Just An Ordinary Girl

Photo By: Elin Chow

Viennetta Vanilla ice cream was first created by Wall's in 1982, and it has been a family favorite since. Apparently it has been discontinued for years, but seriously, I have never eaten this before (or I simply can't  remember it). However, the good news is Wall's has finally decided to bring it back three years ago (Yes, I am slow because I only found out now) due to its popularity. 

I got this from Aeon for RM 24 after discount (original price was RM 27), which is pretty expensive. There are a variety of flavors available, but some of the most common ones are Chocolate, Vanilla and Mint. Vanilla was the first flavor of Viennetta ice cream created by Wall's, which is also my most favorite flavors of ice cream.

The frozen dessert is sold in a cardboard box and packed on a plastic tray. It comes in a big block, like a cake that is meant to be shared with your family and friends. However, I think I might be able to finish it all by myself in one sitting because as you know, one slice is never enough.

The Viennetta is made with multiple, beautiful layers of soft ice cream (depending of the flavor you bought) with crispy, decadent chocolate in between. You would hear a cracking sound when you slice the ice cream into smaller pieces as the chocolate shatters.

The mix of creamy ice cream and layers of crunchy chocolate create the perfect balance of vanilla and chocolate flavors. I am amazed by how light and fluffy the ice cream is. It is so soft that it melts in my mouth immediately. I also love that it is not overly sweet. The sweetness mainly comes from the chocolate in between the ice cream, which also brings each bite a frozen chocolate crunch. 

The Viennetta ice cream is also available in a more convenient and travel-friendly stick form. You can easily buy the stick form in most of the supermarkets and convenience stores in Singapore. However, I am not sure where you can buy this in Malaysia.

Located at 1 Mont Kiara mall is  a rising star in Ramen scene in Malaysia. The fairly new Japanese Ramen restaurant is helmed by head chef Kita Kochi, who has over 10 years of experience working in several ramen shops in Tokyo before coming over to Malaysia.

At Ken Shin-Ryu, almost everything that are needed to create the bowl of ramen are handmade from scratch everyday and does not contain additives such as MSG or other preservatives. The noodles are made with flour imported from Japan, pure water and fresh eggs by a specially made machine, and the Chashu is made from premium Sakura pork and freshest organic Kenkori egg. 

The restaurant offers four different types of soup bases for diners to choose from - Shoyu, Shio, Tonkotsu and Tsutemen. Besides Ramen, the restaurant also serves a variety of rice bowls and side dishes. 

Price: RM 29

I ordered their clear soup Shoyu Ramen, which is one of their most popular Ramen. This is a light soy-sauce based Ramen served with signature roasted Chashu, menma (seasoned bamboo shoots) and garnished with spring onions. Made with Kampung chicken and premium pork, the clear brown broth has a deep, rich soy sauce aroma. It was salty but light with a subtle sweetness. 

I love the firm, springy and silky smooth noodles. The layered Chashu was also meltingly tender. It tastes just like the Ramens that I had in Japan. 

Price: RM 29

My husband had Shio Ramen, which translate literally as Salt Ramen. This is another popular item on their menu. Seasoned primarily with salt, the broth has a yellow transparent color. Just like Shoyu Ramen, the broth is made with Kampung chicken and premium pork. The only difference is it is seasoned with salt rather than soy sauce. Yes, obviously it was quite salty, but not as salty as the ones I had in Japan.

Price: RM 29

Kuro Tonkotsu , or Black Garlic Oil Tonkotsu Ramen, is made by adding black garlic oil to the Tonkotsu broth. Therefore, it has a rich garlic aroma, but the smell of it was not too overpowering. You can give this a try if you want something different. 

Photo By: Elin Chow

Geylang is not only known for its red light district, but it is also home to some of the best street food in Singapore. One of the most famous food in Geylang is Frog Porridge. Well, I understand that not everyone can stand the thought of eating frogs because these odd looking amphibians look really gross, but I can assure you that they are an absolute delicacy if they are well-prepared.  There are actually quite a number of eateries that serve frog porridge in Geylang, and one of the most popular places is Eminent Frog Porridge at Lorong 19.

Opened from 5 pm to 4 am daily, Eminent Frog Porridge is one of the popular late night supper places in Geylang. It is conveniently located about 8 minutes walk away from Aljunied MRT Station.

With very limited seats, the place has a long waiting time for seating during peak hours. I would really suggest anyone to visit early if you want to avoid the crowds.

We arrived at around 6 pm on a weekday and the place was already packed with people, Luckily we still managed to get a seat upon arriving. 

The place does not have air-conditioner, so it can get quite hot. It has an open kitchen where you can watch your order being prepared upon order. 

As its name suggests, the eatery specializes in frogs. There are seven ways available for you to choose to have your frog cooked in - Dried Chili, Spring Onion, Frog boiled in porridge, Chicken Essence, Chinese Herb Soup, Garlic & White Pepper and Special Home-made Chili. Apart from frogs, the restaurant also offers an extensive range of  Chinese stir-fry dishes including seafood, pork, chicken, vegetables and soup dishes.

Despite being very busy, service was still pretty fast. We ordered frog with Dried Chili (Kung Pao). As the shop is forever having the buy-2-get-1 free promotion at $16, it is more logical to order two frogs because a single frog already costs $8. The frogs  are simmered over high heat in a clay pot in sweet and savory dark sauce and dried chili. Then, it was garnished with lots of spring onions and served piping hot in the clay pot.

The frogs were not big, but quite meaty. Cooked to perfection, the meat were delightfully tender, springy and smooth. In fact, they were so tender that they fell off the bones easily. 

I love that there was a generous amount of gravy too. Having absorbed all the flavors of the gravy, the meat was flavorful with a good balance of spiciness. It may be a little too spicy for people who can't handle spicy food. For those who can't eat spicy food, you can order the Spring Onion version instead. 

The recommended way to eat the porridge would be to drizzle and mix some of the dark gravy over the thick and smooth porridge.  The slightly salty dark gravy goes perfectly well with plain porridge. It was so good that I can't stop eating the porridge and frogs.

323 Geylang Road (Lor 19)

Singapore 389359

Facebook: Eminent Frog Porridge

Besides the Apollo Milk Chocolate Wafer Cream, Mommom Eyeglass Candy (also known as Bangle Chocolate Candy) is another childhood snack I grew up with. Just like the Apollo Milk Chocolate Wafer Cream, I would often find this candy in birthday or Children Day's goodie bag that I received as a kid. Just as its name suggests, the Mommom Eyeglass Candy, or Bangle Chocolate Candy, comes in the shape of eyeglass or a bangle. But for me, eyeglass shaped ones are the more common sight. 

These multi-colored button-shaped chocolates looks like M&M's and Smarties, but they don't taste anything like either one. They are more like a cheaper alternative to M&M's or Smarties as they taste like cheap chocolates.  The candy has a thin candy shell surrounding a semi-sweet filling. It is not overly sweet, and is pretty crunchy on the outside and soft inside. Well, it certainly does not taste as impressive as I remember, but it brings back a lot of fond memories of my childhood. 

Wondering where you can buy this childhood snack nowadays? You can easily find this on Lazada!