Chatterbox

15th December, Tuesday

Chatterbox is definitely most well known for its award winning chicken rice. But... the review for the chicken rice shall be on another day, because me and K didn't order it today. I suppose I should state that I only came here because I had the eat @ Meritus card, which entitles me to 50% discount for 2 pax. If not for the card, I would definitely not have come to eat overpriced food.

Nasi lemak

K ordered this. I took a few bites and thought it was a bit disappointing. The chicken rendang was average, but the otak tasted a bit... stale and spoilt? And the rice was a tad too sticky for my liking. The ikan bilis wasn't crispy too. $21

V's verdict: 5.5/10
K's verdict: 6/10


Lobster laksa

Initially, I wanted to order the fried hokkien mee, which cost $21. But their lobster laksa cost only $28, just around $3.50 difference after the 50% discount, so I ordered this instead.

The gravy was thick and probably chock full of coconut milk. I could still stomach the thickness (I was very hungry actually) but K thought that there was too much coconut milk. Tastewise, the soup was quite all right. The fishcake and taupok were okay too. The lobster was sweet; a pity it was rather tough.

V's verdict: 7/10
K's verdict: 7.5/10

Ponggol Nasi Lemak Centre

19th June, Friday

This is the supposedly original Ponggol Nasi Lemak. They even came out with an advertisement several years ago, declaring that "Old Ponggol Nasi Lemak" and "New Ponggol Nasi Lemak" have absolutely no relationship to them. Reminds me of Hong Lim's curry chicken noodles (Heng Kee).

They are located along Upper Serangoon Road, just 3 minutes walk away from Kovan MRT.

Nasi Lemak

The first thing that you notice is the queue. It can be freaking long and stretch out of the hawker centre. But I must applaud their efficiency; they are fast, really fast. So even though the queue was long, my turn came in a relatively short while.

Ok, for nasi lemak, they are freaking expensive. Just this plate and another plate (without the 3 fried fish, ikan bilis, and add 2 sotong balls) cost me an eye-popping $11.10. But it was good, I must admit. Their fried eggs were fried very nicely, with the egg yolk still round, intact and runny. The fried fish was crispy and the whole head can be eaten. The drumstick was not bad, though I would prefer their chicken wings (sold out). And the chilli was good too!

V's verdict: 8/10
K's verdict: 9/10

Block 514 Bishan Place Food Court

14th June, Sunday

A food court at Block 514 Bishan Place, right behind Junction 8. It was always very empty on weekend mornings, so today we decided to give it a try.

Fishball noodles (顺兴鱼圆面）



Okay, this was quite funny. The uncle boasted to me about how good his fishball noodles were, and how popular he was at something-something plaza (I couldn't catch it and couldn't be bothered to clarify).

When I brought my noodles back to my table, my mother took one look and said critically, "One look and I know that it's not good. The colour is already wrong."

True enough, one bite and I was like, URGH. Why was it so sour? It had tomato ketchup, but ketchup alone wouldn't make it that sour. And the noodles were apparently cooked too long and were too soggy. The fishballs tasted okay, but the texture was far from bouncy.

Well uncle, I don't know (and don't care) where you came, but I think you should go back to your old place and sell your sour fishball noodles to your old customers. I don't appreciate it at all, and I don't expect anyone else to. K and my mother both tasted it and disliked it as well. (K says that it tasted... mouldy!) In fact, the best part of the meal was the soup! $3/$4

V's verdict: 3.5/10
K's verdict: 1/10


Nasi Lemak (SJ Nasi Campur)



See how tiny this nasi lemak is? Before you start condemning it, I should state how much it costs first --- $1. All it had was rice, cucumber, and a chicken wing. And some chilli, of course.

I didn't try this, but K's description of it was "cannot make it".

K's verdict: 3.5/10


Fried bee hoon (Tong Luck Economical Mixed Rice)



This was not bad. The bee hoon wasn't too oily, and the vegetables were decent. The luncheon meat was a bit too dry, but their chilli was quite good. I don't mind trying this again next time. K said that it was tasteless and wasn't special at all, though.

V's verdict: 7/10
K's verdict: 5/10

Golden Shoe Food Centre

27th May, Wednesday

Nasi Lemak (Market Street Nasi Lemak)



One of the few times I actually ate at Golden Shoe without buying takeaway! This was average only. The drumstick was dry. The fish were decent. The ikan bilis were good, though! But they only gave me such a small portion. The chilli was not bad too. But for this price, it's a pretty good value for money! $2.50

V's verdict: 6/10