How To Make Singaporean Style Avocado Juice

Inspired by one of my favourite Avocado Juice Stalls In Alexandra Village and we begin to explore different ways to replicate the same taste at the comfort of our own.

Comparing to some fruit stalls, this recipe is more complex. The usual ones I see is using packet fresh milk with Hershey's chocolate syrup and the fruit itself. Simple and good enough.

For curiosity and the love of the drink, we did the long way creating the drink from dissolving Gula Melaka in boiling water. Nevertheless, the outcome was quite satisfying.

La Petite Cuisine

When we think of affordable French Cuisine without burning a hole in our pockets, La Petite Cuisine has always been in our mind. Our last visit was many years back and then it had left us a good impression of enjoying French Cuisine without splurging too much. This little hidden Gem is conveniently located at Botanic Garden MRT and takes about less than 5 minutes to walk if you know the direction to Serene Centre.

La Petite French Bistro

The environment was simple and down to earth, a kind of cosy place that I will want to have for a meal.

Mushroom Soup & Prawn Bisque with additional Bread Basket - $6, $8.50 & $4

Four Piece Bread Rolls with 2 Pieces Butter - $4

The two-course weekend set at $35 is available for Lunch and Dinner, from Friday to Sunday. The Entree comes with 2 choices, Ravioli of Prawns and Foie Gras in light Lemon Creme Sauce or Escargots Bourgogne (6 pieces) served with Salad mix with French dressing. 

2 Course Weekend Set @ $35

I wasn't quite game for Escargots for that evening, thus I chose Ravioli instead. On an ala carte order, the dish alone will cost $19.50. The dish comes with 3 big Ravioli, stuffed with prawns and Foie Gras, cooked in light lemon creme sauce drizzled with a handful of chopped parsley.

Ravioli of Prawns and Foie Gras in light Lemon Creme Sauce

This Entree is surprisingly good and appetizing in the sweet light cream sauce. The entire piece of prawn and Foie Gras can be obviously seen in the pocket of the Ravioli, great!

Prawn and Foie Gras

While the Mains you can choose to have Confit De Canard (French Duck Leg) with Gratin Potatoes, Yellowfin Tuna Steak Loin with Sweet Paprika & Olive Oil served with Petit French Beans and Buttered Rice or Air flown Sirloin Steak served with Salad & Gratin Potatoes

Air flown Sirloin Steak served with Salad & Gratin Potatoes

The plate looked quite empty as they served the bubbling hot gratin potatoes in a separate dish. The portion was small, no complains as the business name already told us that its "Petite". Striploin steak weighs an average of 125 to 130g and is served with mesclun salad and potatoes gratin. My steak was done medium-well as requested and sat in the middle of brown sauce accompanied by the greens and mustard sauce. Although the portion is small, I was kind of full halfway through this meal. I'm happy and satisfied with the beef taste and the meat was not too gamey. On a separate note, an ala carte dish cost about $19.50

Medium Well Striploin Steak

Be careful not to touch the side of the Potato Gratin dish as they are scalding hot. The edges are slightly charred with potatoes slices overlapping each other with compliments of sour cream.

Potato Gratin

While the guy has a bigger appetite, he has twice the amount of Beef from Airflown Australian Beef Tenderloin which weighs about 250g. 

Airflown Australian Beef Tenderloin 250g - $34.50

Medium doneness was served perfectly on the serving board accompanied by mesclun greens as well as sweet mustard tasting sauce and of course not forgetting the potatoes gratin that was separated out too.

Beef Tenderloin

Black Forest Cake tasted somehow similar to the one cake we bought off the shelves. The cake was spongy and come with chocolate shavings and a dollop of fresh cream both on top of the cake as well as by the side of the cake. The significant part of black forest cake comes with hints of wine taste and this has it.

Black Forest Cake - $8

The standard of food is still pretty good as compared to the last visit. Do visit if you are looking for some simple and affordable authentic French Food.

Rating: 3.25 / 5

La Petite Cuisine
Location: No. 10 Jalan Serene 01-02 Serene Centre Singapore 258748
Operating Hours: Tuesday To Sunday  11.30am~2.30pm & 5.30pm~9.30pm
                                (Closed on Mondays)

Nearest MRT Station: Botanic Gardens (DT9 / CC19)

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PGFN

PGFN refers to Pandan Gardens Fishball Noodles. It was founded on 1st March 1982 by a couple, Mr and Mrs Seow. Till now, the business has gone through 3 generations of the customer at their original coffeeshop at Pandan Gardens. If you do not know, PGFN is serving Laksa as well as Fishball Noodles at one of the corners in the coffee shop and they have a few branches throughout the years. 

To name it, their Flag Ship stall is actually located in Keat Hong CC, operating 24 hours since 15th April 2017 with a casual and affordable air-conditioned environment. Other branches are located in Punggol and Bukit Batok West.

PGFN Stall in Coffeeshop

Signature Fishball Minced Meat Noodles come with a mixture of fish dumpling, minced meat, slices of fish cake and fishball. 

Signature Fishball Minced Meat Noodles 招牌鱼圆肉脞面 - $3 / $4 / $5

Comparing this Signature Fishball Minced Meat Noodle to the popular chains of fishball noodles that

I had, the taste cannot get any worse. It's still packed with a full of Asian taste, or rather a staple dish that we normally seen here in Singapore.

Ingredients

We preferred to explore something more than just fishball noodles and had the mushroom minced meat noodle. Mushrooms were well braised and definitely the meatballs together with minced meat sums up an average bowl of noodle.

Mushroom Minced Meat Noodle 香菇肉脞面 - $3.50 / $4.50 / $5.50

The taste was inviting, nothing to complain about.

Ingredients

Fish cakes were our side orders and really complemented well with our bowls of noodles.

Fishcake Sides

Personally, I find that the standard of fishball noodle won't lose out to any popular fishball noodles franchises/branches/chains in Singapore. 

Rating: 3 / 5

PGFN
Location: 416 Pandan Gardens, #01-122, Singapore 600416

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Don's Pie & Cake, Signature Crab

If you hear of the Pie chain, Don your personal pie club in the malls, you might find this Cze Char joint in Toa Payoh rather familiar with its logo. I used to visit the stall in China Square many years back, introduced by my ex-colleague, enjoying both pies and their Signature Crab Beehoon Soup. Back then, the business had left me kind of impressed by their delicious Crab Beehoon Soup and the combination of pie business.

Don's Pie & Cake, Signature Crab 

Their Signature Crab Beehoon Soup is the first thing that I looked out in the menu. This signature dish is listed as one of the top 25 Crab Beehoon Soup in Singapore. The taste was distinct that till now I vividly remember that the hearty broth was different from the usual Cze Char Stall Crab Beehoon Soup taste. I noticed that Mr Don Lim, the owner was at one corner of the open kitchen preparing pots by pots of delicious Signature Crab Beehoon soup one by one. 

Signature Crab Beehoon Soup 招牌米粉螃蟹 - $30-$70

The broth was milky white with ingredients like Chinese rice wine, large slices of ginger, evaporated milk, Angelica Root (aka Dang Gui "当归"), milk cabbage, long chunks of yam as well as plump Sri Lankan Crab accompanied by thick rice vermicelli noodles topped with my favourite parsley. The price ranges from $30 to $70 and we decided to order $40 for 2 pax. Overall the crab bee hoon gives an exclusive herbal note that I believe no other place catered to such taste. 

The fragrance from the Beehoon Soup

Smaller Serving from the main bowl

The kitchen was rather busy on a Saturday evening and perhaps that was why our dish came to our table when we are almost finishing our main dish. 

Cereal Tofu 麦片豆腐 - $10

Realizing that many of the tables do have such similar dish on their table, we could not help it but order one ourselves. The Tofu was generously cover with cereal, fragrant and crispy on the outside with a vast difference of texture as you bite down into the soft silky tofu. 

Yummilicious

On a side note, I love their chilli, it tasted tangy with spiciness. 

Chilli

Here are our drink and the homemade ice lemon tea was kind of different with a layer of foam topped the glass.

Our Drinks

If you are craving for some pies, you can also bring them back after your meal. Don's Personal Pie maintained its flakiness on its crust. I had the Signature Chicken Pie and totally enjoyed the fragrance.

Signature Chicken - $5

The pie was built up with 2 portions, the "bowl" and a cover. I took out the cover easily and saw half a boiled egg was in it. The ingredients were obvious, making up of carrot, potato, minced chicken and peas with hints of white peppery taste.

Ingredients of Chicken Pie

Rating: 3.5 / 5

Don's Pie & Cake, Signature Crab
Location: 1008A Toa Payoh North Toa Payoh Food Centre II Singapore (318998)

Shepherd's Pie [Media Invite]

Have an appetite or a craving for Pies? Reading the article on 5 best Pie Delivery in Singapore, we have tried out Shepherd's Pies and our review of the freshly baked shepherds pie is here! With the offer code bestinsingapore10, you also get to enjoy 10% off your items.

Sticker on shepherds pies packaging

I'm not going to miss ordering anything "Signature" from their menu for its also their recommended pie too! Just by the look of the pie's name, I already could not resist giving it a click, adding this into the shopping cart. 

Signature Beef with Brown Sauce Shepherd’s Pie - Medium - 400g $18.90 / $29.90

The premium minced beef came with olive, onions and celery and covered with a blanket of hand-whipped mashed potatoes folded with cheese and fresh dairy. Sour cream is also added to their pie, giving it a tad sourly after taste.

Signature Beef  Shepherd’s Pie without the Brown Sauce

The pie comes in two sizes, medium, which is suitable to 2-3 pax and if you need a bigger portion, they have a massive selection that is twice the size at 800g which is suitable for 4 - 5 pax.

Adding Savoury Brown Sauce onto the Signature Pie

Complete your meal by upsizing it at additional $9.90 for big grated Parmesan truffle fries

After Brown Sauce Added

Ingredients like marinated minced chicken, mushroom, bay leave and mixed vegetables gave the pie a delicious treat. Similarly, these fillings are then covered up by the generous amount of hand-whipped mashed potatoes folded with cheese and fresh dairy (Mozzarella & Parmesan), topped with black peppery gravy that made up of spices.

Cheezy Black Pepper Chicken Shepherd’s Pie - Medium - 400g $17.90 / $29.50

Chicken's shepherd's pie comes in two sizes as well, Medium at 400g and Massive at 800g.

A portion of the Cheezy Black Pepper Chicken Shepherd's Pie

Its been such a long time since my last Lasagna. Sienna's Traditional Lasagna is voted the best in Singapore and it contains 3 kinds of cheese.  Yummy mozzarella, cheddar and ricotta cheese have decked up between tangy tomato paste and the hand-rolled lasagna sheets. The product of Italy is 100%  handmade and showered with fragrance from bay leaves, basil and oregano. They come in sizes from Personal Tray up to as big as a family tray that is good enough for 6 pax. 

Sienna's Traditional Lasagna (Triplo Cheese) - Medium Tray (2 Pax Serving) $25.90

This traditional Lasagna was out of stock for a few days and finally, during my 2nd-time ordering, we managed to grab hold of this popular item. We cut it into half and admired the 5 layers of pasta sheets that were alternated with tomato paste and minced beef in between.

Cross Section of the Lasagna

After sinking into the above Italian food, how about having some 100% Authentic American Fare? Do try out their new Mac 'n' Cheese Bacon that serves a good combination of Parmesan and Gruyere cheese with bacon streak. Ingredients consist of Macaroni, Streak, Parmesan Cheese, Shredded Gruyere, Milk, Beurre Manies and Egg. 

Nonna's Authentic American Mac 'n' Cheese Bacon (Real Cheese) - $16.90

Love the cheesy crust at the top of the Mac 'n' Cheese, however, although the cheese was rich and creamy, I find it will be nice to see if those melting cheese can be stretched when the Mac 'n' Cheese is gradually pulled apart.

Mac 'n' Cheese on the serving plate

As a whole, I find that the fillings of the pies were generous and we have enjoyed the portion of the food. Not forgetting that I simply love the top layer of cheese that comes in every pie. It was the slight crispy layer of cheese that was yummy. Of course, with their wonderful business model incorporated, patrons like us get to receive the freshly baked delicious pies within an Hour of order, Islandwide in Singapore. Personally, I have tested and the efficiency of the model is proven working. 

Grab your pie now!
Picture Credits to Owari Photography

They are able to cater a bigger portion for parties with at least 3 days advance order. For veggie lovers, there is a meat-free option too. Pies can be delivered frozen too by request.

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Sheperd's Pies:

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Fish Soup

We came across this Teochew Fish Soup stall while searching in the vicinity for simple food after running our errands. The queue lining in from of the stall surprised us even though it was around 5 sharp in the evening. Without further ado, we joined the queue without thinking much about taking a look at other stalls around.

Stall of Teochew Fish Soup

We ordered the Red Grouper Fish Soup and I'm kind of alarmed by the plainness from the taste of the soup. The taste of the soup was indeed very simple, bland and without too much of sweet flavourings that we often get from fish soup stall. However, there was a little hint of sole fish taste from the soup. Red Grouper fish was fresh and cooked together with beancurd skin and bitter gourd

Red Grouper Fish Soup - $8 (Small) 

Minced Meat Fish Soup is an additional item on top of their menu printed on the signboard. I must agree that their fish soup is clear, simple and straight forward with standard ingredients like tofu, vegetables, sliced fish and minced pork meat.

The thickness of the cut from the sliced fish is relatively thick and acceptable. With the minced meat added to the soup, I find that the soup is a little more robust than the Red Grouper Fish Soup. 

Minced Meat Fish Soup - $8 / $10

I learnt that it was a crowd-pleaser perhaps due to the simplicity in the preparation of the Teochew fish soup. Instead of loading soup with MSG, they have chosen a healthier and natural way for consumers by offering a natural taste from the fish.  The freshness and quality of the fish are of no doubt, its definitely worth the money paid for and that has explained the length of the queue.

Rating: 3 / 5

Fish Soup
Location: Toa Payoh Lor 5 Food Centre, Blk 75 Toa Payoh Lorong 5 #01-07, Singapore 310075,

Mian Wang 1971 面王一九七一

Many have raved about this hidden gem located in Bukit Batok and it seems that there is no reason for me to give it a miss. I first came to know of Lao Cai's Curry which is located just adjacent to Mian Wang's stall, serving delicious curry rice braised pork, salted calamari rings etc, similar to the ingredients of Mian Wang. These two stalls are affiliated and running under the same family.

Stall of Mian Wang

Hokkien Mee was out of my expectation, not the usual plate of noodle that comes with a heady prawn stock taste. On the contrary, it consists of its own unique style. Expect a good plate of wet and slightly thick gravy/stock that served with little hints of "Wok Hei". The portion is reasonable with ingredients like prawns and squid. Substantial of eggs were used to give the noodles sweet flavours. Other ingredients are pretty standard, that includes squid, pork and prawns. Mian Wang is generous with the crispy fried pork lard and served it by the side of every plate of Hokkien Mee.

Hokkien Mee - $3.50 (Small)

Unlike the traditional Hokkien Mee stall, Mian Wang gives the traditional dish a twist in its menu. What a weird combination of having my favourites dishes within a plate! The thought of pairing the moist and wet noodles with deep-fried crispy Calamari just did not come across my mind. To my surprise, they have tucked the piping hot fried Salted Egg Calamari by the side of the plate separated by the leafy lettuce green and away from the luscious noodles, thus the taste does not interfere with one another. Salted Egg Calamari was filled in savoury salted egg sauce over its thinly fried coated batter, not only that the Calamari ring was thick and worth it.

Salted Egg Calamari Hokkien Mee - $6.50 (Small)

Initially, I was quite hesitant to order this but in the end, I still went ahead and ordered it. At the first taste of the fiery red meat, I was like Oh my god! If you love those sweet savoury sauce over your Char Siew Meat, you will totally love this with the tender and soft braised pork. It has reminded me of a homely taste.

Flamed Red Braised Pork Hokkien Mee - $5.50 (Small)

If you are in a mood for Hokkien Mee with a twist, you may want to pay a visit to Mian Wang 1971 and try out their different types of Hokkien Mee. 

Rating: 3.5 / 5

Mian Wang
Location:  Blk 537 Bukit Batok Street 52, Sin Eating House, Singapore 650537
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