Hot Star Large Chicken at Nex Shopping Mall

I must have been living under a rock as I have never heard of Hot Star Large Chicken until I saw it being featured in a Takashimaya Flyer. Apparently it is the big thing in Taiwan and now it is available in Singapore. After a friend told me Nex Shopping Mall has it, I decided to pop by and try it.

There were several flavors and I chose the original. You could also get chicken cubes, popcorn chicken and sweet potato fries and drinks.

After paying the cashier, you will have to wait for them to grill and deep fry the chicken pieces. Looking at the vat of oil, you know this is not an everyday snack or meal to have.

The freshly fried chicken waiting to be seasoned with flavors and spices. It is huge!

They will not cut into smaller pieces for you and it is served whole in a paper bag. I brought it home and put it on an oval plate. The chicken is partly breast meat with some bones and a bit of thigh. A bit too floury for me but not too bad.

The best chicken bits I had was still in Taiwan but sadly I could not remember the name of it though it could be found everywhere. It was only nice when it was hot and crispy.

Artisan Bread by Bakerzin, Serangoon Gardens

Chocolate Chip Muffin

I went to Serangoon Gardens Village recently and was quite enthralled by how much the area has changed. I used to go there every weekend growing up as my piano teacher lived there. Plus my maternal grandmother and various uncles and aunts used to live in the big house there before they sold the place many years back.

I remembered the old bus interchange in the gardens before it became just a bus stop and then with part of it converted into a parking lot. Some things remained the same while others had evolved. So the mini mall was finally built and with it came with several eateries such as Relish, Da Paolo Gastronomia, Udders and Bakerzin Artisan Bakery to name a few.

The breads and buns looked attractive and just slightly different from other bakeries. I was keen to try the muffin as it had a real proper muffin top. It could be quite hard to find a muffin with the huge overhang as most looked more like cupcakes in Singapore.

Taste-wise, it was average. The sides were slightly crispy and it was full of chocolate chips. The muffin was a bit crumbly and dry when kept for the next day. I guessed I still missed the muffins from Mmmuffins in Canada. That was still my ultimate muffin treat, especially the banana nut and butterscotch pecan. Yumz.

Marine Parade Baos

It has been so many years since I had the baos from the corner bao stall in the corner coffee shop in Marine Parade (near the old Republic cinema). I happened to be back in the area a few weeks ago and could not resist checking out the place and see if the place is still in existence. After all we are talking about over 20+ years since the last time I went to buy the baos on my own.

As I just had lunch over at the new 112 Katong (previously Katong Mall), I only bought a big bao and a char siew bao. These were the baos I grew up eating in my childhood years when I lived in Marine Parade. They were not pretty or tiny but they packed a punch in taste and portion. 

The big bao was juicy with the sauce coating the interior of the soft white doughy bun. My favorite part of the big meat bao was the gravy soaked bun. Somehow the marriage of the unami sauce and sweetish dough made the taste buds danced a merry tune. It was a very generous serving and was typical of the baos which used to be everywhere in the 1980s or earlier, unlike the baos I often had now from the stalls in the malls.

The char siew bao was equally good with well marinated meat. It was not fatty meat like some other outlets but the proportion of fatty bits and lean meat was just right. The thicker bun meant each mouthful had an even part of meat and bun.

I could not really recall the taste of the buns of my yesteryears but these were really good and fabulous for when I wanted a more decent serving of baos.

Grilled Cheese Roll and Adult Grilled Cheese Sandwich

Grilled Cheese Roll and Grilled Cheese with Onion Sandwich

I was on a mission to find the perfect macaroni and cheese recipe and along the way I found many versions of grilled cheese sandwiches and decided to whip up something quick, just so I could try them. I could be funny that way. I read. I saw. I made. All in the same day, but only because I already had those ingredients handy :p

Grilled Cheese Roll Recipe:
Ingredients:
1. bread slices
2. cheese slices
3. butter


Method:
1. Remove the crust from the bread and flatten bread.
2. Butter 1 side of the bread and place a slice of cheese on the unbuttered side.
3. Roll the bread and place on the pan seam side down.
4. The cheese will melt as it gets heated up and it will seal the seam. Slowly roll the bread to brown evenly. 

Adult Grilled Cheese Sandwich Recipe
Ingredients:
1. bread slices
2. cheese slices
3. butter
4. onions


Method:
1. Slice onions and saute till caramelized. Set aside.
2. Butter 1 side of bread and place on pan. Add cheese on the unbuttered side and pile on the caramelized onions.
3. Grind black pepper over it and cover with another slice of bread, with buttered side up.
4. Flip over the sandwich when it turned a bit brown.
5. As it sizzles on the other side, flip over again to cook it further or till desired brownness. 

Grilled Gouda Sandwich

This is the regular grilled cheese sandwich with gouda cheese and multigrain bread. You could also make ham and cheese toasties with this method of grilling.