喜乐亭 Xi Le Ting Desserts

Picky Girlfriend and Fussy Boyfriend has been food hunting in the west area and now glad to add more yummy food to the West SG list and there are truly alot of hidden gems in the west area if you search hard enough!

This dessert was introduced to Picky Girlfriend by her colleague who told her that this dessert is a "must try" in the area. Not a fan of green bean soup, Picky Girlfriend was indeed quite skeptical in the beginning as green bean with coconut doesn't go well in her impression.

But once tried, Picky girlfriend was totally convinced and hooked! Good food must be shared so she brought Fussy Boyfriend along to try it.

At $0.80 per bowl, this dessert is definitely a steal (Take away containers at $1.10). Totally has the old school taste that transports you back to the past. Such desserts are really a rare find now as dessert stores are getting more commercialised / usually franchised and sell desserts at exorbitant prices.

Comes with green beans, sago and a creamy texture of soup infused with coconut milk! Very awesome and it's really the first time both of us have tried any forms of green bean soup that is cooked with coconut milk. Very fragrant with the coconut yet wont feel sick of it easily. Green bean has been cooked very well so you won't get to find uncooked beans that are hard! Fussy Boyfriend a fan of most traditional desserts was immediately a new convert to this store :)
 

 

















The stall opens from noon till about evening time (or while stock lasts). Other desserts include red bean soup, cheng tng and 大麦(not sure what it's called in English). Limited varieties but be sure to find one you will enjoy! We are so gonna be back again for more :)

Both Picky Girlfriend and Fussy Boyfriend's overall rating for green bean soup: 4.75/5
(Yes! It is really THAT awesome! try it and you will know! :))

Stay tune to our next post of a yummy fried chicken wings (be prepared to queue too!) just within walking distance of the dessert store!
 
喜乐亭 Xi Le Ting Desserts

Commonwealth Crescent Food Centre
118 Commonwealth Crescent
#02-70

Yoguru Frozen Yogurt

Happy Sunday!

Yesterday Picky Girlfriend and Fussy Boyfriend were out kite flying and boy! the weather was really hot! During hot weather like this, what kind of dessert will come to your mind?

Icy cold desserts may be fattening so we will recommend healthy and refreshing dessert that is really becoming more popular! Frozen yogurt stores seem to be on the rise with Singaporeans getting more health conscious.

And this is one of the stores we really love when we first visited the flagship at Kallang 1-2 years back!




















Yoguru! :)

We love it cos other than the original flavour which they have, they have this YoguBliss flavour which is made up of dragon fruit and pomegranate (high levels of antioxidants!) And more importantly, yogurt here is non-fat! Definitely a healthier choice. Believe this flavour is not always available, so try it when you happen to see it! Sweet and a little sour at the same time and is Picky girlfriend's favourite.

Fussy boyfriend is not a fan of froyo and it was Picky girlfriend who made him fell in love with this :)

Very yummy and refreshing even on its own!














YoguBliss with strawberries is really bliss! and.. non-sinful!

And if you want something more fanciful, choose from the different toppings that are available. Personally, we love granola or adding fresh fruits to it. We also love the fact that they are generous with the toppings :)

Both Picky Girlfriend and Fussy Boyfriend Rating for Frozen Yogurt: 4/5

PS: Do share with us what is your favourite froyo place and topping! :)

Yoguru Frozen Yogurt
Available at various convenient locations, you can find it here.

QQ Soyabean 冰冻豆花

Beancurd seems to be the new fad now! After blogging about Lao Ban previously, Picky Girlfriend and Fussy Boyfriend are back to Old Airport Road Hawker Centre for another entry of beancurd, this time from QQ Soyabean that was recommended by one of our readers (Thanks Winson!).




















Despite located in a more secluded location in the hawker, the blue and white signboards are very striking! Can't miss them!

There wasn't any queue when we were there so we were pretty excited cos this means we can save time queuing and savour the beancurd almost immediately!

All beancurds were already pre-packed like the ones below.




















and kept in big fridges:




















Despite starting the business in April, it was already featured in Makansutra! Must be good! :)

The boss, Mr Ang was also very friendly who always serves customer with a smile. He really shared alot with us and it's always interesting to hear how food stores first started, and the history behind them. Mr Ang emphasized the importance of serving customers and do not want customers to wait for long (Ahhh. That explains the short queue!)

We asked Mr Ang why the store was named QQ (we were thinking maybe the texture being very "Q" etc..). QQ has no special meaning, just easier for people for all age groups to remember and indeed it was easy to remember :)

First take:
Looks shiny and soft (it wobbles when the bowl was shaken)




















Original $1.80 (big), $1.30 (small), Almond $2

And it really was! We love the fact that this beancurd is so soft, silky and smooth that when we tried scooping it up, the extra areas that are outside the spoon will just crumble to the side. It is also not so sweet where you will get sick of finishing it. So the taste is just nice and yummy!





















Really live up to the claims on the signage boards! :)




















In fact, the biggest difference in QQ beancurd was that you will not see any sugar syrup in the desserts like all other beancurd, but they use soyabean water instead. So this builds up the taste and also ensure the silkiness even after every scoop. And even until we are almost done with the beancurd, it doesn't turn watery.

Amazingly light and refreshing dessert and both Picky Girlfriend and Fussy Boyfriend prefers the Almond flavour beancurd! Strong almond flavour and still as smooth and silky as the original beancurd.

Another MUST TRY!

Both Picky Girlfriend and Fussy Boyfriend Rating for QQ beancurd: 4.5/5

Tips:

• QQ Soyabean takes orders via phone also. So during lunch hour, you may want to place an order and pick up after that so avoid long waiting time
• QQ Soyabean even has a facebook page! Check this out! Special discount for original beancurd till September by flashng e-coupon!
  

QQ Soyabean 冰冻豆花
Blk 51 #01-165
Old Airport Road Hawker Centre
Opening hours: 11am - 8pm
Closed on Monday except Public Holidays

Cold Stone Creamery

There seems to be an increase of ice cream stores in Singapore and adding to the latest is Cold Stone Creamery which started it's flagship store here in March. Have tried a few times and is MAD AWESOME!

This time, they were recruiting taste testers so Picky Girlfriend tried by applying via their facebook page and lucky to be selected :) And so today was the event! There were lots of activities happening, the taste test for their new cookie sandwich, and also a madhatter's ice cream party where people came in all sorts of hats and the winner will walk away with a camera. cooool!

Introducing Cold Stone Creamery!




















The emcee who kept the spirits high throughout the event :)

And Picky Girlfriend was presented the loyalty card and 3 flavours of cookie sandwich for taste testing!


































































Picky Girlfriend personally liked the one with chocolate ice cream the most! The cookie was also chewy and very tasty. And all products are freshly made. Not sure when this product will be available but meanwhile try out their 16 signature creations which we are sure will make you drool and come back for more! Best to beat the heat and a good place to chill too!

And oh do remember to join their birthday club as well to enjoy free vouchers on your birthday! Good deals must be shared! We will definitely be back again to try their signature creations! Be prepared to queue though but good things are definitely worth waiting!

Thank you Cold Stone Creamery for this invitation! Made Sundays no longer gloomy! :)

Cold Stone Creamery
181 Orchard Central Road
#01-09/10

Xoxo
The Food Collage :)

Annie's Peanut Ice Kachang

Weather has been terribly hot for the past few days, so the best thing to beat the heat will be to have icy cold desserts.. like the ice kachang!!














Ice kachang is the dessert that comes with a mountain of shaved and smooth ice topped with big red beans and colour syrup and sometimes with sweet corn too. For those who have went to Taiwan, this is probably the Singapore version of the "chua bing" in Taiwan.




















Auntie Annie's Ice Kachang, $2

Just $2 and you'll get a huge mountain of COLD and yummy shaved ice! The ice kachang from this store stands out from the rest due to the generous toppings of peanuts that the stall holder gave. Not sure how much is much?




















Just check out the peanuts at the side of the bowl!

It was definitely a good dessert to beat the heat. The shaved ice was very smooth and melts immediately in your mouth. And Fussy Boyfriend loves the amount of peanuts as it really goes well with the dessert on the whole.














Take a big scoop and prepared to be brain freeze! Really, all we need on a hot day :)

Both Picky Girlfriend and Fussy Boyfriend's rating of ice kachang: 3.5/5

Annie's Peanut Ice Kachang
Blk 6
Tanjong Pagar Plaza Market and Food Centre
#02-36
Opening hours: 10.30am - 7.15pm

How to get there:
Nearest MRT - Tanjong Pagar MRT

We love Taipei: Ximending Extra Large Soft Serve 巨无霸霜淇淋

Another one we spotted while walking along ximending that looks very interesting: Soft serve ice cream! extra large version!




















The flavours that are offered - Chocolate, Vanilla, Mixture of both and another machine has mango, yam or combination of both. Which they named it the 综合口味.

Small serving 15NT and large serving is 25NT (which is about SGD$1 only for the big serving!)

and so we created a collage while the ice cream is being created! Check out the increase of the height of the ice cream in each picture.




















We call this the "XMD XL Ice cream collage" :)

the end product?




















an extra large serving of soft serve! We were a little too greedy cos in the end we ate till we had a brain freeze and still didn't manage to finish the ice cream and it started to melt! So we would actually recommend the smaller one if you really want to try this. Otherwise it would melt easily and make a mess after that.

But overall it was still a good deal and a good experience. The ice cream was not too sweet and tasted like the ice cream we have eaten during our childhood days :)

Ximending Extra Large Soft Serve 巨无霸霜淇淋
No actual address, simply walk along XMD and you should be able to find this.

How to get there:
Nearest MRT - Ximen station

Lao Ban Freshly Made Beancurd 老伴手工豆花

Back to Old Airport Hawker again as we were recommended to this yummy dessert by one of our readers!





















We were not too impressed with the outlook of the store since there were no queues and everything seems already prepared in advance and put in the fridge.














The store has two big fridges at the front counter so you will not missed this store. So Picky Girlfriend and Fussy Boyfriend ordered one original and one almond flavour each.

First take: very normal looking beancurd!













$1.50 (big) for any original/almond flavour. Also comes in a smaller size at $1

And when we tried to scoop it...













We immediately know the texture is very soft and smooth! Do not be deceived by the look as it looks like the beancurd has hardened but is REALLY GOOD when we ate it!

Seriously this is one of the best beancurd we have ever tasted and you really have to go down and try it yourself to know how fabulous this beancurd is! Is SO smooth that it wobbles and the moment you put it in your mouth, it just melts! Not too sweet as well and doesn't give a bad soyabean aftertaste.














We spoke to the boss on how well the beancurd tasted and he was really this humble guy and told us is important that people say is nice instead of him telling people how nice his beancurd is. And he's certainly proud of his own handmade beancurd :)

After our observation, majority of the customers who patronise the stall buy them in bulk and according to the boss, these can be stored in fridge for about 2-3 days and this is without preservatives too. Definitely a healthier choice!

A MUST TRY!

Both Picky Girlfriend and Fussy Boyfriend Rating for Handmade beancurd: 4.5/5

Lao Ban Freshly Made Beancurd 老伴手工豆花
Blk 51 #01-127 / #01-107 (New 2nd store!)
Old Airport Road Hawker Centre
Opening hours: Tues - Sat 11.30am - 8pm, Sun 1-8pm. Closed on Monday.
(Opening hours last edited 9 Jan 2012)

Ah Chew Desserts 阿秋甜品

Apparently still in the mood for desserts, so we headed to the Ah Chew Dessert Store for some traditional hot and cold desserts.

We are quite sure this place has been visited by many before. Personally we have also been there a few times way before this blog was set up!














As usual queue is long!













Like in many of our posts, Picky girlfriend and Fussy Boyfriend's preference are quite different! The former will prefer cold desserts while the latter prefers hot desserts.

Craving for something like milky yet light?














Try the grass jelly with carnation milk! :)

This is surprisingly a good and refreshing combination. The carnation milk makes the dessert very fragrant and definitely not the kind that will make you feel sick of the dessert after a while.














And what we really love about this is, the grass jelly are in really big chunky cubes that are super crunchy and tasty!

And this is what Fussy Boyfriend tried - Peanut Paste

First take - looks very normal!













And the moment we stirred it, we knew this is great stuff! the texture is very thick but when eaten, is really very smooth that it glides down your throat easily. Unlike some other paste we have tried that gave you a very bad aftertaste (that leaving some residue kind), this do not have that problem!














And since we were seated inside, we watched how the counter staff prepared the paste and we know the trick behind this. For every bowl that served, the paste is being "sieved" first. Yes sieved, like how you sieve the flour when you bake a cake! guess that reduced the unwanted residue which made it smooth and silky!

Tips

• The place is quite small so there were limited seats (both inside and outside) so may not be a good place for large group gatherings

Picky Girlfriend's rating for Grass Jelly with Carnation Milk: 3.5/5
Fussy Boyfriend's rating for Peanut Paste : 3.75/5


Ah Chew Desserts 阿秋甜品
1 Liang Seah Street #01-11

Opening hours Mon - Thurs 12.30pm - 11.30pm
Fri - 12.30pm - 12.30am
Sat - 1.30pm - 12.30am
Sun - 1.30pm - 11.30pm

How to get there:
Nearest MRT - Bugis Station
is just located opposite of Bugis Junction

Hollywood Desserts 好莱坞

Weather is quite hot nowadays, the best to cool yourself down is to have cold and icy desserts!

So we head to the ever famous desserts at Bedok interchange hawker! Picky girlfriend has been eating desserts from this store since her secondary school days where she will buy one bowl and share it with her friend. the serving is so huge that is really sufficient for 2 person. and wow that's nearly a decade ago, time flies!

















Believe the Owner has changed since the secondary school days but the quality and skills of the desserts were apparently passed down well!

And we ordered a Chendol to share. Looks very normal and nothing impressive?














Wait till you toss and mix them to see the ingredients! There is generous serving of red beans and the red beans were really yummy as they are huge and super tasty (huge kidney red beans) as compared to others. the shaved ice were also done close to perfection as it is very smooth and fine that it melts in your mouth easily :)














Very refreshing and good way to beat off the heat! and is only $1.50! definitely worth the money! ($2 for take away)

Both Picky Girlfriend and Fussy Boyfriend's rating for Chendol - 4/5


Hollywood Desserts 好莱坞
Blk 207 New Upper Changi Road
#01-66
Bedok Interchange Food Centre
Opening hours: 1pm-11pm

How to get there:
Nearest MRT - Bedok MRT

Rochor Beancurd

Picky Girlfriend and Fussy Boyfriend decided to go to have some deserts as Fussy Boyfriend had a craving! Probably the first thing that came to mind would be cakes, ice cream etc but this time round we wanted something lighter and traditional so here's we went..

Rochor Beancurd














Many would have heard of this place and we have also been there a few times as well. But starting our own food blog means that we will have to test the food again with higher level of sensitivity this time! Extra calories all for a good cause :)

The first thing that strike us was really the strong soya bean fragrance the moment we entered the store. And wow, it was packed so we had to go up to level 2 in order to get a seat.

Here's what we ordered:

• Beancurd (better known as Tau Huey)
• Hot Soya bean drink
• Butterfly fritters
• You tiao 油条
• Portuguese Egg Tart
  

Prices range from $0.80 to $1.30. Totally affordable deserts in our opinion!

















The tau huey was really smooth and silky. And every mouth of it can easily glide down your throat. And one plus point that Picky Girlfriend and Fussy Boyfriend like is the fact that the sugar syrup is not too sweet which we believe is suitable for health conscious people! Their sugar syrup is a little browish looking which is quite different from the usual ones we see at the hawker which are transparent clear syrup. It also does not have a sourish after taste which most tau huey have!

Picky Girlfriend and Fussy Boyfriend
Rating: 3.5/5

Next we tried the you tiao which was rather impressive. Crispy on the outside, soft and fluffy in the inside. The first bite was heavenly! And Fussy boyfriend took a close up shot of it! :)














Picky girlfriend recommends the below method to eat you tiao, but don't dip it for too long. You tiao taste best with warm soya bean once the you tiao has absorbed some of the soya bean drink. Be caution when you sip the hot soya drink from the straw as you may burnt your tongue if that is too fast!




















Dip it in!

However, fussy boyfriend being the more health conscious one felt that it was a tad too oily and do not encourage dipping that into the drink as that may make the drink oily too! Well.. who do you agree with? :)

Picky girlfriend rating for youtiao : 3.5/5
Fussy boyfriend rating for youtiao : 3/5

Both of us felt that the butterfly fritters and egg tart were quite normal and really nothing much to rave about with its thick flourish filling and hard crust for the egg tart. Pretty optional food when you do not want to waste stomach space!

Ratings for both butterfly fritters and egg tart: 2/5

Rochor Original Beancurd
2 Short Street
Noon to midnight
(Recommended for supper too!)