Deep Fried Chicken with Garlic

When my wife and I were planning for a short trip to Batam, the first question popped up was "What yummy food are there?" Then we recalled a blog "Main-main ke Batam" which the blog author, Leo, happens to be my friend in University back then in 1996.

I contacted him and he's glad to bring us around to have good food. One special request was to bring us to taste "Ayam goreng bawang putih" which he wrote a die die must try in his blog.

"Ayam goreng bawang", in English literally means "fried chicken with garlic". Well, I'm not a fan of garlic, but since this dish is really recommended, why not give a try. I prepare myself to see fried chicken with a lot of sliced garlic. When it finally came, as seen in the picture above, it turns out that the garlic is literally deep fried as a whole. Wow, this is really beyond what I expected. But as its name says, there are a lot, really a lot of them, bunch of them deep fried together with the chicken which is chopped in small pieces. This is a perfect food for those who love garlic. The chicken is really deep fried and super crispy. Really a yummy and you'll not be disappointed.

Another recommended dish by Leo was BBQ Stingray. BBQ Stingray is not uncommon in Singapore, but you'll rarely find it in Indonesia. So we give it a shot. It is stingray sliced into 2 or 3 thin slices and wrapped in silver paper as you can see below. You can also ask them to add petai, green coloured bean which produce pungent odour when eaten.

The taste? Definitely yummy or otherwise it wouldn't even show up in this blog :).

Location: Resto ADI 8.

Kaisen Tori Kamameshi at Watami (Raffles City)

Kaisen Tori Kamameshi, that's what is said in the menu at Watami, which is translated as seafood and chicken pot rice. The waitress said that they need 20 minutes to prepare the food. I guess that's pretty long. It shows up within 5 minutes, but not fully cooked yet. So while it is said 20 minutes to prepare, means 5 minutes to really prepare the foods in the pot then let the customer wait the food right in front of your eyes as you can see in the picture below.

Kaisen Tori Kamameshi, being cooked right in front of your eyes

The pot rice is served while being cooked by a small candle wax placed under the pot. The wax is also an indicator whether the food is ready. They have calculated precisely that when the it is off, the food will be ready.

Kaisen Tori Kamameshi, well cooked and ready

Once the wax is off, open the wood cover and you'll see above, the food is well cooked. You just need to add the salmon egg and stirred the rice well. It's kind of mixed seafood and chicken rice, but served in a pot. It contains chicken, salmon, salmon egg, mushroom, fine sliced carrot, and scallop. It's a must try in Watami.

To complete the dining experience, I ordered Iced Lychee Tea. They serve jumbo size drinks like the picture above. A really dining experience.

In the next visit, I'll try another special dish from this restaurant.

Soft & Nice Durian Ice Cream

Swan's Durian Ice Cream

When it comes to durian ice cream, there are 2 things that matters: the durian taste and the softness of the ice cream itself. Swan Ice Cream delivers both in a perfect proportion, with the taste of real durian and I can even still feel the contour of the durian itself. Check out its Facebook page for more details.

Priced at S$3.00, it comes in 125grams packaging and delivered to your nearest selected MRT with minimum order of S$15.

Black Pig Shabu Ramen and Chicken Fillet at Tampopo (Takashimaya)

People would say the best ramen is there in Japan, but I've never visited Japan so I can't comment on that. But what about the best ramen in Singapore? I would definitely say Black Pig Shabu Ramen at Tampopo Restaurant.

Deluxe Tampopo Black Pig Shabu Ramen

The noodle size is not too thick and is quite soft, served with half boiled egg, sliced pork meat and vegetables. The soup is always the best to enjoy while it's hot. It is said that the soup is flown directly from Japan and it takes 2 whole day to cook it.

Chicken Fillet Set

Apart from ramen, Tampopo serves a great variety of menu. One of them is Chicken Fillet Set, a set of breaded with almost no fat under the skin, shredded vegetables, a bowl of rice, soup and a small plate of watermelon makes it the preferred choice for the health conscious. Topped with Tonkatsu sauce, the chicken is tender inside but quite crispy on the outside.

Dim Sum at Xin Cuisine Chinese Restaurant (Part 1)

I've read a number of great review about dim sum at Xin Cuisine Chinese Restaurant, but have never had a chance to try because the dim sum is only served during lunch period. Well, today my wife and I can't resist to taste it.

The dim sum menu has a lot of choices and we can only try some of them. Here they are.

Minced Pork & Century Egg Porridge. It is the first to come. It contains just the right portion of minced pork and century egg, topped with crispy cracker. The porridge is quiet thick though and it can make your stomach feels full. I'd suggest you don't eat it as the starter.

Deep Fried Dumpling with Fresh Salad
The Deep Fried Dumpling is really fried deeply. It contains a mixed of meat with some fresh salad inside it. Served with mayonnaise, makes the appearance looks nice and taste great. 

Chicken Feet
My wife's all time favorite is never missed for any dim sum tasting.

Suckling Pig with Goose Liver
This is a must try in this restaurant. Topped with crispy pork skin, it consist of a layer of pork fat, goose liver and cucumber at the bottom.

Shrimp Dumpling
Har Kao (Shrimp Dumpling) is my all time favorite dim sum. Unfortunately there is not many places that serve nice har kao. Usually it's either too soft or too hard, or the skin is just not smooth. Although it's not the best, I would say the har kao at Xin Cuisine is just having the right composition. It has smooth skin, and soft contour.

Deep Fried Ice Cream
Don't know what to order for dessert, we tried deep fried ice cream. It came up in a nice looking. Served with 2 slices of strawberry and topped with mint leaves, it just look great. The ice cream itself is surrounded by the "skin" that protects when it is fried. It's half melted when I tasted.

In the next post, I'll cover some other dim sum dishes available in this restaurant.

Rujak Juhi

Rojak Set

Rujak Juhi literally means Rojak with squid. It is commonly found in Jakarta/Bandung, Indonesia.

A few weeks ago I was quite surprise to find it in Singapore at Tiong Bahru Market though the ingredient is different than one in Indonesia.

The stall is called Tow Kwar Pop, located at 2nd floor of Tiong Bahru Market. Though I live around this area, I barely notice this stall. I just often see long queue ending in front of this stall and a few weeks ago my wife and I decided to give it a try after seeing someone carrying rojak set from this stall.

It contains tofu, you tiao and squids. The tofu, you tiao and squids are grilled until crispy, cut into pieces and topped with slices of pineapple and mango. The sauce is made of well-grinded peanut.

Priced at $4 and $5, it is really affordable and enjoyable. My wife and I usually save the best (which is the juhi) for last, finished the tofu, you tiao and others first, then slowly enjoy the squid.

Conclusion: It is quite addictive and definitely a must have if you are having lunch or dinner at Tiong Bahru Market.

Where: Tiong Bahru Market, 83 Seng Poh Road, Singapore
Closed on Monday.