myBurgerLab, Petaling Jaya….it’s OMG delicious

This place is actually…amazing. I was sceptical and I should mention rather carnivorous and I loved it! For a little place, it does get busy and yes, definitely worth a try !!

If a good burger is a thing of beauty, then the Swisstake burger I had was a gorgeous masterpiece which is quintessentially BK Swiss Mushroom burger on steroids. It’s a soft charcoal bun (which makes it a Black Burger) plus the beef, swiss cheese, the star of the show…shiitake & enoki mushrooms and their secret weapon…Sauce X. However, it really tasted like a hamburger. You get the delicious and satisfying taste of a burger, without those feelings of heaviness and greasiness afterwards – the hallmark of actual quality.

myBurgerLab is a standout and a standard-setter. They probably serve one of my top 5 burgers ever! This is the true truth as I say it as it is…

Penang Place Restaurant, Singapore….as good as being in Penang

Penang is an island best known as Malaysia’s unofficial food capital. After many trips to Penang, I am hooked on the food and this restaurant is as good as being there.

The buffet line was quite expansive – 30 specialties. There’re hits and misses, with the Penang Fried Koay Teow faring very very well, while the desserts and Assam Laksa less so. This is a no pork no lard restaurant, but the char koay teow, is a winner – not oily but equally fragrant with that smoky flavour as any others around and topped with generous amounts of fresh and big sized prawns and cockles. The nasi lemak was just ok. The rice was not particularly fragrant but the rending was very tender, though a tad too spicy. The curry chicken is also a must try. The assam laksa was a DIY station but sad to say, this dish was not up to par. I actually enjoyed DIY-ing my own rojak because I decide what goes into the mix: cucumber, pineapple, guava and starfruit.

Being an ex-Malaysian, I would say this is the closest to authentic Penang food you will get in Singapore. I had to waddle out of the restaurant stuffed to the eyeballs, moaning that I could never, ever, possibly eat another thing. This is the true truth as I say it as it is…

Champion Republic, Singapore…..three reasons NOT to renovate your bathroom with Champion Republic

Their website proclaimed: “We are well known for offering the most reputable and impressive lines of home products in the market.  Our brand is renowned for its high quality, exquisite appearance and trendy design. We are devoted to uncovering and sharing the latest and greatest products for home.” Their strategy is obviously very hardware-driven. Champion Republic, I have news for you…outstanding products do not make a company great without excellent service that does along with it.

All went fine when one of their workers came to inspect and measure my shower stall. He collected $100 deposit out of the $350 total. He committed to install within 3-5 days. That was where the problems began. After 3 days, my wife called him to enquire the exact date and time when he would install the shower screen. His reply? “You don’t chase me. The more you chase me, the longer you will have to wait.” Unbelievable!!! He subsequently grudgingly committed to actioning on Saturday. When pressed for a time slot for Saturday, he simply replied, “I don’t know” and hung up on her. The cheek of it. That’s when I jumped in and called him up. After I persisted in insisting for a time commitment, he committed 11am to 12noon time slot. However, late Friday night, he called me and claimed he is in Johor Baru and lost his passport and won’t be able to carry out the installation till Monday. When I told him I wanted to cancel the order and asked for the refund of my deposit, he said that was impossible. The next day, I managed to get hold of one of his colleagues to arrange for someone else to do the installation was told all their men were busy and they could only possibly do it around 5pm to 6pm. Because the condo rules stated that no such work can be carried out after 12noon on a Saturday, I decided to cancel the order and my deposit had to be forfeited.

So if you are in the market for a shower screen are considering Champion Republic, then closely read these three reasons NOT to renovate your bathroom with them:

1. The sparkle ends when the deposit is paid. The worker who measured the shower stall seemed knowledgeable. He guided us through the myriad choices and budget options. Nothing was a problem and his suggestions really did help. But once the deposit is paid, you are in a whole other world. The pleasant guy is replaced by the grumpy, uncommunicative subcontractor who threatens, speaks rudely, raises his voice and slams down the phone on your. There will be problems and a million reasons why something cannot be done.

2. The supervisor is non-existent. When something doesn’t go to plan, who do you speak with? I called the general line on the invoice and website but it keeps getting answered by the same person – the extremely rude guy who slammed the phone on us. When I asked to speak to his supervisor, he refused to divulge any information, only saying that “his boss doesn’t go to the office and cannot be contacted”.

3. Start and end dates. Your contractor can drag your project on as long as it takes. He stubbornly refused to commit to a time and date and when he finally does, his passport “conveniently” gets stolen the night before and he can’t return to Singapore.

Get your sliding shower screen somewhere else….This is the true truth as I say it as it is…

 

Fisherman’s Crab Deck, Maryland, USA…passable, nothing was overly special

An hour out from Washington DC, this restaurant is a good fix for crabs, although I personally feel it’s annoying to put that much effort into something you’re going to eat. The restaurant itself has a great atmosphere with live music and very open and on the water. It is not fancy.  It is very casual, laidback and loud.

The menu was extensive but generally the preparation was ‘middle-of-the-road’. As for the food it was okay. There isn’t much I can say about them. They have good Maryland crabs, smaller and harder to eat than the Sri Lankan ones I am used to in Singapore.

The experience was passable, nothing was overly special.  I would NEVER go here on my own dime but I can easily look the other way when someone else is footing the bill (LOL).This is the true truth as I say it as it is…

Huang Ji Huang Three-Sauce Simmer Pot, Shanghai…for those who favour heavier tastes

Huang Ji Huang prides itself in employing the sauces whose recipe originates from the royal kitchens of the Qing dynasty. It is worth a try for those who favour heavier tastes.

A little garlic butter is placed in the middle of the pan. Then vegetables, dates, carrots, garlic, etc…On top goes the meat or whatever you’ve ordered, in my case, it’s intestines, beef ball and pork ribs. After the seasoning and the caramelized sauce is applied, simmer away. It is a process. It really does take a really long time, so go when you have time to spare.

Huang Ji Huang will test your stomach lining, your threshold for spice, your ability to hang… Are you in? This is the true truth as I say it as it is…

Restoran Sing Lok Lok Steamboat, Johor Baru…Food fondue Malaysian style

Lok in Cantonese means to be scalded or getting burnt in hot water and hence the name lok lok.  Lok Lok is an assortment of cooked and uncooked food items dunked in hot boiling broth. As with a fondue, you and your friends huddle around and communally dip these slivers of meat and vegetables until cooked.

True to tradition, the lok lok at Restoran Sing is served out of a van similar to truck food. The workers in blue will help us cook the food by boiling the  raw food prepared on skewers in soup. If you like variety, there is quite a selection with cuttlefish, prawns, crabstick, baby clams, pork slices, pig intestines and assorted balls. Restoran Sing offers 4 types of sauces to dip our lok lok in, from sweet to satay to chili sauce. Alongside its steamboats, Restoran Sing offers a full a la carte menu. To go with our lok lok, we also had the ultra expensive and underwhelming frog legs. Best avoided.

Try it to experience a different food culture. This is the true truth as I say it as it is…