Good Scissor Cut Curry Rice at Toa Payok Lor 8 Food Centre on 30Apr2016

Posted on April 30, 2016 by chefquak

curry rice dishes

an old friend bought lunch today at toa payoh lor 8 today on 30.4.2016. ^^

there were several well known stalls, from carrot cakes to ocean fish head curry to white beehoon.

toa payoh lor 8 food centre

we decided to have the scissor cut curry rice, so we can sit down & chat & not have to queue at separate stalls.

curry rice dishes

scissor cut curry rice was not yet fully ready & display all their dishes.

we were the first customer at 11am on a saturday, so no queue, we just collected the dishes.

my friend paid S$15.50 for 4dishes for 3pax, about S$5pax. pretty good.

mainly it’s the curry that attracts me! pouring over the rice.

actually come to think of it, it is almost same as japanese sweet curry (also poured over the rice!)

the curry here was almost as good as that at loo’s which we had recently. well, maybe loo’s a bit better la.

curry chicken wings

curry was good. chicken wings ok just so-so. not sure why they don’t serve chicken thighs?

kong bak

kong bak was very good in texture, taste too, sauce the a bit gluey type, slightly sweet not enough “pang”.

steamed egg with pork & water

steamed egg was good. this a childhood dish still common today.

i remember having it at RI canteen at grange road.

spinach

spinach was usual. pretty ok, not much different from the $10 romaine lettuce at paradise dynasty ion orchard.

both were ok but can do with a bit more oil as the plain veg can be a bit “siap”.

overall, it was a pretty good lunch at S$5pax.

chengdol

my friend went to get the chendol, the stall that former PM mr Goh Chok Tong likes.

chengdol

this the really authentic version. very nice kidney beans, quite a lot of palm fruits (atap chee) & very flavour gula melaka & coconut milk, very nice, enjoyed it!

my 2 friends had a good chat about photogrpahy which they were quite expert & knowledgable about.

c.h.e.f andy

Recipe 1st Sharing & Demo = HK steamed Red Garoupa 示范港蒸红斑 on 29Apr2016

Posted on April 30, 2016 by chefquak

red garoupa (about 550g)

i was asked to do a demo session at teban gardens community service centre today on 29.4.2016.

my choice was HK steamed red garoupa 示范港蒸红斑.

red garoupa (about 550g) + condiments (olive oil, light soy sauce, mirin)

the reason was that it is so very easy to do a HK steam fish.

for a red garoupa of say between 500g and 550g, just steamed for 10mins.

& condiments also so easy. just 2 tbsp olive oil (or veg oil), 2 tbsp light soy sauce, 2 tbsp mirin (or water).

and add sliced ginger (julienned), cut chilli padi & chopped spring onions. also 3cm spring onions for garnishing.

demo HK steamed red garoupa 示范港蒸红斑

and also i always believe a cooking demo is just fun but NOT of much use if after that the people go home & they cannot repeat what they saw at the demo.

demo HK steamed red garoupa 示范港蒸红斑

so it should be really practical.

something anyone can just do it on their own.

3 condiments ginger, spring onions etc, fish – anyone can do it la..

demo HK steamed red garoupa 示范港蒸红斑

& for the demo i used red garoupa, as it looked beautiful especially when nicely cooked & tasted wonderful, very delicate, sweet, tasty.

demo HK steamed red garoupa 示范港蒸红斑

but for the 2 community meals-

HK steamed sutchi fillet on 15.4.2016

teriyaki sutchi fillet 日式红烧鲶鱼柳 today on 29.4.2016

i used sutchi fillet as there is no bones, so quite suitable for the older folks, and very easy to serve to between 80 to 100pax.

& its really cheap & easy to get it. red garoupa can be very expensive at neighbourhood wet markets & troublesome to go say chinatown market.

also the demo & the HK steamed & teriyaki dishes showed that they can buy any fish they like, expensive or cheap & can basically cook it in the same way, by steaming or teriyaki.

c.h.e.f andy

Teriyaki Sutchi Fillet – 10th Teban Gardens Community Breakfast on 29Apr2016

Posted on April 30, 2016 by chefquak

teriyaki sutchi fillet 日式红烧鲶鱼柳

this morning i made a teriyaki sutchi fillet (similar to creamy dory) on 29.4.2016. ^^

this my 10th friday breakfast community meal at teban gardens community service centre (CSC).

i first started doing a community meal dish for teban gardens CSC on 8.1.2016.

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.

teriyaki sutchi fillet 日式红烧鲶鱼柳

sutchi or pangasius is sold as a cheap frozen white fish fillet in giant, sheng shiong etc. i bought some from sheng shiong at 1kg packet (800g nett) for S$3.95.

for the community meals, 2 advantages are –

there is no bones, so quite suitable for the older folks; &

preparation is very simple, just add condiments & fry for between 6 and 7mins.

teriyaki sutchi fillet 日式红烧鲶鱼柳

i usually add salt & wash the fillet in water, then drain.

like the HK steamed dish preparation, the condiments are the same – just 2 tbsp olive oil (or veg oil), 2 tbsp light soy sauce, 2 tbsp mirin (or water).

and add sliced ginger (julienned), cut chilli padi & chopped spring onions. also 3cm spring onions for garnishing.

teriyaki sutchi fillet 日式红烧鲶鱼柳

the difference between HK steamed & this teriyaki sutchi fillet 日式红烧鲶鱼柳 just that instead of putting on a steaming tray in a steamer, the fillet is placed with the condiments etc in a non stick pan, turn fire on high to boil then cover & low to steam. in between turn over the fillet at 3mins.

basically the condiments is reduced & thickened & made the fillet quite flavourful. texture just a little firmer than the steamed version.

everyone at teban gardens commented 很入味！

c.h.e.f andy

Nice Dinner @ Paradise Dynasty Ion Orchard on 28Apr2016

Posted on April 29, 2016 by chefquak

xiaolongbao 小笼包

went with friends to watch captain america – civil war at shaw lido yesterday.

after the movie we adjourned to paradise dynasty at level 4 ion orchard for dinner on 28.4.2016. ^^.

another friend join us after his day seminar, so we had 4pax.

captain america – civil war was very enjoyable movie, the best comics movie for me, better than x-men etc which i like, and 1 of the best movies i have seen…

great story-telling, great dialogue, good humour… friendship…chemistry…so many good actors…super fun…

peanut & chestnuts starters – S$2.50

we asked the price of the peanut & chestnut starter. it was just S$2.50 so we took it. it was really good, there were lots of chestnuts.

paradise dynasty

the place was well patronised but not yet full at 8pm.

paradise dynasty

paradise dynasty was having 30% discounts on 5 dishes.

the service by the chinese server was very good. it was difficult for us to identify the 5 dishes as they appear in totally different parts of the ordering chit. she took us through, explained the dishes & ordered for us.

xiaolongbao 小笼包 – S$7.80

we started with 2trays x 6 xiaolongbao 小笼包. so 3 pieces each for 4pax.

xiaolongbao 小笼包 was good. the soup inside was very tasty. however dough skin at top slightly thicker, also the meat filling not as tasty.

overall not as good as crystal jade lamian xiaolongbao.

later we greedy lot added another 2 trays, so in total each of us took 6 pieces. haha! 🙂

drunken chicken醉鸡 – S$9.50

drunken chicken was good too.

drunken chicken醉鸡 – S$9.50

chicken was tender. presentation was good. the 绍兴酒fragrance very good. 🙂

(for comparison see the photo for peach garden miramar, tasted good looked odd).

minced pork soup 狮子头 – S$9.80

the minced pork soup 狮子头 quite a ok soup.

minced pork soup 狮子头 – S$9.80

soup below S$7 after discount so ok.

but really pales in comparison with a good lie tong 例汤say at tunglok signature orchard parade.

omelette 赛螃蟹 – S$13.80

the omelette 赛螃蟹 quite a meaningless dish for me, forgettable & it’s not cheap for egg whites with supposedly conpoy in it.

romaine lettuce油麦菜 – S$10.80

the romaine lettuce油麦菜 was quite misleading. it looked like a very tiny serving so i thought it was expensive at S$10 (this dish no discounts).

actually it was quite a decent helping, so not really more ex say c/w kok sen, a zi char stall.

fried rice – S$11.80

the fried rice was pretty good too. reasonably tasty & a good helping for 4pax.

fried rice – S$11.80

not the best of course.

no comparison with crystal jade lamian xiaolongbao’s spicy seafood fried rice.

fried ramen – S$11.80

we ordered a fried ramen. i guess we could eat a lot if we want too.

fried ramen – S$11.80

it was ok, but really no different from any breakfast fried noodles or the hong kong style street sweet soy sauce noodles.

dinner came to S$108nett for 4pax.

a friend has his birthday next week so we bought him dinner. ^^

very enjoyable movie & a great dinner chat & time together with good friends.

price wise, if we kept to the 5 items with discount which was quite enough for 4pax, price would be S$70nett, so very reasonabe for the food.

we added of course the veg, the noodles & 2 more xiaolongbao. 🙂

c.h.e.f andy

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

Paradise Dynasty at ION Orchard

Address –

2 Orchard Turn
ION Orchard #04-12A
Singapore 238801

Contact:

6509 9117

Business Hours

Mon – Fri
11.00am – 10.00pm (Last order at 9.30pm)

Sat, Sun & PH
10.30am – 10.00pm (Last order at 9.30pm)

Tea Smoked Duck Breast

Posted on April 28, 2016 by chefquak

medium rare tea smoked duck breast – 12.4.2016

experimented on tea smoked duck breast on 2 occasions recently! ^^

first was oddly for the 5pax vegetarian dinner for my wife’s friends (which she does meditation with) on 12.4.2016.

i made a 4-course all vegetarian meal. wife thought we should add some protein since only 1 person is vegetarian. so i made a mock kurobuta & a medium rare tea smoked duck.

both were quite excellent that evening. 🙂

2 expereinc with duck breast previously –

i do a good carnard a l’orange (duck in orange sauce) too. that though was a different recipe & not smoked.

i also did a tea smoked duck fettucine previously but that time the breast was kind of too well done.

cinnamon bark, star anise, cloves, tea, rice, brown sugar for smoking

for the preparation, i used an internet recipe i saw some time back-

add 3 star anise 1 cinnamon bark 1 tbsp brown sugar 1 tbsp rice 1 packet tea leaves on aluminium foil on a stainless steel oven-proof pan

place duck breast on rack above foil (this time i bought a 200g ready fresh duck breast from sheng shiong for S$2.80)

heat pan till smokes & roll up aluminium foil to trap smoke inside..for 10mins

place pan in oven at 90degC for 1/2hr…repeat ie reheat pan to smoke every 1/2 hr (i did twice for medium rare, 3 times for medium)

after smoking

aroma was excellent during smoking & afterwards.

after smoking

duck breast is ready for crackling – frying to crisp the skin.. 🙂

gordon ramsay’s cold pan method

i used gordon ramsay’s cold pan method.

(i did this again on 267.4.2016. this time i did the smoking longer ie 3times for medium)

gordon ramsay’s cold pan method – rendering out the fat

place the smoked duck breast skin down on a cold non-stick pan w/o any oil & start low fire.

what it does is that the heat has time to slowly rendered out the fat. when fat is almost totally rendered out the skin is then able to crackle.

(sprinkle sea salt & black pepper over the duck breast & add herbs if desired).

medium tea smoked duck breast

it takes about 9mins.

medium tea smoked duck breast

the fat was almost totally rendered out, leaving just a thin skin so it could crackle.

now let the duck rest for 10mins.

tea smoked duck breast – 27.4.2016

& it was easy to cut.

tea smoked duck breast – 27.4.2016

place skin down & cut through to the skin.

medium rare tea smoked duck breast – 12.4.2016

i personally like the medium rare better (top & above photos).

and i was able also to cut easily with skin side up as i was cutting thicker slices that time.

it’s a wonderful dish. smokey tea flavours, crispy skin & tender, moist medium rare meat. quite excellent.

it was good experiment for me, lots of fun, though personally i may not usually want to spend the time doing the smoking. it works for small family meals & maybe with just 4 or 5 friends, not so convenient for large group – would be tedious & take the fun out of it.

c.h.e.f andy

Protected: 8pax Curry Rice Lunch for OPS51 Friends on 21Apr2016

Posted on April 27, 2016 by chefquak

Great Quality Lunch @ Tunglok Signature Orchard Parade on 6Appr2016

Posted on April 27, 2016 by chefquak

1/2 roast London duck – S$32

went with friend for lunch at tunglok signature @ orchard parade on 6.4.2016. ^^

just returned from london last evening. had an excellent family holiday in london, lisbon, porto with wife, son & daughter.

my OPS friend bought me an excellent G7 Sinma frog porridge lunch on 11.3.2016 before my trip.

so my turn to buy lunch. 🙂

garlic steamed razor clams – S$12.80

we started with a steamed razor clam.

clam was smaller than what usually is served in say ah yat, jumbo, long beach etc. the sauce a bit gluey, but overall the taste was still very good. 🙂

i would order this again, also after 50% palate discounts for 2pax, this dish was only S$6.40++.

lie tong 例汤 1/2 pot=S$16

we shared 1/2 pot lie tong 例汤 1/2 pot at S$16 (full pot S$28).

lie tong 例汤 always good here, and at others like imperial treasure etc. for me, a good lie tong 例汤 1/2 (they usually very good la) is better than taking sharksfin (politically incorrect) or even fishmaw soup.

1/2 roast London duck – S$32

& i wanted to let my friend try the roast london duck. ^^

they used irish duck which is fatter & more flavourful.

can’t it’s better than the tea smoked duck at xin cuisine,

but certainly it is better than the very good roast duck at canton paradise.

Rack of lamb – S$15

rack of lamb was good too, tender not too strong gamey taste. but chinese preparation is for me, never as good for this dish c/w with modern european.

we shared one order.

String beans – S$18

string beans was more ex, basically S$18 is a good restuarant kind of pricing for veg.

Garoupa fillet noodles soup – S$12

i had a zhajiangmian variation here with my wife recently.

this time, it was a garoupa fillet noodle soup.

it was good, soup very tasty, garoupa fillet fresh & sweet.

we shared one order.

Excellent 5pax Birthday Lunch @ Red House on 26Apr2016

Posted on April 27, 2016 by chefquak

spinach mushroom dumpling

OPS friend celebrating wife’s birthday & invited us for lunch at red house princep street on 26.4.2016.

(we didn’t know. we asked but he didn’t say till afterwards).

i have never been to red house for the longest time.

they are having a 40% off dimsum promotion till 31.12.2016!

food was surprisingly good leh! ^^

the spinach mushroom dumpling looked alluring & tasted really good. very nice mushroom flavours, and so refine. 🙂

har gao虾饺

the simple har gao虾饺 also looked so refine, and tasted wonderful too. 🙂

fu pei quin 腐皮卷

fu pei quin 腐皮卷 not overly oily, very crispy & good fresh prawn fillings, a very well done dish. 🙂

steamed bamboo clams 圣子 – S$10 each

friend ordered the steamed bamboo clams 圣子. dish was ok.

this a bit small c/w say ah yat or jumbo or long beach, quite similar size to the recent ones we had at tunglok signature orchard parade, but tunglok’s minced garlic oil & tanhoon a lot tastier than this.

steamed razor clams with garlic (beautiful photo taken by Jeanette at 6.10.2012 homecooked dinner)

actually even my own preparation is tastier than this.

lemongrass chilli lobster 香茅辣椒龙虾 – S$88

the lemongrass chilli lobster 香茅辣椒龙虾 was excellent! ^^

lemongrass chilli lobster 香茅辣椒龙虾 – S$88

usually it is a waste to add chilli to a fresh & expensive lobster.

this one though was done very well. the chilli was very tasty, i thought a bit thai style.

lemongrass chilli lobster 香茅辣椒龙虾 – S$88

lobster very good, the chilli did not overwhelm the sweetness of the lobster meat. enhanced it la… 🙂

1/2fragrant crispy duck 香酥鸭 – S$23

friend also ordered 1/2 fragrant crispy duck 香酥鸭.

it is a variation of the roast duck which we eat too often.

this was deep-fried & could taste the fragrance of the spices. they usually served it with some crepe so the server proceeded to destroy (tear up) the duck. we didn’t want the crepe. friend’s wife commented the presentation was not good. in shanghai/jiangsu they would cut the duck in slices & nicer presentation.

also the duck was a bit dry inside, not such a good preparation.

spinach tofu 三层楼 – S$14

the spinach tofu was excellent, very tasty very well done.

spinach tofu 三层楼

i first had this 三层楼 at tunglok group maybe >20years ago. this one though tasted better than tunglok.

sambal kang kong – S$12

sambal kang kong was good, more than competent.

seafood hor fun 杂锦河粉 – S$12

the seafood hor fun 杂锦河粉 was very good too. very nice wok hae (wok fragrance!)

seafood hor fun 杂锦河粉 = S$12

the dimsum dishes were quite refine & the main courses were also top draw.

overall it was an excellent lunch, much better than i expected from a seafood restaurant like red house (there are so many similar places like jumbo, long beach, no sign board etc).

sorbet lemongrass jelly

the dessert were ok but did not really stand out.

i enjoyed my lemongrass jelly with sorbet.

杨枝甘露

the 杨枝甘露 looked average.

orh nee 芋泥

the orh nee 芋泥 didn’t looked right. maybe taste was ok?

lunch came to S$311 for 5pax, about S$62pax.

quite high for lunch. still i think a great place for a great lunch or dinner with good friends. must look a bit at the dishes to order, but i surely coming back again la! 🙂

c.h.e.f andy

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

Red House

Address

68 Prinsep Street, Singapore 188661

Contact

Tel = +65 6653 7160

Fax = +65 6336 6801

Email = prinsep@redhouseseafood.com

Parking

Sunshine Plaza, POMO and Somerset Bencoolen

Opening Hours

Mon – Fri

11.30am – 2.30pm (last order 2pm) 5pm – 11pm (last order 10.30 pm)

Sat, Sun & PH

11am – 11pm (last order 10.30pm)

Nice Coffee & Pastry & Breakfast Place @ Tiong Bahru Bakery on 22Mar2016

Posted on April 26, 2016 by chefquak

tiong bahru bakery

a RI friend organised a 8pax “eat-about” on 22.3.2016. ^^

we started with breakfast & coffee at tiong bahru bakery.

then went for early lunch at loo’s hainanese curry rice nearby.

after that we had the hawker centre coffee at tiong bahru food centre.

& the we bought some cakes + lim lam hong angku kueh & came to my place for another cuppa.

i say – this tiong bahru bakery really crowded! 🙂

croissant

must say that the plain croissant is one of the best i had. 🙂

flaky outside soft inside & nice buttery flavour.

almond croissant

not so hot on the almond croissant.

there were some promotion …i think its about S$2.50 each.

flat white

and the coffee is good here!

pastry stuff not top of my list, but i quite happy to have a nice cuppa & chat with good friends. ambience wise it is no better than any of the good coffee places.

after a relaxed coffee chat, we walked over to loo’s hainanese curry rice for the second part of our “eat-about”,

c.h.e.f andy

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

Tiong Bahru Bakery @ Eng Hoon

Address –

56 Eng Hoon Street
#01-70
Singapore 160056

Contact –

+65 62203430

Opening Hours –

Sunday to Thursday, 8am to 8pm
Friday to Saturday, 8am to 10pm

Enjoyable Curry Rice @ Loo’s Hainanese Curry Rice on 22Mar2016

Posted on April 26, 2016 by chefquak

loo’s curry rice dishes

a RI friend organised a 8pax “eat-about” on 22.3.2016. ^^

we started with breakfast & coffee at tiong bahru bakery.

then went for early lunch at loo’s hainanese curry rice nearby.

after that we had the hawker centre coffee at tiong bahru food centre.

& the we bought some cakes + lim lam hong angku kueh & came to my place for another cuppa.

we had a day trip to JB recently, so we thought we would recast it for singapore. haha!

we also had a 10pax bakuteh + curry rice lunch at my place post JB. 🙂

a slightly different kind of curries. maybe i will give this curry hainanese pork chop a try also.

loo’s curry rice

the loo’s curry rice was quite simple food, dishes a bit limited, but still quite enjoyable.

curry sauce – loo’s curry rice

the curry was especially shiok!

not that it was better than the fish head curry or lemak chicken curry. it’s slightly powdery, but overall just very shiok combine with the rice & pork chop.

curry pork chops

pork chop was good.

not a particularly interesting dish for me. still thinking whether i want to try cooking this. deep-fry is always a bit troublesome & i try to avoid.

curry sotong

curry sotong was good. large sotong, nice think ones. nothing special i guess.

meat balls

meat balls were ok.

egg plant

the egg plant was good. nice colour & great taste.

chap chai

chap chai was quite standard.

loo’s curry rice

simple food, limited selection, no really special dishes except curry.

loo’s curry rice dishes

but they all combined to give a really enjoyable meal.

green tea & almond pound cakes

after loo’s curry, we had coffee at tiong bahru hawker centre.

a friend bought green tea & almond pound cakes.

lim lam hong angkukueh

we stopped by lim lam hong at jln bukit merah & grabbed some angku kueh.

the guys adjourned to my place for some coffee & tea.

an enjoyable, fun day’s outing with good friends.

c.h.e.f andy

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

Loo’s Hainanese Curry Rice

Address

#01-88, Tai Kwang Huat Coffee Shop, 57 Eng Hoon Street, 160057

Contact

+65 62253762

Opening Hours

Daily: 08:00 – 14:00

Closed: Alt Thu

Just Average Zi Char @ Jin Wee Siglap on 25Apr2016

Posted on April 26, 2016 by chefquak

fish maw soup – S$25

a friend organised a movie session on 25.4.2016. ^^

we watched 2 movies – “Room” & “Everest”. in between, we walked to siglap for dinner.

jin wee restaurant @ siglap

it’s a regular zi char eating house.

jin wee restaurant – menu

menu likewise pretty standard zi char fare.

we were looking at the lie tong 例汤 S$12 & the fish maw soup S$25. a friend decided on the fish maw soup.

soup was quite good. quite chokeful of ingredients, good amount of crabmeat & very tasty.

not as good as the fish maw soup at beng thin, but maybe not that far off.

seemed expensive at S$25 at a zi char place like this, but what’s important is it’s good la..

crispy pork chop – S$15

the crispy pork is popular here, we ordered the larger serving at S$15.

crispy pork was good, & the sweet sour sauce was well done too, a competent sauce not too sweet & good with the pork. sweet & sour not my favourite though.

overall i like loo’s curry pork chop better.

fried tofu with minced pork – S$15

the fried bean curd with minced pork was quite tasty too.

felt expensive to me at S$15 for a simple dish with cheap ingredients, but maybe it was not exorbitant.

sambal kang kong – S$8

the sambal kang kong was nice if quite standard fare anywhere.

the dinner came to S$71 including drinks (we had 4 barleys + 1 tea) for 5pax, so about S$14pax. we ordered not much food though just 3 dishes + soup.

i thought the prices were just a bit expensive but it was quite ok dinner overall.

c.h.e.f andy

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

Jin Wee Restaurant @ Siglap

Address

928 East Coast Road, 459117

Contact

+65 64410485

Opening Hours

Mon – Tue: 11:00 – 21:30

Thu – Sun: 11:00 – 21:30

Closed: Wed

Protected: Woon Meng & Kam Seng Bought BMF 白米粉 Dinner @ Jin Hock Seafood on 19Apr2016

Posted on April 25, 2016 by chefquak

A Quick & Shiok 3pax Curry Dinner on 24Apr2016

Posted on April 24, 2016 by chefquak

fish head curry

made a really quick simple dinner for 3pax this evening on 24.4.2016. ^^

it was simple & quick because all i did was to use ready paste & sauces.

i had a small 1/2 fish head leftover from the day when i did a 8pax curry rice lunch for my primary school friends.

so today i used a chilli brand fish head curry paste & cooked the 1/2 fish head with some yellow onion, ocra, eggplants, tomato. will share the recipes here on another post, but basically –

just fry the paste with curry leaves & onions, then add ocra, then add fish head & egg plant & coat, then add coconut milk & chicken or fish stock & cover to steam the fish head, then add tomato.

spicy dishes

i cooked another 3 small dishes. it looked like a lot of food for 3pax, but actually fish head was very small (like 450g more bones than meat), & the 3 other dishes all very small quanitites. 🙂

squid ink sotong

for squid ink, just stirfry the ink sacs with cut chilli padi, garlic & yellow onions in butter. add some stock & reduced, then add sotong seasoned with fish sauce & pepper. last add corflour with oyster sauce.

gimson nonya sauce

singlong sambal ikan bilis

for the ocra & long beans, i used ready bottled sauces.

sambal long beans

for long beans i used gimson nonya sauce.

this sauce is so very good, my daughter liked it (the dish) best of all.

long beans take time to cook, so just fry garlic in oil & nonya sauce paste, add long beans, then add stock & cover. when long beans are cooked, reduce sauce further as desired to give a intense tasty dish. so good!

chilli ocra

fot the chilli ocra, i used singlong sambal ikan bilis paste. basically done same way as long beans, but i added some yellow onions also.

very quick to prepare & shiok dinner la…

c.h.e.f andy

Average Yong Tau Fu @ Bedok North Street 1 Food Centre on 23Apr2016

Posted on April 24, 2016 by chefquak

yong tau fu

after the bathesda newgate learning lab community meal which i cooked 1 dish every alternate saturday (hong kong steamed sutchi fillet today), 4 of us volunteers went to have our lunch at bedok north food centre on 23.4.2016. ^^

yong tau fu

i went to get some stuff from the S$1 shop next to bedok north food centre.

we had teochew muay here 2 saturdays ago after volunteering at newgate learning lab community meal.

my friends queued & got me a yong tau fu.

it was quite average hawker stall yong tau fu.

yong tau fu noodles

no comparison with the excellent yong tau fu & noodles at u hakka niang tou fu circuit road.

the yong tau fu at u hakka were very tasty & the noodles were excellent.

yong tau fu

this one here was ok, the standard fare at any hawker yong tau fu stall, not quite the standard of the ghim moh hakka yong tau fu either.

i heard about but yet to try the midnight yong tau fu stall at bukit merah view, anyway i am hardly a fan of the dish.

c.h.e.f andy

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

Yong Tau Fu

Address-

ADDRESS

216 Bedok North Street 1
Bedok North Street 1 Market & Food Centre
Singapore 460216

Interesting Jap Vegetarian @ Teng Bespoke on 21Apr2016

Posted on April 24, 2016 by chefquak

radish salad

my niece (sis’ daughter) & her hubby bought dinner this evening on 21.4.2016. ^^

my niece & her husband are vegetarian…i did a 10-course homecooked vegetarian dinner for her birthday last year 2015.. 🙂

their baby is just past 6months, and it was a good occasion for family to get together & have a great time. the we had 7pax. we all took time carrying the baby & had lots of fun & laughter. 🙂

teng bespoke is located at sunshine plaza bencoolen street.

vegetarian is not my favourite. i was not expecting much, but it’s always good to try some new experience. reviews were mostly good. one review said to go for the “real” vegetarian stuff rather than expensive “mock sashimi” etc…seems like sound advise to me, and that’s what we did. & overall it was a very pleasant enjoyable dining experience, thanks to my niece! 🙂

the radish salad was a great start. 🙂

salad was refreshing & good for 7pax. we ate it like lo hei…toss around..haha!

the goma (sesame) sauce was light & quite perfect. radish was crunchy. we were saying it felt like turnip didn’t feel like daikon texture, but actually usually we had daikon cooked not in thin strips for sashimi garnishing, so this quite interesting variation.

black sesame yu tofu

didn’t think much of the black sesame yu tofu.

i not hot on yu tofu anyway. it’s like teochews eating fresh tofu with tau jeon kind of thing, which i quite like, but no need to pay much for that.

king mushrooms

king mushrooms was one of the recommended dish. it was pretty good.

king mushrooms

nice mushroom taste, good texture & great condiments.

nabe

niece ordered a nabe dish. there were like 5 or maybe 6 dumplings. pretty ok too.

soup was plain, good taste.

tomato spring rolls

wife ordered a tomato spring roll. i like this wonderful dish, crispy skin, very tasty spring roll, simply excellent!

saw one comment on yelp – Tomato spring roll – probably the best spring roll I’ve had!

mushroom tempura

niece ordered a mushroom tempura. it was very good too, not like the usual tempura at all, more like a korokke (croquette).

it was nice…i loved the cheese!

avocado maki

the avocado maki was ok, pretty good actually.

avocado maki

still i like the usual maki a whole lot better, so in the sense just like mock sashimi, i would rather have the real thing la… 🙂

it was a very enjoyable get together.

on their website, teng bespoke claim they are excellent alternative to shojin ryori (精进料理 temple devotion cuisine)..i don’t really know, have not tried in japan. they are too expensive & did not want to spend money on it. this may not be quite equivalent in class i think, but certainly enjoyable. i think i will come back & try other dishes la…

c.h.e.f andy

P.S. checked with niece..dinner was about S#110..i was expecting S$120 or higher…quite ok for the food. 🙂

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

Teng Bespoke

Address

91 Bencoolen Street
#01-50 Sunshine Plaza
Singapore 189652

Opening Hours (everyday)

11:30am – 03:00pm

05:30pm – 10:00pm

Phone

+65 63377050

HK Steamed Sutchi Fillet – 4th Newgate Learning Hub Community Lunch on 23Apr2016

Posted on April 23, 2016 by chefquak

HK steamed sutchi fillets

made a hong kong steamed sutchi fillet this morning on 9.4.2016. ^^

this my 4th community lunch dish for bathesda community’s newgate learning hub. ^^

my 1st for newgate community lunch was on 27.2.2016.

sutchi fillet in the fridge

i did the same HK steamed sutchi fillet for my 9th teban gardens community breakfast on 15.4.2016.

it’s the same simple preparation, so not much to add to the blog post today.

1 of 2 trays of sutchi fillet 7mins in steam oven

the advantages of HK steamed sutchi fillet (similar to creamy dory) are that –

there is no bones, so quite suitable for the older folks; &
preparation is very simple, just add condiments & steamed for 7mins.

& of course it is a very cheap fish to get. i bought 2 packets x 3fillets for S$4.50 for each packet 750g.

i am doing sharing & demo to the teban gardens community next friday, so i am sharing this sutchi dish, so that those interested can easily buy & make themselves, no hassle la!

c.h.e.f andy

White Bee Hoon @ Jin Hock Seafood on 19Apr2016

Posted on April 22, 2016 by chefquak

white beehoon 白米粉

2 primary school friends bought dinner for 10pax this evening on 19.4.2016. ^^

several of them were having this white beehoon 白米粉 quite many times recently & shared the photos on group whatsapp. 🙂

jin hock seafood

jin hock seafood 金福海鲜菜馆is located at #01-131, 844 Tampines Street 82, 520844. quite easy to get there with google map & parking was no problem at 8pm on a tuesday.

twin appetisers

we had twin appetisers. hae chor was good & the duck crepe was quite interesting, a bit sweet but quite nice. 🙂

garoupa hk steamed

we had a tiger garoupa hk steamed 港蒸, quite ok, not the best.港蒸 is a really simple preparation.

white beehoon 白米粉

the white beehoon 白米粉 was supposedly their signature?

somehow i did not see the dish on the food pictures displayed all around.

it was wetter than what i expected, so at first i thought it was mee sua..

white beehoon 白米粉

all those who had taken the dish here many times felt that this evening it was not as good as usual, probably because it was a much bigger serving. one friend went back a few days later & shared on whatsapp that his one person portion was a lot better. 🙂

white beehoon 白米粉

anyway i thought it was still a very good dish, great taste, though i was also not too wowed with it, just a pretty good beehoon. not quite in the category of say crab beehoon though.

crab beehoon

just for comparison, say a crab beehoon at kam jia zhuang, which is a lot tastier, is also wet but not swimming in sauce.

当归焗盐鸡

we had a 当归焗盐鸡.

the ginger sauce was nice, the chicken though not too bad actually, was kind of underwhelming… meat a bit dry…

当归焗盐鸡

so many nice chicken rice in singapore…though different preparation, a 盐焗鸡must be good standard to be comparable.

salted egg prawns

the salted egg prawns were ok.

tofu brocoli & deepfired golden mushrooms

tofu brocoli dish was ok..

but the compoy tofu dish at kam jia zhuang was better.

sambal kang kong

sambal kang kong was quite ok, a bit salty…

green tea cake

friend made a green tea cake.

it was like a pound cake, pleasant, quite light in flavour.

blueberry yogurt cake

another friend (1 of 2 who bought dinner) had his daughter made us a blueberry yogurt cake.

nice too. i like it. brought some back too.

overall great fun & a very nice evening out with old friends.

the dinner cost S$262 for 10pax, kind of a bit on the high side.

c.h.e.f andy

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

Jin Hock seafood 金福海鲜菜馆

Address:

844 Tampines Street 82, 520844

Phone:

6787 4255

Opening Hours:

Mon to Sun: 1700 – midnight

8pax Curry Rice Lunch for My Primary School Classmates on 21Apr2016

Posted on April 22, 2016 by chefquak

curry rice lunch

made a curry rice lunch for my primary school classmates yesterday on 21.4.2016. ^^

i made 4 curry dishes + tofu cheese cake. then added on a white beehoon 白米粉 because a friend bought us (most in this group) a white beehoon 白米粉 dinner 2 days back. a friend brought roast duck & another friend brought chef yamashita cakes.

so for lunch we had –

angkoli fish head curry

nonya curry chicken

thai red curry sayur lodeh

thai dry yellow curry sotong

roast duck (friend bought)

seafood white beehoon 白米粉 – i ran out beehoon, asked a friend who brought some

chef yamashita cakes (friend bought) & tofu cheesecake

fish head curry

i used mak’s curry paste for fish head curry.

did this last time for my RI friends. it was very good!

fish head curry

did not go chinatown. i used a 1kg fish head bought from sheng shiong this time.

fish head curry

just as good la…curry very tasty. fish meat fresh & sweet.

friends still liked the fish head curry best! 🙂

nonya curry chicken

my nonya curry chicken always quite good. very lemak & tasty.

& i did it in quantity too for between 80pax & 100pax for –

teban gardens &

bathesda community

& they were very well received.

nonya curry chicken

maybe this time the fish head curry stood out more.

there were some leftovers & wife & i went out for dinner. the 2 daughters finished off themselves.

thai dry yellow curry sotong

the dry curry sotong were pretty good.

thai dry yellow curry sotong

lemak & flavourful. this a dish my children like a lot.

thai red curry sayur lodeh

& some vege for balanced diet.

thai red curry sayur lodeh

anyway i used the thai dancing chef red curry paste, and it was very easy to make.

fry the curry paste with sliced yellow onions & some coconut milk in 2 tbsp oil till fragrant & onion soften, add long beans & cabbage & 2 cups chicken stock & stewed for 20mins, then add taupok & stewed another 20mins. add water as required.

roast duck

roast duck was very good. “pang”, looked, smelled & tasted good.

seafood white beehoon白米粉

a friend bought a nice dinner at jin hock seafood restaurant金福, ST 82 Coffee House, Block 844 Tampines Street 82.

my friends had been eating white beehoon白米粉 there quite a lot. 🙂

so i thought i gave it a try too. 🙂

seafood white beehoon白米粉

i prepared gravy using chicken stock, a bit of yellow onions & chinese cabbage, and reduced it so it’s very tasty. & i fried the prawns & sotong in butter separately.

ran out of beehoon though, & didn’t want to go out just to get it. asked a friend & he brought a 500g packet with him. i used about 100g. soaked in water.

when serving, i added the beehoon, added oyster sauce, fish sauce, cornflour & stewed 炆! voila!

seafood white beehoon白米粉

it was tasty…pretty ok for a first gazak attempt…it’s more seafood taste, not quite like the jin hock white beehoon白米粉 which also had cuttlefish & pork…

will try it next time with prawns, cuttlefish & pork.

chef yamashita cakes

a friend brought chef yamashita cakes. very nice.

chef yamashita cakes

enjoyed as much then second time la… 🙂

chef yamashita cakes + tofu cheesecake

i made a tofu cheesecake.

chef yamashita cakes

2 friends brought back the tofu cheesecake.

tofu cheesecake

seemed that their family all liked it.

it was a very enjoyable lunch. had a great time together with good friends. we knew each other for 50+ yrs!

c.h.e.f andy

Simple Comfort Food for 4pax Family Dinner on 20Apr2016

Posted on April 21, 2016 by chefquak

#1 spinach soup

wife invited her brother & sil for dinner on 20.4.2016.

i decided to do some simple comfort food-

egg spinach soup

steamed red garoupa (forgot take photos)

sa poh fun – claypot rice

steamed sweet mei cai + aubergines + baby nai bai

lotus seed ginkyo nuts cheng chow

for the egg spinach soup, i just used chicken stock, boiled the spinach stems in it, added tomatoes near the end & beat 2 eggs into the soup. & added spinach leaves last. 🙂

it was just a repeat of what i served for the all-vietnamese new year eve dinner.

we just returned from a tour of hoi an, hanoi & halong bay, and we were served this egg spinach soup on the luxury dragon legend cruise. 🙂 that soup was not on the menu. we think the crew just gave us additional some comfort food they prepared for the crew themselves.

anyhow, both times my soup were as good as that on dragon legend cruise.

#2 sa po fun – claypot rice

my sa po fun – claypot rice, was absolutely the best!

i feel that my claypot rice is outright better than new lucky claypot rice la! ^^

#2 sa po fun – claypot rice

the rice was so fragrant, so tasty!

& chicken was so succulent.

#2 sa po fun – claypot rice

wife’s brother & sil commented even the breast meat was so tender & flavourful, not dry, not sinewy.

#2 sa po fun – claypot rice

the rice itself was not burnt or dry.

the chicken sausage & pork sausage i used were also very good quality.

#2 sa po fun – claypot rice

in fact we did not even have the flavourful dark sauce, and still the rice was very tasty without.

i forgot to take a photo of the steamed red garoupa.

it was good, but it was the usual, fresh, easy to do, nice!

#4 steamed sweet mei cai + aubergines + baby nai bai

#4 steamed sweet mei cai + aubergines + shanghai green

i tried to do the steamed sweet mei cai 梅菜。

xin cuisine’s steamed mei cai eggplant & wawa cai S$18

the inspiration came from the excellent dish we had & enjoyed always at xin cuisine.

needless to say, i was miles off target.

my excellent dried mustard leaves belly pork 梅菜扣肉

i do an excellent mei cai kou rou, so can’t do wrong with the mei cai, aubergine was ok but nothing like what we had at xin cuisine. i did not have the wa wa cai 娃娃菜, so proxied (badly) by shanghai green.

#5 lotus seed ginkyo nuts cheng chow

dessert was the usual lotus seed ginkyo nuts cheng chow. easy, & nice!

c.h.e.f andy

Shiok Everytime – Prawn Noodles @ Why Eat Har on 19Apr2016

Posted on April 21, 2016 by chefquak

S$7 big prawns with pork ribs

went to why eat har again (my 6th time) today on 19.4.2016. ^^

good thing about blogging is i can refer to records of my previous visits. so i had 4 visits which i blogged, 1 which i didn’t & today is the 6th. 🙂

the most recent visit was on 7.1.2016.

S$3.50 prawn noodles dry

there were 10 of us today. ^^

all ordered prawns with pork ribs, except 1 who had only pork ribs to cut down his cholesterol?? not sure that works…

a friend had the S$3.50 dry. looked really good.

actually it works for me too. i enjoyed the soup & chilli most, and sometimes don’t really need the big prawns & i don’t mind the sliced pork too.

S$7 big prawns with pork ribs

soup was excellent as ever la! 🙂

& i always liked the chilli here. today i told alan the stall proprietor & my good friend’s brother that the chilli spicy which i liked but seemed just a bit not so “pang”. still enjoyed la..

S$7 big prawns with pork ribs

today i thought the pork ribs not as good as previously too… not as tender without being old…

S$7 big prawns with pork ribs

overall still very shiok la..

i can take the pork ribs prawns noodles dry everytime, but i guess i will give the S$3.50 bowl a try the next time.

c.h.e.f andy

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Monthly Archives: April 2016

Good Scissor Cut Curry Rice at Toa Payok Lor 8 Food Centre on 30Apr2016

Recipe 1st Sharing & Demo = HK steamed Red Garoupa 示范港蒸红斑 on 29Apr2016

Teriyaki Sutchi Fillet – 10th Teban Gardens Community Breakfast on 29Apr2016

Nice Dinner @ Paradise Dynasty Ion Orchard on 28Apr2016

Tea Smoked Duck Breast

Protected: 8pax Curry Rice Lunch for OPS51 Friends on 21Apr2016

Great Quality Lunch @ Tunglok Signature Orchard Parade on 6Appr2016

Excellent 5pax Birthday Lunch @ Red House on 26Apr2016

Nice Coffee & Pastry & Breakfast Place @ Tiong Bahru Bakery on 22Mar2016

Tiong Bahru Bakery @ Eng Hoon

Enjoyable Curry Rice @ Loo’s Hainanese Curry Rice on 22Mar2016

Just Average Zi Char @ Jin Wee Siglap on 25Apr2016

Protected: Woon Meng & Kam Seng Bought BMF 白米粉 Dinner @ Jin Hock Seafood on 19Apr2016

A Quick & Shiok 3pax Curry Dinner on 24Apr2016

Average Yong Tau Fu @ Bedok North Street 1 Food Centre on 23Apr2016

Interesting Jap Vegetarian @ Teng Bespoke on 21Apr2016

HK Steamed Sutchi Fillet – 4th Newgate Learning Hub Community Lunch on 23Apr2016

White Bee Hoon @ Jin Hock Seafood on 19Apr2016

8pax Curry Rice Lunch for My Primary School Classmates on 21Apr2016

Simple Comfort Food for 4pax Family Dinner on 20Apr2016

Shiok Everytime – Prawn Noodles @ Why Eat Har on 19Apr2016

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Tiong Bahru Bakery @ Eng Hoon

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