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With iwatch_ueat and introducing our latest makankaki matt62 When my friend, matt62, told me about this stall that sells Live Prawn Noodles, I just could wait to go down and see it for myself. How can I resist the idea of having succulent live prawns in my prawn mee?  Now, I have to moderate your expectations a little. The prawns are indeed live and they are larger than your usual tiger prawns. However, the style of the prawn noodle is very different from the usual. Over here, they use a herbal soup instead of the normal salty, savoury prawn noodle soup with belacan that we are all used to. When you get to the entrance of the stall, you can already smell the Tang Kwei (Angelica Root) wafting in the air.  This live prawn noodle concept was birthed in the fertile mind of Alan who until 4 years ago was a regular in the RSAF. How does one come up with a dish like Live Prawn Herbal Noodle Soup? It is unlike anything I have tasted in Singapore. Bit like a herbal Bak Kut Teh, but with prawns instead. According to Alan, he had no prior experience in Prawn Noodles, he just did it because it was the simplest hawker fare he could think of. Why herbal? He said the herbs are meant to lower your cholesterol and so balances out the high cholesterol you get from the prawns. Hmmmm, I don't know enough about herbal medicine to comment about that statement. What I can say is that the herbal concoction certainly does not promote hair growth, judging from Alan's Shaolin (lack of) hairstyle.  My personal preference is the dry version. He has a special thick gravy made from stewed pork, oyster sauce and soy sauce which was quite tasty. The chilli is made from lots of Heh Bee (dried prawns) and adds quite a kick to the gravy. The soup needs to be taken really hot. It does not have the ooomph of a savoury prawn noodle soup. Instead it has that very "Cheng" (clear) and cleansing quality about it and leaves a nice slightly bitter aftertaste (Kam Kam) at the back of your tongue. 4.25/5The prawns are as fresh as you can get. I had a real shock when Alan scooped up the prawns in the net and simply popped them into the hot water! I still can't get over it! ConclusionThis is the kind of place you just need to try at least once for the sheer novelty of it. After that, it will depend on whether you like the herbal soup or not. For me it was more for the novelty at first, but strangely it does sort of grow on you after a while. I will need to wait a few weeks to see if I get the urge to go back again.  Feng Yun Live Prawn Noodle
100 Kim Seng Road
#01-04 Kim Seng Plaza (Note new address below)
12pm-3pm 6pm - 4am (or until sold out)
Closed on Sundays 81123675New Address: Blk 715 Yishun Street 71 (S) 760715 Open 11am to 11pm Closed on Mondays Thanks to sleepsleep2003 for the update 
1On the first day of the week, very early in the morning, the women took the spices they had prepared and went to the tomb. 2They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, 3but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. 4While they were wondering about this, suddenly two men in clothes that gleamed like lightning stood beside them. 5In their fright the women bowed down with their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, "Why do you look for the living among the dead? 6He is not here; he has risen! Remember how he told you, while he was still with you in Galilee: 7'The Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, be crucified and on the third day be raised again.' " 8Then they remembered his words. Luke 24:1-7The Good Friday story is not complete without Resurrection Sunday. This is the day we remember that Jesus did not remain in the grave. He came back to life again and promised that because He lives, we also will live. Do you fear death? Do you know what is going to happen to you should you die? If you believe in Jesus, you will not die but will have the promise of eternal life. That means that after you die, you will live with Him in Heaven. It is this simple truth that I embraced when I was just 12 years old. That was over 25 years ago and in the words of William Hung.......I have no regrets. Oh, there will be difficulties in life, but through every difficulty, Jesus is there to help me. When I am down, he lifts me up. When I am happy, he rejoices with me. Yes it may sound too good to be true, but that is why we call it "Good News"! When I was 12, I remembered someone led me in the "Sinners Prayer". It went something like this: Lord Jesus, thank you for loving me and dying for my sins. Lord, I believe that you died and rose again. I repent of my sins and I want to follow you from now on. Please come into my life and be my Lord and Saviour. In Jesus name, AmenThen I was told that from that time on, Jesus had saved me and I have eternal life. That should I die that moment I will be with Him in Heaven. Over 25 years later, I have learnt so much more and I grew to know Him more intimately. People may argue and debate about many things, but this simple truth has never changed. Truth never does.
 This is one of the more famous Chendols around. I gave it a miss the last time I was in Bedok Interchange because there have been some comments that the standard of the Chendol has dropped. However, this time round, curiosity got the better of me and I had to find out for myself just what the story was with this Chendol.  As I was busy taking pics of the Chendol, the curious stallowner came by to see what I was doing. (I was a few stall away from his and he had walked up behind me) He asked the same question most hawkers always ask me: "Are you a journalist?" in which case I always give the same answer: "If I were, does that mean I get a discount?" It never fails to draw out a chuckle and break the ice. Then suddenly his eyes lit up and he remarked that he recognized me as the guy who came by to take pictures of the laksa and the goreng pisang stalls which are just adjacent to his. He proceeded to tell me about Hollywood Chendol, and how they use only the best red beans, freshly squeezed coconut milk and the biggest chunkiest gula melaka to make their famous Chendol. He also pointed out that the ice shaver they used was specially imported from Taiwan which was able to make extremely fine shaved ice. He was quite a good PR man and a very friendly uncle though he looked like quite a tough guy if he didn't smile! Anyway, the Chendol is indeed very refreshing and the quality ingredients do set it apart from the other Chendols around. What stood out for me were the red beans which were perfectly done such that they were still whole but soft and mushy when you bite into it. He told me they make the green Chendol stuff themselves, but I was unable to differentiate it from the commercially available ones. The gula melaka/coconut was good. Some stalls like to make their coconut cream really rich and thick which can be quite jialat (cause indigestion), I prefer it lighter, so this suits me fine. 4.25/5
 Aside from the Chendol, the other 2 stars are the Ice Jelly and the Ice Kachang. They also have Durian Chendol which I did not try. According to him, the Durian puree is made from D24 durians. I interviewed a Mak Cik who was tucking into hers and she gave me an enthusiastic nod of approval! ConclusionOne of the more memorable Chendols around. I especially like the generous serving of yummy red beans. Lots of people say the standards have dropped. I thought it was alright. What do you think?   HollywoodBedok Interchange Food CentreStall 66Open 12pm to 12amClosed alt Wednesday
PS: How many of our younger readers actually know about Kojak?
 In remembrance of the anniversary of the death of God's only Son, Jesus Christ, who died on the cross on Good Friday. He died for my sins so that I might live.The life you see me living is not "mine," but it is lived by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. Galatians 2:20 (The Message) Death. The final frontier..... Most of the time, we don't like to talk about death very much. We don't like to be reminded that one day we will all have to face it. For some people, death represents the end. The end of life, the end of a relationship, the end of everything. For others it is the end of one existence and the beginning of another. When you get to deal with sickness everyday, you soon understand how the fear of death paralyses people. I sense the fear whenever I have to announce bad news to patients. Invariably they will come to the stage of asking if the illness will lead to death. Death is seldom celebrated. We might recall with fondness, someone we love and try to remember all the happy memories we had when that person was still alive, but we seldom want to remember how he died, much less glorify it. Very few people in history have had their death recorded and remembered in such detail as Jesus Christ. Every year the events leading to up to the crucifixion are re-enacted. Why such a glorification of death? It was anything but glorious. It was in fact, a brutal execution. If Good Friday happened in our day and age, we might have a sillouette of a hangman's noose or electric chair rather than a cross to represent the faith. Surely such things are best left in the deep recesses of history. Jesus Christ led an extraordinary life. For the first 30 years, he was a relatively unknown carpenter. Then, suddenly, he appeared on the scene and started to do miraculous things. At the beginning of his ministry, he stood up in the synagogue and boldly declared his mission statement: "The Spirit of the Lord is on me,
because he has anointed me
to preach good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners
and recovery of sight to the blind
to release the oppressed,
to proclaim the year of the Lord's favour" Luke 4:18-19 The next three years of his life he did exactly as he has said he would. He made the lame to walk, he made the blind to see and he proclaimed to those that are poor that the Lord is concerned even for their deepest needs. He demonstrated to us that God cares for all people. From the poor to the rich, from the sinner to the saint.
Unfortunately, he also ruffled a few feathers.
The Jewish authorities were angry with him and concerned that too many people are following his teachings and diminishing their own influence over the masses. The Romans were concerned that so many people were following him, that an uprising might be on the horizon. They understood that the Jewish prophets have prophesied that a "Messiah" would come to deliver the Jewish people from the Romans. For them, this was a clear and present danger.
Something had to be done to nip this in the bud.
So the religious authorities staged a farce and got the Roman authorities to agree to his crucifixion. However, at the climax of the trial, even the Roman governor admitted that he could find no grounds for the man to be executed. However, because of the threat of an imminent uprising, he allowed the crucifixion of an innocent man. According to the Romans authorities, he was charged with being "The King of the Jews". This was certainly not a crime that deserved the death sentence.
They took him away, flogged him, put a crown of thorns on his head and nailed his hands and feet onto a cross. Then he was left to die a humiliatingly slow and agonising death.
But even in the last moments of his life, in the midst of the hatred and injustice, the mockery and shame of nakedness, he still demonstrated the magnificence of his character. Crying out to God, he asked for forgiveness for the ones who nailed him onto the cross, since he knew that they had done it out of ignorance. With his arms spread out fixated to a wooden beam, he still embraced the repentent thief and promised that he shall be remembered in paradise. He took the time to speak to his mother tenderly and made the necessary arrangements for one of his disciples to take care of her after his death.
At around 3pm that afternoon, after he had hung there for several hours, a strange darkness came over the whole land. It was the time when all the sins of the world were placed upon him and judgement for the sins was executed. God had to turn his face away from the Son he loved as he died while taking our sins upon himself. He was utterly alone. This was a burden he had to carry by himself. In desperation he cried "Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani" which in Aramaic means "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?"
When judgement was complete, Jesus cried out "It is finished!" He had accomplished the task He was sent to perform. His death ushered in a new era in the relationship between man and God. It was an era where God could forgive our sins because the punishment for those sins have already been paid for. He had ushered in the the year of the Lord's favour. I guess you could call it a grace period, where we have a chance to have all our sins taken away just by acknowledging that someone else has already paid the penalty on your behalf.
So what do you see when you look upon that Cross?
Some see a naked man dying. Some scoff at a "god" who could not even save himself much less save others. Some feel uncomfortable seeing the brutality of the act and cringe.
I see love personified. Self sacrificial love. The type of love which is willing to give itself to those who do not appreciate it. The type of love that continues in the face of hatred. It is a love which would eventually win over hardened and calloused hearts. It is the God kind of love.
I see my sins, my hurts, my burdens, my pains laid upon that dying man on the cross. I see my rotten self being crucified and judgement for my sins carried out on that cross. I see my Saviour looking at me in love and telling me that I am worth his sacrifice.
Humans have this deep longing to be loved. Those who have been in love can testify about how wonderful it is to know that we are being loved. The state of being in love is one of the most joyful and exuberant experiences in life. How much more when we truly begin to realise the depths of God's love for us.
God loves you! And that is what Good Friday is all about! You rescued me and picked me up
A living hope, of grace revealed
A life transformed in righteousness
Oh Lord you have rescued me
Forgiving me, you healed my heart
You set me free from sin and death
You brought me life and made me whole
Oh Lord you have rescued me Geoff Bullock 1992 Hillsongs
If you have been touched by this blog and have some questions you would like to ask, please feel free to write to me at leslie.tay@gmail.com. It is my deepest desire that you too may come to know and love the Saviour as I have. In Him is life, and life in abundance! John 10:10
With the ieatfamily This was at one time THE hor fun of the East. Fei Lao (Old Fatty) used to be famous for his charcoal fired wok and incredible Seafood Hor Fun wrapped in Opeh leaf. Unfortunately, Fei Lao passed on after 40 years of delighting Singaporeans, so late-blooming foodies like myself will never get to experience the magic of his wok skills. On top of that, the NEA is also not helping since they restrict the use of charcoal in enclosed spaces. Arrgh, the cost of development and progress! I guess in the fine balance between tasty food and environmental safety, the authorities have to err on the side of environmental safety. We all want to be safe and enjoy the food rather that have to contend with fire hazards. So, if we want to live in a safe environment BUT still want to eat really shiok food, one of the solutions is of course, to get into your car, bring your passport and take a drive up North.......  But for those of us who are too lazy or too scared to have our spanking new car stolen, driving to Joo Chiat may be a good compromise. Yes, though Fei Lao may be resting in peace, his legacy lives on with his nephew helming the wok. He tries to emulate everything his famous uncle used to do but is limited by the lack of a charcoal fired wok, 40 years of wok skill and the need of modern Singaporeans to cut down on their cholesterol. Just what is the big deal with a charcoal fired wok? Does the charcoal somehow permeate the wok to flavour the kway teow or is it just all in our minds? The new Fei Lao explained that with a charcoal fire, the whole wok gets really hot, whereas in a gas fired wok, only the bottom of the wok gets hot. It makes a difference when you are trying to sear the kway teow. Searing kway teow to get it just burnt but still soft and slippery is a skill that differentiates the experts and the wok wannabes. It does not even require pork lard. Simply a hot wok, oil, kway teow and skill. Some use soy sauce to darken the kway teow, but that is cheating. The wok hei flavour on the Hor Fun was good and the sauce was also tasty. Overall, one of the more memorable Hor Funs around though I suspect that it is not as legendary as the original Fei Lao's. But given the standard of Hor Fun's nowadays, I think this would be one of the best ones around. 4.25/5 But Hor Funs aren't the only dishes to try here. The Heh Zhor (Prawn Fritters) is a dish you should order to accompany the Hor Fun. Crisp on the outside and full of crunchy waterchestnuts and savoury minced prawn, pork and liver. It was great with the plum sauce and quite addictive. 4.5/5 The Stir Fried Fish Head with Tau Kwa was a bit of a dissappointment that day. I felt it did not have the "Ooommph" that it was supposed to be legendary for. 3.5/5ConclusionThere are not many Cze Char restaurants which have Seafood Hor Fun has their signature dish, so this Hor Fun is a little more special then the your friendly neighbourhood version. My son certainly loved it. He said it was "die die must try" and finished 2 whole bowls of it. For me it was good enough to recommend it to others since I have yet to find the ultimate Hor Fun in Singapore.  Changi Lor 108 Fei Lao Seafood
229 Joo Chiat Road
63464116
11am to 2pm
5pm to 10pm
 Fans of the Godzilla Da Pao can rejoice once again as their favourite "Social" Pao has found a new home at Elias Mall. If you remember, I called this a "Social" Pao because it is not meant to be eaten alone. This is a Pao that is meant to be brought back to the office to scare your colleagues! You will never fail to elicit some sort of response from unsuspecting friends and family when you whip out a Pao that is as big as your brain. (Ok, that depends on how big headed you are) So you are probably wondering what happened to the Godzilla? The concept of the Godzilla Da Pao was birth sometime back in September 2006, when I asked Mr Cheng to make a Super Big Pao like the ones I saw while driving along the highways in Malaysia. I then took a picture of the Pao and posted it on the forum for everyone to see. At the time, the Pao was made to order, so you have to ring up a day in advance. As word of the Super Big Pao circulated in cyberspace, the demand for the Pao became so good that they decided to put it on the menu. (It's the same thing that happened for the ieat SuperBurger) Then tragedy struck! Just when their business was getting to the stage where they could take a day off every fortnight, the coffeeshop they operated out of was sold and the new owners demanded an increase in the rent that would make the business non-viable. An ominous fog had suddenly descended upon our Dim Sum Duo. So for the next three months, Mr Cheng had been busy looking for another stall to rent while his wife took on a temporary job to keep the family going. Life in Singapore can be tough for small time hawkers like Mr and Mrs Cheng. They are constantly at the mercy of stallowners who would increase the rental rates unexpectedly. So do spare a thought next time before you begin to complain about the price of that bowl of Mee Pok. Some hawkers are working very hard just to pay off their landlords.  Anyway, the Godzilla Da Pao has found a new home in Pasir Ris and I am sure fans of the Pao are relieved that they can once again buy a Pao that is big enough to satisfy even a NSF (soldier) who has just finished a 20km road march. I was pleasantly surprised that they even chose to adopt the name "Godzilla" for their new stall! For those who have yet to meet the Godzilla Da Pao face to face, it is not just an extra large Big Pau. Aside from the tender marinated pork, the Pao also packs extra goodies like lup cheong (Chinese Sausages), mushrooms, salted egg yolk, boiled eggs and sliced abalone inside. The pao skin has got that rustic homemade quality about it and is more substantial than delicate.  How big is the Godzilla Da Pao? Cup E Size says iwatch_ueat. $3.50ConclusionThe Godzilla Da Pao is the kind of thing that you just have to experience at least once in your lifetime. This is one of my regular Pao shops. I wouldn't say that it is "die die must try" but it certainly has a quality about it that gets me back to the shop at least once every month. Link to first Godzilla Da Pao Blog
 Godzilla Handmade Tim Sum & PauG C Food CourtBlk 623 Elias Mall
Jn of Elias Rd & Pasir Ris Dr 3
7am to 7pm (or until sold out)
97523815
With liverpool, smart, iwatch_ueat, Amagada, Laplace, Caesium, eastcoastlife, EdAltis, sorjourner, SCS Butter, Happi Mummi, neuros neuros and friends still thinking about their pen names. |
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This live prawn noodle concept was birthed in the fertile mind of Alan who until 4 years ago was a regular in the RSAF. How does one come up with a dish like Live Prawn Herbal Noodle Soup? It is unlike anything I have tasted in Singapore. Bit like a herbal Bak Kut Teh, but with prawns instead. According to Alan, he had no prior experience in Prawn Noodles, he just did it because it was the simplest hawker fare he could think of. Why herbal? He said the herbs are meant to lower your cholesterol and so balances out the high cholesterol you get from the prawns. Hmmmm, I don't know enough about herbal medicine to comment about that statement. What I can say is that the herbal concoction certainly does not promote hair growth, judging from Alan's Shaolin (lack of) hairstyle.
Feng Yun Live Prawn Noodle 
