Legit Bak Chor Mee in Jakarta. SLURP!

Some time back, I posted about Singapore Char Kway Teow in Jakarta. Today, this entry is going to be on another uniquely Singapore hawker dish — Bak Chor Mee.

Bak Chor Mee (肉脞面) or minced meat noodles is a predominant feature of Singapore hawker centres. One of our iconic street foods, this well-loved dish transcends all classes and boundaries.

Totally legit Bak Chor Mee in Jakarta.

So what does Bak Chor Mee consist of?

Bak Chor Mee is usually  made up of mee pok (flat egg noodles) or mee kia (thin egg noodles), slices of braised mushroom, minced pork, slices of lean pork, pork liver, and meat balls. It is an awesome combination, especially delectable when the noodles are tossed in chilli, black vinegar, and pork lard. Served with just the right bit of wetness and soup on the side – YUMMMMMY.

Bak Chor Mee & Fishball Mee from Ming Fa, PIK.

A few of our friends have previously told us about Ming Fa’s authentic Bak Chor Mee situated in PIK. As it is pretty far from where we stay (about 25km away), we never got down to trying it.

But Agent D woke up on saturday morning with a HUGEEEEE bcm craving. And we succumbed. So thankful for GO-JEK in Jakarta…the IDR 60K delivery fee, albeit pricey, was totally worth it. 🙂

Bak Chor Mee Signature with additional fishballs and prawns (IDR 52k).

Bak Chor Mee Regular (IDR 39k).

The Bak Chor Mee was SO GOOD. I can imagine it to be even better fresh and piping hot. #CravingsSatisfied

Agent D was feeling super hungry that morning so we ordered another bowl of Fishball Noodles for him, which was pretty shiok too!

Fishball Noodles (IDR 39k).

Receipt with Ming Fa’s address and number.

In case you’re wondering, the Ming Fa Bak Chor Mee in PIK seems to be the same one as Ming Fa Fishball along Upper Thomson Road in Singapore (they actually have the same logo!). Not sure if it’s just a franchise or they are under the same owner though. I leave that for you to find out. 🙂

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Mingfa Indonesia
Fresh Market PIK, TP-21 (front row facing the street)
Open daily from 6:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Last Trip of the Year to Singapore: Nowhere Else We’d Rather Be

Gardens by the Bay, Singapore. HOME TRULY.

And now on to our year end holiday in Singapore, where Agent D and I were like tourists in our homeland.

GOOD OLD FOOD

First thing we did upon touching down was…SATISFY CRAVINGS with oily lardy awesommmme hawker fare. That which never grows old on us.

Our first stop was Chinatown Food Centre where we had char kway teow (ohh the hum), a huge serving of claypot rice originally intended for 4 (complete with lap cheong!), and chwee kueh with loads of chilli.

SO EXCITED!

Char Kway Teow hawker stall.

YUM.

Claypot Rice.

Char Kway Teow, Chwee Kueh, and Sugar Cane Juice.

After a very fulfilling lunch, we walked away the fats to my favourite egg tart store a few streets down – Tong Heng Confectionery. Their diamond egg tarts have a slighly flaky but firm crust with an almost jelly-like, egg-custard filling. Simply dan-talizingly shiok.

Tong Heng Confectionery.

Egg tart gems.

Queuing to buy 1 dozen egg tarts.

Another day, we headed all the way to Little India to have Beach Road Scissor Cut Curry Rice. Do not be fooled by its appearance. Although the rice rice looks unappealingly messy and unsightly – it is absolutely sinfully delicious. A plate of ‘heart attack’.

Scissor Cut Curry Rice.

A glorious beautiful mess.

And no Singapore trip would be complete without my hokkien mee. 

Hokkien Mee with plate of greens (meant to offset lard and oil).

This time round, Agent D and I hardly had time to check out cool and exciting new cafes/restaurants. One exception was Hana Japanese Restaurant, which my friends brought me to.

They’re known for their “flying noodles”, in particular the Flying Truffle Somen and the Flying Salted Egg Yolk Udon. You should also try their 4×3 grid box (chef’s selection of 12 small bites) and Matcha-misu dessert (beautifully decorated like a terrarium).

FLYING noodles!!

4×3 grid box.

Matcha-misu terrarium.

SIGHTSEEING IN OUR HOMELAND

Food aside, Agent D and I probably covered more ‘tourist attractions’ in one week than in half a year when we resided in Singapore.

In between our food hunts, we explored and walked the quaint streets of Chinatown.

Chinatown, Singapore.

Shop houses in Chinatown.

Happy tourists couldn’t resist a roadside ice-cream!

We also spent one lovely evening at Christmas Wonderland in Gardens by the Bay.

I loveeee the gardens. It is a nature park spanning 101 hectares of reclaimed land in central Singapore, adjacent to the Marina Reservoir.

Gardens by the Bay, Singapore.

Against the backdrop of Marina Bay Sands.

Fresh air + greenery = bliss.

Majestic supertrees.

Christmas Wonderland has been held in Singapore for three years now (including 2016) and it was our first time visiting this yuletide fair. So glad we made it. 🙂

Magnificent sculptures of light.

Charming festive markets. Agent D taking a picture of me taking a picture.

Pretty lights all around.

The lights came on at 6.30 p.m. and the entire place became more and more magical as the sun set and the skies darkened.

Beautiful Singapore.

Gorgeous luminarie lights.

Ice Palace.

Ohh and we finally got to visit Adventure Cove Waterpark in Sentosa – an aquatic amusement park with an aquarium, waterslides, a wave pool, tubing, snorkeling, etc.

Agent D and I spent an entire day taking high-speed water slides (screaming our lungs out!), drifting on a lazy river, and bouncing around the wave pool. SUPER FUN!

Didn’t get to take any pictures because we left our phones in the locker. Here are two of my favourite rides (photo credit: RWS Sentosa):

Riptide Rocket – Southeast Asia’s first hydro-magnetic coaster. 

Spiral Washout – an oscillating tube ride through a twisting, turning water flume. 

We also did some Christmas shopping at Public Garden Christmas 2016, an annual flea market which runs during the Christmas season.

Checking out unique jade rings with gemstones.

Public Garden brings together quality brands and independent businesses with unique merchandise. Industries include design, stationery, art, jewellery, apparel, home decor, vintage, beauty, etc.  #supportlocalbrands

Flowers, anyone?

If you missed Public Garden last December, you can always look forward to the next one this year! 🙂

MEETUPS & CATCH UPS

Around year end, there are more meetups, gatherings, celebrations and potlucks than usual. And we are thankful to be part of some.

GSF + 1.

GSF.

Queky and Charmaine.

Happy Birthday Aileen and Alice!!

Agent D’s church homies.

Congrats on your lil’ one, Dania!!

Such a cutie with sharp features.

SG-INDO gang.

with our favourite little one!

Aww boys.

A FLOWERY SWEET SURPRISE

Something to remember this trip by…Agent D surprised me with a bouquet of the prettiest flowers at our GSF +1 gathering.

Flowers from Fleurapy.

Such talent!

I’m a happy girl. 🙂

I asked him why he got me flowers and he replied, “We don’t need a reason to buy you flowers.” Awww, what a keeper. (Actually, he had just spent close to 500 bucks on board games that day…perhaps that was the untold reason heh??!)

Anyhow, the flowers made my day and gave me something to remember this SG trip by. ❤

Thank you husband! XOXO

Our flight back to Jakarta was two hours delayed and we boss monster-ed away!

Already missing you, Singapore. Till the next time!

 

Last Few Days HOME

So happy that I managed to satisfy some of my cravings in my last few days back in SG. Hawker food is one thing I always miss when in Jakarta – it’s hard to find things like hokkien mee, char kway teow, orh luak (oyster omelette), bak chor mee, etc. Even if there are stalls selling them, they hardly taste the same as the ones back home.

Agent D once ordered “hokkien mee” at Hotel Mulia. When it was served to him, he thought that the waiter had got his order wrong. But noooooooo. That blackish, thick-sauced noodles WAS HOKKIEN MEE.

Hokkien mee from Tian Tian Lai – my deathbed dish.

Thomson egg prata.

Wanton mee with sio bak.

There are so much more things I want to eat but don’t have the time to. SOBS.

Anyhow, glad that I managed to catch up with some friends whom I’ve not seen for a veryyyy loooonng time on this trip. Was too carried away chatting that I forgot to document photos with most of them!

Reminiscing uni days with Vania.

And of course, my last play date with baby fatty, momma Juli, and dear Estelle. ❤

My armpits smell nice, not like you adults!

Babies grow so fast. I wonder if fatty Joseph will still recognize me few months from now?