Time really passes quickly. Almost a year ago, I embarked on my exchange program in Barcelona. Before curriculum started in September, I traveled to 5 countries with two of my friends, Leslie and Steven. Well, I finally have time to make a short video of our bag-packing trip! 

Baked rice was my favourite dish when I was a kid. My favourite baked rice is from NYDC even though I haven been there for years. In fact, I can’t even remember how it tasted now but I remember it used to be my favourite. Baked rice is a typical dish on food menus. In my opinion, a satisfying baked rice should have the flavour of all its ingredients well blended together (especially the rice and sauce). Instead of merely pouring the sauce and adding the toppings to the white rice, the way to infuse the flavour into the rice is simply to cook the rice with the broth or sauce which you intend to use. This is similar to how we cook risotto. The ham and mushroom baked rice which i prepared for my family was creamy and flavorful and I am certainly going to cook this again. If you are feeling lazy, you can always substitute the sauce with campbell soup but I would definitely recommend you to make the sauce from scratch. Enjoy (: 

2. Melt butter in a drying pan over medium heat. Add onions, and garlic, some salt and pepper when butter starts foaming. 

3. Add mushrooms and ham to the pan and cook till mushrooms are tender. About 5-6 mins. 

4. Add rice and stir to coat in butter and the ingredients in the pan. Add broth and cream. Stir, taste and slightly season with more salt if required. 

5. Bring to simmer and stirring frequently for about 10 - 15 mins. Remove from heat and stir in 1 cup of shredded cheddar cheese. Pour into prepared dish and spread evenly. 

6. Cover with aluminium foil and bake for another 15 mins, until most of the liquid has been absorbed and the rice is almost cooked. Check frequently and make sure you don’t over cook your rice. 

7. Uncover and evenly sprinkle a mix of mozzarella and cheddar cheese on top of the rice and continue baking till rice is tender and cheese is golden. About 10-15 mins more. 

This is my fourth time going to Bangkok and I still love this city as much as my first visit. The affordable city of smiles is merely 2.5 hours flight away from Singapore and its definitely a perfect short weekend getaway. With increasing tourists inflating the prices, shopping in Bangkok isn’t as cheap and bargain-friendly as before. While cabbing is relatively inexpensive in the city, the traffic is rather bad especially during peak hours. The “Bangkok Jam” is real. Perhaps, it may be even wiser to take the BTS if you are rushing to your destination. Unlike my past few trips to Bangkok where shopping was the priority, I spent most of my time eating and chilling this time round and the following are some of the places I went on this trip. (:

I never fail to patronise SABX2 whenever I am in Bangkok. This place is a hit among Singaporeans and I believe we contribute to more than 50% of their traffic. While SabX2 is popular among us, it is not as well known among the locals. My Thai friends did not know about  SabX2. Nevertheless, they serve really delicious Wanton Mee. Different from our local version of wanton mee which comes with different kinds of black sauces, SabX2’s springy wanton mee is flavoured and well coated with pork lard oil and they taste heavenly. Unfortunately, they have increased the price from 50 to 100 baht per bowl. Serving is small per bowl but certainly a must try if you haven had it before. 

Address: 
6, 2/6 Soi Phetchaburi 19, 

I love their barbecued squid and stir fried morning glory as well. Please also be reminded that all street stalls and markets are closed on Monday for cleaning in Bangkok.

Address:
Sidewalk outside Bangkok’s Central World shopping centre
Walk towards platinum mall

Stumbled upon this on the net and we decided to give it a go. We were disappointed with the fried chicken which we have gotten from the road side stalls. They certainly looked appealing under the spotlights. However, we regretted our decision after taking the first bite because they were so cold and stale. It would be perfect if they were to deep fried it again before serving. Since we did not satisfy our fried chicken craving on this trip, we decided to head to the recommended Polo Fried Chicken on our last day. I am sure you will not miss their gigantic red signboard. 

Address: 
137/1-3 Soi Polo
Th Withayu, Wireless Road
Lumphini, Bangkok, Thailand

My Bangkok trip is never complete without having Shibuya Honey Toast from After you Dessert Cafe. Three years ago, I remembered joining the long queue at the Siam Paragon Outlet. Today, I could simply walk in without queuing because they have four outlets in the city now. The soft and fluffy thick toast is cut into nine smaller pieces and each slice is incredibly infused with melted butter. Topped with vanilla ice-cream and drizzled with honey syrup, it was literally happiness in my mouth. This is ideal for sharing.

The following dish is not only healthy and versatile but easy to prepare. You can certainly add any left over ingredients from yesterday’s home cooked dinner to the soba as well. The ingredients are easily available from the supermarket.  Soba is a healthier alternative to traditional pasta. Unlike traditional pasta that is made from refined flour, soba has more fiber, protein and less calories. 

Recipe: (2 servings) 

Soba

100g of soba

1tbsp honey 

1/2 tbsp mirin 

2 tbsp soy sauce 

1tsp sesame oil 

Fish

2 salmon filets

1/4 cup honey 

1/6 cup soy sauce 

1tsp chopped garlic

1/2 tsp fresh ginger 

2 eggs 

1) Prepare the salmon marinade by mixing all ingredients together.

2) Partially make 1/2 fillet deep cuts on the skinless side of the salmon fillet. 

3) Marinate the salmon fillet well and refrigerate it for 15 mins to a couple of hours. 

4) Prepare the marinade for the soba by mixing all ingredients together.

5) Cook soba according to package instructions. Once soba is ready, drain the water and pour the marinade into the pan and mix well with the soba. 

6) Preheat the oven to 200 degrees celsius and bake the salmon fillet for 10-12 mins until cooked. 

7) Meanwhile, prepare a pot of water over high heat until it is boiling. Bring it to bare simmer. Place the eggs into the water and cook for six mins. 

8) Put all the toppings together and enjoy. 😃 

Amsterdam is a beautiful city that is well known for its luxurious canal houses and charming gabled facade. These canal houses were once homes for the wealthy, but are functioning as museums, offices and hotels now. The sheer grandeur of the picturesque landscape immediately made me ask myself why I did not pick Amsterdam as my exchange destination. But the answer was made so clear to me when I found myself freezing in the cold an hour later. The weather was cloudy and we had occasional downpours throughout my four days in Amsterdam.

Mesmerised by the picturesque canal districts, I wished I could spend more time outdoors people watching or to admire the houses. I visited the Ann Frank Museum and my friends and I had to queue in the rain. Every tourist takes picture with the "Iamsterdam" landmark. So its pretty impossible to get a photo without anybody else in the background unless you head there early. 

Fresh and delicious raw red herring. Definitely a must try when you head over to the street market. 

Portugal is located next to Spain, but pretty far from other European countries. To my surprise, it is one of my favourite European countries. Flight from Lisbon to Porto only costs me ten euros. Transport, food and accommodation are very affordable as well. If you are a fan of codfish, be ready to feast on them without burning a hole in your pocket.

The hostel in Lisbon was the best I have stayed so far. They offer an extensive range of breakfast, which consists of beverages, artisanal bread, spreads, ham, cheese and even freshly made crepes. It was a generous spread. The hostel has a pretty hip and cool rooftop patio which has a small pool, bar, home-grown herbs for cooking, and even a huge tent-tage where they host BBQs and parties on certain days of the week. Each bed has a personal lamp, curtain for extra privacy and a huge locker beneath it. I highly recommend one to stay in Sunset Destination Hostel in Lisbon. Unfortunately, my time in Lisbon was pretty short and only managed to visit several places of attraction. 

Belem Tower

The Belem tower was built as a fortress to guard the entrance to Lisbon’s harbor in 1515 and it is one of the most popular sightseeing attractions in Lisbon. To capture the most breath taking view of the tower, visit it in the evening and catch the sunset. 

Feira Da Ladra

Feira Da Ladra is a flea market where you can find a wide range of second hand goods, handmade artisan goods, CD’s, cassettes, clothes, stamps, antiques, paintings and even mobile phones that trace back to the Nokia 8210 series. The market is held on every Tuesday and Saturday, from dawn to dusk. 

Tram 28

When in Lisbon, one has to take the famous tram 28. It will take you through the hills of Lisbon and discover the stark contrast between the historic and traditional quarters and the sophistication of other parts of the city. 

Food

The Portuguese cuisine is famous for seafood and has many mediterranean influences. Olive oil is one of the main bases of Portuguese cuisine and many of their local dishes consist of cod fish. While cod fish is relatively expensive in Singapore, it is one of the mainstream local seafood and hence, inexpensive. A codfish main dish served in an average restaurant costs about six to eight euros. I was feasting on cod fish for almost every lunch and dinner. 

When you go over to Portugal, you certainly have to try the Portuguese egg tarts. Some of the egg tarts from the traditional bakeries are excessively sweet. I had three to four egg tarts a day and the best I had is none other than the ones from the famous Pasteis De Belem. It is a walking distance from the Belem Tower. The shop can be easily identified because there is always a long queue outside.


The egg tarts, also known as Pastel De Nata, are extremely crispy and flaky on the outside but soft on the inside. The consistency of the custard is very fine and smooth and most importantly, not overly sweet.