Tan Thanh Loi

Tan Thanh Loi is a sweet little restaurant near Little Saigon market.  It had never caught my eye until one day, when my father and I strolled past and saw a mini production line of plates of Com Tam being crowned with delectable pork chops.

For the longest time, I eschewed Com Tam as it seemed too boring.  I was having a serious love affair with Bun - warm rice vermicelli noodle salads, with shredded vegies and all manner of grilled meats.  Who wants a pork chop and a boring old egg, and what is "broken rice" anyway?

Com Tam Bi Suon Cha Trung, $9.00

More the fool me.  This particular Com Tam was divine.  The bi (shredded pork skin) was so fresh, garlicky and pleasantly chewy.  The chop, redolent with lemongrass, was perfect - tender and bursting with flavour.  It came with an interesting eggy prawn meatloaf and a fried egg.  The accompanying seasoned fish sauce was not required, so tasty was each individual component.

A bowl of perfectly clear chicken broth is a Zen moment for me.  Like a perfect bonsai or a Japanese stone garden, it makes me pause and reflect, no matter how busy I am.  This comes with your Com Tam.

I totally dig the pictures, and Tan Thanh Loi have been kind enough to mark which meals contain which particular common allergens, such as gluten, peanuts, and egg.  I want to try Banh Cuon Cha Lua (steamed rice rolls with pork loaf) and Bo Luc Lac (fried beef, so-called for the way you shake the wok when you cook it).

I'm glad I have finally discovered Com Tam.  Sometimes in our quest for the new and exciting, we forget that simple is often best.

Tan Thanh Loi
73 Nicholson St, Footscray (map)
9687 4886 
Hours:  Mon - Sat 9.00am - 7.00pm (Fri til 9.00pm), Sun 9.00pm - 5.00pm

逸群鸡饭Yet Con Chicken Rice @ Purvis Street

Yet Con is one of the few original Hainanese food operators in Purvis Street that has tested time with Old Swee Kee (not in Purvis previously but at North Bridge Road) leaving the fray and then New Swee Kee re-entering. Even after years from my last visit, when HY and I still weren’t banded by ‘The Ring’ that rules them all, the facade of this chicken rice shop still remains the same.

Dedicated to all 'Breast' men

We sat at the table and realized that all of us (4 men) prefer chicken breast. So, it's a unanimous order of an all breast chicken lunch. Yes. I’m a ‘breast’ man. The chicken breast is a part of the chicken that gets dry easily from cooking, especially when Yet Con still adopt the traditional way of cooking the chicken without the ‘cold water’ dip that many chicken rice places have already applied to make their chickens more tender. Although not as tender as Maxwell’s Tian Tian, it was still tender enough nevertheless.

Garlic chilli and the Grated Ginger Dip

The garlic chilli and grated ginger has been the standard dips for the Hainanese chicken rice. Their chilli wasn’t as hot as I like though. I saw a couple of Caucasians at one table. Maybe it’s meant to serve their taste?

Inside Yet Con ... Got Air Con

25 Purvis Street

Tel : 6337 6819

Original Sin ….. Mediterranean Vegetarian @ Holland Village

Ling Zhi is the chi-chi Chinese restaurant in Singapore. I’m glad for our vegetarians that there’s Original Sin to bring the Mediterranean taste into the vegan world. Our team lunch led us into the laid back fringe of Holland Village, at Chip Bee Gardens. There were some tables right outside the pavement of the shophouse restaurant. Inside, with the comforts of air conditioning, the walls the tables and cushion were designed with a hint of Middle Eastern flavours.

We ordered many food items off the lunch menu but I had only tried a few and can only describe the following that I thought was good.

Mezze plate

A selection of Middle Eastern dips served with falafel patties and pita bread

Dips for the Mezze plate :

Koresh - Pumpkin and carrot infused with caraway and fennel seed

Baba ganoush - Pureed eggplant blended with garlic, lemon juice and tahini

Tzatziki - Yogurt, cucumber and mint

Hummus - A puree of chickpeas, tahini, garlic and lemon juice

I liked the Mezze plate for the different dips that intrigue the taste buds. The use of different herbs and spices and eating them conjured a mystical feeling akin to the Middle Eastern culture.

Bosco Misto

Spinach, feta and tofu patties served with sautéed button mushrooms in a plum sauce and topped with asparagus

Risotto

Italian Arborio rice simmered with white wine and an enticing combination of sauteed vegetables

Blk 43 #01-62 Jalan Merah Saga

Holland Village

Chip Bee Gardens

Tel : 6475 5605

Original Sin Website

Farfalle with Salmon, Mint and Peas

Springtime is great, and after the winter we had, we needed a good spring! The trees are green, after being a magnificent pink, and the sun is actually starting to kiss my skin again, it's glorious!

A lot of wonderful words come to mind when I think about Spring, but particular word is clean. The dirt gets washed away by the rain, the air is fresh and alive, and people dejunk their homes, coining the phrase "spring cleaning". So it's only appropriate that the delicious food we eat in the spring should be equally fresh and clean, especially after the binging and hibernating we do in the winter!

This pasta to me was the epitome of a clean dish. I was thrilled to find the recipe after still having half of a beautiful salmon fillet leftover begging me to be used. There are very few ingredients, but the dish still has a lot of flavor and leaves your insides feeling happy and refreshed.

I'll post the recipe as it comes, but don't stress too much about how your salmon is prepared. If you already have a way you make it, go for it, just be sure it's delicious!


Farfalle with Salmon, Mint, and Peas
Great Food Fast

Ingredients

Coarse salt and fresh ground pepper
1 pound farfalle
1 1/2 pounds skinless salmon fillet
2 lemons, zested and juiced
1 package frozen peas
2 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup chopped fresh mint (parsley would be fine too)

Directions

1. IN a large pot of boiling salted water, cook the farfalle until al dente according to the package directions. Drain, reserving 1 cup of the pasta water; return the pasta to the pot.

2. Meanwhile, season the salmon with coarse salt and ground pepper; place in a large skillet. Add 1/4 cup water and the lemon zest and juice. Bring to a simmer over medium heat. Cover; steam for 10 minutes.

3. Add the frozen peas; steam, covered, until the peas are tender and the salmon is opaque, 6 to 8 minutes.

4. Transfer to the pot with the pasta. Add the butter and mint. Season with salt and pepper. Toss, gently flaking fish and adding reserved pasta water as desired. Serve immediately, sprinkled with more mint.

Wanderlust

I’ve changed my mind again (surprise). I know I had mentioned recently being a little distracted one day and then saying I had grounded myself the next. Now I think I’m still out there a little bit. I’m a little spirally.

The latest incarnation of my springy-spirallyness is a major case of wanderlust. It’s not just that I feel an overwhelming desire to travel, it’s also that I can’t stay still. I don’t want to be home for very long and, every time I get into my car, I just want to keep driving. I’ve even been inventing errands and taking longer routes to get to my destinations. In this town?! I must be out of my mind.

Clearly all of my errands have been accomplished. I even made a trip to the dry cleaners to drop off one (1) item. I have told my friends that live in, say, Watts, Venice or Long Beach, that I’d be happy to leave my canyon to visit them. I’m not surprised, but I’m pretty sure they think I’m joking as none have taken me up on the offer.

It’s true, I don’t get to travel very much. Not in the past 5 or 6 years at least. But it has never really mattered to me before. I’m a nester. I always love being close to home. In fact I actually hate packing so very, very much that it practically inhibits my urge to travel. But I think I’d hop on a plane, train or automobile in a hot second and take off anywhere right now. So what is going on?

Perhaps it is simply time. Perhaps the last 5 or 6 years has caught up with me. Perhaps I am looking for something.

One result of this wanderlust has been going out to eat. Going out to drink. Going out. And a direct result of the going out has provided me with the emptiest refrigerator I’ve ever had. Seriously, here’s the entirety of what’s going on in there:

7 eggs (which may be bad)

The better part of a package of bacon (which I think is still okay)

Most of a bulb of fennel (I really need to toss that)

An individual yogurt left over from my dad’s visit (still good)

Milk (for coffee)

Part of a wedge of Parmesan (obviously fine)

A package of crème fraiche (must use, post haste)

2 beers (1 from Dad’s visit & 1 from Doug stopping by recently. I don't even drink beer.)

Condiments

On the counter I have various onions, shallots, garlic and potatoes – most of which need to get used immediamente as well. At this point, they may even be doing Fantasia-esque dancing in the kitchen whilst I sleep.

So, this afternoon, being so busy with work-related things that have strapped me to the homestead, I took stock and realized I needed to: (1) try to save as much of the food as possible; and (2) get my arse moving in the kitchen.

Potato salad is springy, it’s even summery. Potato salad elicits memories of home and coziness and also of being outside, being in the sunshiney shine, being with friends. But really, being anywhere and everywhere.

Potato Salad with Crème Fraiche, Mint & Basil

Serves 6

1 lb. Baby Russet Potatoes

¾ cup crème fraiche

2 tbsp grainy mustard

1 large shallot, diced

1 tsp cider vinegar

2 large sprigs of fresh mint, chopped

6-8 large leaves of fresh basil, chiffonade

1 ½ tsp salt

1 tsp pepper

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add potatoes and cook until tender but still firm, about 15 minutes. Drain, cool, and chop.

In a large bowl, combine the potatoes, crème fraiche, mustard, shallot, vinegar, mint, basil salt and pepper. Mix together well and refrigerate until chilled.

Skillet Penne and Sausage Dinner

This is the type of dish that only needs a few words to get it's point across...

Thirty Minutes

One Skillet

Knock-Your-Socks-Off Delicious!

Skillet Penne and Sausage Dinner
America's Test Kitchen

Ingredients

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 onion, minced
salt
pound hot or sweet Italian turkey sausage, casings removed
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 cup sundried tomatoes, rinsed and chopped fine
8 ounces penne
2 1/2 cups chicken broth
1/2 cup heavy cream (I used fat free half and half)
1 (5 oz) bag spinach
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
pepper

Directions

1. Heat the oil in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat until shimmering. Add the onion and 1/2 teaspoon salt and cook until softened, about 5 minutes.

2. Stir in the sausage and cook, breaking up the meat with a wooden spoon, until no longer pink, about 4 minutes.

3. Stir in the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 15 seconds. Sprinkle the tomatoes and penne evenly over the sausage. Pour the broth and cream over the pasta. Cover and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium low and continue to simmer, stirring occasionally, until the pasta is tender, about 10 minutes.

4. Stir in the spinach a handful at a time and cook until wilted, about two minutes. Stir in the Parmesan cheese and season with salt and pepper to taste.

Shelf Gleaning - Berbere

Ethiopian cuisine - bright splots of spicy wats on round, tangy injera bread.  As pretty as a painter's palette.  For a while, though, it was a "restaurant-only" thing for me.  I had it in the "do not attempt" pile, along with making filo pastry from scratch or deboning a chicken.  There was no particular reason, only ignorance.  The lovely Bianca changed all that by surprising me one day with my first tubs of berbere and niter kibbeh, from Mama Rosina's in Footscray.  Now, Ethiopian is as easy as whipping out my trusty Old El Paso taco kit!

Berbere is a brick-red spice combination that is arguably the foundation of Ethiopian cuisine.  Blends are individual, but feature chillies or paprika, fenugreek, and warming spices such as cloves and black pepper.  The spice mix may be dry or made in to a smooth paste with the addition of onions and garlic.  Mesnoy sell the paste for $40/kg and have 500g tubs in their fridge.  Their blend is not particularly hot, which means you can add a lot, without scaring the children.

I regularly cook Misir Wat (red lentil dal) with berbere, and an accompanying Tikil Gomen (fried cabbage, carrot, and green chilli).  I based my recipes on those from Rachel's lovely blog, The Berbere Diaries.

Misir Wat

1 cup red lentils
1.5 onions, chopped
1/4 cup vegetable oil (or up to 1/2 a cup to be more authentic)
1/3 cup berbere (if you like it spicy, like me!)
3 tomatoes, chopped (I use from a can; you could use fresh, but remove the skins)
2 cups water
1/4 cup finely chopped garlic
1/4 cup finely chopped ginger

Wash the lentils very well in several changes of water.

Fry the onions over medium heat for around 10-15 minutes without any oil. (This is the traditional method - they won't burn as long as you keep the heat to medium, rather they will cook in their own juices.)

Add the oil and cook for a few minutes.  Add the berbere and cook well for 5-7 minutes.  Add the tomatoes and lentils, and mix well.  Add the water, bring to the boil, and simmer for around 20 minutes until the lentils are cooked and the wat is thick.

Add ginger and garlic and cook for 5 minutes more.  Serve on top of injera.

Coming up, wat's wat on niter kibbeh - a spiced clarified butter that is used to make many other traditional Ethiopian recipes.

German Apple Pancake

My husband and I balance each other out quite nicely when it comes to food. He likes sweet, I like savory. I like to cook, he likes to bake. I like dinner and party food, he likes breakfast. Actually, he LOVES breakfast. While I'm one to sprint out the door with not so much a granola bar in my hand (I'm not a breakfast fan, my stomach has a hard time with food in the morning), he'll wake up thirty minutes early every morning to make his waffles, eggs, bacon, or whatever other extravagant breakfast he can dream up. It's kind of cute actually, and I'm pretty sure the kids wake up early just because they know if they do, they're going to get a much better breakfast then if mom is making it!

So being the breakfast lover that he is, my husband really wanted to make a nice Easter breakfast. He found this recipe in my new America's Test Kitchen book, which I already love. If you are familiar with German pancakes, you already know that they are fluffy, and light with a fabulous unique flavor and texture. Add to that sweet chewy apples and it takes the German pancake to a whole new level. It was so delicious that even this non-breakfast eater went back for seconds. I highly recommend serving this with pure maple syrup, it's just better.

German Apple Pancake
America's Test Kitchen

Ingredients

1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
2/3 cup half and half
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 1/4 pounds apples (3-4) quartered, peeled and sliced 1/2 inch thick
1/4 cup packed light or dark brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
confectioner's sugar

Directions

1. Adjust an oven rack to the upper-middle position and heat the oven to 500 degrees. Whisk together the flour, granulated sugar, and salt in a large bowl. In another bowl, whisk together the eggs, half and half and vanilla. Whisk the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients until no lumps remain.

2. Melt the butter in 10-inch ovenproof nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the apples, brown sugar and cinnamon and cook until the apples are golden brown, about 10 minutes. Off the heat, stir in the lemon juice.

3. Following the photos, quickly pour the batter around the edge of the skillet, then over the apples. Place the skillet in the oven and immediately reduce the oven temperature to 425 degrees. Bake until the pancake has risen above the edges of the skillet and is brown, about 18 minutes. Loosen the pancake edges from the hot skillet with a spatula and invert the pancake onto a large plate or serving platter (I never got a picture of our inverted pancake, dang it). Dust with confectioners sugar, and cut into wedges before serving.

Suju .... again @ Mandarin Gallery

Boring as it may seems, I came back to Suju with HY again.This time Suju got their official menu which is definitely more comprehensive than the soft launch menu and their Annin Tofu is still there on the dessert menu!

The Japanese service staff were still there, the service still tip top and the prices still up to Mandarin Gallery's standards. Some people complained Suju of 'exhorbitant' pricing but I thought 'exhorbitant' was too strong a word. Put it this way, nothing is relatively economical in the Mandarin Gallery. From this second visit, I still think it's worth spending my dough for an overall dining experience in Suju (but not too often to prevent breaking the bank).

Sashimi (3 kinds)

HY and I ordered a small plate of fresh sashimi. There was akami, kanpachi and hirame. Not only was the sashimi freshly imported from Tsukiji Fish Market in Tokyo, even the wasabi was freshly grated and not the wasabi paste off the tube.

Kaisen Chirashi

Like I do not have enough of the fresh sashimi, I went on to order the chirashi set. On top of the sushi rice, there was the salmon roe, scallop, hirame, kampachi, akami, salmon, mushroom and egg. The sushi rice was lightly salted and I thought it was good sushi rice texture. The set came with miso soup with shredded fried egg and seaweed. This was good stuff but I had to benchmark this to Inagiku's chirashi (my best, so far), which was unfair of me. Inagiku's chirashi set was about 3 times more costly.

Shake Chazuke

HY ordered the Shake Chazuke which is Japanese rice in soup with salmon and ikura. The salmon was grilled to perfection and then placed on the 'Saku' rice mixed in soup.

A close up of that yummy salmon perched on top of the 'Saku' rice. The gohan sets in Suju uses 'Saku' rice. 'Saku' rice is imported from Saku in Nagano, an 'A' class area nominated for producing rice. This 'A' class Japanese rice just got its flavours enhanced by cooking in Suju's handmade bronze pot.

Oyako Tamagotoji

This dish was actually stir fried chicken, egg, mushroom and tofu in an iron pan. A great dish for sharing and complimenting the good 'Saku' rice.

We were told that this dish goes well with the powdered chilli that was nicely packed inside a rectangular wooden container.

My Finale ...... Annin Tofu

Like I said in my last Suju entry, I'll be back for this dessert .... Here I go ..... SLURP!

333A Orchard Road

#04-05/07 Mandarin Gallery

(65) 6737 7764

Singapore

Let's Talk About Text, Baby.

I have rules about almost everything. None of them are really very important. No tank tops on men, no skinny jeans on anyone, don’t end a sentence with a preposition, and please don’t say “a whole nother” – nother is not a word. Vanity plates = bad. I don’t like being on speakerphone (does anyone?). And if I call you, call back, don’t text back. And in the realm of texting: no emoticons, no LOL or BRB, etc. I am only now able to tolerate the XOXO.

It never takes me too long to embrace gadgets and new forms of communication. I was a little slow with emails at first. I enjoyed the Instant Messaging on the computer, briefly. I've never been down with the webcam, but I Tweet. And while, as mentioned above, I prefer someone to respond to my communiqué in kind, I have really embraced the text message over the past few years.

It has never been, however, the primary or sole venue of communication between myself and anyone else. Until very recently, that is.

I have a friend with whom I have never spoken on the phone. We do speak with our voices when we are face to face – which is rare. We have emailed once or twice to send a larger file of some kind. But 99.9% of the time we text. And through this texting we have shared and discovered an enormous amount about one another, and perhaps ourselves. It’s quite interesting, actually – like a new form of the pen pal.

It is also a fascinating way to learn about someone, which we rarely do these days, how they write – even in such a casual context. I, for one, feel that I text the way I speak (perhaps slightly less verbosely, of course). But everyone has their text voice.

Tone is often something that can get greatly misunderstood in text-land. A lot of my friends use an abundance of exclamation points to ensure they don’t appear terse. There is a lot of "Yay!" and "Of course!" that goes on with my girlfriends. Sarcasm is often lost in text-land (which may be why some people feel the need to insert that pesky “winky” emoticon). Me - I still try to find the right words for my sarcasm, which often doesn’t work, and I get a snippy reply – with a “frowny” emoticon. Oh, well. I said I have rules.

Of course, my rules extend into the culinary world as well. So, I have recently been noting the things that occur while dining out that are just not okay with me:

1. In the realm of servers and staff: it’s a fine line, I realize, but know when to be there or when to stay away. I am there to enjoy my food with my friends. I don’t need an army of people wiping a lone crumb off the table or adding a teaspoon of water to my glass at all times, interrupting the conversation and the enjoyment of the food and wine. That being said - please know when my wine glass is almost empty, and please don’t make me wait 38 years before bothering to take my order.

2. On the water tip: Do not lead the diner with, “Bottled, sparkling or just tap?” That is condescending and makes the diner feel like a simpleton for wanting tap water. We all know either is just fine.

3. DO NOT clear a plate from the table unless everyone in the party has finished their course. Rude. Rude. Rude.

4. There are so many wines that are absolutely delicious, complex and inexpensive these days. We know that restaurants make most of their money on the booze, but Good Lord, there is no reason not to have a selection of reasonable wines in the $50 and under category.
  
5. I don’t care if you are the fanciest chef with the fanciest restaurant. Provide salt and pepper for your diners. Or, at least, don’t give them the stink-eye if they request it. Everyone’s palates are different and there is just no need for the pretense in assuming someone is trashing the food by sprinkling a dash of sea salt or cracked pepper on it. And I always taste the food first.

 Salt N Pepa

I clearly have more peeves to share, but I thought it best to leave it at my current top 5. Please feel free to share yours in the comment section.

By the way, I admittedly am guilty of a major diner’s no-no: often, one may see me texting at the dinner table. I know. It’s really horrible. Perhaps even worse than using an emoticon… 

Pumpkin Almond Butter Cake/Brownies

here we go with another one of those...

"i don't believe this is gonna work" recipes...

one look at the ingredients and you'd have to agree with me. it all sounds too gooey. i watched in shock and awe as it slowly became an actual cake.

as you can see, the first cake photo shown above looks a bit different than the second. i liked it so much the first time i had to try it again, but i had to try the true recipe. i fudged the ingredients the first time because i was in such disbelief that the goop in the mixing bowl was going to actually bake into something. the first batch i thought i just HAD to add some extra baking powder...as you can see, it DID come out quite a bit more cakey than the second batch. the second was by the book and turned out much more like a brownie. i think i like them both equally.

i was so excited to make this one i ran out to Whole Foods and bought some fresh ground almond butter. i had seen it there the last visit and i knew this recipe would make the long trek out there all worth it. i was right. i do suggest using fresh almond butter if you can get it. the almond butter used in the second batch was fresh, but a bit more loose than the first cake. i'm sure whatever you use will work out fine because the flavor of this cake is what it's all about. speaking of flavor...i thought the original needed a bit of cinnamon and, of course, a little kick from cayenne. i'm wondering if you might try a little cocoa powder? or go the pumpkin spice route?...whatever you choose, it does need a little something.

ALMOND BUTTER PUMPKIN BROWNIES

many thanks to Shelley at Primal Life. original found here and copied below with my notes.

Feel free to get creative with substitutions. Try other nut butters, other forms of squash, other sweeteners, spices, mix-ins, the possibilities are endless. I made several batches using either fresh squash that I steamed and mashed or canned pumpkin. I preferred the fresh squash to the canned pumpkin, but the latter worked perfectly well. Consider topping with applesauce and/or whipped cream for a delicious dessert.

Ingredients:

1 cup almond butter

¾ cup mashed pumpkin or other squash, canned or steamed

1 egg

1/3 cup honey

1 tsp baking soda

for my first batch (the cakey version shown) i used 1 1/2 tsp baking soda and added 1 egg white along with the whole egg.

Combine all ingredients in a bowl. Mix well. Pour into a greased 8 x 8 in pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.

Big Eater 大食家 @ Upper Changi Road

Singapore is a small island but definitely thronging with good food places, even at the far end of Upper Changi Road. My first visit to Big Eater was with HY, Ade and J. HY and I came back again last night to have a simple birthday dinner for mum at this restaurant.

Big Eater is a chain with several outlets and we came to the Upper Changi one as it's the only one I know how to drive to. The restaurant has air conditioned area and non air conditioned seatings. In addition, they provide valet service. For the cost conscious eater, there's no service charge in this restaurant.

Crispy Roll 腐皮卷

The crispy roll was deep fried to a nice crisp, enhanced by the '锅气' (fiery of the wok) of the wok.

Crystal Hor Fun 水晶河粉

This was one of the dish that we came back for and is one of the signature dish that I thought was really the signature of Big Eater. The hor fun came with generous amount of bean sprouts and a heap of fried minced garlic and chilli that was meant to be mixed up together.

I took a close up of the crystal hor fun which is the highlight of this dish. It was as tangy as the skin of the crystal buns 水晶包.

Crab with Salted Egg 咸香螃蟹

This dish is also one of Big Eater's signature. However, I found that the salted egg was not as intense as I would like it to be. Since I'm having crab with salted egg I would like to go all the way not to have the 'salted egg-iness' diluted by adding corn (Those yellow puree in the salted egg sauce looked and tasted like corn)

Fried Fish with Garlic and Chilli

We all liked the appetising sauce created by the condiments of garlic and sliced chilli. The tilapia was deep fried to absolute crisp that it was quite easy to dissect the fish to share.

I cut up the fish and messed it up, but still all of us enjoyed this dish.

We tried the Hokkien mee too but HY and I find it a disappointment. Please spare the dark sauce. There was simply too much of it in the Hokkien mee. Apart from the Hokkien mee, we did enjoy dining at the restaurant as it was not too crowded (due to their address) and the food was economically priced for the quality they served. We spend about S$140 for 4 people. Please take note that although the address spells that the restaurant is located at Jalan Pari Burong, its main entrance is actually along Upper Changi Road.

34 Jalan Pari Burong

(Upper Changi Road)

Singapore

+6562457268

Little Saigon Market

Little Saigon Market is somewhat hidden behind Hopkins St, and conceals a treasure trove of colourful, fragrant, tasty delights.  The first time I went to this market, I felt as if I had been magically transported to Vietnam itself.  Strange vegetables were piled high, glistening with water droplets.  Curious cakes were for sale, straight out of the Mad Hatter's tea party.  The chickens in the butcher still had their feet on them.  Patrick, a reader of this blog, writes:

When visitors arrive from interstate and overseas I hustle them off to the unlikely tourist attraction of Little Saigon market and the surrounding shops to pull together the ingredients for a meal. Luckily most seem to like it if only because it does not correspond with their idea of Australia.

And that is what I love most - Little Saigon might feel like Vietnam (at least to me, who has never been there), but it is still so much a part of the Australia I know and love.  Who wants to live in a place where there is only Coles to shop at, only toasted sandwiches and milky tea to sup on, and only Slim Dusty to listen to?  Certainly not I - unless the milky tea were bubble tea, perhaps!

Here's Ms Baklover's guide to the Little Saigon Market.  Please write in with anything I've missed!

First, stop by the sugarcane juice shop to get you in the subtropical mood.  They are just on Byron St, near the Leeds St corner.

Long poles of sugarcane are passed through a simple yet powerful "wringer" to extract all the sweet juice.  You will see a garbage bin full of the twisted, juice-less remains.

Sugarcane juice, $3.00

They will give you "one they made earlier" so that it's really nice and cold.  Aaah!  The sweetness is really complex, unlike a regular cordial or soft drink.  A small mandarin bobs amidst the ice cubes, complementing the faint lemon flavour of the sugarcane.

Next, some sustenance.  Step into the market - there's a entrance just down from the sugarcane stall.  On your right is this shop, Sun Wong Kee.  Pick up a bag of delicious, salty, tender fried squid legs and proceed to munch, à la hot chips - but so much better!

Bag of fried squid, $4.00

The best thing about Little Saigon is the plates of fruit you are encouraged to try before you buy.  This is also a sneaky pit stop if you have hungry, whining children (as is Baker's Delight - they always have some sort of new product on the counter to ply the kids with, I mean, sample).
 

I always do my main shop at Footscray Market, as I know and am fiercely loyal to Masters' Fruit and Buttacavoli's Fish.  I do like perusing the fruit at Little Saigon, though, as they often have fabulous, exotic finds, like mangosteens, rambutans, dragonfruit, and cheap mangoes.

If you haven't tried mangosteens, you simply must.  Inside are lobes of soft white flesh, which taste like a cross between banana, lemon, and mango.

When you've picked up all your goodies, stop off at To's 2 Bread & Cake and pick up something sweet to have at home.

I love these little pillowy sweets, called Banh Bao Chi.  They are made from glutinous rice and rolled in coconut, and these particular ones are filled with a sweet/salty peanut mixture.

Banh Bao Chi, $3.00

Now, put your feet up, pop your banh bao chi on a saucer, and have that cup of milky tea - bubble or not.

Little Saigon Market (map)

Byron St, Footscray (between Nicholson & Leeds)

Hours: Sun - Thurs 9.00am - 6.00pm, Fri 9.00am - 9.00pm, Saturday 9.00am - 7.00pm