Mellben Legend at a hidden spot

If you are Singaporean or a crab lover and you have never heard of Mellben, well.... you've been missing out on something pretty awesome. Mellben Legend, one of the crab institutions of Singapore, has moved to Ruby Lane.

Situated at a small neighbourhood in between Bendemeer and Potong Pasir, getting to Mellben Legends is a bit of a challenge. There are many one-way roads and one wrong turn could lead you on a highway to another realm. But for the crabs it is worth it.

Salad You Tiao

Homemade Beancurd with Mince

Prawns in sweet and sour soup

 

Mixed fried bean

Laksa Crab

Black Pepper Crab

Golden Sand Crab

There is no review for this as Mellben is well known for their crab. 

For those who are interested in going there, here is the address:

Mellben Legend

9 Opal Crescent

Singapore 328404

Tel No : 6509 0918

Going back to colonial times at Dong Po Colonial Cafe

After a trip to London, Cuchi yearned for her local fix to feel at home again. Thankfully for Cute Cute, he remembered Dong Po Colonial Cafe which serves local 60 and 70's bakes and off they flew!

Dong Po Colonial Cafe is located at Kandahar street amidst the Middle Eastern cafes and restaurants. Very easy to find, Dong Po does stand out on its own at Kandahar.

Dong Po's main attraction is the fact that the owner/baker Kelvin bakes his pastries according to the recipe of his grand uncle (or great grand uncle) who learned baking from an old french bakery in Singapore. Accompanying the food, are some nostalgic items in the glass compartment of the tables.

There were a number of bakes for the Lions to choose from and they chose quite a lot. Thank God, they had Kermit and Coconut around to help them finish the food. Quite a number of items were chosen and most of them were good. The traditional kopi also had a nice kick to start your day.

3 Coloured Cookie and Cream Horn

Swiss Roll

Pineapple Tart and Cupcake

Optical, cream puff and almond tart

The best way to eat optical. Dunk it in coffee.

Local version of brioche

Chicken pie, pineapple tart and pumpkin tart

Dong Po is a good place to hang around especially on a lazy Sunday afternoon. Seems like more and more of these eateries are mushrooming up in Singapore to remind us of the good ole days.

Here is our review for Dong Po Colonial Cafe: 

Coffee Quality: 7 pawprints out of 10

Food Quality: 7.5 pawprints out of 10

Ambience: 7 pawprints out of 10

For those who are interested in going there, here is the address:

Dong Po Colonial Cafe

56 Kandahar Street, 

Singapore 198904

Tel No : 6298 1318

A neighbourhood delight: Next Door Deli

It's amazing how one thing can lead to another in a good way. Cute Cute was scratching his head about getting a birthday cake for a friend when he recalled that Pine Gardens in Ang Mo Kio whips up very good alcoholic cakes. So he decided to go down with Ms Body Beautiful to grab one. At Pine Gardens, they decided to lunch at Next Door Deli's, enticed by the carpet grass setting.

Next Door Deli has a system of ordering... Step 1, grab your drinks

Step 2, choose your sides and desserts...

Oooo looks yummy...

Step 3, order your main course

Curry Chicken:
Cute Cute enjoyed this dish. Portions were rather generous and it is worth the $6 +. A slightly spicier version of the nonya chicken curry. Curry gravy was not too lemak and went very well with the fluffy white rice.

Stir-Fried Mee Siam
The stir-fried mee siam is only available once every 2 weeks and it does not disappoint. Although it came without gravy, the dry mee siam was fragrant and piquantly sweet-sourish. The fried chicken wing also came as a perfect savoury complement to the dish.

While eating, the neighbourhood kitty came by to say Hi!

Aww.... so cute... Any cat is welcome around the Lions.

Lemongrass drink
A good refresher for a balmy day

Stir fried laksa
The stir fried laksa, also another item that is only available once every 2 weeks, is all spicy goodness. Tasted a little different from your usual wet laksa, reminded Cute Cute of stir fried chilli mee. Still, the laksa is something worth trying.

Margarita Chiffon:
Now this dessert is unique. The margarita chiffon do not just taste heavenly, there is an element of playful fun to it too. I will not spoil the surprise, just order it, follow the simple steps and enjoy.

Here is our review for Next Door Deli

Food Quality: 8.0 pawprints out of 10

Ambience: 7.5 pawprints out of 10

For those who are interested in going there, here is the address:

Next Door Deli

529 Ang Mo Kio Ave 10
#01-2369
Singapore 560529

Nasi Lemak Burger and more at RS Deli

Time flies and it's the month of October.... Well, the Lions have to say this as they were quite surprised at how fast 2 weeks of blissful sojourn in Languid Laos just whizzed by. Yes, Cute Cute flew Cuchi up to Laos for an adventurous escapade to enjoy the scenery, food and, of course, coffee in the somewhat under-hyped and low key county. More on those adventures later in the upcoming blog posts.

Meanwhile, the Lions were hunting along Thomson Road area for food when they noticed an unfamilar red signage on one of the shophouses... ...RS Deli? "Not your usual hang-out place" was the slogan's purported claim. Interest piqued and stomachs hungry, they went to have a look.

It was a family affair inside the restaurant with
simple furnishings and interior.

 

Interesting hanging lamp lights with biblical inspirational words
on them.

RS Deli's menu comprises of mainly local food with a  twist to it. Anybody up for chicken satay burger or nasi lemak burger? Prices were kept affordable (most mains under $10) and Cute Cute could see that newly-opened RS Deli was starting to grow a healthy fan base of their own judging from the constant stream of people coming in and the satisfied faces after meals. 

Almost full house on a Saturday night for this new kid on the block.

They have a small retail section selling local snacks too!

The Lions had the fortune of dining with Kermit, Coconut and Ms Tall Accounts. That means one thing: they could sample most of the main courses that are available on the menu!

Bandung Soda
East meets West here. Delightfully sweet rose milk with a gassy kick. Something unique to wash down your spicy food.

Chendol with Jackfruit and Coconut Ice Cream
Trust Cuchi to start her dinner with a dessert... And the verdict? A must-try! Very authentic flavours and the coconut ice cream was heavenly and potent enough to snuff out the hot spices in the food.

Black Coffee
Of course Cute Cute just had to try the coffee when he saw the coffee machine at RS Deli. Very smooth and ordinary but good enough for a food joint like this that doesn't specialise in the liquid black gold. The accompanying Kueh Bangkit biscuit was a quirky touch though.

RS Deli Beef Burger
Ms Tall Accounts had this and, truth be told, she found eponymous beef burger rather ordinary.

Chicken Satay Burger
Coconut had the chicken satay burger but she too found the burger rather ordinary.... Oh dear, could the burgers here be only average?

Beef Rendang Burger
Kermit tried this Peranakan/Indo? influenced burger and his verdict was positive! The rendang sauce was generous and the coleslaw and crisp fries that came along with it (and other burgers) were delightful.

Beef Rendang Set
Cuchi had the beef rendang set. The concept reminded her a little of another restaurant "Wok & Barrel". The beef was tender with a good hint of spiciness. The nasi kunit that came along with it was not fragrant enough and was rather plain but the chilli sauce made up for it. Too bad there wasn't enough chili to go with the rice.  What stood out in this dish was the absolutely addictive homemade potato frites (the brown chips at the top left corner) that was fried together with hae-bee. Yums!

Nasi Lemak Burger
Nasi Lemak Burger?? How is that possible? Well in RS Deli, this deceptively simple creation, artfully put together, was the tour de force. Nasi lemak rice replaced the run-of-the-mill bread bun, and familiar nasi lemak items like otah, boneless chicken and fried egg formed the 'meat patty'. It's a novelty but it's so much fun tucking into it. Oh yes, and the hae-bee flavoured chips come along with it as well.

The Lions did have an enjoyable time. Looks like they will be bringing their furry friends along. For their opening, the restuarant is offering a flat 20% discount off the bill! This is a wonderful excuse for patrons to try more items.

Here is our review for RS Deli:

Food Quality: 7.5 pawprints out of 10

Coffee Quality: 7.0 pawprints out of 10

Ambience: 7.0 pawprints out of 10

Specials that you should try: Nasi Lemak Burger, Beef Rendang Burger, Chendol

For those who are interested in going there, here is the address:

RS Deli

244R Upper Thomson Road, 

Thomson Garden Estate, 

Singapore 574369

Tel: 6455 1242

www.facebook.com/pages/RS-Deli/327155947380564