Snacks at Little India

Singapore Day 4
Little India
6:21 p.m.

We decided to make a pit stop at Ma Raj Restaurant while walking around Little India. It was a very modest eatery but it did look authentic. 

We soon learned that being in Little India doesn't automatically translate into having good Indian food. Heck, Ma Raj completely failed in delivering decent versions of Indian staples, samosa and roti.

Samosa

Dry, cold, and unappetizing. 

Plain Roti

Roti with Cheese

Banana Roti

The roti itself though ordinary was passable. What actually made the roti an utter failure was the watered down curry. It didn't have any flavor and just made the roti soggy and unappetizing to eat.

Hands down, this was our worst meal in Singapore.

Ma Raj Restaurant is located at 6 Verdun Road, Little India, Singapore.

Wings & Takoyaki at Food Opera

Singapore Day 1
Ion Orchard's Food Opera
7:03 p.m

Three hours after having dimsum at Din Tai Fung, we found ourselves exploring Food Opera at Ion Orchard. Food Opera is an upgraded version of a regular food court with its swanky design and choice food stalls.

Naturally, we were unable to resist the lure of Food Opera so we decided to try two of its more popular outlets even though we were nowhere near hungry.  

First stop was 4 Fingers Crispy Chicken. 4 Fingers claims to have Korean themed cuisine inspired by the streets of New York City. 

Cute Compact Store

4 Fingers Crispy Chicken

Similar to what I have been accustomed to, the wings and drummettes of 4 Fingers are hand-painted in soy garlic or hot sauce. I thought this would be an upgrade from what I've been having in the Philippines, but aside from being juicier, the crispness of the skin and the flavors were the same. To be fair, I think I would have been blow away if it were my first time eating bonchon chicken.

Our second stop was Gindaco which had long lines. Gindaco is an import from Japan, popular for its takoyaki balls.

A Fraction of the Long Line

Takoyaki Making as an Art Form

Leek with Cold Tempura Sauce

The balls were moist and huge with a generous amount of real octopus bits. I was not feeling the unconventional sauce though.

Gindaco Original Sauce

This was more like it! Tangy Gindaco original sauce topped with Kewpie mayonnaise and bonito flakes made for one heck of a takoyaki! I enjoyed every bite tremendously. My friends who lined up for this for more than 10 minutes were left unimpressed though. HAHA

Food Opera is located at Basement 4, ION Orchard 2 Orchard Turn, Singapore. For more information on 4 Fingers Crispy Chicken and Gindaco, click here and here. 

Little Mermaid's Treats

I was recently in Hong Kong. Get to know what Hong Kong has to offer through my adventure. This is the 10th of 14 parts

Little Mermaid Bakery is an establishment that I see all over Hong Kong but never had the desire to try.


Harbour City branch


One of my favorite food bloggers, Leslie of shootfirsteatlater.com, however, swears by its Chocolate Sticky Donut so I finally had reason to drop by this bakery.

RECOMMENDED

Chocolate Sticky Donut (7 HKD)

Chocolate Explosion

Winner! Three kinds of chocolate: Soft Chewy Chocolate Ball , Sweet Chocolate Ganache Filling, and Cocoa Powder.  A good snack and dessert rolled into one! I love it so much that I brought home lots of balls for the family to try. They all loved it too!

Aside from the Chocolate Sticky Donut, Murtle and I both tried other items.

Murtle’s Choice:

Cheese Tart (14HKD)

I had a bite and the taste reminds me of cheesecake.

My Choice:

Cream Cheese Danish Croissant  (12HKD)

Not shabby. Cream cheese is light as to not overwhelm the pastry. Croissant is not soggy though I ate it a few hours after purchase.

As we had a very pleasant experience with all the pastries we had, I surely can’t wait to try other offerings of Little Mermaid Bakery the next time I’m in Hong Kong.

Little Mermaid Bakery has branches all over Hong Kong.

Okonomiyaki in a Bag

I was recently in Hong Kong. Get to know what Hong Kong has to offer through my adventure. This is the 8th of 14 parts.

I always visit supermarkets abroad to hunt for interesting junk food flavors.

From all the chips I've tried during this Hong Kong trip, Calbee Okonomiyaki Potato Chips was my favorite.

12 HKD



nomnomnom



Admittedly, I'm a big fan of okonomiyaki so loving this was almost natural.

I especially appreciate the fact that the chips tasted very similar to real okonomiyaki.

Will certainly be hoarding Calbee Okonomiyaki Potato Chips next time I drop by HK.

More than Just Furniture Shopping at Ikea

I was recently in Hong Kong. Get to know what Hong Kong has to offer through my adventure. This is the 5th of 14 parts

Our first stop during our second day in Hong Kong was Ikea at Causeway Bay.

Nope, we didn’t shop for furniture but instead headed straight to Ikea's Bistro where light snacks are available.

Limited Menu

What We Had For "Breakfast:"

Swedish Meatballs (9HKD)

Worth the raves it gets. The meatballs are very flavorful with the fruity flavor of the gravy compensating for the little dryness experienced when eating the meatballs. The gravy made this snack a winner.

Hotdog (6HKD)

Tastes as dull as it looks. Pass on this.

Popcorn (4HKD)

Brings back childhood memories. Sweet and crispy!

Credit also goes to Ikea for its cute packaging concepts.



If you happen to drop by Ikea, do visit the Bistro if only for the meatballs!

Ikea has three branches in Hong Kong. Do visit the Shatin or the Kowloon Bay branch for a wider selection of food. For store information, do visit here.

Too Much Spice: Lays Kettle Cooked Jalapeno

Heard from the radio how good and addicting Lays Kettle Cooked Jalapeno is.

Thinking that it would be as addictive as Cheetos Jalapeno, I immediately bought a pack.

Coming from someone who loves all things spicy, believe me when I say that this is just too spicy. This is barf in a bag as it was hard to even eat two consecutive chips. 

Yes, it was that hot!

It’s rare for me to give up on junk food but I did on this one.

Next!

Pringles Blueberry Hell

After my addicting encounter with Pringles Lemon and Sesame, I trooped to my neighborhood grocery to try the Blueberry and Hazelnut variant. I wanted to like both flavors but this blueberry option just tasted so weird. For a moment, I thought I was eating a dessert treat gone wrong. I salute Pringles for being bold in coming out with interesting new flavors, but this combination just didn’t work. Barf!

It’s interesting to note that the cans of Pringles’ Lemon & Sesame and Blueberry & Hazelnut flavors look similar.

Could it be Pringles’ ploy to confuse consumers since they know that Lemon & Sesame is a far superior flavor?

Fresh Twist with Pringles Lemon and Sesame

Whenever we’re shopping for groceries, I always look for the green can of Pringles since sour cream is my favorite flavor. A tip from my friend Pristine, however, got me curious and made me try the new Fruit & Nut line of Pringles.

I finally spotted the intriguing new flavors of Pringles at Rustan’s Fresh Il Terazzo since this new line is not readily available in groceries. It was a choice between Blueberry &Hazelnut or Lemon & Sesame flavors with me eventually buying the latter since I found the former to be a very weird junk food flavor to try.

At home, I excitedly opened my can of Pringles Lemon & Sesame(69php) but had to eat a few chips and allow the new flavors to settle in my mouth before I was able to decide if I liked it or not. Here were my thoughts:

• It does taste like lemon.
• The sesame flavor is nonexistent.
• This is surprisingly good!
• Uh oh...I can’t stop!!!

With this yummy development, I will try the Blueberry & Hazelnut flavor the next chance I get. While my love for the Pringles Sour Cream has not waned, this new flavor is a good alternative when I’m craving for something different.