💖Burpple Instagram Selection💖

Best Virgin Mary I dare say goes to... Symmetry's rendition, and deservingly so, some say the best morning wake-me-up juice. Pardon my hangover from post-Star Award in my introduction. Whilst tomato juice certainly is not the popular beverage here in Singapore, I certainly think Symmetry's can make the most discerning tastebuds to begin to appreciate it. If you think it is only about getting Tabasco into a glass of tomato, you are so wrong. Symmetry gave all the right attention to the balance of spice, the thickness of the juice, the black pepper, the chilled glass, the sliced sweet tomato on the steel skewer, the celery stick and the slice of lemon.

No secret to a good bowl of ramen, what ever style or ingredients you favour, it has to be hot! The temperature of the broth has to at minimum sustained through as you devour the bowl of noodles. Jimoto has certainly got this spot on. I would recommend Shio for those who want to taste its original flavours. The broth is rich with umami of fresh sea shrimps and not thick, so you wouldn't get that gelak-ness. Your crave/missing for cha siu can be easily replaced by a side order of gyoza or corn croquette which are both nice accomplishment.

Where egg Benedict is concerned, none other does it better than Symmetry. Who else pampers you using generous serving of Dungeness crabs in their Benedicts! It's not just about throwing in the expensive ingredients as some establishment does - with an overdose/ use of truffle, foie gras but doesn't achieve much. It's about bringing in the right combination. See my earlier post on details.

Suddenly have this craving for potato and there will be only place I have in mind. There I am at this Hainanese curry rice stall on a Saturday night, expectedly behind a long queue of "connoisseur" of this hainanese curry, lor-zhup mixed rice at an unassuming stall at the coffee shop, a stone throw away from other even more famous hawkers: Punggol Nasi Lemak, Mala Hotpot and Heng Long Teochew porridge (getting more crowds then ever after the brawl at the stall which hit headlines in our tabloid & stomp). To be able to by-pass all the above and stay loyal to this local version of curry pork chop rice, I am feeling proud of my fellow queue-mates! And we ought to be proud of this heritage. To think that this must be the definition of fusion food in Singapore some 40/ 50 years ago, when pork chop, curry, chup-chye were combined into this staple rice dish. Who says we have no originality and heritage?

Perfectly poached eggs on top of a English muffin with salsa and avocado spread, with a dash of paprika and pepper. It's that simple and honest. Many are doing it but few accomplished to. Two thumbs up for Craftsmen! At $13 it's a steal! P.S. I added the hot sauce and the potato tater tots (from the other brekkie item on the menu) and it's immediately transformed into something Mexican!

The most outstanding dish of the night at this acclaimed most authentic traditional Korean restaurant. The usual stir fried pork I had comes with kimchi, but not their rendition. Instead the sweetness of the onion, capsicum and green onion replaces the tangy kimchi. The red bokgeum sauce looks fiery but does nothing to raise the heat level of this dish. The sliced pork used has a good level of fat and lean meat and softbone which certainly raises the level of enjoyment of this dish.

Symmetry has one of most beautifully executed egg Benedict. I remember the excitement when I found theirs amidst the egg Benedict craze some 5+ years ago. This variation has chopped mushrooms between the eggs and the muffin, not the taste I appreciate most, but the core to this is using really good eggs and having complementing ingredients in a not overwhelming way.

This seem to be a new stall with an eye-catching stall signage - haven't been to Amoy Market for a while. Was there in the evening and the nice hawker auntie was so apologetic there there were no more fried fish. Instead, she offered her separately set aside braised pork 卤肉 (already packed in her own take away bag) to me, the whole lot of them. It was a generous bowl and trust me it taste better than the other famous Lor Mee in this same complex. The soy braised hard boiled egg was perfectly done with a creamy core and super QQ exterior. The best part about Lor Mee is you get to add the garlic, chili and black vinegar to the level that best suit you. To me, I want it all! Probably the only thing missing is some Chinese parsley... but at 7pm at Amoy, you can't ask for more.