Thing to eat at City Plaza Singapore.

I heard about this fried chicken restaurant numerous times but no chance to have a try. That weekend wife wanted to go City Plaza to acquire her CNY clothes. I said fried chicken is main objective, cloth is secondary. Hee.

This restaurant named Arnold's Fried Chicken. It has been in business for 30 years, that explained its popularity. They have electronic queueing system to manage the crowd. We made order at the entrance and got a number. That day was Saturday noon, 4 groups were in front of us. Once our number showed on the board, showed the counter lady and paid the bill. We got a pager vibrator and just wait to be called. 

The dishes are same as those in hawker centre fried chicken stalls. Fried chicken (sorry, no hot & crispy version like KFC), mashed potato, coleslaw, potato fries, fried bun. But criss-cut fries and potato wedges they offered are not commonly found in hawker centres. 

The speciality I can say is the chicken. It was well marinated so the skin and meat were really taste good. I liked the skin was fried to crackly crisp. I could taste the good ingredients being used on the gravy of mashed potato. Chicken and mashed potato really stand out compare to those in hawker centres. 

Address?

810 Geylang Road

City Plaza #02-99, Singapore 409286

(Nearest MRT station: Paya Lebar Station)

It has 2 more branches at Yishun and Hougang. Check this out here.

Authentic Nasi Padang

This post I still talked about ‘makan’ (Indonesian | It means eating.). I and my dear went to authentic Nasi Padang. Nasi Padang is a Padang steamed rice served with various choices of pre-cooked dishes originated from Padang city, the capital of West Sumatra, Indonesia. Nasi Padang (Padang-style rice) is a miniature banquet of meats, fish, vegetables, and spicy sambals eaten with plain white rice, it is Sumatra's most famous export and the Minangkabau's great contribution to Indonesian cuisine. For us, the authentic Nasi Padang should be eaten in Indonesia. Any one of the Nasi Padang restaurants there also considered as authentic for us.

We can find few consider authentic in Singapore, but most of the Nasi Padang in Singapore already been modified to suit to locals. So having a Nasi Padang meal is one of our ‘to do list’ whenever we travel to Indonesia.

This restaurant located at a small path branched out from Jl. Merdeka. See bottom the map. This small path has roof and both sides have shops like boutiques, eateries, etc. Restaurant called Damai. The interior give you kind of home decor feeling.

Typical serving style in all Padang rice restaurants is they serve all the dishes on small plates and place all on customer’s table. After finished, then you pay what you have eaten. Some foreigners may not get used to it as those left over food, the owner will top up again on that small plate and serve the next table. Well, travel is about experience foods, culture, differences. We enjoyed!

 Chicken Curry / Gulai Ayam

 Green Chili Paste / Sambal Hijau

This was nice, not only simply chili taste, it blended with spices and attracted me keep continue on this. I can have more rice with this.

Oxtail Soup / Sup Buntut

Oxtail cooked with potatoes, carrots, onions, chilis and spices.

 Beef Rendang

Spicy meat dish which originated from the Minangkabau ethnic group of Indonesia. Use slow cooking method, continuously churning the ingredients in a pot or frying pan, on a small fire, until all of the liquids evaporate and the meat is well done. This is another dish that attract me to continue and have more rices. Some time I will ask for the paste without meat top on my rice. With that I am satisfied.

Young Jackfruit Curry / Gulai Nangka

Jackfruit soaked in the curry, very juicy.

Fried Patty / Perkedal

Made by ground potatoes and minced meat. 

Minced Meat Curry (Beef) / Cincang

Water Spinach / Kankung

 Water spinach mixed with sprout and fried coconut mince. We should have some green after many meats. Haha.

Fried soy bean cake / tempe with ground chilis. 

The map.

Read my Tanjung Pinang trip:

Introduction, here.

Breakfast, here and here.

Shopping, here.

Dinner, here.

丹戎槟榔晚餐

在这趟15年11月丹戎槟榔之旅内，这部分是我们蛮期待的。在电视上看到60年代新加坡的街边食摊，现在已无法找到了。基于卫生考量，这上世纪的街边摊都已经搬进了岛上各个小贩中心。丹戎槟榔还可找到这种街边摊，让我们非常的期待。

这食街必需坐的士去，告诉司机你要去 Akau Potong Lembu 他就懂了。基本上在地印尼人都懂一点英文，而华侨也懂得华语，所以语言方面我们不成问题。这条街看起来酷似新加坡60年代食街。我放了两张照对比。

照片源: Victor Koo

这张取自新加坡60年代食街。

这取自丹戎槟榔，真像。

我和妻像小孩子跑进糖果屋般，这摊点，那摊也点，搞到满桌食物。还好有友人在所以没有问题，通通干完。

清汤，南洋式甜汤。

哇，这珍多冰从1964年卖到现在。 

珍多冰，东南亚式甜点。成分是香兰叶色粉条，红豆，放上刨冰，淋上黑椰糖和椰奶。很香的椰奶和椰糖味。 好吃！

炸鱼片，友人告知鱼肉是鲨鱼肉。这里潮洲华侨居多，他们叫鲨鱼饼 ‘Suo Hu Biang’。我想有这样多鯊鱼嘛！

五香 （全炸物，有肉卷，鱼饼，豆腐，虾饼等等。)

印尼式烤鱼。我尝到香茅，小葱头，辣椒等各种香料。在地华人也学到印尼的香料混合，好吃， 我喜欢。

烤鱿鱼。鱿鱼涂了调味料，好像有蜂蜜，辣椒等。配叁峇一起吃，好吃。

（ 叁峇 - 印尼辣椒浆）

印尼式炒饭 

丹戎槟榔式海南鸡饭。这东南亚各地都有不同版本的海南鸡饭，这个呢就饭比较湿，卤汁多，和新加坡不一样。

满汉全席

沙爹摊 （沙爹 - 东南亚式烤肉）

茶水摊

大致上，我们蛮享受这月光下的晚餐。食物好，气氛也好。只是要注意野猫，它不时会在你的餐桌下要食物。哈哈。

Tanjung Pinang Dinner

This was the excited part of our Nov 2015 Tanjung Pinang trip. I always hope to experience the Singapore 60s food street that I saw it on TV. You can't experience it in Singapore as due to hygiene consideration, all the street food stalls in the past already moved into hawker centres that scattered in the island. Our local friend told us we can have dinner at their famous food street, we were so excited. 

You need to take a cab to there. Tell the driver you want to go to Akau Potong Lembu then he will know. It looks exactly like the photo taken in 60s of Singapore. Don't believe me! See the photos, man!

Photo Courtesy: Victor Koo

Well, this is real 60s photo in Singapore.

Here is the photo I took at Akau Potong Lembu Food Street.

That proved my statement, haha.

I and my dear like kids go into candy shop, keep ordered and ordered and ordered. So finally here the foods. Luckily we had this dinner with our local friends, so no problem to clear it.

Cheng Tng (local dessert)

Cendol - This dessert's ingredients are coconut milk, jelly noodles made from rice flour with green pandan leaf coloring, shaved ice, red beans and palm sugar. I could taste the coconut milk and palm sugar fragrances. Really nice.

This Cendol stall started since year 1964. 

Fried fish fillet. According to the local, the fish is shark meat. 

Ngoh Hiang (Fried meat roll, fish cake, prawn paste, etc. All the fried stuffs.)

Grilled fish / ikan bakar. I could taste the paste had lemon grass, shallot, chili and many other spices. I like this. 

Grilled squid / sotong bakar. The surface coated with a layer of source seems like honey and other spices. Dip it with the sambal, really nice. 

(Sambal - Indonesian chili source)

Indonesian fried rice / nasi goreng. 

Chicken rice. Locals like the rice with more gravy compare to Singapore version. 

All are here.

Satay stall. (Satay - a dish of seasoned, skewered and grilled meat)

Drinks stall.

Generally, we enjoyed the atmosphere that eat under the moon. The foods are nice. Just one note, be watched out of wild cats, it will come to your table to ask for food. Haha.