taiwanese

FOOD: Woo Ricebox – Authentic Taiwanese Ricebox at CBD

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Author: Alex Chua

Braised Minced Pork Ricebox, Spicy Drumstick Ricebox and Braised Chicken Ricebox

If you fancy Taiwan street cuisine, and particularly Taiwan railway food, there is a new spot in town to dine at. Conveniently located in Ocean Financial Centre at Raffles Place, Woo Ricebox serves tasty and affordable Taiwanese lunch sets and a myriad of yummy delights that would definitely satisfy the foodophile in you.




Here’s some interesting background about this brand. Woo Ricebox began with a simple purpose –to serve travellers comforting meal on the long train journey, hence leading to the emergence of the ricebox. It opened its first outlet in 1939 at Chihshang Township, a major railway interchange in Taitung. Today the brand has grown to over 200 stores in Taiwan, and its original premise transformed into a Museum to share the history of Taiwanese and local rice culture.





Who can say no to the Signature Braised Pork Ricebox with Preserved Veggies, or Lu Rou Fan ($6.80)? Presented in an oval bamboo box, you can choose between pork belly or lean pork. The meat is nicely marinated, flavourful and goes really well with the specialty rice. Woo Ricebox uses only premium short-grain rice specially imported from Chihshang in Taitung, which is prized for its fragrance and springy texture when cooked.




If you’re like me who find fried food simply irresistible you will be spoilt for choice with Woo’s selection of seven different fried mains, which includes Woo’s Pork Chop Ricebox ($8.30) and the awesomely HUGE Spicy Fried Chicken Ricebox ($8.90). Woo’s secret batter and frying technique gives a delightful crunch upon biting into the meat, and it doesn’t give the oily feel which really sits well for me.


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To make your meal more satisfying, you can grab some side dishes like the addictive Spicy Drumstick ($5) with juicy meat wrapped in light crispy skin, Taiwan Sausage ($1.50 for 7 slices), Braised Beancurd ($1.50 for 2 pieces) or Salt & Pepper Popcorn Chicken (picture above, $4, available only during off-peak periods).


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As for my personal favourite I would definitely grab the Gua Bao 割包 (chicken $2.20/ pork $2.60). Filled with tender pork/ chicken and preserved vegetables, sprinkled with peanut powder, giving it a textured bite with juicy, meaty taste. A must for busy working professionals who needs a quick, fuss-free grab-and-go lunch!

Woo Ricebox @ Ocean Financial Centre
10 Collyer Quay, #B1-03/05 Ocean Financial Centre

Opening Hours: 11 am to 8pm (Mon to Fri Last order 7.30pm),
11am to 3pm (Sat last order 2.30pm), closed on Sundays

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/wooriceboxsg/
Instagram: @WooRiceboxsg

Beloved One Skincare

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It has always been Korea Korea and Korea when it comes to Skincare. What about Taiwan? Taiwanese have great skin too! One of their top selling brands in Taiwan is For Beloved One. I can see it almost everywhere when I was there last November. *How I want to be back in Taiwan again!!*

To be honest, I have never bought any products from For Beloved One before until I went for a lunch with them in October last year when they gave me some Bio-Cellulose Masks to try! They are the world’s first bio-cellulose masks – not any cotton or paper mask so it would stick to the skin better.

Unlike other masks in the market, each piece of mask is at least 2x heavier than normal masks (which also means that the mask is soaked with an entire bag of goodness!! After using the mask, I use whatever that is leftover on my legs lol.

I was of course sold by then. Only one mask a week and the skin would be well taken care of. Some masks requires you to mask every 3 days. Soooo troublesome!

Now, they have new products that are already out in the market!! It is their Vitamin C Plus range!

Ting ting!! Of course of course, yay to more products for whitening!!!!

The differences between the old (2013) and the new range (2014) are the ingredients:

Melaclear2, Technowhite, DermaRXSRC and more. The ingredients can brighten up your skin tone and restore crystal clear skin! I have tried two out of their 5 products on my face and some of it on my hands during the event. They smell a little like citrus and they are so gentle that people for sensitive skin can also use them.

From left to right:

– Vitamin C Plus Melasleep Whitening Ethyl Ascorbic Acid Surge Cream ($85)
– Melasleep Whitening Ethyl Ascorbic Acid Essence ($95)
– Melasleep Whitening Ethyl Ascorbic Acid Lotion ($57)
– Melasleep Whitening Ethyl Ascorbic Acid Toner ($58)

Not forgetting, their famous Bio-Cellulose Mask is also available in this range! – Melasleep Whitening Ethyl Ascorbic Acid Bio-Cellulose Mask (Retailing at a box of 3 for $63).

First review: Melasleep Whitening Ethyl Ascorbic Acid Surge Cream ($85)

Although we know that it smells like citrus, I was still surprised to find out that the cream is in a pale yellow color instead of white. I must be too used with white cream products already. Heh.

Apply it twice a day, morning and night after cleansing, toning and essence (if you have this step). It is said to keep the skin hydrated and lighten the skin. I HATE creamy or oily stuffs on my face. So if I dare to use it, it means that it is almost grease-free. The texture is quite watery so sometimes I would skip my makeup base and skip to sunblock after applying this. I have yet to experience lighter skin tone but my skin is definitely brighter and more radiant!

Melasleep Whitening Ethyl Ascorbic Acid Lotion

The lotion is able to slow down pigment formation as it contains gentle whitening agent and MELASLOW which can help lighten skin by reducing melanin production. Apply it 2 times a day to strength your skin’s defense and boost skin health!

Melasleep Whitening Ethyl Ascorbic Acid Essence

I am a very very essence person. I can skip the moisturizer if I have my essence with me because essence are usually watery and cooling for my face. This serum contains higher stable Ethyl Ascorbic Acid, which reverse melanin formation and lighten dark spots. And with the new ingredients in the improved range, skin will become more and more radiant!

Watery texture. Results are best seen on dull skin tone.

You can find For Beloved One exclusively at Sephora Singapore. They are so worth every penny so be sure to give them a try!! 🙂

Bear Bites Singapore – Damn cute food!

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I have been seeing this cute paw in my instagram but has  no idea where can I find it! It seems that people who eat them can’t resist taking a picture of them first before putting them into their mouth – The same for me!

These cute Taiwanese Bear Paw Burger is now available in Singapore! You can find them at the heart of Orchard Road- *Scape!

Awwwwwwww. Do you know that the different colours represents different flavours?

Starting from white in anti-clockwise position:

White – Original Milk
Brown – Brown Sugar
Brown – Curry
Dark Brown – Squid Ink
Grainy Brown – Oat
Purple – Yam

All buns are freshly imported from Taiwan so that consumers can taste the original. Squid Ink is temporary out of stock due to popular demand.

It is pretty easy to order and you get to choose what kind of sauce you want to pair with the patty of your choice.

Choose your patty, either Karaage Crispy Chicken or Oishi Fish Fillet.

Next, top it up with your favourite sauce. They have 6 different flavours for you to choose – Mushroom, Sweet & Speicy Thai, Black Pepper, Tartar, Honey Mustard and Golden Cheese.

Golden Cheese and Mushroom are my top 2 choices!!

Karaage Cripsy Chicken with Black Pepper Sauce in an Original Milk bun. Yumssss.

Look at the oozing sauce!

I am more of a fish lover than a meat lover. So I had Oishi Fish Fillet instead.

My lunch that day was Oishi Fish Fillet with Golden Cheese in an Original Milk bun. I must really comment on the portion of the fish. It was huge. I could only finish 1/2 of the burger.

Not forgetting their fries. They have normal salted fries and Cheese fries. I am a sucker for fries, really.

You can complete your meal from $7.80 which includes a Bear Bites Burger, Fries and Bottled drinks. Cheese fries can be requested with an additional of charge of $1.

That’s not all. You can complete your meal with a Bear Paw Gelato!

The same for the burger, pick your choice of bun and your favourite Gelato – Chocolate, Green Tea or Caramel Biscuit.

The bun size for the Gelato is much smaller than the Burger.

For me, it’s the original milk bun again, but with Caramel Biscuit.

Come visit Bear Bites and try the cute Bear Paw Burger today!

From 20 October till 20 November 2013 take part in their Instagram Contest and stand to win Bear Bites Party for 6 pax:

– 6 x Bear Paw Burgers
– 6 x Fries
– 6 x Drinks
– 6 x Bear Paw Gelato

All you have to do is to follow them on Instagram @BearBitesSingapore, upload a photo of the Bear Paw Burger and hashtag #BearBitesSingapore and #Singapore.

Contact Bear Bites Singapore is located at:

2 Orchard Link #02-42 *SCAPE (Outdoor Kiosk), Singapore 237978

For more information:

FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/BearBitesSingapore 
TWITTER: https//www.twitter.com/BearBitesSingapore 
INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram/BearBitesSingapore