Monthly Archives: February 2018

Braised Chicken with Chinese Mushrooms – 53th Teban Gardens Community Breakfast on 23Feb2018

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braised chicken thighs & mushrooms 

made a braised chicken with chinese mushrooms for teban gardens community breakfast this morning on 23.2.2018.^^

this my 53rd friday breakfast community meal dish at teban gardens community service centre.

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.

braised mushrooms 

this time I lazy. braised whole as chicken thigh steak last evening..means one entire boneless thigh slab not cut..

(usually i cut the chicken into pieces & cook in the morning..)

i braised the chicken thigh the usual preparation – fried cinnamon stick, star anise, cloves, bay leaves & whole bulb garlic cloves in oil till fragrant, added chicken thighs, then added tai hua braising sauce.

then took out the chicken thighs, and boiled 2 packets of chinese mushrooms (maybe 40pieces/packet) in the braise. added water & braise the mushrooms for 1-2hrs till well infused with the braise & tender.

braised chicken thighs 

braised chicken thighs & mushrooms 

there were 11 large chicken thighs, which i cut into 10-12 pieces each.

braised chicken thighs & mushrooms 

not a bad method actually as chicken steak very easy & fast to cut…

mushrooms no problem of overcooking so after bringing mushroom braise to boil just dump cut chicken pieces, cover & warm up..

braised chicken thighs & mushrooms 

chicken has the look of cold cut chicken but was tender & both chicken & mushrooms well infused with the braise….

braised chicken thighs & mushrooms

stir-fry a little on high fire, then cover & let it heat up the chicken.

braised chicken thighs & mushrooms 

then transfer to aluminum carrier for transport.

lohei

lohei

today is 8th day of CNY.

the teban gardens staff came early at 6am to prepare the lohei for the residents.

lohei 

the staff made their own lohei with the shredded veg ingredients & arranged like a dog with tail even!👍👍👍

after breakfast, the staff organised the residents to have the lohei celebrations. 🙂

c.h.e.f andy

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6pax Home Dinner for OPS Bros, WW & WQ on 9Feb2018

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OPS Bros + WW & WQ

made 6pax homecooked dinner with WM, WT, WW & WQ this evening on  9.2.2018. ^^

WW is living in shenzhen 8 yrs now, and the last time we visited HK & SZ on 10-14sep2017 he was the one who met us at shenzhen luohu & brought us around. WQ is WT’s second son studying in tokyo & returning singapore for CNY holidays.

we had-

1 claypot rice
2 spicy black bean sauce song fish head 豆豉松鱼头
3 hong steamed red garoupa 港蒸松鱼头
4 braised hock 香卤元蹄
5 tofu prawns 豆腐虾
6 fried brocoloi 炒芥蓝花

claypot rice

claypot rice was the usual great flavours…

braised hock 卤元蹄

braised hock 卤元蹄  was tender & flavourful.

braised hock 卤元蹄

i actually had trotters too, but when serving, the serving bowl tilted over, and i dropped the trotters. so threw them away. sayang!

usual HK steamed red garoupa 港蒸红斑

usual HK steamed red garoupa 港蒸红斑

HK steamed red garoupa 港蒸红斑 so easy to do & everyone always wonder at how fragrant in smell & taste the top quality light soy sauce delivers.

song fish head 松鱼头

song fish head 松鱼头

the spicy black bean sauce this evening was very good. all my friends commented. much better that what i made recently for 7pax OPS Bros dinner on 25.1.2018.

tofu prawns

tofu prawns was ok. tofu well infused. prawns texture perfect, bouncy, fresh & sweet.  very tasty stock.

garlic fried brocoli

WT did the brocoli while i took photos of the other dishes.

after dinner WM helped me with the dishes…

WT brought cut fruits, WM brought box of korean pears, HC brought durian love letters & pineapple tarts.

we had a wonderful evening & great fellowship.

c.h.e.f andy

Delightful 10pax Spanish Tapas + Pasta RI Friends Dinner on 5Feb2018

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RI friends 10pax tapas + pasta home dinner

had a fun, delightful spanish tapas + pasta evening with my RI buddies on 5.2.2018. ^^ it was good to s OCH, now resident in california, who was visiting his parents over CNY.

i made 10 dishes.

Tapas
1 pumpkin salad
2 tortilla-spanish omelette
3 nobu miso cod
4 teriyaki salmon belly
5 miso belly pork
6 red wine pork ribs
7 chorizo prawns
8 grilled vegetables

Pasta
9 seafood “fiduea”
10 paella mixta
11 harold’s orange chocolate chip cake 🎂

HCK brought spanish red wine

HCK, a good friend during my sec1/2 days, now infrequent guest to my dinners, brought a nice spanish wine…

#1 – pumpkin salad

the first dish was a pumpkin salad. i prepared the aussie butternut squash the evning before, 20mins in 250degC oven, just the right texture, and marinated with extra virgin olive oil, balsamic & honey (didn’ have agave nectar)

i bought rockets from giant but they looked not fresh after spinning(to dry after wash), so aunty Bes got some rockets from my own pot. i added the cherry tomatoes & rockets when serving & added sea salt, oliv oil etc to taste..

#1 – pumpkin salad

a wonderful salad, great colours & a beauty to look at.

#1 – pumpkin salad

& great taste with the olive oil & honey.

#2 – tortilla (spanish omelette) + tamago (jap rolled egg omelette)

i did my usual tortilla or spanish omelette.

#2 – tortilla (spanish omelette)

simple & good, nice combination of potatoes, onions & egg.

#2 – tamago (jap rolled egg omelette)

i made a jap tamago rolled egg just as a counterpoint…always good..

tapas dishes

nobu miso cod & teriyaki salmon belly

nobu miso cod & teriyaki salmon belly

and nobu miso cod & teriyaki salmon belly ..

#3 – nobu miso cod

both are nice..some friends would like the cod better, some the salmon.

#4 – teriyaki salmon belly

& i served with dill, also form my garden…

#5 red wine pork ribs & #6 miso belly pork

for meats, i made red wine pork ribs & miso belly pork.

both were slow braised in 95degC oven for 6hrs. the red wine pork ribs ad a great marinade. the ribs were ok tender (can be better) and quite excellent with the marinade. TW thought the belly pork was more tender but he tasted the ribs again with the marinade & liked it too.

#6 – miso belly pork

the miso belly pork was flamed just before serving & very tender..& very nicely miso flavoured.

#7 – roasted vegetables 

& i had grilled vegetables – potatoes, brocoli, sweet corn, green & red peppers. a nice balance to the meat dishes.

#8 – chorizo prawns

TC was delayed as he had to be at the airport to see of some foreign worker who he had attended to. he arrived about 8.15pm.

we kept the tapas items on a plate for him, and went as plan with the hot tapas & pasta when he arrived.

chorizo prawns had really wonderful tasty chorizo flavours, and the prawns were done just right, fresh, bouncy, sweet.

#9 – paella mixta

the paella mixta was wonderful this evening, and such a beauty to the eye too.

paella was 80% done. when ready to serve, i added more chicken/prawn stock to cover the rice, then high fire to boil & low fire to cook the rice. then i added the marinated prawns & covered, and next the sotong & covered. so the prawns & sotong were steamed as the paella cooked. lastly added the pan-grilled chicken thigh as topping & garnished with coriander.

then serve! voila!

#9 – paella mixta

very tasty, flavourful paella. everything is in the stock!

#9 – paella mixta

paella texture was just right, al dente not mushy…prawns & sotong texture also perfect. chicken thigh was tasty if ordinary..

#10 seafood ‘fiduea’

& my last dish, a seafood “fiduea”. again it was the stock that did wonders…

very very tasty, flavourful fiduea, though i used broken up angelhair as proxy.

it looked like beehoon, but of course pasta has that special al dente texture & bite, not the soft beehoon texture..

rojak

LCM brought nice rojak, 2 packets x $6, with sauce in separate packets. nice rojak.

HT’s orange chocolate chip cake

& HT made a nice orange chocolate chip cake..

Hs orange chocolate chip cake

liked the cake.

after dinner, TW gave a useful short talk on yield investing, as we enjoyed HT’s cake 7 the strawberries LCH brought.

it was a wonderful evening with good friends. HT was at my place first time, OCH was visiting from california & HCK was infrequent at my dinners, so a great time to catch up with them as well.

c.h.e.f andy

Great Bento Lunch with Godsis @ Anzu Japan Food Town on 9Feb2018

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S$15 lunch bento at anzu 

had a wonderful 2pax bento lunch with godsis at anze, japan food town level 4 wisma atria on 9.2.2018. ^^

meimei doesn’t take sashimi much. last time we had yakiniku at heijoen so we thought we have something different this time.

the dainty bentos are not really my preferred dishes, but this one only S$15 & i don’t really mind tonkatsu (breaded pork) as a main..

the set turned out to be quite delicious & good combo of dishes…meimei was very happy with the meal..

nice salad 

the salad was actually quite nice with the dressing. it was just shredded cabbage & some pickled radish..

nice salad 

the pickled radish was very good, and went perfectly with the salad. i tried the yuzu dressing (good), the pepper cream dressing (even better) and also the sweet tonkatsu sauce (quite ok)..

S$15 lunch bento at anzu 

there was chawamushi, miso soup, seaweed, cold soba, pumpkin, tamago (very good, better than my own for sure), and a very good fish kakiage…

S$15 lunch bento at anzu 

my preference still sashimi don & beef but this bento was very ok for me, and for just S$15 + 10% no GST.

after lunch meimei bought kopi at toast masters…nice lunch & chat with godsis.

c.h.e.f andy

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

Anzu

Address:

435 Orchard Road, 4F Wisma Atria, Singapore 238877
Contact:
japanfoodtown.sg
6262 3408
Opening Hours:
daily
  • 11:30AM–11PM

Best T-rex Prime Ribs Bakuteh on 7Feb2018

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prime ribs bakuteh

i bought some nice fresh indonesia prime ribs to make the red wine pork ribs for the 4pax OPS homecooked donburi on 1.2.2018. 

so there were 6 large meaty ribs left in the chiller, i would say easily 600g+.

today i decided to cook bakuteh on 4.2.2018. ^^

one OPS friend used to joke T-rex bkt!

of course the ribs already cut in 1/2, otherwise its even larger…what is important thought is the meaty ribs with layer of fat that makes it very tasty & heavenly sinful…what am i saying???

prime ribs bakuteh

making bakuteh is like next to effortless…

1 packet ilc bkt sachet. 1kg pork ribs..today about 600 – 700g..a bulb of garlic cloves. & that’s it. boil for 50mins.

prime ribs bakuteh 

the bakuteh was absolutely delicious, for all the reasons i mentioned – meaty, layer of fat flavouring the meat, though tender texture with bounce in the bite.

prime ribs bakuteh

prime ribs bakuteh 

totally better than sin ming road bkt…ribs were better, soup much, much better la…

prime ribs bakuteh

now see also lau nua!

c.h.e.f andy

Lovey Fish Belly Noodles & Fatty Thai Wanton Mee on 7Feb2018

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WM & me

my OPS bro WM has been waxing lyrical about this fried fish head noodles & thai wanton mee at beach road. so this morning we decided to meet for makan there at 10.30am on 4.2.2018.

S$5 fish belly noodles soup

like early time for me & no customers but they said they sold out the fish head.

deep-fried fish head can be very nice but often they are boney & no much meat, so i don’t miss it much unless i know it is good…

S$5 fish belly noodles soup

this fish belly soup as it turned out was very good! nice batter, fresh fish & thick cut about 6+1smaller pieces.

the broth was so very tasty, lots of ooomph! & the noodles were really interesting, lite a very tasty yeemeen perhaps al dente??? anyway very nice la & not common like the thick bee hoon (which also nice, i like).

fish head & fish belly noodles stall

not sure the name of this fish noodles stall…they also served tomyam fish noodles so maybe it’s the same owner as fatty thai…

fish noodles soup stall

 like this fish noodles best this morning…

S$4 thai wanton noodles

the thai wanton noodles was also good…

S$4 thai wanton noodles

it looked no different from our wanton noodles…there were 2 crispy & 2soup wanton…the char siew was better, more flavourful than most wanton mee..& they gave lots of vegetables & lar pok (crispy lard)..

& the special was some spicy thai chilli powder..it looked a small teaspoonful, but it did add a subtle quite wonderful flavour to the noodles..maybe can get this powder & do at home..

thai wanton noodles

very enjoyable bowl of goodness..

fetty thai wanton noodles

i would take this again.

S$3 char kuay teow

since we were there, decided to share a S$3 char kuay teow..

it was good too, not exceptional, completely competent..

S$3 char kuay teow

enjoyed it too..

he ji 和记

a great outing this morning, like brunch just enjoying a few noodle dishes together & chatting & sharing.

c.h.e.f andy

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

Fatty Thai Wanton Mee
Address:
341 Beach Rd, Singapore 199567
Contact:
9383 8842
Opening Hours:
daily
  • 9AM–7PM

(closed sunday, monday till 8pm)

Ho JIak! Saba Don 烧鲭鱼丼 on 4Feb2018

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roasted saba 烧鲭鱼

had some vinegared sushi rice leftover fro the 4pax OPS homecooked donburi dinner on 1.2.2108.

& some long unused cheap frozen saba in the freezer.

saba is fishy & oily fish so actually very flavourful…difficult to eat w/o rice.

i cleaned & washed the fish thoroughly with salt & pat dry with kitchen towels. i decided to roast it in the oven instead of pan-fry as it gave a dryer less oily (outside) texture, more like what you get in japan…so 10mins in 250degC oven.

roasted saba 烧鲭鱼

came out quite perfect actually.

saba was very “pang” flavourful becos of the oil & not fishy…would still be fishy for wife but for me very the ok…

saba don 烧鲭鱼丼

& of course quite perrrrfect with the vinegared sushi rice.

saba don 烧鲭鱼丼

a statisfying quick meal.

c,h,e,f andy

Ah Seng Mao Shan Wang & Tapao Weiyi Laksa 唯一辣沙 on 4Feb2018

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weiyi laksa 唯一辣沙 

LKY came by on 4.2.2018.

weiyi laksa 唯一辣沙 

i was at sheng shiong tanglin halt when he called. on the way back home, passed by weiyi laksa 唯一辣沙  & saw that the queue was quite short.

stopped to queue up to tapao the laksa….waited maybe 10mins.

weiyi laksa 唯一辣沙

my usual order = S$5 No 6 (shredded chicken, cockles, taupok) & thick beehoon mee.

was as good as always…great savoury lemak laksa gravy, tender chicken, big cockles & nice taupok, noodles just right.

MSW

i bought D24 & MSW from ah seng the evening before, so we had our own durian feast, 2 of us….

 

D24 was very good slight bitter..MSW initially i thought not as good as last evening but i had it again later it was very good la!

c.h.e.f andy

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

Tian Shui Chicken Rice Tanglin Halt Road
Address:
48 Tanglin Halt Rd
Contact:
9757 5532
Opening Hours:
Tuesday – Sunday
  • 9AM–8PM
Monday
  • Closed

 

Very Good Hup Seng Braised Duck on 2Feb2018

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hup seng braised duck & kong bak

had 2pax makan with my OPS bro WM at hup seng braised duck rice on 2.2.2018. ^^

hup seng braised duck & kong bak

the braised duck here is really good!

meat was tender, sweet & the braise (lor) was really flavourful. this among the best braised duck i had, very good standard!

hup seng braised duck rice

WM was early before me & queued up for the duck & kong bak, he also tapao some wings back, all for S$20. quite ok…

S$7 sin min road (rong cheng) bakuteh

we ordered one sin ming road bakuteh, $7 for 2 prime ribs, to share.

pretty good, though one rib was like 1/2 the size of the other…WM gave me the bigger rib…

S$7 sin min road (rong cheng) bakuteh

still nice but not so great as before..really the ones i made were better, both the ribs & the soup.

S$6 roast duck drumstick

saw the roast duck rice stall, decided to buy a roast duck drumstick to try.. S$6! i guess that’s the going price nowsadays.

S$6 roast duck drumstick

roast duck pretty good too, but nothing special also, can do w/o it too.

c.h.e.f andy

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

(1) Hup Seng Duck Rice

Address:

22 Sin Ming Road, Singapore 570022
Contact:
ieatandeat.com
6454 3810
Opening Hours:
daily (closed on thurs)
  • 7AM–2:30PM

(2)  Sin Ming Road (Rong Cheng) Bakuteh

Address:
Blk 26 Sin Ming Lane, #01-114 Midview City, 573971
Contact:
rongchengbkt.com
6684 1889
Opening Hours:
daily
  • 7AM–9PM

 

Very Expensive Bingsu @ Nunsongyee Korean Dessert Cafe on 1Feb2018

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4pax OPS Bros bingsu

after our nice homecooked donburi dinner, we decided to go get some dessert.

WT suggested bingsu at nunsongyee korean dessert cafe at 9 yuk tong ave on 1.2.2018. ^^

nunsongyee korean dessert cafe

nice modern clean ambience, open 24hrs.

WM & WT @ nunsongyee korean dessert cafe

WT @ nunsongyee korean dessert cafe

we ordered the 2 featured signature premium bingsu – black sesame & choco banana.

black sesame bingsu

quite nice, both of them, but i not much wowed over…

black sesame bingsu

red beans nice & sweet, ice cream & ice shavings good flavours..

choco banana bingsu

choco banana bingsu

choc banana also nice.

HC bought 2 bingsu share by 4pax for S$32..

it was fun for us just to chill after a nice home dinner…

but really overall experience & enjoyment, i didn’t find it better than adam road S$2 ice kachang or four seasons S$2 chendol..they are different of course but the S$2 dessert gave me more satisfaction than the S$16 one albeit the S$16 portion is enuf for 2pax sharing…

c.h.e.f andy

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

Nunsongyee Korean Dessert Cafe (Bukit Timah)
Address:
9 Yuk Tong Avenue, Singapore 596314
Contact:
9728 8563
Opening Hours:
daily
  • Open 24 hours

4pax OPS Bros Home Donburi Dinner on 1Feb2018

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4pax OPS bros dobburi dinner

made 4pax donburi dinner for my OPS bros today on 1.2.2018. ^^

dinner was only decided 10am this morning…these dishes didn’t need much preparations la… 🙂

donburi

i made the sushi rice, 2 cups for 4pax, and added 3 tbsp sushi vinegar. wife told me just take out the rice onto a large bowl & mix…donburi sushi rice doesn’t need to be taken hot..

the rice came out nicely, just the right vinegar flavours.

we had –

  1. pan seared hokkaido scallops
  2. teriyaki cod
  3. braised belly pork + flamed miso belly pork
  4. USDA prime ribeye steak
  5. tamago
  6. sushi rice

donburi dishes

i planned scallops, cod, belly pork & beef & also tamago.

donburi dishes

a rather nice gourmet spread, i might add. ^^

jap donburi dinner ingredients

hokkaido scallops

i bought the IQF frozen hokkaido scallops S$23.88 for 1kg from giant.

pan seared hokkaido scallops

pan seared quite nicely over butter on a non-stick pan…scallops must be bone dry…drizzled a bit sea salt.

pan seared hokkaido scallops

scallops were excellent, nicely seared, succellent, plump, sweet..

tamago – japanese rolled egg

i did the usual tamago japanese rolled egg omelette – 3 eggs, 2 tbsp mirin, 1.5tbsp tsuyu, 2tbsp water.

tamago – japanese rolled egg

came up nicely too.

tamago – japanese rolled egg

tamago – japanese rolled egg

it’s a good complement to the meat items…

teriyaki cod

there was no time to do my usual miso cod which required 3days marination in the chiller…

so i just added  <1tbsp flat sugar, 2tbsp light soy sauce, 2 tbsp mirin, 2 tsp chopped garlic, 2cm chopped ginger & marinated for about 6 hrs.

then grilled 15mins in 250degC oven.

over grilled teriyaki cod

very tasty cod, done nicely, less firm than a 3 day marinated miso cod..a great dish

braised belly + flamed miso pork belly

i did the braised belly, & also miso belly 6hrs in 95degC oven.

braised pork belly

braised belly was marinated with sugar, light soy sauce & mirin. & miso belly with miso.

flamed miso pork belly

for the miso belly, i flamed it also with a torch. it was more flavourful than the braised belly.

grain fed black angus ribeye

i had a USDA prime ribeye at S$67/kg from QBfoods. this piece should be about 300g+

grain fed black angus ribeye

the USDA prime steak was excellent!

grain fed black angus ribeye

very sweet, tasty, no residue.

grain fed black angus ribeye

all my friends loved the steak & the donburi dinner.

WT’s pineapple tarts & almond cookies

WT gave me a bottle of pineapple tarts & almond cookies.

i love both both of them, took too much last year also, & now.

we had a great evening. after dinner, wash-up and some chit chat, we decided to go out for some dessert – bingsu!

c.h.e.f andy

 

CL Bought 5pax RI Friends Toptable Lunch on 31Jan2018

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5pax RI friends toptable lunch

had to check out of aloha loyang at 9.45am this morning on 31.1.2018.

i had brought all my change, so dressed appropriately for toptable lunch.

had some time to kill, so sent LKH to his condo & had a coffee chat till 11.30am, got to toptable punctually at 12pm..

toptable S$13.80 3-course set lunch menu

CL bought 5pax lunch today, with EPL, LS & SK, and me. 🙂

grilled prawn salad

all my friends had the grilled prawn with green apple salad, with toasted pine nuts. looked great & tasted great too.

last week i had the grilled chicken salad, so this time i opted for soup.

leek & parsnip soup

cream of leek is a soup i like.

today’s was leek & parsnip soup.

leek & parsnip soup

nice creamy tasty soup.

sauteed red snapper with pumpkin resoni pasta

all of us took the red snapper with resoni, a rice shape pasta..

sauteed red snapper with pumpkin resoni pasta

looked great. the red snapper was done nicely, good texture, competent for sure, nothing special i guess.

resoni texture was good, sauce was ok  quite tasty…

trio of dessert – hazelnut cream tart

dessert like most dishes here, always good.

we had cappuccino, latte & tea..

always enjoy this great value lunch here & a very pleasant time with good freinds.

c.h.e.f andy

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

Top Table @ Temasek Polytechnic

Address:

31 Tampines Avenue 1, Temasek Polytechnic, Singapore 529757
Contact:
6780 6369
Opening Hours (for a short period where the program is putting out actual lunches by students):
weekend
  • Closed
weekday
  • 11:30AM–1:45PM

 

 

Good Hawker Food 5pax RI Bros Lunch @ Bedok Food Centre 1 Bedok Road on 30Jan2018

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5pax RI bro lunch

today, we going to a 13pax bbq at aloha loyang chalet, and 5 of us met to go get the bbq stuff etc.

we arranged to meet at bedok food centre (this the favourite haunt of LKH) on 30.1.2018. ^^

soon lee

i decided to buy char kuay teow, fried carrot cake & orh luak at soon lee. no queue at lunch time.

S$3 char kuay teow

S$3 char kuay teow  was good standard, tasty, good wok hae, and lots of hum (cockles) & ingredients, i think very good for the price la…

S$3 fried carrot cake

S$3 fried carrot cake also good, tasty, not too sweet, good ttexture of carrot cake, most important flavourful..

S$5 orh luak

S$5 orh luak good too…

so though i did not expect much to begin with, i think this soon lee standard is very good for the price, assuming the serving size & taste is consistent. first time i ate here.

indian rojak

LKY ordered the indian rojak next stall. can’t remember the price but it was not expensive & it was good too…

munazzah

stall name is munazzah. this indian rojak also what i like, something i would take again next time i am here…

S$5 nasi ayam penyet

LKH favourite here is the S$5 nasi ayam penyet .

and it was good, chicken crispy, good taste, chilli & other condiments also good.

S$5 nasi ayam penyet

5 of us shared the food so got to try different dishes, but i would be happy to just have this S$5 nasi ayam penyet too.

nur indah kitchen

LCM went to queue for the nasi ayam penyet.

pig innard soup???

we were seated next to the pig innard soup stall, so NCL went to get a bowl. ingredients were normal i guess, the soup base never seen before, and don’t intend to see again la!

c.h.e.f andy

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

(1) Nur Indah Kitchen – stall 7

(2) Munazzah – stall 1

(3) Soon Lee – stall 2

Address:

Bedok Food Centre

1 Bedok Rd, Singapore 469572

 

 

So-so Mediocre Laksa @ Ang Mo Kio Lor Mee Laksa on 30Jan2018

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S$4 laksa

send my car to sin min workshop to do the brakes on 30.1.2018.

had good coffee & waited at sin min bkt & hup seng braised duck for my RI to pick me up.

amk lor mee laksa

he wanted to go to ang mo kio ave 10, and decided to queue for laksa at ang mo kio lor mee & laksa.

i asked for S$3 laksa add cockles but they don’t do that so it was just S$4 laksa instead.

i also asked for thick bee hoon mee & i heard the lady repeated that, yet when my friend brought the laksa to the table it was jsut thick beehoon.

S$4 laksa

laksa looked ok, but taste quite poor in my view…wonder why the queue, not really cheap & not really good. must be my liking different la…no oomph, lemak w/o savoury flavours..this laksa just not for me…didn’t finish it, about zero attraction for me.

for me, weiyi laksa @ tanglin halt is a lot better than this…

c.h.e.f andy

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

Ang Mo Kio Lor Mee Laksa
Address: 
453A Ang Mo Kio Ave 10, Singapore 561453

Opening Hours: 

daily 6am – 2.30pm (closed wed)
Contact:
9737 2625

Braised Chicken with Potatoes – 52th Teban Gardens Community Breakfast on 9Feb2018

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braised chicken with potatoes

made a braised chicken with potatoes for teban gardens community breakfast this morning on 9.2.2018.^^

this my 52nd friday breakfast community meal dish at teban gardens community service centre.

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.

braised chicken with potatoes

been doing variations of this several times recently, as it is easy to do, and really tasty & flavourful.

i had 2kg chicken thighs & 1 kg wingsticks marinated with 2tbsp fish sauce, 2tbsp sesame oil & 1tbsp corn flour overnight in the fridge.

this morning, i fried 1 cinnamon stick, 4 bay leaves, 4 star anise, 1 bulb of garlic cloves, 2cm sliced ginger & 1 cut chilli padi…then added the chicken & fried to get the flavours to all parts. then i added 80ml of tai hwa chicken braising sauce.

then covered & simmered for 5 mins, and the removed the thighs leaving the wingsticks.

then i added 5 cut potatoes, and cooked for another 5mins. pressed the potatoes to check it was just cooked.

braised chicken with potatoes

then i added back the chicken thighs, stirred to mix & then added some cornflour to thicken.

braised chicken with potatoes

& transferred all the the alunimium carrier.

braised chicken with potatoes

chicken were tender & tasty, and the potatoes were lovely, very tasty infused with the sauce & just the right bite texture.

c.h.e.f andy

S$5 No Good Fish Belly Soup @ Hong Kong Street Chun Kee Commonwealth Crescent Food Centre on 28Jan2018

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S$5 no good fish belly soup

having dinner alone this evening. decided to drop by hk street chun kee at commonwealth crescent food centre level 2 for simple fish belly thick beehoon soup on 28.1.2018.

hk street old chun kee

i ordered the S$5 fish belly thick beehoon soup.

spicy black bean sauce song fish head 松鱼头here very good. 

so quite surprising for me that the fish belly soup quite bad!

S$5 no good fish belly soup

the fried fish was good serving with 5+ thick cut arge fried fish slices. that was good!

but the soup – it was totally tasteless? how could  that be leh? there was no evaporated milk in it..they did not ask me..i thought they should ask or default have evaporated milk as that is the usual preparation..

anyway it was the soup base that was tasteless, like drinking water…

c.h.e.f andy

 

S$9.80 Kaisen Mountain Mori @ Sabar Japan Food Town on 29Jan2018

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S$9.80 kaisen mountain mori 

went with my OPS bros WM & WT to japan food town level 4 wisma for the S$9.80 kaisen mountain mori at sabar on 29.1.2018. ^^

i tried it recently with my sis & bil. this the first time WM & WT tried.

it was a small bowl & actually quite a huge serving of sashimi, basically the bara chirashi don sashimi cuts.

S$9.80 kaisen mountain mori 

bowl was overflowing, so they provided a larger bowl if you want to eat from the larger bowl.

came with soup & you can also get a free saba sushi from the jpassport app & facebook.

S$9.80 kaisen mountain mori

sashimi – salmon, maguro fresh & sweet & vinegared cured saba very nice too…certainly a very good donburi for S$9.80, of course not expect premium cut sashimi, but it was good & we all enjoyed it. ^^

c.h.e.f andy

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

Sabar

Address:
4F Wisma Atria , 435 Orchard Road, #04-50, Singapore 238877
Contact:
japanfoodtown.sg
6262 3453
Opening Hours:
daily :  11:30AM–10PM

 

Kim Keat Hokkien Mee, Zhi Xiang Lor Mee & Lik Ming Laksa – 4 RI Bros Makan Venture on 27Jan2018

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good S$6 kim keat hokkien mee

LKH visiting sis staying in the area, so 4 of us RI bros arranged to meet at toa payoh lor 4 food centre for makan on 27.1.2018. ^^

kim keat hokkien mee 

last time i came with my OPS bro WM, kim keat hokkien noodles was not opened yet (only open at 11am).

good S$6 kim keat hokkien mee

LKY went to queue up for hokkien noodles. 3 of us went to the food centre & ordered laksa & lor mee.

LKH went to the coffeeshop to buy kopi.

the S$6 hokkien noodles were good standard. very tasty, moist, noodles not overdone, chilli nice & spicy. very good hokkien mee.

Lik Ming S$4 laksa

we ordered S$3 laksa add S$1 cockles.

it was good laksa, nothing special..not the very lemak katong laksa type, but more traditional savoury type…

actually it was not savoury enough for me..i like the weiyi laksa type, maybe more haebee meat flavoured not just coconut flavour..

S$4 zhi xiang lor mee

also ordered the zhi xiang lor mee which i had with WM last time. 

we had $3 & 加料 S$1. it was pretty good…just that lor mee not really my favourite.

for me, kim keat hokkien noodles was the best today…

lor mee was good, competent lor mee; but i think soon heng at beo crescent & hai tang at mei ling food centre were better.

laksa good too but i am partial to weiyi laksa, and laksa is lower on my radar c/w ah heng curry chicken noodles at hong lim.

c.h.e.f andy

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

(1) Kim Keat Hokkien Mee

Address:

92 Lorong 4 Toa Payoh, 310092

Opening Hours:

Mon-Sun 011:00-21:00

=====================

(2) Lik Ming Laksa

Address:

Blk 93 Lorong 4 Toa Payoh #01-48, 310093, (Toa Payoh)

Opening Hours
Mon-Sun 06:00-15:00
============================
(3) Zhi Xiang Special Lor Mee

Address:

#01-49 blk 93 toa payoh lorong 4 food centre

RI Friends Toptable S$13.80 3-Course Lunch on 26Jan2018

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caesar salad with buttermilk poached chicken

CL organised 5pax toptable lunch on 26.1.2018. ^^

CL talked about toptable during the birthday dinner at heavenly divine on 5.1.2018, and the guys decided to have this lunch.

toptable S$13.80 3-course lunch menu

the menu for this week. 🙂

i not fond of chowder & don’t particularly like corn soup, so i went for the chicken salad.

it was quite well done. like i said previously, it is better than cafeteria standard here, almost good restaurant standard.

corn chowder

corn chowder

corn chowder looked great too & the friends who ordered liked it.

chicken & mushroom fricassee

i asked the student server if the chicken or fish main course was more popular. i preferred chicken but i was having chicken salad starter so i was considering if i should have fish instead.

he said salmon is salmon. the chicken fricassee is a bit different. actually it’s just white wine sauce reduced. i decided to give it a try anyway…

chicken & mushroom fricassee

& it was tasty and done well.

chicken was tender, not too large a helping, good enough.

chicken & mushroom fricassee

altogether an enjoyable dish, nicely presented & good taste.

all my friends decided to have the chicken fricassee.

white choc mousse, sour cherries & raspberry sorbet

the trio of dessert nothing special, but well done. a great dessert, that alone would cost >S$12 in a good restaurant.

coffee was included & 3 of us added $0.50 each for cappuccino & latte.

lunch was just S$70 for 5pax, best value for money 3-course lunch in singapore! ^^

c.h.e.f andy

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

Top Table @ Temasek Polytechnic

Address:

31 Tampines Avenue 1, Temasek Polytechnic, Singapore 529757
Contact:
6780 6369
Opening Hours (for a short period where the program is putting out actual lunches by students):
weekend
  • Closed
weekday
  • 11:30AM–1:45PM

Excellent Homecooked 7pax OPS 桂鱼&鸦片鱼头 Dinner on 25Jan2018

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7pax 鸦片鱼头dinner

we had 7pax home dinner this evening with OPS bros, LH, & J on 25.1.2018. wife also joined dinner. missing M& CH2.

My OPS bro WT returned from shanghai 2 weeks ago.  he brought back 桂鱼&鸦片鱼头（not available in singapore) & gave me 1 large 桂鱼& 2 鸦片鱼头.

i went with sis & bil to hong kong 14-18jan2018, so when i got back, i arranged for dinner at home to enjoy the 桂鱼&鸦片鱼头 from shanghai.

葱焖鸦片鱼头scallions baked flatfish head – the best!

I did first time 葱焖鸦片鱼头..this the best!!👍, recreating shanghai old jessie’s signature dish..i like this best!

葱焖鸦片鱼头scallions baked flatfish head – the best!

there were a lot of food, so i cooked only 1 鸦片鱼头. the next day i did the same 葱焖鸦片鱼头scallions baked flatfish head for my family 5pax dinner. wife, son & JH all loved it…it was just so good!

葱焖鸦片鱼头scallions baked flatfish head – the best!

鸦片鱼头 has meat texture like flaky cod, and fish head bone texture like salmon head softbones. the scallions flavoured the fish & was itself very tasty with the best grade light soy sauce. the sauce marinade was similar to the usual hong kong steamed marinade, with 3 tbsp light soy sauce, 2 tbsp olive oil, squeezed some lime & baked at 250degC for 10mins.

baking gave a firmer, drier texture than steaming & more intense flavours with less liquid.

桂鱼 mandarin fish

also did first time a butterfly fan cut steamed 桂鱼.

& it was quite excellent..just that for me the 葱焖鸦片鱼头scallions baked flatfish head  was even better!

excellent 桂鱼 mandarin fish dish

i usually do hong kong steam in one go, lazy to steam the fish separately.

for this 桂鱼 mandarin fish i was uncertain if it was very fishy so i decided to steam separately as i did for the cheap 鲈鱼 ( 桂鱼 mandarin fish of course a much better fish).

as i butterflied & fan cut already, so i just steamed for 8mins. it was a large fish maybe 800g+ so would have done about 11mins otherwise.

i steamed with ginger & some shaoxing wine, and some chopped scallions, then removed the fish & disposed of the liquids.

then i fried ginger & cut chilli padi, and leek in 2 tbsp olive oil & added 3 tbsp light soy sauce. & poured the sauce over the fish. then rearrange the sliced ginger & leek etc & added the scallions.

it was really an excellent dish..

claypot rice 沙煲饭

claypot rice 沙煲饭

did my usual claypot rice 沙煲饭 . always good this, very flavourful, with tender chicken, nice pork & live sausage from hong kong & wonderful smokey flavours with salted fish.

song fish head 松鱼头

song fish head 松鱼头

did also the usual spicy black bean sauce song fish head 松鱼头.

WM said it was overwhelmed by the 桂鱼&鸦片鱼头, and the dish would go better with plain rice. anyhow i think this evening the sauce was not as good as my usual.

lar pok – crispy lard

lar pok – crispy lard went especially well with the song fish head 松鱼头 . 🙂

braised pig trotters korean jogbal style

braised pig trotters korean jogbal style

i did the braised pig trotters korean jogbal style. also similar to the 酱猪蹄 at七宝 in shanghai or at 老街in 深圳.

LH said it was very tasty. the texture was meant to be crunchy. i liked it but i like my usual softer tender 元蹄texture more.

light soy sauce steamed minced pork

light soy sauce steamed minced pork was the usual & quite a favourite dish too. light soy sauce is truly a god send, does wonders for every dish…

romaine lettuce油麦菜

WT did the romaine lettuce油麦菜, very nice indeed!

a really wonderful dinner with dear friends…i especially enjoyed the airflown 桂鱼&鸦片鱼头 from shanghai.

c.h.e.f andy