[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

[Bali] Rock Bar at Ayana Resort

I got some spare time today but I haven't got anything new to post since I've been busy lately, so I'm diggin' up my old photos and find this beautiful place that I've been wanted to post since forever! And I'm kinda missing Bali right now, so here goes.

Rock Bar at Ayana Resort has been known for ages as one of the best spot to watch sunset in Bali. Hanging at the edge of the cliff at around 14 metres above the Indian Ocean, Rock Bar is definitely offering a different experience to enjoy sunset. And not only the sunset, you can also enjoy the sunny weather, the sound of the waves, and the mesmerizing view of the surrounding cliffs and the sparkling ocean.

The place opens at 4PM everyday, but usually people have started lining up since 3.30, so if you wish to get a good spot, you better come early. On my first visit about two years ago, I arrived here at 5PM and ended up missing the sunset, because the place was already full and people usually not leaving their table until the sun is set. So in my second visit last year, I came earlier.

Rock Bar is serving various cocktails and mocktails, and also light snacks and desserts. There are no minimum purchase per table here, but every person has to purchase at least a glass of drinks. Well since this is an old photos, I've lost the bill and can't remember the name nor the taste of these cocktails that we ordered that day, so I'll just share the photos :)

Potato Wedges, Curly Fries, and Pita Chips (IDR 50.000)

It came with three kinds of condiment: Ketchup, Hummus, and Curry Mayonaise. I was quite satisfied with Rock Bar's light snacks so far, they served it hot and fresh, and all of them tasted really nice.

Chicken Pop Corn served with Herbed Olive Oil and Spiced Dukkah (IDR 85.000)

This chicken pop corn is also a nice dish. The chicken are thick and tender, and the seasoning was really good that we didn't need to dip it to the condiment at all. 

In the end I realize why people keep coming to Rock Bar. Because not only great place and mesmerizing views, the food and beverages they served here are also nicely done that people could really enjoy the views with nice enjoyable food and drinks. Anyway, enjoy the sunset!

Rock Bar
AYANA Resort and Spa Bali
Jl Karang Mas Sejahtera, Jimbaran
Ph. +62 361 702222
Web. Rock Bar
Opening hours: 4pm – 1am

Desanesia

It is getting harder to find local snacks in Jakarta, isn't it? I just realized that since I got my full time job, I hardly have time to find local snacks. My office is connected to a mall, so I stick to what the mall have to offer, but local snack is not on the list. I think the only time I bought local snacks is when I went to Bandung for weekend trip.

Just in time to cure my local snack craving, Desanesia offered me to try their products, which use 100% local products and made based on the recipe that has been handed down from generation to generation, but manufactured with advanced technology so there is no doubt that the quality is well maintained. Even better, their products could be delivered right to your doorstep. Who could resist such convenience?

There are currently two kind of snacks developed by Desanesia: Mini Ranginang and Spinach Chips. But they come in several taste variants, and here's what I got:

Original Cheese Mini Ranginang (IDR 19.500), Spicy Cheese Mini Ranginang (IDR 19.500), and Cream Cheese Mini Ranginang (IDR 28.000). Their Ranginang comes in perfect bite size and excellent crunchiness. It is crunchy, but surprisingly not oily at all. Amongst all flavor, my personal favorite still goes down to the Original Cheese flavor. I just can't stop myself to finish the whole pack that time (Ops). The Spicy Cheese flavor was slightly too hot for my tastebud, while the Cream Cheese flavor was definitely an inovation, but still for me, their Original Cheese flavor is the best!

In the other hand, from their two flavors of Spinach Chips: Original Spinach Chips (IDR 15.000) and Spicy Spinach Chips (IDR 15.000), I prefer the spicy flavor. Actually the seasoning was already nice, kinda reminds me of "Rempeyek", but this is using spinach as the main ingredient. But adding the spiciness is just feels right.

So how to get these fascinating local snacks? Easy, just mention them on twitter @desanesia or @desainovasi, or order it via distributor Adinda Soraya (+6285624249502) or Adjie Wicaksana (+62818143540). For more information, also visit their website desanesia.com.

Remember that as you consume their snacks, you are also supporting local products and help empowering the local people of Cikidang and Cikoneng Village. Ciao!