Since my last shopping trip at Woodlands Terrace (read my earlier blog post Food Factory Outlet Shopping at Woodlands Terrace: Fassler Gourmet and Zac Meat & Poultry) where I also bought some spices and rubs from Zac Meat & Poultry, I had intended to come back again for its meats as I recalled the prices of some products were a steal when I saw their price list the last time. I came by on the Saturday just before Hari Raya last month and was surprised to see no crowd there at all. I thought I was able to partake in the festive mood (like CNY shopping), lol but it seemed like everyone had bought their stuffs early!
As I walked in, I realised the format of sales was quite different from the previous times I was here. They had all the styrofoam boxes lined out outside with various products on sale like different types of cold cuts (hams, bacons, etc), sausages, cheeses (I spotted a gigantic packet of cheese sauce too!) and frozen food like chicken nuggets and the like.
There was also a cooked food section inside where I saw roast lamb, roast beef and also ready-to-eat pastas or noodles.
And this was my favourite corner that had all the blends & rubs, herbs & spices, sauces & condiments. They didn’t have the chipotle sauce I bought the last time which made a great marinade for chicken dishes. Anyway, you’d be surprised at how cheap and affordable these products were. Some of the common herbs and spices (charged by pre-packed weight) were only under a dollar or the most under 2 bucks. I suppose Zac Meat buys herbs and spices in bulk because they do need them to marinate meats too and probably split the rest into smaller portions to sell so customers enjoy savings due to the economies of scale.
And apparently because of Hari Raya, they decided to do an open house this time round so I was able to head right into their chilled fridge area to check out what was in-store.
Not a huge area but there were many different types of meat products and I thought most were worth buying comparing to what I could get from the supermarket.
$5.70 for a whole chicken of a decent size. I normally pay about $6.80 onwards from NTUC Fairprice. Quite worth it but I didn’t buy because I’m bad at chopping chicken so I need the butcher’s help to do it for me.
I will buy this the next time! Perfect for making lamb chops at home. At $10.50 for a kg with so many pieces in each packet, it’s such a deal!
Their kebab on stick was more like the seekh kebab (made of minced meat) which looked pretty interesting. I’d probably get these next time to grill over my griddle pan.
And if you need supplies for BBQs or parties, you can always go for their various types of marinated meats as well as these patties that you can just easily grill to make burgers.
I was surprised to see pita breads – the only carb item here. Zac Meat is really a one stop shop. You can just buy kebab to grill at home with the herbs, spices or rubs sold here and then eat the kebabs with the pita breads. So convenient! And because these were frozen, it just meant they could be kept longer!
Let’s check out my loot:
I bought the wholemeal pita breads. While I thought they cost $3.30 as written on the box, I only paid $2.75 on receipt. These pitas made great wraps with roast chicken and salad. I only needed to toast them on a frying pan till slightly golden brown on both sides and they were ready to eat.
I was so happy to find turkey bacon here because I never see them in other supermarkets. Wanted to grab 2 packs but saw that the expiry date was in 3-4 weeks time, I decided to just get one and come back for more later. These turkey bacon were awesome! I pan-fried them lightly in some olive oil and they tasted delicious! Soft like ham, tasted like normal bacon but without the fats and grease. Definitely a much healthier choice than the usual bacon!
I couldn’t make up my mind between their cheese sausages and these chicken chilli ones but thought I’d go with the latter as it was something new from the usual plus cheeses are just too high in calories, lol. I heated the sausages up by poaching them in hot, boiling water and they were good to go. Had a spicy kick to it which the husband and I both liked. I also used them for noodle soup, steamboat and salads!
The purpose of my trip this time was to stock up on minced meats because I use a lot of them in my cooking for stir-fries or meatballs. This 1kg pack of minced chicken only cost $5.70. For the same price, I would probably only get half of this portion from the supermarket.
And this 1kg pack of minced beef cost $8.50 which meant I got a 25% cost savings compared to the Amir brand of frozen minced beef from NTUC Fairprice. This is perfect to make meatballs and burger patties!
And lastly, how could I leave without buying my herbs and spices? See the prices? Just CHEAP! And as I mentioned in my previous blog post, even though these herbs and spices were repacked and labelled under Zac’s brand, they were pretty much the same standard as the branded ones out there that cost 5 times more than this. I don’t think the food I cooked using these spices were anywhere less tasty. Why buy ‘branded’ when you can get such affordable ones here?
Do note the factory sale is only happening on the last Saturday of the month. However you can still walk in during other days to buy their products (in smaller packs and with GST). Suggest to avoid lunch time 12pm – 2pm and be there before 4.30pm.
Zac Meat & Poultry Pte Ltd
16 Woodlands Terrace
Tel: 6284 5979
Website
Opening hours:
8.30am to 5.30pm (Mon-Fri)
8.30am to 12.30pm (Sat)
Closed on Sundays and Public Holidays
And since it was the last Saturday of the month, it meant Melvados was having a food sampling session! So I dropped by for a little treat and bought some new products to try.
I was a little skeptical at first about buying frozen breads versus fresh ones because I thought they would be too hard and dry but I was so wrong. The butter croissants ($4 for 4 pieces) were scrumptious when I heated them up in the oven. Flaky and buttery. Probably one of the better croissants I’ve had in Singapore! And come on, you’d agree they are cheap too!
The foccacia buns ($4.50 for 4) did not disappoint either. Recently, I made pulled pork and used these buns as burger buns. I loved the aroma of the rosemary on the bun and they weren’t too oily too. Just need to lightly sprinkle some water over the buns before popping them into the oven so they could be hot and moist when ready.
Per the husband’s request, I bought these huge spinach tortilla ($4.50 for 6) and tomato tortilla ($4.50 for 6) so I could make wraps for him exactly like the ones we could get from Salad Stop. The usual ones I got from the supermarket were pretty small so these 30cm ones allowed us to make bigger wraps with more filling without having to worry the skin would burst. The spinach one was a little plain but the tomato one had a lovely sweet tomatoey flavour to it. Really easy to prepare them too. There’s no need to defrost them. Just heat up a skillet over medium fire and then toast each tortilla on the skillet till golden brown on both sides. Remember to keep flipping every now and then with a spatula so you don’t end up with a burnt side.
Melvados (within Foodedge Gourmet)
26 Woodlands Terrace
Website
Tel: 6339 4953
Opening hours:
10.00am to 4.30pm (Mon-Fri)
9.00am to 1.00pm (Sat)
Closed on Sun & PH
After my very satisfying shopping trip at Woodlands Terrace, I walked over to Blk 15 Woodlands Loop just to see if any interesting sales were going on since it was Hari Raya weekend. Want to know what I found and bought from there? Check out Food Factory Outlet Shopping at Woodlands Loop – J&C Bakery 🙂
Hey, awesome blog you have here…
Just found out about it last evening and totally enjoying loads of your entries..
Cheers and keep on sharing the awesome stuffs 🙂
Hello Louis, thanks for stopping by. I’m glad you found some useful posts on my blog. Do subscribe if you would like to receive new updates. Cheers!
I believe Zac meats only have sales at the last saturday of every month right? the rest of the days the factory don’t sell anything. I went there once, it was a wasted trip.
Hi Jiawen, you’re right, the sale is only on the last Saturday of the month. But you can still walk-in to buy their products (in smaller packaging and with GST) on other days. Suggest to go before 4.30pm and avoid lunch time.
I went during june on a Saturday morning (not the last) and ask if the factory sells anything they rejected me 🙁
but thanks! I will call them before I go. Their dried herbs are really cheap. Any idea what’s the country of origin? One special thing they sell is dried hibiscus petals, the changi factory even sell foie gras!
Yep, better to call next time before you drop by. At the same time, check with them on stock availability because I realise they don’t always have stock for everything.
Most of the herbs and spices are from Middle-Eastern countries. Quality is quite good and they do last long while being kept away in dry cupboard though they are in disposable containers. The only gripe I had was the garlic powder that always hardened after storing for a few weeks. I saw the hibiscus petals in my recent visit but wasn’t sure what to cook with them. Did you try the foie gras? I was tempted to buy because the price was so reasonable!
Hi do you happen to know of a place that sells halal frozen dimsum? Pls email me at edy666_rina@hotmail.com just in case i did’nt see ur rply tks 🙂
Hello Rina, I only know Sin Mui Heng brand of dim sum is halal certified but I’m not sure if they do offer wholesale or bulk orders through their factory. You might want to contact them directly on their Facebook or website. Cheers.