RaRa and Reddy's Adventures in Lion City - Old School Fun @ Mainland Tropical Fish Farm

Once upon a time in a time not too distant ago, longkang fishing was one of life's simple pleasures in our then more-green-less-concrete-jungle home in Lion City. Not one of the cleanest leisure activity definitely, but certainly one that ranks a full score of 10 on the fun scale. These days, with the all the rapid development and fast disappearing natural landscapes, we are left with not too many places to enjoy those good old kampung days. Well luckily for us, an enterprising few has come up with a kampung setup within their premises to bring us back to those beautiful days. And if you happen to live around the East Side, there is just the place for you (actually there are other options too, but we have yet to venture further.. one day soon we will!)

Reddy's Early Morning Breakfast Adventure - Neptune Dim Sum

Dim Sum or "Dian Xin" is essentially Cantonese in origin - bite sized, handcrafted portions of food served in bamboo steamer baskets, served typically during breakfast or tea time. Dim sum  is to the the Chinese community, what English Afternoon Tea is to the English (and the rest of the world nowadays). In keeping up with the times, dim sum is now readily available almost throughout the day, be it for breakfast,lunch, dinner and even supper in some places. Dim sum is one of Reddy's top fave comfort food, and any place with a good egg tart will definitely be on Reddy's radar. And that definitely makes Neptune Dim Sum at Marine Parade Hawker Center worthy enough a visit anytime.

Hello sunshine..

RaRa and Reddy Goes To The Village - Chock Full of Beans @ Changi Village

Chock Full Of Beans have garnered quite a following from what we managed to read online. They are known for their creative 2D and 3D latte art, but unfortunately, we don't drink coffee. Armed with an expectation and growling tummies, RaRa and Reddy paid them a visit one evening. Kiasu-rism ensured that we made prior reservation (just in case we had to wait! First world problem I know), but truth be told, unless you are planning a trip down here over the weekend, there is no need for kiasu-rism for dinner. They didn't seem too packed when we came by. Chock Full Of Beans is located right at the end of Block 4, one of the few old school blocks fronting the main road, they have both indoor and outdoor seating options, outdoor can be quite pretty during the day, but of course, only if you are heatproof and can live without airconditioning. Nonetheless, back to the food, they serve the usual cafe fare - pasta, cakes, pizza (pizza is handmade though). We had our usual Carbonara and customized our own pizza (yay!)

Spaghetti Carbonara with Poached Egg @ $17.00

Pocket Friendly - Sushi Express @ Newly Renovated White Sands

Sushi Express, if I read correctly, is a Taiwanese sushi chain founded over a decade ago in 1996. They pride themselves for offering sushi at a very affordable price, in our LittleRedDot, everything goes for $1.50. There is no varying charges for items of different "colored plates", as it is in some other sushi chain, everything you see, is $1.50 each. Their pocket friendly prices have of course, garnered quite a following. For those who have a tummy with bottomless-pit-proportions, Sushi Express is godsent. Oh just one small note, you are given a 50 minute time limit to gorge :)

Seeing is believing

RaRa and Reddy's Happy Treat @ Bunny and Pony

Changi Village is awakening from it's many years of being a sleepy little fishing village. There is a plethora of culinary delights tucked in almost every corner of this laidback rustic little seaside town. Aside from the gastronomic smorgasbord of local hawker fare at the infamous Changi Village Hawker Center, you can now find the likes of mouthwatering homemade cakes, artisanal ice cream, handmade pizza, good quality coffee that packs a punch, just to name a few. Well, we paid this ice cream joint a visit (after drooling over those Instagrammed shots of cotton candy and ice cream), and that definitely will not be our last visit!

Have we caught your attention yet?

Miam Miam #Rehash

Yes, we have been here before. And we are back again! Good food just a short hop away from our abode, and prices are kind to the pockets too. Miam Miam is a French inspired What was to be a 30 minute wait for RaRa progressed on to an hour worth of wait, on a rumbling tummy. Hurried on to Miam Miam to find that RaRa have ordered himself a Hot Chocolate, a Spaghetti Carbonara and a Valhorna Souffle (signature dish). And poor Mommy? She settled for a Squid Ink Pasta and scraps the souffle.

Valhorna Chocolate Souffle @ $13.80.

Am threading the thin line of being a gluttonous pig by saying that there should be MORE melted Valhorna dark chocolate, when this would actually suffice for any ordinary folk. Haha. Piggy!

A Taste Of Mainland China - Wen Jia Bao @ Pasir Ris Interchange

Barely a few months old and already drawing in queues (in SG that can mean that it's worth queuing for, haha), Wen Jia Bao dishes out handmade comfort food for those in a hurry to work and those weary from a day's hardwork. Located in between the MRT and the bus interchange at Pasir Ris, they seem to be popular with the rush hour crowd hoping to grab a hot bite. Prep work is done in a tiny workspace just behind the mouthwatering glass display of freshly made goodies. The base of each bao is the familiar bread-like texture. But once fried and stuffed with a multitude of stuffing, each bao holds it's own identity.

I am not Mandarin literate, so I will have to describe this according to their signboard. "Biscuits with Meat and Egg" @ $2.00, huge chunk of juicy minced pork sits in between the fried bao dough. Very nicely marinated, with hints of garlic (that is about it I could make out! Haha!)

RaRa and Reddy's (Early) Dinner - Smokey's @ Joo Chiat

If our memory does not fail us, we quite distinctly remember Smokey's advertisement playing over Starhub's cable tv. This is not my first visit here, been here previously and was quite disappointed with the Grilled Salmon (it was dry and just very bland). Second visit, fingers crossed all will be well. Smokey's seem pretty much THE neighbourhood hangout joint for the expat community. Perhaps it is comfort food away from home? Were told that the tables are all reserved (!), sans the one barrel-cum-table with high chairs. We settled down and glanced through the menu with growling tummies. Our orders came not too long after, and boy, it was actually good! Way better than the first visit! Must have been just a one-off days then.

Grilled Salmon Fillet with sides of in-house made Coleslaw and greens. The salmon was moist, juicy and had the distinct "sweetness" of fresh seafood. Yumms.

RaRa's New Favourite - Din Dai Fung

A name synonymous with Xiao Long Bao, those tiny burst-in-your-mouth-soupy-meatball-in intricately folded parcels. Din Dai Fung's story began in Taiwan, some time in the 70s, with a man named Bingyi Yang. Mr Yang started off as a delivery man for a cooking oil store. He was promoted to take charge of the company's accounts after 2 years of service. Unfortunately, the business suffered losses and had to bring down it's shutters. Mr Yang was then left unemployed and he too set up a cooking oil store soon after. Plummeting sales in the 70s saw Mr Yang diversify the business into making steamed dumplings for sale. The steamed dumplings soon attracted the crowd with it's exquisite taste and quality. Fast forward to today, Din Dai Fung have been accorded a Michelin star and won praises the world over for their high quality comfort food.

Each dumpling is meticulously weighed to ensure uniformity and each is intricately hand weaved with 18 fine folds

Dinner With The Lesser Crowd - Tim Ho Wan @ Bedok Mall

Tim Ho Wan, needs no further introduction, after landing at our shores 2 years ago from Hong Kong. They have since enjoyed roaring success and have stayed on as a go-to place for good affordable Dim Sum. Fast forward year 2015, Tim Ho Wan now has 5 outlets - Plaza Singapura, Toa Payoh, Bedok Mall, Jurong East and Kallang Avenue. It has won the coveted culinary award - the Michelin star recognition, despite it not being in the same price league with the usual fancier establishments. Michelin star or not, the food here is GOOD. And location of choice today is Bedok Mall (closer to home lah).

Baked Buns with BBQ Pork. THE best I have ever had. The crusty top is sweat and crispy, the filling is juicy and chock full of perfectly roasted Char Siew morsels.