denise tan blogs

GOKUL VEGETARIAN RESTAURANT AND CAFE
Over the long weekend, I was at a friend’s house-warming party and discovered the most delicious Indian Vegetarian food, which she had catered (actually just called ahead and went to pick up to bring home) from Gokul. Gokul is famous for its amazing variety of local dishes, like rojak, mee siam, laksa, mamak mee goreng, mee rebus, chicken rice, nasi lemak, asam pedas, etc. but all 100% vegetarian! They also have a spectacular range of North and South Indian dishes, including Butter Chicken, Hyderabadi biryani, Mutton Biryani and paneer sizzler – again, all 100% vegetarian!
Some of my personal favourites are seen below. Apologies for the awful photos, took them with my dinky camera phone and they don’t really do the food any justice…

My favourite! Mattar mushrooms with peas (and I don’t even like peas usually!) in a mild, creamy curry gravy.

Huge, over-stuffed Samosas, full of veggies and potatoes.

Fried Bee Hoon which looks plain, but I assure you is absolutely full of flavour and the perfect base for sopping up all the curries and sauces!

OK, this really doesn’t look like anything but a brown blob, but it’s actaully their very unusual curry tofu, which is spicy and tangy, in a rich red gravy.

Gokul Vegetarian Restaurant
19 Upper Dickson Road
Open Mon–Sat 11am – 10pm, Sun till 4pm

MJ Lives on in This Child?

Almost a year after his death, the spirit of Michael Jackson lives on in this 4-year-old Chinese boy, who is fast becoming an international dance sensation. He’s been seen even on the Ellen show, so I thought I’d leave you a little video clip of the tiny tyke showing off his best Wacko Jacko moves!

When Google added an interactive game of Pac-Man in place of their logo this weekend to celebrate Pac-Man’s 30th anniversary, most people assumed it was a harmless piece of fun. Usually, when you do a search, you just see the plain letters spelling g-o-o-g-l-e, but for Pac-Man’s birthday, the letters became part of a google shaped maze in which the Pac-Man game took place. So yes, it was fun – lots of people played – even I tried it.
But now, business experts claim what google did has cost businesses a lot because of the number of hours of lost work.
It’s said office workers around the world spent almost 5 million hours playing the google version of Pac-Man, mostly when they should have been working during office hours.
This means companies lost hours of potentially productive time. This equates to about £85 million or SGD172 million in lost productivity!
An astounding figure, no doubt about it, but I suspect if they were to do the same calculations based on time office workers waste on facebook, the figure might be even more staggering, don’t you think?
Click here to play google’s version of Pac-Man!

Lunchbox Lab

I haven’t been yet, but a friend mentioned it to me – a great deal on international buffet at a really decent price, especially since it’s a 3 for 1 deal. The Ferntree Café @ Hotel Miramar is offering a new promotion for their lunch and dinner buffets – For every 3 paying adults, 1 dines free @ only $28.80 per person, plus taxes. If you do you maths, it works out to be about $25.42 each after service charges and tax for 4 to dine.
The buffet serves a range of Asian cuisines and East meets West creations – everything from satay to roast beef, and I hear the chilli crab comes highly recommended.
If you’d like to check it out, especially since this is the eve of a long weekend and a chance to treat yourself or the family, visit The Ferntree Café at Hotel Miramar, 401 Havelock Road
For reservations, call 6733 0222.

Here’s a strange invention that claims to be useful, but I suspect is quite the opposite!
The cleavage caddy is an insert for your bra with or without an added decorative lace to help you carry all of your personal items like keys, credit cards & lipstick, discreetly tucked in your bra. These are worn anchored to the bra by the elastic strap with a snap. At US$29.95 and a variety of sizes, you get to have misshapen boobs?!

Power Mee Rebus

Rahim Muslim Food is famous for its Mee Rebus, served with a tasty twist! Imagine your standard mee rebus, elevated in the flavour stakes with a whole chicken thigh and dollops of satay peanut gravy. At just $3.50, it just works – the peanut sauce takes the mee rebus into another taste dimension.
I say get there early to get it fresh and hot, straight from the first pot – you’ll be wanting more!
You can even order satay to go with your meal, or try their Soto Ayam. It’s a delicious, chickeny delight – how can they be so generous with their chicken feet and meat? The broth is rich and besides the mountain of chicken, you get a big begedil and the chilli paste really brings all the flavours together!
Power, indeed!
Rahim Muslim Food
9 Yio Chu Kang Road
Ah Seah Eating House
Kovan Centre

One ex-wife’s wedding dress, 101 uses!
The internet hath no hilarity than a man scorned – After being left by his wife of 12 years, this guy came up with a plan to put the wedding dress she left behind to good use! This man is getting lots of online buzz and media attention State side for his funny blog, cataloging the many uses for his ex-wife’s wedding dress – his goal is 101 uses, so far he’s at dress use #21, which includes using it as a scarecrow, yoga mat, table cloth & dental floss. Click here to see his website!

Lunchbox Lab
Ximending
This mid-priced restaurant has been open for less than a month and already is seeing queues crowding its entrance at meal times. And like any typical Singaporean, I knew I had to investigate. What tasty treasures were awaiting hungry diners within?

Ximending is named after the world famous shopping and food mecca of Taiwan, also known as the ‘Harajuku of Taipei,’ where tourists and locals flock to for tantalising delicacies and authentic Taiwanese street food. But can it live up to its name? In a nutshell, it’s not really Taiwainese street food, but good, delicious Chinese comfort food served beautifully with a contemporary touch.

If you like Taiwanese porridge, this is a great place to try. The porridge is killer and the array of starters and side-dishes to pair with the porridge is staggering!
Some house favourites include:

• Grilled Fish Roe ($18) – sadly, sold out by the time I got there, which attests to its popularity, I guess!
• Five-spice Baby Abalone ($8.90)
• Radish and Egg Pancake ($10) – chye poh neng
• Pork Knuckles with Peanuts ($12)
• ‘San Bei’ Chicken with Basil ($17.90)
• Steamed Cod Fillet with Radish ($13.90)

But there was so much more – check out my pictures below:

Cold appetiser: Baby clams in light sauce – forget table ettiquette, this is a dish that begs you to dig in with your fingers! The clams were sweet and juicy, the sauce was fragrant and indeed light with a salty-sweet aroma that lingered.

Hot appetiser: Deep-fried oysters. Tasty little morsels that are crispy on the outside and burst with the soft, gooey flavours of the sea on the inside. My only quibble is that they have to be eaten really quickly, otherwise the batter gets soggy.

San Bei Chicken with basil. Very fragrant and sticky with a piquant sauce, I loved picking out the whole cloves of garlic and extracting the soft, mellow garlicky insides out of the skins!

The photo doesn’t do it justice, but this is an AMAAAYZING bowl of sweet potato porridge – how can just a simple bowl of rice gruel taste so indulgent? It’s not the watery Teochew variety we’re used to, but smooth, thick and redolent with that comforting sweet potato essence. No wonder, I’m told they use 2 different types of sweet potato in the porridge.

Steamed cod fillet with radish. The fish was tender, yet firm, but the preserved radish (chye poh) topping was a tad too sweet for my taste.

Tofu with black bean sauce – this dish I really like! Salty, intense flavour from the fermented beans was a good contrast for the tofu, which had a surprising bite and firmness to it.

Really unusual dish of lightly battered century egg in sweet and sour garlic sauce. Great texture and mix of sweet, sour and salty.

Stir-fried beef julienne with tofu, mushroom and salted vegetable. Yum!

Taiwanese noodle soup with paper thin slices of char siew. The noodles were thicker than ramen and had a good, springy texture.

Sweet Adieu! Egg Pudding, kinda like the Taiwanese version of creme brulee with a thick squiggle of caramel topping. Like eating a sweet, sweet cloud of tofu!

Ximending
VivoCity
#01-51A
One floor below Golden Village (Lobby G car park access)
Open Daily 12pm – 10pm

With thanks to Gold 90FM listener and my DJ for the Day, Jairaj.
And no, no bribes necessary if you want to be my co-host on the Lunchtime Jukebox!

Bar Bar Black Sheep

879 Cherry Avenue (off Bukit Timah Road)

This casual dining place is best described as a kopitiam for expats, tucked away in a corner with a bar instead of the usual drinks stall you’d find in other coffee shops. The busy bar fronts three affordable eateries serving northern Indian, Thai-Vietnamese and Western fare. European beers are served up with the super tasty food in a courtyard complete with a mini-fish pond! Most beers cost $5-$10.
The Northern Indian food is really good quality and delicious, with a menu that includes my fave Palak Paneer, Naan, Mutton Vindaloo & Tandoori.
The Thai food is mouth-wateringly spicy – I tried the green chicken curry – very very tasty! I practically licked the bowl! The Olive rice went really well with the curry.

But really, the star of their western menu at Smok’Inn Frogz is the homemade beef burger – juicy, chargrilled & served in a toasted sesame bun, smothered in double cheese and caramelised onions. Sorry, I was so excited about devouring the burger, I forgot to snap a shot of it before it disappeared down my gullet!

Pity the fryer was out of order that night, cos I hear the fries are pretty fab too.
We also tried the crab penne pasta in tomato cream sauce – no complaints there!

I know the craze for Ayam Penyet has died somewhat, but my craze for deep fried chicken will never die – especially if it’s done Indonesian style!
This is one Indonesian restaurant you shouldn’t visit if you’re on heart medication or a diet! But for the rest of us greedy guts, this is a must-try! With a real flair for fried foods, Ayam Penyet Ria packs a powerfully tasty punch, with their specialty dishes marinated in spices direct from Indonesia.
Obviously, their signature dish is Ayam Penyet (or smashed chicken!). It’s fried chicken served with crumbs, blanched kangkong, ulam (raw salads), tahu (beancurd), tempe (fermented soy cake), sambal belacan (shrimp paste chilli) and rice. Shiokalicious!!!
If you aren’t in the mood for chicken, their serve up other yummy deep fried versions, ranging from beef balls (bakso), fish (pomfret & catfish) and prawns. Also on the menu are a range of soups, including Surabaya beef soup, soto ayam and sop buntut. But really, my advice is to stick to what they’re famous for – the deep fried chicken – you can’t go wrong with it!
Wash down all that delicious grease with their drinks that could double up as dessert – they’re THAT rich and decadent!
I recommend the Soda Gembira (Happy Soda) – it’s been described cross between Bandung and F&N Cherry! Other standout drinks are their Ice Chendol and Avocado juice.
Ayam Penyet Ria
Lucky Plaza #01-45 & #04-25
Tampines Mall #04-27
Jurong Point #B1-06

Peking-style Steamboat buffet

I know steamboat buffets have become increasingly commonplace in Singapore – it seems there’s a steamboat restaurant just about everywhere you look. But what varies is the price and quality of the buffet.
Today’s recommendation offers both good quality and good prices for lunch and dinner. So let’s dig in!
Jade Room Restaurant is 40-year-old Chinese culinary institution at Hotel Royal, famous for its popular “Tropical Peking-style Steamboat Buffet”.

They have an excellent steamboat spread with up to 32 fresh ingredients to choose from like prawns, cockles, sea cucumber, fish balls, meat cuts, dumplings, tofu, mushroom and some tasty dipping sauces. And while you’re waiting for your food to cook, the cooked-food station offering up delicacies like crispy fried chicken wings & peking duck will keep your tastebuds entertained!

Prices are very reasonable – Lunch time buffet costs about $18 including service and tax, dinner buffet about $20.

Jade Room Restaurant
Hotel Royal
36 Newton Rd
Tel: 6251-8135
Lunch: 11.30am-2.30pm; Dinner: 6.30pm-10.30pm daily

What your computer desktop says about you

Office workers who personalise their desktops may think it is just a bit of fun – but they could be revealing more than they realise.
A study into desktop psychology shows that people’s personalities, habits and ambitions could be laid bare by analysing their computer screens.
Donna Dawson, a psychologist specialising in personality and behaviour, examined a selection of office workers’ desktops and identified several clues which could indicate a person’s personality.
She said: “Our desktops are our personal space and as such provide a fairly accurate personality description of an individual… everything says something about what we’re like. You may not consciously be aware of it but once you know, then your desktop can be used to give off a positive message about who you are.”
Some desktop personality indicators:
1. Desktop with icons strewn across the screen
The owner is disorganised and tends to lose focus easily.
2. Even icons on each side
The owner values balance and proportion and tends to keep a cool head in tricky situations. Likely to be organised and dislike clutter.
3. Desktop with many rows of icons
Reflects a person who needs everything to hand, likes to feel in control and on top of their life, while at the same time revealing a tendency to be slightly disorganised.
4. Personal photos as wallpaper
Indicates the kind of person you are and what priorities you have. Often a parent will have a photograph of their child, or a keen traveller will have a photo of an exotic location. Photos of friends show popularity, which is useful in work environments where you need good people skills.
5. Plain wallpaper that came with computer
Person who likes to keep their personal life private.
6. Trophy photos as wallpaper
Can suggest a big ego and someone who revels in their past successes.

The Gold Bar ATM
This ATM in Abu Dhabi dispenses 24k gold bars, assuming you want to live like King Midas!

Creative Guy Gets Job by Using Google Ads in an Innovative Way

With this Robot, I Thee Wed…