Great Mazechirashi Don @ Aoki Restaurant on 10Dec2014

Posted on December 11, 2014 by chefquak

S$40 mazechirashi don set

a friend bought me chirashi don lunch@ aoki today on 10.12.2014. 🙂

this like the gold standard of chirashi don, according to many reviewers. ^^

well was it for me? must say it was very good.

otoshi

we were served an otoshi. very nice. not sure what it was. some shellfish maybe. mirugai (geoduck)?? texture yes but didn’t look quite like.

salad

nice salad with ponzu sauce.

10346535_10152882837094494_3550865762275599733_n

S$40 mazechirashi don set

& the main event mazechirashi don.

there was uni (not much), chutoro (seemed quite a bit), & the usual hamachi, salmon, maguro, tamago, bits of anago (conger eel), and ikura, also some pickled ginger.

the sashimi amount was substantial & very tasty eaten with the rice.

basically it was a barachirashi don. it would beat tatsu’s very expensive & ordinary S$40 chrashi don hands down.

ginza kuroson S$20 chirashi don lunch set didn’t have uni or chutoro, so not really up for comparison but that was just S$20!

if i am just looking for a very tasty barachirashi don set, then the one at sun with moon was pretty good. it came with an excellent salmon fish head miso soup too. again w/o expensive uni & chutoro.

and recently i had very good chirashi don lunch set at sumiya for just S$18.80. it had thick cube cuts so it was more of a chirashi don than a barachirashi.

so i guess indeed aoki would ace them all. all except mikuni for me.

mikuni’s chirashi don had 2 thick slices of chutoro, hotate, uni, botan ebi, aburi salmon etc at S$45 (after 50% feed at raffles discounts). for me even aoki’s very nice barachirashi don was no comparison.

& it is available for dinner also. but of course feed at raffles 50% discounts only for up to 5pax on sundays & mondays & for only 2pax other days. no perfect deal.

pickles with gohan

nice pickles (not salty) & ginger.

trio of dessert

jelly

trio of dessert

quite nice dessert, a plum jelly, nice penna cotta & ice cream. 🙂

for S$40, i can definitely do this again!

c.h.e.f andy

Strawberry Cheese Cake

Posted on December 9, 2014 by chefquak

strawberry cheese cake

made my first strawberry cheese cake last evening on 8.12.2014. 🙂

enjoyed a very nice deconstructed strawberry cheese cake at relish gardens on 1.12.2014 (sorry, that’s the only thing i like there).

relish’s deconstructed strawberry cheese cake

a word about relish’s deconstructed strawberry cheese cake (in above photo) –

the biscuit base had a feel of caramel, very nice. the strawberries were caramelised. the cheesecake was delicious & there was a dollop of cream on top, the peak of decadence…

i looked through quite many online recipes. could not take to any of them, so decided to experiment my own concoction recipe.

i was aiming to experiment the right taste & texture first then later deconstruct them & put them together when serving. 🙂

strawberry cheese cake

i used the same 8in spring-form for my tofu cheesecake. i decided to use the same 7 digestive (105g) & 60g unsalted butter for biscuit base. this time i added 2 tablespoon of caramel (leftover from banoffee cake preparation). so i melted/softened the butter & caramel & added the digestive crumbs & mixed thoroughly. i also added 1 teaspoon of finely minced ginger.

i then pressed the “wet sand’ mixture into the spring-form lined with parchment paper. then placed it in the fridge.

strawberry cheese cake

i did not bake the biscuit base. the biscuit flavours came out quite well. the texture was a bit softer than my usual biscuit base…my daughter was very apt in the description – she said the biscuit base held together i.e. was solid but texture was like “lao hong” & not crunchy.

so maybe i will try baking the base next time, and then break into small pieces for deconstructed cake. ^^

strawberry cheese cake

i blended 200g cream cheese & 200g chopped strawberries in the blender & added 2 tablespoon brown sugar. then i added 2 eggs. i emptied the custard mix into the cake tin & baked it in a preheated 180degC oven for 30mins (same as for my pumpkin cheese cake). the set aside to cool down.

i did not have sour cream so i used whipping cream (with 1teaspoon brown sugar) & whisked to soft peaks. this can be added separately for the deconstructed version.

then into the fridge overnight.

i caramelised some fresh strawberries with 1 tablespoon brown sugar on a pan. when cool, added to garnish the cake.

strawberry cheese cake

i like the cake. can be improved of course! ^^

the taste was not as fragrant as my pumpkin cheese cake. the texture was less confirm & consistent. pumpkin cheese cake was overall a better cake c/w this version.

maybe i need to fold in some whipped cream to this custard mix.

having a family dinner on christmas eve, so will experiment a deconstructed version. ^^

c.h.e.f andy

Ingredients:

7 digestive biscuit (105g)
60g melted butter
cream cheese -200g
fresh strawberries about 200g (cut small pieces)
2 tbsp flat + 1 tsp brown sugar
1 tsp ground ginger
250ml sour cream
2 eggs

Directions:

biscuit base – make the usual biscuit base with 7 digestive biscuit (105g) crushed to sandy texture in a ziploc bag, then add to 60g melted butter & 2 tbsp caramel & 1 tsp ground ginger and mixed thoroughly. press the “wet sand’ mixture in a 8″ (20cm) spring-form cake tin lined with parchment paper. then place it in the fridge.
cut in small pieces 200g fresh strawberries. add 200g cream cheese & 2 tbsp flat brown sugar & blend in blender. add 1 egg at a time, & blend. then whisk 250g sour cream to soft peaks & add 1 tsp brown sugar.
bake the cake – pour the cake mixture into the cake tin & baked in 180degC preheated oven for 30mins until cake is firm (when a toothpick inserted comes out cleanly) while centre just a little jiggly. leave to cool. add the whipped sour cream & bake for a further 10mins. let it cool & then place in the fridge overnight.
caramelise 6 large strawberries cut in 1/2 with 1 tbsp brown sugar in pan. when cool, place on top of cake to garnish.

Pleasant Lunch @ Ma Maison on 9Dec2014

Posted on December 9, 2014 by chefquak

S$12.90 tonkatsu set

friend bought a simple, pleasant lunch at ma maison @ central today on 9.12.2014. 🙂

he was taking good care & review of my tooth implant. after that we went for lunch at central below his clinic.

he ordered a tonkatsu set & i ordered a beef don set.

ma maison @ central

place was really rustic & pleasant. 🙂

salad

the set came with simple garden salad. olives were nice.

soup of the day

my friends laughed when he asked me to try the soup (came with his tonkatsu set. my beef don came with miso soup) and i said tasted exactly as i expected. 🙂

what to expect of soup of the day for a S$12.90 set include coffee?

S$12.90 tonkatsu set

i tried a piece of his tonakatsu. it was good. the pasta was ok also. 🙂

S$15.90 beef don set

my beef don was ok too. beef was flavourful & sauce was nice taken with a bit of rice. 🙂

it was a very passable lunch. there was also coffee with the set. ambience was great & food better than average. i would pick this over waraku (restaurant next to it).

c.h.e.f andy

Lobster Linguine in Spicy Pink Sauce & Lobster Bisque on 7Dec2014

Posted on December 7, 2014 by chefquak

lobster in spicy pink (creamy tomatoes) sauce

lobster linguine in spicy pink (creamy tomatoes) sauce

cooked lobster in spicy pink (creamy tomatoes0 sauce & lobster bisque for 4pax family lunch today 7.12.2014. 🙂 children are eating dinner out.

cooked lobster S$26.90 1 for 1 (i.e. 2x375g) from cold storage.

lobster pan-fried with butter & brandy

bought cheap cooked lobster S$26.90 1 for 1 (i.e. 2x375g) from cold storage. ^^

cut lobster in 1/2 and shelled the meat including pincers & legs. put those with prawn heads & shells to boil as stock base for lobster bisque.

put butter in pan on high heat, placed 1/2 lobster heads with tomaly side on pan, added brandy & flame & let it flamed off. then added in cooked lobster meat for quick stir fry. set aside.

pink (creamy tomatoes) sauce for lobster pasta

added 1 can whole tomatoes and 1 diced fresh tomatoes to 3 tbsp olive oil, some water (from boiling linguine) & some lobster bisque. added the can tomatoes & fresh tomatoes. added paprika & heavy cream to the tomato based sauce to create the spicy pink sauce, & added sea salt to taste. set aside.

lobster linguine in spicy pink (creamy tomatoes) sauce

cooked linguine to just before al dente, and drained.

when serving, reheat the pink sauce. added the lobster head & meat, off the fire & add the linguine & toss.

voila!

lobster bisque – lobster & prawn shell stock,carrots, potatoes, onions, brandy, heavy cream

1531886_10152875682989494_3846351472220237196_n

lobster bisque – lobster & prawn shell stock,carrots, potatoes, onions, brandy, heavy cream

10445464_10152875682954494_1192868515003862873_n

lobster bisque – lobster & prawn shell stock,carrots, potatoes, onions, brandy, heavy cream

for the lobster bisque, boiled prawn heads & shells & lobster shells for 1 hr or longer.

cooked diced onions, carrots, potatoes (i did not have leek & celery) in pan with olive oil & butter in a large sauce pan till soft. added 1 tsp turmeric for colour. drained the lobster stock into the sauce pan with a strainer, then used hand blender to blend to smooth. added heavy cream & 2 tbsp brandy & sea salt to taste.

i also prepared some caramelised shimeji mushrooms to garnish the lobster bisque.

a very tasty bisque & pasta lunch.

c.h.e.f andy

Mee Sua Soup (面线汤)

Posted on December 6, 2014 by chefquak

mee sua soup (面线汤)

only 2 of us eating dinner at home last evening.

our helper cooked a mee sua soup (面线汤), a simple dish put together by wife.

mee sua (面线) is a very thin wheat noodle, can be a light, tasty meal especially in soupy preparation.^^ 🙂

mee sua soup (面线汤)

kang kong (morning glory) & tau gay (bean sprouts) were blanched & set aside.

prawns were pan fried & minced pork cake cooked in the stock, & set aside.

when serving, cook the mee sua in the stock, serve & add kang kong, tau gay, prawns & minced pork cake. most important add chilli padi. brings out the flavours wonderfully. ^^ 🙂

c.h.e.f andy

OK Food @ Relish Gardens on 1Dec2014

Posted on December 4, 2014 by chefquak

rocket beef burger

burgers not really my kind of food. i take mcdonalds very occasionally & once when i was travelling with son at lake tahoe. i guess i am quite ok with them at US$1 a piece for breakfast (lake tahoe in 2007) or if it is S$2. i have tried gourmet burgers sometimes. guess they are ok but not what i do when there is a choice.

we had this S$25 for S$50 groupon voucher at relish gardens expired 30.11.2014. i called some days before they agree to honour the voucher for dinner on 1.12.2014 as the other days were fully booked. quite sensible for the restaurant. if you want to promote the restaurant why be rigid & negative & upset the customers. unfortunately most restaurants do not think that way, so 1 point to relish. 🙂

anyway post promotion on 1.12.2014, restaurant was empty only 2 tables occupied at 8pm.

rocket beef burger

we ordered the rocket beef burger & char siew burger.

beef burger was ok, but honestly both my wife & i thought we each made a tastier burger than this. wife made a nice one recently, & i tried one maybe 1 year ago (the very first time) & both my daughter & her friend liked it. i think it was tastier than this.

wife thought the one at toast much better than this. probably. anyway i not so hot on toast kind of food either. if anything i would go for the S$11 D-I-Y steak sandwich at nassim hill bakery (after 1 for 1 promotion when they have it).

char siew burger

char siew burger? no char siew here…a sweeter tasting kong bak??? wife said like eating kong bak pau.

the braised belly pork was good, but again honestly kong bak pau tasted a lot better, both the braise (not so sweet) & the combination more to my taste.

fries ok la….

mesclunsalad

they forgot we ordered 1 fry & 1 salad, so they gave us a free mesclun salad. another point to relish(unfortunately no points for food).

nothing to comment this salad. they should do some japanese ponzu sauce.

relish gardens @ myvillage serangoon gardens

lychee mojito

wife wanted mojito. it was not included in the voucher, so we ordered separately.

the bill

deconstructed strawberry cheese cake

& wife remembered the deconstructed strawberry cheese cake we had in wild rockets of old, must be like 15years ago?

well this was very good. the biscuit felt like there was caramel in it. there was the cream cheese with hint of strawberries & the cream & strawberries. excellent. think i am going to try this at home.

c.h.e.f andy

Most Wonderfully Sumptuous Amarone Wine Dinner @ American Club on 29Nov2014

Posted on December 4, 2014 by chefquak

hors d’oeuvre (outside the main)

wife had an invitation for 2 to a zyme amarone wine dinner at amercian club on 29.11.2014, so i tagged along. 🙂

not that i even heard of amarone before (apparently it is quite well known), anyway it turned out to be quite an incredibly sumptuous wine dinner – the best i had! ^^

wine was so good (even for me) & food was just simply superb! 🙂

there was cocktail & hors d’oeuvre of prawn roll on sugar cane, oyster fritters, dumplings.

this was an american club wine dinner event, & the company which invited my wife piggyback on the event & reserve a private table of 10 – excellent decision!

==================
Saturday, November 29
The 2nd Floor
Cocktail Reception at 7:00 p.m.
Dinner at 7:30 p.m.
Member: $128
Guest: $148
5-Course Menu by Chefs Gary & Kelvin
Wine and food pairing by Matthew, Wine Director
Maximum of 50 attendees
— at The American Club, Singapore.

bread basket

there was a good bread basket of roll, baguette etc.

grilled scallop – amuse bouche

& a grilled scallop as amuse bouche to start the dinner. it was very well done, felt like sous vide consistency. 🙂

incredible zyme amarone wine dinner – the best i had

uni on tuna tartar, guacamole with pine nuts

#1 uni on tuna tartare, guacamole with pine nuts

for the 1st course, we had uni on tuna tartar, guacamole with pine nuts. uni was great, tuna tartare a bit lacking in taste, guacamole was good.

first red was a ripasso 2009, apparently not meeting the 5 year requirement to be an amarone? anyhow, i like this wine.

#2 – 2 ricotta & grana padona cheese ravioli with truffle & wolfberries, excellent sauce

2nd course was ricotta & grana padona cheese ravioli with a huge dollop of truffle & wolfberries. ravioli was good. truffle was very good. the shellfish sauce reduction was exquisite. 🙂

2nd red was a kairos 2008. it was a bit more full bodied & tannic. it’s a better wine but i liked the first one better.

$3 suckling pig – crackling skin on foie gras mousse, pork & mushroom tempura in deep-fried squidink pasta

#3 suckling pig – pork & mushroom tempura in deep-fried squidink pasta

suckling pig - crackling skin on foie gras moussesuckling pig - crackling skin on foie gras mousse, pork & mushroom tempura in deep-fried squidink pasta

#3 suckling pig – crackling skin on foie gras moussesuckling pig – crackling skin on foie gras mousse, pork & mushroom tempura in deep-fried squidink pasta

3rd course was suckling pig – crackling skin on a foie gras mousse, pork & mushroom tempura in deep-fried squid ink pasta nest. crackling skin was wonderful & the meat portions very tasty. most of us though would still prefer the chinese style suckling pig. 🙂

3rd red was a classico. it was a bit sweeter than the second. i liked this better.

#4 really superb lamb – no gamey taste, very tender & flavourful

& the lychee wood smoked lamb rack with herbal crust was really superb, the best i had – no gamey taste, very tender & flavourful…i am inspired to do my own again, but maybe not the pistachio crusted rack of lamb recipe, but a herb crusted one (thinking how to do the marinade).

this last wine harlequin was the best, even for me who don’t know wine. really wonderful taste.

the great wines – 3 amarone

i couldn’t really finish my wine, though they were very good indeed. i did finish off the harlequin, apparently S$300+ bottle. 🙂

#5 4 italian cheese platter

we had the 4 cheese platter, a bit unusual not to have dessert. usually in restaurant set meals, cheese is served before dessert as an option order. i liked especially the blue.

throughout dinner, we were treated to some expert discussion of amarone (in addition to the brief by zyme wine distributor rep) & especially whisky by a connoisseur diner on our table.

for this top quality food & wine, i would certainly be happy even if i were a paying guest.

c.h.e.f andy

Guided Food Tour of Old Airport Road Hawker Centre on 2Dec2014

Posted on December 2, 2014 by chefquak

hougang jing jia mutton soup – S$6

met an old schoolmate for early lunch at old airport road hawker centre 11.30am today 2.12.2014. 🙂

it’s strange. old airport road is such a famous eating place, but i can only remember once i came here with another friend probably 5 years back & he introduced me to a beef noodle stall. it tasted nothing like the hong kong 牛腩面 stalls. i must have been here some other time but there was nothing in my recollections.

this friend comes here like once a month so he gamely walked me round the hawker centre, pointed to the famous hokkien mee stall (no queue yet), past the lor mee stall (already like 15 people in the queue), the fish head beehoon stall (about 6 in the queue).

we ended up at the hougang jing jia mutton soup stall. i went to get 2 bowls 牛杂 mixed rib, tripe, tendon (S$6 each) & he queue for a char kuay teow (S$4 加料 with added ingredients of prawns & squid).

hougang jing jia mutton soup – S$6

hougang mutton soup – S$6

hougang jing jia mutton soup – S$6

it might be that my expectation was a bit high. i was expecting like chai chuan you 柴船头 @ bukit merah view standard. or at least the standard of yu ji@whampoa market or the other stall #01-75 at whampoa market.

but this hougang jing jia mutton soup was quite a let down actually. something was not quite right about the taste. soup was not as flavourful. i felt the meat was overcooked & too soft not the texture i like for mutton ribs and not as tasty, and chilli was simply too dilute.

for me, this was not comparable at all with the other 3 stalls. my favourite is chai chuan you 柴船头 @ bukit merah view but i like the 2 whampoa stalls too.

dongji char kuay teow – S$4

the dongji char kuay teow was good. very good wok hae. and S$1 加料 for all that added ingredients of prawns & squid was just incredible. this must be the most value-for-money S$4 char kuay teow.

still, my friend prefers this dry char kuay teow, but i prefer the wet one at hai kee teochew char kuay teow at telok blangah with lots & lots of cockles added – 加料.

dongji cha kuay teow

cho kee noodles wanton mee

we ought to be full by then. but my friend wanted to show me the 2 good wanton mee stalls which were just few stalls away from each other. 1 was closed, so we shared 1 bowl from cho kee. 4 wantons were good, soft, skin held together & tasty. char siew was good, and most importantly noodles was qq & taste was good.

for me i felt the chilli was not spicy enough. this was about same maybe slightly less tasty than the wanton mee at KPT coffeeshop 401 hougang ave 10, S530401, and for me the best wanton mee was still kok kee previously at lavendar food square (not sure where it moved too), & the one at temberling road & red ring wanton mee were pretty good too.

c.h.e.f andy

Cheap & Really Good for Economic Rice @ Joyful Palace Clementi Ave3 on 2Dec2014

Posted on December 2, 2014 by chefquak

economic rice @ joyful place clementi av3

economic rice @ joyful palace clementi ave3

went for early lunch with a friend (friend’s guided food tour of old airport road hawker centre)

later we drove back to my place for coffee.

i totally forgot my coffee meeting with another friend at commonwealth mrt koufu at 3.30pm on 2.12.2014. after i sent my friend out to bus stop & got back, only when i checked my phone which was charging that i realised i was very late. anyway i managed to get to koufu 45mins late & we had a good chat.

my wife was not back for dinner & this friend was free so we went together to try out joyful palace, a coffeeshop at clementi ave 3 (clementi central locality). i had seen the economic rice when passing & wanted to try this.

economic rice @ joyful palace clementi ave3

i had the steamed fish. it was probably the cheap vietnamese pangasius, a cheap catfish, the common supermarket sutchi fillet. i also had the belly pork & spinach.

the fish was very good. of course it was not fine dining restaurant standard, but it was equal or better even than what you get at zi char places. the belly pork preparation was not my preferred braise, a bit sweet sauce, but it was really good standard. very nicely done. spinach was quite fine.

& it was just S$4.50! and for that price & the quantity i had, this was excellent actually. 🙂

c.h.e.f andy

6pax Family Dinner @ Canton Paradise on 28Nov2014 (Update)

Posted on December 1, 2014 by chefquak

crispy deepfried tofu

6pax family dinner at canton paradise @ j-cube on 28.11.2014. 🙂

this a quick update, as we were just here 2 days ago.^^

not that we had a choice. did not read the small prints, & bought 2 groupons which (1) could not be redeemed at canton paradise star vista but at other outlets, nearest being j-cube, & (2) could only redeem 1 voucher per visit. & today the last day for redemption, so we had to come back again before voucher expired.

this time it was 7.30pm on a friday night & parking was near impossible. we came in 2 cars. 4 of us got into the carpark at 7.10pm. the second car was in the queue but decided to try for another carpark, unsuccessfully & returned to queue again after 20 cars lining the way down the car park ramp & outside. so never get out of the queue! they came to the restaurant like 40mins later.

we tried a few new dishes.

the crispy deep-fried tofu (S$5.80) was very good, crisp outside, smooth consistent inside.

crispy cod fritters

my daughters liked the crispy cod fritters (S$9.80). my wife & I taught sauce was a bit sweet.

crispy char siew pao

i am a bit tired of this crispy char siew pao, others still liked it.

prawn fun cheong

prawn fun cheong was ok.

xiaolongbao (小笼包)

so was xiaolongbao (小笼包), though all of us preferred crystal jade lamian xiaolongbao.

spicy dumplings (抄手)

liked the spicy dumplings (抄手). 🙂

har gao (虾饺)

har gao (虾饺) was the best, 2 large prawns, excellent skin & flavours, the best! 🙂

salted egg custard buns (流沙包)

i am getting tired of salted egg custard buns (流沙包) also.

mixd innards congee (状元及第粥)

this time the mixd innards congee (状元及第粥) below par. they ran out of congee at 8pm after we placed our orders & this was apparently the last bowl. ingredients a bit overcooked.

roast pork

roast pork was good.

roast duck

roast duck, as always, perfect! 🙂

char siew

char siew can skip.

beef hor fun

beef hor fun was oily, has wok hae, tasted more like sicc char kuay teow, not in my book for dishes here.

c.h.e.f andy

Protected: RI G20 Monthly Dinner by Chak Joo @ Ban Heng Harbourfront Centre on 24Nov2014

Posted on December 1, 2014 by chefquak

	edmundc38 on 赠我 Gift to Me
	David Ong on 咖喱鸡面 Curry Chicken Noodles
	10 Must-Try Michelin… on Oyster Omelette (蚝烙) Starchy O…
	chefquak on SCG Bought Hill Street CKT and…
	Elli on SCG Bought Hill Street CKT and…
	chefquak on 思永恒 Contemplate Eternity
	niamcl on 思永恒 Contemplate Eternity
	chefquak on 思永恒 Contemplate Eternity
	Jye on 思永恒 Contemplate Eternity
	chefquak on An Unexpected Excellent Lunch…

c.h.e.f

cook.hangout.eat.fun

Monthly Archives: December 2014

Great Mazechirashi Don @ Aoki Restaurant on 10Dec2014

Strawberry Cheese Cake

Pleasant Lunch @ Ma Maison on 9Dec2014

Lobster Linguine in Spicy Pink Sauce & Lobster Bisque on 7Dec2014

Mee Sua Soup (面线汤)

OK Food @ Relish Gardens on 1Dec2014

Most Wonderfully Sumptuous Amarone Wine Dinner @ American Club on 29Nov2014

Guided Food Tour of Old Airport Road Hawker Centre on 2Dec2014

Cheap & Really Good for Economic Rice @ Joyful Palace Clementi Ave3 on 2Dec2014

6pax Family Dinner @ Canton Paradise on 28Nov2014 (Update)

Protected: RI G20 Monthly Dinner by Chak Joo @ Ban Heng Harbourfront Centre on 24Nov2014

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this: