Daily Archives: March 17, 2018

Chinese Tea Appreciation 品茶 at HCK’s Home on 4Mar2018

Posted on by

HCK’s tea pavilion

HCK invited us for a chinese tea appreciation session at his home on 4.3.2018.

we had 5 different tea-

1 龙井
2 碧螺春
3 单从
4 兰贵人
5 普洱

I left before 普洱 so did not taste that…🙂🙏..had to cook 3pax family dinner this evening.🙂

HCK’s tea pavilion

i am coffee & chinese tea drinker, but i lazy to do 功夫茶at home so used to take big cups of chinese tea..

my sis come often & she always made 功夫茶 at my place & also bought me many茶具 tea sets, including very useful travelling ones.

so these days i do 功夫茶  often enough & sometimes for my friends too, but really limited to 4pax.

HCK’s tea pavilion

so don‘t have the elaborate tea sets and the ambience of the tea pavilion 古色古香 :-)..this a very refreshing experience for all of us to have exquisite tea tasting 品茶 at HCK’s home

RI gang tea tasting

i brought some 铁观音for HCK.

other friends brought some makan tidbits.

RI gang tea tasting

HCK also had some nonya kuehs to go with the tea…

RI gang tea tasting

& some dessert from ivins like pulut hitam, bobor chacha etc..

RI gang tea tasting

a bit blur phto, but we all enjoyed the tea & the chats…

兰贵人

on the tea,

1 龙井 was somehow too light? didn’t really feel much of it…
2 碧螺春 was quite popular, every one liked it..though it is a much cheaper green tea than 龙井 and quite often served in jiangsu area..
3 单从 is a stronger tea & can serve 冲 many rounds..
4 兰贵人 is a very fragrant flowery tea, no need to 洗茶wash the tea, and can serve right away…i had a very good one like 20 years ago given by some business contacts in shanghai & after that did not manage to buy it..after HCK ‘s tea tasting i asked my relatives in china…they said it is very expensive…
5 普洱 – i missed this part as i had to leave to prepare 3pax dinner at home...anyway, nowadays they sell small one serving 普洱  mini tea cakes, and i take that often enough, very smooth tea like XO.

very fun afternoon for all of us, sharing & enjoying the company & little joys in life.

c.h.e.f andy

Supremely Good Chapgomeh 元宵节 5pax Home Dinner on 2Mar2018

Posted on by

claypot chicken rice 

made excellent 5pax chapgomeh 元宵节home dinner this evening. ^^

1 claypot chicken rice – the best!
2 scallion baked salmon fish head
3 prawn tofu
4 eggwhite scallops brocoli 赛螃蟹

scallion baked salmon fish head & prawn tofu were tops, superb this evening.

赛螃蟹 my first attempt after reading from Internet earlier only when cooking eggwhite i realised forgot to add milk! Anyway, son, daughter & sil all loved it!

claypot chicken rice

my claypot rice always good, and this evening it was specially good!

very tender, sweet chicken, and tasty, smoky, flavourful rice, and very little burnt parts..quite perfect!

tofu prawns 

tofu prawns very good too…

prawns 

medium, fresh prawns…

tofu 

tofu well infused (very importantly) with very tasty chicken stock…

tofu prawns

tofu prawns 

to make a very tasty tofu prawn dish…

scallion baked salmon fish head 

i used salmon fish head as proxy of 鸦片鱼 (a flat fish)头.

we had 鸦片鱼头 in shanghai at old jessie & also 陈记,

and my OPS bro brought back 2 for me from shanghai which i made recently.

鸦片鱼头 has firm, flaky, sweet flesh like cod, and a softbone structure for the head like salmon…really excellent dish…

this time, i bought 3 salmon fish heads from song fish star vista for only S$3each. so i used this as a proxy of the 鸦片鱼头! ^^

scallion baked salmon fish head 

i covered the salmon fish head with scallions, then the usual 2tbsp olive oil, 3-4tbsp light soy sauce & squeeze 1 lime (1 tbsp lime juice), and roast in a 250degC ove for 10mins.

roasting makes the flesh firmer & a dryer more intense sauce condiments c/w steaming…

赛螃蟹egg white brocoli 

this the first time i made 赛螃蟹egg white brocoli .

will write up a separate recipe later…

赛螃蟹egg white brocoli 

i googled online recipe…7 egg whites, trawling in oil for a min etc, not difficult to do..

赛螃蟹egg white brocoli

however, after cooking a few other dishes, and starting the 赛螃蟹egg white brocoli dish, only at the moment the eggwhite hit the oil did i realise that i forgot to add milk to the egg white.

anyway, result look like fried egg white omelette…i added good black vinegar, very flavourful…everyone liked it, the nice, “pang”, slight sour flavour of good vinegar.

though we do not normally celebrate chapgomeh 元宵节home dinner, and so this dinner was rather kind of impromptu, anyway the dishes turned out mostly perfectly, so everyone was happy with the food & spending the evening together with family!

c.h.e.f andy

Bset Value S$18.90 Japanese A5 Wagyu Yakiniku Lunch Set @ Heijoen on 1Mar2018

Posted on by

Jap A5 wagyu yakiniku 

OPS bro HC bought 3pax yakiniku lunch at heijoen on 1.3.2018. ^^

we knew there were limited 15 sets a day so we came early at 11.30am..

S$18.90 Jap A5 wagyu yakiniku set 

the set included kimchi pickles, salad, bibimbap & soup.

the price S$18.90 is more expensive than the previous S$16.90, however S$16.90 was for wagyu, pork & chicken combo, so in a sense this set is even more value-for-money… 

S$18.90 Jap A5 wagyu yakiniku set

S$18.90 Jap A5 wagyu yakiniku set

somehow though, the bibimbap & soup were not as good as last time? i wonder?

Jap A5 wagyu yakiniku 

the beef was perfecto!!! best!

that’s all that count la! ^^

SOLD OUT! S$18.90 Jap A5 wagyu yakiniku set

as we left after our lunch, the sign was up – SOLD OUT!

i had the Jap wagyu lunch set with my wife & son last week & it was S$24.90 with plain rice NOT bibimbap…we were late & the special lunch set already sold out by then…so this S$18.90 really worth it!

c.h.e.f andy

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

Yakiniku Heijoen

Address:

435 Orchard Road, #04-46, Singapore 238877
6262 3294
Saturday – Sunday
  • 11AM–11PM
Monday – Friday
  • 11:30AM–11PM

 

Fun & Delicious 18pax CNY Family Lunch on 25Feb2018

Posted on by

CNY lisa family makan dishes

wife organised a 18pax CNY family makan & chill gathering.

I made a fun & delicious tapas+pasta+steak lunch-

1 teriyaki salmon belly
2 flamed miso belly pork
3 red wine oven slow braised fresh prime ribs
4 grilled chicken thighs with thai red curry onions dip
5 oven grilled vegetables
6 chorizo prawns
7 tagliata di manzo – pan-grilled usda prime ribeye

aunty bes made her famous dishes-
8 deepfried chicken wings
9 cheese sausage spaghetti
10 chicken & prawn alio olio

aunty bes chicken wings

wife’s nephew K has 4 teenagers & pre-teens, so aunty bes chicken wing is a regular popular item.

i made the usual teriyaki miso salmon belly. everyone’s favourite dish today! ^^

salmon steak too chunky & satiating, so belly with oil & roasted, making it less oily & very flavourful (oil spread over) and firmer texture, is just the perfect preparation..

& nicely garnished with dill from my garden! ^^

just light soy sauce, miso, chopped garlic & ginger marinade 2-3 days in chiller then grilled in 250degC oven for 15mins…

i made a pan roast chicken thigh with thai red curry…no thai yellow curry so i used thai red curry, which is spicier!

it was just frozen boneless leg (no effort to debone & just costing S$7.95 for 2kg 8 pieces large thigh + leg). seasoned, fried skin down golden brown, perfect tender & juicy & the thai chilli with coconut milk an ideal dip/condiment…

i made red wine pork ribs…good too..all walloped finish! ^^

browned on non-stick pan, seasoned with mustard, red wine, coarse black pepper, korean yuzu jelly (can use honey), garlic, red onions, scallions etc, and slow braised in 95degC oven for 6hrs…

same slow braise 95degC oven 6hrs method for miso belly pork..just that i flamed it before serving…nice bbq/smoked flavours & more tender than pork ribs..

chorizo prawns another crowd favourite….wonderful, wonderful dish…

& so easy to prepare…

fry garlic cloves, sliced onions, chilli padi, 12 pieces sliced chorizo..off fire…add white wine & intense chicken stock, then reduce…add red pepper of red chilli for colour & vegetable balance…

when serving, just add prawns (seasoned with fish sauce & white pepper & cover while pan/pan heats up. cook the prawns just right, bouncy, fresh, sweet, not overcooked.

aunty bes alio olio 

aunty bes did her 2 pastas – cheese sausage pasta (forgot to take photo),  and the alio olio..

a great round up after the tapas dishes…

& as the highlight & curtain closer for the great fun family makan, i had usda prime ribeye served as tagliata di manzo, on a bed of cherry tomatoes & rockets…2 servings of 350g 1′ ribeye steak. ^^

the steaks were super, tender melt in the mouth, even the fats…everyone loved this!

a memorable lunch for family..good food great time together…

c.h.e.f andy

OPS CNY2018 Makan & Chill at CH2 House on 24Feb2018

Posted on by

huat ah!

had a wonderful OPS CNY makan & chill at CH2’s place..

pot luck & many great dishes – CH2’s yummy mushroom soup, j’s 蚝豉发菜-very thick japanese mushrooms & nice dried oyster flavours 👍, & CH’s irresistible curry chicken…& HC brought roast duck..long queue..WT’s mala spaghetti etc….

J & LH also made kueh ubi kayu & kueh kosui…

*****************

first thing first for CNY celebration – Huat Ah!

lohei

nice lohei…

lohei

& CH2 “poured” in lots of salmon sashimi….

OPS CNY2018 makan & chill

OPS CNY2018 makan & chill

CH2’s home

spacious & great ambience…

OPS CNY potluck dishes

so much food…i didn’t try many dishes…haha! 🙂

CH’s yummy mushroom soup

mushroom soup yummy & delicious…maybe should have taken another bowl..

first time i took J’s bakut prawn mee, took one bowl…second time threw caution & calories to the wind & took 2 bowls..next CNY la..

WT’s mala spaghetti

WT’s mala seafood spaghetti..

WT’s mala spaghetti

nice colour..

WT’s mala spaghetti

spaghetti was al dente..

CH’s curry chicken

my perennial favourite…drank quite a bit of curry..

J’s oyster fa cai  蚝豉发菜

J’s oyster fa cai 蚝豉发菜 was intended for her in-law family, luckily our accomplished lifter WM stole some…thick jap mushrooms & the dried oyster taste combined with fa cai texture, lagi shiok!

steamed pomfret

steamed pomfret

steamed pomfret looked great. i didn’t try though, wonder who did? CH2 is it?

HC brought roast duck

HC brought nice S$40 roast duck…long queue he said, forgot the shop name….

fried prawns with asparagus

took some asparagus, good…not sure who did?

sushi platter

didn’t try the sushi…don’t know who brought?

OPS CNY makan and chill

my food plate…

kueh

i like nonya kueh..J’s kueh ubi batu really good. LH’s kueh sosui too..cheating!!! sista made one!!!

angku kueh not sure from where? not so great…not so “pang” and too much infill tau sa…

my braised belly pork with mushrooms

my braised belly pork with mushrooms

my braised belly pork with mushrooms

i did a braised belly pork with cheap mushrooms (3 packets S$10)…can always rely on WM to steal the good thick mushrooms la…

c.h.e.f andy

Good Dinner with RI Bros @ Thai Pan Mandarin Gardens on 28Feb2018

Posted on by

tom yam soup

my RI bro CL organised a movie evening..

5 of us – CL, CJ, KK, KH met for dinner first at thai pan..

J & HAB joined afterwards..we watched “Glory”, a Denzel Washington movie 👍

after dinner, movie time – we had bak kwa & chomp chomps & KK brought banana cake made by I 👍

tom yam soup

we ordered the tomyam soup.

for me, not edible, spicy with the kick yes, but thin, no flavour, not tasty, the instant, paste kind..

deep-fried seabaas to trio thai sauce

deep freid seabass was good, garoupa would be better.

deep-fried seabaas to trio thai sauce

deep-fry a good way to do seabass, which has mud taste, and meat soft & not firm.

deep-fried seabaas to trio thai sauce

the sauce was good compliment, sweet & a tinge tangy..

deep-fried pork belly

deep-fried pork belly pretty ok too.

deep-fried pork belly

a nice dish…

salted egg sotong

salted egg sotong a popular dish here. wouldn’t say it was special, but i guess most salted egg dish pretty good in most makan places..

salted egg sotong

nice salted egg flavours, and the sotong was not overcooked & rubbery, so pretty good stuff.

fried baby kailan

fried baby kailan

thai baby kailan was good too.

overall, nothing spectacular, still very nice dinner with good friends, and most dishes good, competent…excepting the tomyam for me, but a friend also quite like the tomyam…very individual taste preference la…

c.h.e.f andy

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

Thai Pan Restaurant @ Mandarin Gardens
Address:
13 Siglap Rd, Singapore 448911
Contact:
thaipan.com.sg
6448 9827
Opening Hours:
daily
  • 11:30AM–3PM
  • 5:30–10PM