Mel's Drive-In @ Universal Studios Singapore

When I went to Universal Studios Singapore on Wednesday, I had lunch at Mel's Drive-In. The decoration of the restaurant is really nice and brings you back to the 50s. I can't say the same for the food. 

As expected, food and drinks sold at theme parks are relatively expensive. I ordered the Tender Fish Burger ($11) and added $1 for Cheezy Fries. My friends ordered the Crispy Chicken Burger ($11) and Chili & Cheese Burger ($11) too. One of them added $1 for Onion Rings. Anyway, all burgers are served with fries, but not with a drink. So you have to pay a few dollars more for a drink which makes the meal quite expensive.  

The thing I like about my fish burger is the vegetables taste fresh. However, the sauce tastes bland. Overall, the burger tastes average. I'd choose my McDonalds Filet-O-Fish over it any day. The cheezy fries are good because I love cheese.
 

  

Overall, I find the food at Mel's Drive-In expensive for the quality. But hey, this is a theme park, what do you expect?

Mel's Drive-In: 

8 Sentosa Gateway, Universal Studios Singapore, Singapore 098269

Spicy Cabbage with Toufu Soup (Kimchi Chigae) @ Song of The Prince Korean Cuisine

This is a popular shop at Bukit Merah Central where you can savour a large variety of Korean food at affordable prices. 

Tried the Spicy Cabbage with Toufu Soup a.k.a Kimchi Chigae ($5.50). It comes with rice and 2 banchan (side dishes). The banchan, kimchi and spicy anchovy, are mediocre. The soup is more sweet than spicy. Unfortunate for me as I like my kimchi soup hot and spicy. 

You can choose the meat to put in the soup - chicken, pork or beef. I chose pork and I find it overcooked and not tender enough. The kimchi in the soup is good but the toufu (bean curd) has a rough texture, which I don't like. 

Song of The Prince Korean Cuisine: 

Blk 164 Bukit Merah Central, Singapore 150164

Shabu Shabu & Sukiyaki buffet @ Shabu Sai

Shabu Sai is a Japanese restaurant that serves Japanese hot pot buffet. Went to the outlet at Orchard Central for lunch. The price for weekday lunch is quite affordable at $16.99++. You can eat from 11.30 am to 3 pm (last order at 2.30 pm).    

You can enjoy 2 soup base and there are 6 to choose from - Seaweed Soup, Sukiyaki Soup, Spicy Soup, Curry Dashi Soup, Tomato Soup and Tonkotsu Shouyu Soup. Every now and then, the restaurant introduces a special soup flavor that is offered for a limited period of time. 

  

I chose the sukiyaki soup and the spicy soup, which was a mistake. Don't be mistaken, the sukiyaki soup is yummy and I love it. But the spicy soup is just a spicy version of the sukiyaki soup. I could just add chili powder into the sukiyaki soup to make my own spicy soup. I should have ordered another soup base to try.

Shabu Sai serves pork, chicken and beef thinly sliced. Yes, even the chicken. It was the first time I ate chicken thinly sliced like that for steamboat. It is yummy! And the pork yummier. I don't take beef so I can't comment on it. 

You can get your seafood, vegetables and noodles from the buffet counters. The spread for seafood is quite limited though. As for noodles, there are ramen, udon and soba. Personally I think udon is great with sukiyaki soup. 

Look at the spread of condiments available. You can concoct your own unique sauce to go with your food. 

While waiting for your food to cook in the hot pot, get some mini donburi (rice bowl dish) and sushi from the buffet counter to eat. I like the salmon don as the fish taste fresh. The unagi (eel) don is a bit salty.    

Pay an additional $1.99 for free flow drinks and soft serve ice cream. Of course the ice cream here is mediocre, nothing like the heavenly soft cream I had in Hokkaido. But after a heavy savory lunch, something cold and sweet is always refreshing and welcomed.        

Shabu Sai: 

181 Orchard Road, #08-09/10/11, Orchard Central, Singapore 238896

N.S.J Muslim Food @ Bukit Merah Central Food Centre

I have been nursing a craving for Indian mutton soup for a long time. Thus, I was really happy when I walked past N.S.J Muslim Food and saw a picture of Indian mutton soup on its signboard. Imagine my disappointment when the stall owner told me it is not available. Why, oh why is it so difficult to find Indian mutton soup in Singapore nowadays?

Anyway, I saw the words "Best Mee Goreng in Bukit Merah" on the signboard too. I decided to give the mee goreng (spicy fried noodles) a try instead. Singapore is a small country and Bukit Merah is a small town in Singapore so I guess it's not that hard to be the best there. 

The mee goreng ($3.50) tastes good at first because it is really spicy and I'm a spicy food lover. However, the heavy taste and greasiness got to me after I ate about 2/3 of it, and I was only able to finish the whole plate thanks to the crunchy and refreshing cucumbers. 

N.S.J Muslim Food: 

Blk 163 Bukit Merah Central, #02-25, Singapore 150163

Army's Stew @ Seoul Yummy

Being a Korean drama & Kpop fan, every now and then I find myself with a craving for Korean food. When I walked past Seoul Yummy at Bugis+ and saw the poster promoting its Army's Stew Combo (for 2 pax), I couldn't resist going in. For $49.90, you get free flow Korean Roasted Barley Tea, 1 appetizer, assorted banchan (side dishes), 2 x multi-grains rice, 1 dessert, and of course, an Army's Stew.

6 small bowls of banchan were served and they were refillable. My personal favorite is the kimchi which is appropriately crunchy, spicy and sour. I also like the bean curd which is smooth and spicy.  

For the appetizer, you get to choose from 5 choices - Fried or Steamed Pork Dumplings, Fried or Steamed Kimchi Dumplings, Fish Pancake, Spicy Rice Cake and Potato Pancake. I am actually a fan of spicy rice cakes but I decided to try the fried kimchi dumplings. To my delight, they are really tasty, especially when eaten with the sauce that comes along.       

For the dessert, there are also 5 choices to choose from - Green Tea Pudding & Red Bean, Cold Patjook (red bean porridge with sweet rice ball), Hot Patjook, ice cream and Korean Bingsoo (shaved ice). I chose the green tea pudding & red bean, which has a slight bitter taste to it. 

The highlight is of course the army stew. You can choose between the Army's Stew with Assorted Meat and the Army's Stew Spicy Octopus and Assorted Seafood. I chose the former but changed the beef to pork because I don't eat beef. Originally, it comes with beef, pork and chicken. 

   

I don't like luncheon meat and ham cooked this way, the pork is mediocre, but the chicken is well marinated and awesome! The soup tastes great too, I love its spiciness. I couldn't stop drinking the soup and eating the chicken. 

I felt really full and quite satisfied after the meal. This combo is a value-for-money. 

Seoul Yummy:

201 Victoria Street, #04-11, Bugis+, Singapore 188067

Katong Ah Soon Fried Oyster @ Old Airport Road Food Centre

Unlike Lao Fu Zi Fried Kway Teow or Toa Payoh Rojak which I blogged about before, Katong Ah Soon Fried Oyster is not a famous stall. But I had a craving for oyster omelette and had no idea which stall in Old Airport Road Food Centre is famous for it. So I gave Katong Ah Soon's oyster omelette ($3) a try, and I like it. The oysters are big and fresh, and the egg batter tastes good. Not the best in Singapore, but definitely above average.         

Katong Ah Soon Fried Oyster: 

Blk 51 Old Airport Road, #01-07, Singapore 390051  

Vietnamese Cuisine @ NamNam Noodle Bar

I always see a long queue outside NamNam Noodle Bar at Raffles City. So out of curiosity, I decided to give it a try. Ordered Pho Chicken ($7.90), Mouse Tail Noodle Soup ($9.90), and Fresh southern rolls with sweet shrimps, egg, fresh herbs ($4.90). The price is relatively cheap for a Vietnamese restaurant in a shopping mall.

I'm not familiar with Vietnamese cuisine. I've been to Ho Chi Minh once, 5 years ago, and stayed for a brief 5 days. But based on my vague memory of the food I ate there, the food in NamNam doesn't taste that authentic. Perhaps the chefs tweaked the taste to suit the taste buds of Singaporeans? 

For the southern rolls, I could only taste the rice vermicelli and the mint leaf. Perhaps the chef could have been more generous with the shrimps and the eggs? Eaten alone, the rolls may be bland but personally, I like how healthy and light they taste. To add flavor to the rolls, dip them in the hoisin chicken liver sauce that comes along. 

I enjoyed the pho chicken. The pho (rice noodle) has a smooth texture, the chicken is tender and the soup is light with a hint of the taste of herbs. However, I find the potion rather small. Will not be satisfying for someone with a big stomach.  

The mouse tail noodle soup tastes like Singapore's mee tai mak. I find nothing "Vietnamese" or exotic about it. That being said, it is a bowl of delicious "mee tai mak" and the soup is delightful.

Overall, the food is good, though not fantastic. The price is relatively cheap, but the serving can be more generous. I'll be back to try the Banh Mi a.k.a Vietnamese sandwich.

NamNam Noodle Bar:

252 North Bridge Road, #B1-46/47, Raffles City Shopping Centre, Singapore 179103