Andong Zzimbak Korean Restaurant

Date: 11.11.2015

The first time I had Andong Jjimdak was donkey five years ago during the winter in Seoul.

It was a big pot of chicken stew in korean soya sauce with various vegetables.  It was heavenly with rice, and more rice.

Korean restaurants are sprouting like bean sprouts in Singapore.  We have Korean fried chicken, ginseng chicken, BBQ, desserts etc... but no sight of Andong Jjimdak  :((

谢天谢地  Andong Zzimdak arrived in Raffles City and filled up this big missing piece of Korean cuisine for us.

Andong Jjimdak is served spicy in some regions of Korea, and mostly non-spicy in Myeong-dong.  I would say, Andong Jjimdak in Korea is comparable to our Curry Fish Head in Singapore, the taste varies at different restaurants without changing the main ingredients.  Thus it's difficult to claim which taste is "authentic".

Andong Zzimbak serves both spicy and non-spicy version of korean chicken stew to suit your taste buds.

As usual, bloggers had to "feed" cameras first.

Mayak Jjimdak 魔辣炖鸡
(Medium 2-3pax S$47.90, Large 3-4pax S$57.90)

Spicy level was comfortable to me, thick spicy and sweet gravy was fully absorbed into the chewy sweet potato noodles hidden beneath.  Tender chicken pieces with carrots, cucumber, potatoes and leek made up a bountiful plate.

Boneless Jjimdak 无骨炖鸡
(Medium 2-3pax S$49.90, Large 3-4pax S$59.90)

Despite of being a chilli lover, personally and somehow I prefer this non-spicy savory stew chicken and I wanna lick the last drop of gravy from the plate sia!  The taste was homely and "down to earth", nothing complicated and I love it to the core.  Ingredients were same as Mayak Jjimdak with extra load of mushrooms and onions.  This boneless version is specially good for families with children or elders.  Of course it is absolutely perfect for hungry being who needed to eat in "gan jiong" style lolxx....

Though recommended for 2-3pax for medium portion of both stew chicken, it's sufficient for more pax if you are ordering the below side dishes:
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Spicy Dokboki (Spicy Rice Cake) S$9.90

To begin with, I don't really like rice cakes, but this is an exception!!  The sauce was ridiculously delicious!  It's not just spicy tomato sauce, the sauce with made with secret recipe broth.  This is one of the best carbo ever!

Chicken Karaage S$9.90

Crispy on the outside, juicy inside, and most importantly, not greasy.

Mini Seafood Pancake S$9.90

Look like fish cakes but less chewy and soft, the texture was unique and yummy, I don't mind to have the whole plate for myself :P~~

Diners also get to enjoy free flow of  kimchi (very spicy) and pickles (forgotten to take pictures >.<).

Iced Citron Tea S$3.50

We all had this wonderful thirst quencher with addictive bitterness from the yuzi skin.

I need to bring my family here, my boys will love Andong Zzimbak <3




Andong Zzimbak
252 North Bridge Road
#B1-44F
Raffles City Shopping Centre
Singapore 179103
Tel: 6533 3951
Daily opening hours: 11.30am - 10.00pm
www.facebook.com/AndongZzimdak

18-in-One Dr. Bronner's Magic Soap

18-in-One Soap.

I am not kidding, I found a 18-in-One multi-purpose Organic Soap from Dr. Bronner.

Dr. Bronner Pure Castile Liquid Soap are can be use for:
*  Shave
*  Shampoo
*  Toothpaste
*  Soap Bath and Foot Bath
*  Deodorant
*  Denture Cleaner
*  Mouth Wash
*  Hands Cleanser
*  Body Massage
*  Laundry
*  Douche
*  Hot Towel Massage
*  Pets
*  Dish Washing
*  Toilet Wash
*  Fruits/Vegetables Wash
*  Pest Spray
*  No Rash Nappy Soap

Just imagine............
You can wash your clothes while bathing by just rubbing your clothes on your body....

You and your pet can bath together rubbing each other's back (you have to train your pet to do that)....

You can wash your cup and your hands at the same time!

So, you have to agree with me that this is the BEST SOAP FOR CAMPERS AND TRAVELLERS!
Freaking good for my lazy teenage boys when they go for school camps.
 And yes, I am bringing it to my Harbin trip next month!  Bath, shampoo, mouth rise, wash underwear and socks, rise hotel's kettle and cups.... all using ONE BOTTLE of Dr. Bronner's Soap!  Convenient to the max!  Wheeeeeeeee!!

Dr. Bronner Pure Castile Liquid Soap are so SUPER cos they are:

*  Certified organic under USDA National Organic Program

Image from www.drbronner.com

*  Certified Fair Trade

Image from www.drbronner.com

*  Packaged in 100% postconsumer recycled (PCR) plastic bottles

Image from www.drbronner.com

*  Contain large volume of therapeutic high quality grade essential oil (i.e., 20ml in 1litre) 


It's so awesome but I never know about Dr. Bronner's soap till now and I believe many of you too!  Very surprisingly the Bronner family had been making soap for five generations, ie, since 1858.

Image from www.drbronner.com

2008 marked both the 60th anniversary of Dr. Bronner's in America and the 150th anniversary of the family's soapmaking in southern Germany.  Yes, Dr. Bronner's soap is extremely popular in those regions.

Here's a video to see more of Dr Bronner 18 in 1 Pure-Castile Soap

I tried Almond Pure-Castile Soap on myself, that is shampoo, face wash and a good bath.  At the same time hand wash my lingerie, heeheehee....

 It lathers easily with a delicious smell of almond, so much so that I wished I could drink up the bottle.  The very next day, I had to buy an almond drink to satisfy the craving lolxx..
The almond fragrance however disappear as soon as it's rinsed off with water.

My lingerie was fresh and clean though without scent; myself was squeaky clean without feeling any dryness on my skin and my hair was fine with it too.

So, I went to try washing my cup after milo.  It's cleaned!  Since I hadn't been cooking, I didn't get try on greasy dishes.  But again I rather use this organic soap on my body than wasting it at the kitchen sink cos' I love how it feels really good on me!

I can't try on babies or pets since I don't have either.  I don't want to use it for toilet wash also, my toilet doesn't need pampering >.<

Besides the almond fragrance which I am using, Dr. Bronner Pure Castile Soap has a unscented one (perfect for fruits/vegetable washing) as well as many other fragrances to chose from - Cherry Blossom, Citrus Orange, Eucalyptus, Lavender, Peppermint, Rose and Tea Tree.

Retail price:

2oz $5.50 • 8oz $11.90 • 16oz $18.90 • 32oz $30.80 • 1GAL $109 • 5GAL $450

Dr. Bronner’s products are available at:

Nature’s Glory

315 Outram Road #01-09

Tan Boon Liat Building

Singapore 169074

Tel: 6227 1318

Email: customerservice@natures-glory.com

www.facebook.com/NaturesGlorySg

or e-shop at:

www.natures-glory.com

FREE DELIVERY for purchases S$150 & above.

Siem Reap, Cambodia Day 4 (Part 3) - The Blue Pumpkin

Destination: Siem Reap, Cambodia

Duration: 13 to 16 Aug 2015

Flight:  Jet Star -  2 way rounded up to be S$366  -____-

Accommodation:  Steung Siem Reap Hotel (4 star) - Street 9, Sangkat Svay Dangkum, Siem Reap, Cambodia. Website - www.steungsiemreaphotel.com

Mode of travel: A local coordinator was with us.  We had 2 vans drove to drive us around.  We engaged a guide for AngKor Wat visit.

Time difference: 1 hour behind Singapore

Currency: USD and Cambodian Riel, but USD is used more often.

Weather: around 33°C with occasional rain.

Note:  The main purpose of this trip was to do voluntary work at schools and villages with Inspiring Stars, but we did have a bit of fun and leisure.

Day 1 - Click HERE

Day 2 (part 1) - Click HERE

Day 2 (part 2) - Click HERE

Day 3 (part 1) - Click HERE

Day 3 (part 2) - Click HERE

Day 4 (part 1) - Click HERE

Day 4 (part 2) - Click HERE

16 Aug 2015 - Day 4

It was only 12.30pm, but we were already exhausted.  Pub Street it shall be for our lunch before our flight back to Singapore.

Here we were, The Blue Pumpkin, just 3 minutes walk from our hotel.

Sivatha Road, Krong Siem Reap, Cambodia.

See through glass doors entrance.

Pushed open the glass doors, it's a bakery shop with a few tables, non-aircon.

At the rear end of the bakery, we saw "cool lounge upstairs" which means aircon available up there, heehee....

The second floor, non-aircon, so no crowd despite of the comfy black bean bags.

Third floor, all white and cool with life saving aircon.

We were hungry diners aiming for mains, so we took the tables.  Other tourists lazed on the white couches/bed with their drinks and little plates served on breakfast trays, how shiok!

The English menu opened up with a mixture of western and local food.

Here were some of the food our team had ordered:

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 Congee Bobor Chicken USD4.00

It's rice boiled in broth till soft but with visible grains.

Congee BoBor Seafood USD4.50

Both chicken and seafood congee were served with bean sprouts.

The seafood congee had generous serve of prawns, squids and fish slices.


Khmer Fish Amok USD5.50

This was like our otah but with coconut served with rice.

Beef burger and sweet potato fries with drink USD8.75 (price for double beef patties, not sure about single patty)

I stole one sweet potato fries to try.  It was crispy outside, yummy sweet and soft inside.

Ham and Cheese Quiche USD3.00

Latte USD2.50

Spaghetti Carbonara USD6.00

Fried Rice USD5.25

Angkor Summer USD3.25

It's coconut (omg...), mango and passion fruit sorbet topped with meringues.

Ice Cream Fondue USD12.00

Delightful dessert platter with 7 scoops of ice-cream, 7 scoops of sobert, fruit slices, khmer cookies and of course, chocolate fudge sauce.  Everybody was squeaking with joy!

During the meal, saw the crew changing the pillow cases (can't call them cushions cos they were so huge) and spreads.

Cleaniness guaranteed (probably cleaner than my bed), I must make it a point to nua at this place the next trip I come.

I WANNA EAT ON THE "BED"!

I WANT MY FOOD ON BREAKFAST TRAY!

Food quality at The Blue Pumpkin was slightly above average etc. slightly better than our food courts.  The cool white lounge made me felt as if I was relaxing on white clouds ^.^  Quite a nice place to chill and relax.  I would say, don't miss this place if you visit Pub Street.

After lunch we headed to the airport.

Some shopping to kill time.

Found Blue Pumpkin kiosk in airport.

Board up JetStar and we were on our way back to Singapore.

I should be back in June 2016 if no hiccups. Meanwhile, I have slightly more than half a year to save up.

Halloween at Woodlands Woodgrove Singapore

Date of event: 31.10.2015

Eighteen years ago my hubby and I thrown our wedding dinner on 31st Oct without knowing it's Halloween.  Back in that era, we only see Halloween celebrations in Europe countries on TV and we never celebrate it in any way.

It was only these recent few years, this fun filled festive from the North America creep into Singapore, however in a very commercialized manner.

Without much options, hipsters will pay (not cheap) to get themselves frightened after long queues, or drinking all the way at some pubs with some awkward Halloween accessories on the head etc....  but this is not the real Halloween.

This year, we get to celebrate Halloween the way the Amercians celebrate it at Woodlands Woodgrove.  We had heart warming interactions with the people, both residents of Woodgrove as well as visitors.  It was filled with spirit of sharing and love, along with plenty of screams of course.....

We reached around 2.30pm before the road was blocked.

The neighborhood itself was enough to make me scream all the way.

Yes, I took clear pics of the decorations of the gates and exterior of the houses before sun set!

Cool right!

SCREAMsssss.............

Scream some more!

The house owners are so creative!  And professional waahaaahaaa...

Back into the house, we prepared some finger food =P~~
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Peanut butter bread fingers

Olive spiders on eggs.

Apple lips and mush mallow teeth.

Bloody eye balls (longan and blue berry).

More eye balls!

My nephew was Iron Man, King Luis was mummy (which only lasted for about 1 hour or so, then the toilet paper started to give way lolxx...) and my niece was lady vampire.

My sis was a ghost bride while I was a fat scare crow.

Close-up.

Dressing up means getting more involved and it's double the fun than just being a spectator.

5 o'clocks, gates started to open.  We had our treats prepared.

As soon as we opened our gates, the cutie pies in all sorts of costumes came in.

I find Halloween house visits a similar to Chinese New Year House visits in a way.

For Chinese New Year, children says "Gong Xi Fa Cai" to get their ang bao;  for Halloween. children greet you with "Happy Halloween!" or "Trick or Treat!" to get a candy.  Ya, I know, they are sooooo cute, I was squeaking the whole night through.

More pics of these cute little candy grabbers who came into my sis's house...

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By the time I took over the "shift work" from my bro-in-law, the pretty basket of candies was replaced by this big black carton instead >.<

There was a bit of rain, but as you can see, nobody's really affected.  Everybody was having FUN!!!

Star Wars and Lego came ^.^

CHUCKY!!

The crowd was amazing!

House visitings was GREAT FUN!

King Luis, my little niece and nephew were shy (and embarrassed) initially as was their first time asking for Halloween candies, but they "warmed up" after a few minutes.

This grandpa in chinese vampire costume was a sport!  

Super duper cute can!

Children crowding around the witch for candies.  Despite of the crowd, all kids were amazingly well behaved, nobody push or snatch.

This family had prepared 3 boxes of candies (see left corner of pic) lolxx....

Super Marios with really pinchable cheeks, heehee....

"Peace" was only temporary, the patio was flooded with kids in no time, heeheehee...

Temporary "no business" allowed me to take a pic of Princess Fiona.

The crowd at about 5.30pm.

You really wouldn't know what's a head, ahead lolxx...

Skeleton girl looking too cute to be scary.

I love BIG GUY, he's about 1.9m, the biggest guy I seen around the neighborhood.

   I become insanely 花痴 whenever I see very tall men with build.   They look like teddy bears to me.

Purple fairy and jail dog.

Here you can see it's criminal outfit, but the criminal serial number was covered by it's fluffy tail lolxx...  Cute until.....

Halloween is to have a cemetery right at the door, waahaahaaa....

Cute cartoon ghosts.

As the sky turned dark, excitement became more intense...

Lights were up!

Roads were blocked, every meter square was occupied by people.  It was unbelievably crowd.

Was drizzling, but nobody cares!

Ice-cream uncle HUAT dua dua (发大财) arh I tell you!  Endless flows of customers flocked over ice-cream like treasure!

Everybody was having fun, nobody minds their pictures being taken, after all a lot of us were beyond recognition lolxx...

The fun was endless!

Iron man declined photos as he was in a hurry T__T

The mask was movable and the costume got light bulbs one, ultimate!

It was even more "people mountain human sea" when the rain stopped.

JELLY FISH!!!

Costume with LED lights which is good enough to be on stage.  拍照拍到乱咯!  Can you imagine how excited and fun this was!!

Even cars were halloween-ed waaahaaahaaaa....

Sorry for the blur pics, my part-time camera man aka hubby tried his best already >.<

Most candies were gone before 9pm.

There was this very generous family giving out more than candies.  They gave mineral water.... and satay.... and BBQ wings.  SERIOUSLY!!

This is the entrance cum exit of Woodgrove.

Families of Woodgrove had spend hundreds, some even thousands on the decorations, candies (food and drinks) for all visitors to enjoy.   Thus, being appreciative and also as a respect, we do not touch the decors although there wasn't any signage.  Of course we can took as many photos as we loved!

Admission to Woodgrove Halloween House Visit is FREE.   All the fees for documentation, hiring of security guards were all funded by residents of Woodgrove.

I wanna give Woodgrove a BIG HUG!