Review:- The Mama Shop

Disclaimer: I am not sponsored to write this blog post in any way. It is purely written based on my VERY own opinions. You may disagree with me, but to each his own.

For a long while now, my colleague and I have been hoping to visit "The Mama Shop" located at 195 Pearl's Hill Terrace. It was near our workplace anyway, so we thought it would be a pretty nice idea to drop by the place during our lunch hour. (And we finally made it there yesterday)

Yes, if you haven't known by now, it is the cafe set up by Mediacorp's artistes, Felicia Chin and Sora Ma.

We have seen many photographs of the cafe online, and boy, did it pique my interest!

I mean, it appeared to have a concept that was so TOTALLY my style. I LOVE everything retro, and the cafe was the definition of that.

I'm a person who digs oldies, so this is surely a must-go place for me. No doubt about it.

Unfortunately, we did not have a really positive first-time experience there.

Firstly, the location was a bit off and certainly not the most convenient location one can expect. In fact, both my colleague and I spent quite some time figuring the way to get to the location (There was not even a single obvious sign near the area). If it wasn't for the publicity through media coverage, I am pretty sure nobody would be aware there IS actually a business going on there.

In order to get to the location, we had to walk up a slope (or "hill", if you prefer to call it) that appeared isolated. It was a small one-way route that I would definitely not walk alone at night.

It did not help that the sun was scorching hot during the time we went - so hot that I believe a raw egg would turn cooked under the natural heat of the sun.

When we finally reached The Mama Shop, we were surprised how small it actually is in reality.

There were only 3 tables outside the cafe, and 2 extra ones directly under the sun without any shelter. (I assume that the 2 tables were meant for customers who patronize in the evening as there was definitely NO way any sane human is able to sit there for more than 5 seconds without being set on fire from the sun. Hell no, I am NOT exaggerating!)

So we managed to choose our table and sat down, with a cheery-looking guy serving us the menus.

I would say the customer service was good.

I've read that there was no physical menu before, but they do now.

The cafe serves light food that are suitable for small eaters like me (No, there isn't any rice, noodles)

There are burgers though, and I have to say that they aren't cheap.

I ordered a cup of regular-sized Red Bean Slush ($3.90 for the regular-sized cup and $4.90 for the bigger one)

It took quite awhile to arrive, but I have to say that the drink was quite good thirst quencher. Not to mention that red bean has always been my all-time favorite! 

(Do note that it is on the sweet side, so if you are one who does not fancy a sweet drink.. It may not be ideal for you)

I had to drink it fast as it was melting at a fast pace!

Here were the 2 dishes that we tried:-

(Supposedly Cheese fries?)

Their cheese isn't your typical liquid kind of cheese, but more of the dried kind. I was not sure what other ingredients were in it, but they tasted a bit weird. Not the best fries I have eaten so far, but I can't verify that much since I seldom eat fries to begin with)

On the other hand, my colleague is a fries fanatic but she did not like this one either.

Here's the second one I chose - I forgot what it is exactly called, but they were seaweed chicken wrapped in waffles and sprinkled in taco sauce (the similar sauce from taco balls)

Strong taste, I'll say. I felt like I was eating taco balls! Haha.

It was a refreshing experience tasting the combination of seaweed chicken and waffles.

Okay... ...The price isn't that bad - $4.90.

I've read from another customer's experience that she felt it was a "time-travel" experience being physically there as the set-up seems to lose touch with the current world of technology.

I was expecting the ambiance to be totally retro, so it was a little bit disappointing that I saw a  Macbook and english pop songs being played in the background. *shrugs*

I do, however, like the items that are sold there (of course, the prices are marked up to quite a large extent) - with many childhood stuff spotted, such as those "water console" games, snake and ladder boardgames, childhood snacks, just to name a few.

Probably it was just a wrong timing to be there during lunch time that spoiled our mood, but I guess we will not be returning there anytime soon.

I would say the cafe is overrated to a certain extent (mainly because it's opened by Mediacorp artistes and have garnered hardcore support from their fans).

The Cookie Museum

Before I begin, I would like to emphasize that this is NOT an advertorial - but purely just sharing the interesting stuff I stumbled upon during my recent shopping trip.
(I think I am going to start sharing more good stuff from now on so that everyone can benefit from it too!)

As most of you may (or may not) known by now, there's this interesting store in Singapore called "The Cookie Museum".

Don't be fooled by its name - I thought it was a museum at first, as in those museum with exhibitions.  *laughs*
It turned out to be a store that sells REALLY exquisite cookies. It's a pity that I did not take any pictures of them, but I have googled some images for illustration purposes.

One of the appealing factors about the store : - Its display and interior design (somehow reminds me of a Victorian style)

How their cookies look like in a tin:

But I am not going to talk about their NORMAL cookies here - It was some other flavor that intrigued me.

In view of SG50, they have came up with EXCLUSIVE Singapore flavored cookies that are just.. MINDBLOWING.
I am not exaggerating here.

Have you ever heard of cookies in NASI LEMAK, PRAWN ROLL, LAKSA, GREEN CURRY, CHICKEN RICE, CHILLI CRAB flavors?

Believe me, my first thought was "EEEW... That will be disgusting." It will never be something I thought was possible.

Not until.... I was given the chance to try their sample pieces.
My eyes literally popped when I tried the Nasi Lemak flavored cookies.
DAMN, they actually TASTED like the real thing. The familiar taste of ikan bilis and sambal chilli was so freaking' prominent.

There's even REAL ikan bilis located on top of each piece of cookie.

The cookies come in containers like this:

I was shocked how they are able to come up with cookies with such a  local twist.
I wanted to try the chicken rice version, but was told that it was running low in stocks and they did not have the sample pieces anymore. :(

It turned out that it was one of the hot-selling flavors!! Damn, it must have tasted as good as the Nasi Lemak version.
*grits teeth*

I was so tempted to purchase them, but the prices are way over my budget. Each tin costs approximately over SGD 40 per tin (and it contains only 30 plus cookies).
I guess good things are worth the money, but the prices just do not cut it for me.
It makes an excellent great gift idea for the elderly or overseas friends though - as they are very uniquely Singapore!
Just perfect for the SG50 season!

If you are interested to try their sample pieces too (which is FREE and non-obligatory!), here are their locations:

1) Marina Square Shopping Mall,
#02-280

2) Raffles City Shopping Centre,
#B1-49

3) Takashimaya Shopping Centre,
#B209-3

My favorite food places in Singapore

People don't usually associate me with food (That's one of the reasons why I can't be a food blogger. LOL) as my petite size is always giving them the impression that I dislike eating.

Oh well.

Nonetheless, I do still enjoy going around different parts of Singapore and trying out inexpensive BUT delicious food.

I am going to share a few of my favorite food stalls that I patronized here in this post - Some of the photos pictured here are not taken by me (Credits to Google images); so they are for illustration purposes only.

It's coincidental that the food below are international-  Thailand, Italy, Philippines and Indonesia *laughs*

Disclaimer: The below opinions are based on my personal views and opinions. Trust me at your own risk! 

1) I LOVE Thai Food (Think Tom Yum and green curry. Mmmm... ...) It is not easy to find delicious ones in Singapore; but I managed to find a few that are to my ultimate liking!

Meet Mae Noi Thai Food.

Their chicken wings are superb! Piping hot and crispy on the outside, tender and juicy meat on the inside. You will find yourself yearning for more after every bite!

My recommended ones are definitely their Tom Yum and Green Curry. I have since introduced many friends and colleagues as well; and they are loving its authentic taste too! Prices are very much economical - less than SGD 5. 

Mae Noi Thai Food is located at Bugis Street, 3rd Storey. (It is situated in a very convenient location as well for shoppers!)

2) Italian Food - Saizeriya

I am actually quite surprised when I heard that not many people heard of this restaurant. High quality Italian food, cheap prices and atas ambiance - It is definitely a good find!

Prices start from $3.90 onwards. You will be surprised.

My personal favorites: Mushroom soup , Chicken Doria.

Address: 177 River Valley Rd, Singapore 179030

3) Indonesian Food - Ayam Penyet RIA

I have tasted Ayam Penyet RIA while I was in Johor and Singapore; and I have to admit that their Ayam Penyet tastes as good as it looks!

Bear in mind that the chilli is quite spicy though. (My favorite!) What's a good Ayam Penyet without real spicy chilli to go along with it?

Address: 14 Scotts Road, #05-26/26A Far East Plaza

4) Philippines food  - Jollibee

Initially, I thought this would be just another typical KFC. I mean, it did SMELL like KFC when I first stepped in. It was not until I tasted their chicken that I changed my mind almost immediately. Crunchy on the outside; SUPER tender and juicy meat that are undoubtedly well-cooked on the inside.

I am quite particular when it comes to chicken meat, and I have to say that this is on my Favorite list now!

Address: #06-048A, Lucky Plaza, 304 Orchard Road.

[Highly Raved] Best Frog Leg Porridge and Stingray!

Okay, this is a HUGE sacrifice for me to even post this entry as I am pretty sure I am going to go hungry after typing everything.

BUT I JUST HAVE TO SHARE! 

(See? I am such a good person. I eat and I share awesome stuff with you guys! Now it gives you more reason to read my blog! Heh)

So I was at Ang Mo Kio the other day for my usual facial appointment (Thanks to my fabulous BFF, Pei Wen, for accompanying and even willing to wait nearly over 1 hr for me *guilty*). As both of us are "Westerners" (I mean, we live in the West side of Singapore), Ang Mo Kio seems like a foreign area to us.

However, we are open to exploring the place and ended up having one of the BEST days of our lives when we checked out a BBQ stall that was highly raved online. I'll post the actual address of the place later.

(Check out the compliments on FourSquare! https://foursquare.com/v/s11--amk-ave-10/4b408402f964a520a9b825e3)

Sorry, no high quality photos as of now as everything was taken using my humble phone's camera. Not to mention that I didn't have much time to take many photos as both of us were just TOO hungry.

Here's the Frog Leg Porridge/Congee (or whatever you call it)

A close-up of the Frog Legs:

(Ok lah, my phone's camera not too bad lah, hor???)

Words can't even describe how tasty this pot of stuff is - The frog legs are meaty and wonderfully blended with the sauce. (You can request for less spice if you ain't a fan of spicy food) You won't regret this, I assure you! Do request for more sauce if you can.. You will get "addicted" pouring it in your porridge.

The meat was just soooo tender and soft... Urgh, you just have to try at least once to believe it! 

Sometimes... Online reviews are indeed believable if they are highly raved by Netizens.

Beware though, once you tasted it.. It will be unforgettable and gonna stick to you for life...

As if that is not enough, we ordered Stingray as well! (Yes, it's from the same stall! How convenient and perfect!)

To be honest, this is a very generous serving. At $12, it's considered HUGE. I mean, I have tried $12 versions in other places and the size isn't even half of this.

To top it all, the chilli tastes really good. Not that I am trying to exaggerate, but I almost fainted from overwhelming excitement. I just couldn't believe I was enjoying such heavenly food. Life felt SO beautiful in that instant and I wished time would just freeze.

Here's the leftovers:

Just a piece of bone...

Okay, I felt that my life is complete.

Here's the address: - (I earn nothing from them for this blog entry, but I just purely wanted to share!)

Geylang Lor 9 Fresh Frog Leg Porridge 

Blk 530 Ang Mo Kio Ave 10 S560530

(It's inside S11)

Yes, there is no need to travel to Geylang just to enjoy such a great taste. I am so jealous of you people living in AMK or even near AMK now. I wouldn't mind eating this everyday!

P/S: Damn, now I'm gonna cook myself some instant noodles as my stomach is indeed growling after posting this entry!

[Belated Birthday Family Dinner] Crystal Jade Kitchen

Headed to Crystal Jade Kitchen @ Clementi with my bro-in-law and family :)

It was actually my first time trying this out!

Thanks to my bro-in-law, Jonathan, for the treat.

My cheeky little niece, Victoria:

(I hope her mommy doesn't kill me when she sees this unglam photo being posted here!)

It's all about eggs:

Okay, I am not a professional like some food bloggers out there when it comes to food (I am only a complain queen, hello!)

But I still enjoy making people salivate:

The YangZhou fried rice that tasted damn good:

And here comes the prawns, coated in yolk? (At least it tasted like yolk!)

Close-up of the delicious prawns:

I guess this is my sis's favorite?

Roasted duck :3

Now,that's pork:

Minced meat! I didn't really like the taste of the green-colored veggies (Argh, I don't know what it is called)

But the look of it is appealing, isn't it!

Another close-up again.

(My stomach is starting to grumble now at this stage. Karma!)

I ordered Mango Pudding for dessert:

The serving is small, but the taste definitely has a WOW factor:

Add in some milk to enhance the taste:

Riigghtt.. Here you go:

It was a fabulous dinner and I am sincerely touched that my family actually spent time to celebrate my birthday with me! :) Thanks thanks thanks!! 

I'm a blessed girl.

Before ending this entry.. Here's a nonsensical photo - Featuring my nephew and niece!

YES. It's the OPPA' GANGNAM STYLE =_=

It's spreading like wildfire! GAAH!