ru ji kitchen fishball noodles

daughter discovered this ru ji place recently.

ta pao back the other day. i tried just a little. tasted ok.

this morning, daughter suggested early lunch 11am to beat the sunday crowd.

she suggested xinlu fishball noodles at mei chin road food centre as she knows i used to go there.

we later decided to just go holland drive food centre.

ru ji kitchen fishball noodles

there was a short queue about 6. after we finished about 1130am, the queue had doubled.

ru ji kitchen fishball noodles

the stall used hand made fishballs.

ru ji kitchen fishball noodles

the handmade fishballs were tastier & better texture than xin lu’s bouncy fishballs.

& ru ji offers also the teochew fish cake.

ru ji kitchen fishball noodles

noodles was ok, chilli was quite good taste.

i am the type who like a stronger chilli taste.

also comparing the photos, xin lu’s meepok was more qq than ru ji. so i still prefer xin lu.

yap kee wanton noodles

the 2 daughters went to take the yap kee wanton noodles.

yap kee wanton noodles

i tried the noodles. it was qq, better texture than the ru ji meepok.

the char siew looks off colour & dry.

i commented that red ring wanton noodles also looked anaemic but looked a lot more moist. youngest daughter said she prefers red ring’s.

for me, my favourite still kok kee wanton noodles.

a nice light sunday brunch with 2 daughters.

c.h.e.f andy

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(1) Ru Ji Kitchen Fishball Noodles

(2) Yap Kee Wanton Noodles

Address:

44 Holland Dr, Singapore 270044

hokkaido wagyu don – S$19

went with wife to taka to run some errands on 27.7.2016.

hokkaido izakaya @ japan food town wisma

we walked over to wisma. japan food town is on level 4.

we looked around the different shops for their lunch fares & promos & decided on hokkaido izakaya.

hokkaido wagyu don – S$19

wife took the special kaisen don set & i took the hokkaido wagyu don set. ^^

anyway we shared the food, as usual. 🙂

the beef don was pretty good. wagyu may not be top grade or cut, not like the ohmi wagyu at hachi or miyazaki wagyu at mikuni. it was sliced very thinly & was tender, and the taste of the don was quite good standard for S$19 lunch set. i liked this.

special kaisen don – S$28

there were no prior food photos. special kaisen don was nothing like the tsukiji market.

sashimi very fresh. there was a dash of uni…salmon belly was good quality & ama ebi sweet & nice. tai & maguro (tuna) ok. ikura nice. the don (sushi rice) was nice too.

special kaisen don – S$28

i was not too much impressed with the chirashi don. it was quite ok. it was not like expensive, but also not best value either.

the recent chirashi don set i had at sun with moon was S$33.80, no uni but got chutoro, & came with a substantial side dish, a pork nabe. i would say the chirashi don at sun with moon was maybe better quality & better value.

overall, lunch was quite good standard la, though not that cheap…

c.h.e.f andy

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Hokkaido Izakaya

hokkaido crab with yuzu jelly

went with wife & daughter to mikuni again on 25.7.2016. ^^

thought 50% discounts ending 1.8.2016. received amex mailer to the effect. anyway mikuni staff said they elected to remain status quo.

mikuni grand tour tasting menu

got a bit tired eating same staff on ala carte menu.

decided to take the kaiseki menu this evening. looked quite good including abalones, jap wagyu, qulaity sashimi…

at S$110pax after 50% discounts, maybe this a match for hachi’s top draw kaiseki lunch, the best i had.

prawn crisp

prawn crisp was standard. sometimes it was soft. today crisp, good! 🙂

hokkaido crab with yuzu jelly

hokkaido crab with yuzu jelly such a wonderful way to start..

hokkaido crab with yuzu jelly

came with apple & caviar, & i don’t know, gold leaf??

so delightful to behold, so delicious to eat…

sashimi moriawase – aburi otoro, tai, hamachi, ika

wife & daughter asked for the otoro to be aburi-ed ie flamed.

sashimi moriawase – otoro, tai, hamachi, ika

hamachi & ika were excellent, tai still a bit fibrous…

sashimi moriawase – otoro, tai, hamachi, ika

the otoro were amazing..just looked at the marbling…

tempura asparagus with truffle

this so pretty…

asparagus kakiage with truffle

never taken a deep-fried asparagus before…

very nice of course, with truffle & ikura to boot…

tempura asparagus with truffle

very nicely done, chef!

tempura abalones

never taken tempura abalones either.

tempura abalones

it was good of course, but i still feel a bit wasted. will ask the chef to do the japanese or chinese braised version next time.

grilled ayu

ayu looked so nice also.

grilled ayu

you can see lot of robatayaki restaurants in japan (say shinjuku) where people gathered at the open hearth to enjoy this skewered delicacy.

the meat is finer than say saba & sanma, maybe that’s why japanese like this. for me i prefer oily flavourful fish like saba & sanma much better! this ayu too bland for me….

grilled miyazaki wagyu

the miyazaji wagyu was simply heavenly.

grilled miyazaki wagyu

hachi’s ohmi is a better quality wagyu but the overall experience were just as good for both dishes. these miyazaki beef very well charred & very marbled & flavourful.

sushi

we had a tuna & shima aji sushi to round off the dinner.

sushi

quite good la…no complaints.

shiso sorbet & yogurt

the shiso leaf sorbet & yogurt mousse was quite a nice dessert. refreshing & something new, not the run of the mill ice creams & yuzu jelly.

very delicious & enjoyable dinner. though we come mikuni many times, we usually order ala carte & very rarely take the kaiseki menu. this one turned out to be really excellent.

c.h.e.f andy

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Mikuni

Address:

80 Bras Basah Rd, Fairmont Hotel 3/L, Raffles City, Singapore 189560

Contact:

6431 6156

Opening Hours:

Mon-Sun: 12-2:30pm, 6:30-10:30pm

whole peking duck – S$38

had a really good lunch with my OPS friends, 6pax, at ah yat seafood grandstand on 26.7.2016. ^^

was here for 7pax early birthday dinner few weeks back with some close friends.

ah yat dishes

top view after we demolished the steamed soon hock. 🙂

whole peking duck – S$38

they have promotion whole peking duck ay S$38 weekdays S$52 weekends.

the catch is the second dish (noodles, fried rice, cabbage wrap etc) is like S$15 for medium.

might as well order a hor fun or noodles? or i was eyeing the lobster noodles at S$28.

anyway the duck meat was very nice, flavourful, moist, tender & best S$0.

alaskan crab tanhoon – S$32

we had the alaskan crab tanhoon.

this was the dish that inspired my claypot tanhoon prawns. ^^

steamed soon hock – about S$30

the live soon hock price is S$55/kg.

i asked for one <600g. it was about S$30. i think just the right size for us.

pepper crab – S$19.80

they had the cheaper crabs, not large ones, priced at S$19.80.

they claimed about 500g. i managed to pick 2 larger ones. some looked quite small actually.

the pepper crab was very well done. nice pepper flavours not too overpowering, mildly sweet. it was good.

pumpkin crab – S$19.80

all my friends liked the pumpkin crab, a new flavour to them. we ordered some man tou 馒头 to wipe up the gravy.

all in all, a very good lunch, great friends, delicious food for 6pax cost S$188. that’s really quite good for me.

i guess we could have walloped a lobster noodles too, but maybe it was ok, can do that next time.

c.h.e.f andy

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Ah Yat Seafood @ Grandstand

xiaolongbao 小笼包 

had great 6pax lunch with my OPS friends at paradise dynasty at westgate mall on 25.7.2016. ^^

we went to visit an OPS friend’s mom who was hospitalised & recovering at ng teng fong hospital after a fall.

after that we walked over to westgate mall & decided on paradise dynasty for lunch. 🙂

the xiaolongbao 小笼包 here is one of the best. you can lift quite easily w/o breaking. the skin is thin, the soup inside is sweet & tasty & the meat too, very good! although we need not order the more expensive multi-colour ones.

snow fungus 

snow fungus was excellent. great taste, succulent!

spicy dumplings 抄手 

spicy dumplings 抄手 very good too.

spring rolls 

& i was quite surprised the spring roll was good – crisp & tasty…usually i wouldn’t order spring roll.

radish dumplings 

radish dumplings also good standard. the pastry is fluffy, fragrant & the radish very sweet.

$1 水煮鱼

best was the $1 水煮鱼. we ordered the medium spicy. it was very fragrant & tasty.

they used snake head fish, very slightly tough.

somehow the fish which was also snakehead was much better when i had it at chengdu sichuan?

maybe it is better to use 鲶鱼or 巴丁 pating fish.

赛螃蟹 

the 赛螃蟹 here also very tasty. i liked the vinegared taste.

prawn fried rice 

fried rice was ok but no comparison with ie totally outclassed by the spicy fried rice at crystal jade lamian xiaolongbao!

string beans 

string beans was very good.

lettuce 

so was the lettuce.

lunch was S$124 for 6pax. a very good lunch. we really enjoyed the food.

c.h.e.f andy

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kurobuta with pumpkin puree 

we had a wonderful early 7pax family dinner for youngest daughter at foc on 23.7.2016.

daughter chose the place.

we had great family tapas dinner here when son was back last aug2015.

foc 

foc requires credit card for more than 5pax reservation on weekends. our reservation was 6pm seating, to vacate by 8.30pm.

we had a cosy front corner table looking out on the road.

food (& service) was what we expected, did not disappoint. 🙂

patata bravas 

patata bravas (fiery as in spicy potatoes) was a good starter. potato was tasty.

my second time having it here, felt there was no signature spiciness & “fire” in this version.

mushroom croquette 

liked the 2 croquettes as before.

mushroom croquette more intense flavours.

jamon croquette 

but i like the jamon just as much if not more, lingering savoury taste. crispy crunchy & flavourful croquette.

chorizo egg 

they said the chorizo was made in house. nice combination with the solky egg.

grilled octopus 

grilled octopus was good as before.

still very tender, on second trying though it was less impressive than i thought it was, c/w with the very good ones we had in portugal recently & in london & italy before.

squid dish with egg & brioche

eldest daughter liked the squid dish with egg & brioche. probably because it was a first try.

squid dish with egg & brioche

dish was nice with great olive oil & garlic taste & poached in own sauce, taste of the sea.

for me, nothing impressive.

one dish i forgotten to take was the slider, twin tiny burgers. we each cut a small piece.

nice but nothing special.

scampi & sotong fiduea 

the paella & fiduea here were very good.

this was a blackboar special, a pulled pork (they said suckling pig but not sure made any difference when no crispy skin served) & scallop. very flavourful la…excellent paella.

scampi & sotong fiduea 

fiduea was just as good, very tasty with the shellfish stock & cut squid. & i like the fiduea texture like well infused flavourful beehoon.

scampi & sotong fiduea 

scampi was nice but only one.

squid ink paella 

squid ink was very tasty dish also.

squid ink paella 

but maybe not special for wife & me, since i cook a pretty excellent squid ink risotto myself.

kurobuta with pumpkin puree 

i liked the kurobuta here best! ^^

very flavourful…texture is approaching a bit of pulled texture, which normally too soft & sinewy for my preference, but this one was just very tasty & tender…

i am replicating the dish right now – i used prime ribs so just faking a kurobuta by slow fine braising in 95degC oven for 5hrs. will post later. 🙂

lamb rack with some curried sauce 

the lamb with a but of curried mint sauce or something was very good.

in fact, trying it for second time, i thought it was much better than i remembered.

lamb was very tender & a bit stronger/gamier than most restaurants & also more than my own pistachio crusted rack of lamb.

i liked the flavour though & the interesting sauce which i think was mildly curried.

chocolate burger 

the service staff recommended a chocolate burger for my daughter.

looked beautiful of course.

chocolate burger 

& it was also nice chocolate. for myself i prefer dark & not milk chocolates.

rest did not want dessert.

restuarant offered a brownie cake for my daughter, together with birthday candles, very good of them.

dinner was about S$370 for 7pax include drinks, quite ok really for the food quality, ambience & service. a very pleasant & memorable evening for our family.

c.h.e.f andy

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#1 king fish & prosciutto

wife bought excellent 2pax dinner at salted & hung on 21.7.2016. ^^

salted & hung 6-course 100gourmet dinner on 21.7.2016

this the citibank jul2016 100gourmet dinner.

i had a great dinner at lewin terrace with some friends for jun2016 100gourment & wife was not in singapore at the time.

chef at work

we sat at the counter & was greeted by brent savage, the visiting aussie guest chef from bentley restaurant & bar, sydney. 🙂

we had a good view of the chefs at work.

salted & hung

salted & hung was fully booked for this evening’s 100gourmet dinner.

salted & hung

this restaurant serves contemporary australian cuisine & specialises in curing & grilling.

discriminating human?

animal farm quip?

discriminating human?

whatever taste good is good la…

#1 king fish & prosciutto

this a brent savage dish..chef explained that in line with the restaurant focus salted & hung, we have cured king fish which was brined in salt & sugar.

my own cured salmon

(i did curing with salmon belly before twice, very nice but a bit worried about food safety so did not do after.

looking at the photos, that was 2 years ago already in jul2014).

#1 king fish & prosciutto

the combination of flavours was very good. i liked the prosciutto very flavourful. the cured kingfish was ok but nothing special. the cucumber flower & dressing etc went quite well. a good starter certainly, not overwhelming.

#2 raw scallop

the raw scallop was excellent. very fresh, sweet, tasty.

#2 raw scallop

i liked the entire dish…scallop, beetroot, brocoli etc

#2 salad with raw scallop

this a really superb dish by the resident chef drew nocente.

#3 confit egg yolk

i like the confit egg yolk too, with its silkiness.

#3 confit egg yolk

combined well with the salty nori (seawwed) & there were some crunchy beans.

wife so so with egg yolk generally. for me, i enjoyed it.

#4 salted duck

the salted duck was also a very pleasant surprise.

a very tasty dish, very tender & flavourful duck, very nicely brined & sous vided.

#4 salted duck

& the comte cheese added to the flavours. enjoyed this less common preparation very much.

my own medium rare tea smoked duck breast – 12.4.2016

i am thinking to experiment & try making this dish.

i do an awesome tea smoked duck breast. can vary a bit & try this salted duck. i guess most difficulty is in creating the sauce?

#5 blackmore wagyu flank 9+

the blackmore wagyu 9+ marbling score flank steak was excellent.

according to the grill chef, they browned it first, then smoked of 1/2hr to 1hr in a smoker, then sous vided & finally grilled.

he explained that they try to get the secondary cuts so can offer less expensive choices to diners, and also it offers more culinary challenge to make a good steak from a lesser cut.

#5 blackmore wagyu flank 9+

a very enjoyable steak, perfectly charred, very intense flavourful & tender meat.

it was not the japanese wagyu class of marbling melt-in-the-mouth flavourful, but a smooth, intense, beefy flavourful. a really excellent steak for me!

#6 mangosteen, bickwheat soil, sorbet

and i enjoyed the dessert as well.

#6 mangosteen, buckwheat soil, sorbet

wife & i not really dessert persons. wife still not particularly impressed.

for me it was quite a superb combination of texture & flavours, milding sweet & tangy as well, and with crunchy bits, almonds, buckwheat soil etc.

chefs team

it was really quite fun to watch the chef at work. they were well organised & orderly, & served out the dishes unhurried & in good time.

grill chef at work

& gave some personal attention time also for some chats & exchanges.

overall when i first looked at the salted & hung menu & the lewin terrace menu i was naturally more sold on the kagoshima wagyu sirloin vs a blackmore 9+ wagyu flank.

as it turned out i liked every course in this menu. & the overall dining experience was superb, maybe lewin terrace already a memory, maybe it’s dining with my wife this evening, but this dinner was very enjoyable indeed.

c.h.e.f andy

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Salted & Hung

Address:

12 Purvis St, 188591

Contact:

+65 6358 3130

big prawn + bakut noodles dry 

had big prawn noodles at why eat har again today on 21.7.2016.

we had 7pax. a friend’s friend happened to be at the food centre, so he came over to join our table. he already ordered economic rice so did not take the prawn noodles.

alan, the stall proprietor & my good friend’s brother came by to chat.

the most recent time we were here was 19.4.2016.

noodles here consistently good. prawn was fresh & sweet, noodles just right texture & chill yummy. today though i thought the chilli was just slight less intense & flavourful & a bit more spicy, still very enjoyable.

& the soup was so smooth, intense not overly, tasty…

pork ribs here also always good. today more meaty. texture & taste good though maybe some other times even better.

the big prawn bakut noodle was S$7.50.

big prawn + bakut noodles dry 

2 friends took the smaller bowls which came with the usual fish cakes & sliced pork that doesn’t accompany big prawn noodles. don’t know the price guessing about S$3.50.

this still the best prawn noodles i had, with the exception that i actually like wah kee @ pek kio food centre better but the price there is like out of the range i want to pay for prawn noodles.

c.h.e.f andy

durian mousse dessert @ 记得吃 S$6.50

after a very satisfying dinner at at chong qing grilled fish 重庆烤鱼, we looked for some dessert & wandered into the stall across the street.

记得吃 dessert stall

it’s called 记得吃 remember to eat.

we actually thought it was 吃得记 (chinese read from right to left) like a makan boleh good to eat place but intending to have a double meaning read backwards.

that until i google & found that the correct name is 记得吃.

记得吃 dessert place

the dessert they serve almost same as the snow city dessert雪山飞糊 at ksl city in JB which we visited recently.

the durian mousse (top photo) was very good. durian was thick, intense & flavourful probably D24.

it’s actually quite similar to the durian pengat at ellenborough market cafe.

it’s a large helping & we decided to just share 1 among 5pax. it was quite enough, quite big even for 2pax, ok for 3 to 4pax.

durian ice shavings S$6.80

the durian ice shavings almost replica of snow city dessert.

durian ice shavings S$6.80

all ingredients the same.

it’s a very good dessert. again i think too big to have one alone, best shared by 2pax or 3.

osmanthus jelly 桂花糕 

we also shared an osmanthus jelly 桂花糕. i think this the best osmanthus jelly i tried, so flavourful.

better than timhowan in hong kong i thought.

chendol ice shavings

we were curious with the chendol so ordered 1 to share.

chendol ice shavings

it was good enough i guess if you have not tasted the real thing like the four seasons chendol at toa payoh lor 8 food centre.

it may even be better than many hawker centre fares where the chendol is quite dilute & no kick.

here the ice itself was coconut milk flavoured i think & quite tasty like the durian ice. the gula melaka was not enough though & not as thick & flavourful like four seasons’.

i think this a very good place for dessert, something different from the usual fare & no need to go JB to have it. will come back again. i think my friend already went back the next day… lol. 🙂

c.h.e.f andy

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重庆烤鱼 chong qing grilled fish – S$38

my OPS primary school classmate bought 5pax dinner last evening at chong qing grilled fish 重庆烤鱼 on 18.7.2016. ^^

the restaurant is at liang seah street so quite convenient to just park at bugis junction & walk over.

the entire street is lined up with chinese, mostly sichuan, restaurants. there is a korean arirang & maybe a thai restaurant.

重庆烤鱼 chong qing grilled fish

we were there at 630pm on a monday & the place, including tables is quite full. people must like the food here.

重庆烤鱼 chong qing grilled fish – S$38

sichuan is of course one of the 4 major cuisines 四大菜系. i like 水煮鱼best.

i have seen重庆烤鱼many times previously, but was not particularly motivated to try it, as i generally rather have steamed or poached fresh fish than grilled ones.

重庆烤鱼 chong qing grilled fish – S$38

i liked this very much though this evening! my friend ordered 微辣. we both agreed that it would even taste better it it was spicier, so next time need to order 中辣.

thing about mala 麻辣 is that while people usually think about the numbness, for me the key thing is the fragrance 香 or “pang”. mala makes the fish or beef or fried rice very tasty & flavourful!

there was only seabass this evening. not sure what fish is best for this dish, but seabass was ok. the grilled skin helped to hold the fish & meat was in fact firmer. seabass has “mud” taste so this mala treatment is good.

there were many add-ons & chargeable, the coriander, the “duk” 年糕, & we added enoki mushrooms & pig skin as well.

scrumptious dishes

重庆烤鱼 does not sell 水煮鱼 only 水煮牛肉 so my friend went next door to tapao back 水煮鱼, with the agreement of 重庆烤鱼restaurant.

水煮鱼from next door

i really enjoy this dish水煮鱼. seldom eat it as no kakis to eat with, just like the indian curry fish head.

fish is so tender & flavourful.

my favourite水煮鱼 restuarnat is chengdu sichuan at outram road but just read that they were closed & perhaps the old chendu sichuan now located at pagoda is the same restaurant. will find out.

水煮鱼from next door

my friend thought it was 鲶鱼 or he said he overheard “pating” (which is also a cat fish) but maybe it was snake head or “loi her”..

水煮鱼fom next door

anyway it was so tender & tasty. now i really want to eat this again la…^^

between 水煮鱼 & 重庆烤鱼 i still like 水煮鱼more but now i am quite motivated to try 重庆烤鱼 again. it is a more comprehensive dish with all the add-ons.

黄焖鸡 slow braised hua tiao wine chicken

the braised wine chicken (they supposedly used kampung chicken) had very tasty sauce. the scallions & leek were very tasty.

黄焖鸡2 slow braised hua tiao wine chicken

chicken though was dry & tough.

not sure if this was the style, but it is not a style of making chicken i like. i think it should be tender & tasty & not overcooked & still with the tasty braising sauce.

some chilli mushrooms

this mushroom dish was excellent! i will definitely order this again.

2 eggs with heng chye

the egg spinach dish was very good too.

2 eggs with heng chye

the salted egg flavour was strong. maybe too strong for some. i liked it though.

salted egg sotong

we were quite full after 5 large dishes for 5pax. my friend ordered a salted egg sotong to try.

it was not good though. sotong was small, cooked too long & rubbery, too much batter, slated egg taste were good. we ate about 20%. still it was quite edible so another friend tapao back.

my own salted egg sotong

one friend commented it was not as good as my own salted egg sotong u made at a recent 6pax lunch.

i thought so too where sotong texture & batter goes. it was kind of slightly different style actually. that was my first time making the dish so i did not get the amount of salted egg sauce right.

overall i enjoyed the dinner very much & of course the company of friends. din know how much it cost. i estimate about S$170 (the drinks were costly like S$3.80pax).

i will definitely try this 重庆烤鱼 soon. probably will try another restaurant, also there are some groupon promos no harm giving them a try.

c.h.e.f andy

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Chong Qing Grilled Fish 重庆烤鱼 

Address: