Yi Ji Fried Hokkien Prawn Noodles 福建炒虾面 is located at Mee Sek Food Court along Upper Serangoon Road (5 minutes from Kovan MRT station). This stall is located in the same place as the famous Punggol Nasi Lemak. I visited on a weekday evening. Although it was self service, I waited for not more than 10 minutes before my order was ready.

The Fried Hokkien Mee was available in $4, $5 and $6. If you require additional chilli, it would cost at an additional $0.50. Fried Hokkien Mee $5Fried Hokkien Mee $5

Yi Ji 's Fried Hokkien Mee $5 used thin bee hoon (instead of thick bee hoon) and yellow noodles. There were 3 pieces of prawns, a few pieces of squids and lean meat. Their version was also slightly drier with little broth underneath the noodles. Fried Hokkien Mee $5

Although the Fried Hokkien Mee had great texture and was flavourful, it seems to lacked wok hei and the unique flavourful attained when fried with pork lard. There was no pork lard found in my plate of Hokkien Mee. The prawns were firm and fresh.

The sambal chilli added at the side was super spicy as proclaimed on its signboard. Although it was very spicy, it lacked fragrant. I ate tried the chilli a few times before stopping as it oerwhemled the other flaours.

Overall, it was quite a decent plate of Hokkien Mee.

http://foodiefc.blogspot.sg/2014/04/yi-ji-fried-hokkien-prawn-noodles-upper.html

Nana's Green Tea first started off as the Japanese version of Starbucks in Jiyugaoka, Japan. It all began when the owner (a Japanese man) was worried that the culture of drinking tea would be overtaken by coffee. Hence, he started Nana's Green Tea and concentrated on Japanese green tea and Japanese Food. Nana's Green Tea has many outlets in Japan. Besides Japan, they have also expanded to China, Hong Kong and even Singapore. Nana's Green Tea opened its first outlet in Singapore at Plaza Singapura (directly above Dhoby Ghaut MRTStation).The design of the restaurant was unique. Each table was be 'surrounded' by either wooden or metal mesh rectangle frames providing customers with their own private yet cozy dining area. Week Day Set Lunch

Nana's Green Tea current has a Week Day Set Lunch promotion from 11am to 230pm on weekdays. With the promotion, customers can order any main course and a beverage below $8.00 for only $13.90! In my opinion, this lunch promotion is a real steal considering the prices of the main courses and beverages. Hence, I have went back more on more than four occasions during weekday lunch.

The photos below are a summary of what I ate over several occasions. For reference, I will show the ala carte prices. Matcha Soft Cream Latte (cold) $8

Judging from the name (i.e. Nana's Green Tea), I knew that I had to try their Green Tea (Matcha). I ordered the Matcha Soft Cream Latte (cold) $8 which was topped with soft serve vanilla ice cream. It was initially very bitter at first. The magic starts when the ice cream melted resulting in a perfect harmony with the green tea. More creamy, sweeter and yet retained the distinctive green tea fragrance and bitterness.Thin Matcha Green Tea Float (cold) $8

The Thin Matcha Green Tea Float (cold) $8 was topped with green tea ice cream was served without milk and sugar. Instead, sugar syrup was given. Personally, I preferred the Matcha Soft Cream Latte.Hoji Kuromitsu Latte (cold) $8

Hoji Kuromitsu Latte $8 could be served hot or cold. I ordered the cold version. This drink is a type of Japanese green tea. The difference is that it is roasted in a porcelain pot over charcoal resulting in its colour and a caramelised taste. As I had not tried this before, I decided to try this. I did not like the taste of it. I will stick to the green tea instead. Azuki Latte (hot) $7

Azuki Latte $7 could be served hot or cold. The Azuki (red beans) was boiled with sugar and then blended with milk. Despite its dull appearance, it was quite addictive. The hot one was a tad too sweet. I preferred the cold version better as the ice helped lessen the sweetness level. Unagi Mabushi Don $16.80

The Unagi Mabushi Don $16.80 consisting of grilled soy marinated eel served with Japanese rice and topped with sesame, nori (seaweed) and spring onion was the most expensive main course. It was served with a bowl of miso soup. Their miso soup was quite good! Unagi Mabushi Don $16.80

Unagi Mabushi Don was easily one of the best main course in Nana's Green Tea. The grilled eel was so delectable and soft that it provided a melt in the mouth sensation. With the juices from the soy marinated eel drizzled over the rice along with the toppings, the rice was so savoury and addictive. Salmon and Maguro Don $15.80

The Salmon and Maguro Don $15.80 was also served with a bowl of miso soup and special sesame oil. It comprised of soy marinated tuna and salmon served over Japanese rice topped with sesame, nori, pickled ginger, spring onion, daikon sprout and mayonnaise sauce. Salmon and Maguro Don $15.80

Drizzle the special sesame oil over this dish to enhance the taste further. Although there was a generous serving of salmon and maguro (tuna), it was a pity that they were not fresh.Sukiyaki Udon $14.80

Sukiyaki Udon $14.80 was served with sliced beef, toufu, mushroom, leek, poached egg and udon. The poached egg was decently executed and the egg yolk was still runny. Overall, it was a decent bowl of udon, but more ingredients could have been given. Sukiyaki Don $14.80

Sukiyaki Don $14.80 was similar to the Sukiyaki Udon, instead of Udon, it was served with Don (rice). Sukiyaki Don $14.80

We preferred the Sukiyaki Udon as the beef slices in the Sukiyaki Don was harder and saltier. Gyu Shabu Goma Dare Udon $15.80

The Gyu Shabu Goma Dare Udon $15.80 was beautifully presented. It consisted of beef slices, tomato, corn, cucumber, lettuce, spring onion, daikon sprout with cold udon. The difference ingredients provided different textures (crunchy, hard, soft) and flavours to this dish. It was exciting going through this dish at the initial stage. However, towards the end, I got jelak (tired) of eating this dish. Locomoko Don $15.80

Locomoko Don $15.80 comprised of beef patty, tomato, broccoli, lettuce, poached egg and Japanese rice. The tomato sauce which was added over the beef patty was just too spicy for our liking. It overwhelmed the other flavours. What a pity.

Although there was hits and misses, the Week Day Set Lunch promotion made it so much more affordable having a meal at Nana's Green Tea!

Creamier Ice Cream and Coffee (Toa Payoh Lorong 1) is a cafe hidden in a corner of one of the oldest HDB estate in Singapore (i.e. Toa Payoh HDB estate)! Homemade (handcrafted) ice cream, coffee and waffles are sold in this cafe. This cafe is located in between Braddell, Toa Payoh and Caldecott MRT stations. The nearest MRT station is Braddell and it is around a 10 minutes walk away from the station.We (a group of three) visited Creamier Ice Cream and Coffee on a weekday (Friday) at around 215pm. Although I was aware that this cafe was popular and that it was small, I did not expect it to be full house even on a weekday! Interesting lights

We tried waiting for a table, but after 15 minutes of wait, we only managed to get a counter table. Well, what to do.... I can't imagine what the crowd would be like on a weekend.

After securing our seats, we proceeded and place our order. After making payment, we were given this paper cup with the number "09" on it. Any guess what it is?The answer was hidden in the cup. It was the key to our orders. A waiting number!Belgian waffle with Earl Grey Lavendar and Orange Cranberry Vodka Ice Cream $11.80

After around 10 minutes, we received our food! Needless to say we ordered their signature Belgian waffle with ice cream! From observation, this was the most popular order, every table had at least one of this! Belgian waffle with Earl Grey Lavendar and Orange Cranberry Vodka Ice Cream $11.80

We ordered our Belgian Waffle with Earl Grey Lavendar and Orange Cranberry Vodka Ice Cream $11.80. They had a wide variety of ice cream such Sea Salt Gula Melaka, Roasted Pistachio, Banana Chocolate Chip Crumbles and Banana Roasted Pecan. We sampled several of them before settling for the two ice creams.

The Earl Grey Lavendar ice cream which had a unique lavendar after taste, was fragrant and creamy. The Orange Cranberry Vodka ice cream was a premium ice cream. The combination of orange and cranberry was a perfect match as both flavours complemented each other well and did not overwhelm each other.

For information on the cost/prices: A waffle with ice cream cost $8.50. Extra scoop of ice cream cost $2.50 each. As the Orange Cranberry Vodka was a premium ice cream, there was an extra cost of $0.80 per scoop. Belgian waffle with Earl Grey Lavendar and Orange Cranberry Vodka Ice Cream $11.80

The freshly made Belgian Waffles were well executed! They were incredibly crispy on the outside, and soft and fluffy on the inside. The slightly hard (outside), soft (inside) texture, warmth of the waffle couple with the cold ice cream were such a perfect combination. The addition of the maple syrup and chocolate sauce went very well with this too!

After trying this, I understand the raves about the dessert served here. The Belgian Waffles with Ice Cream is a must try! But I will not advise coming on a weekend unless you are prepared to wait and squeeze with the crowd.

http://foodiefc.blogspot.sg/2014/03/creamier-ice-cream-and-coffee-toa-payoh.html

I was thrilled when I heard that Arnold's Fried Chicken was opening an outlet in Yishun. The last time I last ate Arnold's Fried Chicken was in early 2012 at City Plaza. With this new outlet, it will be so much more convenient. Arnold's Fried Chicken specialises in serving fried chicken, has been around for more than 25 years and is one of the first Singapore fast food joint to be certified Halal.Arnold's Fried Chicken in Yishun is located at Yishun 10 Cinema Cineplex (just next to North Point), 5 minutes away from Yishun MRT station. We visited on a Friday evening and there was a queue (around 20 persons) outside which stretched to Wendy's. Nevertheless, we decided to queue after all there was just 20 persons in front of us. Guess how long we queue? You would not believe it... Read on to find out the answer. Menu

The menu which looked so much more colourful and appetising compared to their old menu! Easy to read too. Good job! The answer to how long we queue: we waited for a total of 1hr 20mins from the point we started queuing to the point we received our food. There was virtually 3 queues in total.

The first queue was to queue to get a chance to reach the counter to order the food (without making payment). Once you manage to order, you will be given a queue number where you would be placed in a second queue; to wait for a table. When your queue number is called, you would make payment and then be give a buzzer which would activate (shake) to inform customers that their orders were ready. This was third queue. 2 Piece Meal $6.60

Good news for those who prefer the 2 Piece Meal. It cost only $6.60, a 20 cents (3%) increase compared to 2012.2 Piece Meal $6.60

The 2 Piece Meal consisted of 2 pieces of crispy fried chicken served with mashed potatoes (normally comes with fries, but we switched to mashed potato) and coleslaw. Half Spring Chicken Set $7.10 and a Root Beer (Reg) $2.10

I ordered the Half Spring Chicken Set $7.10 and a Root Beer (Reg) $2.10. The price of the Half Spring Chicken Set has increased by $1.20 (20%) compared to 2012. I am not sure why there was such a huge disparity in increase in prices for the two sets. I should have just ordered the 2 Piece Meal. Half Spring Chicken Set $7.10

Half Spring Chicken Set comprised of a 1/2 deep fried spring chicken served with potato fries and mashed potato (normally comes with coleslaw, but I switched to mashed potato).Half Spring Chicken Set $7.10

The freshly fried chicken was still pipping hot when it was served. It was crisp on the outside and the seasoning of spices and herbs made the skin so sinfully addictive! The meat inside was succulent and well marinated. As seen in the above photo, it was still moist, not dry!

I hope they would review the queue system soon. I want visit Arnold's Fried Chicken again as the chicken was delicious. But the thought of the queue system along with a possible 1 hour 20 minutes wait are the deterrence. If you really want to visit, my suggest is to go during non-peak hour or to just order as takeaway (please note, there is a takeaway counter with a way shorter queue. I believe the waiting time is way shorter as there's only 1 queue). Another area of improvement would be the service - clearing and cleaning of the tables so that the turnover would be faster. On several occasions, we noted that when customers have eaten finish and left the table, the staff tasked with cleaning the tables were chatting away and only started cleaning the tables when instructed by another senior staff who was manning the counter.

http://foodiefc.blogspot.sg/2014/03/arnolds-fried-chicken-yishun-10-cinema.html

Buddy Hoagies is a restaurant cafe specialising in western cuisine. I did not call it a restaurant became it has a friendly and relaxed ambience which is child friendly too. Moreover, the photo frames of English oldies singers and environment gave a unique warm comfort country feel. I visited Buddy Hoagies on a weekday evening for dinner at Yishun. They have two other outlets at Bukit Timah and Downtown East.During my visit, I noticed that there were quite a number of children in the cafe. After walking around, I knew the reasons. Buddy Hoagies was a children friendly cafe! They had plastic utensils (spoon, forks, plates) for kids (not those disposable ones) and a corner filled toys for children to play. Some children even brought the toys to their tables where they could play while waiting for the food to be served. Not bad, I did not notice any children playing with ipad or any mobile devices! There was an option to upgrade the main course to a Buddy's Set Meal for $4.50 which would include soup & garlic toast, coffee/tea/ ice tea and ice cream.

We ordered a Fish and Chips and upgraded it to a Set Meal ($13.40), followed by a Western BBQ Chicken ($8.90) and Cheese Fries ($3.50). TeaCream of Mushroom & Garlic Toast

The Cream of Mushroom was average. It was too thick for my liking while the Garlic Toast was a tad too hard. Cheese Fries $3.50

The Cheese Fries $3.50 tasted quite good when it was still warm. When it cooled down, the cheese became hard and the fries at the bottom were soggy. Fish and Chips

The Fish and Chips $8.90 served with fries fared better. Though they could be more generous with their servings, both items were not overly oily. In addition, the fish was slight moist in the interior (not hard and dry). In fact, I like this fries better compared to the cheese fries. Western BBQ Chicken $8.90

The Western BBQ Chicken $8.90 was essentially grilled chicken in barbecue sauce with vegetables and baked potato. Initially, I thought that the portion was very little. But come to think of it, for the ambience and price, I really should not fault it too much as the operating cost of the F&B industry have gone up.

The chicken was nicely grilled and the interior was juicy and tender. There was a slight hint of smoky flavour. If the smoky flavour could be intensified, this would have been wonderful. There was a big chunk of butter in the baked potato. Needless to say, I took out most of the butter before they had the opportunity to melt. This main course was not bad and quite value for money. Ice Cream

The vanilla ice cream was well, simple and ordinary.

There were hits and misses at Buddy Hoagies. But generally, their main course seemed to fared better. They did quite well in creating a warm cozy ambience with a children friendly environment.