‎中國新歌聲‬ SING CHINA, Top 5 of Harlem Team (Ep 8)

September 3, 2016, 1:22 am

≫ Next: Joo Bar, Trendy Korean Restaurant Bar at Bugis

≪ Previous: E-Sarn Thai Corner at Pasir Panjang

$

0

0

Harlem's team is said to be the best amongst the four, which results in one of the most heartbreaking and best episodes of the history of VOC and SING!CHINA! Harlem knows how to pick songs very very very well and doesn't give two hoots about appearance, making this a super entertaining episode. How will Harlem make his choice to eliminate five of his beloved students out of ten? The round-up and details here:

Here you can watch the entire SING CHINA Season 1 Episode 8.

This time, Harlem seeks out his good friend Mavis Fan to be his guest judge with him. Prancing around the stage in Indian garb, she sings one of Harlem's best songs - 快乐Song! Is it just me or is it misappropriation of other cultures and cringeworthy to watch?

Harlem jumps onstage mid-song, and he is really one of those artistes that never grow old, and his voice is still the same old 情非得已 voice. The feels.

吉克皓 (Ji Ke Hao) vs 阿克江-阿依丁 (A Ke Jiang A Yi Ding)

Ji Ke Hao sings 旋木, a song from one of my favourite artistes Faye Wong. HARLEM KNOWS HOW TO CHOOSE SONGS, HANDS DOWN. He almost changed the entire song to fit his style, with a happy, beautiful, mystical and soothing twist. He incorporated some of his tribal traditional elements. He really improved a lot. With him being the opening, he instantly raised the bar of the competition single-handedly. It is almost as if he is telling the rest of the judges: you guys ain't got nothing on us Harlem team! Goosebumps-raising performance without even trying to do it with fanciful high tones, but simply by being himself. It will be an uphill task for A Ke Jiang to beat him. Harlem claps proudly at the end of his performance.

A Ke Jiang has an interesting start to his performance that nobody ever did before: a Samsung ringtone permeates the entire space. Everyone is dead silent - they listen as the phone is picked up. It's A Ke Jiang's father on the line, asking how he has been. A Ke Jiang's voice comes over the intercom, saying that he just set up his own music studio. His father replies angrily that making music cannot be a career. He sings "除非是你的温柔不做别的追求" as the opening line instead of the usual for 让我一次爱个够, before launching into a rap about his arduous journey to pursue his music dream. It is very futiristic and thrilling to watch him sing.

It's impressive, and I already cannot decide who I prefer more already!!! Can they have a 双选 for this pair, please? They are definitely better than many others of Top 5 from the other teams...!!! The atmosphere in the theatre is electrifyinggg. These two contestants have provided the show two performances that is worth replay, replay and replay.

Editor: Ji Ke Hao, but I like A Ke Jiang a lot too.

Mavis Fan:  A Ke Jiang

Harlem: Ji Ke Hao

Watch out for Ji Ke Hao, he is ready to slay anything coming his way!

姚希 (Yao Xi) vs 李瑞轩 (Li Rui Xuan)

Remember this Chongqing Shantou girl, Yao Xi, that gave 小苹果 a new spin in her blind auditions? She is now going for another viral song - 青春修炼手册 （~左手右手一个慢动作~). Just like her counterparts, she improved tremendously, much more relaxed than before which stretched her potential much more! Such a wonderful performance, that really tug at your heartstrings despite being a happy cheerful song! She added a 听妈妈的话 rap in the middle.

Li Rui Xuan sings a less mainstream song by Eason Chan, 谢谢侬. He starts off with a relatively flatter start but he snaps right into action in the chorus which forces you to watch him! I am in awe by Harlem's magic touch. At least for the first 4 contestants, he managed to guide them to have their own style and yet also you can tell there's a bit of Harlem in it.

Na Ying mentioned that Yao Xi flirting with Rui Xuan in the middle caused Rui Xuan to pale in comparison in terms of stage presence. Harlem defends him, saying he is like a sloth, and has very slow response and might respond to Yao only when they reached backstage.

Editor: Yao Xi

Mavis Fan: Yao Xi

Harlem: Yao Xi

王闯 (Wang Chuang) vs 吴映香 (Wu Ying Xiang)

Wang Chuang sings 忘记拥抱. Guess everyone knows this - espeically after A-lin made it famous. It is a difficult song to sing particularly because A-lin already made it amazing. Previously she also sang a song by A-lin 过不去. Wang Chuang begins flatly again, but right before the chorus, she interjects a bit of her own way of singing. I didn't find it particularly impressive like the previous performances. There was no surprise element in it at all, I find that it is too safe and didn't outdo A-lin's version.

Wu Ying Xiang, a Chinese based in Brazil, sings 秋天别来. Although she is as unsurprisingly safe as Wang Chuang, I do prefer her voice because it's sweeter and more pleasing. Again, she reminds me of Japanese pop singers. However, she seems a bit nervous throughout her performance and that affected her potential.

Editor: Wu Ying Xiang

Mavis Fan: Neutral
Harlem: Wang Chuang

赵小熙 (Zhao Xiao Xi) vs 付豪 (Fu Hao)

Fu Hao sings sings 东风破, a song by Jay Chou. Resuming the Harlem-sque style from Ji Ke Hao and A Ke Jiang's PK, Fu Hao interjects Can't Feel My Face by The Weeknd, in the middle of a electric guitar filled 东风破, driving the crowd wild! He does it again and again. So characteristic of Harlem. I love this version of 东风破 certainly and it looks like even Jay Chou is impressed.

I have been looking forward to Zhao Xiao Xi ever since his blind auditions!!! He performs a super high energy 花田错 by Mandopop king Wang Lee-hom! It almost as if he has an Uptown Funk and Prince bone in him every song he sings! I couldn't help but move along with him as he sings this totally.

Editor: Zhao Xiao Xi

Mavis Fan: Zhao Xiao Xi
Harlem: Zhao Xiao Xi

杨美娜 (Yang Mei Na) vs 官灵芝 (Guan Lingzhi)

The oldest candidate in Harlem's team is Guan Lingzhi. She sings 给自己的歌 by Jonathan Lee, and notably she has the most powerful voice of all, channelling Mariah Carey vibes. This accomplished singer received the 23rd Golden Melody Awards for Best Hakka Singer before, and stuns the crowd with her rich voice and the extremely emotional feels behind it.

As the closing performance, Yang Mei Na finishes off with a powerful 当. This song is a song from the famous Return of the Pearl Princess OST, but Yang Mei Na gives it a rock-N-roll twist to it, I love her performance so much, Imma gonna include it in my gym playlist! She is really very good.

Editor: Yang Mei Na

Mavis Fan: Neutral
Harlem: Yang Mei Na

Guan Lingzhi leaves graciously, with the most gracious leaving speech ever.

With this, the top 5 contestants of Jay Chou's team is finalized:
Ji Ke Hao
Yao Xi
Wang Chuang
Zhao Xiao Xi
Yang Mei Na

My guess for Harlem's top: Ji Ke Hao

Keep checking back for more updates over the weekend!

If you need a recap on all the previous episodes:

Episode 1

Episode 2

Episode 3

Episode 4

Episode 5
Episode 6
Episode 7

Never miss a post again!

I share interesting episodes in life revolving around food, lifestyle, travel and inspirational ideas. If you would like to stay in touch, follow me on my Instagram on @amie.hu and Facebook page!

---

Joo Bar, Trendy Korean Restaurant Bar at Bugis

September 4, 2016, 3:31 am

≫ Next: Gelato Waffles & Salad Bar at Paulinni, Chinatown Point

≪ Previous: ‎中國新歌聲‬ SING CHINA, Top 5 of Harlem Team (Ep 8)

$

0

0

Joo Bar is one of the most popular kids along Tan Quee Lan Street of Bugis, set within a heritage three-storey shophouse.  Helmed by Singaporean aficionados of Korean culture and food, Jamie and Kristin Lim, this trendy restaurant bar is the venue for many nights of amazing drinks. Joo offers top-notch moreish Korean bites and creative drinks.

To satiate our hungry stomachs, we were first presented with their house signature - Joo Wings (SGD18)! The wings here are freshly fried to a golden perfect crisp, and yet the chicken meat does not lose its moisture inside! It is still super tender and juicy, and the best part is its savoury soy glaze and chopped nuts marinate that coat these wings! We all agreed this was the best item of the meal.

Here is one for you to pair with your drinks - Tofu Chips with Salsa and Guacamole ($14). Unlike regular boring chips, these house made tofu chips come with two special dips: one - salsa, and two - avocado and cucumber mix!

We keep talking about drinks - but what does Joo Bar has when it comes to their alcohol selection?

Joo actually means alcohol in Korean, so we definitely cannot skip this. An unusual concept likely to the delight of Korean rice wine fans, Joo is the first in Singapore to proudly brew its signature drink – the makgeolli – as well as serve it on tap. This cloudy, light-bodied and mild-tasting drink is 6-8% ABV and best served cold. Priced at SGD7 for a 150ml bottle, SGD15 for a carafe (serves 2) and SGD28 for a large bottle (serves 4), the House brew organic makgeolli is perfect for a convivial night out and is an excellent match with food as well! We had tons of fun sipping it together 😂

At Joo, the owners are steadfast about making only preservative-free makgeolli with organic rice and purified water. The fermentation and filtering process takes two to three weeks, rendering a milky white, subtly sweet and delicately fizzy beverage!

The Seafood Rappokki (SGD22) is a cheesy and umami mix of ramyeon, toppokki, shrimp, clams, black mussels, squid, mozzarella! It became a hit quickly, Stringy and chewy mozarella cheese is generous throughout this tantalizing dish of rappokki.

 

One of Joo's unique concepts is their DIY Bibimbap, priced at SGD10.90 and up. This is only available for weekday lunch 12nn to 2.30pm. You can get to choose your favourite type of rice (white rice or purple rice or quinoa), type of meat (spicy chicken,, stir-fried pork, beef bulgogi, broiled saba, or argentinian grassfed steak), type of vegetables (more than 10 types) and finally, type of sauce (Original/Soy)! Check out the full menu below:

Next - we tried Joo's Slow Roasted Mangalitsa Belly (SGD32) presented on a platter, with thin cuts of the mangalitsa pork belly complemented with dijon mustard. These slices of pork belly are not the fatty sort, retaining its juicy flavour and a bit of the porky taste. I did not find this particularly impressive; the quality is decent but I found the portion too small for the price.

The Honey Butter Chicken (SGD18) is a sweet, sticky hot mess of chicken tenders, honey butter glaze and chopped nuts, with sticky rice added to this dish too! As compared to the Dak Kang Jung (SGD18) which is its counterpart with a different sauce of gochujang, honey and garlic, most of us prefer the latter. The honey butter chicken is a little too sweet for my liking, while the dak kang jung was more savoury and addictive.

All the desserts here at Joo are super innovative and are definitely not your usual run of the mill sort. Look at this unsuspecting Doenjang Creme Brûlée, it is a creation by Chef Nathaniel. He amalgamated Korean bean paste into this classic French dessert which managed to create a strange mix of sweet and savoury flavours. While the custard beneath the surface of caramelized top is smooth and lovely to have, I found it a little difficult to appreciate because I still like my desserts sweet! 

Another of the chefs' dessert inventions. While I was trying this out, I found it interesting but when I realized it included white kimchi in this sweet dish, I was a bit taken aback! I am two minds whether I like it or not, it has a curiously pleasing taste but the idea of having kimchi in my dessert still baffles me! If you're up for a night of inventive desserts, Joo is the place to go!

This is my favourite dessert, the Chocopop Ganache (SGD14), a bacon-infused chocolate ganache with graham crackers, popping candy and a slice of dehydrated orange! Bacon and chocolate really goes very well together, and I like the playful popping candy that goes along with it! If you need a recommendation for desserts - this would be it!!

Joo Bar - the place to be for a memorable night ahead!

Joo Bar

5 Tan Quee Lan Street

Singapore 188094

Never miss a post again!

I share interesting episodes in life revolving around food, lifestyle, travel and inspirational ideas. If you would like to stay in touch, follow me on my Instagram on @amie.hu and Facebook page!

Gelato Waffles & Salad Bar at Paulinni, Chinatown Point

September 6, 2016, 11:00 pm

≫ Next: ‎中國新歌聲‬ SING CHINA, Top 5 of Na Ying Team (Ep 9)

≪ Previous: Joo Bar, Trendy Korean Restaurant Bar at Bugis

$

0

0

You know the nights that you hang out at Clarke Quay? Those that you're at CQ, but yet you just don't feel like drinking. Nope, it's not age knocking on your door, but just that every human is made up of complexities and some days just isn't booze day. I've had a lot of those these days, but the dessert places around Clarke Quay are always packed with no free table (think that Hokkaido ice-cream place, Cold Stone, and the matcha place right next to it). Where else could you hang out with some good ol' comforting waffles with ice-cream? A quiet corner at Chinatown Point - Paulinni, serves an impressive array of gelato flavours that will have you spoilt for choice, really.

Take a look at these lovely babies!! Perfect for some dessert-supper you might have around the area?

I really liked the Thai milk tea flavour, it is quite sweet but I like it that way! It tastes very close to the real thai milk tea itself, just that it is in gelato form. The ferrero flavour is the hot favourite that everyone agreed was the best, while the chendol was a little strange and icy (maybe that's the intended effect to mimic the real thing). Although I am someone who likes mango sorbet, this one tends to be a bit sour which didn't sit well with me. All these are very subjective opinions - you can always try the flavours before committing to it for the whole dessert. Please go ahead and request to try with the friendly service staff! Rainbow, chocolate or peanut sprinkles are available for free. 

Other than their gelato with waffles, Paulinni's juices are also freshly juiced - this green apple juice was so nourishing and made of pure green apple! I know, because it oxidized quite quickly, which certified how organic and preservatives-free it is.

Then again, if Chinatown is your hood, you probably would know about Paulinni's diy salad bar! Or grab one of their many well loved salads, pictured here is the Soba Roasted Chicken Salad with wafu dressing. This was my favourite salad of them all - the wafu dressing was so tasty, and went really well with the cold soba noodles, seaweed, and julienned carrots. The roasted chicken was slightly dry though the sauce did help to make things better. 

If you know what you love best, go ahead and DIY your own salad! You can mix and match whatever that is available at the salad bar, with a jaw-dropping amount of ingredients allowed - fresh green cuts, pecan, blueberries, olives, tomatoes, pineapples, and a lot more. You can even add meats in there, even though that will increase your calorie intake.

Paulinni gelato bar

There are two levels of seating here.

Besides gelato, waffles and salads, Paulinni has other selections as well including its pizzas, eggs benedict, and sandwiches for those early birds around here! 

Paulinni

Chinatown Point, #01-05

133 New Bridge Road

Singapore 059413

Never miss a post again!

I share interesting episodes in life revolving around food, lifestyle, travel and inspirational ideas. If you would like to stay in touch, follow me on my Instagram on @amie.hu and Facebook page!

‎中國新歌聲‬ SING CHINA, Top 5 of Na Ying Team (Ep 9)

September 10, 2016, 9:39 pm

≫ Next: A "Native" Toa Payoh Food Trail: Fatty Cheong ABC Char Siew Rice

≪ Previous: Gelato Waffles & Salad Bar at Paulinni, Chinatown Point

$

0

0

With tonight's episode, we have our top 20 finalized for 2016's summer SING!CHINA. Na Ying's round of elimination is relatively boring as compared to Harlem and Wang Feng's, with little surprise. They have all metamorphosized into Na Ying's style of a clean-cut, simple, love songs sort of genre. Yet, this time Na Ying had opted for a no-frills strategy, which helped to easily differentiate the abilities of competing contestants, but provide little entertainment for the audience. There is one or two performances I find worth watching this week, but you can have your own call:

Here you can watch the entire SING CHINA Season 1 Episode 9.

There is no suspense of the guest judge this week - after all we already know since a long time ago that it will be international pianist Lang Lang! He plays a melodic tune for Na Ying to sing 相爱恨早, the ending theme song of So Young (aka my favourite Chinese movie which I think it's a must-watch). Na Ying demonstrates what it means to be a singing diva who does not need frills. As the performance draws to a close, it only signifies that the PK rounds are about to begin.

杨博 (Yang Bo) vs 白静晨 (Bai Jing Chen)

Characteristic to Na Ying's interests, she positioned the two 'fresh meat' PK combination to open the night for the running of top 5 positions. Yang Bo is the contestant that sang 十万毫升的眼泪, and this time, he sings a 少年故事 by 彭坦 in a crisp and straightforward manner. I can't help but feel that happy songs do not really suit him because he does not have the infectious ability to make others smile with him. Sad songs still suit him much better. I really liked his blind audition performance but this one did not really wow me. Nevertheless, technically, he is still quite good as before.

To me, Bai Jing Chen improved more than Yang Bo did. He sang 克卜勒 by Stefanie Sun. It was a touching rendition of the original song, and I did feel like he could grasp his audience attention better especially the line '一闪一闪亮晶晶'. However, the judges mention that Bai was quite nerve-wrecked throughout his performance and affected his delivery. Although I like Yang's blind audition better, just comparing these two performances I prefer Bai's.

Na Ying mentioned that she had wanted Yang to see Jay Chou's famous song 枫, but had repeatedly decided that he did not do the song justice and might be shot down by Jay during the post-performance assessment. Therefore, she changed to this song at the last-minute. If I were to psycho-analyze this, it seems like Na Ying already wanted Yang to win no matter what happens during the crossfire.

Editor: Bai Jing Chen

Lang Lang:  Neutral

Na Ying: Yang Bo

汪晨蕊 (Wang Chen Rui) vs 侯志斌 (Hou Zhi Bin)

 Wang Chen Rui sings 爱情转移 by Eason Chan, a very godly song choice that fits her voice like a glove. After a verse in Mandarin, she switches to Cantonese which is considerably rare and risky move on this singing competition. Risky is often rewarded as the judges consider it as a part of paying homage to her roots in Guangdong. The judges mention that Cantonese songs are incredibly difficult to sing, but given that she is from Guangdong, it is but second nature to her. Moreover, Cantonese songs when sung well, have an added advantage because it is much smoother than Mandarin as all the words tend to melt together. Towards the end, her sharp intakes of breath were picked up by the microphone and it was getting a little uncomfortable to listen by none of the judges commented on it.

Hou Zhi Bin put up a good fight with 不醉不会 by Hebe Tian, one of the songs that is actually incredibly hard to cover. Hebe has a voice that is made for this song, and if anyone else tried to cover it, would most likely either destroy it or be destroyed. Improved by a leap, Hou sings a punk-rock-sultry version of it. I imagined he would slaughter rather than slay it at the beginning, but he emerged okay. Again, I don't feel that this face-off is a fair one, because it seems like Na Ying already wanted one of them to win even before everything started.

Editor: Wang Chen Rui

Lang Lang:  Compliments Hou Zhi Bin and provides Wang suggestion to coordinate with the band.

Na Ying: Wang Chen Rui

苏立生 (Su Li Sheng) vs 杨山 (Yang Shan)

I feel like a broken tape recorder for repeating this but - again, already a pre-determined situation before they started singing. After all Su Li Sheng was the one who moved everyone to tears in his blind auditions with a 寂寞有多长, while Yang was a rather forgettable and relatively average contestant. It was just a rite of passage that must be had. Su sings 难道 by 羽泉, a soft rock duet group of the late 1990s. Just the thickness and effortlessness of his singing have already easily won over the audiences' heart. With a few explosive crescendoes towards the end, I think Su had solidified his position in the top 5 already.

Yang Shan takes the stage with his guitar and his lovely wife cheering for him in the audience. He sings 九月. It is very similar to Dao Lang's style of singing. It is very clean, poetic, comfortable and beautiful... but then for a competition, there is no 'killer effect' in his performance. It is meant for pure enjoyment.

Editor: Su Li Sheng

Lang Lang: Su Li Sheng

Na Ying: Su Li Sheng

周旸 (Zhou Yang) vs 李佩玲 (Li Peiling)

As The Voice/ SING CHINA comes to a full circle, Zhou Yang sings a rock-style Rachael by one of the first season's top 5 finalists, 金志文. The song is catchy, the first showy performance of the night. She has power, and gave us a surprise finally. But she is certainly not impressive enough at this point in the competition when you think about the rapping duo talents from Jay's team, Yang Mei Na from Harlem's, and Xu Ge Yang from Wang Feng's. She might have stood a chance if she went to Harlem's team (then again, no, because too many talents over at that camp). Zhou is evidently "cannon fodder" when faced off against Li Pei Ling.

Li Pei Ling sings a classic 不要对他说 with her traditional, sweet and clear voice. An instant winner by the time she sang the third line - I mean, even the goosebumps on my scalp are standing! She reached the highest notes without a problem, and she is currently the best contestant of the night already. What's more, the touching element in her voice is unmistakable.

It turns out that these two Geminis, Zhou Yang and Li Pei Ling are roommates during the course of the competition, and that they have already promised to visit each other's hometowns at the end.

Editor: Li Pei Ling

Lang Lang: Neutral, but mentions that Zhou is not familiar with the song.

Na Ying: Li Pei Ling

岳靖淇 (Yue Jingqi) vs 万妮达 (Vinida)

Yue Jing Qi challenges a James Brown song - It's a Man's World. The opening line had a surprise element, as Yue captured it well. He had a characteristically Northeastern English sort which might not sit well with a lot of people. I like the sandy feel in his voice, the beautiful sort and not the annoying sort, and he soared through the song safely. He could have been more risky and explored more to put up a considerable fight... Of course, safe is not enough when facing off with the all-powerful, all-popular Vinida. Again, this face-off is way too predictable!!!

Vinida hums a little tune into the microphone, as Jay and Wang Feng looks on with huge anticipation. Interestingly, she picked 给我一个吻, a classic song but she took a cool, contemporary spin with it. The audience cheers and claps appreciatively. AND THEN SHE SWITCHES TO VINIDA TRUE MODE and then raps into this eyeball-freezing performance. There's even Moonlight Sonata in there, what? But she is the queen here, and she could do anything she wants. I keep thinking back at the rapping talent duo from Jay, as they've constantly been compared since Jay's top 5 episode, and do you think Vinida is better?

IMHO, Vinida has a stronger character, and she's got spunk. I mean, look at that swag side-eye she is sweeping across the room. Her rap's lyrics have a better poetic and depth, but maybe that's because she had two more weeks of preparation time as compared to Jay's team. Overall, I would say if the duo were to PK with Vinida, Vinida would more likely be stronger.

Lang Lang mentions that Yue put in too much emotions into the performance and ended up giving an overly weighted performance. Not sure why this only came up at this point during the PK itself. Na Ying says that she would give Yue 100 marks for his courage to accept the challenge of a different style.

Editor: Vinida

Lang Lang: Neutral, but hints at Vinida

Na Ying: Vinida

With this, the top 5 contestants of Na Ying's team is finalized:

Yang Shan

Su Li Sheng

Wang Chen Rui

Li Pei Ling

Vinida

My guess for Na Ying's top: Vinida

With that, the top 20 is OUT!

Wang Feng represent!

郑迦文 (Zheng Jia Wen)

 徐歌洋 (Xu Ge Yang)

蒋敦豪 (Jiang Dunhao)

林恺伦 (Lin Kai Lun, Karen)
刘文天 (Liu Wen Tian)

Jay represent!

Low Key Duo

Yu Tian

Zeng Min Jie

Nathan Hartono

Pu Xiang

Harlem represent!

Ji Ke Hao
Yao Xi
Wang Chuang
Zhao Xiao Xi
Yang Mei Na

Na Ying represent!

Yang Shan

Su Li Sheng

Wang Chen Rui

Li Pei Ling

Vinida

What's to come next after top 20? The four judges pick who they will PK against as a team.

If they follow the previous Voice of China format, one contestant from each team will face off one another (ie. 5 v 5, 10 people in total). By drawing lots, one of them will have to select a contestant from their pool of 5 contestants to perform first. The other judge would then have to choose from their pool of 5 to PK with that selected contestant.

Each of the judges draw lots to decide who has the right to pick their competing team. Na Ying is the lucky one, and she gets to choose. Knowing competitive Na Ying, she will definitely choose the team that she considers have the least likelihood to win her contestants. She chooses Harlem, which makes total sense because Jay's Pu Xiang and Low Key Duo might possibly trump her favourite players Su Li Sheng and Vinida. On the other hand, Ji Ke Hao and Yang Mei Na of Harlem's team have relatively lower "lethality" for the same genre. Smart move.

Keep checking back for more updates over the weekend!

If you need a recap on all the previous episodes:

Episode 1

Episode 2

Episode 3

Episode 4

Episode 5
Episode 6
Episode 7
Episode 8

Never miss a post again!

I share interesting episodes in life revolving around food, lifestyle, travel and inspirational ideas. If you would like to stay in touch, follow me on my Instagram on @amie.hu and Facebook page!

A "Native" Toa Payoh Food Trail: Fatty Cheong ABC Char Siew Rice

September 12, 2016, 9:04 am

≫ Next: How the Taurus in me started throwing money on online shops.

≪ Previous: ‎中國新歌聲‬ SING CHINA, Top 5 of Na Ying Team (Ep 9)

$

0

0

Say hello to the new work-resident of Toa Payoh. I've been working in the area for nearly a month now, and I have had the pleasure of eating my heart out at this amazing foodie's heaven! It is downright satisfying, and it has made me look forward to working every day - well, just the food alone is awesome. I have not been able to blog as much because work has thrown a spanner into my usual routine. Now that I have settled down a little (no, actually it's just because there's a three-day long weekend) I can finally start to re-introduce blogging into my routine! So I've decided to embark on a new food series - a "native" Toa Payoh food trail, thanks to the introduction to all the yummiest things around this neighbourhood.

All the delicious things here... but I will definitely kick off this series with Fatty Cheong ABC Char Siew Rice. This is one of the most popular char siew rice in Singapore, with another stall at ABC Brickworks Market. Given that char siew rice can be found in nearly every single food court and hawker centre, it certainly isn't easy to emerge as one of the best. Who would join such a long queue for char siew rice unless it is really damn good?

Oh, the glisten of this plate of freshly roasted char siew with charcoal fire! Altogether, the caramelized top layer and the fatty tender generous meat is truly a league of its own. Nearly the entire portion of char siew was perfect. It is totally not difficult to see how it is much better than the average. The sauce was also not too sweet, it's mixed with a bit of savoury taste in it too. The chilli they use is also the intense spicy and sour flavour, which is as enticing as it burns. This whole plate is only $3.50! Other than rice, you can also enjoy the roasted char siew with noodles as well.

I'm not sure what the owners' relationship is with dragon dance but they had a lot of dragon heads hung near the ceiling. There is hardly a quiet time here at this Food Alley indoor area because of Fatty Cheong.

Fatty Cheong ABC Char Siew Rice

Food Alley Blk 190 Toa Payoh Lorong 6, #01-528

Singapore 310190

How the Taurus in me started throwing money on online shops.

September 14, 2016, 8:24 am

≫ Next: ‎中國新歌聲‬ SING CHINA, JAY & WANGFENG PK rounds

≪ Previous: A "Native" Toa Payoh Food Trail: Fatty Cheong ABC Char Siew Rice

$

0

0

It started innocently enough. My significant other and I wanted to get some badminton shuttlecocks after a gym session, so we made a trip to the sports shop. But the price tag at the sports shop was $25 for 12 shuttlecocks (or something like that). Something in me just wasn't happy with that. How can something so mundane be so expensive? I was certain that this was just not the best deal possible. Then an idea sprouted in my head and I thought of Taobao. Because everything on Taobao is super cheap, right? Plus, I am sure 90% of the shuttlecocks in the world is made in China aka. where Taobao is from. It made perfect sense.

But there was one problem: isn't Taobao the one with super confusing instructions and walls of Chinese words?

My brain spun fast and remembered something that everyone seems to be talking about - Ezbuy. Yes, yes, it is the platform that makes things EZ to buy on Taobao. Give it a shot... 

Eh, the interface is good, clear and everything is well-labelled.

Most importantly, everything is at Taobao Price.

Remember the shuttlecocks that were priced at $25 for twelve?

I feel like a winner. 

$16 for fifteen.

What is Math?!!

I'm hooked. Even the Taurus in me says yes, take my money! I didn't want to start spending a lot on online shopping, but the time has come. I cannot resist anymore.

Then I go into the jewelry section...

I want 😍

Link to heartbeat ring

These Anello bags going crazy around town and I thought it will be smart enough to go JB to buy it at RM60 (~SGD20). But Ezbuy has beaten the prices yet again and again. SGD16.74 for one of these lovely backpacks. There is another link that points you to SGD35 for the same thing. They are all fake so if you want to get a fake one you might as well find one that's the cheapest.

Link to Anello bags

This one is another incredibly tempting buy, come on $17 for a leather (ok, it can't be genuine) jacket? The cheapest around, even for equally fake leather jackets would be minimum SGD40 in Singapore, and in JB and with a bit of luck, you might get it at around $SGD30-35. $17!!! Such a dream but I already got a similar one.

Link to faux leather jacket

If you don't have an account yet, sign up here with this link and you get $10 credits for your first spending!!! There is no minimum spending, which means you can actually buy something worth $12 and just pay $10. Or $10, and you pay nothing.

The Taurus in me is so happy!!! Thank me later, go grab the deals!

Never miss a post again!

I share interesting episodes in life revolving around food, lifestyle, travel and inspirational ideas. If you would like to stay in touch, follow me on my Instagram on @amie.hu and Facebook page!

‎中國新歌聲‬ SING CHINA, JAY & WANGFENG PK rounds

September 16, 2016, 11:09 pm

≫ Next: My Favourite Cafe in the Far West, Archipelago Creamery

≪ Previous: How the Taurus in me started throwing money on online shops.

$

0

0

JAY CHOU versus WANG FENG's team - five rounds of direct PKs as the competition heats up!

Who will emerge the winner? Your favourites - Nathan Hartono, Xu Ge Yang, and Low Key Duo - all in this energy-filled episode:

Here you can watch the entire SING CHINA Season 1 Episode 10.

The top 5 of Jay's team: Low Key Duo, Yu Tian, Zeng Min Jie, Nathan Hartono and Pu Xiang burst out in song to 恒星。 Beginning with Pu Xiang, followed by Yu Tian, then Zeng Min Jie. A startling realization - they are beginning to morph into one another's voices without losing their original identity. Jay Chou leads the song into 煙花易冷, which transits into a rap commanded by Low Key Duo. The tempo speeds up and taking it up by Nathan Hartono. Everyone takes it together, hauntingly beautiful. The improvement from everyone is encouraging.

Wang Feng leads his team to perform 蜗牛, a song by Jay Chou. It begins with Xu Ge Yang - her voice feels a lot more polished than before, which heightens her potential. The rest of her counterparts Zheng Jia Wen, Jiang Dunhao, Lin Kai Lun and Liu Wen Tian takes this melodic song in a safe delivery, standing in a row for the most part as if they are in a choir.

The onus to choose the top 6 of the 10 contestants (5 from Jay; 5 from Wang) is out of the judges' hands this time round. Voting will be conducted among 51 media representatives: 30 Mandopop producers from Mainland China, Taiwan, Hongkong, 11 DJs, and 10 'media talents' - majority wins. Popularity wins. Simple - so let's start. This time - the judges no longer can 'scheme' proper - they have to announce the contestant that they want to send at the same time.

Nathan Hartono vs Lin Kai Lun

Nathan Hartono improves significantly once again, especially on his Chinese pronunciation (which was considered to be extremely grating in the past two episodes). He sings天台的月光, before breaking into his 'mouth trumpeting' talent and then entered into a beatboxing routine a little awkwardly. Then he released his true weapon - Moondance by Van Morrison! He is really better off singing English songs, which is what he has always done, he was visibly much more relaxed and in his element than when he was singing Chinese.

Lin Kai Lun goes after Sam Smith's Writing's on the Wall as her song. I can't help but feel like she chose a wrong song. Her voice is powerful, thick and very 'Black-American style'. It is also excellent execution, her voice soars and explodes through to the ceiling. But this genre of songs is not going to get her into the good books of the media representatives because to them, they want to be entertained.

Jay is the first to comment on Nathan's performance - saying that Nathan's has a better charisma than him, with the ability to go with the flow. Jay jokes that he doesn't wait till the finale at Bird Nest to say this, in case there's no chance to do that, and just perform their best to the media reps. Wang Feng says simply that he is already very impressed for an 18-year old to perform and understand music execution to this extent, Harlem asked Jay if the mouth trumpeting segment was his idea - Jay returns to say that Nathan had to be able to do it for him to suggest it, giving the latter full credit. Nathan expressed his happiness to be able to extend his career towards writing Chinese songs in future.

Later Kai Lun starts off by thanking her team mates but before saying two lines she burst into tears in the most comical way (Ok, bad to say that but it was really quite funny) - and then corrects the misunderstanding that Wang Feng is always known to be cold, calling him a 'sunshine boy/man', a kind and thoughtful guy.

Verdict: 41 - Nathan Hartono; 10 - Lin Kai Lun


Zeng Min Jie vs Jiang Dun Hao

Zeng Min Jie does a groovy, laidback version of 爱什么稀罕 from A-Mei, it seems like she is demonstrating her showmanship to be bigger than her singing ability. I am not a fan of her from the beginning, and that's proabbly why I didn't really like her performance. I mean, she didn't outdo A-Mei for me.

Jiang Dun Hao sings 离开北京 (Leaving Beijing). This 21-year old from Xinjiang-Boertala tribe brings his guitar up with him on the stage. His clear, wide-sweeping voice wins a round of applause from the audience first, He has the ability to make you forget everything and just listen. The chorus comes, and cue those goosebumps!

Verdict: 35 - Jiang Dun Hao; 16 - Zeng Min Jie


Low Key Duo vs Zheng Jia Wen

Low Key Duo brings us 平凡之路 by 朴树... slay slay slay, as usual! Nothing ordinary in this performance, they almost feel like a 2016 F.I.R. They kept me on the edge of the seat with their killer, unbelievable rapping and amazing chemistry again. They are doing it live, with zero mistake for such a complex choreography, no doubt they are talented. Absolutely riveting, and they actually outdo themselves once again. Thumbs up!

I thought Zheng Jia Wen's performance will most likely pale in comparison to Low Key Duo, but he holds up wonderfully. He sings Lost Stars, one of my favourite English songs (I don't have many) which got everyone bobbing to his beat. Amazingly infectious. It seems like Wang Feng's team always love things associated with darkness, stars, and glittering lights - remember 夜空中最亮的星? He seems like a more introverted version of a cross between Jason Mraz and Bruno Mars... so likeable.

Verdict: 38 - Low Key Duo; 13 - Zheng Jia Wen

Yu Tian vs Xu Ge Yang

Finally, someone singing Jay's song - 搁浅, Yu Tian plays a short Beethoven's Fur Elise on the piano first before launching into the familiar tune. It was such a reflection of Jay Chou... Yu Tian definitely has better pronunciation than Jay, he seems to re-choreograph the beats but it loses the original touching parts of the song. He grabs the mike and stands up to sing with full concentration. It became evident that playing on the piano seemed to have divided his energy.

Xu Ge Yang, I've been waiting for you for weeks after replaying your two performances so many times. She sings 横冲直撞 by 华晨宇, characteristic of Wang Feng's choice of songs. She explodes into her usual high-energy performance, and it feels like all my acupoints were instantly unclogged with her voice. Her voice has no limits. Unlike Chen Bing, she has zero danger of cracking her voice.

Verdict: 35 - Xu Ge Yang; 16 - Yu Tian
Jay Chou revives Yu Tian. What, why?! I know right. Yu Tian is the weakest link in the entire Jay group, so other than the possibility that Jay wants to get BOTH Yu Tian and Pu Xiang (the final contestant) in, there is no other reason. And this decision was paid dearly with Pu Xiang's departure.

Pu Xiang vs Liu Wen Tian

Pu Xiang performs a rock version of Is This Love, which is completely not suitable for him. Pu Xiang is my favourite contestant from Jay Chou's team, and it is unjustified to be so complacent for his round just because he has been unprecedentedly amazing. He struggles with the pronunciation and affects the delivery. It almost felt like he was drunk and it was just a whole train wreck. He would be better off even singing one of Wang Feng's songs.

Liu Wen Tian sings an electrifying 晚安北京 that has crazy high notes, a complex choreo, and continuously attacks everyone's senses. He impresses all the media representatives with his explosive and powerful channeling of emotions during his performance. 

Verdict: 31 - Liu Wen Tian; 20 - Pu Xiang

Jay Chou should have totally reserved his immunity to the very last for Pu Xiang, it was just too complacent to think that Pu Xiang is unbeatable. The result? He lost his best contestant, and he can't even feel sorry for himself. I really wished Pu Xiang went through instead of Yu Tian.

So with that - it's confirmed for the Bird Nest Semi-Finale:

Liu Wen Tian

Xu Ge Yang

Jiang Dun Hao

Nathan Hartono

Low Key Duo

Yu Tian

Keep checking back for more updates over the weekend!

If you need a recap on all the previous episodes:

Episode 1 - Blind Auditions

Episode 2 - Blind Auditions

Episode 3 - Blind Auditions

Episode 4 - Blind Auditions

Episode 5 - Blind Auditions
Episode 6 -  Wang Feng Top 10 to Top 5

Episode 7  - Jay Chou Top 10 to Top 5

Episode 8 - Harlem Top 10 to Top 5

Episode 9 - Na Ying Top 10 to Top 5

Never miss a post again!

I share interesting episodes in life revolving around food, lifestyle, travel and inspirational ideas. If you would like to stay in touch, follow me on my Instagram on @amie.hu and Facebook page!

My Favourite Cafe in the Far West, Archipelago Creamery

September 18, 2016, 7:02 am

≫ Next: ‎中國新歌聲‬ SING CHINA, NA YING & HARLEM PK rounds

≪ Previous: ‎中國新歌聲‬ SING CHINA, JAY & WANGFENG PK rounds

$

0

0

The West is definitely the least developed when it comes to cool hipster places to hang out at. Westies always have to travel at least halfway across the island.. but not anymore with Archipelago Creamery. OK other than the fact that I live approximately 10 minutes away from this wonderful place at Nanyang CC, but obviously it has to be good for me to go back three times right? And three times down and I'm not sick of it yet... gonna be back to try some of their pastries next time! But before that, I want to introduce this place:

This little hideout is nautical themed. Its walls are painted with a very pretty Tiffany blue, white and wood colour all around the whole cafe. It is very airy, with a lot of light streaming in. The best part is that it is located at quite a farflung location, so there is usually very little people around. It is very quiet and perfect for conversations on all my visits. Almost everything is self-service here, including free-flow water and getting utensils. Other than that, service is inconsistent.

Archipelago Creamery does not have much of mains - mostly desserts of all kinds including Shibuya toasts, waffles with ice-creams, and pastries! On all three occasions, I tried their irresistible ice-cream waffles! All kinds of flavours are available - including Mango Sorbet, Cookies and Cream, Rocher, Mint Chocolate, Coconut, Mixed Berries and Dark Chocolate...! Wow, it definitely makes me completely spoilt for choice. Surprisingly, all the ice-cream here is artisanal home-made! Of all that I have tried, they are all of a good quality, but the proportion of flavours is quite subjective. I liked the Coconut, Cookies and Cream and Dark Chocolate quite a lot.

I was here with all my favourite people on different occasions! 😄

Archipelago Creamery

Nanyang CC

60 Jurong West Street 91 #01-09

Singapore 649040

Never miss a post again!

I share interesting episodes in life revolving around food, lifestyle, travel and inspirational ideas. If you would like to stay in touch, follow me on my Instagram on @amie.hu and Facebook page!

---

‎中國新歌聲‬ SING CHINA, NA YING & HARLEM PK rounds

September 25, 2016, 12:20 am

≫ Next: The Best Microbrewery in Singapore - Little Island Brewery Co. at Changi

≪ Previous: My Favourite Cafe in the Far West, Archipelago Creamery

$

0

0

I was looking forward to this episode of SING CHINA all week! Are you the same as I am? I am so encouraged by Na Ying and Harlem's past episodes in this season and remember amazing vocals such as Malaysian Li Peiling, Wang Chuang, Vinida, Ji Ke Hao, Yang Mei Na...! Too many! Let's jump straight into the competition deets of this week:

Here you can watch the entire SING CHINA Season 1 Episode 11

Na Ying has chosen their team 'battle song' of the night to be 哈林音乐会, a medley of Harlem's songs. Yang Bo (zomg!) starts with 靠近, his voice has really ascended to a point it can instantly make your eyes water. Su Li Sheng seemed to have changed his style to be more "Na Ying"! Wang Chen Rui and Li Pei Ling sing 命中注定 together, it is incredible how they have improved over these few weeks to be so much polished, not just in terms of singing, but the way they move and their performance persona. Na Ying picks up the song with 报告班长, as Vinida slides into the groove with a slow-rap, it's much more pleasing now. Everyone chorused into 一整晚的音乐, demonstrating that they can do fast songs too! Na Ying is really successful, she has made her students surpassed her even though she herself is spectacular in this performance. Wow. Now I can't wait for Harlem's - because he is KING of song choreography.

Ji Ke Hao sings 白天不懂也得黑, and oh my, he has became much more polished than before. His 'lamb' style of singing is no longer as awkward and he harmonized brilliantly with Yao Xi. Wang Chuang, Yang Mei Na and Yao Xi eases into M2M's Pretty Boy, then back to 白天不懂也得黑 with a groovy R&B style. Yang Mei Na and Wang Chuang conquered the whole performance, drowning the rest of their voices out. It wasn't as sophisticated as I thought Harlem would usually do, but perhaps he placed more effort in the real PK matches instead. He asks Na Ying why she was so serious in making the opening performance so complex as if she was celebrating him with the medley, and she casually jokes that it was more for a memorial.

Li Peiling vs Wang Chuang

If you haven't seen the thousands of spoilers hurling across social media space, Li Peiling sings Fight Song, yes, the song that plays whenever someone wins the PK! Na Ying has learnt her lesson instead of making her students sing Footsteps in the Sand (the farewell song for lost players) in the past. Instead of putting a lot of strength, she does it in this angelic, soothing way. Goosebumps!!! Later, she transits into one that showcases her effortless higher tones, beautiful. I mean, Li Peiling, you are way more than alright. She gives a deep bow at the end, and it's onto Wang Chuang.

Wang Chuang sings 逃亡. Oh my, I already feel like crying. I need both of them in top 12! Her voice is very wide, you might say she has no personality but you can't deny that it is so enjoyable to hear her sing. And she makes it so inviting to sing with her. She has a few tricks up her sleeve - Harlem definitely did something - as she rises to a crescendo that captured everyone's attention! Whoever who loses, I wished their teacher will save them.

Verdict: 38 - Li Pei Ling; 13 - Wang Chuang

Harlem doesn't save Wang Chuang, much to my disappointment. But it is too early in the game to exercise the Save option yet.

Yang Bo vs Yang Mei Na

Keeping to her promise, Na Ying lets her contestant, a web-singer, Yang Bo sing 枫, obviously, he has been training for a long long time for this since his last appearance on the show. And it shows. He is also apparently deeply nervous, maybe because the original singer is deadstaring back at him. He sings the bridge part - 在山腰間飄逸的紅雨 wonderfully, but can't help but feel this song is still difficult to express. I was slightly disappointed it wasn't more showy, and a little letdown for not utilizing his voice more.

Yang Mei Na seems to be going for Momo Wu's style. She sings 黄豆, a generally non-mainstream song by Jay Chou. She reminds me of A-mei for some reason. Super funky and finally something that reflects Harlem with this amazing high energy performance.

Verdict: 35 - Yang Mei Na; 16 - Yang Bo

Vinida vs Ji Ke Hao

Photo credit: SING CHINA Facebook

Vinida sings 不潮不需要花钱, a self-composed song, similar to what the Low Key Duo did. This song extends from her laid-back, old-school sing-rap style. The lyrics are written by her talented boyfriend who had written lyrics to Jay Chou's rap songs before. Like her counterparts, she come across as obviously much more sophisticated, more toned-down and a lot less vulgar. The singing component is lower in proportion than her rap, which puts at a disadvantage at this point. Everyone knows her standard of rap by now, and it would have helped her if she demonstrated how much she can sing, like the Low Key Duo.

Photo credit: SING CHINA Facebook

Ji Ke Hao is in his element, and has already established his own style long before in the competition. He sings 静心等, a song from the old Shanghai days, sung by Alex To's mother 张露. This song has been re-choreographed and given new life. There are certain parts of George Thorogood's song - Bad To The Bone - weaved into the performance. It is an engaging song that would get you bobbing your head with him despite most people not knowing these songs before. Harlem managed to help Ji Ke Hao find a marketable style within his personality, and that is a really good development for his music career.

I like both of them so much too, but somehow I felt that Na Ying's competitive personality might have stunted her contestant's chances. Na Ying looked visibly disappointed, and she chooses to use her only chance to save Vinida! It means Vinida needs to PK once more with whoever Harlem may save later.

Verdict: 32 - Ji Ke Hao; 19 - Vinida

Wang Chen Rui vs Zhao Xiao Xi

Photo credit: SING CHINA Facebook

Wang Chen Rui carries forward her previous high from singing Cantonese songs, and decided to sing 友情岁月. From the get go, it's already Cantonese from the first line. It is an excellent decision because she is completely comfortable in her skin as she does it. Wang has a brilliant power and confidence that shines through beautifully this time.

Photo credit: SING CHINA Facebook

Zhao Xiao Xi knows what he is good at - funk! And that's probably why at chose the chart-topper song - Happy by Pharrell Williams. Again, Harlem's creativity is unmistakable in this creation, with the incorporation of Indian musical elements with this song. This move reminds us of Harlem's team episode (Episode 8). The crowd goes wild.

Verdict: 34 - Wang Chen Rui; 17 - Zhao Xiao Xi

Harlem chooses to save Zhao Xiao Xi! This means that there will be one more PK between Vinida and Zhao Xiao Xi later.

Su Li Sheng vs Yao Xi

Photo credit: SING CHINA Facebook

As Na Ying's final contestant, Su Li Sheng sings 流着泪说分手. It is a song full of imagery, and instead of his usual rough way of singing, he is now a reflection of the male version of Voice of China's season 3 winner, Zhang Bi Chen. Another complete tear-jerker performance again by Su Li Sheng. A music producer invites Su Li Sheng to sing the OST of Ode To Joy 2!!! OK irrelevant, but let me recommend to you, you've got to watch Ode To Joy - it is simply the best Chinese drama of 2016 (imho).

Photo credit: SING CHINA Facebook

Next up, Yao Xi performs 醉拳, where she interchanged between Chinese and Cantonese comfortably, with jazz, samba and funk styles all in one! This girl from Shantou has found her own style with the Midas touch of Harlem. Everything he touches turns gold, so does this performance. It is a curious blend of contemporary and traditional elements. I love the lyrics of this song though - the original is worth a listen too!

Verdict: 26 - Su Li Sheng; 25 - Yao Xi

What a pity, Yao Xi lost by only 1 vote! Harlem has already spent his Save option, so it is certain, Yao Xi is eliminated.


Zhao Xiao Xi vs Vinida (Ultimate PK)

Zhao Xiao Xi sings a song from his mentor, 不敢停止想你. He uses his characteristically steady high falsetto notes to sing this song in a straight-forward way, probably because he didn't expect to need to perform this in the ultimate PK. He is likened to a younger Harlem, which I agree.

Vinida sings yet another of her self-composed songs, 焚心以火. It is again a rap-centric song that has minimal singing components. Somehow I didn't feel that this song as 'beautiful' as it is probably intended to be, and a little abruptly composed. It is still a very Vinidasque performance as usual, so you probably have to really like her to appreciate this.

I think they are too different to be compared like this, and it's a shame to let Vinida go. She will survive well in the music industry anyway, by this point.

Verdict: 27 - Zhao Xiao Xi; 24 - Vinida

So with that - it's confirmed for the top 12 of SING CHINA:

Li Pei Ling
Yang Mei Na
Ji Ke Hao
Wang Chen Rui
Su Li Sheng
Zhao Xiao Xi
Liu Wen Tian

Xu Ge Yang

Jiang Dun Hao

Nathan Hartono

Low Key Duo

Yu Tian

Keep checking back for more updates over the weekend!

If you need a recap on all the previous episodes:

Episode 1 - Blind Auditions

Episode 2 - Blind Auditions

Episode 3 - Blind Auditions

Episode 4 - Blind Auditions

Episode 5 - Blind Auditions
Episode 6 -  Wang Feng Top 10 to Top 5

Episode 7  - Jay Chou Top 10 to Top 5

Episode 8 - Harlem Top 10 to Top 5

Episode 9 - Na Ying Top 10 to Top 5
Episode 10 - Jay & Wang Feng PK

Never miss a post again!

I share interesting episodes in life revolving around food, lifestyle, travel and inspirational ideas. If you would like to stay in touch, follow me on my Instagram on @amie.hu and Facebook page!

The Best Microbrewery in Singapore - Little Island Brewery Co. at Changi

September 25, 2016, 9:51 am

≫ Next: A "Native" Beauty World Food Trail: Beauty World Food Centre

≪ Previous: ‎中國新歌聲‬ SING CHINA, NA YING & HARLEM PK rounds

$

0

0

It's been long since a night-out place got me really excited. Well, mostly because I haven't had time to really prowl the streets during late hours these days because a huge part of my daily routine now consist of work which takes out quite a bit of energy to do blogging. Isn't it a wonderful opportunity to re-introduce writing about food especially with a great find like this? Trust me, I am always thinking about how guilty I am at leaving this space hangin'. OK admittedly this wasn't a discovery by me, but a recommendation from a colleague, someone with an astutely good taste for places. So here we are at Little Island Brewing Co. for dinner & drinks on Friday night.

This place instantly reminds me of sweet times in Yarra Valley, Melbourne. I mean that as a strong compliment because god knows Melbourne has an irreplaceable position in my heart. 

 

The pay-as-you-drink system means you can limit yourself - making your tummy and wallet happy at the same time - but only if you can! Because their craft beers, ciders, stouts and pale ales are here to make you go again and again with delicious, smooth, sleek textures. They provide cold beer glasses for the refill stations and are very conscientious in replacing them in their fridge, which I really appreciated.

 

Some pictures of this 270-seater space - it's huge with tall ceilings that goes up to two storeys high. It's a microbrewery which unique, fresh iced cold beer blends on tap, and there aren't many in Singapore. There's a live band going on with songs all night with zero technical issues, and everyone is in a good mood. The beach is only a stroll away. Ace atmospheres like these don't come easy in Singapore, and even a Westie like me don't mind the journeying across the island.

This is their menu! Talk to one of Little Island's staff for recommendations, or read my review below:

Most of the starters here at Little Island is interestingly nothing like starters, but more like mains in many places. The most 'finger food' item was the nachos with tomato ragout, grilled cheese and sour cream (SGD10), which goes wonderfully with beer of course, but I would advise the small-appetite ones to leave your precious stomach real estate for the other selections! We had the glisteningly delicious tamarind glazed chicken wings (SGD8 for 3pc, pictured 9pc) that were the most tempting in taste, but considerably troublesome to handle if you had to hold your beer glass at the same time.

The 15-hour smoked wagyu beef brisket 100g (SGD18) was strongly recommended by one of the lady boss of Little Island, and sure enough, it was expertly cooked to retain its natural moisture. Served with salad on the side, this is a really good one to share because it's sliced and a huge portion! The cumin-rubbed pork belly (SGD14) was crispy and also juicy, with a meltingly soft texture that was quite addictive. Between these two, I preferred the pork belly but I enjoyed the variety of having two because simply eating one as my only main course would be a little too heavy.

 
  

One of the surprise winners of the spread is the Fish & Chips Beer Battered Seabass (SGD20) served with fries and tartar sauce. OK if we were to compare anything from Aussie, they would consider us crazy to pay twenty bucks for a serving of fish and chips. But it's a huge serving alright, and many of us dug into the fish & chips agreeing that we loved how silky the seabass was beneath the golden crispy thin crust.

  

The pork ribs done in Balinese style (SGD26) were not as favoured because again - bones, but luckily the meat can be pulled off the bone fairly easily, for you to enjoy the well executed pork ribs. I don't think portion wise this would be as value-for-money as say, the beef brisket and pork belly which I enjoyed more as well. At some point in the night I stopped taking pictures - that's a good mark I was having too much fun / beer to hold my camera steady. If I were an East-sider, I'll definitely visit this place in a heartbeat with my friends.

Hit this sweet spot up! xx

Little Island Brewery Co.

Block 6 Changi Village #01-01/02

Singapore 509907

Never miss a post again!

I share interesting episodes in life revolving around food, lifestyle, travel and inspirational ideas. If you would like to stay in touch, follow me on my Instagram on @amie.hu and Facebook page!

A "Native" Beauty World Food Trail: Beauty World Food Centre

September 29, 2016, 8:03 am

≫ Next: ‎中國新歌聲‬ SING CHINA, TOP 6 CONTESTANTS EMERGED!

≪ Previous: The Best Microbrewery in Singapore - Little Island Brewery Co. at Changi

$

0

0

There are a lot of delicious food options dotted around Singapore, but to know it proper you might have to hang around there long enough. The Beauty World Food Centre is indeed such a place, a food market hidden inconspicuously at the top floor of a shopping mall. I can't think of any similar layout anywhere else in Singapore, but the moment I set my eyes upon this place, I knew there was going to be at least a few stalls of mouthwatering dishes around. The air is a mix of electrifyingly delicious oily fragrances around. We had a goal in mind here: there was a certain stall with excellent xiaolongbaos here.

Right next to the corner stall, this ramen and dumpling house is seemingly tended by three Chinese nationals in an assembly line to churn out the steamed yummy goodies, and you know that's actually a good sign for xiaolongbaos. Another place I will think about when it comes to xiaolongbaos is the Chinese stall in NTU Canteen 2 (nooo not Din Tai Fung, even though I do love that too), but I was super eager to try this out too because my boyfriend was telling me about this since for-ever.

It was served very quickly, 5 steaming xiaolongbaos to one basket (10pc for SGD7). I must say... it's really of a pretty good standard, and will definitely give both NTU Can 2's and Din Tai Fung's xiaolongbaos a run for their money. The skin of the baos is thin enough, yet it doesn't break when picked up - 100% success rate of only bursting when I bite into it, and the soup is perfectly savoury, tasty with fresh, chewy pork meat in there. I must say I was quite impressed! Is it worth going down to try? Why not, you get a decent spread along with the chance to try out so many other worthy stalls. The price is slightly steep, but no doubt for this quality it's worth it.

You Peng Ramen Dumpling House
Beauty World Plaza
144 Upper Bukit Timah Road #04-23
Singapore 588177

The next one we tried was the Satay Bee Hoon which had one of the longest queues around the food market. Apparently another stall - the mixed vegetable rice - that is very popular too, but it was closed. It's ok! Next time then, but let's try the satay bee hoon (SGD4) first:

The satay beehoon here is a plate of white beehoon doused intensely in thick, rich and robust peanut satay sauce. There was a little spicy zing in there which wasn't overpowering. They totally spared no punches in giving you ingredients, with cuttlefish, prawn, tender chicken slices, kangkong and beansprouts too, for SGD4 it is so satisfying. Next time, we shall conquer more stalls. Watch this space!

JN Li Satay Bee Hoon
Beauty World Plaza
144 Upper Bukit Timah Road #04-40
Singapore 588177

Never miss a post again!

I share interesting episodes in life revolving around food, lifestyle, travel and inspirational ideas. If you would like to stay in touch, follow me on my Instagram on @amie.hu and Facebook page!

‎中國新歌聲‬ SING CHINA, TOP 6 CONTESTANTS EMERGED!

October 1, 2016, 11:41 am

≫ Next: A "Native" Toa Payoh Food Trail: One Eleven Mixed Vegetables Rice Stall

≪ Previous: A "Native" Beauty World Food Trail: Beauty World Food Centre

$

0

0

If there is one word to describe this week's episode: Cruel. Way too cruel to pick the top 6 from so many incredible contestants. Way too cruel to put them right in the middle of the stage surrounded by more than 400 people judging them face-to-face - YES or NO. The show has to go on. Did hot favourites Nathan Hartono and Xu Ge Yang get through? Who else made the mark to go to the Bird Nest Stadium? All the details here:

You can watch the whole episode here!



Yu Tian
If you remembered from the previous episode, Yu Tian was extremely hated for depriving his more worthy teammate Pu Xiang from advancing in the competition. This time, he carries a lot of pressure to this stage. Clad in Jay Chou's jacket and a Phantasi cap, he sings 小镇姑娘, a really lovely and likeable song by David Tao. This Canadian Chinese tried his best to give justice to both his and Pu Xiang's dreams. It was very 'overseas Chinese' style a la Wang Leehom, very catchy. But obviously, at this point in the competition, just being 'somewhat good' is not enough. One of the media representatives coldly just said he felt absolutely nothing throughout the performance. Yu was evidently upset by the hurtful comment, as his smile faltered for the rest of the night. Being the first contestant up, he is at a disadvantage as people tend to be more critical with no point of reference. With too many of these factors at play, it resulted in a disappointing score.

I still miss Pu Xiang... :(

Verdict:

51 media representatives: 24
350 audience members: 239

Zhao Xiao Xi
In a full red suit, Zhao Xiao Xi is possessed by Harlem, and bounces around the stage throughout the performance. He sings 我们要在一起 by Mavis Fan, and everyone bobs their head to the beat. His confidence shoots up the roof. He completely sheds the shadow of the original song. He has improved again from his previous appearances. Harlem, his teacher, appears to be highly entertained, but the rest of them appears either stressed or unimpressed. Wang Feng's expression is especially unreadable... the judges seem very competitive and biting today. The media reps are stingy with their votes as well, which resulted in a more compassionate audience response.

Verdict:
51 media representatives: 18
350 audience members: 302

Li Pei Ling
The queen slays again - I mean, Na Ying and her song choices. Na Ying is not as inventive as Jay or Harlem, but I must say she always picks the best songs for her students. Li Pei Ling sings 我知道你很难过, and her voice has matured even more than before, and projects her feelings effectively. Imagery is central. When she sings, you can totally be led into another realm. This is not the first time this song is featured in the VOC series. 刘珂 from VOC season 3 has done a memorable cover for this before.

Verdict:
51 media representatives: 39
350 audience members: 306

Xu Ge Yang

My amazing queen, again, I have been waiting for her performance all week. And she does not disappoint, in fact, she has become even more unbeatable with her commanding personality. It's as if - everyone stop, look at her glow! Her song of the night is 异类, and the striking first line is: 'If you don't like to hear me sing, shut your ears!' There's a Mad World x Linkin' Park feel to the whole song. It is almost as if Vinida and Wang Chuang's combined power has added wings to Xu Ge Yang, interchanging between damn-rock to gentle parts of the song.



Her whole performance just screams SWAG. That hair flip, that power as she says 'I am not threatened by anyone, I am prepared to face up to the strongest opponents any time.' Way to go, girl! Definitely a song that I will replay all week! She has always been my favourite, and she will be my favourite all the way to the finals.



OK I love her extra so I give her more screen captures, okay. 💕

Verdict:
51 media representatives: 40
350 audience members: 344

Nathan Hartono (Xiang Yang)

Oh yes, then we come to the Singapore represent - Nathan Hartono aka Xiang Yang. He sings a song composed with two songs of different eras - Desperado and 忘不了, typical of Jay Chou's style. His performance has elevated to a different kind of beautiful and charisma, it's hard to peel your eyes away from him. I must say, he really came a long way since the beginning. His voice is like melted chocolate. I still prefer him singing English songs, when he is much more at ease. The way he sings Chinese songs is very un-Chinese - as if he is floating through all the hanyupinyins. The media reps and audience are completely head over heels for him.

Verdict:

51 media representatives: 47
350 audience members: 333

Ji Ke Hao
Ji Ke Hao is one of my top favourites as well, with a distinctive style that can be identifiable even when you close your eyes and just listen out. Any song he sings can be converted to his style, yes, even a classic song like 滾滾紅塵!

Wang Feng gives a fair opinion to say that his interpretation of this song is actually an impressive take with the minzu daliangshan style. I am beginning to feel annoyed with Na Ying because she is constantly trying to put down other teams' contestants or portraying them negatively. It could really affect the media reps' choices as they might not want to be associated with supporting contestants that have been criticized indirectly by Na Ying.

Verdict:
51 media representatives: 29
350 audience members: 337

Su Li Sheng
Su Li Sheng has made countless of people teared during his past performances, but this time, he does not challenge yet another touching song. He sings a slightly more rock song 私奔, a very popular song featured in past VOC seasons, sung by Season 1 champion Liang Bo, and Season 3 Chen Zhi. He is not suited to such a rock song, especially under Na Ying. If Su Li Sheng was under the teaching of Wang Feng, it would definitely achieved a better overall effect.

Verdict:
51 media representatives: 30
350 audience members: 327

Jiang Dun Hao
Jiang Dun Hao reminds me of Zhang Lei with his guitar. Very steady, very beautifully performed a song of 傻瓜, which brings us back to the plains of Xinjiang. A thorough audio indulgence that is incredibly relaxing, a perfect merging of song and voice. Even when he normally speaks, his voice is so lovely to listen to - someone born to be a DJ of some sort.

Verdict:
51 media representatives: 33
350 audience members: 348

Low Key Duo

They are singing 夜空中最亮的星, a song that has a special place in my heart. Before they start, I was worried they were going to screw it up, because I actually knew spoilers that they didn't go through :( They bowed deeply to the audience to show their respect for the stage. And oh my god. Yang He Su begins - NO RAP. He is singing for the first time in this competition. Just like Zhang Xin Yue, actually he could do very well on his own too. Then Zhang Xin Yue comes in... gooooosebumps for the first time in this episode!!!



Of course, the rap comes in, and the SOPHISTICATION, wow! It was like they were singing a club song live, that power, that lyrics composed... I'm in awe. Yang He Su is not that strong at singing at the highest notes, but I am surprised the media reps don't like it, they get the third lowest score out of all 12 contestants of the night.

Verdict:
51 media representatives: 26
350 audience members: 322

Yang Mei Na
The opening for Yang Mei Na is more impressive than others, and her stage persona has significantly improved even than before. I didn't like her previous get-up with those huge goggles, but this time it's much more pleasing. She sings a song from her teacher - 春泥. Her voice reaches to the thickest and deepest parts, and sings it in a contemporary, 2016 way, metamorphosing from its early 2000s version powerfully. Her good score is well-deserved.

Verdict:
51 media representatives: 38
350 audience members: 311

Wang Chen Rui
This black horse has now spread her wings, from Cantopop to Mandopop, she has demonstrated she is a force to be reckoned with. She sings 你还要我怎样. Her singing is one of the few that managed to elicit goosebumps tonight, and it's very steadily and classicly well done, lovely to enjoy. Surprisingly, I find that one of the most endearing parts of her singing is her pronunciation of the words, so on-point and fulfills the OCD in me.

Verdict:
51 media representatives: 44
350 audience members: 323

Liu Wen Tian

When Liu Wen Tian began singing 地心... there was a shock - is this not Wang Feng? Understandably it's Wang Feng's song. But it's as if throughout these few days of training, Liu Wen Tian has successfully evolved into another Wang Feng. There is a lot of parts of the song that he could easily disguised as his teacher. Maybe except he is less rough. I find it a pity he did not extend from his previous amazing performance of Goodnight Beijing (and his personality from that). It might have saved him a few crucial votes from the media reps which would have put him in the final #6 spot.

Verdict:
51 media representatives: 34
350 audience members: 308


OVERALL RESULTS!



Ranking according to media reps:
1. Xiang Yang
2. Wang Chen Rui
3. Xu Ge Yang
4. Li Pei Ling
5. Yang Mei Na
6. Liu Wen Tian
7. Jiang Dun Hao
8. Su Li Sheng
9. Ji Ke Hao
10. Low Key Duo 
11. Yu Tian

12. Zhao Xiao Xi

Ranking according to audience members:
1. Jiang Dun Hao
2. Xu Ge Yang
3. Ji Ke Hao
4. Xiang Yang
5. Wang Chen Rui
6. Su Li Sheng
7. Low Key Duo
8. Yang Mei Na
9. Liu Wen Tian
10. Li Pei Ling
11. Zhao Xiao Xi
12. Yu Tian


Overall ranking (# media reps / # audience members)

1. Xiang Yang (#1 / #4) = 93.65
2. Wang Chen Rui (#2 / #5) = 89.28
3. Xu Ge Yang (#3 / #2) = 88.36
4. Jiang Dun Hao (#7 / #1) = 82.07
5. Li Pei Ling (#4 / #10) = 81.95
6. Yang Mei Na (#5 / #8) = 81.68
7. Liu Wen Tian (#6 / #9) = 77.33
8. Ji Ke Hao (#9 / #3) = 76.57
9. Su Li Sheng (#8 / #6) = 76.13
10. Low Key Duo (#10 / #7) = 71.49
11. Zhao Xiao Xi (#12 / #11) = 60.79

12. Yu Tian (#11 / #12) = 57.67

It's honestly anyone's game! But only those who looks good, eh? All of the six contestants left look pretty attractive by mainstream standards. But here are my predictions any way!

Amie Hu's predictions for the finals:

#1 Wang Chen Rui (Na Ying)

#2 Xu Ge Yang (Wang Feng)

#3 Jiang Dun Hao (Wang Feng)

#4 Xiang Yang (Jay Chou)

#5 Li Pei Ling (Na Ying)

#6 Yang Mei Na (Harlem)

Keep checking back for updates of The Finale next weekend.

If you need a recap on all the previous episodes:

Episode 1 - Blind Auditions

Episode 2 - Blind Auditions

Episode 3 - Blind Auditions

Episode 4 - Blind Auditions

Episode 5 - Blind Auditions
Episode 6 -  Wang Feng Top 10 to Top 5

Episode 7  - Jay Chou Top 10 to Top 5

Episode 8 - Harlem Top 10 to Top 5

Episode 9 - Na Ying Top 10 to Top 5
Episode 10 - Jay & Wang Feng PK
Episode 11 - Na Ying & Harlem PK

Never miss a post again!

I share interesting episodes in life revolving around food, lifestyle, travel and inspirational ideas. If you would like to stay in touch, follow me on my Instagram on @amie.hu and Facebook page!

A "Native" Toa Payoh Food Trail: One Eleven Mixed Vegetables Rice Stall

October 6, 2016, 9:05 pm

≫ Next: 中國新歌聲‬ SING CHINA, FINALE, The Final Chapter.

≪ Previous: ‎中國新歌聲‬ SING CHINA, TOP 6 CONTESTANTS EMERGED!

$

0

0

At 1.15pm, running low on supplies already.

Reddit says nobody will travel to look for caipng (mixed vegetable rice) specifically. I say One Eleven Mixed Vegetables Rice Porridge Stall is worth it. After eating approximately 15 lunches at this stall within 7 weeks, I have thereby concluded that this mixed vegetable rice stall is the best I have ever had. Some background information about me and mixed vegetable rice stalls: nearly none. People swear by their school cai png stalls, but having tried a few times, I was never impressed. It's always a little stale, and non-enticing flavours. This one is different.

The queue starts forming at 12.15pm and doesn't taper off until some time after 2pm, and it is a major favourite of the locals and office-goers nearby. Everything is cooked fresh and popular options get wiped out really fast. Once it's gone, there's no replacement for the day, you'll only have to come back tomorrow. 12.30pm is the sweet spot timing to go! 

What's best: the spicy pepper chicken and egg tofu, along with a good dousing of curry sauce like this goes at SGD2*. SGD2! SGD2* - dependent on auntie (price lower for the shorter, older auntie), auntie's mood portion, and your luck. Sometimes it varies to $2.20, $2.50. Well, as with any of these heartlanders' mixed veg rice stalls. Oh, don't you just love the spontaneity of it all. Definitely one of the places you have got to stop by for your list of amazing food finds of the neighbourhood of Toa Payoh. I have eaten this combination for a few days consecutively the first time I had it, and till date, I am not bored of it (maybe not yet). What, where do you find such a value-for-money in Singapore? Here:

One Eleven Mixed Vegetables Rice Porridge Stall

Block 74 Market & Food Centre

Toa Payoh Lorong 4

Singapore 310074

Opens for lunch only.
Closed on Mon and/or Tues occasionally.

Never miss a post again!

I share interesting episodes in life revolving around food, lifestyle, travel and inspirational ideas. If you would like to stay in touch, follow me on my Instagram on @amie.hu and Facebook page!

中國新歌聲‬ SING CHINA, FINALE, The Final Chapter.

October 8, 2016, 2:18 am

≫ Next: Putien Seasonal Menu Release: Yellow Croaker Fish

≪ Previous: A "Native" Toa Payoh Food Trail: One Eleven Mixed Vegetables Rice Stall

$

0

0

Hailing themselves as the singing variety show beholden to the mission of raising the next generation of Mandopop, Sing!China has finally come to its final chapter. If you're reading it now, you would probably have heard about many disagreements and controversies that occurred during the finale. Maybe that's what the entertainment industry is about. If it doesn't generate talk, it's a bad show. And Sing!China has certainly generated a lot of talk, a lot of people screaming hath and fury claiming they won't watch the next season... guess what, every season of The Voice has got people saying that. But be it Sing!China or The Voice, these shows have topped viewership charts across all the regions with Chinese communities. So there. We will leave the commentary to perhaps a later post, this post celebrates the accomplishments of the final six and the fallen ones (who are equally, if not even better) that has reached thus far. It is a sign that Mandopop is in fact very much popular and strikes us at a sweet spot that nothing else can:

Venue: The Bird Nest, Beijing

Host: The amazing No.1 China Talk Host (aka. the host of VOC): Hua Shao

To encourage the top 6 finalists, Xue Zhi Qian and Vinida hold up the fort with a duo PK-style performance in which Xue Zhi Qian sings his most famous EP 丑八怪 while Vinida sings the song that she last performed during the Na Ying's team internal PK rounds - 给我一个 吻. The familiar songs are a great comfort for the audience, as they go wild with the beginning. At some parts their voices don't seem to gel, but the acoustics in the huge auditorium prove to be challenging for singers in a LIVE show like this.

The stage is all snazzy in Beijing's Bird Nest, especially with the backup dancers, lighting, and the gigantic posterized image of Vinida. I would say Vinida is now replacing Momo Wu as the most celebrated singer of the show, since they have lost the copyright for The Voice franchise. Well, the introduction make digs at The Voice - including one evident line - "rather than turning around for good voices, isn't it better to take one step forward".

Next, all the Sing!China Top 40 contestants come together for a sing-along to 光明, a song by Wang Feng. There is a lot of echo in the Bird Nest which is probably very awesome LIVE but the effect from watching it from video is a little lacklustre. The top 6 finalists enter on the wings of a plane. Some of they key noteworthy things spotted: Oh my god Harlem's spunky blue hair! And Xu Ge Yang's upgraded olive green jacket 💕 They will all be making two performances, one with their teacher and one solo. Meanwhile, all the LIVE audience will vote during each contestants' individual voting window (equivalent to contestants' performance slot). The contestants with the lowest four votes will be eliminated. The remaining two will go into the Finale PK to vie for championship.

Evidence - 81 professional music judges

The first round of teacher-student pairing is: Jay Chou & Nathan Hartono (Xiang Yang)

They perform 双截棍, slaughtering the original swag of the song with a couple of trips over the rap, cultural misappropriation of European styles but OK, Nathan is still cute. He rapped in Chinese, beatboxed, danced, and basically leaping out of his comfort zone once again, and so kudos to that, but I seriously questioned why the choice to convert 双截棍 like this!

 

 

Next up: the trio ladies - Na Ying, Wang Chen Rui, Li Pei Ling with 爱上你等于爱上寂寞. Na Ying is obviously still queen, overshadowing her students unfortunately. But between the two, Wang Chen Rui manages to control her nervousness better and project her voice further than Li Pei Ling who seemed a little overwhelmed. The latter steadied herself as the performance wears on. Towards the end, they all seemed sufficiently warmed up.

Harlem & "Eastern Rihanna" Yang Mei Na try to "shine bright like a diamond" on stage with carnival-like extravaganza, singing a pop-style 命中注定. It feels like Harlem is trying to create another Momo Wu, which is kinda sad for Yang Mei Na because the MMW style doesn't suit her. Both of them don't seem to hold up the atmosphere in the concert hall which is overwhelming, and they disappear in the sea of too much dance, fire, and explosion commotion.

Finally, it's my favourite team - Wang Feng, Xu Ge Yang and Jiang Dun Hao with a heart-pumping energetic, rock song, 满! I really liked this song. If you're an avid fan of Sing!China and wondering how come this song seemed like it was sung before... it was featured in the first episode when Jay Chou sang it. Xu Ge Yang has outdone herself yet yet yet yet again. Her voice is just amazing, hitting the highest notes easily even if it's the first line she is singing, and her get-up is just full-on swag. This is totally not Jiang Dun Hao's style, but surprisingly he holds up well. Wang Feng looks elated to be in his performance mode again. The whole stage is smoked up for nearly the whole performance and you can hardly see the three of them.

Xiang Yang and Xu Ge Yang lead at this point of the competition.

Li Pei Ling takes the first mike for the solo performances and transforms into Elsa. She sings Let It Go, the theme song of Disney movie Frozen. It was actually very brilliant, thankfully much better than her performance with Na Ying and Wang Chen Rui. Her voice fills up the whole space beautifully, and she exudes grace, confidence and joy throughout. Such a wonderful performance. The random character strokes around her eventually lifted to form her name behind her. Not sure why Na Ying still looks obviously nervous and frazzled after her performance.

And here, the champion, in my opinion, should be Xu Ge Yang, the diva, the queen of the night. She sings 蝶, and she channels her own Ge Yang style and also Liu Wen Tian's Good Night Beijing Her performance with extraterrestrial-superhuman high tones is endlessly satisfying to listen to. It's as if all my blocked arteries and acupoints have been instantly restored to full health with a listen to her singing. She is strong and feminine at the same time, and commands the whole stage even with simple stage set-up.

Wang Feng explains that the white 'glove' on her hand is actually a cast for her injured finger on her right hand, but it doesn't seem to affect her performance at all as she pulls it off flawlessly. You go girl! 💕 The cape that Xu Ge Yang is wearing is also a gift from the internationally renowned actress, Zhang Ziyi, also Wang Feng's wife.

Li Pei Ling is invited onstage to see their votes.

Xu Ge Yang: 20,722 votes

Li Pei Ling: 14,227 votes

It seems that announcing votes at this point is extremely unfair, because it means a few things: the first contestant (aka Li Pei Ling) is at a disadvantage as audience tend to be more cautious with voting at the beginning, or in general just less attentive, and the audience will feel the threat of elimination more intensely for the next few contestants.

Nathan Hartono (Xiang Yang) goes for one of Jay Chou's best love songs - 最长的电影. Good choice of song (but not so much good choice of apparel, why Milo peng's colour). 😄 All I can say... Nathan should totally go into (emo) love songs! It suits him so much. His pronunciation still disturbs me, but I will close two eyes to that just for the chorus that he just sang for this song again and again. He rushed a little for the chorus, not sure if on purpose or intended, but the effect really jolted my tear ducts into action. Can I also say... it's better than the original..? OK don't hit my face. Jay Chou says: 地表最强 永远向洋 (The world's best, forever Xiang Yang - cos it rhymes).

Li Pei Ling and Xu Ge Yang are invited onstage to see their votes.

Xiang Yang: 35,577 votes

Xu Ge Yang: 20,722 votes

Li Pei Ling: 14,227 votes

This also means that Li Pei Ling is eliminated.

Yang Mei Na sings 倔强, but it can be described as a trainwreck. Like, what just happened? Wrong choice of song, wrong choice of outfit, wrong stage set-up (what has chains got to do with this song?). Not only is her voice swallowed into the black hole of the Bird Nest, she completely could not hold the stage up by herself. Mostly because the song and the style do not suit her at all. I am so disappointed with Harlem, he usually has a very good sense of song choice. He explains it is supposed to be inspirational, different from her usual steady song choices in the past. It is also to represent Mei Na's personality of persistence to be different from others. Too risky to do this at this point in the competition!!

Xu Ge Yang is invited onstage to see their votes.

Xiang Yang: 35,577 votes

Xu Ge Yang: 20,722 votes

Yang Mei Na: 19,066 votes

Li Pei Ling: 14,227 votes

This means Yang Mei Na is eliminated.

At this point, Xu Ge Yang wanders aimlessly on the stage (LOL) - 1:36:40.

Wang Chen Rui, nobly sang a Cantopop song by Leslie Cheung - 当年情. I believe everyone would have heard this song before if they like Cantopop music. As per her usual stable performances, Wang Chen Rui delivers this song, tribute to Leslie Cheung, and wins the roaring applause of the audience. Beautiful and touching rendition, a rare female version of this song. It is actually a very controversial move because Cantopop songs are often not well-received in China in today's era. Rocky from Hong Kong of Voice of China Season 2 was also ousted because he could only sing Cantopop songs.

Xu Ge Yang is invited onstage to see their votes once again.

Xiang Yang: 35,577 votes

Wang Chen Rui: 28,009 votes

Xu Ge Yang: 20,722 votes

Yang Mei Na: 19,066 votes

Li Pei Ling: 14,227 votes

This means Xu Ge Yang is eliminated. Goddamn it, you guys, I want to hear her sing 勇敢的心!

Jiang Dun Hao performs a mind-numbingly boring minyao 河流, but it represents him enough, a clear stream of water, just doing what he likes and without a care for what others think of him. Just like the previous champion, Zhang Lei, he also carries a guitar and sings minyao. Just to remind you, Jiang was officially the most popular contestant on the previous episode according to audience members. He is not detestable, but he is not likeable (like Xu Ge Yang) either. He stands in a middle-ground for me. 

Xiang Yang and Wang Chen Rui are invited onstage to see their votes once again.

Jiang Dun Hao: 39,962 votes

Xiang Yang: 35,577 votes

Wang Chen Rui: 28,009 votes

Xu Ge Yang: 20,722 votes

Yang Mei Na: 19,066 votes

Li Pei Ling: 14,227 votes

Total votes: 157,563 votes

Jiang Dun Hao and Xiang Yang promotes to the final PK, and with that, both of their voting channels are opened. Wang Feng and Jay Chou appear extremely anxious.

Nathan Hartono picked a song 城里的月光 written by Singaporean songwriter, Mavis Hee. It is a mash up with 女人花 as well. No Singaporean will be stranger to the first song, and it is heartening to hear him sing this. His pronunciation reminds me of Pierre Png when he first started on Channel 8. He skips over a few words occasionally.. a bit horrifying but OK, I still like the performance, mostly because of how he carries himself as very sincere and involved in his singing. 

Jiang Dun Hao sings a song by Wang Feng, 窗台. Jiang might be boring, but you have to admit that when he sang this particular line - "留下是不变的思念" it is much more powerful than Liang Bo or Zhang Lei, two champions of VOC that are closest to his style. His performance is actually very touching if you listen closely.

Hua Shao states clearly that 50% of the final result will be contributed by the 81 professional music reps, and 50% by the audience voting. However, at the point of the music reps voting, the channel for audience voting closes. I have never seen Wang Feng and Jay Chou soo stressed up before, their green veins are already popping from their temples. Or maybe Jay Chou is just freezing in the Bird Nest from the strong air conditioning.

Stressed faces.

Finale results:

Jiang Dun Hao: Music reps - 47; audience - 59,852 votes (56.7%)

Xiang Yang: Music reps - 45; audience - 45,613 votes (43.3%)

Actually, since it is already a public spoiler that Jiang Dun Hao won, and a lot of people are unhappy, I will drop my opinion in the sea of complaints and just leave it here. 

1. Not against non-PRCs, but for minorities

The argument that Sing!China does not want non-PRCs to win is valid, but Jiang Dun Hao is actually regarded to be in another category that is also controversial as well - being a Xinjiang Minority. They could have let him won in order to appease the minority-mainland relations? Who knows. But Jiang is good, and regardless if he is champion or runner-up, he does not deserve all the nasty comments, even if the calculation of 45+47=81 (81 judges as announced by Hua Shao at the beginning) is completely anti-mathematical.

2. Jiang has always been popular among audience voters

What's more, as I said earlier, he was the most popular among audience votes last episode, and it is no surprise he is still as popular. Music enjoyment, especially relativity between two amazing performers, is subjective. And you might not see what others see in someone else, but it does not mean he is not good. Hence, even if the judges' votes don't count, just based on audience votes, he would have won anyway.

Congratulations, Jiang Dun Hao!

We have come to the end of the commentary and summaries of Sing!China.

Final ranking:

#1 Jiang Dun Hao (Wang Feng)
#2 Xiang Yang (Jay Chou)
#3 Wang Chen Rui (Na Ying)

#4 Xu Ge Yang (Wang Feng)
#5 Yang Mei Na (Harlem)

#6 Li Pei Ling (Na Ying)

If you need a recap on all the previous episodes:

Episode 1 - Blind Auditions

Episode 2 - Blind Auditions

Episode 3 - Blind Auditions

Episode 4 - Blind Auditions

Episode 5 - Blind Auditions
Episode 6 -  Wang Feng Top 10 to Top 5

Episode 7  - Jay Chou Top 10 to Top 5

Episode 8 - Harlem Top 10 to Top 5

Episode 9 - Na Ying Top 10 to Top 5
Episode 10 - Jay & Wang Feng PK
Episode 11 - Na Ying & Harlem PK
Episode 12 - Top 12 to Top 6 contestants
Episode 13 - Finale (this post!)

Never miss a post again!

I share interesting episodes in life revolving around food, lifestyle, travel and inspirational ideas. If you would like to stay in touch, follow me on my Instagram on @amie.hu and Facebook page!

Putien Seasonal Menu Release: Yellow Croaker Fish

October 17, 2016, 7:38 am

≫ Next: A "Native" Toa Payoh Food Trail: Hai Nan Xing Zhou Beef Noodles - Amazing $4 "Pho" Without Coriander

≪ Previous: 中國新歌聲‬ SING CHINA, FINALE, The Final Chapter.

$

0

0

I've gone to Putien so many times because it has always been a trusted, time-honoured brand that I know I can count on. So it certainly wasn't a surprise when Putien @ Kitchener Road was awarded a Michelin one-star rating! It is very well-deserved. This time of the year, Putien's talented culinary team has designed another seasonal menu centred around the yellow croaker fish from the seaside city of Ningde, Fujian China. 

To give you some background, these yellow croakers are freshly sourced from the farming breeding grounds of Xiapu where the nutritious mudflats are the largest in China and home to a huge variety of seafood! It is one of the rarest fish variety you can obtain in Singapore, so if you want to try this, you know it's at Putien! 

The new menu now has five different dishes that includes the yellow croaker fish. 

These dishes are available from 2 September 2016 to 30 November 2016.
Let me introduce to you all of them now:

This 100-Second Stewed Yellow Croaker is my most preferred dish! This steamed is the favourite of renowned Taiwanese actress Lin Ching Hsia as well, despite her hating to eat fish! So much so that she actually invited Putien's chefs to her place to cook this dish for her. It is not hard to understand why this dish is so well-loved. This dish retains the original sweet flavour and taste of the yellow croaker with its simple stewing method, a distinct fragrance that relies a lot on its freshness. I really love this one, with its tender flesh meat that is amazing with the flavourful soup that has ginger in it. It is definitely very suitable for both children and elderly too.

The deep-fried yellow croaker would sit well with heavier palates. The croaker fish is marinated with peppercorn and seasalt before being deep-fried till a crisp to pair with the rice. It is done with well and must be complemented with rice, otherwise it could be slightly too salty. Of course, my palate tends towards the lighter tastes so if you are used to outside food, this will be just nice for you.

Next up! For people who can't survive without rice, this savoury stewed yellow croaker rice will serve you well! This is a traditional favourite cooked in the Hakka style with no shortcuts at all to preserve the fullness of flavours. It is no ordinary rice dish - is is thoroughly infused with the richness of the yellow croaker. The bones of this fish are first carefuly brewed into a hearty fish broth. Then the rice and yellow croaker fish are pan-fried before being stewed in the fish broth until the final drop of the broth is infused in the rice grains.

Let me deviate from the topic for a little while... I opted for warm barley for the first time at Putien and unwittingly, I decided this to be my favourite place to get warm barley ever. Not only is the barley water very thick and velvety smooth (I never thought that I needed to describe barley to such extent), the barley grains were chewy, soft and sweet. It was enjoyable to the last drop and I didn't even wanted to waste a single drop at all. What's more, the service staff replaced my empty barley cup with warm water at the perfect lukewarm temperature immediately. I was so impressed - indeed Michelin material.

OK back to the croakers: the next dish we tried was the Pan Fried Yellow Crockers dish made of the yellow croaker pan-fried till perfection of golden brown and then slowly stewed with special sweet house sauce. This is a tantalizing dish that is tender on the inside and nicely charred on the outside, without any heavy oily taste. It is pretty good and retained the tender moisture inside the croaker.

Finally, we had the yellow croaker soup with cauliflower, an iconic dish that has been in Putien for a long time now, except now they use yellow croaker fish as the baseflavour. It is rich with the natural sweet flavour of the fish along with the other ingredients in the soup, including tomato, coriander, ginger, spring onions and more. It gives a very homely feel to the dish which I really enjoyed, arguably my second favourite dish of the night. Then again, all the dishes were very well-executed, nothing short of my expectations from the chefs at Putien.

Never miss a post again!

I share interesting episodes in life revolving around food, lifestyle, travel and inspirational ideas. If you would like to stay in touch, follow me on my Instagram on @amie.hu and Facebook page!

---

A "Native" Toa Payoh Food Trail: Hai Nan Xing Zhou Beef Noodles - Amazing $4 "Pho" Without Coriander

October 18, 2016, 7:15 pm

≫ Next: A "Native" Queenstown Food Trail: Otoko Ramen

≪ Previous: Putien Seasonal Menu Release: Yellow Croaker Fish

$

0

0

More on my Toa Payoh food trail: third stop - Hai Nan Xing Zhou Beef Noodles at Kim Keat Palm Market. I certainly came to Kim Keat with a goal in mind. I have tried the beef noodles here a few years ago before the big renovation, and I could not forget about it for a long time. It was so delicious, and the only drawback is the long queues deterring me from coming back again. And I am back to try if the quality is the same as ever.

I certainly came to Kim Keat with a goal in mind. I have tried the beef noodles here a few years ago before the big renovation, and I could not forget about it for a long time. It was so delicious, and the only drawback is the long queues deterring me from coming back again. Between then and now, I have fallen in love with Vietnamese beef pho so much, and only came to draw parallels with this upon my first spoonful of the tasty beef noodle soup from Hai Nan Xing Zhou. I mean, it's probably an insult to either parties, but the soup was really very well-infused with the rich goodness of the beef taste. The white thick noodles were also soft yet not easily disintegrated in this bowl, and the beef slices were even more tender than I remembered. It was not as salty as before, which is a welcomed change. And... if you want to try 'Vietnamese pho' minus the "coriander and weird herbs" as so many detractors of pho hate, this is it.

Strange enough, even though it has become better than before, the queues have abated. It only means one thing - $4 for something so good is definitely worth hunting down for.

Hai Nan Xing Zhou Beef Noodles (海南星洲牛肉粉)

Kim Keat Palm Market & Food Centre

Blk 22 Lorong 7 Toa Payoh #01-06
Singapore 310019

Never miss a post again!

I share interesting episodes in life revolving around food, lifestyle, travel and inspirational ideas. If you would like to stay in touch, follow me on my Instagram on @amie.hu and Facebook page!

A "Native" Queenstown Food Trail: Otoko Ramen

October 29, 2016, 12:06 am

≫ Next: A "Native" Toa Payoh Food Trail: Mei Wei (Literally: Delicious) Ban Mian

≪ Previous: A "Native" Toa Payoh Food Trail: Hai Nan Xing Zhou Beef Noodles - Amazing $4 "Pho" Without Coriander

$

0

0

I have been in Queenstown more frequently than I have ever been in my life for some reason like exploration, and for that, I have the opportunity to prowl the streets and check out new foodie stops around the area! With the flux of ramen shops still rampant around Singapore, you know that Singaporeans' love for these noodles ain't abating anytime soon. Otoko Ramen has opened here right beside IKEA Alexandra and I was feelin' like ramen, so I skipped those meatballs and went straight for this.

Otoko is jarringly not Japanese through and through despite its interior, with a mix of local and Malaysian service and kitchen staff,  BUT... they have incredibly attentive service. One of them even helped me to grind black pepper into my ramen bowl (I'm not lazy.. she took it the moment she saw I wanted to use it, before I could react) A bowl of tonkotsu ramen here sets you back around 16 bucks, including taxes. I wasn't expecting top-notch ramen here, I mean.. you can say if it's top-notch quality word would be on the street about Otoko. But it is good. The tonkotsu ramen soup base is decently rich, not overly salty, and the noodles were closer to a springy and firm texture than soft, just as I like it.. it got pretty ordinary fast and I wished I ordered the dragon spicy one instead. All I can say is, Otoko does well for rainy day comfort food but if you're looking for the magical spark of the top-notch Japanese ramen, it's not here. But the truly heartwarming part is Otoko's service.

Otoko Ramen

321 Alexandra Road #01-16

Singapore 159971

Never miss a post again!

I share interesting episodes in life revolving around food, lifestyle, travel and inspirational ideas. If you would like to stay in touch, follow me on my Instagram on @amie.hu and Facebook page!

A "Native" Toa Payoh Food Trail: Mei Wei (Literally: Delicious) Ban Mian

October 29, 2016, 2:29 am

≫ Next: Hooray - Hoshino Coffee is 4, and they launched a new menu to celebrate.

≪ Previous: A "Native" Queenstown Food Trail: Otoko Ramen

$

0

0

Weekends are here so here to drop a second food post on one of Singaporeans' favourite daily things to eat: BAN MIAN. Strangely, this well-loved bowl of noodles can be considered what the Vietnamese love about pho, the Japanese about ramen, the Italians about their pasta, and the Koreans about ramyeon... but it never makes it to one of those iconic Singaporean dishes. The only reason I can think of is that here on the sunny island, we have simply too many things to feature.. OK I'm running off track as usual - but this ban mian stall is considered the one that people go to around Toa Payoh Central area. And join the long queue, y'all, because it's quite the real deal.

At Mei Wei Ban Mian (literally: delicious ban mian), there is an 'invisible' queue as people order it here and the auntie brings the hot piping bowls of ban mian to you. So remember your table number before you come. And of course, for a small bowl it's only $3.50, and very value for money.

The essence of ban mian is freshly made noodle strips at the stall, and nothing beats fresh noodles, really! The soup is broiled thoroughly with pork and ikan bilis powder, very fragrant and rich. With fried onions, chye sim and even a perfectly half-boiled egg (gooey yolk is gooey) to boot, I have no complaints about my bowl of ban mian from this stall. I have eaten quite a lot of ban mian around Singapore and this is surely a worthy representation of what great ban mian should be like. Comforting especially on a rainy day, but I would eat it even on a sweltering hot day.

Mei Wei Ban Mian

J99 Eating House

186 Toa Payoh Central

Singapore 310186

Never miss a post again!

I share interesting episodes in life revolving around food, lifestyle, travel and inspirational ideas. If you would like to stay in touch, follow me on my Instagram on @amie.hu and Facebook page!

Hooray - Hoshino Coffee is 4, and they launched a new menu to celebrate.

November 5, 2016, 10:53 pm

≫ Next: Chasing Queues: I'm KIM Korean BBQ

≪ Previous: A "Native" Toa Payoh Food Trail: Mei Wei (Literally: Delicious) Ban Mian

$

0

0

Do you know - how long has Hoshino Coffee been in Singapore? They have just turned 4 and they are celebrating with a spankin' new menu. Hoshino Coffee is actually a major successful Japanese chain restaurant in Japan across several provinces! And you know the thing with the Japanese and their food... they spare no punches in making it excellent, so good you can't help but say - oishiiii! 

Hoshino Coffee at one of their newer locations at Capitol Piazza - the ideal location includes three small private booths for all the catch-up conversations you don't want anyone else to hear! They come with a slider door. Private booths are available for everyone at a first-come-first-served basis, no reservation required. Seriously, all restaurants should have these private booths...!

I have always known them for their souffle pancakes, and the amazingly real-looking food display right outside all their stores. Little did I know, they are not just a dessert place, but they have an extensive array of Japanese lunch and dinner menu that totally carries their dedication to good quality.

To start our delightful meal, we were introduced to their drinks menu. Most people either get their matcha latte soft serve, hot matcha, iced tea or hand-dripped coffees. They have a lot of other drinks, but these are their customer favourites. The thing about their matcha is that it is hands-down the most serious matcha I have ever had in Singapore. It is incredibly thick and velvety. The matcha taste is so strong, it was fantastic quality with every drop. I haven't been to Japan yet, but apparently this is the expected standard that matcha should be. Thumbs up! If you love cold drinks, the matcha latte soft serve is a huge hit with guests, the soft serve is the milky sort and almost doubles up as a dessert. There is also a Iced Sakura latte soft serve, which I found it to be pretty (Instagram-worthy) but not as taste-worthy as the matcha ones.

In accordance of what we tried - the first dish we tried was the Hamburg Steak Plate (SGD17.80)! It is sealed in aluminium foil to bake to retain maximum moisture of the beef, which it did! It was so juicy and the sauce made it even more delicious! Admittedly, this is the least photogenic of them, but trust me, it tastes one of the best in their menu. So if you're the sort that prides on taste more than presentation, this will be the one that will appeal to you the most. The pasta was alright, it certainly wasn't their forte but I guess it's decent enough.

For a richer and denser taste, the Beef Stew Plate (SGD18.80) would be your choice! The stew was ultra thick and fragrant. While it is very delicious, it probably wouldn't be my choice because there was a strong contender:

They incorporated their talented souffles with their beef-centric menu, and there we have it! Beef stew doria within their fluffy souffles! It's called the Fuwa-fuwa Hoshino Souffle with Beef Stew Doria (SGD17)! Such a cute name with such a lovely dish. Tuck into the slight crispy exterior and then hit the fluffy souffle layers to get to the beef stew is hidden inside. It gets messy, but it's so yummy to have.

For dinner picks - I am most likely to go for this one: Beef stew omu rice (SGD16.80) because of the well-rounded elements in the whole dish. You get the beef stew from the previous few dishes, and then there's egg and rice to go with it, which would satisfy the carbo monster in me. They certainly know how to make omu rice that can make you tear with happiness, the omelette is just so soft, fluffy and lovely to go with the rice! I wonder what they put in there to make the texture so good.

I will talk about the Angus Beef Steak Plate (SGD21.80) and Omu Rice & Angus Beef Steak Plate with salad (SGD18.80) since they use the same angus beef for both dishes, just that the way they present it and the side dishes are different! So it's really up to your personal choice on what you like. The angus beef steak is done to a medium rare, and you can still see the pinkness! The juiciness level is not as consistent in every piece as I wished, but it is still pretty good with the sauce for the most part! Generally, both dishes are not bad.

For dessert, Hoshino has also come up with the Strawberry French Toast (SGD12.80) that will appeal to sweet-tooths! Softly baked French toast drizzled with a generous dose of maple syrup, accompanied by a dazzling party of strawberries and whipped cream, this is such a treat if you like sweet things! Please share this, I can't imagine finishing this entire thing by myself. These are the new menu items, and for a complete look, this is the menu:

When this dish, the Hoshino Spaghetti (SGD14), is set down on the table... I was laughing inwardly to myself because you know this is extremely familiar! There is no escape from being compared with Miam Miam Spaghetti when they look so similar, and I will just say... I didn't like Miam Miam's, and this one is way better because the pasta's texture and taste is al dente (versus rubbery) and not overly salty, and the ingredients in general felt more like the cooking proces is a tad more thoughtful. I might have caught Miam's on a bad day, but well, if I am in a pasta mood, I'll definitely go for this at Hoshino.

Some of the off-new-menu items we tried was the Omu Souffle on tomato risotto with shrimp and broccoli (SGD16) which was curiously delicious as well. It looked like something straight out of outerspace and accompanying the risotto with the fluffy omu cloud souffle is just heavenly (all puns fully intended). It is so fluffy, it literally jiggles when you move the bowl.

When things come out in a hot steaming pot, you know it's gonna be amazing - Hoshino Pot Baked Curry Rice (SGD15) is precisely one that wafts drool-worthy fragrance, and the richness of everything yummy coming together in one place. The rich curry sauce accompanying the rice and the runny egg... I mean, comfort food has never come in such incredible quality.

Do we stop at mains? The answer is NO. Vanilla Souffles (or Matcha Souffles) - come in chocolate or custard (SGD10.80) and they are enough to make me go weak-kneed and doe-eyed over it. It's not overly sweet, thank goodness, and even if it seems simple, it's a winner. 

And obviously we don't stop at one dessert... and I saved the classic Double Pancake Souffle Style (SGD12) from Hoshino for the last. If you visit Hoshino without trying these, it's like going to Paris without seeing the Eiffel Tower. There's more to Hoshino (just like there's more to Paris), but well, there's just something naggingly missing.  OK simply put just GO FOR IT! You won't regret it.

Hoshino is running a 4th Anniversary Photo contest until 30 November!

All you have to do is take an appetizing and savoury photo of the new menu dishes from Hoshino Coffee and get a special reward of Original Coffee Bean from Japan, Coffee Mill and Original cup and saucer along with vouchers!
Just follow these steps to win:
1. Follow #hoshinocoffeesg on Instagram
2. Post your photo on Instagram with #hoshinonewmenu
(Please remember to set to Public!)

or

1. "Like" our Facebook page Hoshino Coffee Singapore
2. Post your photo to your Facebook account (please set to the public)
3. Tag Hoshino Coffee Singapore Page with #hoshinonewmenu

Hoshino Coffee is at multiple outlets including Capitol Piazza, Suntec City, Plaza Singapura, and more.

Never miss a post again!

I share interesting episodes in life revolving around food, lifestyle, travel and inspirational ideas. If you would like to stay in touch, follow me on my Instagram on @amie.hu and Facebook page!

Chasing Queues: I'm KIM Korean BBQ

November 6, 2016, 8:21 am

≫ Next: Not running out of dinner choices at Plaza Singapura with Kai Sushi & Robatayaki

≪ Previous: Hooray - Hoshino Coffee is 4, and they launched a new menu to celebrate.

$

0

0

I'm KIM Korean BBQ can be considered one of the kings of the Korean BBQ scene in Singapore. You would see determined faces in its snaking queues every evening to have a taste of the delicious smoking meat in korean barbecue heaven. Right at the foot of SOTA, this is one of the holy grails that is from the same folks behind the awesome Gorogoro.

Pick up all you need for your crazy feasting! The good thing about I'm KIM is that everything at the buffet section is something that you are likely to totally fall in love with. Nothing is 'extra' to make the section looks like it has more variety. From the vegetables section, I picked up Kimchi (for starters), big leafy greens to wrap the smoked meats with, and enoki mushrooms. 

And then onto the meats! It's a total paradise for carnivores. All the marinated chicken is amazingly addictive, and for someone who doesn't binge on meat, I make this an exception. If you can take spicy food, definitely go for the hot volcano chicken! I am always tearing with happiness and indulgence when I eat that. It is always so succulent and tasty. The pork ribs are the premium choices to go for as well if you're seeking for value.

Side dishes and dipping sauces are not too varied, but each of them is excellent. The jellyfish, seafood pancake and glass noodles The collagen soups are really helpful too, especially to reduce 'heatiness' after eating so much meats! 

Time to turn up the fire and grill! Hear it sizzle and let the fragrances permeate the space around you... well, ventilation is not perfect so expect to fuse as one with the delicious air.

Fat juicy prawns on the grill, and everything only takes a little while to be ready! Perfect for the impatient little empty stomachs.

Soju or Korean Hite beers - hit them up for your perfect Korean BBQ night. You can't have a grill night without any of these, right? 17% soju in original flavour. Quite a potent shot (after shot after shot).

I'm KIM Korean BBQ
School of The Arts

1 Zubir Said Drive #01-04/05/06/07

Singapore 227968

Never miss a post again!

I share interesting episodes in life revolving around food, lifestyle, travel and inspirational ideas. If you would like to stay in touch, follow me on my Instagram on @amie.hu and Facebook page!