[VFood Review] Lucky Cat Cafe (Japanese Vegetarian)

Address: 35 Hougang Ave 3, #01-02, Singapore 538840 (Situated within Hougang Community Club | Open in Google Maps)
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/luckycatcafesg
Payment: Cash, PayNow and PayLah!
Operating Hours: Daily, 09:00am – 10:00pm (Kitchen will be closed during 2pm to 5pm on Monday to Friday. Last Order for Kitchen at 08.30pm and for Bar at 09.00pm)
Vegan’s Notes: Vegan options available here. Please inform when ordering.

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So apparently, I was browsing through Facebook and chanced upon Keith‘s Post on Japanese Vegetarian Cuisine and the bonus – it’s in my old hood and stone thrown from my mum’s. Being a Jap-Food fanatic, I am excited to find out if this place could be my new hangout place other than Teng Bespoke or Herbivore.

As you would have known by now – the parking is fuss free with ample lots at the nearby open carpark at Blk 24, Hougang Ave 3, Postal Code: S530024

Turn into Blk 24 Carpark along Hougang Ave 3

Gentle reminder that you need to enter via the other entrance instead of the one facing the carpark. I love the cafe’s rustic yet ZEN ambience.

Lucky Cat Cafe’s Entrance

It kind of reminded me of some Taiwanese Teahouse (I miss Taiwan!) And the staff are friendly and helpful. Our orders as follows:

#1 Salmon Sashimi – S$4.00

#1 Salmon Sashimi – S$4.00

Not bad! It taste similar across all the other Jap-Veg restaurants. However the soya sauce not sure if it’s personal but it tasted a little sweeter as per compared to other restaurants.

#2 Shitake Cream & Cheese – S$7.00

#2 Shitake Cream & Cheese – S$7.00

The kids love this because it’s a combination of their favourite food – Cheese and Mushroom. The cheese melts at the right temperature and the crisp was fried right. Not sure is this teriyaki sauce but everything just felt on point. On another note – this seems to be the hot favourite as I saw on the Cafe’s Facebook that many couldn’t get their hands on this dish as it was sold out at times.

#3 Ebi Tempura – S$7.00

#4 Mini Cheese Sausage Tempura – S$5.00

#5 Edamame – S$4.00

Sharanne loves all the tempura stuff and didn’t finish up the rice bowl that she ordered and went straight to the snacks. The mini cheese and prawns was her favourite, with the teriyaki sauce – it was a double yums!

THE MAINS

#6 Tofunagi Maki – S$12.00

I must say this dish taste good. R ordered this and the crunch of the cucumber and vegetarian unagi seems to be the best match. The sauce and mayo amplified the taste and bring out the best.

#7 Somen in Hot Broth – S$9.00

For all the Udon fans, I’m so sorry! Because to be honest, I don’t see any of the udon dishes on their menu. Thus the noodle fanatic members of my family went for Somen instead. It tastes like the rice vermicelli though. Not too bad. The fish cake tastes okay but I’m not a mocked meat person so my views tends to be a little bias.

And in any case if you want to have a bite of the local dishes like Hokkien Mee and etc. The good news – they served it at the Cafe. 🙂

#8 Tofunagi Don – S$12.00

Without the crunch of the cucumber but was good in my opinion. I would love to try their Curry Don but it was out of stock when I went over on a Monday night time.

#9 Yangnyeom Monkey Head Mushroom Don – S$13.00

Sharanne ordered this. Took 2 spoons and passed it back to me. It tastes great, although I indicated less spicy I guess my tolerance for chilli is a little O_O. This would be ideal for those who take spicy food. By the way, this is served with breaded and deep-fried White Monkey Head Mushroom coated with a housemade sweet and spicy sauce atop a bed of Japanese rice with some side salad. Enticing right, spicy food lovers?

#10 Cereal Cream Tea – S$6.00

This is gooooooood. It tastes exactly like the Bubble Red Milk Tea. Haha! I heard this is one of the top picks over at their bar. Not sure what’s the content although I read through some reviews that they will serve warm milk and also soy milk (for the vegan friends?).

#11 Mocha – S$5.50

#12 Always Christmas Chocolate – S$6.50

I would pick Always Christmas Chocolate anytime over Mocha because the former one contains trace of mint. The mocha was done right.

#13 An Ji Bai Cha – S$5.00

No prizes for the right guess. Yes, this is my drink. I love white tea because of the anti-oxidants contents.

But nothing beats Wang San Yang Tea Merchant for their tea varieties. 🙂

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Location wise.

To me, it’s quite convenient as there is direct bus from Hougang Bus Interchange and for those who drives, there are ample parking lots right at Blk 24 Hougang Ave 3. And in near future, minutes walk from (CR7) Defu MRT Station.

Food wise.

Not bad. But I feel the variety can be better. And given that it has just opened its doors, I believed it’s a matter of time that they will include more dishes. P.S: Please consider udon dishes. Hahaha.

Cost wise.

Reasonable for a cafe-tier pricing. Portion looks good and I didn’t break my bank just to fulfill my Japanese Vegetarian food cravings.

Verdict: Will definitely go again but with COVID-19 Phase 2 still in place, there is limited seating right now due to social distancing. Can’t wait for things to get better next year. I would love to try the Curry Don and will re-order the Shitake Cream & Cheese and the Cereal Cream Tea!

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[VFood Review] Veggie House & Max See

Address: 61 Ang Mo Kio Avenue 8 #01-06 Jubilee Square Singapore 569814 (open in Google Maps)
Contact No: +65-63390570 | Facebook: Veggie House & MAX SEE
Payment: Cash because I was with the little kiddos and did not manage to ask. (Not sure if they accept NETS/ Visa/ GrabPay (Please FB/ Call them to find out)
Operating Hours: Daily, 10:30am – 09:30pm
Vegan’s Notes: Vegan options available here. Please inform when ordering.

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So apparently I went to order takeaways when I was with #yahyahpayaya and R as I was rushing from places to places. To be honest, I’m thankful for a hands-on business partner and someone who can read my mind (even though R will shoot me like @#$%^&).

And it just happened that I was in Ang Mo Kio and was chancing upon this stall where I was pondering over the decade changes at Jubilee Square. And I remember BFF shared about their flagship store located in Toa Payoh previously.

Anyway since there ain’t much of the vegetarian choices, I went to try out the cuisine since I never had the chance to eat at their flagship stall.

Veggie House @ Jubilee AMK

And MAX SEE is the in-house bubble tea brand (looks Taiwanese to me)

Their BBT $election ($_$)

The seating area and a few more tables outside (not shown in this picture)

($___BBT___$)

My favourite – Yong Tau Foo

The YTF Selection

Their Signature Noodles

My Love for Yong Tau Foo

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Location wise.

To me, it’s quite convenient as it’s just 5 minutes walk from Ang Mo Kio MRT (right opposite Ang Mo Kio MRT Station).

Food wise.

Superb. Anything with Vegetarian YTF and Bak Kut Teh will triumph in taste. And Veggie House has both.

Cost wise.

Reasonable for a cafe-tier pricing. Portion seems ok.

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Verdict: I think it’s unfair to judge based on the above as I am rushing for time. But the YTF tasted yummy and the soup is decent and light about 2 hours after when I bought the food. Might want to go there for a second time to give a better judgment.

Comments below if you had makan there before, otherwise stay tune to my update.

[VFood Review] Warung Ijo – Updates on Menu

Earlier on, I wrote my review on Warung Ijo via here.

And so last Saturday, I went back after hearing that they had introduced some soupy dishes and here is my verdict. Sedap for the soup. 😉

Shall let the pictures do the talk.

Updated menu, the old menu still exist but I think the new set of 3 is easier to reference with a picture by its side.

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I ordered:

Nasi Lemak Fried Chicken

Mee Soto (I opted for the less spicy and you can ask for spicy version if you can tahan)

Kolo Mee with Shredded Chicken & Gyoza Soup

Cold Brewed Tea – Osmanthus Sencha with PassionFruit

The spiciness of both the Kolo Mee and Mee Soto can be adjusted in accordance to personal preference. And the soup had a strong savory flavour despite me asking it to be less or no chilli. AND the bonus — they did put up the Kolo Mee Instant Noodles via the Pick&Go section of the shop. So if one is keen to buy it home, just order via the counter. 😉

And I’m fazed by the cold brewed tea selection that Gryphon Tea has. 🙂

Anyway to me, if I’m around the corner, I would definitely go and get my bubble tea fix at Nine Tails Bubble Tea which is owned by a primary school friend of mine.

My Rose Oolong with 0% Sugar & No Toppings

Always support local and support friend’s businesses. 

Beat the Haze with Chrysanthemum Wolfberries Jellies

Had a bad week battling the haze and inflammation thus I decide to make some desserts for the family.

Recipe: Chrysanthemum Wolfberries Jellies

Konnyaku Jelly Powder, Wolfberries, Honeycomb Sugar, Chrysanthemum & Birdnest

 

Ingredients:

• Konnyaku Jelly Powder 120gm
• Chrysanthemum Flowers
• Honeycomb Sugar
• Wolfberries 10gm
• Ready-to-drink Birdnest x 2 Bottles

Instructions:

1. Boil a pot of water (~1litre) and when the water started to boil, put in the Chrysanthemum Flowers and the Honeycomb Sugar. [I would remove the Honeycomb Sugar if I’m pouring in Birdnest as I prefer it to be less/ not too sweet.]
2. Let it boil for 15 minutes under low fire.
3. Off the fire and remove the Chrysanthemum Flowers.
4. Put in the Wolfberries, let it simmer down for 15 minutes.
5. Pour in the Konnyaku Powder, stir and mix the powder under low fire for 10 minutes.
6. Pour the Birdnest in. [You may skip this step if you are not a fan of birdnest.]
7. Off the fire and prepare the molds.
8. Pour the mixture into the molds and put it in the fridge.
9. Let it sit for 6 hours. [I actually put this into the freezer for 1 hour and then shift it to the fridge to cut short the time.]
10. Serve while it’s chilled. 🙂

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The girls had helped me with the above and it seems fund as a bonding activity over the weekends. 🙂

Benefits of the Chrysanthemum Wolfberries Jellies:

Chrysanthemum is cooling and is used to treat respiratory issues, high blood pressure, and hyperthyroidism and was said to reduce inflammation and calm ones’ nerves. Wolfberry is high in antioxidants and in Traditional Chinese Medicine, it is good for tired eyes. Bird’s Nest boost better immunity, more energy, better sleep, good complexion, and good virility. Also, regular consumption of Bird’s Nest helps prevent colds and flus.

[VFood Review] Whole Earth – Authentic Peranakan-Thai Vegetarian Cuisine

Whole Earth (4.3 out of 5☆)

Address:  76 Peck Seah Street, Singapore 079331 (Google Maps here)
Contact No: +65-62216583 | Facebook | Website
Payment: Cash, NETS, Credit Cards.
Operating Hours: 11.30am – 03.00pm (last order 2.30pm), 05.30pm – 10.00pm (last order 9.15pm)
Vegan’s Notes: Vegan options available here. Please inform when ordering. (To be honest, I feel this place is more like a Vegan restaurant than a Vegetarian one.)

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Whole Earth serves authentic Peranakan-Thai vegetarian cuisine since 2003 and is the first and only plant-based restaurant to be on the Michelin Bib Gourmand for 3 consecutive years from 2016 to 2018.

I went to Whole Earth for lunch the other day and it was my first time there. It was quite an experience for me though as I was astonished by its Peranakan roots.

Location wise.

It’s near to Tanjong Pagar (EW15) MRT Station. Walking distance via Exit A, from Tanjong Pagar. Approx less than a 5 minutes walk. Parking wise can park at the open-air carpark along Peck Seah Street.

Open Air Carpark @ Peck Seah Street

Ambiance wise.

I went over lunch on a Friday and it was not that crowded. One can make reservations or bookings via calling them at +65-62216583. Quite cozy and had the modern restaurant vibes, not too hipster though so I think this would make a good choice for business lunch meetings.

Food wise.

You can check out the menu here. There are varieties of cuisine and there are pictures of the signature dishes.

The food I’ve ordered:

• Crispy Seaweed
• Signature Olive Fried Rice
• Wolfberry Soup
• Braised Beancurd with Vegetables
• Lemongrass Drink

I ordered all in small portions and it’s just nice for 2-pax sharing. I did not manage to order any Peranakan/ Thai dishes as I’m nursing from a bad sore throat. I shall let the pictures do the talking.

Crispy Seaweed

Signature Olive Fried Rice

Wolfberry Soup

Braised Beancurd with Vegetables

Service wise.

It’s up to the standard for a Michelin Bib Gourmand.  The service staff also took the extra mile to recommend us some dishes and is very patient with our requests for Belanchan Chilli and Diced Red Chilli in Soy Sauce.

Cost wise.

I feel that it’s a bit pricey perhaps due to the Michelin Bib Gourmand tag. It costs us ~S$50+ for 2-pax.

Improvements wise.

I feel the portion is a little small so would prefer a slightly bigger portion.

Ratings wise.

• Overall I would give them a 4.3/ 5.0 stars. The food is up to the standard, with awesome varieties, excellent location but it’s on the pricey range and I still think that they can do something about the portions.
• Presentable for business lunch/ dinner meetings.

Definitely a must-go place at least once. 😉 There is no plant-based restaurant that had went in for three consecutive years for the Michelin Bib Gourmand, definitely something intriguing about the place.

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P.S: This is not a paid review. I paid for my own food. Photos taken using Huawei Mate 10 Pro. 🙂

[VFood Review] Warung Ijo – Authentic Indonesian Vegetarian Cuisine

Warung Ijo (4.8 out of 5☆)

Address: 337 Beach Rd, Singapore 199565 (Google Maps here)
Contact No: +65-88578600 | Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SGWarungIjo/
Payment: Cash, GrabPay (Not sure if they accept NETS/ Visa (Please FB/ Call them to find out)
Operating Hours: Tuesday to Sunday from 11.00am to 09.00pm. Closed on Monday. Except 1st & 15th day of the Lunar Month & Public Holidays. Closed on the next day.
Vegan’s Notes: Vegan options available here. Please inform when ordering.

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Warung meant “Place/ Hut” and Ijo meant “Green” and Warung Ijo, in my own guess, meant “The Green Place” or the owner is trying to bring out the meaning of a place that embraces green food (vegetarian).

Warung Ijo is the new kid on the block that serves authentic Indonesian vegetarian cuisine. I know the difficulties to hunt for yummy Indonesian vegetarian cuisine in Singapore that won’t break the piggy bank and fits the local taste buds and finally, we have Warung Ijo to curb our Indonesian food cravings.

I first chanced upon this from a friend’s Instagram when she posted pictures of the insta-worthy place and aesthetically good looking food and I googled further on the place and ta-da, here I am.

Location wise.

It’s ~ 10 minutes walk from Nicoll Highway (CC5) MRT Station. You can walk via the bridge to City Gate Commercial & Residential development from the Nicoll Highway MRT Station then cross over to the shophouses where Warung Ijo is located.

Otherwise, one can park at open-air Aliwal Street Carpark (limited lots) or along the roads near Baghdad Street.

Ambiance wise.

Chic and hip. They have baby seats for the young ones and I feel it’s quite kid-friendly. Outdoor and indoor seatings available.

Food wise.

It was indeed an authentic Indonesian that fits into the local taste buds, a little tad spicy but for non-spicy eaters like me, I still can accept the taste. We ordered quite a few items on our first visit. There seem to be limited choices (maybe due to the fact that they just open their doors) but it was good enough for the varieties. There is a photo-wall near the counter that showcase the majority of the items on the menu. The only keynote is there is no kids menu available. I just managed to get hold of the Team @ Warung Ijo. THERE IS KIDS MENU available however it’s not stated in the Menu itself, one had to order via the counter. On the kids’ menu — there is Olive Fried Rice and Egg Fried Rice.

Warung Ijo – Food Menu

Warung Ijo – Drinks Menu

Photo Wall @ Warung Ijo

I call this, “The Drinks” bar.

The food that I’ve ordered:

• Khalasan Fried Chicken
• Nasi Lemak Fish
• Fried Gyoza
• Orh Luak
• Kombucha Hibiscus Kiss

Khalasan Fried Chicken

Nasi Lemak Fish

Orh Luak

Fried Gyoza

Kombucha Hibiscus Kiss

The portion was just nice for me. The Orh Luak was a little less crispy but the texture is smooth and soft. Chilli for Ork Luak is good. Same for the Fried Gyoza. It was crispy on the outside and fulfilling within. The main dishes were good. Spicy yes but within the tolerance level of mine, after all it’s authentic Indonesian cuisine. 😛

Service wise.

Superb. I think the lady boss (WQ) is the one serving over at the counter (my personal guess). Super chirpy lady and she speaks Indonesian. OMG. Super humble and nice peeps.

Costs wise.

I find it reasonable for authentic Indonesian cuisine. 🙂 It cost us S$44.50 for the items above. There is no GST & Service Charge at the moment. GrabPay accepted which is a plus for me.

Improvements wise.

• More choices for the non-spicy eaters and perhaps more soup-based dishes. 🙂

Ratings wise.

• Overall I would give them a 4.8/ 5.0 stars. 🙂 Their nasi dishes did/ will not disappoint and 0.2 for rooms to improve.

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UPDATES (27 Aug, 06.00pm):

I made a return trip on another day with my BFF. This time round, we ordered different food from the first trip.

The food that I’ve ordered:

• Nasi Lemak Fried Chicken
• Lontong Sayur
• Rendang Fried Rice
• Satang Padang
• Orh Luak
• Gyoza Soup (6 Pieces) with 1x Nasi (We didn’t manage to take a picture of this)
• Cold Brew Gryphon Tea: The Pearl of Orient with Lychee
• Kombucha Lemon Lime & Mint (Decide to try another flavour)

Rendang Fried Rice

Lontong Sayur

Nasi Lemak Fried Chicken

Satay Padang

Orh Luak, again. LOL.

Kombucha Lemon Lime & Mint and The Orient with Lychee Cold Brew Tea

We didn’t manage to snap a picture of the Gyoza soup but I understand it was that day’s special and not on the menu itself. Finally! A non-spicy and soup-based dish. And to my surprise, I realized they sell out their Lontong Sayur quite fast. We went on a Friday evening around 6.15pm for dinner and were told that there are only 3 bowls left. Being a typical Singaporean, I ordered one to try. The soup was thick and flavoury. I can taste the freshness of the coconut milk and the ingredients that they used. Spicyness is within the control. Both the Rendang Fried Rice & Nasi Lemak Fried Chicken did not disappoint us and the taste is soooooo good. The Satay Padang is not spicy, crunchy and soaked with the unique thick gravy (which I still couldn’t figure it out…) To my surprise, the Orh Luak on that day was crispy and flavourful.

Special mention for the Cold Brew Gryphon Tea – The Pearls of Orient with Lychee. LOL. Nothing can go wrong with Lychee. HAHA

The BFF mentioned that Indonesian cuisine is always stronger in taste and a little salty (Because I dislike sodium to the max. Less oil, less salt, less seasoning and no sugar theory.) True that but it was acceptable on my sodium scale for all of the above.

One should really check this place out for the savory authentic Indonesian Vegetarian cuisine. Reservations can be done prior via Facebook PM or a phonecall (See above for info) and do note on the operating hours mentioned too!

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Updates (01 Sep, 11.45am): I’ve got in touch with the team and they will progressively introduced more dishes. Do CHECK OUT and LIKE their Facebook page for more updates!~ They will announce new dishes via Facebook. I heard that they are launching MEE SOTO soon! YAY for all soup-based dish lovers.

On another note, after the dinner, one can get their bubble tea fix over at Nine.Tales.Tea @ City Gate. Please support my primary school friend on his venture. #SupportLocal

P.S: This is not a paid review. I paid for my own food. Photos taken using Huawei Mate 10 Pro & Huawei P20 Pro. 🙂

Recipe: Melt in Your Mouth Pineapple Tarts

I am always intrigued by the creative flair that all my makers and bakers possessed. As a fan of handmade and artisanal crafts, I will try to make it a point to practise what I pitch and create items from scratch. LOL, this is actually a throwback post where an archive was saved in the folder to ensure that I remember this recipe as this is the best that I’ve replicate thus far.

After googling through many versions of pineapple tarts, I settled down on Sonia’s recipe, the #meltinthemouth version!

The long process is hard earned and I had raves about it after a whole day of scalding myself, because I made the filling all by myself and the hardwork paid off~ Will be baking the next batch soon and I had wrote down the whole recipe.  It’s super simple and nice based on the first attempt at it! 🙂

And sharing is caring. Along the way, I will share some insights as I bake.

PINEAPPLE TARTS (MELT-IN-THE-MOUTH-VERSION) 凤梨酥

Homemade Pineapple Fillings:

Ingredients:
2 x Near-to-Ripe Pineapple
250gm of Sugar (300gm if you like it sweeter)

See *** Notes below for other options.

I bought my pineapple from NTUC and this is the first time in my life that I had to hand pick a pineapple on own and being a noob, I googled on spot at NTUC on how to pick a good pineapple and finally got a near to ripe pineapple via this link. LMAO. Because NTUC don’t have Morris Pineapple for sale, I bought the whatever is available. If you have Morris Pineapple as an option. Just grab it! The taste will turn out sweeter and smoother.

Normal Pineapples from NTUC

Methods:

1. Cut away the leaves. Skinned and sliced the pineapple. Retain the middle fibre because this is the essence of the whole paste.
2. Put the pineapple into the food processor/ blender. DO NOT ADD IN WATER.
3. Blend the sliced pineapple. Please do not blend until it become pineapple juice. But of a texture that it retains its pulp.
4. Heat up a frying pan/ wok. Pour the pineapple together with the juices in. Cooked over medium fire until majority of the juices got evaporated and dried out. Stir every now and then to avoid it getting burnt.
5. Add in sugar and cook over low heat until it becomes a thick paste whereby when you scoop/stir the paste, it should drop like a more solidify state instate of a watery type.
6. Scoop and put it aside to cool.
   ***Notes: You may add on to its fragrance by putting in 1 cinnamon stick and 3 clovers before you add in the sugar. But I just like to retain the pineapple fragrance thus would strongly abide by sticking to 2 of the ingredients.

It took me near to 1 hour and half to complete the paste and throughout as I need to take care of the 3 girls, I did a “lazy-way” out, that’s to simmer the pineapple pulp over big fire and once it starts to boil, lower it down to low heat”. But I will check the thing out every 2 minutes, to stir and ensure that it does not get burnt.

Patience is the key to good food.

The pineapple pulp and juices over big fire.

When the juices started to evaporate off and to add in sugar.

Stir and cook until you get this texture.

Now for the tarts~~~

Ingredients:
2 egg yolks
510gm of plain flour/ all purpose flour.
350gm of butter
100gm of condensed milk

Ingredients for the Egg Wash:
1 egg yolk
1 tablespoon of milk (I use fresh milk)

Methods:

1. Preheated your oven at 200 degrees for 10 mins.
2. Put in the butter and condensed milk. Beat and mix it well.
3. Add in the egg yolk one at a time. Ensure it mix well. Beat until it combines.
4. Add in the flour. Mix it well until you gets a soft but not a sticky dough.
5. Roll the pineapple fillings into a ball shape (a size of the old 50 cents) coin.
6. Roll the dough into a ball shape, slightly smaller of the pineapple fillings. (Normally, people will roll the dough bigger than the filling but my family preferred to have tarts that’s full of fillings so I switch the “dimensions”.)
7. Flatten the dough and place the filling in the middle. Bring the edges together and press lightly to seal. Roll it in between the palm to shape it nicely into a ball.
8. Use a butter knife to cut some lines on the top of the pineapple balls to make the pineapple pattern.
9. Apply egg wash on the surface of the pineapple ball.
10. Place the parchment paper on the baking tray. Apply the parchment paper with eggwash.
11. Place the pineapple balls on the parchment paper and bake it in the preheated oven at 170 degrees for 23 mins or until it turned golden brown.
12. Cool completely before storage.

SUCCESS!

Ok, apparently, I will try Morris Pineapple for the next round. 🙂 And all the items I got for the above baking session is NTUC. 🙂