singapore food blog Archives - Page 5 of 5 - 2bearbear Singapore Travel Blog: Travel | Stay

Doumar’s – Inventor of the World’s First Ice Cream Cone

We were told by our friends that Doumar’s was a local cafe in Virginia that invented the world’s first ice cream cone! Of course we were excited to visit it, not only because it invented the first ice cream cone in the world, but also because it is a first hand experience of American-styled diners (not your usual Billy Bombers, New York New York kind). The authentic American-styled diners!

As we approached the place, it was not that easy to find Doumar’s, it sort of like blended into the neighbourhood. We were expecting it to really stand out, i mean, it’s the INVENTOR OF THE WORLD’S FIRST ICE CREAM CONE!!

The Signboard of Doumar's — The Signboard of Doumar’s

The restaurant was full when we got there. As it was our first time there, we really did not know if we should queue or eat in the car like many other diners in the parking lot (they actually serve you at your car! ) But we thought that we came all this way, we should just dine in.

The wait was quite fast (compared to some wanton noodles stalls in Singapore) and we were seated within 15 minutes. Doumar’s felt homely and was somewhat close to what we had expected. People were chatting happily, enjoying their burgers, shakes and ice cream. The current owner, (still a Doumar) walks around like a celebrity (we reckon he is in his 80s) with many diners wanting to have a photo with him.

Poster in Doumar's Ice Cream — Poster in Doumar’s Ice Cream

We had the cheeseburger and meat with slaw burger which were reasonably priced at $2.4 and $4 respectively. We also had 2 large cups of Banana and Strawberry Milkshake! Yum!

Cheeseburger with Fries Doumar's — Cheeseburger with Fries Doumar’s

Meat with Slaw Burger (Doumar's Ice Cream) — Meat with Slaw Burger (Doumar’s Ice Cream)

Thick Strawberry and Banana Milkshake. Yum! (Doumar's Ice Cream) — Thick Strawberry and Banana Milkshake. Yum! (Doumar’s Ice Cream)

We shared one ice cream cone thereafter and we were happy that we were now part of history! Of course we took a photo of the machine that took the world by storm – The world’s first ice cream cone machine!

World's First Ice Cream Cone Making Machine at Doumar's — World’s First Ice Cream Cone Making Machine at Doumar’s

We were told that this manner of ice cream cone making is still the same today! Talk about lasting inventions!

We would definitely recommend going to Doumar’s for a bite if you are in the vicinity of Virginia. It is a homely American Diner’s with lots of history minus the pretentious hype when restaurants get famous. Opened since 1904, we’re happy that popularity did not influence this wonderful diners. Definitely worth a trip to be part of history!

If you like our content, do click below to “Like” us on Facebook Today!

Updated on January 31, 2021September 2, 2011American Food attractions Golden Corral Buffet holiday Places of Interest Travel Travel Blog Travel Tips USA vacation

Stuff Yourself Full at Golden Corral Buffet!

Kate and I have been watching lots of American Drama/ Sit-Coms lately and the Golden Corral Buffet commercial kept popping up (along with chillis and subway…), argh…consumerism…

Yeah…we couldnt resist consumerism, so we went to Golden Corral to give it a try…

Golden Corral is really cheap for a buffet, it costs around 10-15 bucks per person. (Depending on Lunch or Dinner and your location). Here you can really enjoy an all American meal at a fraction of the price.

At the restaurant, we could see many families enjoying the food and having a good time. We also do see many with obesity issues in the restaurant…the price of consumerism…

The food itself was ok. Liked the fried chicken and the cuts of beef. Yum. In general, the food was not that fantastic but it more than made up in variety. There were asian, italian and of course american food served here. Kate and I tried the foods that we like for the first round and those that tasted good, we went for the second round…here are the foods we had

Tom's first round Meats + Receipt at Golden Corral! — Tom’s first round Meats + Receipt at Golden Corral!

Kate's first round at Golden Corral - Healthy Choices — Kate’s first round at Golden Corral – Healthy Choices

More Chicken and Pizza at Golden Corral!

Overall, it was a good place to hang out and have a variety of foods. The price was really economical and makes it a very family friendly venue without causing a hole in the pocket. But if you really want to make your money’s worth, have lunch there and save for dinner!

If you like our content, do click below to “Like” us on Facebook Today!

Updated on January 31, 2021September 2, 2011American Food Char Grilled Flat Bread Tex Mex Sandwich Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cheesecake holiday Places of Interest Travel Travel Blog Travel Tips USA vacation

Cheesecake Factory USA – Where Penny from “Big Bang Theory” works

Kate and I have been catching up on Big Bang Theory the last couple of weeks. In the show, Penny (the lead actress) works in the Cheesecake Factory.

So Kate and I were excited and really wanted to see how the Cheesecake Factory was like and how its food tasted. So after an exhausting day of shopping at the mall, we decided to have a break at the Cheesecake Factory

The decorations were quite country with woody tables. Even the menu had a country feel to it. We ordered a meal which came with a chicken wrap, the cheesecake as well as the coke.

The total bill was $18.70 USD! After conversion, that’s about $25 SGD! So it was quite expensive in a sense that we paid a restaurant price but had “fast food” dish. But what the heck…we were in America…

Char Grilled Flat Bread Tex Mex Sandwich from Cheesecake Factory

The wrap was actually good! It was the char grilled flat bread Tex Mex Sandwich. The veg had a real crunch to it and the sauce went really well with the chicken. Yum. Next, we had the chocolate chip cookie dough cheesecake @ $6.99 USD.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cheesecake from the Cheesecake Factory

The cheesecake was really rich and you could taste the bits in the cheesecake. Worth the bucks I’d say.

Overall, it was a little bit on the ex (expensive) side. However, the taste of the wrap as well as the cheesecake did gave us a real surprise. We would definitely try the other cheesecakes if we have the opportunity to visit the Cheesecake Factory again!

If you like our content, do click below to “Like” us on Facebook Today!

Updated on July 18, 2015August 28, 2011Asia Chai Tow Kway aka Fried Carrot Cake Local Hawker Fare Places of Interest Singapore Attractions Singapore Food Travel Travel Blog Travel Tips

Local Hawker Fare – Chai Tow Kway aka Fried Carrot Cake

There are so many local hawker fare in Singapore. To the locals, hawker food is still the best. In the olden days, hawkers used to ply the streets selling their foods. However, in the 1960s, the hawkers were re-located into hawkers centres where many stalls are gathered in one place. Today, these hawker centres are called food centres and the hawker food is also found in food courts everywhere in Singapore.

One of the local favourites is the Chai Tow Kway aka Fried Carrot Cake

Fried Carrot Cake aka Chai Tow Kway

How it is made

In this dish, there isnt any real carrots per se. Instead, white radish or “white carrots” are mixed together with flour and steamed to create the “body” or the carrot cake itself.

The fried part comes in when this steamed carrot cake is divided into squarish portions and fried together with sweet and dark soy sauce, eggs and chai poh (preserved radish).

The Taste

There are basically 2 types of fried carrot cake commonly found in Singapore. It is the white version (fried without sweet/dark soy sauce) and the dark (or black) version. Most of my foreign friends prefer the white version as it is very much palatable and the taste of fried eggs is very much acceptable. On the other hand, the dark version, slightly on the sweeter side has its own followers as well.

When you are in Singapore, do take time to try both and see if you belong to the white or the dark side… Enjoy!

If you like our content, do click below to “Like” us on Facebook Today!

Updated on July 18, 2015August 28, 2011Asia Char Kway Teow aka Fried Kway Teow Local Hawker Fare Places of Interest Singapore Attractions Singapore Food Travel Travel Blog Travel Tips

Local Hawker Fare – Char Kway Teow aka Fried Kway Teow (Flat noodles)

One of the local favourites is the Char Kway Teow aka Fried Kway Teow…

Char Kway Teow

Kway Teow actually refers to white flat noodles. However, in char kway teow or fried kway teow (by now you would have known char is fried right?), yellow noodles are often used.

How it is made

It is really simple to make this local hawker fare. Garlic is first fried till its golden brown while beansprouts,lap cheong (chinese sausage), eggs, chives and sometimes prawn or squid is fried together. Next the flat white rice noodles (kway teow) and yellow noodles are thrown in to be fried together again. Light / Dark and a little bit of sweet soy sauce is added to taste.

Once this is done, the fried noodles is laid over fresh cockles for it to be cooked under the heat of the noodles.

The Taste

There are commonly two varieties of char kway teow (much like the fried hokkien prawn noodles), the wet version or the dry version. Personally, I like mine a little bit wetter. The moisture is usually derived from water or stock.

The char kway teow in Singapore is commonly a little bit on the sweet side (though it is still pretty much a savoury dish), the fried beansprouts together with eggs and chives brings out a local flavour that is both aromatic and savoury. You’ve got to try it to experience it!

Updated on July 18, 2015August 15, 2011Hokkien Mee aka Fried Prawn Noodles Local Hawker Fare Places of Interest Singapore Attractions Singapore Food top 10 must do things in Singapore Travel Travel Blog Travel Tips Visit Singapore Attractions

Local Hawker Fare – Hokkien Mee aka Fried Prawn Noodles

One of my favourite hawker food is the Hokkien Mee…

Hokkien Mee aka Fried Prawn Noodles

How it is made

In order to create this local delight, kilograms of prawn head and shell are boiled together for hours with pork bones or ribs. The stock is then kept to fry the noodles. Thereafter, egg, noodles (both white and yellow), garlic and the stock is fried together, simmered again with more of the stock, to allow the noodles to be infused with the flavour of the stock.

When this is done, pre-cooked sotong (squid), prawn and sometimes slices of pork are thrown in and fried for a short while before serving. The hokkien mee is usually served with chilli on the side.

In recent days, the hokkien mee may also be wrapped in Opeh leave (some kind of bamboo leave I believe) so that the fragrance can also be imparted to the noodles.

The Taste

There are many varieties of this same dish. Some like it dry and sticky, some like it moist and wet. I like mine infused with the flavour, no matter dry or wet. Primarily, the hokkien mee has a seafood taste with a prawny slant. It is generally savoury sweet (not the dessert sweet) with a hint of bitterness from the yellow noodles. The taste of the noodles will really depend on the stock (i.e. the ingredients used to prepare the stock) and should be rich. The time taken to simmer the noodles and infuse the stock will determine its final taste.

Just writing this post makes me want to eat hokkien mee! Enjoy!

Updated on January 10, 2021August 10, 2011attractions Cruises Cruises Fine Dining Fine Dining Fine Dining holiday Places of Interest Romeo & Juliet Restaurant Royal Caribbean Cruise Royal Caribbean Cruise Royal Caribbean Cruise Romeo and Juliet Travel Travel Blog Travel Tips vacation

Royalty Fine Dining onboard the Royal Caribbean Cruise – Legend of the Seas

The fine dining experience onboard the Royal Caribbean Cruise – Legend of the Seas was one of a kind! The setting was classy (at the Romeo and Juliet fine dining restaurant). Kate and I were onboard the cruise for 8D7N and we stuck to the fine dining restaurant for all evening meals!

We are not exaggerating when we say that the food was EXCELLENT! The fine dining restaurant (Romeo and Juliet) was one of the highlights of the cruise. Each night we would anticipate the display of its menu and choose the dish that we want! It was something to look forward each night because

a. Service. You would be pampered by waiters and waitresses who will remember your names after the first night! They would remember your preferences such as whether you would like cold/hot water, pepper or not in your soup etc…

b. Presentation. The food would be very well presented! If it was a bisque, you would find a little artistic touch (like latte art) at the top. Likewise for the desserts, the plate would be decorated with fruits, chocolates, sauce etc.

c. Taste. The food we must say is of international standards! Not only would there be creativity in the types of food (fusion, western, asian), the tastes was mostly unforgettable!

d. Unlimited servings! This means you can try ALL the mains and ALL the desserts for the night! Can you believe it!?!

Here are just some of the wonderful food we’ve had…

The Mains

Cream of Chicken Soup Royal Caribbean Cruise

Pulled Pork Burger Royal Caribbean Cruise

Asian Stir Fried Noodles Royal Caribbean Cruise

Scallops with Cheesy Pasta Royal Caribbean Cruise

The Desserts

The fine dining experience really made the difference for Kate and I onboard this cruise. We were really pampered like royalties each night and returned to our rooms FULL! The food was excellent, ambience was good, value for money and the service was impeccable. If we were to rate, it would be FULL MARKS!

For the rest of this cruise trip, click here.

If you like our content, do click below to “Like” us on Facebook Today!

Remember to check out the best cruise packages at LastMinuteTravel.com – Last Minute Prices in Advance!

Royalty Fine Dining Onboard The Royal Caribbean Cruise – Legend Of The Seas

Royal Caribbean Cruise Mariner Of The Seas : 8D7N From Singapore To Laem Chabang (Thailand) And Phu My (Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam)!

Art On Royal : Art Scam On Royal Caribbean Cruises?