almost finish this huge bowl of salad by myself.

 Forest Mushrooms (IDR 45.000)

Portobello, porcini, button,black truffle mushrooms with parmesan and thyme foam. Soft, creamy, and it has quite strong taste of mushrooms. Nice appetizer to start your meal.

 Tea-Smoked Salmon Omelete (IDR 90.000)

Tea-smoked salmon, garlic sautéed mushrooms, roasted baby tomatoes and lemon fraîche over the boat-shaped omelete. Such a unique presentation! The omelete itself was not as fluffy as the usual omelette. It's more like soft and dense, but in a good way. The topping came in big fat chunks, as you can see in the picture, and all taste nice.

 Grandma's Cannelloni (IDR 80.000)

Might not be the most photogenic dish of the day, but I find this to be one of my favorite. If you love creamy and cheesy dish as much as I do (which is so damn much), then this one is the right dish for you. Oven-baked cannelloni pasta with chicken, mushroom, garlic, spinach, and mozzarella served with wood-smoked tomato puree and bechamel gratin.

 Wagyu Beef Burger (IDR 140.000)

Grilled patty of Australian wagyu beef, tomato chutney, jalapenos, cornichon and mozzarella gratin served with leaf salad and chunky potato fries. I think the picture said enough. Just look at that thick and juicy beef patty! One of the best burgers I've ever had, I must say.

 

GTO (IDR 98.000)

 Gin, triple sec, orange, grape, lemon, lime, and grape fruit. This cocktail looks milky and creamy, but it's not actually. You could taste hint of sourness when you take a sip. I think this one is perfect for a lady.

Sangria Blanca (IDR 98.000)

Well because I'm not too lady-like, I prefer this one: Sangria Blanca. I've always had a thing for sangria, the combination of white wine and fresh fruits tasted so refreshing!

 

 Varlhona Dark Chocolate (IDR 65.000)

Desserts are what we always looking for after having a nice meal. And choco lava cake could never fail me, especially when it's made of varlhona bar! Perfect dessert to end our lunch that day.

Bread and Butter Pudding (IDR 65.000)

Well another well-made dessert from Immigrant. Soft textured oven baked bread pudding served with vanilla ice cream. I'd still prefer the choco lava though, but my sister loved this so much.

If what I wrote above hasn't give you enough hint, let me say it out loud: Well done Immigrant! Great place, great food, great service. Loving my dining experience here so much. Would definitely be back in no time. And thanks Cynthia for having me here :D

The Immigrant Dining Room
Plaza Indonesia, 6th Floor (next to Plaza Indonesia XXI)
JL. MH. Thamrin Kav. 28 - 30
Ph: +6221 2992 4125 / +62 812 9930 0099