DurianBB 榴莲宝宝 - Master Class

DurianBB was just a few doors away from the popular Taiwanese Cafe Eat 3 Bowls. DurianBB is founded by a team of avid durian enthusiasts, aiming to deliver happiness to the world with the fine gourmet quality in durians. 

DurianBB

The place is lovely decorated with DurianBB Mascot. They do have a merchandise corner where patrons can get souvenirs like plush, mugs, mousepads, cushions, umbrellas, packaged snacks etc. If you are game for some challenge, you can even head to their claw machine, it's all located within the place.

Merchandise

Look at these small real durians that were dropped from the trees in the plantation and were made into sovenirs.

Real Durian

The adorable mascots are everywhere in the shop and this really makes the place lively, in line with their purpose of "Delivering Happiness".

Awww...This is so cute

We participate in the Durian BB (Master Class) (SGD 58) and this gives us the opportunity to learn all about Durians from the Grand Master Dato Paul. Here's what you will achieve after attending the lesson

Master Class Course Outline 

• Growth of Durian
• MSW 5 Stars / 6 Stars
• MSW Brown VS Green Husk
• Malaysian Durian VS Thai Durian
• Borneo Durian
• Durian Ancestors
• Durian’s Closest Relative
• No of Genes: Durian Vs Human
• Myths About Durians

At Durian BB Master Class

The class embarked us on a guided tasting journey with different cultivars of Malaysian Durian and also allow us to enjoy their Signature 50/50 Mao Shang Wang Gelato Bar.

Gelato Bar & Passport

Do you know that there is actually how many types of Durian are there and why are the durian spices identified by D followed by the number? 

Your Durian Passport

Included in the session: Enjoy a frozen treat with the Musang King Gelato Bar which is a combination of durian and gelato at the ratio of 50:50. Genuine Musang King Flesh was incorporated with Italian gelato and you can taste the fibrous texture as well as the burst of rich durian flavours. Get yourself some chilling treats here!

50/50 Musang King Gelato Bar - $6.50

Here's the start of the Master Class and we welcomed the Grand Master Dato Paul. He is the founding President of the Malaysia Durian Exporters Association. He is also the host of Durian Parties for 3 Different Terms of Prime Ministers and Parliaments of Malaysia as well as over 30,000 guests in Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Kota Kinabalu, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Beijing

Welcoming Dato Paul

Dato Paul's sharing about the meaning behind DBB. 

Dato Paul's Opening on DurianBB

It was a great sharing session and we were very thankful that we had learnt a lot about durians from this Master Class.

Here comes the Grand Master

Look at the tasting platters for the class, we got to learn about each durian's characteristics.

Tasting Platters for the Class

These luring golden nuggets were just too tempting.

Grab the gold nuggets

Here's the tasting platter with different types of Durian. Be intrigued by the aroma, texture and taste from each type of durian on the Platter.

We received the following types of durian on the Tasting Platter :

• D78 Sweetie 甜女儿
• D88 Darling 小甜甜
• D2 Dato Nina 梦中情人
• D160 Tekka 竹脚
• D24 Tan Sri XO 丹斯里XO
• D197 Musang King 猫山王

The Tasting Platter

If you prefer to sample the durians with gloves on, DurianBB has both wet tissues and Gloves prepared for the participants. 

Gloves and Wet Tissue

Enjoying Durian in Gloves?

Yeah! We have graduated and had received a certification in their Master Class for we had passed the quiz at the end of the session :)

DurianBB Master Class - Certificate of Graduation

Thanks, Sherman & Xiao Yu for inviting us to this knowledgeable and wonderful session.

DurianBB Singapore (榴莲宝宝)
Location: 462 Crawford Lane, #01-65, Singapore 190462
Nearest Station: Lavender (EW11)

Website

Salmon Samurai

Looking for a healthy and good portion of food in the CBD area? If you like salmon, Salmon Samurai can be one of your meal choices. They offer Salmon in Maki Rolls, Sashimi form or even seared with rice/noodles.

They pride themselves on fresh salmon that is delivered and sliced on-site daily, chilled and never frozen. They also strive to serve healthy delicious bowls of salmon and at the same time, making it affordable.

Shop of Salmon Samurai

Apparently, the ordering and payment are both done through the kiosk just right in front of the shop. Besides ordering those that is fixed on the menu, one can start building and customizing his or her own bowl too. On a side note, the cutlery used were all disposable.

Our Orders

Miso soup was tasty with large chunks of Salmon included as well as carrot and mushrooms.

Miso Soup - $2.50

Warrior Maki comprises Kani (Crab Stick) and cucumber wrapped with Yuzu Ume Rice and seared Salmon. It was topped with garlic mayo and a generous amount of meat floss.

Warrior Maki - $11.90

Look at the seared piece of salmon that is topped by some meat floss.

One piece of Warrior Maki

If you prefer cooked salmon, you can go for their Salmon Teriyaki bowl. The Salmon fillet is braised in Teriyaki dressing, paired with their signature Yuzu Ume Rice. We topped the bowl with Onsen Egg at an additional $1.50.

Salmon Teriyaki Bowl - $10.90 + $1.50

A very stomach filling bowl. The fresh sashimi slices were topped with creamy Mentaiko mayo sauce and seared to its perfection. 

Mentai Samurai Bowl - $18.90

almon Poké was included in the bowl too with Yuzu Ume Rice mixed with greens salad, prawn roes, cashew almond mix and yummy onsen Egg.

Salmon Poké

With such a variety of yummy protein flavours, Salmon Samurai is definitely a health-conscious choice for lunch over in CBD area and their bowls of salmon are reasonably priced too. 

Rating: 3.25 / 5

Salmon Samurai
Location: 100AM, 100 Tras St #01-11 Singapore 079027
Nearest Station: Tanjong Pagar (EW15)
Website

The Original Katong Laksa - Janggut Laksa

When many of the Laksa Stalls in Singapore writes that they are the Original Katong Laksa and that makes consumers like me confused about their originality. 

The Original Katong Laksa was founded by Mr Ng Juat Swee who is also known as Janggut (when translated from Malay means beard and Mr Ng has hair growing out from his mole below his chi

They started their first stall in the late 50s at East Coast Road, which was well known as Katong Laksa but due to rental hike, they have been relocating in Katong and their stall in Roxy Square was settled down in 2000 and another branch in Queensway Shopping Center in 2005. Till today, they have 5 branches.

Stall of The Original Katong Laksa

We were early and decided to bang our buck on the medium-size bowl of Laksa after anxiously waiting for the stall's business to start for the day. I was filled with joy after receiving my order as I have been longing to taste this Janggut Laksa for some time. My bowl was filled with a generous amount of eggs, slices of fish cakes, blood cockles and prawns.

Laksa - $6 (Medium)

Like most of the traditional laksa stalls, we enjoy having these bowls of yummy dishes consumed using just a spoon. The thick bee hoon is cut into smaller lengths and every spoonful is loaded with yummy goodness.

A spoonful of Laksa Noodles

The laksa broth has a faint taste of coconut milk, striking a good balance of sweetness with a little bit of spice. Overall, it still makes a good bowl of laksa topped with chopped laksa leaves and a scoop of chilli.

Prawns

For we are the first two customers, there is no queuing needed for us. If you ask if this is the best Laksa I had, honestly I will say my heart still goes with my all-time favourite Sungei Road Laksa for their taste is more distinct and "heavier". Janggut Laksa will remain my 2nd favourite in list.

Rating: 3.25 / 5 

The Original Katong Laksa - Janggut Laksa
Location: 50 East Coast Road #01-64 Roxy Square Singapore 428769

Sean Kee - Dine In

Have been revisiting many old places recently and here comes one of my favourite braised duck rice stalls. The coffee shop is still as run down as it is, giving the old school rustic interior look. As usual, the crowd is there on a weekend and we can see that the 3 brothers were pretty occupied with their individual roles at the stall. 

Sin Huat Eating House with Sean Kee

Sin Huat Eating House

We ordered a set for 2 pax and it comes with a mixture of meat and innards with 2 bowls of soup as well as 2 bowls of rice. The soup was tasty and sweet with cabbage.

Braised Duck Set for 2 - $18

Though it was about 7 years apart from the last visit, their style of dishing out this braised plate of meat remains the same. The braised duck was lavishly topped with braised peanuts and bean sprouts, decked by slices of cut cucumbers.

A plate of braised Goodness

Every piece of duck meat is uniformly cut to this size and it tasted so good with its sticky savoury braised gravy.

Braised Duck Meat

Although the braised duck already tasted good by itself, I still could not help but immerse this meat into the chilli given. Beware you might get addicted to this sour and tangy chilli too.

Dip them into Chilli

Not forgetting the moist and evenly coated rice drenched with sticky sauce. The combination of the savoury taste and tender texture of braised duck makes our trip so fulfilling and definitely money well spent.

Rice

After so many years, I'm still loving it! Whenever we talked about food in Geylang, Sean Kee's Braised Duck will never be left out!

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Posted on 11th September 2015

After a few tries again, we finally got our butts in the Coffeeshop where Sean Kee is located - Dine In. The previous visit to Sean Kee was a takeaway and within few weeks from the last visit, we managed to visit them on a Public Holiday. We did a comparison among our visits from take away to trying out them in the Food Festival. The experience was different but I would say their braised duck was remarkable.

For Dine-In, though the braised rice portion is considered half a portion lesser than take away. However, the sweet & salty gravy cradles each grain of rice well.

During this time of visit, besides the 3 big brothers who was manning the stall, their dad was there too.

Rice

As a soup lover, the best part of dining in the coffeehouse itself is to get a bowl of soup. Soup was tasty and with hints of herbs smell, however, it also gave us a sense that it was filled with lots of MSG based on the strong taste.

Soup

The mix platter was generously done with braised peanut, cucumber and beansprouts on top of the sweet braised duck meat, braised hard boil egg as well as braised Tau Gua. The tick and luscious gravy had spread all over it revealing a little sweetness that appeals to my taste buds.

Braised Duck

Cut on the braised duck was relatively even with meat being tender and tantalizing to the palate.

Look at its toppings

If you like your braised duck to go with some porridge, its also available at Sean Kee. The texture of the porridge was smooth and gooey, almost like a small bowl of Congee. Once again, their dark brown gravy do wonders on the plain bowl of porridge too and seriously, I dont mind having extra bowl of it apart from a bowl of rice.

Porridge

Having experience both dine in and take away from Sean Kee, I would say that I would prefer having the dine in method as we get to have a good feel and taste of braised duck at its best condition. The portion of duck and rice marked a big differences between dine in and take away too. Thus, Dine In is definitely recommended.

Rating: 4 / 5

Sean Kee
Location: 659 Lorong 35 Geylang Road Singapore 389589
Operating Hours: 11am - 6pm (Closed on Alternate Saturday)

Meng Kee Fried Kway Teow 明记炒粿条

Meng Kee has been the talk of the crowd for its scrumptious Char Kway Teow whenever we talk about the "To Eat" in Havelock Road Food Centre. Meng Kee Fried Kway Teow has been in operation for over 40 years old. The stall used to be run by a father and daughter team.

Stall of Meng Kee Fried Kway Teow

With its reputation, there is no doubt that a snaky queue will be formed. We waited for about 20 minutes but I will like to highlight that they clear the queue pretty fast although there are some mass orders again.

Char Kway Teow - $5 (Medium)

The Kway Teow was perfectly charred in its smokiness aroma. Pork lard pieces and Lup Cheong were part of the plate's ingredients. The plate of Char Kway Teow was not too greasy and was on the moist side.

Char Kway Teow

I was pleasantly surprised by the freshness of the blood cockles that was served on my plate of Char Kway Teow.

A Spoonful of  Char Kway Teow and Cockles

The plate of Char Kway Teow tasted more of an old school taste and style that is well-liked by many. If you love CKT with a sweeter version with savoury notes, this might not be your choice. 

Cockles

Besides Fried Kway Teow, if you are into blood cockles, they do have Beansprouts with Cockles as an individual dish for you to order.

Rating: 3.25 / 5

Meng Kee Fried Kway Teow 明记炒粿条
Location: 22A Havelock Road, Havelock Road Food Centre #01-07, Singapore 161022

Cuppafield

Cuppafield is a family-run cafe serving unpretentious food in a homely and cosy environment. Situated among the heartlands of newly Built to Order (BTO) flats, I find that this cafe is strategically located among the housing estate. 

Cuppafield

The Interior was decent with wallpapers and flower decorations. If you are looking for a decent cafe place without any hidden charges, this is a perfect place as there is no GST or service charge here.

Interior

Service rendered was friendly.

Buzzer

Golden Calamari Rings never failed to entice me. These well-battered squid rings were served with tartar sauce on the side. 

Golden Calamari - $8.80

It's totally too hot for me to handle. Wanted to order the Honey Roasted Wings instead but since their Buffalo Wings are Chef Recommended, we decided to give this a try. The plate comes with 3 drumlets and 3 wings, crispily fried and coated with spicy Buffalo Sauce. Ouch! It really burns my lips and tongue.

Spicy Buffalo Wings - $7.80

One of the Recommended Mains to Order will be their Tender Pan Seared Chicken Chop. The two boneless chicken thighs might be overdone as it was quite charred in colour. The dish was served on a bed of mashed potatoes with some sauteed vegetables.

The chicken was well seasoned, succulent and the skin was crispy. The dish has everything I like on the plate including the mushroom gravy. For big eaters, this main may not be filling for your stomach.

Pan-Seared Chicken Chop - $12.80

The fish fillet was battered and deep-fried to golden brown perfection. The dish is served with fries, fresh greens and house-made tar tar dip.

Fish & Chips - $12.80

Though it's not the best Fish & Chips I had, I would say that it tasted rather decent and of course not the worst too.

Golden Fried Color

The cake was a tad dry but the Gula Melaka that was alternating with the sponge cake had moistened up the middle layer. Grated Coconut flakes had topped the layer of the cake too. The cake was not too cloying and you get some smoky-sweet notes from caramelised palm sugar.

Ondeh Ondeh Cake - $7.30

One classic and one premium ice cream on top of a waffle. We have bubblegum and Salted Caramel flavour. The plate of dessert is decorated with chocolate love letters, chocolate drizzle, cornflakes and some icing powder. 

Waffle with 2 Scoops Ice Cream - $13

The cafe is pretty decent and does not have exaggerating or fanciful decorations. I won't mind making a return any sooner.

Rating: 3.25 / 5

Cuppafield

Location: Blk 446 Bukit Batok West Avenue 8, #01-01, Singapore 650446
Website

Tian Fu Pao Fan King 天福泡饭王

Just quite sometimes back, Pao Fan was the trending dish around in the Island and we have heard of many running around in the search of the best Pao Fan.

Stall of Tian Fu Pao Fan King

It's always stomach warming to have a bowl of hot food, especially those with soup on a rainy day. The  Seafood King Pao Fan is the 2nd most expensive item on the menu after the Lobster King Pao Fan / Noodle. 

Seafood King Pao Fan 海鲜王泡饭  - $9.50

The bowl of Seafood King can be served with either Rice or Noodles at your preference. Ingredients were aplenty with Lala, fried fish meat, prawn, Prawn paste as well as scallops.

Full of Ingredients 

The fried egg in the broth as well as the cut spring onions uplifted the aroma of the dish. 

Scallop

Prawn paste was smooth and the broth carries hints of seafood taste.

Seafood in the bowl

It's good that they have a noodles option and I had a bowl of noodles with Fish and Lala. There are others options available making the menu up with 13 items. Besides their Lobster King Pao Fan, be thrown with surprise that they even have items like Iberico Pork and Smoked Duck dishes too.

Fresh Fish King Pao Fan / Noodle 鲜鱼王泡饭 / 面 - $6.50

Overall I would say that the Pao Fan and Noodles Broth are decent but still lacking of flavours although lots of ingredients were used.

Rating: 3 / 5

Tian Fu Pao Fan 天福泡饭王
Location: 273 Bukit Batok East Ave 4, Singapore 650273