Singapore Bakery: Bunnies

With the advent of Chinese New Year a few weeks ago, we are now in the year of the Rabbit according to the Chinese Zodiac. So how appropriate that the next bakery I am going to talk about has a moniker that matches the zodiac. Tucked away in a shop-space on the 1st level of People's Park Complex (facing the Hawker Centre) in the heart of Chinatown is a bakery called "bunnies".  

Their specialty? A bread bun that actually comprises of 6 smaller buns joined together and stuffed with a myriad of different fillings (Yam, Peanut, Cheese, Lotus Seed Paste (or Lian Rong in chinese), Curry etc). You could call it a 6 pack. But similarly as with Beer, consuming too many of these 6 packs would leave you an all rounder if you know what I mean :) This looks similar to what most local Singapore bakeries make when they bake bread loafs with fillings but the huge difference is in the execution. 
Check out my buns below!! (the black seeds are sesame seeds and these denote that the buns are filled with Lotus Seed Paste)

What makes this bread so good? It has this amazingly soft texture that you would be hard-pressed to find at most other bakeries and which makes you want to eat more and more. The turnover is high so most of the time you get it steaming hot from the oven.
What else is nice ? Being a creature of habit, Most of the times I always stick to the same thing aka Yam or Lotus Seed Paste buns but they do sell other types of bread, just that I didn't try anything other than the above-mentioned. Do let me know if you come across other must-haves. 
Taste Verdict: Buns are fluffy-soft and should be eaten soon after purchase to get the maximum effect. Not many bakeries(if any) I know can come close to this standard of soft.
Price: S$1.30 per piece (for the 6 pack)
Where to get it: People's Park Complex, 1 Park Road #01-66
FYI: No rabbits were harmed in this bakery or in the creation of this blogpost. 

Singapore Hawkers: Found: Hougang 6 Mile Muah Chee

"Oh, Do you know the Muah Chee Man?

The Muah Chee Man? The Muah Chee Man?

Oh, Do you know the Muah Chee Man?

Who sells on Avenue 8?"

Okay, so I've taken a few liberties with the song, but Muah Chee is more local than muffin. Muah Chee (quite similar to Japanese Mochi) is a sticky dessert made from steamed Glutinous Rice Flour and dusted with Peanuts (some stalls also add Sesame Seeds). To my knowledge, this variant can be found in Singapore, Malaysia and Taiwan. Recently I was in Taiwan on Holiday and met up with an old secondary school classmate in his hometown of Miaoli.He brought my wife and I around and let us try Taiwanese Hakka Muah Chee along with other Hakka Delicacies *Yum* but that is a story for another time.  

Since 1952 the stall proclaims, where it was previously located in the old Simon Road Market or as we Hougang "Nang" (teochew dialect for persons) like to call it (Lak Ko Jiok or literally translated to 6 mile) market. I believe it used to be run by the parents of the current stallholder.  

When the market was torn down to make way for re-development (that open ground next to Kovan Melody), I heard that the stall had moved to a coffeeshop at Block 682 Hougang Ave 8. It was by chance when a colleague of mine had driven me out for lunch at a nearby Coffeeshop last week that I realised that he had relocated to new premises. The new stall looks like so:

Muah Chee, Mochi, Hawker, Singapore, 6 mile

Technology may have moved with the times but he still does it the old fashioned way i.e. separating the pieces of muah chee by hand. 
In the pic below he is scraping the peanut mix to consolidate it in a pile.

Muah Chee, Mochi, Hawker, Singapore, 6 mile

On why there are no close up photos of the Muah Chee. Let's just say I was so busy savouring it that I forgot to take a picture. Hehe, it happens to the best of us. 

Taste Verdict: Still Very Good, it was easy to swallow as the texture was very smooth (not clumpy or overly sticky) and coated with a generous dose of peanuts. You can ask for Sesame Seeds too if you want. 

Brownie Points: I was da-bao-ing (Singapore Chinese term for take-away) 2 packs of Muah Chee and he asked if I was gonna eat them soon after. I said I was saving it for later and he gave me an additional packet of peanuts (at no extra charge) to add to the Muah Chee later so that the peanut mix would still be fresh. Now that's service!
Price : $2 (Small), $3 (Medium), $5 (Large)
Where to Get It: Hougang (6 Miles) Famous Muah Chee
                              Blk 644 Hougang Ave 8, Broadway Coffee Shop 
Opening Hours: Daily: 12noon – 9.30pm

Adventures in Coffee: The K Cup Saga - Part 2 How-to, the Capsules & The Verdict

How to use a K-Cup machine:

Step by Step guide: 
1. Fill water into the water reservoir

2. Once filled, Place Reservoir back into slot.

3. Press power button to turn on machine (assuming main power is on and voltage transformer is also switched on) 


4. Power light is green, Heating light is red indicating the water in the machine is being heated up.

5. Once heated, the heating light goes off and the 2 cup size buttons start flashing in blue (left button for smaller cup, right button for bigger cup)


6.Grip the grey handle and lift upwards to open the lid.

7.Place the K-cup in the slot provided.

8. Close the lid, place cup below the dispenser and press one of the flashing blue buttons


9. The Coffee will then be dispensed into the cup within seconds. Just add sugar and milk to taste.


Alternatively, you can check out the video below which shows how relatively easy and quickly I can get a cup of coffee in the morning with only basic motor & mental functions engaged *LOL*

The K-cups (Capsules)
The K cups comes in boxes of 22 like so (see below)

Some of the brands offer samplers, boxes with different flavours (some examples are Butter Toffee, Swiss Chocolate Almond, Mudslide, Caramel Vanilla, Sumatran, Colombian Decaf, Italian, Kona Blend etc). Similar to Nespresso, they also offer seasonal (Limited Edition) flavours at certain times of the year: e.g. Egg Knog, Golden French Toast (see below)

If you ship enough in bulk (4 to 6 boxes) even with the cost of shipping with the concierge service, the cost of each K cup works out to be about S$1 which is still acceptable to me. With the cost of living in Singapore on the rise, Coffee shops selling coffee close to $1, this doesn't look like a bad option.
The Backup Alternative 
People do ask me what happens if I run out of K-Cups? Well I did order the Keurig My K-Cup Reusable Coffee Filter (costs about US$10 to 15) which I can fill in with my own coffee powder should I ever run out of K Cups so I am still covered.

Overall Verdict
2 months in, despite the initial hiccup with the power, I am really happy with it so far. It has also unexpectedly become a great conversation piece to visitors to my house, especially with people who have the same passion for coffee.

Crossing my fingers that it lasts for a few years! 
Please feel free to leave comments, share your experiences or if you have any queries that you may have. Happy exploring !

Disclaimer: There is always inherent risk involved when importing these machines(or anything) to Singapore. 

There is a possibility that the what you import can be faulty due to damage in the course of shipping or if it already had a fault before it was shipped. 

These are not covered by international warranty so I am taking a risk when I import the machine. I would advise you not to try this if you are not prepared for these possibilities.

Adventures in Coffee: The K Cup Saga - Part 1 The Journey

If you are like me and like your coffee freshly brewed (3 in 1 instant coffee sachets are a last resort for me) in the morning, with no muss and no fuss and hate estimating how many scoops of coffee powder you need, dealing with coffee grounds or filter paper, especially when you haven't gained consciousness for the most part, then this post is for you. 
For me, I recently moved into a new place and started my search for a coffee maker that would meet my needs. 


OPTIONS AVAILABLE:
I checked out the various options available locally:

1. Nespresso capsule machines: Really nice capsule machines but also expensive. The models range anywhere from a basic set which costs about S$398 all the way to the advanced machines costing thousands of dollars. 
2. Easy Serving Espresso (ESE) machines: These are manual expresso machines, which you have to operate like how a Barista does it at Starbucks. The Easy Serving Espresso pads look a bit like small doughnuts with the Coffee powder sealed with Filter paper.  Cheapest Delonghi model was S$155.
3. Automatic Grinder & Brewer espresso machines (Brands include Krups, Saeco, Delonghi, Juras): These take in whole coffee beans, and grind and brew a cup of coffee at the touch of a button. Cheapest one I saw cost S$799 *ouch*  

Option 3 was rejected because of the exhorbitant prices of the machines. Way out of my budget but if you have that kind of money to splurge, go ahead. I would if I could. But do note, there is still regular maintenance to be done: 

1. you still have to clear the sump (with the used coffee powder)

2. Clean the dripping tray

3. Clean the frother (if the machine has this option for frothing milk to make lattes etc) so it is not choked

4. Descale the machine

Remember also not to load in too many coffee beans into the machine if your usage is low as those beans even if left unused would lose their freshness.

Option 2 was rejected although it was cheap and coffee is good because it was too much of a hassle for regular daily use. This is the closest to the filter coffee maker except the coffee already comes in ESE pads which makes it easier to dispose. Do check this option out if you are looking for a cheap machine that makes great coffee and don't mind the hassle of brewing it.


Option 1 was my favoured option but I was put off by 
1. The price of the machines
2. The lack of flavours due to the proprietary system (locally they have made available 16 regularly available flavours of which only 4 are strong) and I like my coffee strong. 


NEW OPTION: I started searching for options online and discovered Keurig K-Cup brewers. Similar to Nespresso machines in that they are using proprietary capsules but they have the advantage of a large variety of flavours as quite a few companies (Tully's, Gloria Jean, Timothy's Coffee, Wolfgang Puck to name a few) produce coffee in this format. They also have Tea and Cocoa options.


DECISION, SHIPPING & ACQUISITION : 
I could not find a local (Singapore) distributor for Keurig and emailed Keurig in the US. They replied that they do not ship their machines out of the US. So late last year I decided to take the plunge and import a Keurig B40 Elite Gourmet Single-Cup Home-Brewing Machine and a few boxes of capsules to Singapore from the US.



As most US sites do not ship directly to Singapore, I had to use a Shipping Middleman / Concierge Service to get it shipped to me. The concept is simple, with this service, you would ship the items to a US based address as given by the company you choose and they will charge you the shipping charges for forwarding the package back to your address in Singapore. Some sites which offer this service are: 

• Vpost: Offered by Singapore post but the rates are no longer competitive and I personally find the service really lacking( but that is another story)
• Borderlinx:Offered to Citibank card members, they use DHL to ship the stuff back to you in Singapore. 
• Hop-shop-go / Comgateway.com: Hop-shop-go is a Comgateway account  that uses Paypal as the mode of payment. Paypal users currently get 10% off the shipping price

Shipping tip: Please take note that Singapore Customs (ICA) charges a 7% GST charge on all imported items if the combined value of the imported item and shipping cost (The actual term is Cost, Insurance and Freight or CIF for short) is S$400 and above. Sometimes it may be more worth your while splitting up a shipment then trying to send it all at once.


Unforeseen issue:Transformers - More than meets the Eye
When the package arrived, I was excited to try it out so I hooked it up to an electrical socket with my usual voltage transformer adapter (to step down the 240 volts socket to 110 volts for the machine)  I had used previously.
Bad, bad move as a few minutes into heating up the water in the machine, it shorted out with a loud pop, (there was a little smoke and a burnt smell) and tripped the circuit breaker in my home. Needless to say my Dad was not pleased. I then did a quick check on the internet and found out that I needed a 1500W step down voltage transformer to work the machine. These are square or rectangular shaped metal boxes (they resemble Computer power supplies).


I didn't have the time to shop around in Sim Lim Tower (a place to find electrical components in Singapore ) so I bought my 1500w voltage transformer from Home-Fix hardware store in Ang Mo Kio Hub shopping centre. It set me back S$180. My advice is especially for heating devices, don't be penny-wise pound-foolish and buy a cheap travel adapter that claims to do the same thing which may end up causing an electrical fire. 


Purchase tip:  Please check the wattage (and voltage) of the appliance that you are importing from another country before you plug in your power voltage transformer.


Finally it's working ....
Once I plugged in the voltage transformer with the machine, I could finally prime the machine (MUST DO before 1st use). It's similar to the way you would brew the coffee with this machine but without inserting the coffee capsule. After that, I tried it out with my first coffee capsule. Needless to say how happy I was, I was doing fist pumps!! haha 


To be continued - Part 2 How-to, the Flavours and The Verdict

Snack Scoop: #1 Choc and Chips

I was browsing aimlessly in NTUC Fairprice supermarket (to those not in the know, Fairprice is a supermarket chain run by the National Trade Union in Singapore) when I came across these 2 great offers. 
365 Cookies
What better way to begin this blog than with Chocolate? :) 
365 Cookies (as shown below) are a pack of 12 chocolate chip cookies. A product of the Netherlands, it is chock full of chocolate chips and the cookie itself is crisp (not soft or chewy, if it is, you better exchange the packet you have or throw it away) and gives enough bite. 

While it can't compare with Chocolate Chip cookies like Keebler's Chocolate Chip Deluxe Cookies or Chips Ahoy! Real Chocolate Chip Cookies (US made, not the made-in-indonesia version that's rampant on our supermarket shelves), it more than holds its own against the competition on the shelves. The only gripe I have is that it needs a little salt to the taste to give it a more rounded flavour.
Normal Price: S$3.50 per pack
Offer Price: S$4.35 for 2 packs (Offer ends 23 Feb 2011)
Where to get it: NTUC Fairprice (including X-tra, Finest) outlets islandwide. 

California Chips
Passed by the Chips section when I came across this. Although I have never tried this before, I always favour American chips and at the price is quite a bargain. I got 2 packs, 1 sea-salt flavoured and this pack (below) of Honey BBQ. Look forward to trying this soon as I can. Will try to update this post with a taste verdict once I do. 

Normal Price: S$3.85 per pack

Offer Price: S$3.85 for 2 packs (Offer ends 23 Feb 2011)

Where to get it: NTUC Fairprice (including X-tra, Finest) outlets islandwide. 

Tip: Just a tip to be careful when buying things on offer in supermarkets. ALWAYS check the expiry date on the package. If the offer sounds too good, it usually means the product is not far from expiry (maybe about 1 month or so). For the cookies above, the expiry date is in Mid June 2011, the Chips sometime in 3rd week of April 2011. Be careful & happy shopping!

*UPDATE: 15/03/2011*

Taste Verdict: Opened both packs of California chips. Here's my take: 

Honey BBQ: Find the chips a little over-flavoured. Taste was aggressive: At once Salty, Sour, Sweet AND MSG sweet. I guess  this is their attempt to replicate the taste of BBQ sauce. Can't take many chips without reaching for a glass of water. 

Sea-salt: Found this much more pleasant  and with a nice crunch to it.

re-Genesis : New beginnings: Why WTF?

Hi, welcome to my rest stop on the information superhighway. Why WTF? it's my acronym for the 3 things in life that I am most passionate about : 

1. Wine (and other assorted liquors), 
2. Technology
3. Food (and beverages).

In this blog, I hope to share what I've learnt, tried and loved over the years with others for them to benefit. The main disclaimer on this site is that All views/reviews are my personal opinions and should not be taken as Gospel truth. Why did I start this up now? I've always been wanting to do stuff like this but either had no time or no gumption to do so. Well, no more procrastinating!! now is as good a time as any to do so and I ain't getting any younger. I really hope you like what you read. Feel free to share with me your experiences, views etc. either by leaving comments or by emailing me at gimj55@gmail.com. I'm always ready and willing to learn.