Last year I was panicking about where to use my SkillsFuture $500 one‑time credit. Like many others, I scrambled to find a course at the last minute. I had bookmarked a few options that caught my interest, all related to food or drinks.

In the end, I was glad to secure a slot for WSET Level One Award in Sake with @thebeverageclique on the final days of the year. These slots run out quickly once released. Honestly, where else can you earn a professional certificate and get to drink at the same time. 😏

Level one covers the basics: what sake is, how it is made, categories, grades, tasting, production methods, labeling, storage, and food pairing. It is a clear overview before moving deeper into level two and beyond.

The exam is taken at the end of the day. A minimum of 70 percent is required to pass, and results are released about a month later. They send you the certificate link, and you can request a badge if you want it for collection. I was happy to score full marks. Maybe this is my calling. Haha.

The course layout and trainer were excellent. The number of glasses for tasting was appropriate, at least 7. Tips for the exam were shared, extra worksheets were provided to highlight key points, and a systematic approach to tasting using sight, smell, and palate was taught. I learnt a lot. Thank you instructor and SkillsFuture for sponsoring.

Hmmm... Should I take level two???
.
🚩The Beverage Clique Academy, 17 Carpenter St, 03-01, Singapore 059906
.
.
.
#WSETLevel1AwardinSake #WSET #TheBeverageCliqueAcademy #TheBeverageClique #Sake #nihonshu #酒 #日本酒 #SakeExperience #mehmehfoodventure #mehlicious #tastisfying #foodie #sgfoodie #sgfoodblogger #foodblogger #foodblog #foodcoma #burpple #burpplesg #sgfood #foodsg #eatmoresg #foodinsing #sgeats #oishii #美味しい

Been visiting Aroy Mak Mookata at least once a year since their old location at Macpherson Road, but now they have moved to Jalan Besar, opposite Sim Lim Tower, near Rochor MRT.

The mookata buffet used to be split between normal and premium pricing, but now it is only one price at $23.80 nett, introduced a few months back, with no GST or service charge. If you top up $5, you get free flow fountain drinks such as authentic Thai Milk Tea, Thai Green Milk Tea, Lemongrass, and more.

With this pricing, you get seafood, marinated meat, vegetables, processed food, and free flow sauces and condiments, plus one free ice cream. Seafood selection includes flower crab, clams, sotong, dory fish, mussels, and oysters. There used to be more options like crayfish and scallops, but still a steal considering the price. Freshness was good, especially for prawns and clams, while the rest were decent.

There was a wide range of marinated meats including chicken, beef, and pork. Marination was mild, would be better with stronger flavour, but at least the cuts were bite sized. I recommend sticking to non‑marinated or sesame flavour, and also getting the smoked duck. Dip into their sauce and enjoy.

Soup base was too plain. Even after cooking all the food, it stayed plain. It is good that soup starts neutral, but after cooking, the juices should enrich it. This was a disappointment, and I hope they improve the taste of the soup base.

They offered various dipping sauces, including different types of Thai chili sauce, belachan chilli, garlic, chilli padi, and even mayo and nacho cheese sauce, to enhance the flavour.

Overall, in terms of taste and quality, I felt it fell short compared to the past. In terms of pricing, it was still worth it. Eat mookata, enjoy air‑con, and free flow drinks. I do miss their braised meat rice, which they served for a period.

Cash or PayNow/PayLah only.
.
🚩Aroy Mak Mookata, 21 Jln Besar, Singapore 208793
.
.
.
#aroymakthaikitchen #aroymakmookata #mookata #mehmehfoodventure #mehlicious #tastisfying #foodie #sgfoodie #sgfoodblogger #foodblogger #foodblog #foodcoma #burpple #burpplesg #sgfood #foodsg #eatmoresg #foodinsing #sgeats #thaifood #อร่อย​ #aroi #allyoucaneat #buffet #mookatabuffet #freeflowdrink

Me: Aunty, Sambal Sliced Fish Rice, eating here.
Staff: Want add egg?
Me: Okay lor.
Staff: $8.
Me: Eight… eight… dollars!? (Got a shock for a moment when I heard the pricing.)
Staff: Correct, $8.
I reluctantly took out my cash and paid. Sob… sob… :(

Wow, this better be good, I told myself. Fluffy white rice plated with sambal sliced fish and a slightly greasy fried egg. The sliced fish was smooth and tender, portion generous, cooked with onions, spring onions, tomatoes, and sambal. Sambal flavour was tasty, with sweetness, savouriness, and spiciness, and the addition of tomato gave tanginess. A very classic sambal homey taste that warms the soul and reminds you of grandma at grandma’s place.
.
🚩Grandma's place, 8 Admiralty St, 01-05, Admirax, Singapore 757438
.
.
.
#SambalSlicedFishRice #叁巴鱼片饭 #GrandmasPlace #外婆家 #叁巴鱼片 #SambalSlicedFish #zichar #煮炒 #GrandmasPlaceSG #mehmehfoodventure #mehlicious #tastisfying #foodie #sgfoodie #sgfoodblogger #foodblogger #foodblog #foodcoma #burpple #burpplesg #sgfood #foodsg #eatmoresg #foodinsing #sgeats

Moist, tender rice served with ayam merah, sambal goreng, begedil, serundeng, and sambal. Ayam merah was mildly spicy, sweet, savoury, and tangy. Texture fell slightly dry but still tender, with the merah sauce helping to make it less dull. Size was pretty big. The sauce was good and paired nicely with the rice. Sambal goreng consisted of long beans, tempeh, and deep-fried tofu cooked in sambal paste. Texture was crunchy and flavour hearty. Begedil had a crisp outer with soft, savoury, mushy potato inside. Serundeng was aromatic with a neat toasty flavour, though the portion was too little. Sambal leaned more sweet than spicy. Overall, it was delicious and portion was just right, though the sauces could have been more generous. If served banjir style, it would be even more shiok.

CDC Vouchers accepted.
.
🚩Al-Usroh Authentic Malay Cuisine, 21 Canberra Link, 01-52 Bukit Canberra Hawker Centre, Singapore 756973
.
.
.
#NasiAyamMerah #AyamMerah #SambalGoreng #AlUsrohAuthenticMalayCuisine #MalayCuisine #HalalSG #SGHalal #Sedap #SGHawkerCulture #hawkerculture #hawkerfood #mehmehfoodventure #mehlicious #tastisfying #foodie #sgfoodie #sgfoodblogger #foodblogger #foodblog #foodcoma #burpple #burpplesg #sgfood #foodsg #eatmoresg #foodinsing #sgeats #bchc #BukitCanberraHawkerCentre

Moist, tender rice served with ayam merah, sambal goreng, begedil, serundeng, and sambal. Ayam merah was mildly spicy, sweet, savoury, and tangy. Texture fell slightly dry but still tender, with the merah sauce helping to make it less dull. Size was pretty big. The sauce was good and paired nicely with the rice. Sambal goreng consisted of long beans, tempeh, and deep-fried tofu cooked in sambal paste. Texture was crunchy and flavour hearty. Begedil had a crisp outer with soft, savoury, mushy potato inside. Serundeng was aromatic with a neat toasty flavour, though the portion was too little. Sambal leaned more sweet than spicy. Overall, it was delicious and portion was just right, though the sauces could have been more generous. If served banjir style, it would be even more shiok.

CDC Vouchers accepted.
.
🚩Al-Usroh Authentic Malay Cuisine, 21 Canberra Link, 01-52 Bukit Canberra Hawker Centre, Singapore 756973
.
.
.
#NasiAyamMerah #AyamMerah #SambalGoreng #AlUsrohAuthenticMalayCuisine #MalayCuisine #HalalSG #SGHalal #Sedap #SGHawkerCulture #hawkerculture #hawkerfood #mehmehfoodventure #mehlicious #tastisfying #foodie #sgfoodie #sgfoodblogger #foodblogger #foodblog #foodcoma #burpple #burpplesg #sgfood #foodsg #eatmoresg #foodinsing #sgeats #bchc #BukitCanberraHawkerCentre

Saw quite a number of people eating their food when I was wandering around the hawker centre deciding what to eat during lunch break. Guess it was a sign to eat @lixinfishball, and at the same time I was curious about it. Haha.

Got me a bowl with a bit of almost everything. I had mee kia dry style, added chilli mixed with lard oil, crispy pork lard, and homemade chilli sauce. The amount of sauce given was generous, each mouthful making the lips greasy. Noodles had a nice chewy bite and flavour was great, though I did not quite like how the noodles clumped together when lifting to eat, as one whole chunk of noodles came out at once. The bowl also came with lightly marinated and tender minced meat, lean meat, onsen egg, spring onion, and a jumbo wanton. The wanton was huge with crispy skin, but the actual filling size was comparable to their fish dumpling. A bit hard to chew if the skin got wet and lost its crispiness.

Since the noodles were served dry, they provided a small bowl of soup to accompany it. The soup contained their homemade secret recipe fishball said to be made from 100% yellowtail fish, fish dumpling, and fish roll. The fishball had a really bouncy texture and was full of umami. The fish dumpling had smooth QQ skin with savoury meat inside. The fish roll wrapped vegetable within fish meat. All were pretty delicious and the savoury soup was comforting.

Overall, it was pretty awesome and I now know why so many people were eating their food and why this dish is called The Folks' Favourite.

CDC Vouchers accepted.
.
🚩LiXin Teochew Fishball Noodles, 21 Canberra Link, 01-31 Bukit Canberra Hawker Centre, Singapore 756973
.
.
.
#TheFolksFavourite #潮州鱼圆面 #月光宝盒 #LiXinTeochewFishballNoodles #TeochewFishballNoodles #FishballNoodles #Meekia #SGHawkerCulture #hawkerculture #hawkerfood #mehmehfoodventure #mehlicious #tastisfying #foodie #sgfoodie #sgfoodblogger #foodblogger #foodblog #foodcoma #burpple #burpplesg #sgfood #foodsg #eatmoresg #foodinsing #sgeats #bchc #BukitCanberraHawkerCentre #MichelinBibGourmand

Saw quite a number of people eating their food when I was wandering around the hawker centre deciding what to eat during lunch break. Guess it was a sign to eat @lixinfishball, and at the same time I was curious about it. Haha.

Got me a bowl with a bit of almost everything. I had mee kia dry style, added chilli mixed with lard oil, crispy pork lard, and homemade chilli sauce. The amount of sauce given was generous, each mouthful making the lips greasy. Noodles had a nice chewy bite and flavour was great, though I did not quite like how the noodles clumped together when lifting to eat, as one whole chunk of noodles came out at once. The bowl also came with lightly marinated and tender minced meat, lean meat, onsen egg, spring onion, and a jumbo wanton. The wanton was huge with crispy skin, but the actual filling size was comparable to their fish dumpling. A bit hard to chew if the skin got wet and lost its crispiness.

Since the noodles were served dry, they provided a small bowl of soup to accompany it. The soup contained their homemade secret recipe fishball said to be made from 100% yellowtail fish, fish dumpling, and fish roll. The fishball had a really bouncy texture and was full of umami. The fish dumpling had smooth QQ skin with savoury meat inside. The fish roll wrapped vegetable within fish meat. All were pretty delicious and the savoury soup was comforting.

Overall, it was pretty awesome and I now know why so many people were eating their food and why this dish is called The Folks' Favourite.

CDC Vouchers accepted.
.
🚩LiXin Teochew Fishball Noodles, 21 Canberra Link, 01-31 Bukit Canberra Hawker Centre, Singapore 756973
.
.
.
#TheFolksFavourite #潮州鱼圆面 #月光宝盒 #LiXinTeochewFishballNoodles #TeochewFishballNoodles #FishballNoodles #Meekia #SGHawkerCulture #hawkerculture #hawkerfood #mehmehfoodventure #mehlicious #tastisfying #foodie #sgfoodie #sgfoodblogger #foodblogger #foodblog #foodcoma #burpple #burpplesg #sgfood #foodsg #eatmoresg #foodinsing #sgeats #bchc #BukitCanberraHawkerCentre #MichelinBibGourmand

Grilled chicken was big and thick as always, juicy and tender with a nice char, not too greasy and pleasantly chewy upon bite. No mushroom gravy was drizzled compared to the aglio olio style. Perhaps they wanted us to dip it in the cream sauce from the carbonara since it was given in generous amount.

Carbonara is the usual kopitiam version with lots of cream, and this one was extremely creamy. Would probably be better to call it cream pasta. Noodles were slightly soft and slurpy, with each strand coated well in the cream sauce. The cream was not heavy, quite moderate, not one to make you feel jelak, though it did make the lips creamy too. Haha. Probably would taste even better if bacon was added, but they did not have bacon that day. Bacon adds umami taste. Mushrooms would also help to make it less plain and add some earthy bites. Still a delicious and filling plate of noodles.

Went back to eat again and realised there is an increase in pricing of 30 cents for all their mains. This item is not written in the menu, you need to request it. You will only see Aglio Olio with Grilled Chicken Chop ($7.80) on the menu. Top up $1 to change from aglio olio to carbonara style.

Carbonara is the usual kopitiam version with lots of cream, and this one was extremely creamy. Would probably be better to call it cream pasta. Noodles were slightly soft and slurpy, with each strand coated well in the cream sauce. The cream was not heavy, quite moderate, not one to make you feel jelak, though it did make the lips creamy too. Haha. Probably would taste even better if bacon was added, but they did not have bacon that day. Bacon adds umami taste. Mushrooms would also help to make it less plain and add some earthy bites. Still a delicious and filling plate of noodles.

Grilled chicken was big and thick as always, juicy and tender with a nice char, not too greasy and pleasantly chewy upon bite. No mushroom gravy was drizzled compared to the aglio olio style. Perhaps they wanted us to dip it in the cream sauce from the carbonara since it was given in generous amount.

CDC Vouchers accepted.
.
🚩Bradley’s Grill, 630 Yishun Street 61, Singapore 760630
.
.
.
#Carbonara #CarbonaraGrilledChickenChop #BradleysGrill #CreamPasta #奶油意大利面 #鸡扒白酱意大利面 #西式鸡扒 #mehmehfoodventure #mehlicious #tastisfying #foodie #sgfoodie #sgfoodblogger #foodblogger #foodblog #foodcoma #burpple #burpplesg #sgfood #foodsg #eatmoresg #foodinsing #sgeats #western #westernfood #grilledchickenchop #chickenchop #bradleygrill #pasta #spaghetti

Heartwarming bowl of chewy, slurpy noodles in umami savoury soup with loads of Chinese spinach, wolfberries, minced meat, century egg, salted egg, normal egg, ikan bilis, and shallots. Comfort food at its best. When the soup is good, everything is good. Haha.
.
🚩128 Ban Mee-Mee Hoon Kuey-Fish Soup, F&B Outlet, JTC Space @ Tuas Biomedical Park, 128 Tuas South Ave 3, Singapore 609601
.
.
.
#128noodles #ThreeEggSpinachSoup #三蛋苋菜汤 #youmian #幼面 #mehmehfoodventure #mehlicious #tastisfying #foodie #sgfoodie #sgfoodblogger #foodblogger #foodblog #foodcoma #burpple #burpplesg #sgfood #foodsg #eatmoresg #foodinsing #sgeats

Returned to eat their HKM. More than 15 years of eating here and the consistency remains. Feels like I have been eating across two generations since now the son is cooking. A savoury plate of slurpy noodles with beansprouts, sotong, eggs, and two peeled prawns. Their version is the wet style, which I like, cooked till thick, creamy, and eggy, almost like eating Asian carbonara with a touch of wok hei. Slurp, slurp, and it is gone in a few bites. The stock used is rich and umami.

Tasty, though the sotong seemed like a last minute add, cooked only briefly, so the flavour did not soak in well. At least the texture was not rubbery. There used to be pork lard, but not sure where it went, maybe need to request. Chilli was spicy and matched nicely with the noodles.

CDC Vouchers accepted.
.
🚩Ming Qi Fried Hokkien Prawn Noodle, 925 Yishun Central 1, Singapore 760925
.
.
.
#FriedHokkienPrawnMee #FriedHokkienMee #HokkienMee #炒福建面 #MingQiFriedHokkienPrawnNoodle #mehmehfoodventure #mehlicious #tastisfying #foodie #sgfoodie #sgfoodblogger #foodblogger #foodblog #foodcoma #burpple #burpplesg #sgfood #foodsg #eatmoresg #foodinsing #sgeats #hkm #福建炒虾面 #炒虾面 #炒福建虾面 #umami #FriedHokkienPrawnNoodle