Chicken Rice Memories at Pow Sing

I think everyone has their favourite chicken rice stall, and often, it is the one that they grew up eating. It certainly is the case for me.

My favourite? Pow Sing at Serangoon Gardens.

I'm not referring to big, air-conditioned Pow Sing Restaurant along Serangoon Gardens Way though. If you had grown up in the 80s and early 90s in Serangoon Gardens, you would know that there were 2 "Pow Sings". (They both had the same Chinese name: 報喜.) One is of course the restaurant I referred to. This used to be called Pow Sing Hainanese Chicken Rice when it first started, and serves steamed chicken with other nonya dishes. But before the owners set up Pow Sing Restaurant, they started the Posin chicken rice stall which serves roast chicken at the corner coffeeshop along the same row. And it's that stall that was my favourite chicken rice of all time.

We ate that chicken rice virtually every Sunday after church service, for as long as I can remember. I lived in Serangoon Gardens for 5-6 years, but my grandmother lived nearby till I was 17 so we always came back to the area.

Our Sunday lunches were routine affairs for most part: Roasted chicken rice for everyone with a side order of roasted pork (siu bak), and an extra bowl of the soup for me. And on top of our chicken rice, my sister and I, erm, also shared a bowl of prawn bee hoon-mee from the other stall. Yes, we were real gluts back then!

But back to the chicken rice: It was always a winner. Crispy brown skin over tender chicken. That lime that you squeeze over the chicken to give it. The cucumber on the plate, soaked in sauce. The fragrant rice. And all eaten with good chilli. I loved it. Even today, it is the only roasted chicken that I would order.

I panicked when a few years ago, the news broke that the corner coffeeshop, Cardon Restaurant, it was called, was going to taken over by a Citibank branch. I was losing my favourite chicken rice to a boring bank outlet??
Fortunately it appeared that the owners were prepared for this eventuality so they set up shop in a shop unit a few doors down. Whew, disaster averted.

I think it's undergone some changes since. Over the past weekend, we were in the area after attending little Teanne's birthday party and decided drop by to get our chicken rice fix at Pow Sing Kitchen.

It's been a while since I've been back and I was both surprised and delighted to see the boss himself chopping chicken that day. I've seen this man graduate from being behind the cleaver, to helping with the serving to mainly just supervising as the business thrived. So I was not expecting to see him sweating it out that day. Perhaps they were short-handed.

There's the 老板 chopping chicken!

Can we have our chicken rice yet?

It is different now from the time when it used to be at the coffeeshop of course: cleaner and swankier, with some air-conditioning blowing through. You now also have the option of ordering many nonya dishes to go along with your meal. But we were there for the chicken, and I'm glad to say, the chicken was almost as good as I remembered.

The best roast chicken around!

It was a great walk down memory lane for me, and I left telling myself I must be back again, soon.

Which is your favourite chicken rice stall? Do share!

Fun at the Volkswagen Family Weekend

We were invited by the folks from Rise & Shine to the Volkswagen Family Weekend at the Volkswagen showroom last Saturday.

 

My kids were out the door as soon as they heard that there were going to be tricycle rides, art projects and ice cream! And they were not disappointed. As we entered the showroom, they immediately honed in on the tricycles and before I knew it, Noey was off, whizzing his way around the roadways that had been laid out on the ground. I loved the cute "STOP" and "SLOW" signs, but you can be sure none of the kids paid any heed! 

This way for tricycle rides!

There were a variety of trikes of different designs and my kids made it a point to try out every design they could get into. Naomi can't peddle a trike yet so I was glad that the trikes that were provided all came with parent steering handles so that I could help push and steer her around. Actually, I think it wasn't me but Naomi who was most pleased about that! It was near impossible to get her away to do anything else.

No riding and dialling, little missy!

I eventually managed to interest them in the food art activity. Conducted by NutriVille, there were three activity stations for the kids to get involved in. And because it was the Mother's Day weekend, the projects the kids worked on were Mother's Day cards/gifts, which I thought was a nice touch. There was vegetable printing, which was my favourite because I thought the colourful prints looked so pretty.

"Look, Noey! A leaf cut out of a radish!"

Pressing on the print

Tah-dah! The completed card. I just adore the roses made from celery prints!

The kids' favourite was painting with coffee which was diluted to different shades of brown. This was a pretty clever idea really, and with some skill at shading, I would imagine you could create some great pics. Though both of mine were just pleased to cover the whole picture in brown. At least with all that coffee, it smelt great!

I tried explaining how to use different shades of the coffee, hence the darker ears. But after that he just carried on his merry way to paint the whole bear with one colour. Hah!

Hard at work! Check out the focus!

Really.Concentrating.

The last activity was modelling with homemade salt dough. The created pieces could then be baked in the oven to harden. Again another nice and simple idea, but it there were quite a few kids at this table jostling for dough, so we didn't stay long.

Making a squishy playdough snowman

In any case, it was time for the highlight of our visit -- the highlight of Noey's visit anyway: Our Volkswagen Sharan Test Drive!

If you don't already know, Noey absolutely loves cars. He is able to identify a good many different makes and models and is always checking them out on the road. So you can imagine how much his eyes lit up when I told him we'll be taking a drive around in a gorgeous new car! 

The "Yippee-We-Are-Going-On-A-Joy-Ride" Dance in front of the shiny new Volkswagen Sharan.

The good folks at Volkswagen thoughtfully installed two car seats in the car for the two kids, and they were as pleased as punch. I drive an MPV on a daily basis but I was impressed by how roomy it was in that middle row. They easily fitted in two car seats side by side and the kids didn't look squashed together. There was still plenty of room for a third! The feeling of spaciousness carries in to cabin, which can seat 7 persons comfortably. I also like that instead of bench seating, all the seats were individually co. I've found from experience that this allows you more options when you need to reconfigure seating to carry more stuff!

When I entered the car, I what struck me was how nice it was. The sleek-looking sculpted headboard, and the generally luxurious feel of the materials were a treat. The build quality was also top class. There was also a panoramic sun roof that was a real hit with the kids. They are no stranger to the huge sun roof as we have one in our current car, but this one, ah, the front portion opens up! Noey was so impressed.

I'm no car expert, but I do drive a fair distance everyday, so feel I'm qualified to say that the car handles beautifully. It had great pick-up, and I really liked how the weighted steering wheel was extremely light to handle when stationary but stiffened gradually as the car picked up speed. It felt like a big car but I had no problems parking it. Retailing at over $190K at current prices, it is rather pricey, but driving it, I can see why it costs so much.

 "This is a nice car," said Naomi approvingly. I thought so too.

We like this car Mummy!

The kids were so excited about the ride they kept asking for another car to drive. "They let you ride in it, Papa," Noey told DD impatiently. Alas, they had to content themselves pretending to drive the cars in the showroom, which they did to much giggles and amusement.

The cabriolet was a hot favourite.

The Volkswagen's powerful TSI engine.

We settled down for some food that had been thoughtfully provided for the occasion, and with DD watching the kids for a bit, I snuck off to enjoy the Mum Pampering Corner that had been set up by OTO. Some peace and quiet while my shoulders where being kneaded was pure enjoyment and a much needed break for me.

With so much going on, it was really hard to get the kids to leave! Who knew you could have so much fun in a car showroom huh! 

Cheesebox!

* This post was sponsored by Rise and Shine, in conjunction with Volkswagen.

Sibling Playtime

They can be the best of friends, they can be the worst of friends.

I think that describes the relationship between my two kiddos. Now that they're old enough to play with each other, boy, do they squabble. Noey will have to have what Naomi is holding, and Naomi will snatch what Noey's using. Noey will insist that things be done just so but Naomi will (deliberately or otherwise) foil him. You know, the usual.

But once in a while they'll find something to play with together, and then magic happens.

I'm amazed the doll stroller didn't break under their weight! But those smiles? Totally priceless.

 Linking up with:

Happy Mother's Day!

It was Mother's Day again this weekend. My 5th one, would you believe it? Time really just flies by when you're not watching.

After 5 years of Mummy-ing, I wish I could say that I have it down pat. But of course I don't. Being a Mum is one of those jobs where you have to keep learning on the job and for which the job scope keeps changing. Just to keep you on your toes, the requirements are also different for each child! There are plenty of days when I wish I did a better job - unproductive days, whiny days, days when I look forward to bedtime from the moment the kids wake up. But after each day, I pick myself up and tell myself that tomorrow will be a better day, and it often is.

I've been a bit overstretched over the past few weeks. I find it hard to turn down an invitation to meet up so I've been going on playdates, attending events and meeting up with friends almost everyday. It's the way I love it, but that has left me very little downtime. So for this Mother's Day, we kept it simple. I got some time to have a lie-around and veg out with a book while DD took on the kids and brought them swimming. I think everyone had a great time. Then it was over to my MIL's for dinner, which she had insisted on cooking even though we had suggested heading out for dinner. That's how Mums are the best and I hope I will be able to live up to the same standard when I'm older.

As for my own Mum, I had a lovely time catching up with her, together with my brother and Dad at Carpenter & Cook on Saturday, while DD spent time with the kids. It was a treat for me too, to be able to eat without the children underfoot, and I enjoyed it tremendously. It was my first (long-overdue) visit to the cafe, and it certainly wouldn't be my last.

I got two lovely cards from the kids. Meips' I had helped her make during playgroup. Still I appreciated every foam flower that she merrily selected and painstakingly peeled the backing off to stick on her card. Of course at the end of the whole exercise, she thought the card was hers and started protesting whenever I said that the card was for me! She's lucky she's so cute, I forgive her anything.



As for Noey, he presented me with a hand drawn piece which he worked on with his Daddy. I am very fond of it, but what he doesn't know is that he gave me my Mother's Day gift a couple of days ago when he snuggled up to me at bedtime and told me "I really really love you, Mummy. More than anything. More than anyone."



Yes, I've been a Mummy for 5 years and you know what? It keeps getting better.

I hope all you wonderful Mummies had a lovely Mother's Day too.

Hokkaido Chiffon Cakes with Munch Ministry

While I love to cook, I rarely bake.

When I cook, I sieve through a stack of recipes, scrutinise the ingredients and method, and try to figure out what works and what doesn't. Then I'd put something together, usually a mish-mash of the different recipes, throw in some of my favourite ingredients -- I have a tendency to add mushrooms or cherry tomatoes to everything -- and then taste and adjust everything as I go along. That's the way I operate. But I know that when it comes to baking, I just can't do that. As a friend who is an excellent baker herself said recently, "Baking is precise." It certainly is, and precise, I am not.

Besides, my husband is rather wary of all the baking equipment I would want NEED if I was to bake!

But that doesn't mean I don't harbour dreams of churning out homebaked treats from my kitchen. So when the Singapore Mom Bloggers (SMB) organised a baking session with Munch Ministry recently in celebration of their first anniversary, I seized the opportunity and put myself on the list. I've been interested for a while in Munch Ministry's very popular baking classes but never had the chance to attend one. To be able to participate in a class as well as meet some of the Moms I've been interacting with online? I knew it would be a good morning.

Oh, and did I mention that we would be making Hokkaido Chiffon Cakes? Yum.

Our Hokkaido Chiffon Cakes!

It's one thing to read a recipe, but it's quite something else to attend a class and have a recipe demonstrated for you. Our instructors for the day were Pauline and Louisa, and they patiently took us through the recipe, step by step.

Baking with Munch Ministry!

Incidentally, did you know that the Hokkaido Chiffon Cake is not from Hokkaido? Pauline shared that it apparently takes its name from the fact that it was originally made with Hokkaido milk. (We used regular full-cream milk for our cakes but they still turned out delicious!)

Pauline prepping the egg yolk mixture.

I am quite a class junkie, so I can tell you that the best part about attending a session are the tips you get to pick up. That day, I learnt that all the ingredients had to be at room temperature or the cakes would not rise properly. Also when separating the egg white, ensure that you use a bowl that is free from traces of oil. In this regard, a metal bowl is better than a plastic one as plastic tends to retain an oily residue. I can tell you that it's quite a nightmare when your egg whites don't stiffen!

We watched as best we could before it was our turn to try our hand at it. It was the first time I was meeting the lovely Rachel, who was my partner for the morning, but we easily hit it off and quickly got down to work.

Rachel whisking together the egg yolk mixture. This was hard work and she did it really quickly!

Ladies who whisk -- Evelyn, Pamela and Jasmine show us how it is done.

After beating the egg whites into soft peaks, here I am combining the egg whites with the egg yolk mixture. Gingerly.

Egg yolk and egg white mostly incorporated!

After diving the batter into cupcake portions, we popped them in the oven, and when they were ready, took them out to cool. This was the result! In case you're wondering, they ARE supposed to sink like that, so that they create the holes to be filled with yummy cream. For this reason, this is a very forgiving cake to make. 

While we waited for our freshly baked cakes to cool, Louisa showed us how to for and custard-cream for the cakes.

Whizzing up the cream and custard. These mixers make baking such a breeze!

Our 师父 Louisa showing how the cream is to be piped.

My turn! I must admit that poking the nozzle into the cakes and filling them up with cream was a lot of fun!

Rachel and I with our completed batch go cupcakes! Yeah!

The cakes were, as promised, delicious. I'm glad I glad a couple for myself before I brought them home because the kids just cleaned them out! I'm looking forward to making these again -- and attending baking classes with Munch Ministry when the opportunity arises!

Now to convince my husband that I really should be getting that Kitchenaid...

Beanstro for Casual Bistro Food

Think The Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf and immediately images of their ice-blended drinks spring to mind. The cinnamon ice-blended used to be one of my staple drinks as a uni student and still remains one of my husband's favourites.

Well, the coffee chain has decided to branch into food with the opening of an American concept restaurant -- Beanstro. With one outlet at Marina Bay Sands and the second at Ngee Ann City, Beanstro is a full-fledged table-service restaurant with a pretty extensive menu, featuring quite a few all-day breakfast selections, as well as a range of salads, soups, sandwiches, pasta, meats and even dessert.

I had the opportunity to pop in to the Ngee Ann City branch for lunch with a friend (and Noey) earlier last month and when I first had a look at the menu, I really had a hard time deciding what I wanted because there were too many choices!

Many many choices!

The only thing I knew I wanted was a cinnamon ice-blended, which I got and enjoyed, naturally.

Cinnamon Ice-Blended. A staple during my Uni days!

With the assistance of the very helpful restaurant manager, Steven, my friend and I decided on a soup -- Seafood Velvet (S$9.50) -- and the Tuna Nicoise Salad (S$19) to share. I can't say the soup was very memorable, though I think that was mostly our fault for not tasting it when it arrived hot that the table. I think we were distracted by the rather tantalising salad that had arrived at our table at the same time.

The Tuna Nicoise Salad came in an impressively large serving. At that point, my friend and I started wondering if we were going to be able to finish our mains if this was the size of the appetizer! I really enjoyed this dish, which consisted of a nice mix of greens, green beans, egg, onions, baby potatoes and cherry tomatoes, and was topped off with slices of seared tuna. It was also drizzled with a homemade tangy dressing that I liked very much. You could quibble with the quality of the tuna but I thought it was decent certainly, for the price, and the salad came together well. This is something I'm likely to order again for lunch. We cleaned this up.

Tuna Nicoise Salad (S$19)

For mains, I got Noey, the burger connoisseur, the Beanstro Beef Burger (S$17.50) which was a special promotional item. Noey loves his burger and fries and was pretty excited about this one when it arrived that the table. Touted as a hand cut beef patty, the meat was certainly juicy and flavourful, not the usual processed stuff. This was topped with caramelised onions, a ragout of capsicums and melted emmental cheese. One thing for sure -- it was huge! Noey zoomed in on the fries, which were freshly fried and crisp, but he still managed to finish at least half the burger so I think speaks well of how much he enjoyed it.

Beef Burger (S$17.50)

My friend had the Prawn Risotto (S$25). Again, the portion size was substantial. Five minutes after she started on the dish, my friend looked up and amusedly commented that she was still shelling the prawns! Indeed, the risotto came with four large and crunchy tiger prawns, and a generous portion of rice. So while it was relatively pricey, I felt the price was justified. It was pretty tasty too. No complaints.

Prawn Risotto (S$25)

I picked the Seafood wrapped in Cartoccio (S$26), since I find it hard to resist the seafood pasta option. Plus I always think wrapped parcels of food are such a treat! Just a word of warning: this is pretty spicy! Definitely spicier than I expected. In some ways I thought that overwhelmed the taste a little. But I really enjoyed the seafood that came with the dish, which again came in generous portions.

Seafood wrapped in Cartoccio (S$26)

After all that food, we thought we'd take it light for dessert. I got Noey the frozen yoghurt and guess what? It was huge! Noey was thrilled. Mummy here, maybe not so much. I've had the natural flavoured yoghurt at The Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf before so I ordered the Vanilla Frozen Yoghurt (S$6.50) for Noey for a change. It came out tasting like vanilla ice-cream, but with the lighter flavour you associate with yoghurt. Yum.

Vanilla Frozen Yoghurt (S$6.50)

My friend and I shared a Chicago Cheesecake (S$8), a familiar old favourite from The Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf menu. It's been years since either of us has had this cake and we were happy to note that it tasted exactly as how we remembered it -- creamy yet light, as a cheesecake should be. It definitely brought back the memories!

Chicago Cheesecake (S$8)

It was a satisfying and really filling meal, and Beanstro has been on my list of casual eats to have in town since. I think it's a great place for a hearty meal -- come hungry! -- or a spot of coffee and cake in the middle of the afternoon. Service was friendly and efficient and the food more than decent. I hear they have free wifi too, which is always a plus in my books! While it's probably not somewhere I'd specially make a trip to eat at, I certainly will not hesitate to drop by for a bite if ever I'm in the area.

Beanstro Takashimya
391 Orchard Road
#B1-37 Ngee Ann City
Singapore 238872
Tel: 62351610

* This review is written based on a Food Tasting that I was invited to. All opinions, however, are strictly my own.

Two Choices

You know how the experts like to tell you that to get past kids saying "No" and doing what you don't like, you should only give them two options? These would be options both of which you will be ok with them opting for, naturally. "By allowing your toddler to make limited choices, she'll feel empowered, and you'll be satisfied with the result", they said.

Well, this recommended method NEVER worked with Noey. It looks like it's not working with Naomi either. Maybe I'm asking the questions wrong.

But back to Noey: Even when he was a tot, when I tried to offer him two choices which he didn't like, he would reject both and refuse to pick either of them, and instead stick to his original answer.

Last Wednesday night, he decided to try it on me.

After complaining a good deal while I was trying to get him to sleep, he turned to me and said, "I prefer to listen to music or read a book. Choose."

I wanted to laugh. What, was he serious?

"Eh, no, you're going to sleep." I told him.

"No! There are only TWO choices!" he insisted, holding up two fingers for emphasis.  

This time I did laugh.

"Nice try Noey, but sorry, it's sleeping time and I choose sleep. Now, close your eyes and go to sleep." 

It felt good to turn the tables on him, even if he did scowl himself back to sleep!

These kids. You just have to stay one step ahead of them all the time!