Saturday, September 26, 2009

Korean BBQ Chicken

One of my favourite perks of being a student, other than the no-working part, of course, has to be all the little benefits and discounts we get at various shopping and eating outlets across the islands.

A particular meal I enjoyed in recent times at a student rate was at the Korean BBQ Chicken restaurant at the basement of Cathay Cineleisure. A fried chicken chain from Korea (the BBQ in the title stands for “Best of the Best Quality"), there’s nothing discernibly Korean about the food served there but, at the student promotional prices they’re offering, who’s to complain?

As i was looking for a solid bite but not a huge meal, I opted for the chicken tortilla meal, which comprised of two slices of chicken strips wrapped in tortilla with some lettuce and cucumber, fries and coleslaw on the side and a drink to top it off. While the the tortillas were a tad cold when they reached my table, the chicken was pretty delicious and the fries were fried just right.

And, thanks to the student promotional price, I got the whole set for less than S$8! Definitely worth the price.

One of my friends went for the Korean charboiled chicken set, which he described as decent if not the best he’d tasted and another friend who just wanted a quick bite went for the col-pop, which is a cute cup in which they have popcorn chicken in a slot taking up half a cup and there’s a hole for the straw to access the bottom half, which is filled with a soft drink of your choice.

While the food wasn’t earthshakingly good, it was definitely a decent meal and, coupled with the fact that the service staff were friendly and that the total meal cost us barely $20 on a Friday night in town, Korean BBQ Chicken definitely left a good impression.

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars (if you’re a student)
3 out of 5 stars (if you’re not)

Korean BBQ Chicken Cathay Cineleisure Orchard
8 Grange Road
#B1-04/05
Singapore 239695
Tel: 6887 3638
Operation Hours
Sun - Thurs & PH - 11:00am - 10:30pm
Fri - Sat & Eve of PH - 11:00am - 11:30pm

The chain also has outlets at NorthPoint, Tampines 1, Downtown East and West Coast Plaza

Sunday, September 06, 2009

Yellow Ribbon Prison Run 2009

My stomach churned when the first rain drops hit the windscreen of the cab, where I was desperately trying to catch some winks for the run. The feeling that I might not need that rest only intensified as I stepped out into a Changi Village that had an ominously overcast sky.

Thankfully, while it did drizzle a little, the weather more-or-less held for the next two hours and made the Yellow Ribbon Prison Run 2009 a really enjoyable experience.

The run was organised to promote awareness of the Yellow Ribbon project (which aims to rehabilitate ex-convicts into a society that isn’t biased against them), starting from SAF Field at Changi Village, the race route (which came in 5km fun-run or 10km competitive choices) wound through the entire Changi prison complex, passing through landmarks such as Changi Chapel Museum and the Johore Battery before ending up at the new Changi Prison compound.

I was initially hesitant about taking up the race because I hadn’t run a 10km race since last year’s Nike Human Race and was (and still am) terribly out of shape. In the end, however, the prospect of running for a good cause as well as a goal that motivated me to start training led me to join the thousands at the starting point at 7.30am, undeterred by the little specks of rain.

Unlike the Nike race’s disorganised and badly-planned race route (which featured lots of human jams due to bottle-necking paths and horridly-chosen water points), the Yellow Ribbon run’s route was largely spacious and allowed for participants to run at their own pace without worrying about blocking anyone else, although the wildly undulating hills were a bit trying on knees and legs turned wobbly from a sedentary life.

The route itself was an interesting viewing experience and offered up a lot of sights that even Singaporeans would probably never see. There were several times along the way when I actually slowed my pace down to a stroll (not that I needed an excuse, what with strong winds buffeting me and the hills wrecking havoc on my legs) so I could take in the old buildings along the way.

The post-run activities were pretty well done too. Other than a mini-carnival with games, there was also free ice cream from Anderson’s (one of the sponsors), milo for the lucky few who manged to snag it before it was gone and even muffins baked by the convicts themselves. The goodie bag, too, was unexpected hefty for a charity run and included a towel, a cap, an actual yellow ribbon and a huge heavyweight of a finisher plaque.

Overall, I enjoyed the run a lot (despite having had to wake up at an unearthly hour to traipse across the island for it) and it was definitely an interesting viewing experience.

The Yellow Ribbon Prison Run 2009, organised to raise awareness of the Yellow Ribbon project, consisted of a 10km competitive run and a 5km fun run. The run, which was graced by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defense Mr Teo Chee Hean, started at 7.30am on 6th September 2009.

Saturday, September 05, 2009

Sumptous noodles at Crystal Jade Jurong Point

To end off the Jurong Point Chinese restaurants theme that I have been following over the past weeks, my friend and I tried out Crystal Jade La Mian Xiao Long Bao outlet in the mall. I recalled mentioning on the Din Tai Fung review that the Crystal Jade outlet was probably a better choice for those looking for a good Chinese meal.

Having enjoyed a hearty meal there, I’d have to say I stand with my suggestion then.

We each ordered different types of noodle dishes, my choice being the beef brisket noodle dish.

The presentation of all the food was simple but appetising and every dish looked sumptuous from the get-go. And the tastes sure didn’t disappoint. Other than devouring my own dish, I had a little sample of the different ones my friends had and each dish had its own unique flavour, with high-grade ingredients (the mushrooms were pretty good) and a whole boatload of spices.

Customers could also choose from different noodle types (like at Italian pasta restaurants).

To complement the noodles, we ordered some of the ubiquitous xiao long bao (although off hand I can’t remember the exact flavour we chose), which was adequately tasty,a fried pancake dish which tasted exactly like (very good) roti prata and two roast pork buns, which were great (although Zhou’s Kitchen’s were better).

To top it off, our combined order of over $50 qualified us to order a fish dish for $1 (they have a different item for each day), which was not only really tangy and delicious (although the fish was of pretty low grade), but substantial.

The service at the restaurant was also decent, the service personnel both friendly and informative.

Out of all the Chinese restaurants that I’ve eaten at Jurong Point so far, Crystal Jade La Mian Xiao Long Bao is by far the best in terms of quality, service and even pricing. A definite must-go if you’re in the area.

Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

Crystal Jade La Mian Xiao Long Bao
1 Jurong West Central 2 #03-18
Jurong Point Shopping Centre
Singapore 648886
Tel: 6790 2212
Opening Hours:
Mon - Fri 11.30am - 9.45pm
Sat/Sun/PH 11pm - 10.30pm