Talking about food

I've been checking out quite a few eating places at Arab Street the past week. Well I've been stationed at [removed] so obviously, if I can't find Halal food in Arab Street across the road, where else can I find Halal food?

The first one I went to was Minang Nasi Padang. The place serves rice and an array of side dishes. I thought the food there was very tasty and rich... so I continued eating there for three days running. I couldn't help it. They were really lip-smacking gooood.

Then I thought I should be more adventurous and try other places for a change. Afterall, I wouldn't be stationed at Keypoint for very long so I might as well try as many places as possible. Besides, the spread of dishes they have is more or less the same everyday.

So I went to House of Briyani next. Briyani is a form of flavoured oily rice accompanied with either chicken or beef cooked in in many different ways.

I went to the counter and asked the lady, "What's the difference between Iranian briyani and Afghanistan briyani?"

"The taste lah!" she replied.

*smacks forehead*

Duuuh. Obviously... . "But I usually go for the Iranian one," she added.

"Ok, I'll have that one then."

It was very good too. I didn't know there were actually a few types of briyanis going around. I like rice other than Japanese or Taiwanese rice to be grainy, not mushy and that's how the Iranian briyani was. The flavour was also right unlike other scam briyanis which is just tasteless yellowed rice pretending to be actual briyani.

And the tandoori chicken I selected was equally just as good. It was quite spicy and not swimming in gravy. I don't like too much gravy and sauces with my food. Gives me the impression someone's trying to hide the taste of the food behind it.

The next one I tried was Jubilee Dum Briyani. Make no mistake, this briyani is anything but dumb.

I've had dum briyani elsewhere before after being recommended by others and I've always been very disappointed.

I can tell you where NOT to go for any kind of food, especially dum briyani. The Thai coffeeshop at Joo Chiat run by some Indian folks called RK Eating House. Scam artistes they are. Bunch of liars. Holding back on ingredients is no way of retaining first time customers. They have at least one more outlet at Yio Chu Kang Link just outside of Serangoon Garden.

I can also tell you that Jubilee is indeed 100% different from those Thai coffeeshop scammers. They claim to be experts at dum briyani. That is all they sell. I also noticed they've been featured on TV before on a programme called Hawker Walks and Nonsense Talks or something. There are so many foodie shows on TV right now I don't really care.

Dum briyani is also another variation of briyani. The difference is that the chicken or beef is cooked together with the rice, along with all the spices to allow the stock to simmer and permeate so you can imagine the flavour that goes into the dish.

Yum! Jubilee got it right. Finally I get to taste honest dum briyani. I selected beef for a change.

It was spicy. Like as though there were tiny organisms biting at my tongue as I eat. It was all good. Some forms of bitings can be good. Heh.

Unlike briyani scammers who serve heaps of rice with perhaps a dollop of beef the size of a dice, Jubilee's portioning was also honest. After I was done with the rice, I still had some beef left. Wow, that's never happened before!

Actually I also had a chance to taste proper nasi ayam penyet this weekend after searching so long to find one that could match my former tenant's but I botched that one up.

Ita, former tenant I mentioned above, called the other day inviting me to her place for Eid. She said I could ask for anything and she'd prepare it for me. She knows I like her cooking. It was a no-brainer. Of course, the King requested for nasi ayam penyet. No one beats hers in my educated opinion.

I said I'd call her back to confirm details but uh, the number of hers that I have on my contact list was her old number and she called me from her new number which was confidential. Didn't show on my phone. She forgot to tell me about it.

GAAAaaaaAAaAaAaAAAAAaA!!!!

Do you know how cruel this is!? This is perhaps my one and only chance to satisfy my nasi ayam penyet cravings. This is the only person in Singapore who knows what nasi ayam penyet is all about. Others have tried to emulate but they fail miserably. The closest one is still very far for her standard.

I did suggest to her to start her own eating place but she doesn't have the capital. Damn, if I have the money, I'd just hire her to be my personal cook so I and only I can savour her cooking! Bwahahahahaha!!!

I also went to Yaslam's place last night and had nasi jintan. Had no idea what it was but that didn't stop me from having a second helping. The beef rendang was rich and succulent. The beef strips effortlessly so I work less and get to eat more. Heh.