Category: Food

Chatterbox, a well-known name in my era. Newer generation folks may not resonate easily with this name.

Chatterbox used to be housed in the old Mandarin Orchard Hotel and they are famous for their “atas” chicken rice, a comfort hawker dish but catered to people in the insanely Crazy Rich Asians diners back in those days.

They have just opened their doors to diners again since Mar 2022 at the new Hillton Singapore Orchard. I am sure chicken rice fans will flock to check out Chatterbox in time to come and experience the taste of the all-famous chicken rice dish.

Likewise, I am no exception either 🤣 as a natural self-acclaim foodie.

Chatterbox whips up local Asian dishes where you can easily find in any hawker centre around you. Nothing fanciful but merely a nostalgic walk down memory lane for people who are familiar and can associate with. 😊

You will immediately be greeted with the fragrant chicken rice smell while making your way to the seating area.

Other than ala-carte items, they now offer Heritage Set Meal too.

Trio of the Day comprises of beautifully crafted Ngoh Hiang, Kueh Pie Tee and a big succulent prawn.

The star of the item, (there is no price in guessing) the all awaited chicken rice. The chicken meat is well boiled and so tenderly soft with the fragrance of the rice without a doubt and coupled with their trio sauces; home-made chili sauce, ginger puree and the cannot missed out black sauce that is required to drizzle over the rice.

In the past, they used to provide free-flow rice refill but now additional bowl of rice will be charged. Having said that, you may still request for soup refill without additional charge. 😉

Not sure whether it is due to the psychological effect (expensive stuff must be good 😂) that somehow Chatterbox chicken rice seems to be super tasty though this is what you can get in any other chicken rice stall. 🤔😃

Their Signature Coconut Ice Cream that comes with double scoop of the creamy coconut ice cream, topped with crunchy chopped walnuts, medley of tropical fruits served in a coconut husk. Sinfully delicious.

You are more than welcome to go for their ala-carte items as well if set meal sounds heavy to you. 😉

Skewers of chicken or beef grilled over charcoal with onions, cucumber, ketupat and a sweet-savoury peanut sauce with pineapple puree. The meat is grilled to perfection and tenderly deliciously with the charred smell especially.

Wrapped in banana leaf and grilled over an open charcoal flame, this traditionally spicy fish cake is a marriage of mackerel, handpicked crab meat and a melange of traditional Malay spices such as lemongrass, shallots and coconut milk. A must try for seafood fans.

This crowd-pleaser is loaded with whole Boston lobster claw, quail eggs, fish cake, thick vermicelli noodles and dried beancurd served in a flavoursome coconut broth of spices and coconut milk.

Nostalgic best enjoyed over a pot of tea. An assortment of Nyonya kuehs-of-the-day, available in 4 types. It’s a must for kueh lovers. Strictly no compromise!

Do you think it is still worth your while to try this “atas” chicken rice? Well, to each its own but I firmly believe that chicken rice die-hard fans out there will surely give it a try! 👍

When I think of Mexican cuisine, Cha Cha Cha will immediately popped up in my mind. Key reason for resonating it so easily is that Cha Cha Cha holds a special memory in me.

Why is it so? I used to work as a part-time staff in the early years in 1990. Wow, time really flies. I remember vividly the couple owners, Melvin and Joyce of Cha Cha Cha back then and not forgetting a lovely colleague, Karen too. Wondering how have they been after all these years. It would certainly be great if they chance upon this blog article and get in touch with me. 😉

The restaurant remains the same except for the internal layout that have since changed. Food prices are friendly and affordable coupled with the quality too.

You cannot shy away from the usual suspects when it comes to authentic Mexican food. Else, it just don’t feel so Mexican after all. 😀

Jalapeño stuffed with cheese, battered & fried to crispy finish. This is one of those recommended authentic starter and an acquired taste dish if you enjoy the little spice and sour taste of that green chilli pepper.

Chicken & beef stuffed tortillas served with sour cream, guacamole & pico de gallo. Mexican spring rolls with meat instead of vegetables fillings. Great starter before your mains.

Deep fried calamari served with chipotle mayo. Another power starter as well. Definitely one of the better calamari that I have had.

Grilled flour tortilla filled with melted cheese served with guacamole, sour cream & pico de gallo. You can choose from a selection of fillings or having it just with cheese. I loved mine with shredded beef.

Served with lettuce, cheese, pico de gallo with pulled pork as my desired fillings.

Rolled corn tortillas with melted cheese served with green enchilada sauce, cilantro rice & black bean. There are selection of fillings too and I like mine with pulled pork. This is something new as in the early days when I was there, pulled pork was not an option back then. Also, we use to serve it with Mexican rice (loved the tomato-rish taste) and refried bean instead of cilantro rice (refreshingly good too) and black bean.

Flour tortillas served with pico de gallo, sour cream & guacamole. Bigger version of deep fried tapas. Its like spring rolls. Likewise there are options for fillings too. I loved mine with shredded chicken.

Served in a wholesome huge flour tortilla bowl of kidney beans, cheese, sliced Jalapeño, cherry tomatoes, green salsa, black olives, cilantro rice, guacamole and sour cream. Awesome dish for sure.

Tortilla stuffed with cheese, topped with sour cream, guacamole, pico de gallo & deep fried. Similarly, you can choose from a variety of fillings too and I liked mine with shredded beef. This is truly authentically Mexican and so far I have yet to see this dish offered in other Mexican restaurant here. A must order item here in my opinion.

Deep fried chicken thighs served with chipotle sauce, corn salsa & cilantro rice. One of my favourite mains for sure. The chipotle sauce just works wonder with the deep fried chicken thighs.

Beef stew topped with Jalapeño served with flour tortillas and cilantro rice. I love the tomato-rish flavoured broth, and this dish is likened to that of Mexican biriyani.

You can always try some of their desserts here too for your after meals.

Deep fried cinnamon apple pastry served with vanilla ice cream. An interesting dessert to try. 👍

Deep fried dough strips served with chocolate sauce. One of the better churros for sure.

I would strongly urge you to try if you have already not done so. 😉

Porridge or commonly associated to congee is a comfort food known to the locals, especially when you are feeling sick, is a simple joy to bring up your day regardless of occassion.

The canton-styled congee, one with the soft and creamy grains that will send warmth to your stomach and usually mixed with minced pork and century eggs. There are also variations to the porridge, depending on what the stall owners have to offer.

I listed some of the stalls that I personally liked and hope to share with like-minded friends.

The first stall is Hong Kee Porridge (鸿记粥) located at Commonwealth Crescent Market on the 2nd floor. I have grown up with this stall since I was young. The stall is operated by an old cantonese couple, and it is often usual to hear them quarrelling over trivial matters like placing food order by customers.

This is my all-time cheap and favourite porridge stall that serves generous ingredients of slice pork, mined pork balls, and pork liver at $4 a bowl.

Sin Heng Kee Porridge at Hougang Street 61 is another of my favourite porridge stall too. I love their pork porridge with additional ingredient of pork liver added.

They do offer a wide selection porridge choice to suit each individual needs. If you are undecided, then go for their signature porridge, which has all the sample ingredients in it. By the way, this stall also offers claypot frog leg porridge in their menu too.

Speaking on claypot frog leg porridge, my personal favourite will be none other than Chang Cheng Zhou (长城粥) along New Bridge Road.

Best of all, they open till 4am to cater for night owls after partying. I like their 宫保田鸡粥 best.

Each time, I will bound to order at least 3 frog legs to satisfy my cravings.

They do offer a wide selection of porridges in their menu, too. Wait no more. Go and check it out now!

Chai Chee Porridge at Blk 85 Bedok Food Market is one other place that certainly warrants some attention too.

Bon appetit! I love mine with lots of sesame oil. How about you?

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Craving for a good American burger? Try considering Broadway American Diner.

An American-themed restaurant set in the 50’s backdrop which reminds me of Billy’s Bombers and Johnny Rockets. This place serves Shakes, Burgers & Hot Dogs, a truly American styled items offered without fanfare.

They offer selection of items ranging from Munchies, Salads, Sandwiches, Rolls, Toasts, Burgers, Sweets, Ice Cream, Sorbet, Milkshakes and Floats.

Oh, I just loved their curly fries. Brings back fond memories of those A&W Curly Fries days. 🙂

Smoked Beef Sausage, Chilli Con Carne, Pico De Gallo, Mozzarella Cheese, Hot Dog Bun

Milk-poached Salmon, Scrambled Egg, Black Truffle, Bacon Bits, Shaved Parmesan Cheese, Brioche Toast

Beef Patty, Fried Onion Rings, Smoky Bacon, Cheddar Cheese, Apple Butter Barbeque Sauce

Angus Patty, Mayonnaise, Chilli Sauce, Egg Wrap, Cheddar Cheese, Black Pepper Mushroom Sauce

Angus Beef Patty, Brie De Meaux, Caramelized Onions Cornichons, Dijon Mustard, Apple Butter Sauce

Angus Beef Patty, Sautéed Mushrooms, Roasted Bacon, Browned Onions, Swiss Cheese

Pulled Pork, Coleslaw, Green Apples, Arugula, Dijon Mustard, Smoky Spicy Ketchup. Their pulled pork is super tender and melts in your mouth type. Awesomely delicious.

Looks are definitely deceiving in this instance. I love the buttery flaky crust of their apple pie. In my opinion, serving with a scoop of vanilla ice cream will be more of a perfect match instead of using whipped cream.

This is one of the better classic milkshake that I have had. Smooth and milky. 😍

I would certainly love to try more of their items on the menu in time to come.

So, if you are yearning for some classic American food, do pop by Broadway American Diner and I am sure you will be intrigued by the food and ambience.

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With continuation of travel restriction to Taiwan, fans of Taiwanese cuisine will surely missed and craved for authentic Taiwanese food. Thankfully, there are a couple of Taiwanese cafés and eateries making ways here for these fans.

Apart from Lee’s Taiwanese and Eat 3 Bowls, there is another new found outlet, +886 Bistro offering authentic Taiwanese flavors with a modern twist which I chanced upon.

Needless to say, it is a must to try out the usual suspect dishes. 😉

Using premium Japanese rice with superior sauce sauce coupled with melt in your mouth pork belly and braised for more than 24 hours. Topped with spring onion and sweet & spicy turnips. This is truly heavenly. Cannot go wrong type. 👍

Shredded chicken with a home made blend of scallion oil and sauce. This is another champion dish. Much better than the one served in Lee’s Taiwanese.

Like Scallion Chicken Rice, except served with udon. Something unique and tastes as good too.

Bonito broth with mushrooms and shredded chicken. This is at best so-so and passable. I would prefer it with intestine instead. Not as flavourful as I expected.

One of their signature item, originated from their Founder’s great grandparents, boneless, fried to a crisp with a slight chew. Frankly, I am not too impressed by it as it does not have the crispy texture to it.

For those who prefer their chicken without the honey. It’s nice but not as power as the crispy chicken chop served in Lee’s Taiwanese.

Braised in the same goodness as their braised pork, includes radish, Taiwanese glutinous rice cake, mushroom, meatball and fish roe strip. The Taiwanese version of Oden. This is another power dish. 👍

There are various flavour options for selection. Decided on their original salt & pepper flavour for the first try. This is surprisingly delicious.

Likewise there are various modifiers that you can choose from. I go for the original flavour that do not require additional top-ups. 😉 Well, I still prefer the crispy enoki over fried shitake as I enjoy more on the crispy crunch feel.

A great starter dish to begin with. Simple yet tasty.

Oooh, this is another good crispy starter to begin with too. 🙂

A chewy texture rice cake dish with a unique salty plummy taste. Very Taiwanese indeed. I would say it is quite acquired. It’s either a love or hate type of dish.

You may also try out some of their desserts too.

An interesting dessert, mochi-like texture similar to fried glutinous rice ball with yam paste wrapped with sweet potato paste. Makes a great dessert dish.

Classic creme brûlée with a dollop of yam. Feels like eating orh nee. Interesting and unique dessert.

Served with condensed milk and brown sugar. Definitely another power dessert without a doubt especially for sweet-tooth lovers. Sinfully good. 😋😋😋

Oh mine….this is one of the better boba brown sugar milk tea that I have had for sure! 👍

Overall, quality is there and certainly a new place which you can try out should your next Taiwanese food cravings arises.

This is truly a hidden gem for traditional coffee lovers. With the recent spate of high inflation with all prices increasing as fast as rocket, you may be pleased to know that there is still one such place that sells coffee at only 50 cents a cup! 😲

Yes, you did not hear me wrong, it is 50 cents!!!! Holy mama!!!!

This place is none other than Jalan Benaan Kapal Hawker Centre. It is tucked in an inconspicuous area around stadium walk, a small hawker centre with just one row of about 10 or less stalls. Most of the stalls do not have a stand out signage name. Just plain vanilla of what they are selling that’s all. Very nostalgic the moment you step in and it gives you the feeling being transported back to an old kampong area. 很有人情味.

This is the coffee stall that I am referring to. Located at the corner stall with no visibly stand out signage or stall name. ☺️

Operated by just a one-man old uncle who is passionate about what he has been doing all these years.

This is insanely unbelievable. You get to enjoy a cup of nice fragrant coffee at 50 cents and also soaking in to the kampong feel environment. This is by far the cheapest coffee you can find in town other than the free coffee offered by Ikea for Ikea members. 😊

So, feel free to drop by this place if you happen to be around this area to lend your support to this uncle and at the same time experience the joy of stretching your dollar further! 👍👍👍

It has been a good 2 years since I last had authentic Vietnamese cuisine. Each time when my cravings comes, I would always make a trip to Ho Chi Minh City for my fooding fix. Thanks to Covid-19, the said luxury has been revoked with the International border closure. Haiz…. 🙄

I chanced upon an article featuring Cô Chung, serving authentic taste of Vietnam cuisine. Upon googling up their menu, I saw some of the food items listed and it does seem to resonate with me. That was what it prompted me to try it out.

Vietnamese cuisine offers a fragrant blend of tastes and smells, with pungent fish sauce, shrimp paste and soy sauce typically combined with a variety of fresh flavours such as lemongrass, ginger, mint, lime, basil and coriander plus spicy overtones of chilli and cinnamon.

Enjoying some of my usual favourite food fix.

Rice paper roll of pork belly, shrimp, noodle, veggie and herb. Best taste together with their special homemade dipping sauce.

Minced pork and shrimp, veggie all in a crispy roll. The fresh and crispy spring rolls are a must haves for me! It is like a package bundle deal. 😀😀

Special marinated ground beef carefully wrapped in betel leaves and grilled over charcoal. This BBQ dish is served with veggies, herb and exclusive fermented fish sauce. A little garnish with peanuts and fried shallots. The beef is super tender.

Nem Nuông is originally from Central Vietnam, sort of grilled pork “sausage”, served with veggies, herb and homemade sauce. It’s like prawn and meat paste wrapped round a stalk of lemongrass for the additional flavours.

Bánh Mì is a Queen of Street Food in Vietnam. Coming to Vietnam without trying it would deem your trip as incomplete.

Bánh Mì, also known as Vietnamese baguette or sandwich, is split lengthwise and filled with plenty of savoury Vietnamese ingredients like meats and vegetables including Chả Lụa (Vietnamese pork sausage), French jambon/pork ham, coriander/cilantro, pickled carrots and daikon, French paté, jalapeño, butter and mayonnaise.

Family recipe and ingredients combined with slow-cooked beef bone creates a unique beef broth. I just love the authentic beefy soup broth.

The stock is made from prawn, pork and tomato served with vermicelli and special mixed crab ball, pork rib, shrimp and tofu. The soup stock is really flavourful and deliciously good.

Special marinated grilled pork, sunny side up egg, egg meatloaf on top of broken rice, served with special condensed fish sauce. Simple yet flavourful.

The string of super thin noodles in firm texture creates unforgettable flavour when combining with special formulated fish sauce, grilled pork, crushed prawn & scallion oil on top. It’s like eating putu mayam with sweet satay pork.

It tasted like non-sweetened beancurd. I would have expected it to be on a sweeter side because of the caramel. It did not do justice to this dessert.

This sweet dessert is served warm. It is actually sago with banana with peanuts without the soup. 😂

How I miss their thick and strong coffee. Brings back fond memories of my great time in Ho Chi Minh City.

Another all time favourite drink of mine. 👍

I am glad to have make this trip to Cô Chung. I really enjoyed the food here! For one moment, I felt being brought back to Vietnam. 😀

The price, though relatively reasonable compared to other Vietnamese joints like NamNam or So Pho, (to me) is still definitely on the high side compared to having it at Ho Chi Minh City for sure. Under such non-luxurious situation, this will certainly be one of my go-to place for my Vietnamese cravings fix whenever I need it!

I am sure many of us will have our own favourite haunt when it comes to roasted meat. There are way too many roasted meat stalls (燒臘店) out there where you are familiar with. I am pretty sure you will be spoilt for choice (at least for me 🤣) when it comes to deciding where to go.

For me, my foremost priority will be none other 九江燒臘 located inside Ghim Moh Market & Food Centre. They are extremely famous for their roast duck and you will be greeted with a constant long snaking queue whenever you are there.

Importantly, 九江燒臘 serves up champion roast meat at affordable pricing for their plate of roast duck rice. Other than the power roast duck (tender & juicy), they have roast pork with a nice crackling rind and char siew. I always ask for the more fatty part of the char siew and I love especially the charred aroma with the sweet caramelized taste.

My all time favourite satisfying roast duck, roast pork and fatty char siew combination plate whenever I am here for my fix.

Another draw for me at this stall is that you can self-help to scoop your own preferred amount of roast meat sauce from the rice cooker on the counter. 👍👍👍

Well, if you have not been to 九江燒臘, I would highly recommmend you to give it a try so that you can compare against your favourite roast meat stall and decide if you have been missing out! 😲

Another new kid on the block. This time round brought about by The Muttons. I just loved their catchy name. So Muttony….

Itchy Bun, a value for money fusion Izakaya joint that whips out delicious yet affordable Japanese food.

Loved their simplistic interior decoration which one can resonate in a typical Izakaya setting.

Their menu is focused and thus do not expect fanciful items being served in this eatery joint.

According to The Muttons, a lot of R & D effort has been put in to come up with this perfect tori karaage. I must agree that their karaage is of standard and I love especially their tender, juicy chicken meat. This is definitely one of the must order item for sure. 👍

This fried frog legs is a new item on their menu. The frog legs are big, meaty and tenderlicious too. An interesting dish which is almost rarely seen.

A light small bite to start your appetite. Cheese lover will like this and I never knew it would taste so good with the furikake sprinkled over it.

For those who needs carb, you can try their various don options.

The teriyaki chicken is grilled to perfection and goes extremely well with the nori and onsen egg.

For those who are more gung-ho and hard-core, you must go for their sinfully good braised pork belly rice bowl. Mama Mia…..

Instead of the usual kung-ba bao, here you get to enjoy their specially curated spicy karaage bun with the tangy salad wrap. Refreshingly delicious. Now we know why this place is called Itchy Bun. 😉

This is one place you can certainly come by for a refreshing change. 😋😋😋

I chanced upon this new kid on the block, Sushi Raku 鮨樂 during one of my window shopping trip at Raffles City.

Being not able to travel to Japan due to Covid 19 coupled with sushi craving, I decided to give it a try.

Interestingly, Sushi Raku offers good quality food at affordable pricing with a brightly litted Izakaya dining experience. You get to enjoy sushi, sashimi, charcoal-grilled eats, appetisers & sake.

I just love their fugu. This is my all time favourite starter. The texture is chewily delicious and goes extremely well with the tobiko mayonnaise dip. It’s akin to eating bee cheng hiang bbq pork.

Another more economical option will be their dried fish fin which is equally good and can do the job as well. 😉

Their chawanmushi is equally power and comes with asari clam, shrimp, mushroom and crab stick.

I have had pitan tofu and this variation of tofu flooding with roasted sesame sauce is another good surprise in my opinion. 👍

Their tori karaage batter is soft and not the crispy type which we are used to having. Surprisingly, the chicken meat is super tender and juicy. Deliciously power!

Their handroll is one of the better handroll that I have had, crispy seaweed with crunchy prawn tempura that leaves each mouthful with a punch.

Handroll with egg, lettuce, avocado and crab stick with mayonnaise and tobiko coupled with crispy seaweed. Yum yum.

This is an interesting tamago-yaki that comes with 3 kinds sauce comprising of spicy mayo, truffle & olive oil and mentaiko. Really tasty and not overly sweet.

Rich and flavoursome miso soup with a generous serving of big clams.

Light and refreshing. Definitely a great appetizer prior to the start of meal.

One of their seasonal special, shipped weekly and direct from Aomori. This fish is as fresh as it can get. The fish meat is firmed and has a nice chew texture. You can even request to have half of the fish done in sushi style and the other half in sashimi style. 美味しいです.

Another seasonal special, Houbou Sashimi. Houbou (sometimes spelled as Hobo) is a rare kind of fish that can be pricey due to its scarcity. Like most white flesh fish, hobo has a smooth, mild taste and firm flesh when it is served fresh.

In one of my trip, I managed to enjoy a whole Hobo fish on its own.

Enjoying the entire Hobo fish head cooked in a nice soup pot. The sweetness of the fish head coupled with the soup essence is just beyond words.

Enjoying half of the portion for its freshness as sashimi….

……and the other half portion as sushi. Heavenly combination indeed. One fish in 3 different ways of enjoyment.

Another freshly imported seasonal item, whole Okoze Stonefish (220g) enjoyed in 2 different style, sashimi and sushi.

The fish meat is firm and chewy. Super fresh. 👍

Ainame or Fat Greening is another type of seasonal fish and shipped direct from Akita. Super fresh and tasty.

Loved the freshness of the fish coupled with the firm flesh texture.

Weekly fresh fish shipped direct from Japan.

For tuna lovers, this is a must order sushi item. You get to enjoy blue fin tuna otoro, blue fun tuna chutoro, blue fin tuna and spring onion fatty tuna warship. Their sushi rice is different from what you are used to having. In Sushi Raku, they uses red vinegar rice that explains the reddish-orange colour sushi rice which is less commonly seen. The rice somehow tastes exceptionally good.

Another seasonal special, the uni is as fresh as it can get.

If you happen to drop by during lunch, you may get to try one of their value for money lunch set too.

You may even go for their tiger prawn roll from one of their creative roll selection if you enjoy prawn tempura.

Alternatively, you may go for their creative Mori Bento that comes with squid & salmon roe, deep fried tosa tofu, edaname, seasonal seaweed, fatty salmon, seasonal octopus, grilled mackerel, egg and fried chicken. Definitely a feast for the eyes. 😯

A more elaborate, Kawa Bento is another option to go for. Comprising scallop, seasonal jelly fish, salmon, edaname, sweet shrimp, yellow tail, blue fin tuna, egg and deep fried tosa tofu. Another great eye candle feast too. 😯

If you are a rice bowl fan, you are highly recommended to try their aburi seafood don. Confirmed champion and won’t go wrong.

This is also a great option for rice bowl. The tempura bits is crunchily good and goes well with the rice coupled with the light battered items.

Another value for money dish. Cooked to perfection with the flavoured onion, egg, slices of shitake mushroom and the main star item (pork chop).

Comprises of Sea Urchin, Snow Crab, Salmon Roe and Salmon. This is really quality ingredients and just nice for small eaters. Great for ladies’ meal.

OMG! A highly recommended must have dish. Loved the well-cooked eel and foie gras. Deliciously good…….😋😍

Their pork jowl is tenderliciously good. It is like having a piece of nicely charcoal grilled char siew. Really power and great beer food for sure!

The beef cubes are grilled to perfection with the crispy garlic chips that gives it a good hit.

A great last line of defence, their soba noodles are springyly good with a nice chewy feel too. 😉

Alternatively you may go for their udon if you are a big fan of udon. Noodle texture is springy and chewy too. Shape like Ipoh hor fun. 🙂

Sushi Raku offers a couple of good and decent desserts as well.

Oh mine, this is insanely refreshingly good. The sherbet is served on a frozen peach skin and tastes peachily appetising. Only comment that I have is on the small portion but it is really good.

You may also consider their yuzu sherbet, citrussy good too. Likewise, it is served on a frozen yuzu skin. My personal favourite. 🤩

This is another nice dessert if you are a fan of mochi and cheese. Nothing fanciful just that it is mochi wrapped with cheese and deep fried to it. 😉

Without a doubt, the food quality is of standard and importantly, it offers great variety menu options to suit all diners. I am definitely looking forward to try all their items in time to come. 😋