Monday, March 7, 2011

Questions?

Do you guys have any questions for me? I have questions for you!!

Okay, so lately I've been asked about what skin care products I use and also about my hair products. I will answer those for sure! What else do you want to know? Any hair style videos you want me to do? This is your chance to ask anything people so don't be shy!!

Now it's my turn to do the asking! ;) I've decided to add a "shop my closet", "shop my jewelry box", and "shop my shoes" section to my page. I've got way too many possessions!!! Even more shameful I have lots of never used/gently used items that need to go! Everything will range from $2-$30 and it will be like my very own worldwide garage sale! lol So my question is would anyone actually buy my things?
On to other questions......
Do you like the blog? Any items you don't like? Do you like the new segment I do with the hubby (what guys really think")? Anything you want to see more of? Anything you want to see less of? My feelings will not be hurt, so please be honest.
I love that so many of you come back here to read my posts daily and I want to keep you guys coming back! Thank you in advance for your feedback and suggestions. Excited about what's to come here on Stilettos and Diaper Bags!

Sunday, March 6, 2011

Best And Top 10 Singapore Hawker Dishes

Since my last best of list on hawker food back in January, I had been wanting to compile another best of Singapore hawker dishes, but decided to hold off as I kept on discovering great new hawker stalls.

Like all of my lists, this list is also subjective and based solely on my own opinions and taste. I am sure, there are many great hawker dishes that will be equally deserving, but I have decided to come up with my 10 personal faves.

Before I dive into the top 10 list of hawker dishes, I would just like to also add that this list is focused on hawker food, and would not include the likes of zhe char or chinese restaurant dishes.

That said, let's get into the top 10 Singapore hawker dishes!

10. Teck Kee Pork Porridge

10. Teck Kee Pork Porridge

This excellent pork porridge scores for its wonderfully natural broth and its amazing pork livers. The congee rice is also smooth and easy on the palate.

While the stall also serves an amazing pork noodle, it is this pork congee that has Pauline and I coming back for more, especially on weekends.

9. Uncle Kun Chee Cheong Fun Kosong

9. Uncle Kun Chee Cheong Fun Kosong

In the first of 2 entries in the top 10 from our favorite Uncle Kun, this chee cheong fun is a unique oddity in the sense that it does not come paired with either char siew or prawns.

Instead, it is served plain, or kosong, and yet it is the best chee cheong fun we have tasted. Undeniably addictive, you just can't stop yourself the moment you put one of these lovely babies in your mouth!

8. Sin Ming Roti Prata

8. Sin Ming Roti Prata

No best of Singapore hawker dishes list would be complete without a mention of a prata entry. And the best prata we have had is this very popular one from Sin Ming.

The pratas here are prepared in the most traditional way, yet this tradition is well served as the prata is both fragrant, crispy on the outside, and beautifully textured when you bite into one of them.

7. Meng Kee Char Kway Teow

7. Meng Kee Char Kway Teow

Char Kway Teow is one of our most beloved dishes, and also one of the most sinful plates you can ever consume. So choosing the best one can be quite difficult, but we do feel this one located at Beo Crescent ranks highest among all the char kway teows we have visited.

It is smooth, full of smoky fragrance, and the combination of the sweetness from the cockles brings out the best flavors ever for a char kway teow dish.

6. Founder Bak Kut Teh

6. Founder Bak Kut Teh

Another of our most treasured eating pleasures, Founder Bak Kut Teh has retained the top spot for us for this particular dish. And with good reason too. Just check out the queue everyday and you will begin to understand why Founder is so popular.

But it is the beautiful pork and prime ribs that have gotten our seal of approval, both of which are beautifully cooked and tender, and falling off the bone. And coupled with a delicious and aromatic broth, this is almost the perfect bak kut teh out there.

5. Fu Shi Traditional Roasted Char Siew

5. Fu Shi Traditional Roasted Char Siew

Though the actual stall sells wanton mee, it is their plate of char siew that has captivated us since the first time we had this. And it is somewhat unique that a wanton mee's standout is the char siew instead of the noodles or wantons.

This amazingly roasted and beautifully glazed char siew has to be eaten to be believed. It literally melts in your mouth, and the charred honey glaze is so delightful you will be coming back for more each time.

4. Punggol Noodles Meatballs

4. Punggol Noodles Meatballs

We have had our fair share of fishball noodles, but nothing can really compare with this amazing bowl of meatballs in soup. All handmade, and filled with ti poh fish, these meatballs just ooze natural sweetness and texture.

And when paired with their mee kia or mee pok, these meatballs' flavors just come alive with alarming clarity and balance. And the broth that comes with it is wonderfully sweet as well.

Uncle Kun Elongated Glutinous rice

3. Uncle Kun Elongated Glutinous Rice

Uncle Kun's highlight at his stall is this beautiful glutinous rice filled with chinese sausage and salted egg yolk. He does the rice himself every morning, which explains why the rice is so rich yet soft to the bite.

Literally melting in your mouth, the flavors within are just absolutely mind blowing, and when you finish that last bite, you yearn for one more. And the chilli that comes with it, is almost equally fantastic, which he makes himself as well.

2. Kovan Ri Yi Beef Kway Teow

2. Kovan Ri Yi Beef Kway Teow

Little did we expect that a beef noodle dish will end up 2nd on this list, as it is almost difficult to find well cooked beef in most beef noodle or beef kway teow stalls in Singapore. Yet, this not only cooks medium tender beef slices to perfection, it also has a delicious broth to go along.

We recommend having the soup variant as the broth tastes very natural and when you request black beans to go along with it, the broth's flavor is elevated to a near masterpiece greatness. They also serve shallots on the side, and it really brings out the flavor of the beef and broth perfectly.

1. Jiang Ji Hainanese Chicken Rice

1. Jiang Ji Hainanese Chicken Rice

It is appropriate that our top Singapore hawker dish happens to be Singapore's favorite hawker food too. And Jiang Ji's steamed chicken really stands head and shoulders above every other competitor in town.

The boneless chicken is really boneless to the core, and the tender, succulent chicken is delightfully smooth and incredibly flavorful. Paired with the tasty and not oily chicken rice, this is the perfect Singapore hawker dish to introduce to anyone who is looking for an introduction to our best hawker fare.

And there you have it, my current list of the top Singapore hawker dishes out there. We will review this every few months or half a year to include more of our favorites as we discover them. Look for more favorite lists coming real soon too!

Note: For the addresses and more information of each hawker stall, please click on the individual heading to read the original post.

Friday, March 4, 2011

Great find: Cuticle Oil

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Cuticle Oil: $12 Sephora

This stuff is amazing! My nails are always dry and I very rarely find time to use cuticle oil. But that's what's so great about this oil, it's a perfect size for your purse and the no mess brush helps it go on easy. It's also not crazy oily so you can continue what you were doing with your hands a few minutes later! Seriously love this stuff! Anyone else use this? or know of another good on the go product like this one?

Thursday, March 3, 2011

Ng Ah Sio Bak Kut Teh With Video

It's been awhile since I last posted a bak kut teh blog, and it was just appropriate when one of my friends decided to bring me to the popular Ng Ah Sio Bak Kut Teh for the first time.

It is situated at Rangoon Road and is found in a very unusual corner of an industrial building. Not really the sort of place you will think of finding notable eateries.

Like Song Fa, Ng Ah Sio seems to have put in some effort to sprucing up the place with nice lighting and posters detailing their background and history.

Even the staff seem to have matching uniforms to go along with it. The crowd for that early lunch seemed to be very healthy too, though there was no queue unlike Song Fa or the famously hard to queue Founder Bak Kut Teh.

Teochew Style

Similar to Founder, Ng Ah Sio serves Teochew styled bak kut teh and has all types of pork ribs, prime ribs, pork legs, salted veggies etc. to go along. Price here is just about the same with Founder and Song Fa, meaning you would probably spend about 10-12 dollars a person depending on what you order.

Bak Kut Teh - Pork Ribs Soup

We elected for the standard pork ribs bak kut teh and it was generally very, very good. The broth was flavorful, and only slightly sweet as compared to Founder, which was sweeter. The pork ribs was well tender, though Founder still edged it for better cooked meat. Still, nothing to complain about.

Salted Vegetables

From the picture above, you could tell the salted vegetables were really delectable. One of the best salted veggies I have tasted, and I am one who do not normally go for this dish. Crunchy and savory at the same time, it was not too overbearing and had a nice combination of flavors and taste.

Is Ng Ah Sio the best bak kut teh as some has said? Well, it is debatable, and certainly very subjective. I like it very much, would put it just slightly behind Founder still as I enjoy Founder just a fraction more. But if you are in the Rangoon area, you will be hard pressed not to check this out.

Ng Ah Sio Bak Kut Teh
208 Rangoon Rd 218453



Written, filmed, edited and directed by Silverchef Productions.
Shot and edited entirely on Apple's Iphone 4 and in Ernest's car.
No salted vegetable was harmed in the shooting of this video.
"不得不爱" performed by 潘玮柏 & 弦子.

This weeks "I want what she has!"

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This weeks "I want what she has!" goes to Abbey Kenny. What don't I like?! Seriously, she walks in my door and I'm all, oohhhhh, what's that?! and ooooooo la la, how much were these! lol

Burn-out T: $4.99 Urban Outfitters
Jeans: $89.50 Banana Republic
Boots: $? (2 years old) Nordstrom
Earrings: (gift, not sure of price) Style Studio

Great finds Abbey! I also love your Coach purse!!

Wednesday, March 2, 2011

Oscar's Party

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Top: Charming Charlie
Cami: JC Penny
Cardigan: Forever 21
Jean Leggings: Target
Boots: Venus
Necklace: Jewelmint
Ring: Charming Charlie

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I went to a red carpet party! lol Well, there was a red carpet there! How adorable is this themed party?! My mother-in-law and sister-in-law bake and cook up a storm every year for this event! They even printed out ballots for us to fill out. Absolutely adorable! We had an wonderful time and ate delicious food while talking about everyone outfits and jewelry! What more can you ask for? A tiara you say? Those were there too! I love me a good girls party! ;)

ps- please do not mind my awful black borders around my collages. I just found a program I like and am now learning to always change the boarder to white! ;)

Tuesday, March 1, 2011

Winner Announced

Thank you to all who entered the Pixie Chicago giveaway. Sadly I could not find my usual giveaway jar to keep all your email addresses in, so I had to use one of my daughter's bowls! Hey, it had pink stripes!

Drum roll please:
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Congrats to Lindsay! I hope you love the stationalry as much as I do! I will be emailing you later today!