Yangmei

Yangmei (杨梅), sometimes also called Yang Mei Berry, Chinese Bayberry or Waxberry, is not a fruit frequently available in Singapore.

This is an interesting fruit the size of a large cherry with a knobbly surface. The surface of the fruit is a deep red, almost purple. The flesh color is similar to surface color but somewhat lighter. The flesh is tart but sweet, with a single seed in the centre of the fruit.

I first came across Yangmei as a child, when my late grandfather brought home some fresh and dried ones from China. I was initially put off by the fruit, because Grandfather said it was prone to have worms and needed to be washed properly, with salt water.

But then Grandfather said they was delicious and gave me some to try. I remember they were pretty good!

After that time, the next time I had Yangmei was when I was living in Beijing. These were usually available in summer, and not for very long periods of time. Yangmei has a short shelf life just like raspberries, and has a very short growing period of just 2-3 weeks.

The Husband and I came across Yangmei quite by accident on Saturday and decided to buy a box home.

I wished we brought home a few more boxes.

These are the best Yangmei I've ever eaten - fleshy, juicy, tangy yet very very sweet.

Yangmei is a really healthy fruit - loaded with vitamin C and high in antioxidants. Do give them a try if you come across them!

Fresh on the tree. Photo from here

How Yangmei looks like on the inside. Photo from here

Waffletown at Balmoral Plaza

I am a little crazy about waffles.

There's just something about the little squares and maple syrup that attracts me to it. And of course the ice-cream.

So when we drove by this place called Waffletown, I asked The Husband if we could turned back to have lunch at this place.

Waffletown is a small cafe at Balmoral Plaza along Bukit Timah road. I think it must have been around for a long time now, since a friend of mine said she has been there since she was a student. It's a very simple cafe - more like a school canteen with aircon really. The place sells fast food, local style. Items on the menu included the usual western food choices like burgers, fish and chips, fried chicken.. and more local choices like chicken chop with rice and chilli fish with rice.

We ordered the Fried Chicken and Sambal Chilli Fish. Both were pretty good. Many other bloggers raved about the fried chicken but I thought it was just alright. It wasn't bad - crispy and piping hot as any decent fried chicken should be, but not fantastic. (Well, I supposed they could serve it cold like 4 Fingers and so maybe deserves a little more than "just alright..)

The Sambal Chilli Fish with rice and coleslaw seemed like an odd combination but it was surprisingly good. The dory fish fillet was nice and tender and the sambal chilli was fiery enough to sting just a little. The rice had a bit of butter that made it slightly more fragrant and the coleslaw helped neutralized the spiciness from the chilli.

The highlight for me was the waffles. I opted for the plain waffle with ice-cream. The ice-cream is your basic, run of the mill Magnolia ice-cream but the waffles were crispy and yet slightly fluffy. It's probably the closest to A&W waffles I've tasted so far in Singapore.

I would probably visit this place a lot more if it were nearer my home. Sadly, it is a bit out of the way for me and there isn't much nearby for me to travel all the way for chilli fish and waffles..

Waffletown

271 Bukit Timah Road
#01-02 Balmoral Plaza
Tel: +65 6836 6536

Ragusa and Nutella

I have been feeling rather tired of late - work has been really hectic and I haven't been sleeping too well. That's why I'm up at 5+am on a Saturday morning!

Well, since I can't sleep, I might as well turn my attention to my neglected blog. I have been reading Ting's posts on her latest trip to Italy recently and one of her posts on this place called Ragusa reminded me about this chocolate bar The Husband picked up for me in Switzerland.

Trying out photo effects with Picasa

Yep, this chocolate is also called Ragusa and I LOVE it!

Ragusa Noir is the dark chocolate version and boy.. it is so delicious! It is not some fancy chocolate that you get from a high street chocolatier. Nope, you can buy Ragusa from almost any supermarket or convenience stores in Switzerland. I wished I ate it whilst I was in Switzerland because then, I would have brought home a luggage bag full of it. Sadly, I only ate it when I came back home and now, I'm waiting for the next time some Swiss colleagues come to Singapore, so I can beg them to buy me a luggage full of it.

Hmph.

Now, I have to describe the taste so you can understand why I like it so much. It's a soft chocolate bar with bits of hazelnut in it. Taste-wise, think of Nutella, the yummy breakfast spread, only in a soft chocolate bar form and less sweet but more chocolatey. Or think of the soft centre of Ferrero Rocher, slightly harder, darker and with nice crunchy hazelnut in it.

Yums.

I haven't been that crazy about a chocolate bar for a long time. I feel like a kid peeling away the tin foil wrapping the soft chocolate bar as I ate this. It really put a smile on my face afterwards and that's a lot for a tiny, inexpensive bit of chocolate.

Speaking of being a kid. Another interesting snack I had recently was from Italy. My parents went to Italy for a holiday recently and came home with a pack of this for me. I felt like I was 10 again. This Nutella snack is very interesting. It comes with some finger biscuits and a Nutella dip for the biscuits, as well as a drink (I think it's lemon tea). All in this compact little container.

Another interesting snack that put a smile to my face. In this case, almost a grin.

Sometimes, small things like these can really brighten up one's day.