Great Roast Duck + Best Char Siew Noodle @ Joyful Palace 怡乐坊 Clementi on 30Jan2016

Posted on January 31, 2016 by chefquak

S$19 for 1/2 roast duck

went to joyful palace 怡乐坊 for dinner last evening on 30.1.2016. ^^

i had great dumsum & laksa etc here previously.

joyful palace 怡乐坊

it serves hong kong roasts 烧腊 & also sichuan mala dishes & lamian 拉面. ^^

quite a good variety actually. 🙂

S$19 for 1/2 roast duck

the S$19 roast duck was quite excellent. very flavourful & aromatic.

S$19 for 1/2 roast duck

still, it was not as good as the roast duck at canton paradise.

S$3 char siew noodles

what impressed me even more was the char siew noodles. this must be the best char siew i had.^^

& quite a good serving as well, for just S$3! ^^

i think i will try the 麻辣香锅next time. 🙂

c.h.e.f andy

Good Chicken Rice @ Xin Ji 新记 on 29Jan2016

Posted on January 31, 2016 by chefquak

S$4 chicken rice

went to mei ling food centre during dinner time the other day on 29.1.2016. 🙂

xin ji 新记chicken rice

many stalls were closed.

found xin ji 新记chicken rice at a corner stall.

this was one stall we went to a lot at level 2 of margaret drive food centre many years back, maybe 15yrs+.

i have not tried it at this new location yet.

S$4 chicken rice

i asked for chicken drumstick 鸡腿饭 but they did not have so i accepted 鸡尾thigh instead. 🙂

chicken was still nice, very smooth & tasty, as good as any i guess.

my own poached chicken 白斩鸡

my own poached chicken3 白斩鸡

not really better than my own poached chicken.

or the roast chicken rice at 6th avenue.

i still don’t mind having it. 🙂

c.h.e.f andy

Good Japanese Alacarte Buffet @ Momoya on 28Jan2016

Posted on January 30, 2016 by chefquak

sashimi moriawase

went to my friend’s “sound studio” to watch federer vs djokovic australian open semi-finals on 28.1.2016.

for me, for us, this was the finals la..& federer was playing so well enroute to SF that we thought maybe got some fight as the “borg”kovic machine (“resistance is futile” my friend messaged)..

but alas..there was no return of the jedi roger maestro..the dark side of the force lagi too strong la..djok vader overwhelmed jedi master roger..

there was no fight at all in the first 2 sets…federer was actually playing well but he had no aswer to the djoker..so many forced “unforced errors” man…every winner was returned…vader was simply unplayable!

so in the end though it was a 4 setter it was NOT the epic of the nadal federer days with djokovic closely behind with wonderful long rallies exploring every angle won by outright winners NOT unforced errors.

after the 4-setter, we decided to go back to momoya. we had been there several times after such matches, the most recent on 6.7.2014.

this time, there was a DBS/POSB promotion, 3paying 1 free alacarte buffet @ S$39++pax (so about

the sashimi was very average quality, very average.

gyu itame (stir-fry beef)

the gyu itame (stir-fry beef) was ok, passable, don’t make much impression.

buta itame (stir-fry pork) ginger with bean sprouts

buta itame (stir-fry pork) ginger with bean sprouts was quite nice.

buta kimchi

i always liked the buta kimchi…this one the kimchi not great.

mentaiko (明太子) pasta – cod roe pasta

i liked the mentaiko (明太子) pasta – cod roe pasta. not my friends’ favourite, so good that it was a small portion. i sapu most of it. 🙂

salmon teriyaki

salmon teriyaki quite good.

saba shioyaki – grilled saba with salt

saba shiyaki not bad too.

sishamo (pregnant fish)

sishamo were quite big. my friends liked it. this not my favorite & for choice i rather have saba or sanma.

spider maki (soft shell crab)

my friends were asking for soft shell crab but they don’t serve that as a dish, so we ordered spider maki, which was just average.

tempura moriawase

tempura moriawase also average. my friend was talking about the oldest guy in japan serving tempura. i had some supposedly very good tempura(just marginally good for me) in shinjuku, but tempura not really my favourite so i won’t pay the very high price (4000-5000yen) for good tempura.

smoked duck breast salad

smoked duck salad don’t make much impression also. now that one can get very cheap smoked duck in ntuc etc, interest lowered liao…

marinated seaweed & baby octopus

marinated seaweed & baby octopus ok la..

buta miso soup

the pork belly miso soup just the usual not great miso soup with maybe 3 pieces of pork belly.

2 friends had the asari (clam) miso soup. they didn’t like it also.

zaru soba – cold buckwheat noodles

the zaru soba or cold buckwheat noodles i didn’t like. a friend liked it though.

hamachi sushi (mayne it was kampachi)

i ordered the hamachi sushi…liked it!

unagi & kajiki (swordfish) sushi

also liked the unagi & kajiki (swordfish) sushi.

edamame

edamame very good for just munching (& beer)

anago cheese sushi & ika sushi

i liked the anago (congel eel or sea eel) cheese sushi. some friends didn’t take cheese so i had 3 pieces.

anago cheese sushi & ika sushi

ika was just average, not the thick gummy type.

overall i think it was avery good deal at like S$29.50pax.

though i said most things were just average, but that is just by comparison with really good quality jap food. for an alacarte buffet, this was as good as any, had very good menu spread and very good for the price.

say before we took the S$17 sashimi+sushi set & add $5 sashimi, so that’s S$22++, and we were happy with the food.

so for S$29.50 alacarte buffet, definitely worth it.

i will certainly have this again.

c.h.e.f andy

Poor Cheng Chow 凉粉 Dessert OK Coffee @ Dunman Food Centre on 27Jan2016

Posted on January 29, 2016 by chefquak

S$1 cheng chow 凉粉

we had cheng chow 凉粉 for dessert at this tekong stall on level 2 dunman food centre after ah huat wanton mee on 27.1.2016. ^^

tekong dessert

my friend queueing for the dessert.

kopi c gosong tik lo

tekong also owned the drink stall & the stall behind the drink stall.

the kopi c gosong tik lo was ok, but it did not have the nice aroma of a freshly made coffee from new coffee powder.

the cheng chow 凉粉 though was really poor, even though it was just S$1. the cheng chow i bought from sheng shiong was better than this. the syrup provided had much better fragrance & taste.

#7 lotus seeds ginkyo nuts mango cheng chow 白果莲子芒果凉粉

my own lotus seeds ginkyo nuts mango cheng chow 白果莲子芒果凉粉

the above photo was my own lotus seeds ginkyo nuts mango cheng chow 白果莲子芒果凉粉.

i made it for my friends at my recent 8pax “relish hong kong food fun moments” homecooked lunch on 20.1.2016.

& you guessed it! i used the S$4.50 tub of cheng chow 凉粉 from sheng shiong.

c.h.e.f andy

Good HK Steamed Song Fish Head 港蒸松鱼头 @ Fu Xing Mei Shi Dunman Food Centre on 27Jan2016

Posted on January 29, 2016 by chefquak

hk steamed song fish head 港蒸松鱼头

after the nice ah huat wanton mee, we moved upstairs to have some dessert. this on 27.1.2016.

my friend suggested to have the steamed fish head which was good here.

dunman food centre

we were still in dunman food centre, at level 2 that is. 🙂

hk steamed song fish head 港蒸松鱼头

the fish head was the usual song fish head 松鱼头. 🙂 this was done the hk steamed 港蒸 style which i like also. i liked the spicy black bean sauce best ya…

fish was very fresh, and hk steam was a good preparation, nice taste of light soy sauce to bring out the sweetness of the fish. friend let me take the belly & eye, so i 不客气 la, just enjoy.

it was good. nothing special.

i think the香港街珍记 chun kee hong kong street is still the standard bearer for this dish.

c.h.e.f andy

+++++++++++++++++++++++++

Fu Xing Mei Shi

Address: #02-02, Dunman Food Centre, 271 Onan Road, 424768

OPENING HOURS:
Mon – Sun: 11:00 – 23:30

PHONE:
+65 93678530

Great Wanton Mee @ Ah Huat Dunman Food Centre on 27Jan2016

Posted on January 29, 2016 by chefquak

S$3 wanton mee

went with my primary school classmate for a walk at siglap park connector (PCN) this morning on 27.1.2016. ^^

we were not in contact for a long time.

recently another classmate came visiting from the states, so i joined a few of them at din tai fung @ gem after lunch on a saturday as i already had a lunch appointment that day.

one thing led to another & a group came to my place for a 14pax homecooked dinner last week. 🙂

dunman food centre

after the walk, my friend drove to dunman food centre.

ah huat wanton mee

he told me there were 2 good wanton mee here – ah huat & another stall on level 2. Eng had moved out some time ago.

S$3 wanton mee

there was a large electronic queue number. there were just 2 before us, so it’s like 5mins.

we had a S$3 bowl each. it came with quite a good helping of char siew plus 3 wantons. not too much noodles. for me just the right amount & really, a very decent meal. 🙂

S$3 wanton mee

noodles were completely al dente, QQ.

the chilli sauce was really good. overall a very good standard wanton noodles.

my favorite is still kok kee(国记) @ lavendar food square.

the place came under redevelopment & kok kee moved out but i have not yet tried kok kee at the new location at balestier food hub, hoe nam building.

another stall is the red ring wanton mee at holland drive, also excellent wanton mee.

there is also a good pontion wanton mee at bedok interchange food centre.

there were a few others but for me ah huat ranks up there among the best.

c.h.e.f andy

Black Bean Sauce Bitter Gourd with Mock Kurobuta (Pork Collar) – 3rd Teban Gardens Community Meal on 29Jan2016

Posted on January 29, 2016 by chefquak

black bean sauce bitter gourd with fake kurobuta (pork collar)

i did a black bean sauce bittergourd with sliced pork today on 29.1.2016. ^^

this the 3rd time i am doing a dish for the friday breakfast community meal at teban gardens community service centre (CSC).

the centre was started in 2002 after much effort & challenge by our RI friend who is a pastor of pasir panjang hill brethren church (pphbc) which owns & runs the CSC.

i was told by A, the deputy executive director, that for the last 2 times, attendance were 88 & 82 respectively. today the crowd looked even more, so maybe it would be near 100.

black bean sauce bitter gourd with fake kurobuta (pork collar)

black bean sauce bitter gourd is a common teochew (& my cantonese friends said cantonese) dish & a popular dish at zi char stalls, very commonly with pork ribs or fish.

some examples –

sliced fish with bitter gourd in black bean sauce at keng eng kee (KEK).

pork ribs with bitter gourd at hong kong street (sin rong) at blk 325 clementi ave 5.

teck kia fish (leather jacket) with bitter gourd in black bean sauce at ah orh at jalan bukit merah.

black bean bitter gourd pork ribs at 香港街珍记 – Hong Kong Street Chun Kee Commonwealth Crescent

the dish can also be done standalone just as a spicy black bean sauce bitter gourd at many teochew muay stalls. i also do that for my homecooked teochew muay makans for friends. 🙂

black bean sauce bittergourd with fake kurobuta (pork collar)

why i called it “fake kurobuta”?

recently 6 of us RI friends toured hong kong together, a “hong kong eat & hike adventure 10 to 14jan2016”.

one interesting & enjoyable dish was the black beans bittergourd with kurobuta we had at yue bo 鱼宝食馆.

after returning to singapore, i got my friends together to reminiscence/relish the enjoyable food fun moments in singapore, so i recreate the dish. ^^

yue bo 鱼宝食馆’s black beans bittergourd with kurobuta

yue bo 鱼宝食馆 used kurobuta which was unusual. most eating places with pork ribs, sliced pork, fish.

the dish was quite well done. kurobuta was marbled & tasty.

black bean sauce bittergourd with fake kurobuta (pork collar)

i used a frozen pork collar (S$9.90/kg from sheng shiong) instead of lean pork for the marbling to give amore tasty pork.

pork collar of course has more connective tissues (collagen) & is tougher. so i placed it (in a water bath) in a 90degC oven for 2 hrs to help convert the collagen to flavourful gelatine.

i did all these the night before & kept the pork in the fridge.

black bean sauce bittergourd with fake kurobuta (pork collar)

next morning, i was up early. i cooked the bitter gourd (which had also been cut, washed & soaked in a salt & sugar brine so it would not be bitter) the usual way.

then i cut the pork collar in very thin slices…by cutting very thin, we severe the connecting tissues & thus tenderise the meat.

it was a very tasty dish & suitable for these community meals – no bones, meat were very tender & tasty, & so was the bitter gourd.

c.h.e.f andy

Fa Yuen Street Market 花园街街市 – Hong Kong’s wet market & cooked food stalls

Posted on January 26, 2016 by chefquak

market stalls

after an excellent late roast goose & congee lunch at fu kee congee 富记粥品, followed by equally enjoyable dessert at hoe kee dessert 浩记甜品馆, we walked back along fa yuen street 花园街.

fa yuen street market 花园街街市

& saw the fa yuen street market 花园街街市.

market stalls

the dry goods stalls & stalls selling braised duck, chicken, pigeon, roast meats & char siew were at one end.

we were quite attracted to the char siew (but later poor experiences made me decide never to take char siew & siew yoke in hong kong) & also the braised meats, but we were mindful that we were going for late dinner afterwards & should not overload ourselves & spoiled the appetite.

a friend wanted to buy pork & liver sausage. there were many stalls selling that, but he did not know the prices nor had confidence in the stalls.

i later brought him to 楼上 at lippo sun plaza level 5 (a dry goods retail chain) where he bought lots of pork & liver sausage 肝肠腊肠.

market stalls

& in the middle there were the wet market stalls selling live fish & seafood (top photo & above).

on 12.1.2016, we were around looking for dessert shops.

hoe kee dessert 浩记甜品馆 was closed 2 days in the row.

we were not interested in the guilingao龟苓膏like hoitintong 海天堂 etc. we saw that fa yuen street market 花园街街市 had levels 2 & 2 cooked food stalls. thinking they were like singapore hawker/food centres, we happily went up.

but actually their cooked food centre houses daipaitongs 大排档. there were like 6 daipaitongs 大排档 selling the zi char dishes, not a bad idea, just that we were wanting desserts.

c.h.e.f andy

Royal Plaza Hotel & Mongkok Locality Hong Kong 10-14Jan2016

Posted on January 26, 2016 by chefquak

royal plaza hotel

for this hong kong trip 10-14.1.2016, we looked at hotels in tsimshatsui but they were expensive. the one i stayed often when traveling with wife was kowloon hotel, next to peninsula.

this time it was expensive though, & really the rooms were small & it’s 4 stars. so were other hotels at tsimshatsui, small & expensive.

the last time i traveled with sister, we stayed at royal park at shatin.

it was excellent 5 star hotel, & it was just HK$754+/night.

and you can take airport bus A41 direct to royal park hotel, just 2 stops, 50mins & HK$22.3,

but it was a little less convenient traveling tsimshatsui & hong kong island etc.

this time, after considering various options we decided on royal plaza at mongkok east, at HK$1260+/night.

one friend traveling with us had his family of 4 with him & they had a tsuishatsui airbnb apartment for 1 week. we decided not to stay at tsimshatsui but at least staying at royal plaza, it was easier to co-ordinate & meet.

the considerations for royal plaza-

5 stars, room is huge 33m2, 2 queenbeds, very comfortable.

royal plaza located right at mongkok east mtr station on the east rail line, and is connected by covered walkway to mongkok mtr station on tseun wan line, and in between there is street markets, and many nice eating places.

& since this time we were going mainly to tsimshatsui, central, central pier & dragon’s back, the mongkok location was quite perfect for our purpose.

there were 6 of us so getting to royal plaza by taxi was quite fine, 2 taxis of 3pax, costing about HK$260, not much different from taking airport express.

must say that though royal plaza is located alongside sun hung kai property’s MOKO Mall, we did not bother to look around the mall itself.

view from our 9F hotel room

the view from our royal plaza 9F hotel room, nothing much to talk about. 🙂

indo maids at covered walkway mongkok on a sunday 10.1.2016

we arrived on a sunday 10.1.2016. after checking in, we went to look for fu kee congee 富记粥品 at fa yuen street 花园街.

first time we were there but we read about the roast goose & congee. we were NOT disappointed. in fact we went back 2 days later for another go. ^^

it was quite easy to look for fa yuen street 花园街, though the first time, we were quite lost trying just to get out of MOKO mall. once we saw the direction signs, everything was quite straightforward.

indo maids at covered walkway mongkok on a sunday 10.1.2016

as it was a sunday, the covered walkways to mongkok mtr station & fa yuen street 花园街 enroute was filled with indo maids. i guess in the same way as filipino maids filled up kowloon park. anyway people do need a place to gather & socialise.

street food

after our excellent dinner at fu kee congee 富记粥品, we walked around fa yuen street 花园街 & neighbouring streets.

first we past the fa yuen street market 花园街街市.

the we walked round the street night market.

street food

we stopped by one of many skewer stalls.

street food

actually we were attracted by stinking tofu臭豆腐aroma. 🙂

street food

& we took out a beef offals too 牛杂. 🙂

selling ornamental fishes

they have the instant ready-packed way of selling guppies & other ornamental fishes. maybe they do that in singapore too these days? not sure.

we liked the royal plaza location. i think i will stay there again my next visit to hong kong, of course subject to price, other options & the convenient base to visit the places we want to go.

c.h.e.f andy

Free i-sim for free 3G data & phone calls in HK, Macau, Taiwan

Posted on January 25, 2016 by chefquak

this i-sim card fro free 3G data & free calls in HK & Macau is really useful

this i-sim card for free 3G data & free calls in HK & Macau is really useful

friend of mine has a nose for all good deals.

she told me before about the free i-sim card & reminded me again for my hong kong trip..

so i duely told my friends, and 4 of us downloaded the i-sim app from app stores.

i-sim reservation

i-sim reservation was straight forward.

collection was also convenient. an email followed with a map showing i-sim card collection counter A08 at hong kong airport terminal 1 5/F.

& according to my friend, she collected from hung hom station location (also provided in the i-sim app above) w/o making a reservation.

thanks to my friends, this was one of the most useful “free” thing to have in hong kong.

we had free 3G data & free calls in HK & Macau. so we could search info on the net on 3G easily while traveling, use google maps to get us to new daipaidongs & places we wanted to explore, search for jenny’s bakery & 楼上grocery/dry goods chain while on the move.

there was just one hitch..there was only 160Mb of data..

actually it felt like 16Mb rather than 160Mb.

i have like 2Gb data in singapore & i like “never” use more than 300Mb or 400Mb in 1 month, but in hong kong i did not share or post photos etc while on the move, and yet the “160Mb???” lasted like 1 to 2 days..after that you have to hit a few advertisements to “reload” to 160Mb…it was no problem for us…just think of it like playing some phone games la..press press here…press press here …& behold 160Mb…

there is also a annual subscription version for the i-sim. but we were perfectly happy with the “free” i-sim la. ^^

c.h.e.f andy

Curry Fishhead at Sanpo Foodcourt on 16Jan2016

Posted on January 24, 2016 by chefquak

S$25 curry fish head

i passed by sanpo foodcourt everytime on the way to phoon huat or joyful palace at clementi central.

i could see the banner advertisement on their fish head steamboat as i drove by. i thought one day i would drop by to try.

so today wife & i decided to go try the zi char stall there on 16.1.2016. ^^

Sanpo Foodcourt

the place had a good traffic but not really crowd.

Sanpo Foodcourt

we saw many eating the curry fish head. i guessed that’s the dish to try.

Sanpo Foodcourt

i asked about the fish head steamboat. it’s priced at S$30, S$40 etc. we were not taking that this evening,

but i was thinking at that price, i would rather go to whampoa keng…at least i am certain what i get will be good.

S$4.50 sanlo horfun

we ordered a small S$4.50 sanlo horfun. it was good, nice wok hae, a small portion but that was enuf carbs for the 2 of us. 🙂

curry fish head

the fish head had 2 pricing S$23 & S$25. did not really make sense to me. asked the girl & she said S$25 bigger fish head. really???? S$2 difference???

anyway, being kiasu, we ordered the S$25 fish head. it was assam, with quite a bit of coconut milk quite lemak. fish head was fresh & meaty. my wife liked the fish head.

for me it was quite good, but not really comparable to the thai fish head at forture restaurant at old holland road.

one thing they gave a lot of vegetables & also taupok.

it was a good fish head. i didn’t mind it, but maybe didn’t hold any special attractions for me. 🙂

c.h.e.f andy

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Sanpo Foodcourt

Address:

431 Clementi Ave 3, Singapore 120431

Walking in Lamma Island 南丫岛 on 13Jan2016

Posted on January 24, 2016 by chefquak

lamma island yung shue wan pier 南丫岛榕树湾码头

we had a lesiurely breakfast at fu seng 富城火鍋海鮮酒家 at playing field road near our hotel which lasted till almost 11am on 13.1.2016. ^^

one friend was joking the time was just right for another at one dimsum 一点心(we had earlier wanted to try one dimsum but it only open at 11am).

so after breakfast we got to central, walked over to central ferry pier no. 4 & took the ferry to yung shue wan pier 榕树湾码头 on lamma island南丫岛.

lamma island view from yung shue wan pier 榕树湾码头

i took some photos at yung shue wan pier 榕树湾码头.

lamma island view from yung shue wan pier 榕树湾码头

a view of the pier & a nice view of the coastline.

streets at yung shue wan榕树湾

streets with the old buildings.

streets at yung shue wan榕树湾

& shops.

choi kee 蔡记车仔面

we walked in the direction of sukkuwan & found choi kee 蔡记车仔面.

i ate at choi kee 蔡记车仔面 the last time also when i came with my sister on 4.6.2015.

choi kee 蔡记车仔面

the HK$38 for 4 items choi kee 蔡记车仔面 was good value & nice too.

choi kee 蔡记车仔面

we ordered 2 bowls & picked 4 items like beef briskets, beef stomach牛百叶, and big intestines. 1 bowl had beef balls & the other had cuttlefish to make up the 4th item.

pot stickers锅贴

they were just doing pot stickers锅贴. they looked good so we ordered. this was good!

ginger tau huay 姜汁豆花

we also had the ginger tau huay 姜汁豆花..

cheng chow 凉粉

& this time we had the cheng chow 凉粉 too, just ordinary nothing like the hoe kee dessert 浩记甜品馆.

lamma power station南丫岛发电厂

we decided to relax & did not want to take the 2hr hike to sukkuwan today. so we walked just a little further to the part of the coast where we had a good view of the lamma power station南丫岛发电厂.

lamma power station南丫岛发电厂

this was what we saw across the sea when we were walking cheung chau island 长洲岛. 🙂

the other side away from lamma power station

the other side coastline away from lamma power station

& we had a nice view of the other side coastline away from lamma power station. 🙂

after this, we found our way back to the jetty & took the ferry back to central. then we went for a late afternoon dimsum at tim ho wan shamshuipo at 4.30pm. ^^

c.h.e.f andy

Good Popiah & Nasi Lemak @ QIji Star Vista on 23Jan2016

Posted on January 24, 2016 by chefquak

qiji’s nasi lemak

daughter bought back popiah & nasi lemak from qiji star vista outlet on 23.1.2016.

apparently it’s very good for popiah & nasi lemak not bad too.

i tried the rice, chilli & ikan bilis.

rice was good, lemak, very “pang” – fragrant. chilli & ikan bilis were all great, not much different from adam’s nasi lemak (recently though my daughter ta pao for me also from adam’s nasi lemak but it was not good that day, especially the chicken wing!)..no chicken wing & ikan kuning to try so could not tell.

qiji’s nasi lemak+popiah

the popiah was good. i don’t have much to compare with, but skin was soft &did not tear, fillings/ingredients were tasty. so it’s good, competent. i was not particularly wowed by it.

c.h.e.f andy

Good Always Meepok Tar @ Jalan Tua Kong 6th Avenue on 24Jan2016

Posted on January 24, 2016 by chefquak

S$4 meepok tar

wife & daughter wanted to go 6th ave’s jln tua kong for meepok tar on 24.1.2016. ^^

it was smack lunch hour about 1pm. no lots so daughter parked at guthrie building. the coffeeshop wasn’t that crowded though.

still we waited about 15mins-20mins, which i think is quite fine seated with the smart calling system when food is ready.

S$4 meepok tar

mee pok was good as usual. seems to be slightly less spicy today.

we were quite ok with that. i noted though that being spicy is a signature for this style of noodles.

S$4 meepok tar

this was very much a comfort food for us, knowing that it will always be good too.

S$4 meepok tar

actually by comparison, the ah hoe mee pok stands up very well with this. can’t say this was better but just that we are more used to this & enjoy it everytime.

c.h.e.f andy

Invigorating Hike at Dragon’s Back Shek O Country Park on 12Jan2016

Posted on January 23, 2016 by chefquak

bus no 9 @ shau kei wan on 12.1.2016

last time i did dragon’s back hike was on 11.3.2013. it was rather hot then!

today weather was quite perfect.

it had threatened with a shower the first evening of our arrival in hong kong. that continued on the morning the next day 11.1.2016, but it was fine weather thereafter.

for this trip we are kind of ok prepared in terms of plans to go places & the logistics of getting around etc, but we were all relaxed & there was no strict schedule to follow, so if it rained then we do something else like on 11.1.2016 morning, instead of going to the peak at 8.30am-

we had a long & luxurious HK$380 dimsum at tao heung mongkok 稻香旺角 &

did the peak circle walk at noon time instead, and cool weather allowed us to do that.

bus no 9 @ shau kei wan on 12.1.2016

this morning after experiencing the best polo buns 菠萝包?? & yun yong 鸳鸯 coffee-tea at kam wah cafe 金华茶餐厅f, we took the mtr to shau kei wan.

and then boarded the no9 bus to to tei wan 土地湾 trail head to start our hike.

going up at to tei wan 土地湾

a nice climb.

going up at to tei wan 土地湾

wooded.

going up at to tei wan 土地湾

some steps in case when it’s wet & slippery.

signage

signage for directions.

looking back at stanley

looking back we can see stanley.

looking back at stanley

and higher up, the stanley peninsula.

on dragon’s back, section 8 of HK trail

it was not too steep.

on dragon’s back, section 8 of HK trail

a very pleasant climb.

on dragon’s back, section 8 of HK trail

nature, fresh air & nice surroundings!

on dragon’s back, section 8 of HK trail

some climbers.

seaward looking at shek-O

& a great view of shek-O & the sea.

seaward looking at shek-O

a closer view…

seaward looking at shek-O

& that should be tung lung chau island 东龙洲….

on dragon’s back, section 8 of HK trail

the view up to the summit.

on dragon’s back, section 8 of HK trail

nearer…

on dragon’s back, section 8 of HK trail

superb view, if not breathtaking…

on dragon’s back, section 8 of HK trail

the summit was beckoning…

on dragon’s back, section 8 of HK trail

the winding trail back..

on dragon’s back, section 8 of HK trail

that’s why it’s called dragon’s back..

on dragon’s back, section 8 of HK trail

almost there…

dragon’s back summit

shek O peak = 281m only la…

on dragon’s back, section 8 of HK trail

the invisible divide….mountain bike & walkers..

on dragon back HK trail

looking at tai long wan 大浪湾.

on dragon’s back, section 8 of HK trail

tung lung chau island 东龙洲 & new territories 新界.

on dragon’s back, section 8 of HK trail

that top of the world feeling? not really la..

on dragon’s back, section 8 of HK trail

still, what a magnificient view!

on dragon’s back, section 8 of HK trail

looks real nice isn’t it, when you simply crop the photo…like water colour painting..

on dragon’s back, section 8 of HK trail

the descent.

on dragon’s back, section 8 of HK trail

it was an invigorating & enjoyable walk. the cool weather w/o rain played an important part…weather singapore does not have!

it was past lunch & we did not want to go further to tai long wan 大浪湾 or shek O village, so we exited the trail at cape collision road junction with shek O road & took the no 9 bus back to shau kei wan.

the guys were attracted by the shau kei wan street wet market so we walked one round the place before taking the mtr to tin hau station 天后in search of a daipaitong大排档 joint民声冰室 we read about…

c.h.e.f andy

Relish Hong Kong Food Fun Moments on 20Jan2016

Posted on January 21, 2016 by chefquak

#1 samgyaetang 参鸡汤

6 of us had a lot of fun in hong kong 10-14.1.2016. ^^

weather was good to us except for rain on the first evening & second morning (so we had a leisurely dimsum breakfast at tao heung mongkok 稻香旺角).

great hikes & walks at cheung chau, dragon’s back, peak circle walk & lamma island, and we had excellent food at daipaidongs and the tao heung group restaurants, a fairer price restaurant chain.

our only bad & forgettable meal was when we kena waylaid into the wrong tai yun 泰源??(we think).

6 homecooked dishes + 1 dessert

so, coming back, naturally i went about recreating several great dishes we had in hong kong (see above menu).

6 homecooked dishes + 1 dessert

& here they are (above photo..the rice came later, not in photo).

#1 samgyaetang 参鸡汤

my chicken soup was very tasty (though maybe still not as intense as the wonderful glutinous stuffed chicken soup we had at tao hueng tsimshatsui) & chicken very tender as my friends noted.

i stuffed the chicken with 3 tbsp glutinous rice (soaked in water for 1 hr according to one internet samgyaetang recipe), 3 cloves garlic & 3 dried red dates, sliced ginger, 2 spring onions.

i boiled the small 1kg chicken with chicken stock i made the day before, added 3 more red dates & sliced ginger & spring onions, salt (to taste) & boiled medium for 45mins, then turned over medium low for 30mins.

seems that the glutinous rice in the recipe was too little, would have been better with more so texture of soup will be better. will try 1/2 cup next time.

#2 black bean sauce bittergourd with fake kurobuta回锅猪项肉豆屎苦瓜

we had black bean sauce bittergourd with kurobuta at the accidental find yue bo 鱼宝食馆.

it was very good. 🙂

i used a cheap marbled pork collar to fake the kurobuta. i put it in 90degC oven for 2 hrs to convert the tough connective tissues to flavourful gelatine, then added it to the black beans bittergourd dish like a double-cooked pork 回锅肉.

my friends liked this dish very much. firstly the bittergourd had the special flavour but not bitter as i brined it with sugar the day before & the black beans & slow braise made it very tender & tasty, and the pork collar was excellent, flavourful & tender.

#3 pork + liver sausage fried kailan 腊味芥兰

i had the pork + liver sausage fried kailan 腊味芥兰 for the first time at fu kee 富记粥品.

so i decided to buy some fairly good pork & liver sausage, steamed them & then fried & added chicken stock to bring out the 腊味 flavours then added the kailand stems & leaves & later oyster sauce & corflour the usual way.

i think my version was as good today maybe better than fu kee 富记粥品’s 腊味芥兰, very flavourful indeed.

#4 dried mustard leaves belly pork 梅菜扣肉

we did not have 梅菜扣肉 in hong kong. this my first try & in any case a good opportunity to get friends to try..it was very well done. ^^

i varied a 梅菜扣肉 recipe i read on internet.

i placed the belly pork in a 90degC oven for 2 hrs (together with my pork collar to save electricity), instead of boiling it in water for 35mins according to the recipe.

i then seared the skin & sides & added 1/2tbsp dark sauce to coat the belly pork. & sliced the belly pork when cool.

then i melted 1 tbsp sugar, added 1 tbsp oil & fried the 梅菜 & added 1/2cup chicken stock.

then i placed the 梅菜 on the sliced belly pork & placed in the steam oven for 75mins.

the 梅菜 was just perfect, texture, colour, taste, everything & the belly pork 扣肉excellent, so tender & tasty! ^^

#5 salted fish minced pork 咸鱼饼

salted fish minced pork 咸鱼饼 was another great dish we had at yue bo 鱼宝食馆.

the salted fish minced pork 咸鱼饼 was good, as usual.

today i experimented 1/2 on belly pork (which was sous vide at 90degC for 2hrs) & lean pork..turned out they tasted quite the same. my friends couldn’t really tell. me too. 🙂

#6 steamed minced garlic prawn rice 蒜蓉鲜虾蒸饭

the lotus leaf steamed minced garlic prawn rice 蒜蓉鲜虾蒸荷叶饭 was another great dish at yue bo 鱼宝食馆

#6 steamed minced garlic prawn rice 蒜蓉鲜虾蒸饭

this one though i had some difficulty getting it right!

i used chicken stock to cook the rice in the rice cooker.

then i added some soy sauce mix (similar to those used for fun cheong & also for adding to rice) & added to the cooked rice.

& i had lots of minced garlic.

still the taste was not comparable to the one prepared by yue bo 鱼宝食馆

#7 lotus seeds ginkyo nuts mango cheng chow 白果莲子芒果凉粉

& we also had wonderful dessert at Hoe Kee dessert 浩记甜品馆.

#7 lotus seeds ginkyo nuts mango cheng chow 白果莲子芒果凉粉

of course i won’t try to make the almond paste 杏仁糊，walnut paste 核桃糊, black sesame paste 芝麻糊 etc。

but lotus seeds mango cheng chow 莲子芒果凉粉is something i can do.

i cooked 1 packet of lotus seeds 莲子 & 1 packet of ginkyo nuts白果 with 4 tbsp brown sugar & reduced.

i let it lightly boiled for 1.5hrs to 2hrs, a friend brought the mangoes, so it was just an assembly of the 莲子白果 on the mangoes & cheng chow 凉粉.

lunch was a display of all the food we liked & enjoyed while in hong kong (except the 梅菜扣肉 dish). it was wonderful to be able to relish the fun food moments in hong kong.

c.h.e.f andy

Our Dimsum Fix Again @ Tao Heung Mongkok 稻香旺角 on 14Jan2016

Posted on January 21, 2016 by chefquak

minced pork & braised egg rice

the next morning (day of departure on 14.1.2016) we went back to tao heung mongkok 稻香旺角.

this was where we had our HK$380 for 6pax dimsum feast on 11.1.2016!

tao heung mongkok 稻香旺角

our flight departure was 2.20pm & we planned to check out hotel at 11.20am & take cab to airport. so no point going far & to new places. just go back to tao heung mongkok & have a nice leisurely breakfast lor…

char siew pao

char siew pao again!

char siew pao

something i don’t order in singapore. here we had it everytime. it was nice like all the other dimsum places we went to. of course tim ho wan’s crispy skin char siew pao was special.

har gao won 虾饺皇

& cannot forget har gao won 虾饺皇 at tao heung. after trying out tim ho wan shamshuipo & also fu seng 富城火鍋海鮮酒家, you can see from the photos that the ones here at tao heung is best!

chives dumplings

the spicy chives dumplings were good as before. 🙂

fried fupeiquin炸腐皮卷

& the fried fupeikuin腐皮卷. 🙂

char siew fun cheong

char siew fun cheong seemed not as good as the other day.

steamed pork ribs

the pork ribs was best at tim ho wan.

here less meat more yam.

steamed chicken feet

steamed chicken feet just as good though, as good as anywhere.

some beancurd skin dimsum

the beancurd skin dimsum pretty ok.

鸡扎 or something like that?

鸡扎 also harder to share.

lomeigai糯米鸡

lomeigai糯米鸡 was good.

we were down to 4pax. one friend had a later flight by tigerair (we were taking jetstar) so he took the time to go to macau last evening. another friend extended his stay a his family was traveling with him.

dimsum breakfast was HK$204=S$9.50pax. i guess that’s where singapore cannot match. now we have imperial treasure, crystal jade, canton paradise etc standard about same but would cost like S$20pax.

c.h.e.f andy

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Tao Heung Mongkok 稻香旺角

Shop A&B, 2/F, Hollywood Plaza, 610 Nathan Road, Mong Kok
旺角彌敦道610號荷里活商業中心2樓A及B號舖

Tel: 8300 8142

Mon-Sun&PH: 09:00-16:30; 18:00-02:00

Good Dinner @ Tao Hueng Pier 88 Mongkok 稻香超级鱼港旺角 on 13Jan2016

Posted on January 21, 2016 by chefquak

HK$78 steamed live tiger garoupa promotion..a large fish 800-900g

after our late afternoon dimsum sojourn at tim ho wan shamshuipo at 4.3pm, we rested & chatted at the hotel & then went for dinner at tao heung pier 88 mongkok 稻香超级鱼港旺角, making sure we were there before 9pm to enjoy the promotion.

it was planned in a way, that our excursions to lamma island today (& for that matter to dragon’s back, peak circle walk & cheung chau island on previous days) need not be rushed & we could have a leisurely breakfast, do the walks/hikes over the lunch period (the cool weather so accommodating) & then dimsum at timhowan at 5pm at a time when there was zero queue….

everything turned out quite as planned, and leisurely, also as planned…haha!

actually we went to hoe kee dessert 浩记甜品馆 for our dessert fix just before dinner on 13.1.2016! ^^

(we liked the desert so much we went back on 11.1.2016 & 12.1.2016 after we had it on 10.1.2016. both days they were closed. so first opportunity on 13.1.2016 we went again).

i guess dessert was a good start for dinner!

tao heung pier 88 mongkok稻香超级鱼港旺角

the large restaurant was pretty full. we managed to be seated w/o queueing before 9pm.

that was NOT sufficient to qualify for the time promotion, so i lodged our promotion orders first la…

HK$78 steamed live tiger garoupa promotion..a large fish 800-900g

that’s the HK$78 steamed live garoupa. it was a large fish i estimate 800g to 900g.

HK$34 1/2 chicken another promo not so great

managed to get the other promotion 1/2chicken at HK$34.

HK$34 1/2 chicken another promo not so great

it was passable but not great…not like the ginger sauce chicken at yue bo 鱼宝食馆!

just as well we did not order the HK$68 for a full chicken!

the HK$38 buddha-jum-over-the-wall, another promotion, sold out liao!

lobsters, live seafood

the proactive quite nice not pushy server got us interested in the seafood.

praying mantis prawn was very good! HK$198 came with a veg soup

we ordered the praying mantis prawn (2 large ones for HK$198). it was very good, very tasty.

veg tanhoon soup

and also came with a separate complimentary vegetable soup.

lobster (looks like 1kg) superior sauce with cheese

another dish we ordered was the australian lobster. it was a large one, i estimated 1kg. 🙂

lobster (looks like 1kg) superior sauce with cheese

we wanted it baked in superior sauce (上汤焗)。 the server recommended to add cheese. i guessed it was not the cheese gratin preparation.

anyhow we gave it a try. lobster was excellent, the cheese noodles made it feel like western pasta. it was done well & nice dish but not my preferred preparation. baked in superior sauce (上汤焗) would be better.

clam la la soup

the lobster also came with a free clams lala dish. this was pretty good though not special.

again the guys ordered 2 bottles of blue girl (lam mui) pilsener beer..popular in hong kong.

dinner all in was HK$915 for 5pax = S$34pax…pretty decent la…

c.h.e.f andy

Good Dimsum Everywhere @ Fu Seng 富城火鍋海鮮酒家 on 13Jan2016

Posted on January 19, 2016 by chefquak

one dimsum not open till 11am

we were doing good by our standard la… ^^

yesterday we went 2hr hike (slow walk?) at dragon’s back…after that lunch at 鱼宝, then late afternoon dinner at timhowan shamshuipo, then late dinner at fu kee…

day before we went peak circle walk then yat lok roast goose, then go cheung chau island, then dinner at tao heung tsimshatsui.

today we thought we merit a slower pace from our slow pace…

& one dimsum was nearby, & they got 1 michelin star like 2 years after timhowan….so? walk there & give it a try lor…

but one dimsum 一点心 only open at 11am!

fu seng 富城火鍋海鮮酒家

anyway we found a dimsum place along the street (playong field road) just 1 block from one dimsum 一点心.

fu seng 富城火鍋海鮮酒家

a regular dimsum crowd.

叉烧包char siew pao

叉烧包char siew pao was good! just like tao heung mongkok’s.

叉烧包char siew pao

i hardly ever take 叉烧包char siew pao in singapore…i hardly go dimsum anyway.

teochew dumplings 潮州粉果

my friends in love with teochew dumplings 潮州粉果. we ordered another round. 🙂

steamed pork ribs

steamed pork ribs were good, but i think timhowan’s steamed pork rib the best.

steamed chicken feet

steamed chicken feet a bit less good.

siew mai

siew mai also. my siew mai king friend never forget to remind us tao heung mongkok’s siew mai won was the best!

har gao

har gao was good, good everywhere anyway.

fried carrot cake

fried carrot cake ok, not so flavourful.

fupeiquin 腐皮卷

fupeiquin 腐皮卷 was very good, very tasty.

扎四宝 4 treasures

the 4 treasures was good also, but this dish hard to share & cut for 6pax.

扎四宝 4 treasures

we got help…a pair of scissors.

century egg congee 皮蛋瘦肉粥

century egg congee 皮蛋瘦肉粥 was good, but not the ffu kee congee 富记粥品’s standard.

century egg congee 皮蛋瘦肉粥

fu kee congee 富记粥品’s was so smooth like xo!

beef congee

beef congee same, good not special.

prawns fun cheong

fun cheong ok not so smooth like timhowan.

lomeigai糯米鸡

lomeigai糯米鸡 was good!

咸水饺

friends all liked the hum sui kok too. we ordered another round. 🙂

radish crsip

the radish crsip also very good! friend liked it.

we ate a lot, like at tao heung mongkok, a lot more than at timhowan.

this time it was HK$461=S$14.50pax..ok la…

c.h.e.f andy

Roast Goose 烧鹅 Encore @ Fu Kee Congee Mongkok 富记粥品旺角 on 12Jan2016

Posted on January 19, 2016 by chefquak

roast goose 烧鹅 again!

after a satisfying lunch at the accidental find yue bo 鱼宝食馆, we made our way to tsimshatsui to do some “shopping”.

first a friend was told on whatsapp about jenny’s cookies so we thought we would grapped some at the stall at tsimshatsui. how silly of us!

we found jenny bakery at shop 24, GF, mirador mansion 54-64B nathan road alright, but we were directed to the back street where we were told there was a queue & someone giving out numbers.

long queue for jenny’s cookies

we duly did that but the queue was ridiculous, mostly chinese tourists. i whatsapped the same friend with a photo of the queue & quipped that even for her i would not queue for the cookies la…haha! 🙂

+++++++++++++++++++++

anyway after that we went to look for 楼上, found it quite easily by memory at lippo sun plaza level 5. i bought some mushrooms & dried scallops that wife wanted, and a friend bought lots of liver & sausage 肝肠腊肠.

we returned to hotel to rest & chit-chat, & update facebook la.. haha! 🙂

+++++++++++++++++++++

about 9pm on 12.1.2016, we decided to go back to-

fu kee 富记粥品 where we had excellent roast goose & congee on the first night we arrived in hong kong.

also we had missed our attempts over the last 2 nights to have our dessert fix at which is just across the road from fu kee 富记, so that was an added attraction. 🙂

fu kee 富记粥品

it was late but the stall was still crowded. they ran out of roast goose. the server took our order of 1/2 goose but came back to say they could only give us 1/4 goose.

roast goose 烧鹅

still it was a good portion, not enough of course for 6 hungry fellas. 🙂

mixed innards congee及第粥

we again had the mixed innards congee及第粥 .

beef + liver congee

& the beef + liver soup.

nice warm homely comfort food. i still think this was my best congee, but then in hong kong, good congee are everywhere.

3-eggs watercress

3-eggs watercress was good. but it’s nothing like the wonderful 3-egg spinach at uncle leong’s.

watercress not spinach…& overall no comparison la…

sliced pork soup

the mustrad leaves 芥菜 sliced pork soup was good. i think my friends were getting hooked on 芥菜. 🙂

waxed meat & sausage with kailan 腊味炒芥兰

they recommended a waxed meat & sausage with kailan 腊味炒芥兰. it was good very flavourful!

flavourful glutinous rice糯米饭

& they literally push the glutinous rice糯米饭 onto our table. it was good so no complaints & it was done good-naturedly. we were given a scoopful to try & before we said anything, a huge portion was piled on our table. haha! when you like it, it is ok! 🙂

we had very good experience at this restaurant. both times we enjoyed our food. this second time we chatted quite a bit with the server & gave her a good tip afterwards. very happy with the food, service & price plus the added convenience of good location & will come back again next visit to hong kong.

c.h.e.f andy

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Fu Kee Congee Mongkok 富记粥品旺角

104-106 Fa Yuen Street, Mong Kok
旺角花園街104-106號

How to get there?

Tel:2385 1230

Opening hrs:

Mon.-Sun. 07:30-23:30

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Monthly Archives: January 2016

Great Roast Duck + Best Char Siew Noodle @ Joyful Palace 怡乐坊 Clementi on 30Jan2016

Good Chicken Rice @ Xin Ji 新记 on 29Jan2016

Good Japanese Alacarte Buffet @ Momoya on 28Jan2016

Poor Cheng Chow 凉粉 Dessert OK Coffee @ Dunman Food Centre on 27Jan2016

Good HK Steamed Song Fish Head 港蒸松鱼头 @ Fu Xing Mei Shi Dunman Food Centre on 27Jan2016

Great Wanton Mee @ Ah Huat Dunman Food Centre on 27Jan2016

Black Bean Sauce Bitter Gourd with Mock Kurobuta (Pork Collar) – 3rd Teban Gardens Community Meal on 29Jan2016

Fa Yuen Street Market 花园街街市 – Hong Kong’s wet market & cooked food stalls

Royal Plaza Hotel & Mongkok Locality Hong Kong 10-14Jan2016

Free i-sim for free 3G data & phone calls in HK, Macau, Taiwan

Curry Fishhead at Sanpo Foodcourt on 16Jan2016

Walking in Lamma Island 南丫岛 on 13Jan2016

Good Popiah & Nasi Lemak @ QIji Star Vista on 23Jan2016

Good Always Meepok Tar @ Jalan Tua Kong 6th Avenue on 24Jan2016

Invigorating Hike at Dragon’s Back Shek O Country Park on 12Jan2016

Relish Hong Kong Food Fun Moments on 20Jan2016

Our Dimsum Fix Again @ Tao Heung Mongkok 稻香旺角 on 14Jan2016

Good Dinner @ Tao Hueng Pier 88 Mongkok 稻香超级鱼港旺角 on 13Jan2016

Good Dimsum Everywhere @ Fu Seng 富城火鍋海鮮酒家 on 13Jan2016

Roast Goose 烧鹅 Encore @ Fu Kee Congee Mongkok 富记粥品旺角 on 12Jan2016

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