Thoughts: Blog, pretentious food blogs, etc...

After doing lots of walking to locate a pair of low-heel work shoes, I took a break at Ah Mei Kaya Toast and had a black coffee. Did some thinking about this blog and the direction in which I want it to go.

Classic vanilla icecream (with crushed, toasted almonds)

For my first attempt at homemade icecream, I wanted to do a classic flavour using a simple receipe. It was going to be either vanilla or chocolate. Since mom loves plain vanilla, I decided to go with that, with the addition of some crumbled roasted almonds for a nice crunch.

Guess what we got...

Jumbo Seafood: Black pepper crab

When my family had dinner at Jumbo with some relatives on a weekday and I could not make it because of work, mom pitied me so much that she packed back a black pepper crab for me (laugh). I had not been to Jumbo for years... at least 10 years, so I was interested in how their black pepper crab would compare to Tung Lok Seafood's.

Snacks: Roasted Almonds

The pictures of the meals I post are sometimes not my only meal of the day. Sometimes, and especially if I have worked out hard that day, I get hungry again about two hours later. That is when I go digging in the fridge for something that can is ready to eat (e.g. leftovers, salad veggies) or something that can be easily cooked. 

Homecooked dinner: Lemongrass pork salad, cabbage

Mom's Thai lemongrass pork on top of lettuce

Hong Kong Jin Tian Eating House

Ask me which hawker stall serves up the best roast duck and/or roast pork, and I will say without hesitation: Hong Kong Jin Tian Eating House. My family has tried various hawker stalls, and before discovering Jin Tian, we were surprised that even Hong Kong restaurants in Melbourne and Perth were serving up roast meat that was in terms of taste, many leagues ahead of Singapore's hawker stalls. 

You cannot imagine how delighted we were when we found Jin Tian, and that it matches up to those Hong Kong restaurants in Melbourne and Perth. People we have invited over for a roast duck / pork meal have all also been impressed.

Homecooked dinner: Grilled veggies and pork bolognese

Grilled zucchini and green capsicum (tastes delish with garlic salt)

Rumah Rasa

Rumah Rasa is a new Indonesian restaurant in the just-as-new Bay Hotel, opposite Vivo City. According to its Facebook page, its head chef, Chef Sharifah, aims to deliver authentic and ibu-esque Indonesian flavours by using fresh seasonal produce. Rumah Rasa caught my attention when a bunch of food blogs all suddenly published a review on the restaurant. Being a huge Indonesian food fan, I had to go and try the restaurant out.

Homecooked dinner: Grilled veggies, stewed chicken

Grilled cauliflower, mushrooms and tomatoes

Da Paolo Gastronomia: Chocolate Croissant

This chocolate croissant was another venture into a non-cake item from Da Paolo. In my limited croissant-eating experience, there are two types of croissants: the buttery, crisp, flaky kind, and the bready kind. The former should be good enough to be eaten on its own, and I usually do that; the latter - I like to use as sandwich bread.

Shoe Review: Nike Zoom Waffle Racer V

At the same time that I had bought the Nike Air Zoom Streak XC 2 from Running Warehouse,  I also bought the Nike Zoom Waffle Racer V as it was on the "liquidation" list and going at a heavily discounted price. Besides, two pairs of shoes suited my training - one for outdoor sprinting and one for the treadmill indoors.

Homecooked dinner: Lemongrass chicken salad

Just a simple small meal because I wasn't very hungry that day.

Wholemeal Hokkaido Milky Loaf

You may remember my attempt at Tangzhong bread, and the pictures of the loaf with three uneven low humps (yet looking totally shreddable). Not being adept at shaping irked me so much that I just had to bake another loaf of bread to practice.

Vitacost, another online supplements store

Hi guys, I have discovered and tested another online store in the U.S. selling supplements, at which you may be able to get some supplements at a cheaper price than iHerb.com. On 17 August I ordered two bottles of tryptophan and one bottle of 5-HTP from Vitacost.com. On 31 August, 14 days later, I received my box of supplements.  Not too bad a shipping time.

For your reference below is a comparison of the prices of some products, and costs of shipping.