ahhh, what better way to enjoy the Yishun 925 Chicken Rice, than at the place of it's namesake?

ordered the affordable chicken rice plate at $3, and the nice uncle gladly acceded to my usual request of "no breast meat, no wings and no bones". of course, they do remove the bones true to the Hainanese style serving habit, but saying it just reassures me more. haha.

cliched as it sounds, the chicken is always really TENDER and JUICY. for folks who have no inkling of what tender and juicy means (yes, the people who use these two descriptive words too flippantly) - try the chicken rice and you'd know the real definition. the rice grains are fluffy, fragant and obviously well-loved by the chicken broth in the cooking process.

i'd come back anytime, despite the gross toilets. haha.

As the bf works around the area, we happened to pass by Barbacoa at City Square Mall one Friday night.

They were having a promotion, which included a free soup and ice cream (cookies and cream, that day) with each order of a main course. My first impression was that the menu and vibe felt a little like Hot Tomato - casual but with an open kitchen, where you can see the chefs bustling about. Great for a casual dinner! The best thing though, is that there's no Service Charge nor GST.

The wait staff were all really friendly, and thanks to their recommendation, we got a sausage platter $9, creamy pasta with mushrooms $8.50 and nacho salsa chicken chop (or something) for $9.90. As you can sell, the prices are so reasonable!I love the mustard wafu concoction - it's so special, you've got to try it out to know what I mean!The pasta was garlicky and satisfying.The chicken chop was a little gelat at the end but still yummy!

I wouldn't come here specially for this, but I'd definitely consider dropping by when I'm around the area.

Went to Ng Ah Sio BKT with my bf for late lunch on Saturday. When we walked in at 2pm, the place was surprisingly empty but we could hear the waiter taking reservations for dinner already.

Waiter was friendly and efficient - our orders came within 10minutes! The spare ribs soup was served piping hot, with a peppery goodness that is definitive for any BKT. though we ordered the spare ribs (apparently the long rib bone that is the best part), it was slightly tough - so dont let them linger in your bowl when asking for soup refills! XD

Another item we loved was the Kidney and Liver! Although they scrimped on the kidney (3 pcs as compared to 10pcs of the cheaper liver), both were done well with no gross aftertaste.

However the highlight has got to be the PIG'S SKIN! I never did like Pig's Skin much as I thought it was fattening, but it's in fact chock full of collagen and melts in your mouth. Awesome side dish, and a great bargain at $2 per serving!

Other items we ordered were the standard you tiao and veg sides. Tastes decent enough but not spectacular. The kungfu tea was awesome fun, although the first few cups are crazily thick (i was really bad with the teapot n leaves! haha)

Arrived at around 9.30am for the bah chor mee, and a steady queue was already forming at the humble stallfront. Naturally i joined the queue, and basked in that addictive aroma of vinegar and noodles that Tai Hwa is so famed for. This time round, thanks to the early morning brisk, I got to my bowl of heaven in less than 15minutes. Therefore, always come early if you're hungry!

The best part of the experience (apart from the crazy queueing, of course), is that the whole bowl of bah chor mee is unwavering in taste over the years - everything from the noodle consistency (or bee tai mak, the way i like it), to the soupiness of the dry bah chor mee and the flavour of the vinegar, is standardized and SOOO YUMMY all the time.

Although I'd have to warn you, that prices are steep at $5 a bowl for hawker fare - not that I care, as I go for the $8 one all the time. Seriously. I'm such a bah chor mee addict that I embarrass myself sometimes. Join me, won't you?

Sometime back, I had dinner with the bf at Hot Tomato, Causeway Point. food at Hot Tomato was surprisingly good, and cheap! bf got the steak, prawn 'n' aglio (pictured) at $12.90. Furthermore, for dinner times and weekends, an additional $3.50 gets you a drink, soup of the day & garlic bread - weekday lunches upgrades are a dollar less, $2.50. I've got the Steak n' Aglio at $10.90.*NB* I think the prices have gone up a little, with the drink replaced by ice cream in some outlets.

No matter, it still remains a great value for money! In fact, the bf even commented it's the first time his actual plate of food looks better than the advertised photo! XD After I was done with snapping my food pics, I was pleased to find that the spaghetti was still Al Dente, and moistly flavorful - coming from a no frills chain like Hot Tomato, it really is a surprise. I remember being disappointed by the service and food quality at their first small stall in Plaza Sing. Since then, their revamp has really revitalized the brand - Today, I'd still pop by for their lunches to get my steak fix. Oh! Did I mention the prawns are juicy and steak served to the right done-ness we requested for? Super awesome.

The service at Causeway Point was great as well, which all in all justifies the perpetually long queues for a table at CWP Hot Tomato.