Mood Food Blog | Singapore Food Blog

Domino's Pizza Tracker | Ultimate Pizza Delivery for Football Fans

2010-05-24T04:25:00.000-07:00

You may not know this but one of the coolest thing about having a food blog is that you get invited to eat and drink for food tasting session. Last week, Mood Food Blog was invited by Domino's Pizza Singapore Pte Ltd to witness their "Ultimate Pizza Delivery for Football Fans' launch at their Kovan Branch. It was an eye opener to get a sneak on what goes on in the making of a pizza in the kitchen from the moment your order is received, to the pizza delivery person and to your house. Basically, Domino's Pizza has this Pizza Tracker which tracks the status of your order. In addition, Domino's Pizza aims to deliver your pizza within 30 minutes to your doorstep.

From Counter into the Kitchen

An Overview of the Kitchen

Dough in Preparation

All is fast and hasty. All the steps before entering the oven would take roughly 2 minutes.

Into the Oven

In 5 minutes, the pizza is done.

Slicing it up to perfection

During the introduction given by Ba U Shan-Ting, the Chief Operation Officer , Domino's Pizza aims to capitalize on one of their unique strength as the world's pizza delivery expert with the World Cup season to connect football fans across the country.

A common frustration faced during a pizza delivery is that the order takes too long to come. Orders may take up to an hour or so before it reaches our doorstep and Domino's aims to change this with the 30 minutes guarantee (within a zone as demarcated). Of course, there may be times when orders becomes overloaded and Domino's will inform the customers in due course as well.

At time of writing. they have opened four outlets and planned for 10 by the end of this year in Singapore. This rapid expansion will offer customers greater convenience ultimately.

As for the pizzas, they have around 10 variety to choose from and customers can specify they way they want for the crust. We tried the Classical Pepperoni and Classified Chicken alongside with Garlic Cheese Onion Rings and Twisty Bread.

Classical Pepperoni

Classified Chicken

Garlic Cheese Onion Rings

Twisty Bread

I think that the pizzas are great whether you dine in or have it delivered to you. As as matter of fact, we tried both because courtesy of Domino's, we were given new pizzas to take home as well. Of special mention is the Twisty Bread. Its really good, soft and you can taste a tingly saltiness and sweetness from the first bite. All in all, if you are looking for tasty pipping warm pizzas with generous portions of mozzarella cheeze and fresh toppings without agonzing over the long long wait, Domino's is there for you at the comfort from your house.

KOVAN branch

943/945 Upper Serangoon Road

S(534710)

11am-11pm

Delivery hotline:62226333 (limited areas)

Post-Script
Many things have happened and been happening since this blog was last / recently updated in its hiatus form, of which, if you notice and read, the highly esteemed cum ranking-fetish-orientated institution which houses our future has now moved up by many notches and is now amongst the TOP 3 Universities in Asia (as announced by TIMES Higher Education, beating renowned ones such as Tokyo U, Waseda U, IIT Bombay, IIT Kanpur, IIT Delhi. Of lesser significance news, XO is in the US of A for Exchange and I, the CO of this blog just survived yet another grueling semester, leaving 2 more for the coming academic year which starts in August. Still, we thank all those who are visiting the blog and we will continue to update whenever we feel like doing so.

Greetings from New York City! This is really freaky considering that I ordered Domino's pizza several times in the US. I am not sure whether Domino's pizza in Singapore offers such a deal, but there was a 5.99USD for 2 medium two-toppings pizzas. Hopefully they have it in Singapore as well to feed the horde of hungry soccer fans staying up for the World Cup.

Besides the pizza tracking function of Domino's, one other particular function I enjoyed during the ordering process was the data base they had in which you could select your location based on your campus location. That saves me a lot of time having to figure out where exactly I was located on campus. For instance, I usually just hammered in College of William and Mary, Reeves Hall to get my pizza delivered instead of having to figure out the zip code, exact road etcetera. - Cheers XO

Nonetheless, we welcome all food / wine tasting invites. Simply contact us and we will try to get back to you within 3 working days.

Mood Uplifting Determinant (MUD): 9

Philadelphia cheesesteak

2010-03-08T21:05:00.000-08:00

9600 miles from home,what is the best way to lift one's mood ? Good food of course! Philadelphia locals swear that you can only find the authentic cheese steak only in Philadelphia. My other friend insists that the Philly cheesesteak is only authentic with Reese cheese.

At a price of 7.95 USD, the uniqueness of the Philly cheesesteak comes from the heavenly concoction of the meat juice from the beef, the reese cheese as well as the button mushrooms. Somehow, the meat juice, crunchiness of the mushrooms and the cheese strikes a chord with the sweetness of the bun to leave you hungry for another bite. Extremely satisfying!

I have tried a Philly cheesesteak in Virginia with pavlone cheese, does not come close at all. So I guess I have to agree with my friends on the cheesesteak being only authentic in Philadelphia and only with reese cheese.

Mood Uplifting Determinant (MUD): 8

Watami Japanese Casual Restaurant @ The Central | Food Tasting Session

2009-09-12T06:28:00.001-07:00

And so after a long hiatus, this blog is finally updated. We are 'away' because semester has started and we were 'still settling in'. It is week 5 of 13 now and the busy assignment period is looming ahead. Still, we know there are people who visit our blog every now and then for updates. Thank You.

This afternoon,we were invited for a pre-opening food tasting session at Watami Japanese Casual Restaurant, The Central branch.

Starters: Mentai Cheese Tamago Yaki

Main: Hire Katsu Tamago Toji

Main: Sukiyaki

Sushi: Tradori Sushi Grandeur

Main: Honkaku Ramen (MUST TRY)

Desserts: Matcha Azuki Crepe

Pictures of Singapore River

Traveling to the western countries, one can often find "Chinese" buffet restaurant selling chinese food. Entering such restaurants would give you a rude shock as you would most probably be able to find fried breaded fish fillets, chips and salad as part of the buffet spread. It is definitely not what one has in mind when chinese food is concern. Seeing such quasi-authentic restaurants overseas is not an unique experience because many Chinese restaurants overseas attempt to localize their chinese dishes to the taste of the locals. Thus, they attempt to add in staples like chips and salad to attract the locals. While from a business point of view it is not wrong to target the main consumer group, it definitely leaves much to be desired for if you are a hungry Chinese traveller, looking around to satisfy your craving for some good old authentic Chinese food.

It is from this perspective that Watami Japanese Casual Restaurant attempts to differentiate themselves by remaining true to their origin by serving Japanese food that has been created by their chefs back in Japan. Whether you are a tired Japanese tourist or a Japanese working in Singapore, staple, good old Japanese food would be served rather than some localized version of Japanese food you find so often in school canteen and hawker centres.

While I definitely have not stayed in Japan long enough to determine how authentically Japanese these dishes were, I can vouch that the dishes were of good quality that would leave you a happy man or woman from a foodie's point of view.

Trying a starter dish, a sushi platter, 3 main courses and a dessert, the Honkaku Ramen (main) was the dish that really impressed us. Noodles contained in a cold soup base with plenty of sesame oil, it really stood out as the sesame oil managed to bring out the natural taste of the noodle. The red bean crepe with green tea ice cream is worth mention as well as the bitter sweet taste of the green tea ice cream contrast well with the sweetness of the red bean crepe.

With most dishes price at a range of between $5 to $10, it is a good price for quality food. Overall, if you are looking for a place for casual dining with a nice view of the Singapore river serving authentic Japanese food at a good price, Watami Casual Restaurant would be a good place to visit.

Address:
6 Eu Tong Sen Street, The Central,
#03-82/83/85/102/108/109
Singapore 059817

Mood Uplifting Determinant (MUD): 8.5 (good quality and nice ambience made us happy people for the weekend)

Lao Fu Zi Char Kway Teow 老夫子炒果条 @ Old Airport Road

2009-08-04T01:46:00.000-07:00

Chay Kway Teow used to be a food dish sold by enterprising hawkers to poor coolie workers who lived and worked alongside the Singapore River. Containing cockles, pork lard and bean sprout (all cheaply available), it appeals to coolies as they need huge amount of energy for their backbreaking work. Adding some black sauce for taste, it soon became popular among them for its high energy and cheap price.

Nowadays however, health conscious Singaporean will choose to ignore the merits that the coolies saw in Chay Kway Teow if they want to have a plate of it. The black sauce and pork lard will do a good job in clotting up our arteries today considering that the majority of us do not have to carry sacks of rice from the ship to the riverside for a living and thus is not recommended as a staple food dish.

The taste of Lau Fu Zi Chay Kway Teow lingers in your mouth long after you have consumed it. The stall have won numerous accolades for it and I guess I would not add anymore superlatives on it. Although I felt that standards have dropped a little since the time I ate when I was a secondary school kid, it is still one of the best Chay Kway Teow I have eaten.

On a parting note, the best way to describe it would be likening it to Popeye's Spinach(yup, have that song ringing in your head). Once you eat it, your productivity grows exponentially.

Address:

51 Old Airport Road

01-12 Old Airport Road Food Centre

Mood Uplifting Determinant (MUD): 9.5 (10 if it tasted like how it tasted when I was in secondary school)

River South (Hoe Nam) Prawn Noodles 河南肉骨大虾面 @ Tai Thong Crescent

2009-07-30T23:48:00.000-07:00

Like most good things in life, you need some patience to get it. This similarly applies to River South prawn noodles facing Jackson Centre. Nevertheless, the wait was well worth it considering that we were treated to a sumptuous bowl of prawn noodles. I would recommend that it is ordered in its dried form, mixed with chilli, fried unions and pork lard. The interplay of the natural sweetness of the noodles, the spiciness of the chilli, crunchiness of the pork lard and the fragrance of the fried union produces an unique taste that lingers in your mouth.

The soup, while tasty on its own, can be enhanced with the chilli powder provided. The sweetness of the prawns mingles well with the chilli powder to tantalize your taste buds. Definitely worth the calories intake for it!

Do rinse your mouth with mouth wash though as the smell of prawn will linger on in your mouth.

Alternatively, you can choose to have the noodles with pork ribs, pork intestines instead. Do drop by to have a look at the different variations.

Address:
River South (Hoe Nam) Prawn Noodles 河南肉骨大虾面
Sennett Estate, 31 Tai Thong Crescent (Facing Jackson Centre)
Singapore 347859

Mood Uplifting Determinant (MUD): 8

Yong He Eating House 永和豆浆油条大王 @ Geylang Lor 27A

2009-07-16T10:41:00.000-07:00

Yong He Eating House 永和豆浆油条大王

Beef Noodles

Guo Tie

Tou Jiang aka Beancurd

For awesome food and 'not so awesome' company, head down to any of the Lorongs in Geylang for a continual feast of senses. I've always known that Geylang was the place to hit if you wanted great supper treats so my expectations for this place was pretty high before I arrived.

Solely on food alone, yes I'd give the Mood Uplifting Determinant a meagre 2, meaning enough to fill my stomach but not enough to wow me. Ambience however did elevate my mood determinant a little.

(And you're probably wondering why- NO I DON'T WORK AS SOME PART TIME TIGER GIRL HOR)

For me I guess it was a step out of the Singaporean mainstream- disorderly, unkempt, unruly, blatant, rude. People live completely different kinds of lifestyles here, speak a different lingo, have different motivations, mindsets. It's another brand of survival instinct. We all live to survive man.

So back to the food, I don't really know how an active sex industry contributes to availability of great food. Beef noodles was alright. The beef itself was pretty tender and succulent, and the soup was tasty too, but the noodles were a bit of a giveaway.

'Guo tie' was also alright. (You must think I'm damn anal now.) I've tried better 'guo ties' around honestly. And since it's not too difficult to find 'guo tie' stalls around, and 'guo ties' are relatively easy to make, I expect all 'guo ties' to have MAXIMUM fillings, veggies, meat and all. Yong He Eating House 'guo ties' were a little bland.

As for tau huay, go to Mr Bean better lah. Nothing spectacular. After a while, all tau huays taste almost the same. For some pretty WOW WOW tau huay, go to Ang Mo Kio hawker centre. There's a stall at the back selling tau huay and chin chow. Standing along that very same row is a famous beef noodle(I think) stall, and another stall selling fried bee hoon and kway teow which is pretty damn good stuff too.

But even after this disappointing trip, I still shall not give up on Geylang! There is loads to eat there and I'm pretty sure at least one of them is good. Meanwhile, your friendly visiting food critic here is signing off. KRISTIE OUT!

- Kristie Neo.

Mood Uplifting Determinant (MUD): 2

Sungei Road Laksa (Kelantan Lane)

2009-07-14T07:33:00.000-07:00

Like many other food dishes in Singapore, Laksa contains the cultural elements of the different ethnic groups in Singapore. For instance, the spices from the Malays and the rice noodles of the Chinese. Perhaps what makes it even more interesting is how this dish adapts to local conditions by having cockles, which is readily available in the waters around the region as one of its main ingredients. What started off as food for the poor has now gained international recognition as one of the food that Singaporeans can identify with as a truly indigenous food dish.

There are many Laksa stalls claiming to be the best, most authentic in Singapore. One variation of the Laksa dish is the Katong laksa. Two of these includes the 328 Katong Laksa and Sungei Road Laksa.

On this sunny afternoon, we decided to try out the famous, talked-about Sungei Road Laksa located in Kelantan Lane, Seng Chuan Eating House (off Jalan Besar). You can easily identify the place because it is just a stone throw away from Sungei Rd second-hand thieves market and there are also a number of shops selling motorbike equipments.

The review of Sungei Road Laksa - The laksa comes in $2, $2.50 and $3. We recommend that you order $3 since you are going to make a trip there to try the Laksa anyway; might as well be a glutton and order a larger portion to maximize your experience and get the bang for the buck. Nevertheless, $2 portion would be sufficient since they are generous in the serving. The laksa gravy is super rich and they are super generous in giving you fishcake slices and cockles (aka, 'harrmm' in Singapore"). You can get to taste the 'hea-bi', aka. 'xia me' aka. shrimps in the gravy as well. As they cut the noodles into smaller stripes, the laksa does not come with your familiar pair of chopsticks. Still, if you are used to eating with chopsticks, we recommend that you add a Meckerel Otah for $1 which actually comes with chopsticks.

In short, this Laksa + Otah (+free parking + cool weather= a day went well) made us happy and satisfied men. It is well worth spending your calories on it!

Address:
31 Kelantan Lane

01-12
Seng Chuan Eating House

Mood Uplifting Determinant (MUD): 7.5

Hong Kong Tea House @ Katong Village | East Coast Road

2009-06-27T20:22:00.000-07:00

On a nice Saturday night, while the rest of the more happening people of our age are most probably getting themselves dead drunk at a club in town like Butter Factory and helping to promote the spread of the H1N1 virus in the process, we decided to take a drive down to Katong where there is a nice 24 hours Hong Kong Cafe.

In recent years, due to the increased pace of globalization, Singapore's population has become more cosmopolitan

As a result, it might explain the increase numbers of Hong Kong cafes you might witness blooming in your friendly neighbourhood or in town to pander to the needs of the increasingly diverse population in Singapore. With the reputation of Hong Kong as one of the "food" capitals of the world, you cannot go wrong by leveraging on the reputation of "indigenous" food from Hong Kong.

We ordered a cup of milk tea, a French toast and a bowl of instant noodled in curry sauce with sausages and beef tendon. Before reviewing our meal proper, a side note to this meal is that a meal like this in Hong Kong would probably cost you 25 HKD or around 5 SGD in an authentic Char Chan Teng (Coffeeshop). Paying 12 SGD for this meal in Singapore is more than anything else, paying for the novelty of these dishes rather than its actual worth. Nevertheless, it is good to have such diversity of choice in Singapore when it comes to food even if one has to pay more.

The milk tea was as authentic as it could get as you had to add the sugar (contained in those metallic containers)by yourself and it sure tasted like how I remembered it to be when I was in Hong Kong. Full marks for the milk tea's authenticity even though I am more fond of our humble teh tarik.

Having never tried curry noodles in Hong Kong before, I would not be able to gauge its authenticity. However, taste wise, it would satisfy your hunger but not necessarily perk you up.

The highlight of the night was the French toast with butter and marmalade syrup. The toast was crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. Together with the butter and marmalade syrup, the French toast formed a perfect blend with its condiments. A dish that is definitely worth trying!

Perhaps what really made our day was the ambience of the cafe in which we could feel that we were welcomed to sit down, order some snacks, enjoy the food, the night and a fair amount of quality conversation. The waitress served us promptly without showing her annoyance at our presence till almost 4am in the morning. Hence, the Hong Kong cafe at Katong village would be a place we would recommend if you prefer an alternative entertainment to clubbing on a Saturday.

Price of meal: 12 SGD

Price of petrol: not more than 15 SGD?

A meaningful discussion about life: Priceless

Address: 86 East Coast Road #01-09/10 Katong Village S(428788) Tel: 63451932

Mood Uplifting Determinant (MUD): 8 (for the milk tea's authenticity and the quality of the French toast. Can give the curry noodles a miss)

Arnold's Fried Chicken @ City Plaza | Paya Lebar

2009-06-27T20:19:00.000-07:00

Mood Uplifting Determinant (MUD): 8

Father's Day Special: Chili Crab

2009-06-27T09:45:00.000-07:00

Mood Uplifting Determinant (MUD): 9.5
Crab

Wanton Mee @ Ang Mo Kio Ave 10 | Teck Ghee Square Food Centre

2009-06-21T10:59:00.000-07:00

Mood Uplifting Determinant (MUD): 8

Is Having a Car in Singapore a Want or a Need?

2009-06-18T23:03:00.000-07:00

Owning a car in Singapore is an expensive affair. So is having a car in Singapore a want or a need? This topic came up one fine evening by the founders under the cool moonlight. A 1.6L sedan in this land-scarce Republic costs around $60,000 and this does not include the road tax, carpark charges, countless ERP gentries, expensive petrol that you have to pay every day, month whilst owning this piece of metal. All these will add up to roughly an additional $500 to your monthly car installment. Not forgetting that your car faces a yearly depreciation of 4 figures or so. If owning a car is such an expensive affair, why are we seeing more and more Singaporeans heading to car showrooms at Leng Kee Rd, Ubi every weekends? Newer models enter the market every month to cater to the ever increasing demand for newer cars in the market. Why is the queue for car orders piling up every week and Singaporeans are willing to take on this extra financial burden? We aim to argue for the latter (of course, that does not mean that its a must for you to get one and have to cut your expenses for other things) We will argue that having a car will improve your quality of life in Singapore.

Car as a Want
A car is a luxury good in Singapore. The PAP government is discouraging car ownership by introducing various forms of costly disincentives such as the COE, Road Tax, Season Parking, ERP. You don't need a car in Singapore and if you do, you have to bear the high cost of ownership and maintenance. Moreover, there is an efficient, world class, public-orientated Public Transport System network connecting you from and to any place in Singapore (or so some higher mortals are claming for the lesser mortals). Nevermind the yearly profit that the bus and train companies are trying to squeeze out from you. Nevermind the fact that you have to wait 7 minutes for a train to arrive only to have to squeeze with the other 4 million Singaporeans shoulder to shoulder. Nevermind the fact that the bus driver does not understand the language you are speaking. Be a good citizen as the government is advocating, use public transport, free up the roads. Be contented. You do not need a car at all. But if that is so, then why are we facing the phenomenon as posited in the introduction?

Car as a Need
Having a car is increasingly becoming a necessity for some / most/ majority/ all Singaporeans who can afford one (here we are not going to discuss about the cost factor). If you want to improve your quality of life, you will need to have a car. If you want to spend some quality time with your family, loved ones, have a trip to the beach on weekends, you need to have a car. Good food are aplenty in Singapore as introduced in the media every now and then, but without a car, its difficult to get to these destinations. Imagine having to take a 80 minutes ride after changing from Bus to MRT to MRT to Bus from one end of the Republic to another just for a $5 chicken rice or ba chor mee. The thought of the journey would most probably kill off any motivation for the trip. There are numerous places in Singapore where the public transport system is not able to bring you to. There are places which are interestingly enough to visit and yet not having a car is preventing you from doing so. Buying a car is like buying yourself a form of great convenience. You are buying yourself time and a new life that is not constrained by the bus/train timing and waiting time for taxis.

So should you buy a car then? Yes if you are affluent enough to be able to provide a just-as-comfortable-life for yourself and your family. A car will improve a person's quality of life in Singapore.

Hua Nam Restaurant Tim Sum @ Upper Thompson Road

2009-06-18T22:53:00.000-07:00

For those who frequent Upper Thompson Rd, Hua Nam Restaurant is no stranger to the community living there. It has been there since (as far back as I can recall) the early 1990s. On any typical sunday, the place will be crowded. When I went down during a late tuesday morning, the place was rather empty except for a few early lunch crowd.

The tim sum is reasonably alright but because that the crowd is sparse and during the time of day , the tim sum were only heated up upon ordering. Hence, when the food arrives, you don't get it smoky hot giving you that fresh- juicy taste. As a result, do take note that some of the food might stick to the surface of the metal plate.

In short, for what you can see above and 3 bowls porridge, it cost $22+-.

Mood Uplifting Determinant (MUD):6

Prawn Mee @ Old Airport Road

2009-06-18T21:17:00.000-07:00

A trip to the the United Kingdoms made me appreciate acutely the richness of the food culture in Singapore. Chinese, Malay, Indian, Italian, French ... You name it, you have it in Singapore. After a good rest, it was down to Old Airport Road food centre for a humble plate of Chay Kway Teow from the Lao Fu Zi stall. But alas!, it was closed by the time we reached. With a hungry stomach begging to be satisfied, it was straight for a another simple but humble dish we have in Singapore. The prawn noodles.

The prawn noodles contains elements from the Malay and Chinese food culture. Malay chilli spices mixed with Chinese noodles and a spicy based soup, it is another classic example of how food in Singapore is created from an amalgamation of two or more different cultures. Just like other local dishes like Chay Kway Teow and Fried Hokkien Mee, prawn noodles in Singapore is a food defined by its cultural hybridity.

The prawn noodle at Old Airport Road... What can I say? I would think that it leaves much to be desired. The chilli they used was not sweet enough and as a result, did not manage to create a good blend with the noodles, fried unions and pork lards. The flavor of the soup was not deep enough and can be improved as well.

However, the prawns were fresh and crunchy making up for the not as tasty noodles. Overall I would not say that it was bad. Just not good enough to leave me chirpy for the rest of the night. After a long journey home, this bowl of prawn noodle definitely raised my mood.

Mood Uplifting Determinant (MUD): 7 (not bad, raised my mood but it did not last for long)

Popeyes Chicken and Biscuits @ Singapore Flyer | A KFC Alternative?

2009-06-12T08:44:00.000-07:00

A wise man once said, "Eating the right food can make or break a person's day;" and if that's really the case, then Popeyes Chicken will be one that makes not only your day, but your night as well. There is a proliferation of fried chicken restaurants in Singapore in the recent years, giving Singaporeans a wider variety of choice other than the more established Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) which opened its first outlet at Somerset in 1977. Some of these restaurants include Dallas Chicken & Ribs which started operation barely a year ago at Upper Cross Street and moved to Paradiz Center recently, Aronld's Fried Chicken located at City Plaza and Pasir Ris, and lastly,Popeyes Chicken and Biscuits which has two outlets in Singapore currently - One in Changi Airport Terminal 1 and the other at Singapore Flyer.

Popeyes Chicken and Biscuits - 3 Piece Chicken and Cajun Fries

In comparison with the more established KFC, Popeyes Chicken will come across as a refreshing alternative. If you were to dine in, you can smell the aroma of fried chicken the moment you stepped into the restaurant and that lingers onto you into your car and back home. As for the chicken parts, there is a high chance that they will be served pipping hot since the crowd is always there and the parts are fresh and juicy covered with a layer of crispy skin (read sinful but still have to eat). However, I believe that the Popeyes does not marinate their chicken. There is no sign of marinating spice or sauce seeping into the inner part of the meat unlike KFC chicken. Still, the meat is chewy and soft. Additionally, the breading of the chicken before frying is a super plus point since the skin is the first point of contact that defines the first impression of a fried chicken and the crispy skin uplifts MUD factor exponentially.

In terms of cost, Popeyes is slightly more expensive than KFC. For a 3 piece meal, which comes with a regular coke, their famous biscuits (which has a crispy crust outside and a bread-like soft on the inside and a small tub of strawberry jam) and crispy coated cajun fries costs $9.80. The parts given vary and they charge an addition 50 cents for a change of each chicken part. Overall, Popeyes chicken is getting your money worth. Good food, quality time with your loved ones by the river under the cool moonlight, what more can one ask for in life?

Mood Uplifting Determinant (MUD): 10

Rojak @ Food Republic | Wisma Atria

2009-06-02T08:19:00.000-07:00

Rojak is also known as the 'asian salad', (except that its much unhealthier compared the ang moh type) is a mixture of fruit, vegetables, you tiao, tau pok, cuttlefish blah blah blah.. you have the money, the stall owner will add whatever you want. In Singapore, other than the ang moh western type, the more ones selling are the Chinese rojak and Indian rojak.

Rojak - The Asian Salad

I'll just be straight forward about the rojak sold at Food Republic. Don't waste your $4 on this. This rojak while looks not-too-bad, its simply not-too-bad. You can be sure of getting better one at your friendly neighbourhood kopitiam cheaper and having a higher MUD.

Mood Uplifting Determinant (MUD):-0 (Yeah, after the so-so Curry Chicken)

Curry Chicken Rice @ Pow Sing Restaurant 報喜 | Food Republic | Wisma Atria

2009-06-02T07:50:00.000-07:00

Food Republic | Wisma Atria

Today, CO and a friend, Alex took the evening to Food Republic at Wisma Atria for dinner and some light snack. Via the escalator, the first of stalls inside Food Republic is the Pow Sing Restaurant 報喜 and Alex decided to try their curry chicken rice.

Pow Sing Restaurant

Curry Chicken Rice

It took less than 5 minutes after the order for the food to arrive. Well, much to Alex's disappointment, the chicken was not hot as he expected. Every piece of chicken is firstly pre-cooked and upon ordering, they simply re-grill it again (not thoroughly enough though). The curry is neither spicy nor fragrant. Overall, the taste has been just so-so. For the price of $5.80 and the quality, this simply fills your stomach for the next 2 hours of Great Singapore Sale shopping at Orchard Road.

Mood Uplifting Determinant: 3

Mood Uplifting Determinant (MUD)

2009-06-01T10:23:00.000-07:00

Food can affect the way you go about daily life. We am not talking about health food here where people would go at length telling you about how much carbohydrate intake you should have or whether this food product contains trans-fat or not. No. We are not interested in the food's health content. We are just interested in how well the food can improve our mood.

Since we are both quite hopeless with numbers, we came up with a more qualitative method of assessing how food affects our mood. The Mood Uplifting Determinant (MUD) ranges from 0 to 10. Description of the determinant as follows:

0 : Just like the humble chap chai peng (mixed vegetable rice) we find everywhere, a food with a MUD score of 0 is good enough to keep you alive but does not make you any happier or any worst off.

1-3: Mai hiam aye sai (okay if you don't mind). Food with a MUD score of 1-3 gets your stomach filled and set you off for the rest of the day.

4-6: Fills your stomach well and at the same time gives you greater satisfaction. The world seems a brighter place when you consum food with a MUD score of 4-6. Gone are the worries of the day and in comes positive thoughts and gives you much to cheer about for the rest of the day.

7-9: Think of this as the food equivalent of an instant performance enhancing drug. Not too long ago when one of the author of this blog was still serving his National Service, his course mate swore that MosBurger milk tea can make him run faster. Doubt it? Here is the evidence: After consuming MosBurger milk tea the day before the Combat Physical Fitness Test (CPFT), his friend passed the test in a record time. Food with a MUD score of 7-9 are like life's steroids, it increases your productivity and efficiency many fold. Definitely a food you have to try to boost your work rate for the day exponentially.

10: Wow! Shiok! (Add a superlative of your choice) Like love, it is something that is difficult to define but easily felt. You have to taste this yourself to find out. Having food with a MUD score of 10 brings you to 7th heaven and ensures that you are in euphoria for days to come.

Like a Virgin Charting the Old Found Land Up North | Our Quest @ Taman Sentosa, Johor, Malaysia | 29 May 2009 Part II

2009-06-01T05:42:00.000-07:00

Introduction

Taman Sentosa, Johor, Malaysia - We've Arrived

So much has been said about Singapore's northern neighbour, Malaysia. Some of which include having nicer and more authentic food, prettier girls, having petty criminals stealing Singaporeans' beloved cars, robbery, rape, traffic enforcement officers with an open mind (see also here and here), so on and so forth. On 29 May 2009, the Founders of Good Food Good Mood - Mood Food Blog took the leap of faith to find out what lies up ahead in their quest for mood lifting food on the other side of the Causeway.

Taman Sentosa - A Street Down

The Founders
The CO and the XO.

What do you need for a trip like this?
Two person with some level of sanity. Its really easy to get lost when driving up North for the first time. The ability to maintain one's cool will certainly increasing the probability of coming back home in one-piece. Moreover, a sane mind prepares one for the worse. ie. car getting stolen, getting robbed, getting sold to some human-traffickers

On another note, during the drive there can be only one commander at any time. For the driver, you trust your navigator's instructions. For the navigator, you life lies in the hands behind the steering wheel. If possible, keep any guest and woman quiet in the backseat.

Secondly, you need an non-luxury car. Yes, you are right. We recommend you to drive a car somewhere between the range of SGD $0 and SGD $50,000. If you do not wish to worry every other second that your car is going to get stolen while you do your shopping, please drive a non-luxury car. If you only own a car somewhere around the range from a Lexus RX 300 to a Ferrari, we suggest that you rent a non-luxury car. (In any case, you can sell it off there when you're broke and report it lost later on).

The Ferrari that CO and XO could Afford

Thirdly, you need a good map. We suggest that you get one at a petrol station in JB. And get one that is as detailed as possible. A good map should be based on the state / region you are travelling in. Ie. Johor, KL etc. This map will include essential landmarks and details of smaller roads for you to follow through easily. At least when you report your own or rental car being stolen, or got robbed, you know where the police station is.

Non-Essential Items
Other minor non-essential-stuff you would like to bring along include a Passport, some money (we recommend at least RM 50 should you encounter traffic enforcement officers with an open-mind before you start your shopping), a woman and handphone.

Road Condition

A Summon Issued for non-display of a valid parking coupon

Malaysian drivers are way more friendly than Singaporean drivers. You can expect to change your lane abruptly without signaling, beat the red light and not anyone horning you. Word of advice, do anything but not get caught. Always obey traffic rules and place a parking coupon like you would as an obedient Singaporean.

Finding Your Way

Petrol Station like this is of great source of help

In Malaysia, getting your way to your destination is way easier than Singapore. Believe it or not, you will not encounter diversion or closure of roads due to ever-going constructions, road pavement in middle of no where. Signs are prominently placed. Even if you don't understand the language, worry no more. Just drive. Have faith in yourself and ask the locals. Petrol Stations staff is of great help.

Getting to Taman Sentosa

Taman Sentosa, Johor, Malaysia

Most Singaporeans go there for food in JB and Taman Sentosa offers a variety of good food. The food is much cheaper and taste more authentic. While they do not have your friendly health ministry messages, you can be quite certain that your mood level will rise. Nevertheless, if you are unsure of which shop / stall to patronise, simply look for a crowd inside the kopitiam or a queue. Herd-mentality seldom fail Singaporeans. We'll let the the pictures to do the talking.

Lemon Tea, Tea with Milk, Pig Organs Soup, Ipoh Kway Teow, Wanton Mee

Cars cars everywhere

Lady boss looking at CO

Of Food and Dealing with Life's Problems

2009-06-01T01:58:00.000-07:00

Eating the right food can make or break a person's day.

Picture this scenario: You just had 2 absolutely mind boggling lectures that you understood nothing; went to the department office to collect your term essay and realized that you have gotten a B- despite spending 3 weeks of time, sweat, blood and tears on it. You get home, expected a sumptuous spread to erase memories of a bad day... But alas! On your dinner table, you see plain porridge with salted egg and salted vegetables for dinner because mum did not feel like cooking...

Under such circumstances, I am sure the thought of getting out of your pigeon hole, climbing to the highest level (to ensure there are no screw-ups in the jump) of your humble HDB block to take the plunge would have crossed your mind...

Many long suffering undergrads have found their own ways to deal with bad days. Some choose to party away at clubs like Zouk and Butter Factory, others choose to immerse themselves in games like DOTA and Counterstrike. The more healthy ones or some would argue, the masochistic ones would choose to run 10km or swim 2km to put the happenings of the day behind them.

For me however, I believe in the power of comfort food, food that can make you happy and keep you going when the going gets tough. Feeling down? bring in the Chay Kway Teows with the extra pork lard and cockles together with a good glass of Sugar Cane Juice(SCJ).
There is no problem food cannot solve. Happy eating people!

Kway Chap @ Blk 453A Ang Mo Kio Ave 10

2009-05-31T12:17:00.000-07:00

Given any weekends morning, Ang Mo Kio Ave 10 is the place where you see family gather for a good breakfast cum lunch. Along the street, there are actually 2 markets / hawker centres (the other one is at Blk 409 Ang Mo Kio Avenue 10 Market And Food Centre) filled with really nice mood food to spend quality time with your loved ones doing marketing or simply winding the week up. In this review, we are going to share one such high MUD food. Macpherson Hai Sing Kway Chap @ Blk 453A Ang Mo Kio Ave 10.

A good kway chap set is one that is served hot, fresh and exercise your jaw muscles with little effort required. That includes the kway too. It has to be thin enough for the taste of the soup to seep in while maintain its kway-ness and not turn soggy. The above kway chap is fulfills the above criteria. If you have the time to spare for wait up to half an hour, this stall's kway chap is definitely worth the wait. Of course, going around early noon hour is recommended if you do not wish to wait for that long.

On the side note, this is the sort of late breakfast or early lunch to fill your stomach and enjoy to the afternoon nap later back at home.

Mood Uplifting Determinant: 9

Mee Siam and Lor Mee @ Serangoon Garden Market

2009-05-31T11:12:00.000-07:00

Mood Uplifting Determinant: 4

Mood Uplifting Determinant: 3.5

Pig Organ Soup, Wantan Mee, Ipoh Hor Fun | Our Quest @ Taman Sentosa, Johor, Malaysia | 29 May 2009 Part I

2009-05-31T09:57:00.001-07:00