3 Nollar ... 3 Dollar Treats !

Same same but different

Those who know me call me names - like the food expert or the walking food guide and I do take my food very very seriously - that includes going only to certain outlets for certain food .

I would travel down to valley point , nam kee for my red bean pau and insist that I only have it here after countless unpleasant experience at their other kiosks island wide .

This is quintessentially the “ central kitchen “ of nam kee pau where you see the pau chefs in kitchen .

The pau here is soft , plump and fresh - quite different from their Tangs foodcourt outlet where I had paus With very soaking wet bottoms ( due to over steaming ) or the paus I had at their duo outlet which have very bumpy skin/ torn skin ( likely kept overnight ) and are hard and dry .

Since you pay the same price , why not get the best ?

Right ?

These days I get very excited when I find something value for money and especially so if the standards are good.

I love curry time’s range of bread - especially the gula Melaka coconut bread . The bread is slightly chewy and well proofed - unlike the sticky and sickening soft consistency of bread talk breads .

What’s more - you get a good cup of teh c that’s robust for a total nett price of 2.50.

Doesn’t that call for celebration ?

The breads come with a variety of “feelings “🤣-
Hae bee Hiam , ikan billis , sardine and their infamous curry .

I find these actually miles better than their curry puffs 😚.

Only available at velocity curry times. Do find some time to come here to have tea , eat bread and shake legs .

Don’t ask for your bread to be warmed up though because they would use a microwave and breads and microwave do not go together .

Be nice and just have the bread at room temperature 🤣. It’s good enough I assure you .

Back at one of my favourite haunts for my red bean pau.

Creamy homemade red bean paste enveloped in a fluffy mantou naturally coloured with vegetables like beetroot / spinach .

The red bean purée is so so so creamy and the best part is that it is not sweet .

I crave for these fluffy paus Everyday .

So fresh and healthy 😊

Finally got my hands on the red bean flavour since my partner was willing to share one with me.

The red bean is outstanding - full of authentic red bean flavour .

It’s essentially like a greaseless crisp Prata and surprisingly quite light .

Best eaten when hot 😊

Back to my favourite place for beancurd .

I just love how Fresh and smooth the beancurd here is.

I asked for the topping of creamy red kidney beans and for some soya milk to be added to my beancurd .

Remember to ask for your beancurd sans sugar syrup since the kidney beans are slightly sweetened .

10/10. Excellent .

Posts by fellow burpplers always have this magic of making me think and dream of their recommendations until I finally get my hands on them.

I have had my dinner this evening but when I got past Isteaks and recalled the glorious cinnamon pumpkin posts - I had to get them 😁

I like how charred the pumpkin was roasted to and the nice flavour of cinnamon went well with the pumpkin - my only gripe was that the pumpkin was not creamy and more so grainy and fibrous ( I guess these were the Malaysian pumpkins and not the Australian ones ) and hence it affected the whole texture of the dish .

Nevertheless , a good inspiration for me to try making this at home soon 😍

If you need a light supper after dinner , you can order these as sides .

At the Tangs foodhall run by the fei Siong brand is this stall selling pau and small eats like chwee kueh and chee Cheong fun and glutinous rice .

The stall doesn’t advertise but this is the same nam kee pau brand that you see at ion basement / Bugis / centrepoint basement food street etc .

Apart from their pretty good small handmade paus ( is which the Tau sar is seriously addictive ), they serve a pretty good glutinous rice .

The rice is cooked just nice without being too soft or greasy and the chicken strips are tender .

Pair it with their homemade sambal for a little oomph .

A pretty affordable mid morning or afternoon snack .

Back at my hiding place at Dong Po colonial cafe.

Apart from my usual order of coconut tart , I was happy to see another of my favourites - the Pandan coconut cake on display .

So fragrant and moist with the natural flavour of pandan shining through and a little desiccated coconut to add some texture amidst the soft and tender cake . And at 1.50 per slice for so much love and effort - what affordability in this day and age where cafes are charging 7 to 8 dollars for cake slices that are mainly churned out in bulk from central kitchens ( or factories I call them ...)

This reminds me of a headline that I read somewhere on why would people pay 15 dollars for brunch but less willing to pay for a plate of wanton Mee which sometimes requires much more work , effort and behind the scenes preparation .

Perfect afternoon treat with a cup of their fabulous Kopi to watch the world go by ....

I hope places like Dong Po will live on forever ...
because it just preserves a past of Singapore....

The first time I was attracted to heaven’s was because of its signboard.

Why heaven’s ? I finally found out today ....after chatting to the friendly stall owners .

The masala thosai is so perfectly done. I can only give it full marks. Slightly crisp ( because I requested for It) on the surface and moist with the right balance to flour to the masala potato filling ratio , every bite took me to the heavens. Accompanied with 3 in house made sauces ( 2 curry based and 1 with coconut and herbs), the flavours were exploding in my mouth .

Because thosai is made of fermented rice flour , it has a unique tangyness and is said to be more easily digested - with its health benefits and yummilicious taste profile - it’s really a heavenly food .

For those of you who are less familiar with Indian food , take this along the lines of a crepe - only that it is much better because it’s lighter and more clean tasting . You actually don’t feel as heavy as you would if you had a French crepe .

I also added on an order of appom which is a disc like crepe with a slightly fluffier and doughy centre - that’s slightly chewy . Paired with coconut shavings and sugar , this was really really lovely . The appom reminds me slightly of the huat kueh - like the orange and greens ones you get from bangawan Solo just that the appom has a slight crisp on the exterior .

If the above plus points are not enough, the masala thosai at 2.50 and the appom at 2 dollars for 2 just makes it all the more better.

I can’t wait to visit this stall again . ...

I love this little bakery at Holland village because all the breads look and taste so good .

For a savoury meal - choose the sesame pizza and pair it with their Long black .

I have tasted enough coffee ☕️ to know that this is still my choice cup of Long black . It’s incredibly smooth and aromatic - far far superior that all the Long blacks that I have tried in all the trendiest cafes .

I hope to own a cafe like that some day when you see lots of smiles and joys of both adults and children alike when they feast on breads that are prepared with a heart .

Le Tian Tian specialises in Hk style hot desserts but they whip up very good small treats like yam cake , fried bee hoon and glutinous rice.

When I crave for an authentic yam cake in the evening , I would zoom straight to this no frills eatery .

Lots and lots of yam is used in this yam cake so you won’t be expecting a “ yam cake” that is actually only made of flour and artificial seasoning or food colouring .

You get the real stuff here.

Paired with some fried shallots and sweet sauce that has been diluted so that it’s not cloying sweet , this yam cake is faultless .

And only at 3 dollars 💵 for so much work ...

Don’t expect much service though - it’s a eat and go place .

Tastes like home ...

I love how well executed this glutinous rice is .
The rice is cooked till perfection - neither too soft Nor too hard.

The rice is well seasoned and generously cooked with dried shrimps and sliced mushrooms .

Topped with fried shallots - this makes a perfect in between meal treat.