A quinoa plate with many other stuff

I thought this was pretty enough to deserve a picture and since there was a picture, there came this post. Might as well talk a little about it. Must have been one of the healthiest meals I've had in a while. It's quinoa, but it's also a lot of other stuff - like LSA meal, hijiki salad, toasted pine nuts and steamed butternut squash. I liked it. Sweetness from the butternut squash and some salt from the hijiki.

PS. Cafe, Great World

It's not news but PS. Cafe (#01-555 Great World, 1 Kim Seng Promenade) has an outpost at Great World. There's a "Spice Route" section in the menu here that the other branches don't seem to have.

I've seen their crab tart around for a long time. Finally tried it. Menu said buttery short crust but it didn't taste very buttery to me. The tart was stuffed with crab meat but those tasted like something out of a can/jar. The texture was very minced and there were no chunks. It was packed with crab though.

Tried the lamb pilaf pie from the Spice Route section of the menu. Nice puff pastry cover over rice. I liked the toasted seeds on them. Underneath were some lamb, rice and cauliflower. A third of it might have been cauliflower. The gravy had a lot of tang but not much heat - kinda like a not so spicy vindaloo. It's not bad per se but it wasn't impressive.

Finished with a banana cake with butterscotch. Liked that it wasn't too sweet.

Revisiting Ponggol Nasi Lemak

I've been looking forward to coming back here after the last time because I suppose this is likely to be the closest and convenient option to the impossible elusive "perfect" nasi lemak. Just my opinion. It's almost the same stuff as I got previously topped up with an additional fried chicken wing and extra rice. How do these guys get the batter on the wings so crunchy?

Brothers Ramen, International Plaza

I've known about Brothers Ramen (#01-20 International Plaza, 10 Anson Road) for a few years but haven't gotten a chance to visit them until now. Incidentally, their ability to endure marks them as serious survivors in our unforgiving F&B scene. Anyways, these guys are known for their tori paitan ramen.

Tried their supermen - the bowl that has ajitama, sous vide chicken charshu, pork charshu, and wanton. Seems that they're not serving wanton today and they were replaced by menma. Egg's not bad, chicken is not bad but I found their charshu to be a little lean. More fatty would have given the texture more dimension, made it more pleasing and also gotten them better flavour.

There wasn't any option for the hardness of the noodles that I could see so I'm guessing it's not a a choice they're offering. The default doneness was also okay. Liked that it wasn't too soft but I would have preferred harder with a bit more bite. Their creamy paitan broth was likeable - predominantly chicken flavour. 

The item that I had been eyeing with interest was their dry megamen. Megamen being their take on Jiro-styled ramen. The dry one has only a little broth. Opted for spicy as well. That chunky piece of braised pork belly was tender and flavourful if anyone was wondering.

Very solid and enjoyable bowl. Loved the textures from the cabbage, bean sprouts and chewy noodles. Garlic and whatever gave heat in the spicy option kept it interesting. It was almost reminiscent of certain characteristics of a bowl of lor mee with the starchy sauce broken down. I'd come back for this again. 

Supper from Jalan Tua Kong Ya Lim Mee Pok

I've heard of the Jalan Tua Kong mee pok for years but have never gotten the story of their branding straight. Previously I've had a bowl from Original Jalan Tua Kong 132 at 6th Avenue. Wasn't impressed. There's another Jalan Tua Kong Lau Lim around Bedok and there's also a Ah Lim Jalan Tua Kong Mee Pok at Joo Chiat. No idea which one of them is the original or the better or if there are even more of them around. 

This one was from Telok Blangah. It was one of those options available close to midnight.

Not impressed too. While obvious as it may be, tar pow-ing mee pok isn't the best of ideas since they tend to harden and clump together. Texture fails at this point. The flavour was also lacking. Not getting the pork lard, chilli was barely passable and I couldn't taste any vinegar. I did opt for chilli and vinegar in case anyone was wondering. Here's a first and last.

A bacon burger with mayo, sauteed onions and mushrooms from Five Guys

I've been curious as to how the burgers at Five Guys would taste like without cheese because I haven't had one. This was it. Just like how I was curious previously about how Shake Shack burgers would fare without cheese. Aside from a getting a cleaner mouthfeel with the meat, I don't think I liked it better. So it's gonna be back to cheese burgers again in the future.