my birthday 2

t'was my birthday
part deux

Went someplace we've always seen from outside but never thought of venturing into. As regulars to Spize-Simpang Bedok, we've passed Sedap Corner - Asian Fare & Grill way too many times but it never crossed our minds to dine in there.

Maybe we're intimidated by the nice, cosy interior. Maybe by the fact that it's usually packed. Or maybe because one of the chefs helming this place is a celebrity.

The reason my mum finally broke the ice about dining here was because her cousin had raved about the place. And the last time we dined at Spize, she regaled us with what my aunt had told her and asked that we get their card so that we can make a reservation next time.

My bro had no qualms about going ahead to get it, until he saw Chef Bob inside the restaurant, that is. He freaked out and refused to enter. So he got one of the servers on a smoke break at the back of the restaurant to get him the card instead.

I had decided then, that should we enter here, it's will be for a special occasion. Stick to my word, I did.

Made a reservation at exactly 7pm for break fast but changed to 730pm instead, to accommodate my parents Maghrib prayers (me 'on leave').

I am most thankful for the blessing of doing that. For there was a large family seated at a long table inside the restaurant itself (occupying 1/2 the entire dining space!). By the time we arrived, they were serving out 3/4 of their orders.

Had we arrived earlier, our orders would have clashed with theirs and we might have to wait some time for our food.

My dad's hot green tea

My mum's Green Tea-chino

Green tea latte topped with frothed milk. And marshmallows, too. Cool stuff!

My bro's Iced Longan Selasih

They jumped on the bandwagon in serving iced drinks in this jar-like glass. I tot' the one here looks small though.

My teh tarik

Purist will cry foul over the cappuccino-esque frothed milk on the drink. Definitely not derived from the 'pulling' action of pouring the drink back and forth between 2 cups.

With such a tight pantry space, I doubt they even have space to do that.

Fried Vietnamese Trellis Roll - Prawn

I had ordered the one with veggie filling, so I was surprised to see only prawns inside. Maybe the server misheard my order.

Albeit being a little on the oily side, this one was pretty good. Too bad, the portion of only 3 rolls per serving was a tad awkward, esp. for my family of 4.

The honey dipping sauce infused with the chili padi slices sure was addictive! I even dipped the potato wedges (forgot to take photo) in it.

Green Curry Chicken Laksa

My mum's order. She had no idea, what to have. She was initially worried about being too full.

I recalled her being fascinated by the green curry cooked up by the famed Malaysian rocker, Amy Search on the cooking show, Ketuk-Ketuk Ramadhan.

So I suggest she get this dish. The last time we had green curry was eons back, in Magic Wok - Capitol.

A little on the sweet side but the gravy was heavily infused with spices and coconut milk. Also carried a strong 'kemangi' (lemon basil) scent . More 'kemangi' used as garnishing, there. Rich, indeed.

Potent green cili salsa.

My mum tasted a hint of mint in this too. Reminds me of the condiment served by the sarabat selling chappatis.

Pho Bho - Vietnamese Beef Noodle

I knew my dad will love this, seeing that it has beef and lotsa' veggies on the side.

The side serving of veggies for the Pho Bho.

Create a good option for those who dislike their greens. Basically a very D.I.Y way of adding veggies to the piping hot broth.

Condiments for the Pho Bho.

Soy sauce-infused red chili, bean-plum paste sauce ans the green chili salsa.

Pardon the poor quality of the Pho Bho pics. Got my bro to take these pics.


Oriental Fried Rice

My bro's order. Somehow I knew that he'll end up ordering one of the fried rice dishes. Their fried rice are served similar to the ones in Indonesia. Always some crackers and egg or chicken on the side.

This one here has some 'opak' (tapioca crackers), deep-fried wantans, fried boneless chicken, vegetable slices and dried prawns-infused 'sambal' (chili paste).

Phad Thai

My order. I missed my Phad Thai. Ever since Magic Wok reduced their number of branches (they have not ALL closed down have they?), it's difficult to find decent halal Phad Thai.

Seeing their use of the thin, flat rice noodles (kway tiao), bean sprouts and tofu in this, I was glad that they didn't shy away from the authenticity of the ones served in Thailand. Especially with the condiments which consist of sugar, crushed peanuts, dried chili flakes and lime wedge.

Of course the pair of deep fried wantans with whole prawns was a definite bonus. The prawns were fresh and I dipped the crispy wantans in my mum's green curry gravy as well as a mix of the green chili salsa & the honey dip for the rolls.

Phad Thai

But I do wish that this dish could have been more greasy/less dry.

I know, I know, all those health issues etc... But having every strand of the noodles slicked with a little oil won't do much harm.

That way the rice noodle wouldn't have clumped stubbornly together. It's very tedious to mix the condiments in evenly.

Fried Vietnamese Trellis Roll - Scallop (left) & Veggie (right)

Despite the hefty portions of the dishes, we realised that we still have room for a little bit more.

My mum got excited, thinking about the crispy rolls so we ordered another 2 portions of that, with different fillings, this time.

The scallops were sweet. The vegetables had some mushrooms in it but the skin was a tad oily. Maybe because this seemed to be the last order, they could have prepared them in haste.

The chili padi-infused honey dipping sauce.

We spotted more chili padi bits this time. I took joy in scooping up them fiery bits with my rolls.
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I am sooo going to get the Pho Bho for myself the next time I'm here. Yes, there WILL be a next time!

Will either come for a weekday dinner or weekend lunch. Weekend dinners just seem too busy to get proper service.