"Witness To War: Remembering 1942" Exhibition At The National Museum Of Singapore

This year marks the 75th year since the fall of Singapore in 1942 and the National Museum of Singapore has launched its latest exhibition, Witness to War: Remembering 1942 to commemorate it.

The exhibition touches on the Asia Pacific war when Japan attacked the United States military and naval bases in Hawaii, Wake Island, Guam and the Philippines as well as the British possessions of Malaya, Hong Kong and Singapore.

The attack on Singapore was part of a wider campaign waged by the Japanese Empire across the Pacific. It presents the complexities of the events that led to the outbreak of the war in Singapore in 1942. 

Jollibee - Unjolly Chickenjoy @ Square 2

Jollibee is a popular fast food giant from the Philippines which set foot on our shores three years ago.

From their very first outlet at level 6 of Lucky Plaza, Jollibee has since expanded to another four outlets here at Square 2, Changi City Point, Paya Lebar Square and one more at the basement of Lucky Plaza.

When news of them opening an outlet in Singapore first broke, the most ecstatic would be the Pinoy community here who understandably, made up the bulk of the queue.

On its opening day and the subsequent weeks that followed, the turnout was so huge that they had to use the neighboring vacant unit to accommodate the snaking queue.

I thought I will wait for the craze to die down before I visit but weeks soon turned into months. As non of the outlets are near me and I hardly see any advertisements from Jollibee, I had clean forgotten about it - for three whole years - till recently!

Anime X Stamps @ Singapore Philatelic Museum

Celebrating 100 years of anime, an anime-themed exhibition is happening now at the Singapore Philatelic Museum.

Featuring an impressive collection of more than 700 stamps from 80 titles, spot your favorite anime characters such as Astro Boy, Doraemon and Naruto!

Also on display are rare artwork from Naruto and limited edition figurines from ONE PIECE, Dragon Ball and Mazinger Z.

Some of the earlier anime like Astro Boy, Doraemon, Heidi, Girl Of The Alps, RANMA 1/2 and Rantarou evoked some nostalgia sentiments as I grew up with these during my childhood.

If you are a fan of anime, this is an exhibition not to be missed. There is no excuse not to visit if you are a Singaporean as there is free entry.

Xiu Ji Ikan Bilis Yong Tau Foo @ Chinatown Complex Market & Food Centre

I cannot decide which is more off-putting - the never ending queue for the yong tau foo or the fact that the stall is located right next to the toilet?

For years, I have walked past the stall countless of times but not once did I throw it an extra glance due to the reason above.

It wasn't until recently that I finally relented.

I figured that they must be doing something right since they are able to command a perpetual queue everyday despite its less than ideal location.

On the day of my visit, I was elated to see less than ten customers in front of me however, the queue was very slow moving.

Nadim's Delights Burger Banjir @ Blk 508 Jurong West St 52

Update: Nadim's Delights has permanently closed.

Nadim's Delights is a western food stall located inside a coffeeshop at Blk 508 Jurong West Street 52, not far from Blk 505 Market & Food Centre.

Apart from the usual black pepper steak, fish & chips, chicken chop, chicken cutlet and spring chicken, the stall is getting popular for their burger banjir which is going viral on social media lately.

So what exactly is a burger banjir?

Banjir actually means "flood" therefore, burger banjir means "flooded burger". 

Flooded by what? If you cannot tell from the photo above, it's cheese of course!

Fei Fei Roasted Noodle @ Yuhua Village Market & Food Centre

I have been to Yuhua Village Market & Food Centre a number of times to do marketing with my Mum and we would usually settle our breakfast at the food centre itself. 

One particular roast stall here is famous for their char siew and there is always a perpetual queue for it.

The stall in question is called Fei Fei Roasted Noodle. Being a regular at the food centre here, I have eaten at Fei Fei a couple of times but I wonder why it took me so long to write about them? 

The stall is opened at around 9am and during my latest visit, I was there just at that precise moment when they switched on the lights inside the stall indicating that they are opened for business.

I was taken aback when a horde of people around me started swarming towards the front of the stall, all trying to place their orders. I joined the queue as well and I stood in line for about twenty minutes before it reached my turn to order a plate of wanton noodle.

Old Chang Kee Chicken Kopi'O

Old Chang Kee - a household name known for its delectable puffs - is no stranger to Singaporeans. Mention curry puff and this company's name would most likely come to mind.

Operating out of a small stall in a coffee shop near the then REX Cinema in 1956, it now has a chain of almost 80 kiosks all over the country and that is not even including the outlets overseas.

Old Chang Kee has certainly come a long way; it was recently inducted into the Influential Brands' Hall of Fame for winning the Influential Brands Award for five consecutive years.

Amongst the reasons contributing to their success, the company have actively been coming up with new flavors to attract customers. Past flavors included the likes of Chicken Satay'O, Cheesy Curry Chicken'O and the Rendang Chicken'O just to name a few.

Now, they have a new flavor under their wing - the new Chicken Kopi'O!

Cantonese Delights - Curry Fried Chicken Cutlet Noodle @ Hong Lim Market & Food Centre

What has laksa yong tau foo and even curry noodles got to do with the Cantonese? When I first heard about this stall at Hong Lim Market & Food Centre called Cantonese Delights offering these dishes, I was perplexed. 

Nevertheless, I decided to give their curry fried chicken cutlet noodle a try because it looked so darn good.

I reached the stall at about 9am on a Sunday morning and there were about ten customers scattered around in front of the stall, waiting for them to open. When I returned five minutes later, these customers had already formed a line. I promptly joined the queue and it did not take long to reach my turn.

I ordered the small portion of curry fried chicken cutlet noodle for $4.

Bai Nian Niang Dou Fu @ People's Park Food Centre

Over here at Bai Nian Yong Tau Foo, the only way you can have your yong tau foo is with bee hoon (rice vermicelli) soup. They do not serve it dry or have other kinds of noodle options like kway teow (flat rice noodle) or yellow noodles.

You have no choice over the ingredients as well as the ingredients are fixed. The only decision you can make is whether to have more bee hoon (at no extra cost) and whether you want the small ($4.50) or big bowl ($5.50).

Prince Coffee House - Beef Hor Fun @ 249 Beach Road

A week after my Hainanese pork chop at Prince Coffee House, I actually make a second trip back to try their beef hor fun.

Previously, while doing my research about the pork chop, I came across photos of their beef hor fun which looks amazing to me! At the same time, I found out that the beef hor fun, together with the Hainanese pork chop and stewed ox tail are their signature dishes thus, the decision to give it a try.

I will let you in on a secret.

I have never eaten beef hor fun before.

No kidding.

Due to certain reasons, my family do not take beef at all. I only tao jiak beef occasionally when I am out by myself and it is nothing more than a beef burger from a fast food chain.

Prince Coffee House - Hainanese Pork Chop @ 249 Beach Road

Prince Coffee House got its namesake from the now-defunct Prince Cinema at Shaw Towers where both were located some thirty years ago.

As with most Hainanese-run coffee houses, this coffee house serves both Western and Chinese fare.

This has to do with the majority of Hainanese being employed as chefs by the British during the colonial days. After the British troops withdrew from Singapore, these Hainanese set up their own coffee houses with the east-meets-west culinary skills that they have acquired.

When the original owner wanted to retire and fold up the business, four of his staff decided to take over and they had kept the coffee house running till this day.