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Here’s an excerpt:
The Louvre Museum has 8.5 million visitors per year. This blog was viewed about 240,000 times in 2015. If it were an exhibit at the Louvre Museum, it would take about 10 days for that many people to see it.
chashu 6hrs in 90degC oven
did a very good chashu yesterday on 19.12.2015. ^^
used my new miso belly pork method, reduced 1 hr to 6hr at 90degC.
for the marinade, i used 1 tsp flat sugar, 2 tbsp light soy sauce, 2 tbsp mirin, 2 tbsp sake, 1 chilli padi, 1/2 red onions cut into 4, 2 tsp chopped garlic.
chashu 6hrs in 90degC oven
texture was perfect! very tender & retaining some bite. 🙂
the tender braising at lower temperature did the trick, & the gelatine released made the pork very flavourful.
chashu 6hrs in 90degC oven
to make it easier to cut, i still left it in the fridge overnight.
chashu 6hrs in 90degC oven
the belly pork cut quite prefectly. i put it back to the oven at 40degC to warm up for 1/2hr & longer..
chashu 6hrs in 90degC oven
looked good & tasted great.
chashu 6hrs in 90degC oven
quite ideal for japanese ramen, or a chashu don (on sushi rice).
chashu 6hrs in 90degC oven
it’s an easy dish to prepare. i am planning to do this together with miso belly pork for a larger group later, maybe start of 2016. shall see. 🙂
c.h.e.f andy
ingredients :-
Directions :-
S$38.80 wagyu don
son was back from london for holidays.
we decided to have a sunday family lunch. mikuni was fully booked so we went to sumiya on 20.12.2015. ^^
came to sumiya a few times, most recetly with a RI friend on 30.10.2015.
then the bara kaisen don set was still S$18.80 & the wagyu don set S$30.80. price had gone up since. the bara kaisen don set still ok at S$20.80, but the wagyu don set went up very steep, now at S$38.80!
S$38.80 wagyu don
it was excellent though, the beef was so wonderful, very marbled & tasty! 🙂
c/w the realtively poor S$50 wagyu & onion don at ginzawa that was much below expectations.
bara kaisen don
2 of us had the bara kaisen don set, wife had the anago don set (forgot to take photos) & youngest daughter had the ex S$38.80 wagyu don set.
bara kaisen don
the bara kaisen don just just as good. sashimi cuts were very fresh & tasty.
salad
salad was usual.
there was chawanmushi. it was ok but btw item for the set.
we all agreed my own chawanmushi was better – smooth, tasty.
sweet potatoes
side today was sweet potatoes. nicely sweet with good bite texture.
mochi
& we all liked the mochi.
mochi
very nice cream inside, not so sweet la so quite edible!
had a great family lunch.
c.h.e.f andy
crab beehoon soup=1kg crab S$63
making this quick post for my good RI friend visiting from cupertino USA.
4 of us gathered at uncle leong jurong east for a crabby dinner on 17.12.2015.
i have been here quite recently couple of times. the crab beehoon was perfect every time. & so it was this evening.
crab beehoon soup=1kg crab S$63
so delicious…it was heaven revisited la… 🙂
S$8 noodles & soup top-up
& this time we got a top-up $3 for beehoon $5 for soup. it was just as good!
we were joking next time we ordered 2 different crab dish & just order a S$8 crab beehoon soup top-up!
8-treasure pot
my friends liked the 8-treasure pot as well.
8-treasure pot
one commented “so fresh” & “very tasty”. exactly wat i described the previous times.
golden sand prawns (milk powder)
the only “wrong order” was the golden sand prawns (milk powder).
since i have already tried the golden pumpkin prawns & the salted egg prawns, i thought might as well try their other signature golden sand prawn dish.
golden sand prawns (milk powder)
was a mistake actually!
not that it was bad. prawn was large & fresh. but the preparation didn’t work for all of us. milk powder too sweet. i think an ordinary cereal prawns would be better, but golden pumpkin prawns & the salted egg prawns would be best.
chilli crab=1kg crab S$63
chilli crab was not the best order also.
deep-fried mantous 馒头
we had some deep-fried mantous 馒头 to soaked up the chilli sauce. mantous 馒头 were good.
chilli crab
crab was tasty, sweet, firm. chilli sauce was ok but i guess not the best. our visiting friend commented, the jumbo chilli crab chilli sauce would be better. i almost forgot how they were like, but probably yes!
we had a lot of fun together, reminiscence our trip to india 30yrs back etc.
in fact last few days we had quite a few get-togethers-
& 2 of us watched a movie before this dinner – star wars the force awakens.
c.h.e.f andy
S$2.50 lor mee
was at mei ling market & food centre with youngest daughter this morning on 17.12.2015.
we also tried the fishbal noodles & laksa at hup kee fishball noodles. 🙂
hai tang lor mee
there was a queue at hai tang lor mee. daughter decided to queue.
S$2.50 lor mee
the lor mee was really good. broth was very tasty, good falvourful fish taste, mildly starchy, good amount of ingredients.
S$2.50 lor mee
i have not taken lor mee for umpteenth years. remembers that the ones at telok ayer market & tiong bahru market were very good. but never tried them in like 15years, maybe longer?
but this was good enough for me, and just S$2.50. i will go back for this again!
c.h.e.f andy
S$2.50 hup kee fishball noodles
went to pick up daughter in the morning. she wanted to have laksa at queensway shopping centre but the stall was not ready at 10am.
so we adjourned to mei ling food centre on 17.12.2015. ^^
S$2.50 hup kee fishball noodles
my favourite xin lu (新路) teochew fish ball noodles (formerly from margaret drive) was closed today.
no choice, i ordered a S$2.50 fishball noodles at hup kee.
S$2.50 hup kee fishball noodles
hup kee is not bad actually.
fishball, fishcake & kiow (fish dumplings)
3 fishballs, 2 kiow (fish dumplings) plus fish cakes for S$2.50..
fishball, fishcake & kiow (fish dumplings)
except the fishballs cannot c/w the tasty, bounch fishballs at xin lu (新路)
S$2.50 hup kee fishball noodles
the noodles was qq & chilli sauce was tasty.
so overall a much above avergae fishball noodles, a fair proxy when xin lu (新路) is not available.
S$3 laksa
since hup kee also sell laksa, i gave it a try too.
S$3 laksa
it was however much below par, nothing to compare with weiyi laksa 唯一辣沙 at tanglin halt food centre.
nor in fact with teck hin fishball noodles at clementi ave 3 blk 443.
S$3 laksa
the laksa broth just did not have the flavours & intensity. this laksa i won’t bother to take agin.
c.h.e.f andy
roast duck, roast pork, char siew, salt bake chicken
i came tim palace few weeks back with my sis & b-i-l on 24.11.2015.
some RI friends wanted to try after reading that post. happens that a close RI friend was visiting from cupertino USA (same friend so was at my house yesterday for a homecooked pasta + steak lunch & we had a cuppa at ducth colony pasarbella afterwards).
so he arranged a 10pax lunch at tim palace today on 16.12.2015. ^^
tim palace – fairly well taken up
the restaurant was more taken up than the last time i was here.
we started with the cold station. din take any photos this time –
today the salmon sashimi was bad, wrong colour & almost “sweating”. i took 1 piece & stopped.
din take the cold flower crab also since last time did not look or taste good. but it looked a bit better maybe it was ok this time.
the prawn & sotong salad & the pickledd scallops tips was still ok. & the poached prawn was good too.
the roast station though was quite ridiculous –
we had 10pax so i thought it would make sense if they give us liek 1 whole roast duck (or maybe start with 1/2).
instead we got a plate good for 2pax!! yes 2pax!! you just have to look at my photos last visit to see what we got for 3pax! so being not so silent & compliant type singaporeans, we told the manager & was served another 2 plates (top photo).
so some points to observe here –
service was “good” kind of pleasant if untrained, so if you tell them nicely (no need to be rude) you should get what you want la…
in my view this kind of eats, best to come say 4-6pax. if you look at my last visit photos, we had much more decent cuts (drumstick aside)…this time, the roast station chef was rationing & we had very thin cuts of duck & chicken replete with lots of bones.
sharks fin
sharks fin was ok.
sharks fin
mainly because the stock was tasty & so the dish overall was pretty good.
drunken prawns
drunken prawns like last time, was good.
drunken prawns
prawns were very fresh, bouncy, good just like the poached prawns at the cold station.
drunken prawns
& the herbal soup was good too. our lady friend was happy to take the remaining soup when the server wanted to remove.
abalone with broccoli
the abalone & broccoli dish was very competent.
abalone with broccoli
but this kind of place you really have to count your abalone! there were 9 for 10pax. i guess there were a few broccoli to replace the abalone.
abalone with broccoli
so just tell the server & manager, & you get your abalone, no worries la! 🙂
deep fried flower garoupa
they served us 2 deep-fried flower garoupa. i din order this last time because some reviewers said it was dry. actually it was pretty ok for this dish.
steamed seabass with sambal sauce
the steamed seabass with sambal sauce was good, like last time. ^^
sambal seabass
very nice sauce & dish done well.
sea cucumber with yam
the sea cucumber with yam was a repeat of the cold station. we were served the plate above for 10pax. it was good for 3pax maybe 4pax.
sea cucumber with yam
& after telling the manager & asking for a serving for 5pax, we got the above. the 5pax serving was more than 2x the 10pax serving.
moral of the story – anything don’t make sense, tell them (nicely!)
spicy prawns
there was a last order (i think 2pm). i ordered the prawns since the other 2 prawn dishes were good.
spicy prawns
& just as well. this was good too.
xo scallops with celery
the xo scallop dish was competent.
xo scallops with celery
small scallops, quite nicely done.
spicy lala
& we ordered the lala.
spicy lala
lala was fresh but it was overdone. this dish below par.
one friend said my manila clams was so much better.
haha! manila clams more ex leh, but also not really la ‘cos they are a lot lighter in weight so overall price for quantity i find quite ok la…
cereal crayfish
the cereal crayfish this time was quite fresh so pretty ok.
honey ribs
honey ribs non-descript.
honey ribs
not badly done, just very ordinary zi char standard.
spicy steamed chicken feet
spicy steamed chicken feet was ok but not the good dimsum restaurant standard, both the sauce & the texture of the deep-fried chicken feet.
2 eggs spinach
2-egg spinach was competent.
2 eggs spinach
sambal kang kong
sambal kang kong was good if ordinary.
lotus red beans
dessert station quite average. i had both the sea coconut & the lotus seed red beans, quite ok both.
we had a great time, lot of laughter & fun.
food was pretty good re the price = it was S$20.90pax after S$5 SC (senior citizen 55yrs) discounts. there is an additional S$2 for the tea+peanuts (you get charged anyway whethe you take or not).
here is what i meant by service being pleasant if untrained.
we asked for 2 pots of different tea. they said cannot & they will charge. we told them we had 10pax so 5pax take 1 tea & 5pax take another tea, why cannot leh?
after talking to manager we got 2 pots – pu er & jamine..of course they can actually refuse, but they let us have 2 pots. in my opinion the best trained service is one where you know something does not really matter, & the customers are not asking something unreasonable, and you can be flexible & give it to them to promote goodwill.
c.h.e.f andy
did a 6pax pasta + steak lunch for my friends today on 15.12.2015. ^^
one close friend is resident in silicon valley at cupertino & visiting from the states. 🙂
i did a very simple lunch, just 2 pastas, a miso belly pork & a steak, then a still experimental macha lava cake. 🙂
miso belly pork was done per my recently perfected recipe 7hrs in 90degC oven.
the taste was wonderful, but the texture was not the best. the simple test was whether it cut easily. a friend joked that it was because my knife was not sharp. anyway, it ended up looking like pulled pork. of course cutting could also be solved by 1/ freezing it & cut, but hey it’s just a lunch la…perfect recipe not so perfect? that’s ok!
anyway, the reason was that it was lunch so i had to set the oven overnight & though timer was 7hrs, it stayed in the oven a lot longer. haha!
this piece of ribeye was a little thick, i think maybe 1.25in, so i was unsure of doneness even with the finger test. & had to put back in the pan for a while more.
as it turned out though, the doneness (medium rare) & the taste was quite perfect.
& it was quite fabulous using he french mustard a friend recently bought for me.
2 pastas=wafu 和风pasta & seafood spaghetti in pink sauce (creamy tomatoes)
i made 2 pastas=wafu 和风pasta & seafood spaghetti in pink sauce (creamy tomatoes).
wafu 和风pasta may not be my most preferred pasta. but it is still very tasty.
& it was easy to do – just 4 slice bacon, 1/2 yellow onion, shimeji mushrooms, & spaghetti with tsuyu, mirin & a tsp sugar.
& some thai sweet basil! 🙂
for the seafood spaghetti in pink sauce (creamy tomatoes), i used 1 large squid & some small prawns.
i didn’t put enough cream actually, so it looked more red than pink. haha! 🙂
i thought it was not that great actually. i thought it was not enough al dente because reheating & this pasta had more sauce so less al dente after reheating c/w the wafu pasta.
but my friends thought it was ok. maybe my palate still not fully back after a lengthy 2.5 weeks flu.
my best creamy tomato pasta was my lobster angel hair. still salivating when i look at the photos. ^^
this 7hr 90degC miso belly pork is a really wonderful recipe too.
taste, texture, everything. my close friend from usa loved the skin too.
macha lava cake was my 3rd attempt.
taste wise it was pretty good, nice macha taste (i put a bit more about 1.5 tbsp macha powder this time). but by comparison, my chocolate lava cake is still better. the lava texture & flavours were really excellent.
the lava wasn’t perfect. lava wise i couldn’t get it any better than my second experiment macha lava cake.
rambutans
a friend brought nice rambutans after lunch we sat around & chatted for anither 3+hrs. & we ate up all the 2 packets of rambutans he brought.
our pastor friend had to go off first. the rest of us (5pax) decided to adjourn to duct colony at pasarbella for a cuppa.
we stayed for another hr. nice ambience, great company & a very smooth, nice coffee.
c.h.e.f andy
cheap instant noodles with prawns & scallops
usually i take 1 piece of bread & sometimes 1 soft-boiled egg for lunch unless i am lunching out.
today felt like taking instant noodles ( on 13.12.2015). ^^
not sure if singaporeans take as much instant noodles as people in korea, japan, indonesia, hong kong. one thing i know though is singapore tv drama seldom show people eating instant noodles, korea drama always does, & hong kong movies/drama too.
& singapore don’t have hawkers selling instant noodles whereas in korea & indonesia they are common.
myojo chicken abalone instant noodles
i liked many of the more expensive instant noodles –
nissin kyushu black japanese ramen
& also the cheap myojo instant hokkien prawn nodles
cheap instant noodles with prawns & scallops
but i like the simple cheap (about S$1.80 for 5) myojo instant noodles, maybe the most. :-).
today i added some prawns & sliced scallops.
cheap instant noodles with prawns & scallops
a simple, quick, yet most delicious & enjoyable lunch. ^^
c.h.e.f andy
crab beehoon soup
recently i had crab beehoon soup twice at uncle leong jurong east, excellent both times.
the taste was like lingering, most endearing, i decided to give it a try myself & did one myself on 11.12.2015.
i googled online recipes, & fashioned after crab bee hoon soup at foodmadewithlove.net, which itself was a variation of rasamalaysia.com’s crab beehoon recipe.
i set my sight on uncle leong’s crab beehoon soup. it is of course just an aim, not an expectation.
crab beehoon soup
happily as it turned out, my first crab beehoon soup was really quite good.
both my daughter (who already had dinner) & my wife loved the dish. broth was very tasty ( i feel not as intense as uncle leong’s but both wife & daughter said they were quite happy as it was).
the crab was very sweet & firm.
crabs from sheng shiong S$29.95per kg
i went to sheng shiong & bought 2 crabs at S$29.95/kg for S$30.55, so each crab was about 500g.
crabs from sheng shion S$29.95per kg
but daughter was eating out, so there were only wife & i for dinner. i decided to kill & put one crab in a ziploc bag & put in the freezer.
clean & prepare crab – 500g
the other crab was full of life so i kept it in water with some ice till about 5pm, then put in the freezer for 1/2hr, then kill & clean the crab, break the pincers & cut into pieces.
crab beehoon soup
the recipe was a lot simpler than i thought –
- broth was actually quite easy to prepare. i fried 10 sliced ginger & 1 cut chilli padi in 2tbsp butter (30ml) in a claypot, then added 3cups stock (i used chicken veg stock).
- (i added some chinese cabbage & boiled for 1/2hr, then added 1tbsp shaoxing wine 绍兴酒, 1tbsp fish sauce (to taste) & 1cup evaporated milk.
thick beehoon
when ready to serve, i added 1/2 packet of thick beehoon & the crab into the claypot, and boiled for about 8 to 10mins.
crab beehoon soup
it was a very enjoyable dish & so easy to prepare.
it’s a small crab, 500g c/w 1kg at uncle leong’s. crab meat was firm & very sweet today. overall a truly excellent dish.
c.h.e.f andy
Ingredients :-
Directions :-
7hrs 90degC miso belly pork
did a miso belly pork for a homecooked 8pax modern japanese course dinner recently on 5.12.2015. ^^
i intended it for a pork option for the steak don in case some friends may not take beef or take less beef.
7hrs 90degC miso belly pork
i had done some good miso belly pork previously & served them at some home dinners.
those were fashioned after nobu miso cod & marinated for 3 days in a chiller.
7hrs 90degC miso belly pork
for this new recipe, i decided to –
- much reduce the marinade & time (so that i can serve on the same day)
- lengthen the slow braised cooking time (i initially set for 10hrs but it was good at 7hrs..just the texture i wanted, tender but firm to the cut, not overly braised)
- not broil or pan char (so the cooking process is simplified, in fact the simplest of preparation)
- the aim is to produce a very tender, tasty chashu (japanese braised pork used for don or ramen)
i mixed together a much reduced amount of marinade – 1 tbsp flat miso, 1 tsp sugar, 1tbsp light soy sauce, 2 tbsp sake, 2 tbsp mirin, 2 tsp minced garlic. scalded the belly pork with boiling water to remove scum, and placed in a small oven-proof dish with cover & have the marinade up to 1/2 of 2/3level.
then i placed in a 90degC preheated oven for 7hrs, turning over at 4hrs.
7hrs 90degC miso belly pork
behold the beautiful miso belly pork – wonderful colour, superb texture & taste. jolly good! ^^
miso belly pork don
i served it with don, using a sushi rice.
miso belly pork don
it was excellent!
miso belly pork don
such a simple 1 step preparation basically. 🙂
miso salmon belly+miso belly pork don
steak don+miso salmon belly+miso belly pork
for the modern japanese course dinner, i served the miso belly pork as an additional option to steak don & miso salmon belly.
c.h.e.f andy
S$36 1/2 fish head steamboat
not been to bukit room for sky knows how many eons?
got a S$20 birthday voucher to use, need to spend S$50 to redeem, and only 2 of us this evening, can’t do that at 19th hole, so decided to go bukit room on 4.12.2015.
the 1/2 red garoupa head steamboat is a promotional item at S$36, so we ordered that.
S$12 asparagus
also ordered the aspagaragus S$12.
S$12 asparagus
this was pretty good. nicely done with good wok hae, wok aroma.
S$36 1/2 fish head steamboat
the fish head steamboat?
well, how to say? can’t say fish head steamboat was no good, but it’s 1/2 fish head in a steamboat rather than fish head steamboat la! haha! 🙂
pre-fried fish head
more like a decent salted veg tofu soup at an ordinary coffeeshop zi char & added some fishhead…
miles from the real thing like whampoa keng intense broth standard..
S$36 1/2 fish head steamboat
dinner was just over S$50, so after $20 voucher, about S$31 maybe…
after dinner, we tapao cha kuay teow from 19th hole..basically tak shiok… if you know what i mean. so the S$30 is much better spent at the 19th hole. 🙂
this restaurant is really like old fashion zi char stall higher price, surprise to see quite a few tables occupied, so the restaurant does have some regulars i guess.
c.h.e.f andy
flamed squid in spinach veloute
did a modern japanese course dinner for some friends last saturday on 5.12.2015. ^^
i did the flamed squid dish for a friend who bought me a handheld butane torch when he came for dinner almost 2 years back.
i chanced upon a photograph of this dish in a cookbook at porthminster cafe, st ives, cornwall.
i could not find any recipe on the net so i fashioned my own flamed squid in spinach veloute.
i made very narrow chequered cuts on the squid. when charred by the torch, it curled nicely & looked wonderful. they were then fried in butter at high heat for a short period, so the squid was just succulent, not rubbery & chewy. i used kitchen scissors to cut a slice to test to make sure.
the veloute was made with spinach leaves, green pepper & yellow onions. they were fried to soften then blended with 2 tbsp of olive oil, slight salt & pepper to taste.
a bit elaborate perhaps (especially when the friend i made it for could not attend this evening), but a very enjoyable dish none the less. 🙂
nothing particularly japanese in the dish, mostly western. however japs do love aburi (flamed) dishes, so this could count as one.
the second course, chawanmushi (japanese of course), was my usual preparation. a friend lent us her chawanmushi cups, always look & taste better with better presentation. 🙂
egg was smooth, but i thought the taste was not as good as what i made previously. i was nursing a flu & my tastebuds were a bit off so couldn’t tell. my wife thought so too.
prawns & scallops were ok, chicken seemed a bit over.
3rd course was pan seared scallops in prawn vegetable bisque.
scallops were very good, even though i did not pan sear them well this evening.
the bisque was very smooth, sweet & balanced with prawns & vegetable stock.
the prawn vegetable bisque was a slight variation from my previous recipe.
i used a smaller amount of prawn stock & added carrot, red pepper, red onion & the unused spinach stalk, blended & added 2 tbsp thickened cream before serving.
this was again the western interlude, only the IQF (individual quick frozen) hokkaido scallops were japanese. 🙂
wafu 和风 pasta+wafu 和风 eggplants+teriyaki cod
for the 4th course, i served a wafu 和风 pasta+wafu 和风 eggplants+teriyaki cod. 🙂
teriyaki cod is my usual recipe.
this evening it was done to perfection, almost. ^^
slightly firmer because of marinade, lightly flavoured, bringing out cod’s natural sweetness. quite a beauty to behold. 🙂
to add a veg to the pasta dish, i made wafu 和风eggplants.
this evening i think it was ok, but maybe not so tasty, or my tastebuds were off.
this a really simple dish to make-
- cut 2 medium eggplants in 1/2, make diagonal cuts to help the sauce infuse
- fry medium fire both sides, add 1 tbsp tsuyu, mirin, sake, 1/2 cup stock & stew. just make sure it’s not overcooked & still firm
for the carbs, i made a wafu 和风 pasta.
japanese make great italian food too. i especially like their mentaiko pasta & uni ikura pasta.
wafu 和风 pasta+wafu 和风 eggplants+teriyaki cod
this wafu 和风 pasta was done with just bacon, yellow onions & shimeji mushrooms. i guess the only thing wafu 和风 about it was the use of mirin & tsuyu instead of white wine. basically it was a alio olio done al dente with a bit of butter added at the end to coat the pasta.
wafu 和风 pasta+wafu 和风 eggplants+teriyaki cod
it did taste kind of oriental, haha! 🙂
beef don+miso salmon belly+miso belly pork2
for the second main, basically a gohan (rice) dish, i had a beef don, but added some miso salmon belly & miso belly pork for friends who don’t take much beef.
beef don+miso salmon belly+miso belly pork2
i had some seared scallops actually but forgot to serve them. 🙂
& i did the beef wrongly, medium well mistakenly thinking that some friends preferred well done steak where actually all of us preferred it medium rare. well at least, the beef was a pretty ok ribeye cut so still passable.
for miso belly pork, i experimented a new recipe, slow braise for 7hrs at 90degC.
& it was really tender, the skin, fat & all. good miso flavour on the lighter side. later i did another one with a bit more miso. 🙂
the miso salmon belly was very good too.
main problem was getting the meaty belly parts.
the usual packets i got from giant & sheng shiong came with a lot of bones, so had to pick out the meat belly parts.
i like this quite a lot especially going with the sushi rice don. 🙂
a friend brought tiramisu
a friend made tiramisu. she had 5 sets dusted with pistachio & another 5 with chocolate flakes.
a piece of trivial. my tiramisu was inspired by a friend, the same one i created the flamed squid dish who could not attend this evening. he brought an awesome tiramisu when we had smoked meats dinner at another friend’s house some years ago (too long leh…why huh? just kidding la..)
& she just had her birthday recently. so i made a banoffee (banana toffee) cake instead. birthday girl didn’t like my banoffee though. another friend brought some home & seemed that her children liked it.
fruits
the other friends brought a lot of fruits.
cake & fruits
we had some to go with the cake.
it looks like many dishes but with planning they were actually quite easy to execute. cod & salmon belly were marinate & only needed 12mins & 15mins respectively in the oven (together at 250degC). spinach veloute & prawn veg bisque were done before hand in the morning. miso belly pork was done 7hrs in the oven at 90degC. eggplants were done beforehand in the afternoon. now i am able to make all kinds of pastas before hand (afternoon also) & serve them still al dente just reheating. & flamed squid also done about 1+hr before dinner.
so only chawanmushi were steamed & scallops were pan seared just before guests arrived, and steak only when serving. & the guests helped to serve the dishes. 🙂
it was great fun for me preparing this dinner. only a bit tired especially sitting under the air-con for few hours because still recovering from flu..many things can be improved of course like the beef, the scallops, the chawanmushi & the eggplants.
still overall it was a very fun dinner for me & i believe our friends enjoyed the evening & food too.
c.h.e.f andy
crab beehoon soup
went back with family for 5pax dinner at uncle leong seafood at jurong last evening on 7.12.2015. ^^
“full” or “solid” crab
well, it was just as heavenly this evening. whole family loved all the food.
crab was solid (there was a smallprint on the web menu that they do not guarantee the crab is “solid”), flesh was firm.
& very sweet, even though it was boiled in the beehoon soup.
well, & the beehoon was just heavenly, no word to describe!
the soup ran out quickly so my second helping was mostly beehoon, but it was so infused with the crab flavours…..
uncle leong jurong seafood
it’s a bit quieter this evening on a monday maybe jut 50% full.
sea cucumber mised seafood pot
the sea cucumber seafood pot was STILL excellent. very fresh seafood (razor clams, scallops, prawns, fish), very light broth, no fishy taste, very sweet.
i think i can make this dish.
pumpkin prawns
pumpkin prawns was good i guess c/w many places. as good as any just not as wow c/w the other very shiok dishes.
3 egg spinach
the 3 egg spinach is the best i had in any restaurant or zi char place.
this evening, on second try, wife & daughter also think it was very good (their first try), a bit less thrilled for me whereas for the crab beehoon soup & seafood pot, still same shiok feeling.
salted egg crab
wife & daughter loved the salted egg crab too.
daughters also loved the deep-fried mantou 馒头.
crab beehoon soup
it was good, just not in the same league as the crab beehoon soup. wonder if i can do this.
dinner came to S$235 for 2x1kg crabs at S$63/kg, plus 3 other dishes, drinks & whatnots. i think it was ok w/o discounts. with the groupon discounts S$120 for S$200, the dinner came to S$155. quite super!
service was just as good as the last time. i did not give tip this time though. it’s a in the mood thing, no need to do every time. 🙂
c.h.e.f andy
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Uncle Leong Seafood (Jurong East)
mee goreng
a group of us RI friends have the idea that as we all have a good time coming together enjoying the food & company, making new memories together, many may also be ready to share with others and spread the cheer.
two ideas were discussed-
- when we get together again in the new year 2016, maybe many will be in the mood to make some small donations to a beneficiary charity (we are thinking we can do this twice in 2016 at one of the friend’s place & maybe we can collect say between S$1000 and S$2000 each time).
- some of us who loves cooking (& there are many among us) may offer to cook community meals for some needy folks….currently many friends are already managing events (some weekly) at some premises where various groups (senior folks or needy families in the community) come by to share some food.
those were ideas to be discussed further for the time being.
meanwhile 2 friends helped to organise this dinner at a friend’s house on 3.12.2015. we had 28pax this evening including the host couple. ^^
tandoori chicken
3 of us offered to make some dishes for all our good RI friends to share some food & fun time together.
this eat-together actually also serve a specific purpose to work out the food logisitcs of planning & co-ordinating the type of dishes to make (by 3 parties) that are suitable for transporting to the host location for sharing among a sizable group, and also the arrangements for transportation. ^^
drinks
a friend who made some dishes also contributed 3 bottles of wine. another friend brought 2 sparklies & the host arranged the ice box & other drinks. 🙂
curry chicken
one friend made a nice curry chicken. love the colour. i took couple pieces & the curry. was nursing a throat infection. could not take more also.
nasi biryani
& the biryani rice was very good too! very fluffy & light, good herb aroma. 🙂
this friend messaged me that he had to re-steam the rice. i replied that that is always a bit of touch up & make-overs only those who cook know…which our kaypoh friend proceeded to promptly broadcast to the rest as his pet trivials….haha! 🙂
one of my favourite for the evening (seems like everyone also) was the mee goreng (top photo).
cannot really compare apple to apple with fried hokkien prawn mee, the other delicious dish we had at another friend’s house recently. & i have not decided if i want to try cooking, but probably i will start with the hokkien mee if i do.
the other dish this friend cooked was the tandoori chicken (above photo further up), very nice colour w/o using any colouring.
babi pongteh
all 3 of us used the same aluminium trays to transport the food w/o consulting each other. haha! ^
i made a babi pongteh. the tau jeon (& bit of gula melaka) flavours were good. i added mushrooms & taupok which were well-infused with the taste. the pork texture were just slightly hard c/w my usual very tender belly pork.
sambal seabass
the sambal seabass prepared by my helper is a perennial favourite among my friends & also this evening.
thai red curry sotong
i did a thai red curry sotong also. this was done with a ready made “dancing chef” curry mix.
dry wok prawns
& the usual dry wok prawns.
broccoli with cauliflower
i also made a broccoli & cauliflower, just pan-fry with garlic & added oyster sauce, fish sauce, cornflour mix.
chilli long beans with fried bean curd
& i got my helper to make the chilli long beans with fried beancurd. this quite an appetizing dish.
one of our friend is vegetarian & coming late at 8.30pm. so we arranged for him to have some vegetarian mee goreng, a vegetarian wrap & kept some of the 2 veg dishes for him. i think he had a good time too. usually he doesn’t eat much when he comes.
tiramisu
i made 2 tubs of tiramisu.
all the friends loved this. it was light, very moist with lots of strong coffee (200ml) & brandy (50ml).
a friend brought his usual sweet watermelon. he must be good friends with the vendor by now. 🙂
another friend brought lots of ice cream bars & eclairs. i usually don’t take these but i enjoyed an ice cream bar this evening. 🙂
we had a very fun time together. there were 27 of us old RI friends from our cohort + the host’s wife, total 28pax.
we emptied out all the food. this was part of the food planning. one friend was asking whether it was ok with addition of few other attendees.
just for myself, we are at the age where we don’t need to consume too much carbs & also can manage with a bit more or less food, so my overall view is if a few more people, we just eat a little less lor….of course we don’t want the guests to go hungry. haha! 🙂
in the end it seems the first eat-togehter that involves 3 separate persons cooking & transporting the food to the host’s place came out pretty well, thanks to good co-ordination & everyone helping out.
everyone had a really fun evening. good food & old & new memories help to bring & keep people together.
we also stayed back to “unmess” the place against the direct strict instructions of the host & hostess to leave.
c.h.e.f andy
fried hokkien prawn mee-bestest!
a RI friend invited us to her newly done place for homecooked dinner on 13.11.2015. ^^
it was a wonderful evening of fun, laughters & memories.
we decided to have a PCK theme. some friends went to get a S$1yellow helmet for all, and we had the round floor protector pads for molds. haha! ^^
btw, my favourite dish for the evening among all the good food was the fried hokkien prawn mee! (top photo). it was done by the hostest brother, who made a couple other dishes & joined us for dinner.
it was the bestest! i have not tried making that. not sure i can do it. 🙂
cheese board
the host & hostess had some cheese board which we enjoyed before & after dinner.
cheese board
the blue, an english stilton blue cheese, was excellent! i really enjoyed that. 🙂
chicken wings
chicken wings were good.
good curry chicken
curry chicken was the thicker, more powdery type. chicken was sweet. curry was tasty.
i quite like this curry though it was different from the nonya curry chicken i make.
roast chicken
roast chicken was good too, moist, tender. 🙂
some veg
there were broccoli & carrots.
nice chilli long beans
the chilli long beans were done well. 🙂
love the soto ayam
& i love the soto ayam! 🙂
love the soto ayam
i helped myself with a bit more.
love the soto ayam
there was also itek tim, but i did not take photo.
very good pork ribs
pork ribs were fork tender, and taste great.
very good pork ribs
it inspired me to make my own louisiana styled pork ribs afterwards.
roast pork ribs (or soft bones?) – super
& the roast pork ribs. i had a few pieces. it was fatty but really excellent! maybe it was soft bones rather than ribs.
i want to do this one too. still thinking how to do it. 🙂
very good bread pudding with vanilla ice cream
a friend brought a very good bread pudding.
very good bread pudding with vanilla ice cream
especially nice served with vanilla ice cream, no need to prepare separately a hot cream custard.
very good bread pudding with vanilla ice cream
it was convenient & great party food, no need to cut & you can scoop what you want.
i went home & make one myself, a very good bread pudding also.
very refreshing fruit cokctail jelly dessert
there was also a very refreshing fruit cocktail jelly dessert. we were full to the brim. still i had 2 helpings.
frozen eclairs
& i tried a frozen eclaire, not my favourite though. 🙂
we had a lot of sharing among old friends which now meet frequently in recent years. really good fun & company & delicious food, thanks to the hostess.
c.h.e.f andy
8 treasures duck 八宝鸭
an RI friend organised november G20 dinner at moi lum 梅林 at maxwell road on 26.11.2015. ^^ we had 11pax.
the last one we had here was almost 3 years ago on 16.1.2013.
moi lum梅林
restaurant has several couplets on the wall, a bit of chinese tradition.
restaurant was less than 1/2 full. 🙂
8 treasures duck 八宝鸭
this is their signature dish.
i saw the leg was quite disproportionate, size like a goose leg. later i realized probably the stuffing caused it to look huge.
must say this dish was really excellent!
duck was tender & so very flavourful. this is for me a fine chinese dish. though it was not served as an individual dish, the preparation must be so fine & skillful & the flavour was exquisite. ^^
yam basket
the next dish, yam basket, was rather poor though.
yam basket
the yam has NO fragrance 芋香.
yam basket
this is such a common almost ancient chinese restaurant & now zi char dish. quite surprising.
made me recall what a good yam basket i had at ah orh according to my previous post, though i cannot really remember the taste now.
roast chicken with sticky rice stuffing
my friend seems to be ordering all the birds here – duck & chicken.
but this chicken was again excellent, probably their signature also.
roast chicken with sticky rice stuffing
it came with sticky rice & other tasty stuffing, forgot to take photo.
chicken was deboned. the server confirmed that. we were wondering how that was done. didn’t have the answer. 🙂
this was so different from the usual roast chicken, and also the very processed roast chicken with roast skin & minced meat made into a pancake (some restaurants called it 金龙鸡) which i don’t like.
salted egg prawns
salted egg prawns were competent, ordinary.
salted egg prawns
actually not that great, in my opinion.
hk steamed flower garoupa
hk steamed flower garoupa came with a load of fried garlic & chai poh.
hk steamed flower garoupa
fish was very good, quite expected of a good chinese restaurant. the garlic & especially chai poh gave it some differentiation.
not a wow dish for me, unlike the 8 treasures duck 八宝鸭 & the chicken.
some chives from malaysia
the chives dish i guess was new for us, don’t recall having it previously, but not my favourite at all.
a 3-egg spinach or a good fragrant garlic fried vegetable dish would do better for me.
fruit platter
we had a fruit platter to share.
red beans pancake
& some red beans pancake also.
dinner came to S$31pax nett for 7dishes include dessert. quite doable. the duck & chicken were beyond my expectations. fish was very good & the other dishes so-so. so overall i supposed quite good but a bit incomplete, not in terms of food quantity (we all had a wonderful meal) but in knowing what good dishes the restaurant serve.
another way to look at it-having 2 outstanding dishes is better than having mostly above average dishes.
we all had good chats & a wonderful time together.
c.h.e.f andy
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c.h.e.f 