Sunday, 21 February 2016

Yuan Yang Muah Chee

Cheap & Good 'Yuan Yang' Muah Chee.



The inventor of this 'Yuan Yang' Muah Chee is none other than Mr.Andy Tan the stall owner located at Block 79A Circuit Road Food Centre, 01-106.
He tips a tin of Muah Chee into a wooden tray, deftly cuts it into roughly 1cm-wide cubes and tosses them in ground , roasted sesame seeds.

The first time I come across the unassuming Muah Chee stall, tucked in a corner of Circuit Road Food Centre, I am struck by how intently he prepares each serving of the chewy snack, which is made of glutinous rice flour.

The 'Yuan Yang' Muah Chee - a mix of both black and white sesame Muah Chee - is served in a boat-shaped dish with decorative tooth picks. If you order it to go , it comes in a ptetty paper gift box.
It costs $2.80 per dish.

The Muah Chee is cut into smaller piece and the larger surface is coated with ground sesame, but to get more bite and flavour , eat two pieces at a time.

Mr.Andy cuts the pieces small so they are easier for children and the elderly to chew.
It is evident that much thought has gone into his Muah Chee.

The black sesame version, my favourite , comes with a Muah Chee dough that is infused with black sesame flavour . The glutinous rice dough is less sticky and less oily than most local versions.But it is not like Japanese mochi either, as it has quite a bit more bounce to it.

The sesame coating is fragrant but not too sweet, and there is a light crunch.

It is perfect and not so sinful ending to lunch at the hawker centre, but the fancy presentation seems more appropriate for a tea house than a hawker centre.

Mr.Andy also added a new flavour of muah Chee . His pandan Muah Chee with grated coconut topping costs $3.00 per dish is even more chewier than the sesame version and has a light pandan aroma that comes from real pandan leaves.

The coconut topping is his own - a mix of toasted and untoasted coconut flakes and a blend of five different types of sugar. To add a dash of glamour, he sprinkles some silver mini balls on them. It is unconventional, but moreish.

Mr.Andy Tan has been a hawker for only about a year. Before that he works as a car-parts manufacturer until the business failed in few years ago. He says he wanted a taste of his childhood and bought some muah chee at a pasar malam, but found it to be terrible. That was when he began channelling his skill for machining car parts into engineering muah chee.

It took him 40 attempts to get the correct sesame muah chee favor and about 20 times to perfect the pandan muah chee flavor.
He believes his version is an improvement of traditional muah chee, while retaining its Singapore roots.

"Japan , South Korea and Taiwan are known for their mochi, but  we have our own Singapore muah chee ," he said."I don't want people to say our muah chee is the pasar malam version/standard."

The flipside of his passion for handmaking every portion is that every order takes at least five minutes to prepare and a queue of three means a 15-minute wait. But for me , it is definitely worth it.
(The Sunday Times , dated 21st Feb 2016)

Location : Block 79A Circuit Road Food Centre,
                  #01-106 , 
                  opening hours : 11.30am to 10pm daily.
                  Rating : 4 stars


You may also try to make muah chee at home:

Ingredients:

(serves about 4 persons)

200g glutinous rice flour

2 teaspoons granulated sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon shallot oil

250ml water

1 teaspoon shallot oil for brushing

150g roasted peanut powder (I used ready made ones)

40g toasted sesame

75g granulated sugar


The Method:


  1. To make shallot oil, thinly slice 2 shallots, fry with 4 tablespoons oil (about two parts of oil to 1 part of shallot) till golden brown. Leave to cool.
  2. Mix glutinous rice flour, sugar, salt, shallot oil and water in a mixing bowl. Stir to combine, make sure flour mixture is completed dissolved.
  3. Pour the mixture into a deep dish (suggest to use a 8" Corelle dinner plate). Steam over medium heat for about 25 mins. Test the center to ensure it is cooked through. Brush the surface with shallot oil and leave to cool.
  4. Mix peanut powder, toasted sesame and granulated sugar in a plate. (to taste: I only used up half the portion of the peanut mixture).
  5. When ready to serve, scoop small pieces of muah chee with a spoon and toss them in the peanut powder mixture. 
Home made muah chee is ready to be served.












Saturday, 20 February 2016

The Best Salted Egg Yolk CROISSANT - Liu Sha Croissant

The Best Salted Egg Yolk CROISSANT - Liu Sha Croissant

Salty-sweet, flaky-gooey and yummy that how you can describe the feeling of tasting this Salted Egg Yolk Croissant.

Salted egg yolk custard croissants are the first food craze of the year in Singapore.
The croissants, which is originated in Hong Kong, started making inroads to Singapore late last month, when brunch cafe Flavour Flings in Hougang started selling them.



Since then, five bakeries and cafes have jumped into the bandwagon to offer the sweet-savoury pastry.

The latest to fuel the craze is Italian deli chain Da Paolo Gastronomia, which will sell its salted egg yolk croissants starting 21st Feb 2016.

It was European bakery chain Urban Bakery in Hong Kong that started offering molten egg yolk croissants in Sept 2014.

The move followed the success of its Ball Law Cowssant, a croissant topped with the crumply cookie dough found in bo lo bao(pineapple buns). The chain sells more than 1000 molten egg yolk croissants across its 10 outlets daily. Each croissant costs about S$4.00.

Mr.Rico Cheng, food concept Manager of Maxim's Group, which own Urban Bakery, says he was inspired by the popular dim sum item liu sha bao - steamed buns filled with flowing salted egg yolk custart."We are thrilled and proud that the croissants, which was created to celebrate Hong Kong's food culture, has become a hit in other countries too."he says.

He adds that more tourist, mostly from Singapore and Malaysia, have been buying the pastry. The craze has also spread to Kuala Lumpur and Johor Baru in Malaysia, and Jakarta, Indonesia.

Some home-grown eateries have been quick eateries have been quick to spot a potential hit.

Antoinette, Da Paolo Gastronomia and Kokomama Marketplace make their croissants from scratch, while the other cafes get theirs from bakeries or pastry suppliers.Most of them pipe the filling into the pastry from a hole at the top or base of the croissant.

Da Paolo Gastronomia uses the dim sum favourite as a reference to create the taste and consistency of the custard filling, which as a touch of coconut milk.

The chain has been nimble in adapting to food trends. It introduced its version of cronuts , a hybrid of croissants and doughnuts, in 2013, when the confection was trending in New York City.

They are able to react fast to such trends as  we can tap on our croissant-making expertise and experiment with new recipies.
Their sales of its Liu Sha croissants have doubled over the past three weeks,with 600 sold within four hours daily across its three outlets.
The pick up rate is not as good as our cakes, but more people are interested to understand what makes a good croissant.

The chain also enjoy a spill-over effect on its dine-in business, as diners also order the croissants to to with their meals there.

Some people really like the croissants for the best custard has the most intense salted egg yolk flavour and oozes like nobody's business. While others may still prefer the traditional croissant with sweet fillings such as chocolate rather than the salted egg yolks ..





 The perfect Liu Sha croissant would be a Frankenpastry cobbled together from the top-scoring croissants in a blind taste test by The Sunday Times. ( dated 21st Feb 2016)

It would have the intense salted egg yolk flavour of the custard by Italian deli chaing Da Paolo Gastronomia, the sexy flow of the custard from fusion cafe Kokomama Marketplace and be encased in the crisp and buttery pastry from Antoinette.

The taste test by "The Sunday Times" to find the best salted egg yolk croissant of the six available here found that none of them were perfect.

But those by Antoinette, Da Paolo Gastronomia and Kokomama were the top scorer.

The croissants were assessed on the quality of the pastry and the flavour and texture of the salted egg  yolk custard. Each of the three elements were scored on a scale of one to five.

The panelists thought some of the croissants were bread-like and chewy, while the custard filing in some were either too milky of sweet. Others were stodgy and did not flow.

Mr.Wong says:"I like the crispy ends and the pastry has a balanced butteriness, but the sweeness of the custard is overwhelming and its texture can be smooth".(Antoinette outlet)

Ms.Tan says:"The custard has the strongest salted egg yolk flavour of the lot and there is a good balance of sweet and savoury. However, the pastry is too heavy and bread-like".(Da Paolo Gastronomia outlet)

Mr.Wong says:"I don't like the custard as it tastes like curry and is very salty, but it is creamy and oozes out beautifully." ( Kokomama outlet)

ms. Tan says:"The pastry has a good crunch and is buttery, the custart is properly emulsified and has a great consistency. But it tastes nothig like salted egg." ( Kokomama outlet)



The taste test shows that we are still some way to go in creating a well-rounded product..


Antoinettee Outlets

Three outlets including:
30 Penhas Road and 02-33 Mandarin Gallery,,
333A Orchard Road, various opening hours;
you may visit their website www.antoinette.com.sg

Price : $6.50+ for takeaway, $6.50++ for dine-in,
Pre-order required for orrders of 20 or more.




Da Paolo Gastronomia Outltes

Six outlets including 01-01 Cluny Court,
501 Bukit Timah Road and B1-K8 Paragon,
290 Orchard Road; various opening hours ;
you may visit their website www.dapolo.com.sg

Price : $6.90



Kokomama Marketplace Outlets

01-01 School of the Arts , 1 Zubir Said Drive;
Telephone no: +65 6835 7898
Opening hours : 11am to 10.30pm( Mon to Thur),
11am to 11pm ( Fri to Saturday); 11am to 10pm( Sunday)

Their website www.kokomama.sg

Price $6.50.









 

Sunday, 14 February 2016

Beehoon With A Good Bite( Pig Trotter Beehoon)

Pig Trotter Beehoon

Pig Trotter Beehoon is one of the traditional Chinese New Year food in Singapore that you wouldn't want to miss when visiting relative house during Chinese New Year.

In celebrating Chinese New Year with my family all in one place is a wonderful gift due to our hectic lifestyle and family commitments in Singapore.
Our mother hatches elaborate meal plans and her fridge is stuffed with foods for Chinese New Years dishes.

Pig trotter beehoon is one of the Chinese New Year dishes that you wouldn't want to miss.
Before people became aware and afraid of cholesterol, rice vermicelli fried with supremely oily canned pork was a pleasure and never a guilty one.
My mother would make it whenever she felt like it and our family member loved tucking into the noodles glistening with pork fat.

You may want to spice up the dish with different toppings such as green vegetables like green cabbage, carrots, scallions and, for a good measure, sliced red chillies because I love the mild heat they impart.

The favourings are simple. Lots of chopped garlic, a little oyster sauce, white pepper and the distinctive, unforgettable taste of canned pork.



You may try to make the Pig Trotter Beehoon at home.

The Ingredients

One 397g can of pork leg with mushrooms

One 397g can of stewed pork












400g beehoon (rice vermicelli)

6 to 8 cloves garlic

1 small head green cabbage about 500g

3 small carrots , about 300g in total

4 to 5 large red chillies

100g scallions

2 teaspoon oyster sauce

120g cooked chestnuts

White pepper to taste

Salt or light soya sauce to taste

Fried shallots for garnish( optional)

Sambal belacan for serving(optional)

The Method

1. The night before cooking the dish, place the cans of pig trotter and stewed pork in the fridge.

2. The next day, place the beehoon in a large mixing bowl and cover with room-temperature tap water. Make sure the noodles are submerged and let soak for 30 minutes while you prepare the rest of the ingredients.

3. Peel the garlic and chop finely.

4. Remove the outer leaves of the cabbage , cut the head of cabbage in half. Cut out and discard the root. Cut into strips about 0.5cm wide. Peel the carrots, slice crosswise on the diagonal. Stack the slices and cut into thin strips.

5. Slice the chillies thinly crosswise on the diagonal. Cut off and discard the roots of the scallions. Cut the scallions crosswise into 4 to 5 cm long pieces.

6. Remove the cans of pork from the refrigerator. open them and , using a teaspoon, scoop out the white, solidified fat(above) that has risen to the top . Drain the beehoon.

7. Place a wok or large frying pan over medium high heat. Add the cooking oil. When it is hot, add the carrots and stir-fry about one minute. Add the garlic and stir-fry about 30 seconds or until fragrant, but not burnt. Add the cabbage, stir well to mix with the carrots and garlic.Add the oyster sauce and stir-fry until the cabbage is completely witted.

8. Scoop the pork into the wok with a spoon .let cook until the jelllied stock melts. Add the chestnuts and stir well. Add white pepper to taste.

9. When the mixture comes to a boil, add the drained beehoon to the wok and mix well with the other ingredients using a pair of cooking chopsticks or tongs. Cook until the beehoon has soaked up the liquid. If the noodles seem dry, add a little water or chicken stock. Have a taste and add salt or light soya sauce if needed.

10. Add the sliced chillies and scallions, mix well and cook another tow to three minutes.Transfer into a large serving bowl or claypot. Sprinkle fried shallots(if using)over the noodles. Serve immediately with belacan( if using). ( The Sunday Times, dated 14th Feb 2016)


Serves six to eight person.








Saturday, 13 February 2016

SOUFFLE AU CHOCOLAT

SOUFFLE AU CHOCOLAT



Rise to the occassion.
Surprise your loved ones!

Have you ever thought of doing something special for your loved ones!
You may try to do something extra special for your better half?

Whip up a Ramekin of homemade sweetness for someone very special to you.

You may do it for your Mummy and Daddy Birthday, your wedding anniversay,your girl friend Birthday or Valentines's day for someone you loved very very much.

The Ingredients

200g unsweetened chocolate,broken into peices.

250 ml milk.

4 egg yolks.

8 egg whites.

6 teaspoon of castor sugar.

4 teaspoon of plain flour, sifted.

1 teaspoon of vanilla extrat.

Icing sugar for dusting.

60g of raisins.

4 teaspoon of rum.

10g of sugar.

6 ramekins of 9cm in diameter.


The Method

1. Soak raisins in rum overnight.

2. Preheat oven to 200 degC.

3. Reserve 2 teaspoon of milk. Put remaining milk in saucepan and over low heat till simmering. Remove from heat.

4. Now to melt the chocolate. Heat a saucepan with water about 3cm deep. keep the heat on low, water should be simmering, barely boiling. Over the saucepan, place a metal bowl with the chocolate pieces. Stir to make sure chocolate is melted evenly.

5. In a mixing bowl, place egg yolks, half the sugar and 2 teaspoon of milk. Whisk until mixture is smooth, then slowly add flour. Add half of the heated milk, a little at a time, while continuing to whisk.

6. Pour the mixture into the saucepan containing remaining hot milk and whisk the mixture continuously over the lowest heat possible. Remove before it comes to a boil. Whisk in chocolate and vanilla extract. Add the plumped up raisins. Keep some raisins to use as a topping later on.

7. Place egg whites and remaining sugar in mixing bowl and whisk until stiff.

8. Fold egg white mixture into the chocolate mixture thoroughly.

9. Using your fingers, spread butter around the base and sides of each ramekin. Lightly sprinkle some sugar on the butter-coated aread if required. Is depend on individual preferences.

10. Fill each ramekin to about 1cm from the edge to leave space for the souffle to rise.

11. Place ramekins on baking tray and put on middle rack into the oven. Once oven door is closed, lower heat to 190 deg C and bake for 15 minutes. Please do not open the oven door during the baking period unless you want to have a sunken souffle.

12. Dust on icing sugar and decorate with reserved/remaining raisins. Serve immediately as souffle will start sinking after 11 or 12 minutes.(The Sunday Times dated 14th Feb 2016)


A Fantastic Souffle Au Chocolat is ready to be served.

You may pop open a bottle of champagne and you are all set to celebrate this special homemade Souffle Au Chocolat  with your love ones.

Enjoy!







Friday, 5 February 2016

NTUC FairPrice Local Super Market

NTUC FairPrice super market is one of the local Singapore household name that you will definitely come across when shopping for daily essential & groceries stuff.

Every Singaporean will definitely go to NTUC FairPrice super market to buy their products which is well known for their reasonable and low prices for most of the daily essential & groceries stuff .

NTUC FairPrice super market was started in 1972 with the objective of selling food and other consumer products at reasonable prices, thus forcing profiteers to stop making unjustified price hikes. It is with this social mission to moderate the cost of living in Singapore that NTUC FairPrices values are rooted in, which it has continued to do throughout the years.



The setting up of the first NTUC FairPrice super market was timely as it helps to simmer down the effect of fears during the global food shortage and the global oil crisis brought about in 1972. Unscrupulous merchants were taking advantage of the situation by hoarding essentials and raising prices whenever they felt like it.

During the rice crisis in 2008, prices of rice skyrocketed. Despite the price crunch, FairPrice ensured a steady supply of this staple food and was the first to drop prices of 8 of its housebrand rice. More recently in 2011, amidst concerns of rising rice prices and high inflation, FairPrice again announced that it would freeze prices on all FairPrice housebrand rice from Thailand and Vietnam until the end of 2012.


Beyond this social mission of moderating the cost of living, FairPrice also plays its part in doing good for the community. FairPrice has an established Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) framework to meet specific CSR goals with regards to being a responsible retailer, providing for the community, being a good employer and caring for the environment. Its signature Share-A-Textbook project, for example, has recycled over 2 million textbooks and helped needy students save on textbook expenses for almost 30 years.

FairPrice also set up the FairPrice Foundation to focus its giving efforts to provide a better life for the community. FairPrice Foundation focuses its giving on three strategic thrusts – the poor and needy, nation building and community bonding, and advancing workers’ welfare. To date, FairPrice has donated more than $32 million to the community through the Foundation.

Today, FairPrice has multiple retail formats serving the varied needs and interests of people from all walks of life, FairPrice has kept pace with the changing needs of its customers while remaining committed to its social mission of moderating the cost of living. It aspires to be a preferred employer, to moderate the cost of living in Singapore and serve the needs of their members, the labour movement and the community.( dated 5th Feb 2016, http://stories.coop/stories/a-supermarket-for-the-people) 


FairPrice housebrand products were introduced since 1985 to offer better value and savings to customers. Today, the sub-brands under the FairPrice housebrand umbrella,  namely FairPrice housebrand, FairPrice Gold, FairPrice Pasar, FairPrice HomeProud and Budget, continue providing quality products at great value to customers from all walks of life. In July 2008, Pasar Organic was introduced to offer customers  truly organic produce at affordable prices. Some of the items under their housebrand are as follows:-
    Baby Needs
    Beverages & Snacks
    Chilled & Frozen
    Fresh Food
    General Merchandise
    Health & Beauty
    Home Care
    FAIRPRICE GOLD
    Beverages & Snacks
    Home Care
    PASAR

  
  FairPrice maintains a basket of 500 essential items that are competitively priced. At      least  90 per cent of Everyday Low Price items are among the lowest priced in the market.  The  initiative, verified through regular price surveys, underscores our commitment to  making  essential items affordable for all our customers.
 Some of these products are as follows:
 Groceries products that the store carried are as follows: BAKING NEEDS
 Baking Flour
 Cake Mix
 Coconut Products
 Colouring & Flavours
 Jelly Powder & Mix
 BREAD SPREAD
 Honey & Maple Syrup
 Jam & Kaya
 Peanut Butter & Choc
 CANNED FOOD
 Canned Fruits
 Canned Meat
 Canned Seafood
 Canned Vegetables
 CEREALS
 Breakfast Cereal
 Hot Cereal & Oats
 Dressing & Topping
 Sauces
 Seasoning
 Vinegar
 DRIED FOOD
 Beans
 Chinese Herbs
 NOODLES
 Instant Noodles
 Pasta
 Vermicelli
 OIL
 Blended Cooking Oil
 Canola Oil
 Corn Oil
 Olive Oil
 Soyabean Oil
 Sunflower Oil
 Vegetable Oil
 RICE
 White Rice
 Instant Porridge
 SOUPS
 Asian Soup & Stock
Western Soup
SUGAR
Sugar & Substitutes

Water – all kinds of distilled waters and mineral water and drinking water
Coffee – coffee powder, 3 in 1 instant coffee
Tea – tea leaf, 3 in 1 instant tea
Creamer
Condensed Milk
Evaporated Milk
Cordial & Juice
Choc & Malted Drinks
Soy & Organic Drinks
UHT & Packaged Milk
Energy Drinks
Carbonated Drinks
Non-Carbonated Drinks
Adult Milk Powder
SNACKS
Biscuits
Chips & Crackers
Chocolates
Dried Fruits
Jellies & Puddings
Nuts
Sweets
Cereal & Muesli Bar


To thank our pioneers generation( Seniors of 65 years & above) for their contribution to nation-building and recognise the important roles they continue to play in our lives today, the 15-month "Pioneers OK!" package was launched in October 2014. Pioneers can enjoy 3% off their purchases at FairPrice stores every Monday when they show their Pioneer Generation Card during checkout*. There is also a designated priority queue for pioneers at all our stores.*Pioneers must be present and discount is valid for purchases up to S$200 per customer per day. Our staff may request for proof of identification for verification.

LinkPoints loyalty programme was rolled out in 1999 to provide greater value and savings to customers. Customers can use their accumulated LinkPoints to offset their purchases instantly at FairPrice stores. Every year, more than 500,000 FairPrice members will also get attractive rebates for their purchases

2% Discount to Seniors(age 55 & above) on Tuesdays Since 2002, FairPrice has been extending a 2% discount to senior shoppers aged 60 years and above when they shop on Tuesdays*. This is to provide financial relief for  seniors who are no longer working and earning an income. It also serves to encourage active seniors to shop for the family and promotes an active lifestyle for seniors as well as family bonding. On average, about 80,000 seniors enjoy the 2% discount every Tuesday at FairPrice stores.*Seniors must be present and discount is valid for purchases up to S$200 per customer per day. Our staff may request for proof of identification for verification.

Yellow Dot Items
To help customers stretch their dollar further, FairPrice introduced a range of “Yellow Dot” basic items that are 20 to 25 percent cheaper than comparable top national brands. The lowest-priced in their respective product categories, these basic items can be identified by a yellow dot on point-of-sales materials at FairPrice stores.

I would certainly go for the grocery shopping at NTUC FairPrice over the other supermarkets like Cold Storage, Giant etc. Reason being as follows:

1. Convenience - You can find the various NTUC branches in almost every neighborhood
2. It's huge
3. Wide variety
4. Quality - Fresh food
5. Good layout - Things are found easily

My family shops for groceries once every month so each time, we tend to take up a lot of time just getting everything we need. Which is why we choose to patronize NTUC because they have everything shelved neatly along with their spacious layout with easy way-finding signs. These little things help us to cut down on time wasted.

We're also always able to find the things we're looking for at NTUC and their food quality are rated fresh!

A good one-stop for everything household.
eing environmentally-friendly, NTUC has come up with a 'Bring your own bag' campaign on every Wednesday. Not all stores recognize the harmful effects of excessive usage of plastic bags.

I prefer going to NTUC Finest because not only do they sell fresh ingredients, it also provides organic food. It is so convenient for consumers who are more health-conscious and it opens up another alternative for consumers to choose from, should other groceries store run out of stock of organic food.
they offer a variety of products for customers to choose from conveniently and at affordable prices. Having said that, whenever I need to get some groceries or snacks, I would head down to NTUC to get my pick. One of their missions is to keep prices low for quality products, I think they have done that well. They do offer discounts and offers here and there throughout the year which allows you to accumulate your savings which ultimately, make you feel good shopping with NTUC.

They offer a variety of products, especially when it comes to fruits and vegetables, they are always so vibrant and fresh. It is especially so when you go to the NTUC finest. NTUC Finest also provides a wider selection of whole grains and organic products at affordable price, which is really nice for those health-conscious people. House products are available for cheaper alternatives where you can buy when you are on tighter budget. Only when some products aren't available in NTUC then I would head down to Cold Storage, like maybe a certain type of cheese or something.

For those with busy lifestyle and working family, you may choose to visit NTUC FairPrice online to buy your daily essential & groceries stuff .
Simply visit their online stores to buy and compete with home delivery. Kindly read up their terms and conditions.



The list of promotions being offer by NTUC FairPrice are as follows:


Weekly Promotions


Must Buy items

Purchase with Purchase

New Products


Some of the NTUC FairPrice super Market outlets are located as follows:-

BUKIT BATOK MRT10 Bukit Batok Central ,#01-08 ,Singapore 659958.

BUKIT HO SWEE ,50 Havelock Road ,#01-755 ,Singapore 160050

BISHAN BLK 510 ,510 Bishan Street 13 ,#01-520 ,Singapore 570510

HOUGANG LIFESTYLE MALL ,90 Hougang Ave 10 ,#B1-07 Hougang Mall ,Singapore 538766

SERANGOON BLK 152B ,152B Serangoon North Ave 1,#01-384 ,Singapore 552152

TOA PAYOH A ,192 Toa Payoh Lorong 4 ,#01-670/672,Singapore 310192

WOODLANDS BLK 888 ,888 Woodlands Drive 50 ,#01-757 ,Singapore 730888

YISHUN MRT ,301 Yishun Ave 2 ,#01-02 ,Yishun Mrt Station ,Singapore 769093

RIVERVALE PLAZA ,118 Rivervale Drive ,#01-08 ,Rivervale Plaza ,Singapore 540118

RIVERVALE MALL ,11 Rivervale Cresent ,#03-01 ,Rivervale Mall ,Singapore 545082

SERANGOON CENTRAL ,253 Serangoon Central Drive,#01-241 ,Singapore 550253

ANG MO KIO BLK 712 ,712 Ang Mo Kio Ave 6 ,#01-4056 ,Singapore 560712

PUNGGOL DRIVE BLOCK 612 ,612 Punggol Drive ,#01-06 ,Singapore 820612

CITY SQUARE MALL ,180 Kitchener Road ,#B1-09/10 ,Singapore 208539

TOA PAYOH HDB HUB ,500 Toa Payoh Lorong 6 ,#B1-32/#01-33 ,Singapore 310500

KHATIB ,849 Yishun Ring Road ,#01-3701/3703 ,Singapore 760849

YISHUN MRT ,301 Yishun Ave 2 ,#01-02 ,Yishun Mrt Station,Singapore 769093

TAMPINES MALL ,4 Tampines Central 5 ,#B1-12 ,Tampines Mall ,Singapore 529510

BEDOK RESERVOIR ,745 Bedok Reservoir Road ,#01-3015,Singapore 470745

TANJONG PAGAR ,5 Tanjong Pagar Plaza ,#01-01 ,Singapore 81005

SHAW PLAZA ,360 Balestier Road ,#B1-01 ,Shaw Plaza ,Singapore 329783

HYPER ANG MO KIO ,53 Ang Mo Kio Ave 3 ,#B2-26 ,Ang Mo Kio Hub ,Singapore 569933

SERANGOON VIEW ,476 Upp Serangoon View ,#02-18 ,Singapore 530476


Grocery shopping at Fairprice is highly recommended because of its lower price than its competitors like cold storage and giant, and it is very convenient as there are outlets at almost every corner of singapore.
Fairprice household brands are also cheaper as compare to other brands. It is advisable to flip open the local newspapers every Thursday and Friday as they have weekly offers and discounts
I used to think that NTUC Finest had their prices marked up . You will be surprised that Finest products are having the same prices for most of the items that both NTUC FairPrice & Finest carries. That was when I began shopping in NTUC Finest.

                       
I like NTUC because the of how affordable the prices are and they have so many things to choose! You have got to keep your eyes open and look out for sales. Sometimes they have monthly promotions. I am quite a health foodie and it is only in NTUC that I am able to find my special peanut butter /jam that is often only available in NTUC Finest.

NTUC Finest also gives me a sense of calm that I often experience when grocery shopping in Market place or Cold storage and their fruits and vegetables are extremely fresh compared to Fairprice/Giant too! The store looks a lot newer as well which adds to the shopping experience.




Tuesday, 2 February 2016

Sheng Siong Local Super Market

Sheng Siong Supermarket is one of the local Singapore groceries stores that is well known to most of the Singaporean. If you are tourist or foreigner coming to visit Singapore it will be an eye opening experienced to visit one of the Local Supermarket selling all the daily groceries stuff.


For those foreigner or Permanent resident working in Singapore they will be able to patronize Sheng Siong Supermarket outlet and take advantage to buy those things that is being catered for Local usage at a much cheaper and reasonable prices. The benefit of being able to buy similar products at a much cheaper price as compare to Up Market outlet being offered by Cold Storage or Market Place etc.



Sheng Siong Supermarket, “born and bred” in Singapore, was founded in 1985 by the Lim brothers (Mr Lim Hock Eng, Mr Lim Hock Chee and Mr Lim Hock Leng). Prior to that, the Lim brothers were helping out at their father’s pig farm in Punggol. As the farm was facing an over-supply situation, Mr Lim Hock Chee and his wife rented a stall at one of the now-defunct supermarket chain stores in Ang Mo Kio (BLK 122 Ang Mo Kio Ave 3) to sell chilled pork. Just when the couple managed to clear the excess stock, their store owner (the supermarket chain) ran into financial problems and put up the various stores for sale to existing tenants or other market players, including the one where Mr Lim Hock Chee and his wife were manning the pork stall.

With the government phasing out pig farms, and with seed capital from their father, Mr Lim Kim Siong, the Lim brothers took the plunge and ventured into retail business by taking over the store at BLK 122.

This becomes their first Sheng Siong store and remains operational today.
Their first outlet was opened at BLK 122 Ang Mo Kio Ave 3.

In 1988, the second Sheng Siong store was set up at BLK 539 in Bedok North (now, it has relocated to BLK 539A) and by 1995, Sheng Siong had 3 stores, with the third one at BLK 301 in Woodlands. Compared to 3 stores in the first ten years of operations, Sheng Siong’s growth was exponential in the next ten years (1996-2005), with 14 new store openings, the bulk (86%) of which came about in the last 5 years of that decade. This was despite the fact that domestic and foreign economies were not faring very well as they experienced one setback after another – the financial crisis, collapse of the dotcom era, Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) attack and so on. Sheng Siong had been a strong survivor in those bad times, due to the nature of its business, hard work and dedication of family members and staff, as well as the ease (including low cost) of obtaining retail spaces to do business.
After its rapid expansion, Sheng Siong began its internal corporate restructuring to keep pace with its growth. From 2007 onwards, besides continuing to open more retail stores, it embarked on a series of “makeovers” such as revamping its corporate logo, signboards and reinforced “Sheng Siong” as a household name. It also started to roll out advertising and promotions, an area untouched previously. 

In conjunction with its first-ever mega sales promotion, “The Sheng Siong Show”, a “live” television variety show, was launched in April 2007 and attracted strong viewership. This mega sales promotion was so successful that "The Sheng Siong Show" became a regular-season (mid-year and year-end) programme on national television, MediaCorp Channel 8. ( dated 2nd February 2016 , http://www.shengsiong.com.sg)

The Sheng Siong Show is being telecast live on Saturday 9pm to 10pm with many lucky draws and game for their supporters to take part whereby the participants will be able to win real cash. Each lucky winner for their 100% lucky draw program will be able to take home 100 times the value of their patronize receipts . For example if your purchased receipts was $100.50 then 100 x $100.50 will be equal to $10050.00.


Every twice weekly they may also introduce 1000 times lucky draw program whereby the lucky winner will be able to walk away with 1000 X their purchased receipt amount.

This is one way or another for Sheng Siong to attract their regular customers from going back and at the same time handling out cash to reward their customer.

Established in 1985 and listed on the Singapore Exchange in 2011, Sheng Siong Supermarket is one of Singapore’s largest retailers with over S$725 million in revenue for FY2014, and 100% principally engaged in operating the Sheng Siong Groceries Chain, in 38 locations all across Singapore as at June 2015.


Their list of daily essential and groceries stuff that that they are selling are as follows:-
Baby Needs
Beverages & Snacks
Chilled & Frozen
Fresh Food
General Merchandise
Groceries
Health & Beauty
Baking Flour
Cake Mix
Coconut Products
Rices 
Cereals
Sauce
Sea Foods
Etc

Also from time to time Sheng Siong Supermarket may offer promotions to reward their loyal customers. The example are as follows:


To reward the senior citizens for those age 60 and above they will be entitled to 3% discounts on every Wednesday.


For those who have busy lifestyle or working family, Sheng Siong also provide online groceries shopping.
You may check their Terms & Conditions online.

Some of the Sheng Siong Supermarket outlets can be located at : 

egar Supermarket 24H
Blk 547 Segar Rd #01-06 (S)670547
📞 6250 0664 - Self-Payment Kiosk
🕓 24 Hours

Teck Whye Supermarket 24H
Blk 18 Teck Whye Lane #01-95 (S)680018
📞 6875 0103
🕓 24 Hours 

Woodlands 200 Supermarket
200 Woodlands Industrial Park E7 (S)757177
📞 6365 6162 - Self-Payment Kiosk
🕓 24 Hours

Woodlands 301 Supermarket 24H
Blk 301 Woodlands St 31 #01-217 (S)730301
📞 6362 3061
🕓 24 Hours
Yishun 845 Supermarket 24H
Blk 845 Yishun St 81 #01-186 (S)760845
📞 6755 7383
🕓 24 Hours 

Chin Swee 52 Supermarket 24H
Blk 52 Chin Swee Rd #01-25 (S)160052
📞 6535 0401
🕓 24 Hours

Dawson Supermarket
85 Dawson Road 
#01-01 (S)141085
📞 6475 0386 - Self-Payment Kiosk
🕓 24 Hours

Jalan Berseh Supermarket 24H
1 Jalan Berseh 
#B1-01 New World Centre (S)209037
📞 6295 5508 - Self-Payment Kiosk
🕓 24 Hours
Bedok Central 209 Supermarket 24H
Blk 209 New Upper Changi Rd #01-631/#02-631 (S)460209
📞 6242 2824
🕓 24 Hours

Bedok North 115 Supermarket 24H
Blk 115 Bedok North Road #01-319 (S)460115
📞 6449 9073
🕓 24 Hours

Bedok Reservoir Market 24H
Blk 739A Bedok Reservoir Rd #01-01 (S)471739
📞 6447 8669
🕓 24 Hours

Geylang 301 Supermarket 24H
Blk 301 Geylang Lorong 15 #01-02 BCH Building (S) 389344
📞 6846 1766
🕓 24 Hours

Loyang Point Supermarket
Blk 258 Pasir Ris St 21 #01-333 Loyang Point Complex (S)510258
📞 6585 4751
🕓 24 Hours

Punggol Central Supermarket 24H
Blk 301 Punggol Central #01-01 (S)820301
📞 6484 6582
🕓 24 Hours

Tampines Central Supermarket
506 Tampines Central #02-361 (S)520506
📞 6636 1713
🕓 24 Hours

Ang Mo Kio 122 Supermarket 24H
Blk 122 Ang Mo Kio Ave 3 #01-1753/1755 (S)560122
📞 6454 9908
🕓 24 Hours

Bukit Batok Supermarket 24H
Blk 154A Bukit Batok West Ave 8 #01-01 (S)651154
📞 6899 0013
🕓 24 Hours

Serangoon North Supermarket 24H
19 Serangoon North Ave 5 (S)554913
📞 6481 1218
🕓 24 Hours


Clementi 720 Supermarket 24H
Blk 720 Clementi West St 2 #01-144 (S)120720
📞 6773 6212 - Self-Payment Kiosk
🕓 24 Hours

Thomson Imperial Court Supermarket
200 Upper Thomson Road #B1-01 Thomson Imperial Court (S)574424
📞 6256 5200 - Self-Payment Kiosk
🕓 7.00am - 12.00pm


Jurong SuperBowl Supermarket 24H
3 Yuan Ching Rd #01-01A/02 (S)618642
📞 6262 4166 - Self-Payment Kiosk
🕓 24 Hours


Our stores are primarily located in retail locations in the heartlands of Singapore, and designed to provide our customers with both “wet and dry” shopping options, including a wide assortment of live, fresh and chilled produce, such as seafood, meat and vegetables, in addition to processed, packaged and/or preserved food products as well as general merchandise such as toiletries and essential household products.

We have also developed a selection of house brands to offer our customers quality alternatives to national brands at substantial savings. As of April 2015, we offer over 400 products under our 10 house brands.

To support our retail operations, we have an extensive distribution network, food-processing facilities, and warehousing facilities. In May 2011, we completed construction of our new corporate headquarters and warehousing and distribution centre at Mandai Link, at an estimated cost of up to S$65 million. In March 2013, we received HACCP certification for our processing of fish, seafood, meat and vegetables from the receiving of raw materials, storage, processing, packing and transportation of finished products. Our repackaging of dried food from the receiving of raw materials, storage, repacking and transportation of finished products, as well as the receiving, storage and transportation of frozen food and fruits were also HACCP-certified.

We were awarded the inaugural Singapore Productivity Awards in October 2014, by the Singapore Business Federation. On 31 December 2014, our Group was recognised for achieving commendable performance in business excellence, and was awarded the “Singapore Quality Class” certification by SPRING Singapore, which is valid for three years from January 2015 to December 2017.

As a born-and-bred-in-Singapore enterprise selling daily necessities, we strive to continuously offer communities quality products at reasonable prices together with good service, in order to create value to our customers. We also want to be the preferred retailer in the market, starting from Singapore and then further ashore.(dated 2nd February 2016 , http://www.shengsiong.com.sg/pages/Corporate.html)

If you're looking for marked down prices for anything edible, Sheng Siong has it all for you. They may not be comparable to the other supermarkets, but in its own right, they take pride in selling fresh edible products at an affordable price tag.

We go to Sheng Siong to get our fruits and veggies. It's relatively cheaper than elsewhere, and much convenient to do some marketing than the wet market. There may be some items that we can't find so we don't do much of our grocery shopping there.

Sheng Siong has a strong varieties /good selection of  their edibles and they keep on capitalizing on it. If they continue to improve on their other products, they might be able to compete in the same manner as their competitor /other supermarkets.

If you are one of those that is craving for clams and mussels. Then Sheng Siong may be the right place for you to buy those items at a discounted price.

A serious craving for a specific type - bucket-load - of shellfish. Whenever this happens, I avoid seafood spots like the plague because I'm just NOT willing to travel and to pay crazy amounts of money for something I can easily do it at home.

Yep, I rather get the most bang for the little buck than pretend to be a snooty foodie at some top tier restaurants. What's the point of being "great" in the kitchen if you don't use it right?

Finding the seafood section at the left side of the Sheng Siong supermarket store, I went through their selections of clams and mussels and picked up whatever that caught my eyes. The prices were ridiculously cheap and I couldn't help but realize that the quality and price is definitely a great bargain for the money we are paying. Grabbed a few kilos (about 4.5 pounds ), got home to wash and prepare, and steamed it over a base of sauvignon blanc, shallots, garlic etc.
The result was an immaculate feast for a tiny price of less than $10.

Strongly recommended to visit Sheng Siong Supermarkets outlets to see what they can offer to cover your daily necessity essential stuffs at a much reasonable price.

Happy Groceries shopping!