3 Meals A Day 一日三餐 Korean Family Restaurant @ 12 Chun Tin Road

Was introduced to this restaurant by Tracy and Hence , my travel and dining buddies. They liked the food and we made arrangements to lunch there. Do make your reservations as the lunch queue tends to be loooong...

The place is conveniently located just right across the road after exiting from Beauty World MRT station. There are other Korean restaurants nearby too, like Oven Baked and KIM BBQ.

The service staff would frequently enquire if you are ready to order. Once you do, they'd bring over the serving plates, water bottle and water cups. Liked that they'll inform us on how to enjoy the dish, if they sensed that we are not quite that familiar.

Started with a plate of raw halibut in spicy seasoned salad. This was my first time trying. Only available in medium or large sizes. The medium sized was good for 4 pax as a starter. Tasty and beware of the green chilies, as it hits you where it'll hurt. Hahaa, a good kind of hurt and for a short while. Shioks!

Halibut Hoimuchim @$35 (M)

make a seaweed wrap

The halibut fish was sliced in strips and had a lovely slight bouncy texture. Not bouncy like squid and not mushy like salmon. Just something that's in between. The dish was tasty, well seasoned with standout flavours of spicy, sweet and garlicky plus a myriad of textural combination. Yums and whets the appetite for more.

water to put out the heat

For this meal, we ordered street snacks. No...not topokki 떡볶이 and not eomuk 어묵. Instead we ordered a small plate of sundae 순대 and gimbap. If for sundae, and you're thinking of ice-cream, that's not it! Sundae (or soondae) is steamed intestine stuffed with pig's blood, glutinous rice and glass noodles. An acquired taste and happy to report that the version at 3 Meals A Day is a non-funky version. Expect chewy texture. F.or taste, there's some salt given to enhance. I'd recommend to add some these into soup/stew for a more flavourful bite.

Sundae 순대 @$10

flavoured salt

We chose egg kimbap. Wow, this kimbap was huge! Hahaa, am used to the skinnier version so this came as a surprise. In terms of taste, this was somewhat lacking as the flavours were really gentle.

Egg kimbap 계란김밥 @$10

Let's take a look at the banchan 반찬 (side-dishes) served here. There was fresh kimchi (김치), fish cake (어묵볶음), seasoned bean sprouts (숙주나물), anchovies (멸치볶음), braised potato (감자조림) and macaroni with mayonaise.

side dishes 반찬

Hence asked, "Are you going to stop us from over-ordering today?"

Me, "Not today."

Now, let's do some serious eating shall we? 

A bowl of stew/soup is a must here and the tofu stew did not disappoint. Smallish in terms of size but big in terms of flavours. Enjoyment intensified after a few glasses of alcohol.

Soondubu jjigae 순두부찌개 @$12

건배

Fried Chicken Half/Half @$35

Yangnyum Chicken 양념치킨 (2nd Half)

Beef Bulgogi @$13

Samgyopsal (grilled pork belly) 삼겹살 @$15

Warm tummies and warmer hearts when good food is enjoyed with friends. But, we couldn't leave without trying their Jjukgumi Bokkeum (small octopus stir-fry). Why? Because the table next to us had it and it looked good. So, we ordered.

Quite a big pan of fiery red stuff with shiny blobs sticking out. Pardon my Huawei for the intense yellow tone.

Jjukgumi Bokkeum 쭈꾸비볶음 @$30

such a big baby!

You can cut the octopus into smaller pieces but it was tender enough to be bitten off. Beware of splurting sauces and don't wear white when you eat this. Amazing texture and very very likeable. Sauce was spicier than the salad, so get ready that cold water bottle at the side. The jjukgumi bokkeum is a definitely must-try here.

Thank you Tracy, Hence and Ivan for being the best travel buddies and makan-buddies! Till our next adventure, take care.

Expect to spend about $55 per pax for a meal with drinks here. 

3 Meals A Day 一日三餐

Address: 12 Chun Tin Road Singapore 599599

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ThreeMealsaDaySG/

Contact: 6463 2346

Business Hours:

Tue – Sun:12.00 – 15.30; 18.00 – 23.00

Closed on Monday

2019 Road Trip to Malaysia Clocking Mileage in Johor - Melaka - Seremban - 3 Days 2 Nights Part 1

Blessed to have like-minded friends whom we can travel together with similar styles (and eating preferences!). It all started way back in May 2016, and with Bangkok as our first destination. Kind of funny how we all flew in at different dates, yet able to stay together at the same place for the next two days for the rest of the journey. Next was South Korea, Melaka and then Taiwan, and this time round back to Melaka. Wanted to do more of Johor initially but there was the Pasir Gudang incident at that time so we went further up and ended up back in Melaka.

Exited Singapore at about 2pm and wanted to find a bak kut teh place to have lunch. Found one called Restoran Tong 东肉骨茶馆 at Taman Skudai Baru. Thank you Tracy for trawling the web in the car to search for this.

first stop - late lunch in Johor at Restoran Tong

Unfortunately, the bak kut teh was sold out by the time we reached at about 230pm. The only other things remaining were the BKT side-dishes, while the main course items only had steamed chicken or steamed fish. Decided to get half a chicken, a pot of tea (hey, this was one-half of the original intent *lol*) and some side-dishes.

half steamed kampong chicken @RM30

preserved vegetable (mei cai)  @RM3 and braised beancurd skin (tau gi) @RM6

White rice is at RM2 per bowl and a pot of pu-er was RM15. Our lunch expenses was RM14.50 per pax. The kampong chicken was delicious and its meat was not tough. Dip into the special chili sauce for extra oomph. Good comeback from the earlier disappointment of no bak kut teh. However, we also vowed to try to find a bak kut teh place for at least one of the subsequent meal.

powerful chili sauce for the chicken

super steeped pu-er

With lunch done, we continued our journey to Melaka with the aim to reach before the Friday evening end-of-work traffic starts. It began to rain at about that time as well.

Reached Melaka town at about 6.15pm and the first thing we did, was to queue up for putu piring! Yes, this remained fresh in my mind since the last visit two years ago where we only bought one to eat. This time round, we wanted two for each of us. Hehe.

queue starts from 6pm

various write-ups for this delicious dessert

putu piring @RM1.20 per piece

look at that fillings~

There was someone in front of the queue who ordered 40 pieces. But it was ok since the staff are churning each batch of 20s within about 5 minutes. Happy with our purchase, and we ate it while it was still hot. Hmm, actually one piece was enough to make me a bit full. So I kept the other piece in the fridge for the next day. Not recommended actually. Best to consume within the same day or within the next one two hours.

After which, we proceeded to check-in to our hotel at Novotel Melaka. Previously, we stayed at The Hatten and this time round, we tried a different hotel. If interested, here's my review on Novotel Melaka.

Watch out for the next episode on our travelmakanlogue. The episodes made possible by Hence and Tracy (@chubbybotakkoala), and Ivan (@ivan_teh_runningman).

Restoran Tong 东肉骨茶馆

Address: 41, Jalan Hang Lekir 10, Taman Skudai Baru, 81300 Skudai, Johor, Malaysia
Contact: +60 7-558 5367
Business Hours:
Mon-Fri: 9am to 330pm
Sat-Sun: 8am to 330pm

Putu Piring Tengkera

Address: 252, Jalan Tengkera, 75200 Melaka, Malaysia
Contact:  +60 6-282 1505
Business Hours: 
Mon-Sat: 6pm to 10pm
Closed on Sundays.

Novotel Melaka

Address: Jalan Melaka Raya 2, Taman Melaka Raya, 75000 Melaka, Malaysia
Website: https://www.accorhotels.com/gb/hotel-8155-novotel-melaka/index.shtml
Contact: +6062898222
Business Hours:  Check-in from 3pm and Check-out at 12pm

[Tasting] Bearded Bella @ 8 Craig Road

Bearded Bella is a cosy casual eatery with good coffee, wholesome food and good company. Started by Regina Tay and Sarah Ling, the place exudes a lovely soft ambiance and staffed by fun, young adults. There's a front-yard where diners could chill outside too.

front-yard

Happy Birthday Bearded Bella!

Was invited for dinner and its dinner menu would be of sharing plates concept. A quick browse of the dinner menu had us easily identifying our dinner plates. But first order of things, would be....drinks, of course. It was TGIF after all!

Wanted something with sweetness and was recommended a G&T named as "The jam sessions." Special drink for its reverse infused gin and tonic. Botanist gin and tonic infused with mixed berries, lemon and sage. A lovely pinkish hued glass that is adequately sweet and easy to drink.

"The jam sessions" @$14

Or, you could opt for some bright gold sparkling Spanish cava. Fresh, crisp and with fine bubbles. 

Franck Massard Mas Sardana, Cava Brut Nature @$14

Snacks

Though we'd start strong with an order of beef cheeks. The portion was just right for us. We were a party of 3! The Australian grass-fed beef cheeks was braised in red wine jus till delicately fork tender and served sitting on-top of a puffy mound of creamy celeriac puree. Devoured in two bites. Ok, probably 3-bites for more lady-like dining.

Australian grass-fed beef cheeks @$15

SGD9 for two eggs are not exactly economical but glad I ordered the Devilled Eggs at Bearded Bella. Lovely golden yellow hues for its crips parmesan chip as well as the tasty miso yolk. Was pleasantly surprised with the slight sweetness at the end of the bite. Was there caramelised sugar?

Devilled Eggs @$9

Garden

Yes, it is mandatory to have two servings of vegetables for every meal. Hence, we got ourselves the cauliflower done three ways; roasted, couscous and crisps. Loved the puree in this dish. So creamy and milky. I enjoyed the cauliflower couscous and the roasted version but not the crisps as it tasted like dehydrated.

Cauliflower done 3-ways @$12

Regina sent us one of her favourite garden plate and that was how, the baby beetroot plate landed on our table. Would I have ordered baby beetroot? Unlikely. But after having a taste of this version, I'd gladly order one if I'm there again!

sweet baby beetroot, beetroot juice, pickled beetroot, feta @$10

Sweet is so apt to describe the baby beets. So sweeeeet~ in fact. So good with a bit of the feta cheese crumbs and those crunchy nuts. More please.

Sea

The treasures from the sea that we opted for was the sea bass. I liked that the sea bass natural flavours were accentuated with the coconut tom kha sauce and the fragrant curry leaf. Good mouthfeel overall.

Sea bass, lime, coconut tom kha sauce, grilled tomatoes, curry leaves @$22

Another dish that I enjoyed was the seared scallops. Good price point, reasonably sized and bouncy scallops with refreshing mint pea puree. Loved the colours on this plate.

Yuzu ponzu pan-seared scallops, mint pea puree, hazelnuts @$17

Land

Pork, beef or chicken? We had pork jowl as well as the beef cubes. Be warned that these would be quite filling especially after all the starters.

Seared Spanish pork jowl, honey truffle pear, celeriac and pork crackling @$13

Yes, we did the pork crackling test and it was amazingly crunchy! If you could only hear the sound of the crunch. So loud! Hahahaa! Yes, it was a tad embarassing but in a good way. For this dish, best to get a drink ready as the pork jowl was fatty and rich. Flavourful, oily mouthfeel with super tender meat and scoop a few of those julienned sweet pear and some celeriac mash. So good!

Of course, on the other extreme, you could opt for the healthy lean chicken. I think this would make very good gym food. Lean white meat that wasn't tough, clean tasting and paired well with creamy cauliflower puree.

Chicken, roasted butternut squash, cauliflower puree @$14

For the second most expensive plate around, it was the Australian grass-fed tenderloin cubes. 180g was enough to induce a short bout of meatgasm. The medium rare meat was jaw friendly, flavourful with each chew and complete with jus.

Australian grass-fed tenderloin cubes (180 g), yuzu shoyu, chili threads @$28

It was at this stage that we figured that we had eaten more than we should. Tummies filled and heart full.

But, what about dessert? Will we be able to bear leaving yet not knowing how dessert would have tasted like?

Plated Dessert

Dark chocolate and orange bread pudding @$13

Yassss to dessert! But because we only can choose one (as any more we would've combusted there and then), we exercised caution and a long deliberation before deciding on dark chocolate and orange bread pudding.

I think this plate was nothing short of magical. Scoops after scoops of that pudding went into our mouth as though we had not eaten anything for dinner prior! It was just that good.

Served warm, its texture was delightfully moist (or dare I say, molten?) and contrasting with the wonderfully cold (but melted too fast) vanilla bean ice-cream. Sweet endings indeed.

This is bounced up into the must-order list.

Thank you Kris for the invitation. To Regina, thank you for your generosity and hospitality. To Bearded Bella crew, thank you for taking care of us on our night of visit.

See you again!

Bearded Bella

Address: 8 Craig Rd, Singapore 089668

Website: https://www.beardedbella.com/

Contact: 9880 0775

Business Hours:

Monday to Thurs: 730am to 5pm

Fri: 730am to 11pm

Sat to Sun: 730am to 6pm

Kafe UTU Revisited @ 12 Jiak Chuan Road

Back again after a month or so, and this time to try some new items in the dinner menu with the rest of the foodie gang. It was a somewhat deja vu moment as we sat at the same table as we did, one month ago! Here is the link to previous visit.

While waiting for the last person to arrive, we ordered up our drinks with half the group opting for mocktails and the other half preferred the alcoholic ones.  That night, we left our drinks selection in the hands of Ivan, the Head Bartender at Kafe UTU.

He asked what would I prefer. I said, "Gin based and slightly sweet. Make it special."  After a long while, my drink arrived in a dainty tokkuri (徳利) and it came with a little cute heart. How'd they know I like Japanese stuffs? *winks*

The Alcoholics

Gin-based Special #1

I liked the special gin mix that was not too strong, sweet and refreshing. Thank you Ivan for the thoughtful creation.

Grapefruit Negroni

Whiskey-based  Special #2

Rum-based Special #3

The Mocktails

Fruit-based and refreshingly tangy

Watermelon-based with egg white

Tiki drink

Berry refreshing

Can you guess which of the above mocktail was for a guy? Hehe.

But where's the food? One word of advice, do place your food order quickly before the kitchen gets really really busy with the avalanche of orders.

KIDOGO (BITES)

Malindi Croquettes @$12

I think the Malindi Croquettes came to our table by mistake but we ended up ordering two more plates of it. Smallish in size, but it packed a punch in flavour. Best eaten when served. The insides are super soft and creamy, with a nice golden crisp batter. Pause for 5 seconds after the first swallow and notice the rising burn. Wow, it was deceptively spicy! Well, the menu did say Habanero...but guessed we just didn't noticed it. But it was shioks!

fresh cassava leaves, ginger, garlic, Habanero, House spices, Bechamel

Pan Con Tomate with House Smoked Anchovies & Garlic @$18

The tomato cold soup was as how we remembered it, and the difference was in the toast. The smoked anchovies added another dimension to this.

SALADS

Roasted Pumpkin Kale Salad (V) @$20

FROM MAMA AFRICA

West African Charred Aubergine Stew with Angus Beef Cheek (served with basmati rice) @$30

We loved to hear the origins of the dish and the aubergine turns out to be Kurt's favourite birthday dish! Can easily understand why, as the beef cheek has a pleasant smokey flavour yet tender with each bite. Moist with the Liberian sauce, its spices were pleasant and delightful when laden ontop a spoonful of basmati white rice. Yums.

Moroccan Lemon Chicken Tagine @$29

Yes, there was no tagine (طجين) for the Moroccan Lemon Chicken Tagine dish. The tagine is a shallow earthen pot which is often recognised for its upside down cone shaped cover. It's ok not to have the tagine though because the chicken was still very delicious.

The star of this dish, got to be the quinoa. Superbly moist, flavourful and delightful with the onions.

Macanese African Chicken with Mango Salsa @$29

The Macanese African Coconut sauce looked a tad oily but we did not care a bit. Cut a small piece of that chicken, swirl it all over the sauce and into the mouth it went. Lovely.

The Macanese African Chicken With Mango Salsa is served with quinoa, and the quinoa in this dish was rather interesting as well. It was made into a patty and pan-fried, which resulted in a nice crust on its outer part much like the taste of scorched rice.

We also had some of the favourites from the previous round; the Swahili Fish Curry and Liberian Peanut Chicken Stew. These two dishes paired so well with the basmati rice.

PASTRIES

We ordered our previous favourites; the carrot cake and the soft serve ice-cream. Malindi Halwa was added after Kurt shared more stories of how this dessert snug into the menu. Yes, we do love stories especially if it was about Sheiks, master craftsmen and their favourite dessert.

Malindi Halwa @$10

"Would it be too sweet?" I was thinking in my mind. "How does Kafe UTU's version of Halwa taste like?"

Halwa is sweet confections made in the Middle East, Central Asia and the Indian subcontinent. There's flour based halwa, nut butter based halwa but this texture was something unfamiliar. I felt like I might be eating a cube of watermelon (based on visual), but it tasted of spices and a pleasant sweetness with a light but not so bouncy texture. The Kafe UTU's halwa is made of dragonfruit juice, hazelnuts and cashew nuts,  macadamia, pistachios with Malindi spices. There's yoghurt on the plate for a slight sour taste. There's crisp spiced Dukha filo too. Interesting!

Carrot cake was a crowd favourite, but soft serve ice-cream is life! The flavour on that night was dark chocolate. Previous visit, we had coffee soft serve.

UTU Soft Serve Ice Cream @$4

SIPPING GIN

One shall not pass a chance to savour some sipping gin. Sipping gin is basically a gin that is good enough to drink neat.

Cheers to Good Food, Good Drinks and Good Company~

Procera Gin

Procera Gin, is an African craft gin and has African botanicals from Morocco, Kenya, Somalia, Zanzibar, Madagascar and Sierra Leone. It is the first and only gin crafted with African juniper.

Lovely aroma, strong and pleasantly smooth on the throat.

Kurt asked if we would like to try something that is currently not on the menu yet. Would we be too full since we were done with dessert as well? And miss a chance to try new menu? No way. And that was how we ended up with more food.

Off menu special Nigerian Beef Suya

The meat was tender, marinade was on point and the crispy homemade chapati provided the contrast in texture to the tender flavourful meat. Eaten like a wrap with pickled thinly sliced cucumbers and piled with as much kachumbari as you like.

lovely onglet

Once this makes its appearance in the menu, hesitate not. It was delicious.

All in all, expect to spend between $40 to $60 per pax for a drink and a good meal.

An enjoyable Friday night out with Kris, Elle, Rachelle, Tiara, Shermaine, Alvin, Hence and Ivan. Thank you Kurt for your hospitality, and team UTU for taking care of us that night.

Kafe Utu

Address: 12 Jiak Chuan Road Singapore 089265
Contact: +65 6996 3937
Website: https://kafeutu.com/

Business Hours:    

Kafe Utu
Closed Monday
Tuesday – Sunday: 8am – 5pm

Utu Lounge
Closed Monday
Tuesday – Thursday: 6pm-11pm
Friday & Saturday: 6pm-1am
Sunday: 1130am - 5pm