Spice Junction @ Race Course Road

नमस्ते! (Namaste !)

This time around will be another Indian cuisine.. to be specific.. Kerala cuisine.. Kerala is an Indian state located at south west India. I believe not everyone of you will know or heard of Kerala.. I never knew either til I have few friends from Kerala and one of them bring me to Spice Junction as his birthday lunch treat.. After I knew some people from Kerala (read Malayali). I knew they are famous with their boat race, beaches coconut milk and many more. Most of their famous dishes are coconut milk based..

The guys ordered "Sambharam" (Traditional Drink For Hot Summer Days).. It taste like a lassi (Indian version of Yogurt) with loads of Indian spices in it.. such as curry leaves, chillies and ginger.. God know what else they put inside there.. LOL.. My cousin said its practically a spicy  cold soup that served in a glass and a straw.. It has a very strong taste.. If you are not indian and never try this drink.. IMHO, you can order one glass and share with your group to just have a lil sip to know the taste.. If you like it.. then you can order for more..

Sambharam(S$2.90)


Next they serve will be (almost) everyone's favourite.. Pappadam.. Taste the same everywhere.. but never fail me.. LOL.. I just love it... My Dad who doesnt eat Indian food love this cracker so much!

Pappadam (1st basket complimentary)


Appam (Rice hoppers cooked in a special Mould to get the golden brown lace) is originated from Kerala .. This dish come in 2 pieces for every portion in Spice Junction.. not sure about other restaurants... Its not sweet like the one we can get in Indonesia.. Its got a slight hint of sour taste, soft in the middle and crispy on the outer part.. Its best to eat it this dish while its piping hot.

Appam (S$4.90)



Vegetable Ishtew (Vegetables in coconut sauce). It has a coconut fragrant and goes very well with the appam. They perfectly stew the vegetable. 

Vegetable Ishtew (S$6.90)


Kozhi Porichathu (Chicken Legs Marinated In Chilly Paste With Garlic; Ginger; Curry Leaves And Deep Fried) is one of my favourite dish here. The chili, salt, and spices just goes well with each other and  make me want to ask for more..

Kozhi Porichathu S$(8.90)

Malabar Chicken Biriyani (Spiced Chicken And Basmati Rice Mixed Together To Retain The Flavors). This dish is very popular in Kerala and it was introduced by Muslims. The biriyani is pretty different from others across India as it put a small amount of chilli so its less spicier than  other biriyanis from across India. Once we mixed the rice, its not the same with the typical biriyani we get in other south Indian restaurant. Instead of having the yellow, orange and white biriyani, once we mixed it become light brown in color and the spice just blend very well.
 

Malabar Chicken Biriyani (S$10.90)


Meen Pollichathu (Fish Marinated In Spices; Wrapped In Banana Leaves & Broiled On An Iron Griddle) is another special dish from Kerala. The fish they served here is fresh, but I think they need to put more spice to make it more fragrant and spicier.. I love spicy food!

Meen Pollichathu (S$13.90)



Overall, I love the food here.. fresh, fragrant and spicy.. Looking forward for a trip to Kerala if my friends kind enough to give me free stay and free transport ( I hope he/she reading this blog.. LOL.. )


Spice Junction
126 Race Course Road
Singapore 218585
Tel : 6341-7980
Website : http://www.spicejunction.com.sg/

Rang Mahal Pavilion @ Hard Rock Hotel

Rang Mahal Pavilion is an Indian fine dining restaurant in Singapore. It is a branch  of the reputable Rang Mahal which is located in Pan Pacific Hotel.


I came here on last Sunday night to celebrate my husband's birthday with a bunch of friends and his parents since they were in town. The restaurant has a nice ambiance.. However, when we went there its pretty quiet as only few tables got customers.. So I was quite skeptical about the food.. but i thought, just give a try...

1st dish that came out.. of course.. the Pappadam.. As Rang Mahal is a North Indian restaurant.. let me call it "Pappad".. The 1st one which come out is Pappad.. I prefer the normal pappadam which they serve in foodcourt or South Indian restaurant as I am not a big fan of black pepper.. and yes.. North Indian pappad normally have black pepper on it and have a very strong taste.. Papad is baked.. where pappadam is deep fried..

Papad - $4.00 each basket

 Next is the Masala Pappad.. Pappad with chopped tomatoes, onions, chilis on top of it which overpowered the pappad taste.. Nice! 

Masala Papad - $3.00 each
  
 One thing I realized in Indian fine dining restaurant.. They will serve the Kebab or Tandoori dishes as Appetizer.. and follow by the main course.. We order Tandoori Chicken as our appetizer.. The chicken  here got the moisture and not dry or overcooked.. It grilled to perfection..

Tandoori Chicken - $76.00



The vegetarian platter is just like the vegetables being grilled.. nothing much to rave about..not a dish that I will order next time...

vegetarian platter is just like the vegetables being grill

Vegetarian Platter - $22.00



Murgh Tikka Masala here not bad but not the best I ate so far.. I prefer the tandoori chicken more instead of this one.. but they cook it well..  

Murgh Tikka Masala - $24.00



I love the Calcutta Fish Curry.. Eventhough it doesnt look appetizing enough from the picture.. it  taste so good.. The spice blended nicely and give a slight sour taste and the fish was fresh..

Calcutta Fish Curry - $26.00



Not a big fan of Kofta.. It is vegetarian meatball mixed with yogurt and masala.. The Indians like it though.. :)

Vegetarian Kofta Curry - $16.00
 
The Peshawari Choley.. Chickpeas.. one of my favourite vegetarian dish in Indian vegetarian dishes.. the one here.. taste good.. soft and crunchy at the same time...

Peshawari Choley - $15.00
 
As for the Bhindi  ( Lady Finger ).. to be honest.. I like how the Indian cooks their lady finger dish than the Chinese.. and the bhindi here.. a bit too soft but then I still like it.. yummy..

 Nasik Bhindi - $15.00
 
The biryani has a very strong flavour and aroma..( drooling.. ).. One of my friend who is on diet didnt wanna take the rice in the beginning.. but well.. I didnt take 'NO' as an answer.. hahaha.. so he tried.. and he take more after that.. The chicken also very tender.. the spices.. the basmati rice.. the chicken... duh.. I wanna eat again..

 Murgh Biryani - $20.00

 The Mixed bread basket consist of Butter Naan, Garlic Naan, Plain Naan and Roti.. My personal favourite will be plain Naan.. and I started loving the Garlic Naan since the time I visit this restaurant...

 Mixed Bread Basket (Butter Naan, Garlic Naan, Plain Naan and Roti) - $5.00 each
 

Mango vs Mint.. The Mango chutney's sweetness is just nice for me as I dont have a sweet tooth.. As for the mint chutney its fragrant and a lil bit spicy.. Love both of the chutneys.. My cousin asked me.. why we order the same chutney again.. I told him the chutney was complimentary.. Chutney for Indians is the same with sambal belachan for Malay/ Indonesian or Chili Padi wif soy sauce for Chinese..  

 
Last but not least, I am not sure how to call this.. but as its a birthday celebration.. the restaurant give my husband a complimentary carrot & orange cake? taste like so anyway.. LOL.. it taste pretty good if you like sweet.. 

Overall, I am impressed with the service and the food.. beyond my expectations..  The service crew and the manager are very attentive.. I am drooling now while I think about how good the food was.. Looking forward for the next visit... Om nom nom..

xoxo,
S

Rang Mahal Pavilion
26 Sentosa Gateway
#02-252-255
Singapore 098138
Tel: 6238 7013
Website : www.rangmahal.com.sg

Yhingthai Palace @ Purvis Street

Ola,


I am back from my holiday.. and going for the next one this weekend..

This pictures was taken on my 1st visit to Yhingthai Palace at Purvis St. We went there to celebrate my cousin brother and friend birthday. I often passed by this restaurant as I work nearby but I have no idea it was a Thai restaurant til I was browsing for good Thai restaurant in Singapore.

Two of my friends came late, so we order the appetizer 1st to fill in our empty stomach. We ordered  Khao Tang Nah Tang (Crispy Rice Chips served with Minced Chicken & Prawn Dip) & Miang Kum (Condiments - ginger, chili, coconut, lime, peanuts & sauced wrapped in leave). IMHO, the crispy rice chips are pretty bland but the minced chicken and prawn dip is nice.  The prawn dip compliment the crispy rice. IMHO, Miang Kum is a better choice if you want to try something different and authentic. I was hesitate in the beginning to eat it but it was good.

Khao Tang Nah Tang (Crispy Rice Chips served with Minced Chicken & Prawn Dip) - $10.00 (S) / $20.00 (M)

 

Minced Chicken & Prawn Dip

   

This is how I eat it.

 Miang Kum (Condiments - ginger, chili, coconut, lime, peanuts & sauced wrapped in leave) - $15.00

 
Once my friends reach, we ordered few dishes more.

First will be Tom Yum Talay (Prawn, fish fillet and squid cooked in a spicy and sour soup) . At Yhingthai they served the soup based on one portion. I prefer the red-based tom yum soup but surprisingly their Tom Yum Talay is pretty good.
 

 Tom Yum Talay - $6.50 / bowl

Next will be Kra Poh Pla Nam Dang (Double boiled fish maw soup wif mushroom). I am not a fan of Fish Maw, so I wont be able to tell whether its good or not. However, my friend said that nothing to rave about it.

 Kra Poh Pla Nam Dang - $8.00 / bowl

Khao Phad Nam Liap (Olive Rice served wif Condiments) at Yhingthai is one of the best  Olive rice I've ate so far. Its not oily, but its fragrant and bring out the taste.

Khao Phad Nam Liap - $15.00(S)/ $20.00(M)/ $30.00(L)


Their's Gaeng Keow Wan Kai (Chicken Green Curry) is not passable. To be honest the worst  and tasteless green curry I ever had. Not recommended at all. If you like Thai green curry, I will recommend the green curry @ Ah Loy Thai ( which am so going to rave later ^^).

Gaeng Keow Wan Kai - $15.00(S)/ $30.00(M)



Phad Khad Nah (Baby kailan fried wif chopped chilli). Standard taste but fresh of course.

Phad Khad Nah - $12.00(S)/ $18.00(M)/ $25.00(L)


Peek Kai Sord Sai aka Chicken wings stuffed wif asparagus and shitake mushroom  fried to golden brown perfection with a crisp skin is a MUST - TRY dish based on other bloggers recommendation. However, I find it just OK nothing much to brag about. 

Peek Kai Sord Sai - $3.00 per piece (minimum 2 pieces)

Hor Mok Talay (Spicy Mixed Seafood Mousse) is another dish I never tried before. I like the way they present the mousse. As you can see below they are served on clay ( just a guess) platter and individually mousse covered with the lid. The taste not much to my liking but way better than the green curry.

Hor Mok Talay - $14.00 ( 7 portions per plate )

Last but not least, we ordered Pad Thai ($15.00/$20.00/$30.00) but I forget to take the photo as we were to busy chatting when the pad Thai finally arrived. The Pad Thai was not bad but didnt give the "WOW" effect. 

Overall, the dining experience in Yhingthai Palace was good as I tried few new dish which I wont find it in all Thai restaurants here in Singapore. I will definitely come back here to try other dishes.


xoxo,
S

Yhingthai Palace
36 Purvis Street,
#01-04 Talib Centre,
Singapore 188613
Tel: +65 6337-1161 / 6337-9429
Website : http://www.yhingthai.com/

Food & Travel!

Hi,

As my blog title, you can guess my blogs will be all about food and travel. Well, maybe more to food than travel as I don't really have that much leave to begin with. LOL.

This is my 1st experience with blogging so it will  look so amateurish. I hope through time there will be improvement on the way I write and express myself. I never thought that I will start my own blog.

Some of my friends told me "Hey, if you like to eat, enjoy your food and have a good taste bud why don't you become a food blogger?". Still, I never make the step to write a blog as I know my English isn't that good and am not sure whether anyone will understand what I try to tell them. But here I am, writing my 1st blog. LOL. 

The reason being I decided to start my own blog is because when I planned to go Taipei and I have no clue where to go and what to eat. My brother who supposed to arrange the itinerary just messaged me and said he was busy and want me to plan the whole itinerary thing. I was like err... but I got no choice aint I? Reading from one blog to another blog gave me loads (lots) of information. In no time, from I don't know where to go to which place I should go as too many places too little time!! So I think no harm to write my own blog, beside giving you guys some information it can help me to refresh my  memory too ( since I have a short term memory loss -.-''.. hahaha.. )

I hope my blog will help you guys in one way or another, like the way I gain more information and knowledge when I read others' blogs. Please do keep checking in from time to time and read about the blog that I post in the future.

I will only start my next blog 1 week from now.. after I come back from Holiday.. going to  the "Island of GODS" tonight.. more food and travel story to come.. Stay Tune!!

xoxo,

S