Zul's Food Diary (The OG)

They say your love for food will begin from home, and I couldn’t agree any more with that! I’ve been to so many houses this Hari Raya, but none of them could ever measure up to my mum’s lodeh and beef rendang. The flavours are so perfectly balanced, and the beef chunks are relatively tender…I could go on and on describing about how magnificent this is, but nothing will ever do its taste justice.

It’s the very thing that I look forward to whenever Eid celebrations come around. 😍

When you’re at the River Safari, you can’t run away from the gimmick-ness that courses through the zoo and rears itself in different forms. The Snake Eclair from the stall right outside the gift shop before the panda exhibit was one prime example of that. 🐍🍰

I mean, nothing to shout about here, but this was surprisingly much larger in portion than expected. It suffices as a treat after you and some of the kids in your party have done a fair bit of walking! 😋

[Amsterdam] Alright let’s talk about this for a second - the Heineken 0.0 (€0.89) has been making rounds on social media (especially among Malay-Muslim tele-cocoons on WhatsApp) as it has been spotted to be in stock in some stores around the Singapore.

One question never fails to rise - “Is it halal?” Denotatively and strictly speaking, no. A can of this contains 0.02% alcohol by volume – but its effects are negligible unless you chug about 300 or so of these in one sitting. What about…its taste though? It seems safe enough to consume, so the curiosity jumped out in my case.

This is one of those things that I will not hesitate to proclaim how bad it tastes. First of all, interestingly, it smells like a nail varnish mixed with paint, but…it doesn’t taste like either. By no means though does that mean it’s salvageable. In fact, to put it in the simplest way - its flavour is very much akin to an unseasoned bread, if that makes any sense.

To a beer connoisseur, perhaps fruity, malty sweetness are what come to mind. However, to the average, non-alcoholic, this is none of those and instead, it’s just a mess. I couldn’t finish half of the can. Who am I to speak for anybody though? But really. If this is marketed to the crowd who are looking a non-alcoholic drink to blend in at the table in a pub/bar with their friends or coworkers, then they’re better off sitting out of it or at least having water.

On another note though, I hear that in the sea of non-alcoholic beers, there are some really good alternatives - Mikkeller just to name one. Heineken is a no-go. (3.3/10)
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[DISCLAIMER: I can’t take a stance on this, but I read somewhere that non-alcoholic beers are also ‘dangerous’ for alcoholics as its smell can be a ‘trigger’ for them, which can indirectly lead to a relapse.]

Went to the Universe and Me exhibition at Marina Bay Sands the other day, where I found these freeze-dried Mint Chocolate Ice Cream ($12). I know, I know. These are way too expensive, but I'd been eyeing this ever since I stumbled upon it online back in 2015. 👀

The textural transition is unbelievable though - what feels as dry as a kuih bangkit at first transforms into a moist and creamy texture which is redolent of chantily creme. It's almost akin to those sachets of milk tablets from my childhood, except there's a modest shot of mint flavour present.

That's one thing I can strike off from my bucketlist. :') Also, does this make me ready for a space mission?! Haha

[Halal] A family member of mine just returned from their trip to Bangkok, and brought back a box of these innocent yet mysterious-looking Siam Bananas to share! 🍌

It's safe to say that our thoughts parallel as you're probably thinking this is a Tokyo Banana knockoff. 😂 But these are actually decent – the banana-shaped cake is so delicate, spongy and moist, but leaves my taste buds unfazed by its plain-ness. The banana puree that is encapsulated is where the burst of tropical banana flavour occurs. Unsurprisingly, the puree barely passes in terms of viscosity as it clumps instead of flows. 😩

Gosh…yet, I have to say - for a cheap alternative to the Tokyo Banana, these kinda hit the spot! 👅

I guess you could call this a mock milk, with dairy and soy nowhere in sight. I'm head over heels for this. It has the viscosity close to that of HL's Chocolate Milk, but has a really fresh, chocolatey taste and intermittent, if not random, strokes of piquant sweetness. What I loved most about this was the absence of the slightly sour smell of milk, even after keeping it in the refrigerator for four days. You can find it in supermarkets at the organic foods section, selling at around $6.50 for a 1L carton. 🍼🍫 (8/10)