Thunder Tea Rice : What Keeps Singaporean Youthful, Maybe.

I could never know its existence, let alone tasting it, if not for two beautiful coincidence. Well I don't really believe in coincidence, let's just say the universe was conspiring to let me taste it.

One, I consider myself lucky to have a Googler (who happens to be quite a foodie herself) as my food safari compadre. Two, we supposed to have one of her favorite breakfast but the stall was closed. The next thing I know, we are already at the front of this comic-sounded-stall. Seriously, Thunder Tea could easily be a superhero's name. Obviously, his super power would be his healing ability with herbs and teas. Well, lets not let imagination carry us away. 

This Hakka specialty dish though have a super power of its own. Created during the Qin dynasty, it is said to have helped Chinese soldier fight the plague at the time and eventually energize them to win the war. Their sign board and pamphlet claim that the dish can help to lower cholesterol, remove body toxic, strengthen immune system, ease digestion, combat flu, and most importantly maintain youth and beauty.

Ain't that awesome? 

It's no miracle work though. If you look at the ingredients, you'll figure it out fast that Thunder Tea Rice is one healthy dish. Made from 7 types of veggies (Chye Sim, Romaine Lettuce, Manicai, Kailan, Thai Basil, Mint Leaves, French / Long Beans) it is only natural that it contain high amount of fiber and low dose of calories or fat. Mix it with the brown rice, then your healthy does is doubled. 

But how about the taste? 

Awkwardly uncommon. 

I suppose it is one of those food that you either love it or hate it. I'm sorry to say, it would take a heavy amount of adaptation to get used to this, especially if you eat it they way the locals do. Yes, the green soup is meant to be poured over right into the bowl of rice. The problem is, the taste is still manageable (although rather bland) until you pour the green potion. It has a very herbal grassy flavor and a hint of green tea. Have you ever had a wheatgrass juice at Boost? That. 

However, being a true Indonesian, our eyes easily shine bright like a diamond upon seeing the red liquid thingy. Chili sauce for the rescue! I have to admit, the hero that morning was the chili. Without it, I wouldn't even eat half of it. At the end, I left about a quarter of the dish unfinished. I gave up. 

Did I regret the SGD 3.50 I spent? 

Not at all. For me the joy is not in the taste, but in venturing out and trying new stuff. Plus, I think I've grown a tad more good looking and youthful the morning after. =p Plus, like I've said many moons before "who you eat with is just as important as what you eat."

More discoveries coming! Stay tune to find out where Miss Googler took me to next. ;)

Until then, munch on my tweets @Wanderbites. 

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Thunder Tea Rice 

Lau Pa Sat Stall No. 12 

18 Raffles Quay 

(Drop off at Raffles Place MRT)

Outram Park Fried Kway Teow Mee : Oh The Length I Had Gone For You.

The little red dot.
The fine city.
The lion city.
The shopping city.

Despite of all the nicknames given, Singapore has grown more and more as a foodie city for me. So much that I dedicated the whole three days solely to hunt for culinary gems. I would blame this rising frenzy to I Eat I Shoot I Post, a Singaporean food blog that in a way has become my unofficial guide for this trip of complete gluttony.

It's funny how I get that extra surge of battery power prior to traveling that I manage to sleep at 12.30am and then wake up at 4am to catch the earliest flight available. I guess it's the endorphin called excitement. I was all smileful during the drive to the airport. Even more cheery upon boarding the gate with some of the hottest flight attendants alive. Yes, the ones in red. ;)

Arrived just in time for breakfast, I spared no time and rush to Chinatown right away to grab what said to be one of Singapore's most acclaimed char kway teow. With a starved belly and a I-could-eat-a-guy appetite, I must face reality when my dollar notes is rejected. Lesson's learned. Only carry small notes. Apparently people prefer to lose one customer rather than having to bear the tedious task of finding change.

Total breakfast delay time: one excruciating hour.

What happened in that precious hour? I ran to find money changer, that Indian guy say no even before I finished my sentence. I ran to 7-11, that old Chinese lady spoke something in words I don't understand followed with a go-away hand gesture. Alright, I get it ma'am. I've never feel so rejected in my life. *dramaking* Fortunately, an aha-moment came when I saw a shophouse on the side of New Bridge Road, wrapped in glass wall, a yellow banner that says Maybank, and a security guard that opens the door for me. Finally!

Off I go to Hong Lim Food Centre, jumped to the second floor and with the little snapshot of Outram Park Fried Kway Teow Mee taken from the web, I browsed the site for it. You should see the sparkle in my eyes upon seeing this store sign. I think there was a bit of happy tears flashing out in between too. *dramakingcontinues* 

It appears that this place has gained popularity having featured on the page of Strait Times. I was told a long queue happens almost everyday, but I was lucky coming in as an earlybird. No queue at all, and I get to take a few close shots of the uncle cooking. I noticed that he has his own way of frying the kway teow. He would splat out a few eggs to start with, let it cooked, pour in all the other ingredients, and then he'll stop in the middle, splat out a few more eggs. However, this time, he let the eggs half cooked and quickly mash the stuff all over again. The latter gave the kway teow a rather creamy wet end results.

I love this $3 goodness. I love that it uses cockles. I've been craving for a good alternative since Chopstix took it out of their menu. I love that it's more on the sweet end. I love that its hot as it needs to be. If only it could be a bit spicier, then it would be perfect. Overall, as a dish, it has all the quality that pulls you in. It made you couldn't stop until you savored the last bite.

And until the last bite I did. Enjoyed it so much, that I sat another 15 minutes just mesmerized. In that short period of time, I kept on seeing people taking the familiar kway teow on red plates and wood chopsticks to their table. If this were an MTV award, this stall would've won the people's choice trophy.

I'm happy that I started my journey with the dish that is not a tourist trap. I must say you are worth all the length that I've gone just to meet you.

Drama King over and out,

Fellexandro Ruby 
Food / Travel Photographer & Storyteller

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Outram Park Fried Kway Teow Mee
Hong Lim Food Centre
Blk 531A, Stall 02-17
Monday - Saturday : 06.00am - 04.30pm
Closed Sunday & Public Holiday

Martabak - Everyone's Favorite #1 : Sinar Kiat

Martabak.

I drool just by the sound of it. And I bet a name and a place come up in your mind as you read this line. Right? It appears that everyone has their personal favorite. Usually it's somewhere near the place they live. And just as interesting, more often that not there's at least one popular martabak vendor in a particular area.

With this in mind, I tweeted yesterday and ask friends in my timeline to name theirs, thus the hashtag #MartabakJuara. Within a few minutes a lot of replies came in, and the conversation lasted for almost half a day. There's one in Rawamangun, two in Pecenongan, one in Sunter, one in Muara Karang, one in Meruya, one in Cibubur, one in Tebet, one in Karawaci, and many more. In fact, I'm kinda overwhelmed by the replies, but I'm happy that at least, I can partially conclude that my hypothesis is true. And most importantly, a lot of people can relate to Martabak.

The next question is "Which martabak?"

If this were biology, I would classify them into two different genus: Martabak Manis (sweet) & Martabak Telor (savory). Each would then spread into different species variety. You'll find martabak manis durian, martabak manis pandan, martabak telor with chicken egg, martabak telor with duck egg, and other creative incarnations of toppings. But let's not go too far.

For now, let's stick with what our kind friends on Twitter have recommended. With the kind of cravings I had yesterday, I couldn't help but pick up my bestfriend and force him along to a culinary adventure to Jalan Jelambar Baru or mostly known as Borobudur. Right in front of Permata Bank there are three different martabak vendors, I hesitated as I turn on my radar. With a few Sherlock Holmes' kind of deduction, I concluded that Sinar Kiat is the #MartabakJuara that Jenzcorner was talking about.

The Bangka looking guy dressed in polo. The striking red cutting sticker on the cart. And most importantly the long queue of people. The last being the most important clue.

I leave no time to spare. Off with camera in hand, I started taking pictures. Shutter after shutter, documenting the process. Here they are as I experienced it.

Verdict

The advantage of having your friend with you is that you don't have to drive. Yes, I get to eat right away as he drove to our next destination. I must admit that the Wijsman butter made all the difference. Laid on the outer skin, it gives the buttery smell & enough oil to fuel your saliva. The choice of Kraft cheese is worth noting. Probably the only cheese that fitted well with martabak manis. On the other hand though, I find that the condensed milk does not complement the overall taste well enough. I might be biased, but it's a different kind of sweet. Still, this is one delicious martabak. I ended up finishing half of the pack by myself.

Trying it further with the chocolate martabak, I couldn't go more than two bites. The chocolate is off putting. It might be the meises or the fact that it lacked peanuts.

I would come back just for the cheese martabak or the durian, which unfortunately unavailable yesterday.

What's Next?

The quest to try and discover more martabak vendor goes on. Hopefully I will get the chance to try your favorite martabak that you have suggested. However, with all the butter, cheese, and fat juices that late in the night, pray that I'll have extra strength to do my morning jog to burn them off the next day.

In the mean time, let me know your favorite martabak in the comments below.

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Location

Martabak Sinar Kiat
Jalan Jelambar Baru (Borobudur)
Turn left after SPBU in Latumenten, vendor is right accross Permata Bank

Brunei Darussalam's Landscapes & Greens (Ep. #2)

Continuing my previous post, I owe it to you guys to share the depths of Brunei.

The first thing I noticed about this country is the little (or almost zero) availability of public transport. You'll be surprised seeing less than a handful taxis wandering around the airport, and I haven't seen even one single bus during my four days stay there. After uncovering more facts from our lovely driver, the answer is that because almost everyone in Brunei owns a car. The exact number is one private car per 2.09 person. That makes Brunei withhold one of the highest car ownership rate in the world. The reason is attributed to the low import taxes and definitely one of the lowest fuel prices in the world, with only 0.35 $ / liter for diesel gas, and 0.53$ / liter for unleaded gas. How convenient does that sound in comparison with the current protest against subsidy cuts in fuel price in Indonesia? I suppose that can only happen in Brunei where there's only 415.000 citizens and the government really manage its resources well.

This phenomenon resulted in more and more curiosity in me. Further discovery leads me to another joy of being a Brunei citizens: rice and housing are all subsidized by the government. Added to that, healthcare is provided by government as well. Healthcare for citizens is charged at 1$B per consultation.

Ain't that lovely?

Indeed. Now what's lovelier are the pictures I'm going to show you. It's funny that when I typed in "places to go in brunei" on Google, there's only 5 places shown even on Lonely Planet website. But we were lucky to have friends who've been to places in Brunei. Some of the highlights are:

Labi with its beautiful landscape, greens, and trees. During our visit there, the water level was on the lowest, which was quite an attraction cause we get to see the living grasses that usually hidden under water. 

Kampung Ayer where you could see the indigenous people who lived practically in houses on water. They make bridges to connect from one island of houses to the other and travel to the land using boats. They even managed to set electricity with poles on the water.

Beach & Woods at Empire Hotel where we were staying. It was probably the most luxurious and complete hotel / villa complex in Brunei. I'm sorry that I couldn't reveal anymore than this as it would spoil the surprise we prepared for the couple I was photographing. In the mean time, this will do to represent.

Jerudong Park where the Sultan keep his breed of horses. I didn't take photos of them though. They fleed as I fired the flash. =p

 
Here is Gadong night market where street hawkers and food vendors are mashed up with the hungry night eaters (read: me!). They practically sell anything here, from clothes, bags, daily groceries, until soft lenses! Credits to Erika for the Gadong photos. It was one of the most fun dinner, we bought a bunch of foods from the traditional 1$ Nasi Katok, Roti Melaya (which is what they call martabak manis), to the finger foods such as Cheese Chili Dog, and a lot more. We brought it back to Empire, our hotel, and bash it together.

I never expect Brunei to be this flavorful. But I guess that's the beauty of travelling. With fresh eyes you see, discover, and experience new things, and hopefully it will trigger fresh thoughts, enlight your soul, and free your mind from clutter. I did. And I hope this post will spark you too.

I've got one more in store. Another food adventure in Brunei. Until then, tune in, smile on.

Will travel for food,

Fellexandro Ruby
Food Conversationalist & Photographer

Munch on my tweets @Wanderbites