mini-reviews: tidbits

Haven’t posted for the longest time But I will right now, so far Singapore has been gastronomically satisfying, I’ve been to Lau Pa Sat and Newton Circus, famous hawker centers around here. Personally, I think hawker centers are overrated, but that’s for another entry. I want to visit those obscure places I’ve seen featured on Makan King in AFC, but sadly the show isn’t Google-able, and TV channels here are very limited

But I’m loving NUS’s range of canteens, there’s bound to be one anywhere you are on campus, there’s The Deck for the AS kids, Techno Edge for the people at Engineering, Foodgle, KGourmet for those in PGP, the Science Canteen and I believe there’s also one in the Business School which I haven’t gone to yet.

Here goes

Sting Ray at Newton Circus

Enjoyed this with Choupi and her cousin during our first week in Singapore. At first knowledge, sting ray seems quite exotic, but like most seafood, it also has the distinct brine-y flavor fish, shrimps, clams, etc. have. What sets sting ray apart is its stringy texture, like the meat has a texture almost similar to crabsticks (you know, when you separate them into strings). But of course, sting ray has a milder, milkier flavor. Explains why it’s perfectly paired with the strong flavor of chili paste. I’d recommend eating this with coconut rice

See? It is stringy! <3 Will have this again with my family when they come visit

Tom Yum Soup


One dish that I love, but doesn’t love me back. Drinking Tom Yum is always an experience to be reckoned with. It’s unbelievably spicy, but you can’t help but enjoy the lingering tomato-based soup underneath all that spice ) Thai friends will disagree with me on this, but they’ve been eating spicy food all their lives ) I ordered this from Newton Circus as well, price was a hefty S$10, but it was well worth the experience. The serving was quite big, and there was a lot of seafood inside, shrimps, clams, fish, leafy vegetables. The broth could be a little less spicy for a weakling like me, but the sourness was perfect, reminds me of sinigang, but with tomato and a whole lot of spice.

PS. ONE THING TO REMEMBER WHEN EATING TOM YUM: RATIONING YOUR WATER SUPPLY. Trust me on this

Me and my Tom Yum. See my slightly red face? Holding back the tears 8D

Ma Po Tofu

I miss home. A LOT. So when I saw the menu for this at the Deck, I pointed out to Choupi that Ma Po Tofu was good, and after seeing the hefty, hefty serving, we succumbed ) My mom makes this all the time at home, so eating this was like some kind of withdrawal symptom. I remember the tofu being exquisitely soft (not bad for cafeteria food) and it wasn’t too spicy. The meat, however, could use a little bit more taste, I felt that most of the savoriness came from the sauce itself. Otherwise, for the price and value (S$2.50) this was a great deal. Nostalgia on a plate <3 Nothing like home-cooked food

from Beijing Cuisine

I was feeling quite homesick one day and I was too lazy to venture out for something different. I enjoyed this meal alone at the dorm cafeteria, like the previous Ma Po Tofu dish, this reminded me of my mom’s cooking. No frills whatsoever, just point out what you like, and they serve it up on a good plate of rice. Tofu, rice, brocolli, and pork with some nice soy-based sauce: what meals at home usually are like. Not amazingly good but it’s great comfort food (at least for me). Price: S$3.10, Not bad Finished it all up to the last grain of rice. Best enjoyed with tons of sauce on rice <3

and about the sucky lighting on this picture, the cafeteria had this sort of UV film on their windows, so the light filtered through was kinda weird )

Next entry: On Laksa and the best chicken barbeque ever.

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