Batam Nest

While colleagues was mentioning about having Bird Nest in Batam, I thought it was a good idea as this will be my first time having Birdnest in Batam. We proceed to this BatamNest after our massage session nearby for it was a walking distance away.

Batam Nest

The birdnest menu was rather straight forward with 6 kinds of options. Staff are friendly and we dined in house.

Menu

I had the Birdnest with Honey Rock Sugar and refreshingly good in its natural sweetness as well as the jelly texture of the Birdnest. Despite visiting this wholesale place, we did not "taobao" back as it was already our last day of the trip and our baggage was very full.

Honey Rock Sugar

Now that I have visited this place, I bet this won't be the last time savoury such nutritious dessert down my stomach. We will be back again!

Batam Nest
Location: Blok R BCS Shopping Mall BLOK R NEAR Jalan Kompleks Penuin Centre No.2 Kepulauan Riau 29411 Indonesia
Website

Tai Shi Zhu Jiao Fan 泰式猪脚饭

We spotted the new stall among the rest while walking in Clementi Hawker Center.  The signboard of the stall indicates that they are selling Thai Style Pork Leg Rice and it kind of pulls me in for this is also one of my favourite dishes from Thai Cuisine.

The staff are Thais and quite friendly.

The Stall

We ordered Moo Ping as sides for sharing at $5 for 3 pieces. The meat was well-seasoned and tender with a sweet and savory taste. 

Moo Ping - $5 (3 Pcs)

The Premium Thai Stewed Pork Leg Rice was braised to its tenderness. The smooth and shinning skin was tempting. The stewed flavours were good. The Rice Meal Set comes with Ngoh Hiong, vegetables, braised egg as well as the yummy pork leg meat.

Premium Thai Stewed Pork Leg Rice Set Meal - $7

The Basil Pork Meat Rice was packed with fragrance. Minced Meat was a tad spicy with basil herb. The Meal Set comes with a few pieces of fried Ngoh Hiong, stalks of greens and half a braised egg. The taste was acceptable but will be better in a stronger flavour. The meal also comes with a bowl of radish soup as a pairing.

Basil Pork Rice Meal Set - $7

Ngoh Hiong was tasty and springy too. It can be ordered separately if you are a fan of their Ngoh Hiong.

Ngoh Hiong

We had a stomach-filling meal.

Rating: 3.25 / 5 

Tai Shi Zhu Jiao Fan 泰式猪脚饭
Location: Blk 448 Clementi Ave 3  #01-34 Singapore 120448

Ohkajhu

While sustainability is a great topic everywhere in the part of world, our lifestyle has slowly evolved and most of us are not only concerned about the kind of food we consume but also its source, where it comes from. 

Ohkajhu 

Our invited dinner by the locals at Ohkajhu was definitely interesting to us as a healthy meal like this will never be on my itinerary when travelling overseas.

Founders - Chef, Engineer and Farmer

Nonetheless, thank you for the efforts put in to get us a well-deserved meal in Pattaya.

Ohkajhu prides itself on paying attention to every aspect from the selection of seeds, planting seeds, and preparing planting plots. They are confident that vegetables that come from their garden are always clean, fresh and safe without chemicals involved. They have also more than 25 types of salad vegetables. Do check it out on their menu!

Sustainability

The environment was stunning and spacious but bustling with patrons. The garden theme environment with woody furnishings was comfortable. 

Dining Environment 

The portion was big and generous with a good presentation. My pork Chop was loaded with Mushroom Sauce and tucked with some salad by the side with pumpkins, cucumber, and cherry tomato in Thousand Island Dressing.

Pork Chop with  Mushrooms Sauce - 355 Baht

The Chicken Chop was not bad too, with smoky hints and charred flavours. The Assortment of greens was interesting with Beetrooms, barleys, quinoa, broccoli, capsicums etc. 

Chicken Steak

The steak was well cooked to the requested doneness and charred on the outside accompanied by some mustard and brown sauce. It was paired with a handful amount of Red Spinach & tomato dressed with vinaigrette. 

Steak

Another recommended item will be their Grilled Sea Bass steak with Herb Crust accompanied by Tartar Sauce. Other items on the plate are the healthy greens, olive, pumpkins, capsicums and hard boiled egg.

Wow

How about some salad with items from the sea? We also ordered Crispy Sea Bass and Shrimp with mashed potato as the 1 side dish. 

Crispy Sea Bass and Shrimp with Tamarind and Capsicum Sauce - 495 Baht

Their range of smoothies offered was impressive. With Smoothie being served, it also means we are having more intake of fruit and vegetables. If you realised, the straws were made of paper too.

The Coco Smoothies was well presented with Coconut Flesh cradling the mango cubes and topped with some cereal.

Coco Smoothies - 155 Baht

If you prefer something on the sour side, you may want to try out their Recommended Green Apple Kiwi. The refreshing treat 

Green Apple Kiwi - 115 Baht

This is definitely not a everyday combination that I get to see from the smoothie stall in Singapore. Well, the distinctive layer of colors was attractive and of course healthy!

Blueberry Avocado - 145 Baht

The Summer Sensation smoothies are made up of coconut, celery, strawberry, lemon, coconut as well as lemon. Refreshing enough and if you can take the taste of celery.

Summer Sensation - 95 Baht

This mixed Berry Yogurt gave a "berry" good vitamin and refreshing coolness. If you enjoy yoghurt with berries, you might want to try this out.

Mix Berry Yohugrt - 125 Baht

With so many drinks being served on our big table, we were confused with what we had ordered and had them mixed up among ourselves. Nonetheless, this Matcha Smoothie was still fantastic with Coconut Flesh topped the beverage.

Coco Matcha - 165  Baht

Having healthy food has a price to pay and our meals are considerably healthy. Besides serving meat, there are also vegan options available. The menu was extensive too with salads, soups, smoothies, juices, and even spaghetti dishes. If you are a healthy go-er, you might want to try Ohkajhu too.

Ohkajhu
Location: 15 18 หมู่ที่ 11 Sukhumvit Road, Pattaya City, Bang Lamung District, Chon Buri 20150, Thailand

My Seremban Beef Noodles

A bustling afternoon at Bugis Junction's Malaysia Boleh and grabbing a single seat was not easy during peak hours like this. 

Stall of My Seremban Beef Noodles

The nostalgic taste of the beef noodles strikes a good balance of both the savoury sweetness and the sour taste from the pickled vegetables. They also added roasted peanuts to enhance the fragrance of the dish. The slices of beef were skillfully cooked to their tenderness and if you doused them into the chilli, it will definitely hit the right spot.

Slice Beef Noodles (Dry) - $6.90

Overall, it tasted good. I wonder how will be the taste of the soup version. Perhaps if there are chances again, I will want to try that.

Rating: 3.25 / 5

My Seremban Beef Noodles
Location: Bugis Junction, Malaysia Boleh!, 200 Victoria St, #03/03A , Singapore 188021

Downstairs (Suntec City)

 A step into Downstairs in Suntec City had kind of transported me back into my childhood packed full of old HDB memories where we get to see the chest of conventional one-way letter boxes and the checkered stone table. What a nostalgic setting! I guess this is slowly going into history of Singapore.

Good Memories of old HDB 

The item that caught my attention is none other than this staple dish from the Taiwanese Menu, Lu Rou Fan AKA Braised Pork Rice. I'm pairing my meal with a cup of tea. 

The Braised Pork Rice was generously filled with even cuts of braised pork belly in a good ratio of lean meat and fats. The dish was straight forward, comprising just 3 items in the bowl, namely the preserved vegetables, egg and the braised pork belly.

Braised Pork Rice & Tea - $7.30 + $1.30

The Lava Egg was outstanding with runny egg yolk.

Lava Egg

The star of the item in the bowl is none other than this well-braised pork. It was soft in texture with good hints of herbal and braised sauce had accentuated the meat. The braised sauce had given a good pairing to the bowl of white rice. 

Braised Pork

While the place still brings back a lot of good memories, I don't mind visiting again for other dishes.

Rating: 3.5 / 5

Downstairs
Location: Suntec City, 3 Temasek Blvd, #B1-132 Singapore 038983

Review of Citrus by the pool @ Woodlands [Media Invite]

Whenever I asked my friends about food recommendations in Woodland, I was led elsewhere. No doubt that Citrus by the Pool had been established for about 9 years, but I had never come across such a place and that explained my visit here. Citrus By The Pool is a Halal-certified café restaurant located at Woodlands Swimming Complex

Citrus By The Pool

It caught my surprise that their menu was very extensive and had many choices like pasta, western, waffles and even Thai Cuisine! The staff is friendly and the service is good. 

The interior is cosy, spacious and comfortable. Good News for night owls out there as they are open daily till 5 a.m.

Interior

The Yam Mamuang (Thai Mango Salad) got us started on the meal with its harmonious blend of sweet, sour, salty and spicy tastes, adding on with its light and refreshing flavours. The shredded green mango was outstanding for its was not only served with roasted crushed peanuts, chilli and onions drizzled with the sweet and sour sauce but also topped with the fried sliced codfish. 

Yam Mamuang (Thai Mango Salad) - $6.90

What a fusion! The combination of Thai Chilli Crab Sauce and pasta can be served with either chicken or seafood. Flavours of crab with spicy and savoury elements of Thai Cuisine. Yums!

Thai Chilli Crab Pasta  (Chicken / Seafood) - $14 / $15.50

The Stir Fry Garlic Chicken is good for sharing. The succulency of the chicken pieces was made savoury with the bold flavours of garlic. It tasted good alone even without pairing it with jasmine rice.

Stir Fry Garlic Chicken (Gai Tod Kra Tiem) - $9.90

This appetising famous Thai Dish, Tom Yum Seafood Soup is known for its bold & tangy flavours. The delightful and aromatic soup featured a variety of seafood and gave a balance of sweet, and sour with spicy notes. 

Clear Tom Yum Soup (Seafood) - $15.90

A healthy and tasty option that highlights the natural flavours of chicken with free-range poultry. It was delicious and wholesome combining the simplicity of grilling with the quality and flavour of the free-range chicken. Love the Pan Fried Sous Vide Chicken Thigh that carried a crisp on the outer layer and served with their seasonal vegetables coupled with homemade brown sauce.

Grilled Free-Range Chicken - $17.50

This Classic, popular and flavourful Thai Stir Fried noodle dish strike a perfect balance of sweet, salty and tangy flavours. It offers a delightful mix of texture and tastes. 

Prawn Pad Thai - $13.90

The Thai Crispy Fish has always been my favourite from the Thai Menu and Citrus by the pool offers an option pairing it with Thai Chilli, Sweet and Sour Sauce or Dark Soy Sauce.

Thai Crispy Fish with Sweet & Sour Sauce - $29.90

The sweet notes and tanginess had married the crispiness of the deep-fried seabass. Its a delightful & flavourful dish indeed. 

Seabass

The BBQ Squid with Thai Spicy Chili is a popular and delicious Thai Seafood Dish.The combination of smoky and tender grilled squid with its tangy, spicy and refreshing sauce was fantastic. 

BBQ Squid with Thai Spicy Chilli (Pra Meuk Yang) - $9.90

Not many places sell this. The Thai Stuffed Chicken Wings which is also known as "Peek Gai Yad Sai" is a unique Thai Dish. The chicken wings are deboned, stuffed with a delicious mixture and was deep fried to its golden crispy perfection. Its a contrast of crispy chicken skin over a flavourful and savoury filling. The dipping sauce added a touch of sweetness, making this dish a mouthwatering treat.

Thai Stuffed Chicken Wing (Peek Gai Yad Sai) - $8.90

Besides having fusion dishes from their menu, we were impressed by the range of beverages too. Just take a look into their signature ice coffees and my kakis had already shortlisted two.

Their Signature Ice Coffees are Instagram-worthy with alluring colours. 

Oceanic Iced Latte - $9

Want some fruity flavours with coffee? If you are adventurous, try this!

Passionfruit Sparkling Americano - $19

While our stomach was already reaching its limit, we were glad that we still have some space for desserts, their mini milkshakes.

Rainbow Paradise reminded me of my child hood favourite ice cream "Rainbow Paddle Pop". It was topped with some rainbow marshmallows and the milk shake was added with caramel sauce. Gummy was added too and it gave us surprises. 

Rainbow Paradise - $9

We also had the Salted Caramel milk shake that was decorated with a slice of Lotus Biscuit. While we thought it will be sweet, it turns out that the sweetness level was acceptable by all of us.

Salted Caramel - $9.90

We could not resist but were told that their Molten Chocolate Lava Cake was highly recommended. It was handcrafted inhouse and the combination of warm gooey chocolate cake with the creaminess of the scoop of vanilla ice cream was a perfect treat to end our meal. What an indulgence!

Molten Chocolate Lava Cake - $13

Food is priced affordably and the portion is generous. It also can gather big family or groups dining. So if hunger pangs in the night, I will know where to go now.

Thank you Ericia & Citrus by the pool for the invitation.

Citrus By The Pool
Location: Woodlands Swimming Complex, 3 Woodlands Street 13  Singapore 738600
Website

Taste Good 好味小厨

The media had been actively featuring this House of Salted Egg in Sim Lim Square for some time. With the turnovers of Sim Lim Square tenants over these years, the number of times I went there got lesser and lesser over time.

Taste Good is highly raved for its mini wok salted egg dishes. Despite having a heavy meal earlier on nearby the premises, we decided to head down to Taste Good for the salted dish. We ordered the Salted Egg Chicken with Rice. True to the media indeed, they have the yummiest Salted Egg Chicken. The sauce was creamy and generously coated on the Chicken, outstanding! It has a perfect blend of texture and flavours.

If you are nearby or in Sim Lim Square, don't miss out on this place when you are here!

Salted Egg Chicken With Rice 咸蛋鸡丁饭 - $7.20

Rating: 3.5 / 5

Taste Good 好味小厨
Location: Sim Lim Square, 1 Rochor Canal Rd, #02-04 Sim Lim Square, Singapore 188504