If you like herbal soups, you'll like Earthen Jar Treasure. Here they differentiate the soups by their Chinese medicinal properties. It could be cooling, warming or a blood tonic just to describe a few.
The giant jars where their claypots of soups are kept are quite a fascinating sight to behold. Upon order, a single claypot of your soup is taken out of the giant jar with a long metal stick which will then be served with either plain rice or yam rice.
The advantage of using a claypot lies in its ability to keep the contents warm, something I find absolutely essential for soups. If I remember correctly, the older generation believes that the medicinal properties of the soup is only effective when the soup is hot. Of course there is also the well-documented fact that anything made in a claypot tastes better.
As for the food served, the lotus root soup with pork ribs which has a soup with a cooling property. The palate was light yet full-bodied that would have you wanting seconds. The pork ribs that come along in the soup are cooked till tender and the taste of the soup permeates the meat. The lotus roots are thinly sliced and cooked to perfection. Every bite is crunchy.
The watercress soup had a nice and subtle sweetness which came from the combination of the pork, watercress and red dates. My only grouse with this soup is that the watercress were slightly over-cooked and yellow as I prefer the watercress somewhat greener and retaining a bit of its crunch. But overall, it is still an enjoyable pot of soup to savour.
A friend of mine revealed a little secret tucked in Changi Airport Terminal 2. It's a staff canteen that serves surprisingly good food. One of which is Wild Olives which serves really good western food and pasta at really low prices even for public customers.
After coming here, you'll suspect that other western food stalls are either paying astronomical rentals, or they are really ripping you off. With a pasta main as low as $2.90 and the most expensive at $4.20, it is not hard to start guessing. Others like Fish & Chips and Breaded Fried Chicken cost $5.50 and $5 respectively.
Anyway, pretty much everything they serve is really good. My list of favourites would include: Fish & Chips, Breaded Fried Chicken, Fusilli Di Bosco, Linguine alla Vongole and Potato Salad.
Fish & Chips The fish is fried to perfection with a light and crispy outer shell that covers the moist and flaky fish. The generous dollop of tartar sauce ensures that you can enjoy every morsel of the fish and its sides of chips and coleslaw.
Potato Salad This cold dish packs a real surprise on the palate. The diced potatoes are mixed with mayonnaise and then sprinkled with spring onions followed by yellow raisins. The myriad of textures is just amazing with every bite. The sweetness of the raisins marry perfectly to the potatoes.
Fusilli Di Bosco For something with mushrooms, it is surprisingly cheap. What's more, this pasta dish is served with portobello mushrooms. At $2.90, it is an unbelievable steal, not to mention that it tastes absolutely fantastic as well.
Linguine alla Vongole You can taste that a good amount of white wine was actually used in this dish. The result is a creamy sauce which is rich with the taste of the wine. Easily a favourite with white wine sauce lovers.
Bobosaid: MMmM Sounds really good for that price. :) Thanks 14 Jan 2008 at 6:51 am
claudsaid: Now we need to figure out where this staff canteen in located... digging out maps of T2... 14 Jan 2008 at 9:34 am
Polarbearsaid: There are a lot of good and cheap food there. 14 Jan 2008 at 9:39 am
kormmandossaid: Go to the end furthest away from the MRT station. 15 Jan 2008 at 5:08 pm
kormmandossaid: Go to the end furthest away from the MRT station. You'll get to a car park. Find the lift in the car park that can take you to level 3M. You'll find the staff canteen there. 15 Jan 2008 at 5:10 pm
I'm quite a sucker for Japanese ice cream. Mainly because it's (1) Japanese and (2) got more familiarly Asian flavours. And that's on top of the fact that Japanese ice cream seem to taste smoother, lighter and of course the illusion that all Japanese stuff equates healthier choice (even without moderation).
So I was whiling away my time before the Jackie Cheung concert (my review and photos) at the newly opened Kallang Leisure Park when I chanced upon haato in the basement, just beside the supermarket.
Curiosity and skepticism got the better of me and I decided the take a closer look. The flavours available are predictably Japanese, like matcha, black sesame, milk tea just to name a few. However the flavour that caught my eye was the sweet potato and honey chestnut. I was given a generous sample to try and decided to get a cup.
What I liked about this flavour was that it wasn't too sweet and it was possible to taste chunks of the Japanese sweet potato with traces of its purple skin and yellow flesh throughout the cup. The honey blended very well to add the extra punch of natural sweetness and the chestnuts added its rich body to the texture and aroma. The combined result was a really well-balanced palate which doesn't leave a heavy feeling.
Tucked in an obscure hawker centre is this stall that churns out handmade paus. Unlike the usual ones you get which are machine manufactured, the items here are handmade with skill and experience.
The most popular item here has got to be their char siew paus. The buns are only slightly larger than ping pong balls and can easily fit your mouth at one go.
But sink your teeth into one and you will discover the reason of its popularity. The char siew filling is exceptionally fragrant. The meat is chunky enough for visual and texture identification. You can literally savour every morsel of the filling.
The pau skin is amazingly thin and moist and yet resilient enough to just hold the filling in. Trademarks of true skill and experience.
The queue is easily avoided by patronising during weekday lunchtimes, when the hawker centre is surprisingly less busy.
Last word of advice: buy plenty, like a minimum of 20 items, since each item only costs 50 cents (large items at $1) because the paus are really the once-you-start-you-can't-stop kind of good.
It has come to that point again. The point you get bored with the predictability of franchises. Aren't we all sick of Ajisen Ramen? While it is quite alright, it isn't exciting anymore. And not to mention that I have suspicions of it being an authentic Japanese restaurant.
So it is time to venture to the unknown (somewhat) and it's nice to try out independent places where ramen is prepared by a Japanese or at least with the Japanese spirit of quality sells better, where you can taste the pride of producing something of true quality, with absolutely no MSG.
That's exactly what this little shop boasts of its soup bases, which takes many hours to achieve the perfection of robust flavour that won't leave a heavy feeling. So well made is the bowl of ramen that this place doesn't sell any other variety of ramen. The only other way is to zhng your ramen is with their additional toppings/condiments.
Speaking of toppings and condiments, you can sort of determine the origins of the shop and thus its authenticity of being truly Japanese by the condiments, particularly the stewed egg. Halve an egg from authentic ramen restaurants and you will see the difference in the yolk, which retains its gooey form compared to the hard solid texture found from Ajisen.
The char siew here is also very good. Cooked till soft and tender, the meat comes apart easily and melts in your mouth.
However, it does take a bit of patience to eat here. The service is somewhat laid-back and thus a little slow.
Christysaid: oooh. sounds good. What are the prices like? 07 Jan 2008 at 11:54 pm
kormmandossaid: A standard bowl should set you back by around $10 to $12. The additional toppings are $1 to $2 each. 07 Jan 2008 at 11:59 pm
whiteblankosaid: $10 to $12 sounds more than reasonable! im not too adventurous, i usually order spicy miso ramen. do they have this at ken ramen house? 29 May 2008 at 5:14 pm
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1=SGD 0.0587
If you like herbal soups, you'll like Earthen Jar Treasure. Here they differentiate the soups by their Chinese medicinal properties. It could be cooling, warming or a blood tonic just to describe a few.
The giant jars where their claypots of soups are kept are quite a fascinating sight to behold. Upon order, a single claypot of your soup is taken out of the giant jar with a long metal stick which will then be served with either plain rice or yam rice.
The advantage of using a claypot lies in its ability to keep the contents warm, something I find absolutely essential for soups. If I remember correctly, the older generation believes that the medicinal properties of the soup is only effective when the soup is hot. Of course there is also the well-documented fact that anything made in a claypot tastes better.
As for the food served, the lotus root soup with pork ribs which has a soup with a cooling property. The palate was light yet full-bodied that would have you wanting seconds. The pork ribs that come along in the soup are cooked till tender and the taste of the soup permeates the meat. The lotus roots are thinly sliced and cooked to perfection. Every bite is crunchy.
The watercress soup had a nice and subtle sweetness which came from the combination of the pork, watercress and red dates. My only grouse with this soup is that the watercress were slightly over-cooked and yellow as I prefer the watercress somewhat greener and retaining a bit of its crunch. But overall, it is still an enjoyable pot of soup to savour.
Login to add your comment. Or, Register for an account now. It's free!The goreng pisang there also very good. Haa....
15 Jan 2008 at 1:20 pm
A friend of mine revealed a little secret tucked in Changi Airport Terminal 2. It's a staff canteen that serves surprisingly good food. One of which is Wild Olives which serves really good western food and pasta at really low prices even for public customers.
After coming here, you'll suspect that other western food stalls are either paying astronomical rentals, or they are really ripping you off. With a pasta main as low as $2.90 and the most expensive at $4.20, it is not hard to start guessing. Others like Fish & Chips and Breaded Fried Chicken cost $5.50 and $5 respectively.
Anyway, pretty much everything they serve is really good. My list of favourites would include: Fish & Chips, Breaded Fried Chicken, Fusilli Di Bosco, Linguine alla Vongole and Potato Salad.
Fish & Chips
The fish is fried to perfection with a light and crispy outer shell that covers the moist and flaky fish. The generous dollop of tartar sauce ensures that you can enjoy every morsel of the fish and its sides of chips and coleslaw.
Potato Salad
This cold dish packs a real surprise on the palate. The diced potatoes are mixed with mayonnaise and then sprinkled with spring onions followed by yellow raisins. The myriad of textures is just amazing with every bite. The sweetness of the raisins marry perfectly to the potatoes.
Fusilli Di Bosco
For something with mushrooms, it is surprisingly cheap. What's more, this pasta dish is served with portobello mushrooms. At $2.90, it is an unbelievable steal, not to mention that it tastes absolutely fantastic as well.
Linguine alla Vongole
You can taste that a good amount of white wine was actually used in this dish. The result is a creamy sauce which is rich with the taste of the wine. Easily a favourite with white wine sauce lovers.
- 2 more comments »
Login to add your comment. Or, Register for an account now. It's free!MMmM Sounds really good for that price. :) Thanks
14 Jan 2008 at 6:51 am
Now we need to figure out where this staff canteen in located... digging out maps of T2...
14 Jan 2008 at 9:34 am
There are a lot of good and cheap food there.
14 Jan 2008 at 9:39 am
I'm quite a sucker for Japanese ice cream. Mainly because it's (1) Japanese and (2) got more familiarly Asian flavours. And that's on top of the fact that Japanese ice cream seem to taste smoother, lighter and of course the illusion that all Japanese stuff equates healthier choice (even without moderation).
So I was whiling away my time before the Jackie Cheung concert (my review and photos) at the newly opened Kallang Leisure Park when I chanced upon haato in the basement, just beside the supermarket.
Curiosity and skepticism got the better of me and I decided the take a closer look. The flavours available are predictably Japanese, like matcha, black sesame, milk tea just to name a few. However the flavour that caught my eye was the sweet potato and honey chestnut. I was given a generous sample to try and decided to get a cup.
What I liked about this flavour was that it wasn't too sweet and it was possible to taste chunks of the Japanese sweet potato with traces of its purple skin and yellow flesh throughout the cup. The honey blended very well to add the extra punch of natural sweetness and the chestnuts added its rich body to the texture and aroma. The combined result was a really well-balanced palate which doesn't leave a heavy feeling.
Login to add your comment. Or, Register for an account now. It's free!
Tucked in an obscure hawker centre is this stall that churns out handmade paus. Unlike the usual ones you get which are machine manufactured, the items here are handmade with skill and experience.
The most popular item here has got to be their char siew paus. The buns are only slightly larger than ping pong balls and can easily fit your mouth at one go.
But sink your teeth into one and you will discover the reason of its popularity. The char siew filling is exceptionally fragrant. The meat is chunky enough for visual and texture identification. You can literally savour every morsel of the filling.
The pau skin is amazingly thin and moist and yet resilient enough to just hold the filling in. Trademarks of true skill and experience.
The queue is easily avoided by patronising during weekday lunchtimes, when the hawker centre is surprisingly less busy.
Last word of advice: buy plenty, like a minimum of 20 items, since each item only costs 50 cents (large items at $1) because the paus are really the once-you-start-you-can't-stop kind of good.
Login to add your comment. Or, Register for an account now. It's free!
It has come to that point again. The point you get bored with the predictability of franchises. Aren't we all sick of Ajisen Ramen? While it is quite alright, it isn't exciting anymore. And not to mention that I have suspicions of it being an authentic Japanese restaurant.
So it is time to venture to the unknown (somewhat) and it's nice to try out independent places where ramen is prepared by a Japanese or at least with the Japanese spirit of quality sells better, where you can taste the pride of producing something of true quality, with absolutely no MSG.
That's exactly what this little shop boasts of its soup bases, which takes many hours to achieve the perfection of robust flavour that won't leave a heavy feeling. So well made is the bowl of ramen that this place doesn't sell any other variety of ramen. The only other way is to zhng your ramen is with their additional toppings/condiments.
Speaking of toppings and condiments, you can sort of determine the origins of the shop and thus its authenticity of being truly Japanese by the condiments, particularly the stewed egg. Halve an egg from authentic ramen restaurants and you will see the difference in the yolk, which retains its gooey form compared to the hard solid texture found from Ajisen.
The char siew here is also very good. Cooked till soft and tender, the meat comes apart easily and melts in your mouth.
However, it does take a bit of patience to eat here. The service is somewhat laid-back and thus a little slow.
Login to add your comment. Or, Register for an account now. It's free!oooh. sounds good. What are the prices like?
07 Jan 2008 at 11:54 pm
A standard bowl should set you back by around $10 to $12. The additional toppings are $1 to $2 each.
07 Jan 2008 at 11:59 pm
$10 to $12 sounds more than reasonable! im not too adventurous, i usually order spicy miso ramen. do they have this at ken ramen house?
29 May 2008 at 5:14 pm