Yu Cun 漁村砂煲咖喱魚頭

Date of visit: 01.05.2015

This is just one small lane away from Old Street Bak Kut Teh, so we actually made a visit the very next weekend.

Non-aircon, but the interior is very interesting.

Vintage wall decor with Toa Payoh's Dragon Head and Singapore National Theatre was demolished in 1987.

Very cute "Post Box".

Vintage record player.

A private dinning room.

Every corner was so photo worth it, I looked horribly cui that day else I'll be in the above photos

-___-

Like Old Street Bak Kut Teh, they have Ipad menu too.

Those few famous food bloggers who blogged about Yu Cun did not mention anything about these, they just ate "blind folded" arh?   lolxx..... I mean besides taking nice photos of dishes and describing them until bing bing piang piang, it's also important to let readers know about the dining environment, so that people will know is it a place for family, for special occasions etc..

While everybody just "concentrate" on their signature Curry Fish Head, we discovered something surprisingly good...

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3 Layer Milk Tea S$3.00

THIS IS FREAKING GOOD!

If you aren't keen at curry fish heads, fine, just order whatever you want to eat, but this is a MUST ORDER!

We were quite sure we tasted red bean inside, but the serving crew told us it's gula melaka with a guilty look on his face (it's hilarious).  So I suppose they didn't want to reveal the secret recipe.

Other than they had put in too much ice, it's heavenly!  I don't mind to pay a bit more for less ice, seriously.

Soursop Juice S$2.80

We resist the temptation of ordering another glass of their special milk tea so as to try others.  This was good with lots of soursop flesh beneath, but I still couldn't get enough of that ridiculously yummy milk tea.

Our "Get fat Curry Fish Head Feast".

Red Sea Bream Curry Fish Head S$25

Spicy level could be chosen, we choose normal which was too mild for us.  The curry was thick and slightly more to the saltish side.  Size of the fish head was justify for the price, it's fleshy and fresh.  It came with loads of fried beancurd skin which we didn't expect.  We even made an extra order of the beancurd skin but luckily it wasn't too expensive.  Overall it was still an enjoyable pot.

Fried Beancurd Skin S$2.80  

Deep fried buns S$3.80

Dipping bread buns in curry sauce is the most "primitive" way to enjoy it :P~~~

They have other zhi char dishes which we wished to try, but the 2 of us could only stomach this much.

Pic taken by their service crew.  We looked so well fed lolxx....

Their entire Facebook is flooded with pics of happy customers instead of their dishes lolxx...

Service charge is only 1%, totally worth it for the fast serving, friendly staffs and the clean and cozy ambience.

Yu Cun 漁村砂煲咖喱魚頭

147A Upper Paya Lebar Road

Singapore 534849

Tel: 6286 0491

www.facebook.com/yucunfishhead

5 Facts About Nails

Our hands, we use them everyday, we looked at them everyday, we pluck stapler bullets and open can drinks with nails etc...

Yet most of us have very little knowledge about nails.  There are also many online articles full of myths spreading around.  People just click Like & Share without filtering through their senses, thus many misconceptions about nails.

Let's clear the clouds and doubts....

5  FACTS  ABOUT  NAILS

1.  I need to "rest" my nails to let them breathe between manicures.

Painting colors over nails doesn't suffocate them as nails don't have lungs, NAILS DON'T BREATH. Nails are made of layers of keratin which are dead.

2.  Manicures are bad for nails, my nails became dry and brittle after removing nail polish/gel.

Old Park Lane Gel Effect Polish S$26 from NAILS INC.

Painting our nails aren't bad for nails.  In fact they are like a protective layer on our nails in a colorful and fun manner.  Of course, the polishes must be free from toxic chemicals like toluene and formaldehyde.

Chiltern Street Girl Gel Effect Polish S$26 from NAILS INC.

The dryness is caused by acetone in polish/gel removers.  Proper hydration is needed after removing colors.  It's like after removing make-up on face, we put on skincare for hydration.  Our nails deserve the same pampering too.  Nail/cuticle cream or oil cures the dryness and helps to prevent nails from peeling too.

Lemon Butter Cuticle Creme S$14 from BURT'S BEES

3.  Do I have fungus on my toes nails?!

To many people, it's difficult to tell between a bruise or a fungus infection on toe nails.  They both look greenish black, perhaps with some blues lolxx...

But when your pedicurist tried to scare and convince you that you got nail fungus, they may have an unethical intention to make you buy over-priced anti-fungus drips.  Stay calm, don't panic and don't get taken in.

If the color patch is not growing and it doesn't smell, it may be just a bruise.  The bruise however will not go off and can only be trimmed off, so it may take a few months to get rid of the ugly color completely.

If the color patch is not growing but smells a little rotten, or if it's getting larger with no smell, you may purchase anti-fungus drips from  the pharmacy (you will thank me for saving your pockets).  Home remedies such as dripping white vinegar or soaking in diluted dettol will kill the germs, after which, pat dry the infect area.

Very rarely and unfortunate, if the color patch is growing and spreading to other nails, smells rotten, go to your doctor!

4.  The base coat is lousy, my nails still stains.

The base coat may not be lousy.  The trick is to let the base coat COMPLETELY DRY before applying the colors coats.  Yes, it's so simple.

5.  Filing is bad for nails.

Just not too long ago, I had met a beauty workshop trainer with more than 10 years experience, advising people not to let manicurists file their nails or cut their cuticles.  All nail salons owners could had murder her on the spot lolxx....

The purpose of filing is to give nails a more precise shape which nail cutters can't.  It's also useful when you only need to shorten your nails slightly.  Using a cutter can sometimes trim off too much of the desire length.

Nail Files Soft Black and White S$6 from SEPHORA

However, filing is to be done gently and in one direction only.  The sawing movement of left and right will cause breakage of nails.

If the above doesn't address to your concerns about nails, just leave a comment, I'll try my best to answer.

*  I am a certified manicurist, having fun in nails grooming industry for more than 8 years ;)

Old Street Bak Kut Teh

Date of visits: 26/4 and 13/6

We drove by this place at Upper Paya Lebar many times. The chocolate color of the shop house was particularly attractive, sign boards are large and clear enough to be noticed from the main road, .  We finally gave it a try on a crazy warm afternoon.

Old Street Bak Ku Teh is a size of a coffee shop.  Though non-aircon, the furnish is elegant with white marble table tops and stools.  I have to say, they had gotten themselves a right interior designer.

It was very crowded and we were very lucky to get a table.

The little drawer below the table opened up with their menu on Ipad where we placed our orders.

Quite idiot proof, easy for us to use, but maybe a bit challenging for our pioneer citizens who may not be so tech savvy.

Open concept kitchen.

Condiments bar where we helped ourselves with.

Our order came.  Me and hub starred at the table and laughed - we over order >.<
 We didn't expect our order turned out to be this much lolxx....

Preserved Veg S$3.00

Braised Peanuts S$2.50

Barley Drink S$1.50

Set A (Pork Ribs Soup + Rice + Beancurd + You Tiao) S$8.50

This set menu is damn worth it, needs a big appetite to finish though.

Pork Ribs in pepper soup was nice but didn't leave an impression, the tau huay and you tiao did!!

It's difficult to find traditional tua huay now.  All the other tau huay stalls and franchise chains sells ang mo style bean pudding but calls them tau huay *roll eyes*.

So I really really appreciate Old Street's REAL tau huay like gold.

It has been a long long time since I last had you tiao.  But the taste and texture is different from what I had during my childhood.

Old Street's tasted like donuts lolxx...  But it's rather yummy and addictive in it's own way.

Sesame dipping on the left and peanut sauce on the right, so enjoyable ^.^

Mee Sua S$1.50

Mee sua in pepper soup, good enough to slurp on it's own.

Dry Bak Kut Teh (small) S$7.00

It was just dark sauce over ribs, taste wasn't bland, but there's nothing much besides dark soya sauce and sugar.  Meat wasn't as tender as I wished it to be.

 These little red rooster sauce dishes are too cute....

Second visit, at their NEX outlet.

Same Ipad menu at each table and a help yourself condiment bar, pretty much the same as Upper Paya Lebar's outlet.

Space was limited, tables were few, but luck is always with us, we got a table, heeheehee....

 Set B (Loin Ribs Soup + Rice + Beancurd + You Tiao) S$15.00

Quite a big piece.

 Braised Pig Trotter S$10.00

Gravy was thick and flavorful, will be perfect if it's more tender.  I love the skin, full of fats collagen, while my hub and kid kope all the lean meat.

Food quality for both outlets are the same, but I noticed the price difference for some items:

Mee Sua - NEX: S$2.00, Upper Paya Lebar S$1.50
Set B - NEX: S$15.00, Upper Paya Lebar S$11.50
Only realized when I reached home comparing both receipts.

Service charge - NEX: 10%, Upper Paya Lebar: 1%

I suppose it's a small price to pay for the comfort of aircon environment at NEX.  Personally prefers Upper Paya Lebar, it's more spacious and I am fine with ceiling fans.

Overall, both outlets is not a bad choice for a decent and affordable meal.

Old Street Bak Ku Teh

129 Upper Paya Lebar Road

Singapore 534840

23 Serangoon Central

NEX #B2-50/51

Singapore 556083

www.oldstreet.com.sg

Ssiksin Chicken and Snowman Desserts

Date of visit: 23.04.2015

This post is another eating place I tried at NEX.

Working in NEX is very "bo hua" for me - I ate my humble salary away and the remaining to pay my handphone bills, that's about it lolxx... But I suppose eating is not that bad as a hobby compared to gambling or collecting branded bags >.<

Anyway, moving up to the 2nd floor, just right beside Ministry Of Food, this Korean food place it's a bit "complicated".  We had to ask the serving crew as we weren't sure where to sit.

So......, Ssiksin Chicken and Snowman Desserts shares the same space, for Korean BBQ Buffet at Dae Ssik Sin, you will have to walk farther in at the left hand side.

We had already tried the BBQ buffet at Tampines One branch, so the Korean chicken and desserts were our "target".

Soya Sauce flavor fried wings (3pc) S$7.00
Rice S$2.00 (very unreasonable .V.)

The wings came with cabbage salad and pickled radish in lovely pink.  A Korean friend told me that in Korea, chicken are eaten as snacks.  But it's dinner time, we need rice.  We had to order a bowl, at least to share, although the price is ridiculous.

3 wings for S$7, works out to be S$2 each, the extra dollar perhaps goes to the salad and raddish pickle.

The wings were as crispy as it looked, the pipping hot meat was juicy with aroma of soya sauce and very tender.  I like the lining paper with newspaper print very much!  Where can I get it?

Disposable gloves were given, but I preferred to dirty my fingers and enjoy the process of licking them clean later.  Saw 2 ladies at the other table eating their wings with fork and spoon/knife as if they were eating chicken chops -___-|||

Melon Bingsu S$12.50

It came with a dish of condense milk, looking very pretty and photo worthy although the ice-cream was already melting.

As you can see here, it's the size of my face.... huge! lolxx...

Hubby and I had a tough sweet time trying to finish it, if not 浪费.
Thus my advise, share this with 3 or more pax.

I am trying my best to post up all my food hunts from the past few months, I don't like to drag for so long either...



Ssiksin Chicken and Snowman Desserts
Serangoon NEX
#02-04/06
www.facebook.com/SnowmanDesserts

Green Pumpkin Japanese Bakery Cafe

Date of visit: 16.04.2015

Seriously, there are really plenty of dining choices at NEX, from food courts to eateries, fast food chains to restaurants, at every floor and all corners lolxx...

My previous post was on Macau food, here's another one on Japanese.

There's a Japanese food street, Shokutsu 10, located at B1 of NEX which is made up of of a few Japanese restaurants.

I stopped at Green Pumpkin cos' was attracted by their poster of desserts at the entrance.

It was freezing cold in a quiet weekday afternoon.  My order came after a while...

Baked Rice with Bacon S$11.90

The baked rice came with a bowl of complementary salad with lettuce and a bit of bell pepper strips tossed with citrus dressing.

Very cheesy but not heavy, slight saltish flavour of the bacon balanced up the overall taste.  Love the fluffiness of japanese rice.

Already quite full after the baked rice and salad, but was greedy, here's my dessert...

Tofu Mousse S$9.90

The plate decorated with lots of little bun biscuits 小馒头, a mochi cut into half and red bean paste.

The main stars were the green tea ice cream and the incredible tofu pudding.

Tofu pudding was super duper soft like cotton candy in a mousse-like texture.  Though bland on it's own, it's perfect eaten with the rich green tea ice cream.

Behind Green Pumpkin Cafe is their bakery.

I got tired of those same old bakery chains already, so I find Green Pumpkin's bakes rather unique in taste as well as visual creations.


Green Pumpkin Japanese Bakery Cafe
23 Serangoon Central,
 #B1-K1 Nex, 556083,
Singapore 556083