14 Feb 2012 - Valentine's Day specials

Re-visited ChongQing Grilled Fish, still as crowded as ever. Waited for about half an hour before they got seated. So squeezy that you had to remove the table before you could get into the seat, and pull the table in again so that no one's way got blocked.

Red grouper was sold out, so they decided to try grass carp instead. Bad choice, meat was bland, and full of fine bones. Should have opted for the sea bass. Choice of soup, "numbing and spicy" flavour. Spent $53.10 for a huge fish and several slices of kelp.


Went across to Ji De Chi for icey mango dessert to douse the fire. $5 for mango mian mian bing (cottony ice), $4 for mango sago. The mian mian bing tasted weird, very buttery and had a strong doughy taste. Disappointingly different from the refreshing one they had in the past.

Mian Mian Bing, looks as creamy as it tasted, maybe more. Liked the syrup pellets in the foreground though.


Mango sago was more normal...


After that, returned home to some awfully sinful braised pork trotters. The skin (maybe more of fats) was enjoyably gelatinous at the start, but things started to get heavy later.

What a day.

24 Dec 2011 - Chongqing Grilled Fish

She was nagging about going to Chongqing Grilled Fish, about how good the fish was, and how much she wanted him to try it. Felt more like it was her who wanted to eat it again.

Ordered a mid-sized "mala" (spicy and numbing) "golden" grouper $28++, one serving of kelp $2.80++, a bowl of rice $0.80++ and 2x iced water, $0.40++ each. Grand total of $38.10.

The grilled fish was served in a shallow pan of mala soup and beneath the pan was some burning pieces of charcoal to keep the soup bubbling. You could still see some charring, and that probably provided the meat with the marvellous BBQ smell. Grilled fish in soup, huh? He usually has fried fish, or steamed fish with some dressing or gravy. The soup managed to diffuse flavour to every bit of the fish, it was some tasty grilled fish indeed. Now he feels like buying some mala soup base for "yong tau foo"... Maybe this could be done at the next class gathering too.


Hopped to Ji De Chi across the street, and had some dessert. Durian Sago and Bean Curd as per last week, and a bowl of cold Sesame "Smoothie". $9...