Botak Jones

Char-grilled Salmon Fillet Meal at S$14 with additional "Shiitake Mushroom" sidedish

We heard the Botak Jones advertisement many times on the radio and being in the vicinity around Bukit Merah, we thought we will make a trip there to try.

Botak Jones, what a quaint name for a food place! This place serves authentic American food such as grills, burgers and pastas. Supposedly I understand that the concept for the Jones outlets is to make great western food available for the Heartlanders. So you would notice their outlets are located at the industrial and housing estates. As its slogan suggests, this place serves "damn good good at a damn good price"! This is because they prepare 95% of the food themselves and hence the prices can go so low. And as they claimed, we definitely got some great food at great prices there!

The meals were reasonably priced at S$7-19, burger sets at S$6-15. The steaks are at a different price but am sure it will be well worth the money. I ordered the recommended "Char-Grilled Salmon Fillet Meal" at S$14 and Ted went for the "Cajun Chicken Meal" at S$8. We also went for the additional S$2 deal where you can order a sidedish - and we ordered the "Shiitake Mushrooms". I especially love the mushrooms due to its fragant flavour! The char-grill salmon was also just nicely done and came topped with their own basil and garlic sauce . It was tender and almost melts in your mouth! The cajun chicken was likewise. It was juicy tender and there was a layer of cheese melting over it!

The sets were also served with any 2 sidedishes with the entree and the choices include:

* FRIES * COLESLAW * POTATO SALAD * CHEESE POTATO * DAILY VEGGIE * MEXICAN RICE * * FRESH DILL PASTA * AND MORE. We chose the coleslaw and fries. See what a great meal we have!

Cajun Chicken Meal at S$8 with additional "Shiitake Mushroom" sidedish

Botak Jones Depot Lane Outlet is at Blk 118, Depot Lane #01-02 Stall 10, Singapore 109754 Tel: 6272 3225.

Japanese Kikumasmune Sake

Happened to see this interesting Japanese Matsuri Festival at Central Shopping Mall probably two weekends back. Matsuri means festival. Maybe the festival was to celebrate harvest of some sort. I did not ask further. So there was some celebration over at Central, nearer the end facing the Riverside Quay. The event was a rather short one. Japanese music were playing in the background and cocktails were served to everyone at the mall. At the auspicious time of 9pm, the Japanese danced and celebrated, followed by opening a big wooden cask of Japanese sake wine /of brand known as "Kiku-Masamune". (Supposedly this is a famous brand of Japanese dry sake!)

After the opening of the big wooden casks, the Japanese were crazily inviting everyone at the Mall to have a taste of the Japanese sake wine as celebration. The sake was scooped using wooden ladles from the big wooden casks and everyone was served tiny little glasses of the Japanese sake. Very interesting. There was a lot of Japanese fun and giggles! There were also booths providing information on tours to Japan at the mall. A lot of shoppers joined in the fun! So we did too... the sake was very aromatic despite it being a small glass. Very sweet and rather strong. I understand that the sake was kept in the wooden casks to absorb the cedar wood from it and so as to produce the refreshing and wonderful aroma. We had a tiny glass for sampling and would say thanks for the sweet sake experience - and cheers ! Arigatoo gozaimasu ne.

Astons Express

We ventured to the neighbourhood this time. Its Serangoon Gardens! Yep the place where the famous hawker food centre is affectionately known as "Chomp Chomp". But no, we did not go to Chomp Chomp. Instead we detoured and visited one of the coffee shops round the corner of Farleigh Avenue, just diagonally opposite the Serangoon Maju Mall.

We walked along the row of shops and found this "New Huak Hin Coffeeshop". Surveying the stalls, we found this Grill place called "Astons Express" where all the staff at the stall don the same look - an Astons T-shirt with a khaki apron and cap. The grill looks good and they boast of serving Wagyu tender beef grill, tender chicken grill and many other choices at pretty competitive prices!

I was attracted and went for the "Chargrill Chicken". The complete grill set costing S$5.90 also allows for 2 side dishes to be served from a choice of items like; baked potatoes, baked beans, corn, mashed potato, vegetable salad, seasonal vegetables... among others. My choice for the day was the mashed potato and seasonal vegetables which was reasonably good!

See what a great meal I got above. The chicken was very tender and soft. Grilled well but still does not feel hard. It was served with mushroom sauce and the chicken was sprinkled with lots of black pepper. Nice! The mashed potatoes were soft and quite comparable to that served at the Punggol Park Bliss Restaurant (See earlier post on "Bliss Restaurant"). For a grill set of this price and NO GST, I would say what more can I ask?? Quick go and try it.

Astons Express is at 56, Serangoon Way, New Huak Hin Coffeeshop Tel: 6258 8839.

31 Sungei Road Laksa

Nothing beats a bowl of smooth thick spicy Laksa in hot sunny Singapore! And you can find the perfect bowl here at Sungei Road, Singapore! It is not famously acclaimed for no reasons and when you try it, you will know...

There has been many Laksa stalls found in Singapore claiming to be either the best Sungei Road or Katong Laksa. These 2 are supposedly the best Laksas in Singapore so many use that name to pose as the stall hoping to draw crowds. The original Sungei Road Laksa is in fact located at the Jalan Besar area, at Kelantan Lane within Seng Chuan Eating House. It is a coffeeshop that not many may find it unless you make an effort or perhaps while visiting the infamous "Sungei Road Second Hand Market"... The eating house is opposite a bike shop and those bikers who visit the "Lim Ah Boy Motorcycle Servicing Shop" will probably know where this Laksa stall is!

My opinion on the Laksa there is that its darn good! The coconut milk blends so nicely with the Laksa curry and spices. Its not too thick but just enough to bring out the taste. Very nicely done. Served with the cockles, fishcake and some bean sprouts, the dish is perfect!! Moreover, its served at a reasonable price of $2, $2.50 or $3 so its really a great deal. Maybe the only thing is that I wish there were more and bigger cockles in it.

Sometimes I wonder if there is a standard recipe that they use for the concoction of the Laksa because each time, I visit the place, the standard never falters and I wonder how they do it! The stall also serves a fantastic Mackerel otak (@ S$1) to go along with the Laksa so its great for spicy lovers as you don't just get Laksa served there (as if you dont have enough of the spices)! Well, but even for non-spicy lovers like me, I also found it hard to resist the delicious Laksa and Mackerel otak there. And I was definitely one pleased satisfied customer!!! Will be back for sure again.

Sungei Road Laksa is at Blk 31 Kelantan Lane, #01-12 Seng Chuan Eating House, Singapore. Opening hours 9am - 6pm. Closed on first Wednesday of the month.

Formula 1 World's First Night Race Winner

.... is Fernando Alonso, the spainard from Renault Team! Bravo! It was a really dramatic race with spills and thrills tonight that allowed Alonso to get his advantage and up his position from 15th to finish and win! Definitely a well deserved win for the two time World Champion!

Formula 1 World's First Night Race in Singapore

We are going to be part of history tonight, at this moment 7:56pm! Formula 1 (F1) World's First Night Race is going to start at 8pm at Singapore Marina Bay. I need to reach back TV to catch the flag off soon.

Just to report that the pole position is held by Ferrari Racer, Felipe Massa. Lewis Hamilton / McLaren Mercedes from Britain is in the 2nd position and another Ferrari racer, Kimi Raikkonen is in 3rd position. Its going to be tough race tonight, given that the circuit allows for almost zero opportunity for overtaking. Fernando Alonso of Renault is in 15th position having encountered engine problems in the Qualifying Round last night.

I got to run back to TV now. It has started!~

Azabu Sabo Hokkaido Ice-Cream

Its dessert time! If you love ice-creams, you will love this Azabu Sabo Hokkaido Ice-Cream! We tried their ice-creams and fell in love instantly with its milky soft creamy ice-cream.

Azabu Sabo uses dairy milk from Japan, Hokkaido so we should have no worries about it being tainted like those produced from China these days. Hokkaido is famous for milk and of course, for its milk ice-creams too! So we knew we had to try this one at The Central. The ice-cream comes served in single or double cones. Seeing the many flavours, we could not help but to order the double cones. Our choice was the Green Tea and Sesame (known as “Goma” in Japanese) flavour ice-cream! It was heavenly!! I especially like the Sesame flavour. These 2 flavours complement very well and it’s definitely a good choice to order both.

If you have a sweet tooth or crave for nice soft milky ice-cream, you've got to get your hands on the ice-cream at Azabu Sabo Hokkaido Ice-Cream! This outlet is a quick fix for customers to buy and go. They also have a restaurant (known as Azabu Sabo Japanese Sweets, Eats & Tea) at The Central which serves Japanese desserts and cuisines if you prefer to have a seat but do expect queues. Azabu Sabo Hokkaido Ice-Cream is at 6 Eu Tong Sen Street, #01-46 The Central, Singapore 059817 Tel: 6534 7178.

Swing KPE !

Went for a 5km fun walk and run at the SWING KPE - an event to mark the completion of the Kallang Paya Lebar Expressway (KPE) yesterday on 14 September 2008, Sunday.

It has been almost a year that I attended the last charity walk to mark the completion of the first 3km of the KPE! Now, its the full completion of another 9km. This expressway stretches from the East Coast Parkway (ECP) to the Tampines Expressway (TPE). Fully constructed, this 12km expressway will boost of being the longest (9km) underground vehicular tunnel in Southeast Asia. The project supposedly costs a whooping SGD $1.7 billion!

The KPE will be officially opened to motorists from 20 September 2008 and I was one of the eager participants waiting to step and make my mark on the newly completed expressway before any vehicles start moving on it yet ... ha cheap thrill! but that part of me was so excited to join the action and participate in the fun!

Lo and behold, so the event on Sunday, 14 September 2008 saw almost 15,000 people involved! Dressed in yellow, orange, green and black sports shirts, the participants don the bright colours of the event walking in the tunnel after the Transport Minister, Ms Lim Hwee Hwa together with Minister Admiral Teo Chee Hian flagged off the event. There was a 5km fun walk and run, a 10km competitive run and also activities like car rally that day.

Briskly the walkers walk, the joggers ran and altogether suddenly the pack squeezed into the tunnel after the Ministers flagged off. The walk was pretty enjoyable and the most interesting part was after 1-2 km into the tunnel where all the lights in the tunnel were turned off, music was thundering and you see neon lights displaying messages of "Switch On Vehicle Headlights" to bring across the message to motorists to remember to turn on the headlights when driving in this part of the expressway. Well done, Land Transport Authority (LTA)!

While walking through this part of the tunnel, participants had to switch on their red light battery-operated lanterns to join in "The Guiness Book of Records for the Largest Lantern Parade"! Coincidentally, the 14 September 2008 also happens to be the 15th day of the 8th lunar month on the Chinese Lunar Calendar this year, which is also known as the "Mooncake Festival". Supposedly this day in the Chinese tradition is to indulge oneself with a piece of mooncake while sipping a cup of tea and to admire the bright full moonlight, carrying a lantern. Hence we were moonlighting in the tunnel carrying our little lanterns at the walk.

The walk was interesting but got a little hot in the tunnel at the end. Exhausted we completed the walk together with the many people... perspiring and hot! It was an enjoyable walk in the morning and for a good cause as the proceeds collected towards this event went towards the President's Challenge 2008!! Thanks to LTA!