1/2royal london duck = S$25

a OPS primary school classmate treated us to 4pax dinner at royal london duck at mandarin gallery level 4 on 4.10.2016. ^^

the royal london duck was very good! very impressed.

this the smallish fatty irish duck that is making its round in many restaurants in singapore.

tunglok signature’s 1/2 roast london duck 

tunglok signature’s roast london duck

tunglok’s signature’s royal london duck was amongst the best i had in singapore.

this one at royal london duck was just as good, and very pretty! 🙂

we had like 10 dishes for 4pax dinner

the host ordered many dishes. 🙂

char siew

char siew here also among the best i had.

very tender tasty pork belly, with a sticky slightly sweet sauce.

1/2royal london duck = S$25

the london duck was the best dish for the evening.

1/2royal london duck = S$25

if i have to make a comparison, i think tunglok’s was a bit more fatty so very fragrant & skin more crispy.

this one has very nice sauce. both were excellent!

pork trotters terrine 熏蹄

the 熏蹄 was very good too, very flavourful.

i would put this as tie with the char siew, second to the duck.

fragrant crunchy pork一口香酥肉

fragrant crunchy pork一口香酥肉 also very good, but just a bit salty.

i put this as 3rd best dish.

signature steamed rice roll – some springroll fun cheong

steamed rice roll an unusual dish, their signature item too.

it felt a bit like the 炸两, a hong kong dimusm i don’t much fancy, with yao cha guai 油条inside the fun cheong.

in this case spring roll fillings was nice & crispy too. good stuff! 🙂

xo turnip cake

xo turnip cake was good.

my youngest daughter favourite, not my favourite.

i had better xo turnip cake else where though eg mostly recently at full of luck club.

duck meat xiolongbao

duck meat xiaolongbao was ok, nice soup, nice fillings, skin didn’t tear except when picked up by my clumsy friend.. just kidding la…:-p

har gao

we ate har gao much later. the skin was rubbery.

maybe would be better if we ate when hot, but i think it was not as good as most dimsum places.

poached hk kai lan

poached kai lan very good.

poached hk kai lan

i ate many pieces, as the hostess kept serving to me.

conpoy porridge

our hungry friend ordered a plain porridge (he later ordered some kaya balls at yakun coffee place at paragon). it was a huge serving. i took 2 tablespoon to try.

it was among the best congee i had, so smooth, and when congee is done well so sweet for a plain item. this was as good as the congee in hong kong.

dinner came to S$100 for 4pax after 10% POSB/DBS discounts, quite good for so many dishes & very nice 1/2 duck.

i will come back with family & friends.

& we had a great evening makan & chat together, & later went over to yakun at paragon for a cuppa.

i didn’t notice but a friend’s daughter was at the next table. when she was leaving she came over to say hello with her daughter who just finished her PSLE. a pretty lady & her pretty daughter, a very well brought up well mannered & at ease little girl. 🙂

c.h.e.f andy

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

chilled mullet pigs tail bkt pork trotters = S$40

went with sis & bil to 光明山to pay respects.

after that drove to seng kee bakuteh @ amk ave 10 chong boon food centre on 4.10.2016. ^^

we were there about 11.15am, no queue yet.

long queue at 11.30am

later while we were eating, the queue was about 7-8pax.

seng kee bkt

seng kee sells bkt, pig’s tail, pork trotters & fish.

today they have chilled mullet 冻乌鱼 selling at S$12 & S$17, and pek tor (rabbit fish) selling at 2 for S$8.

chilled mullet 冻乌鱼pigs tail bkt pork trotters = S$40

price was expensive for supposedly cheap food in a market/food centre stall.

we had 4 items ＝ chilled mullet 冻乌鱼，pigs tail， bkt  & pork trotters for S$40.

& that was after refusing a huge plate of pig trotters & accepting a $4 plate instead!!!

chilled mullet 冻乌鱼=S$17

the chilled mullet 冻乌鱼 was S$17!!!

it was nice, fresh, tasty, skin easily removed (as it should be).

chilled mullet 冻乌鱼=S$17

it’s a larger chilled mullet 冻乌鱼 than the size i prefer to buy at sheng shiong when there is offer like 2 for S$8.90.

for this size, maybe about S$5 each.

& the chilled mullet 冻乌鱼 i made at home is equally nice as this one.

i forgot to take a separate photo for the bakuteh. it was S$7, NOT the excellent long prime ribs龙骨served by rong cheng 榕城 bakuteh at sin min road….

anyway bkt also quite nice, and soup very competent…

but really, no better than the cheap S$10/kg frozen prime ribs bkt i made myself at home. my soup just as good & really my prime ribs outright better lor! ^^

pigs tail = S$8

the pig’s tail was S$8. I guess quite ok price. a pig’s tail this size cost S$3+ at sheng shiong.

soup was good not super. pig’s tail was good!

pork trotters = S$4

& the pork trotters was good! excellent texture & flavours too.

so the food was actually pretty ok, the price (on the boards) were quite ok for trotters etc. & there was quite long queue so people do like the food.

but i really don’t like the attitude=pushing my sister a huge plate (which we rejected) like 2.5x to 3x the serving of the S$4 trotters when my sis asked for small. when i asked them to give the S$4, the second women said S$4 was for 1pax.

for this i myself will not return to this stall, at least for a while….

c.h.e.f andy

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

Seng Kee Bak Kut Teh (Ang Mo Kio)
Address:

453A Ang Mo Kio Avenue 10#01-06
Chong Boon Market & Food Centre

Opening Hours:

Mon – Sat : 11:45am – 08:30pm

#1 panfried lobster steak 

went with wife for dinner at tunglok signature orchard parade on 2.10.2016. ^^

had a nice 6km almost 2hrs walk at hort park this morning followed by a not so nice bakchormee at ah hoe meepok.

now looking forward to a great dinner.

6-course set dinner menu = amex lovedining 50% discounts for 2pax 

tunglok is our regular haunt & part for amex lovedining.

for weekends the 50% discounts for 2pax apply only for the set menu.

we had among the best 6-course dinner here in 2013. and had it several times since. 🙂

the menu changed recently, so we decided to try the new 6-course menu= S$98pax at 50% discounts.

it was simply superb! ^^

#1 panfried lobster steak 

we started with a lobster steak.

it was a big helping. 1/2 of a decent size live lobster, very flavourful with a nice sauce with a hint of wasabi & salad. 🙂

i may be able to do this myself using crayfish…

#2 flambe sharksfin 

not sure what the flambe does? look nice of course, & a hotter soup (it does boils the side) always good. 🙂

#2 flambe sharksfin 

anyway it was the usual tan jia preparation, very tasty broth, smooth & pleasing.

#3 green chilli steamed red garoupa 

the green chilli steamed red garoupa was outstanding, a surprise for me.

tunglok always do excellent garoupa fillet dish. this was though quite exceptional.

really nice individual serving presentation, large serving of very fresh & tasty garoupa & a quite spicy (a great kick!) really lovely broth.

i am thinking how to do this myself…fillet a 1kg garoupa, make a sauce (boil the head & bones with some spinach (blend??) & chilli padi & reduce), steam the fillet…

#3 green chilli steamed red garoupa 

such a wonderful dish! 🙂

#4 panfried spanish kurobuta steak 

the panfried spanosh kurobuta also exceed my expectations.

chinese style beef, lamb rack, kurobuta tend to have too sweet marinades.

good ones like it is done here i mostly like but still i like the western preparations better.

#4 panfried spanish kurobuta steak 

this one was very good, nice, tasty, peppery, & nice asparagus.

for this, i can probably vary my reverse sear mock kurobuta recipe & adjust the marinade…

#5 scallop noodles 

scallop noodles very nice too.

not the best noodle dish here, but very good la! 🙂

scallop noodles 

great stock, nice, plump scallops, small amount of noodles, just nice to round off the meal.

this should be easier to replicate.

not as difficult as the prawns in golden braising sauce (黄焖大虾面)

#6 aloe vera & jelly with sorbet in coconut 

this aloe vera lemon jelly dessert excellent too!

i always like the 雪中情怀 here = which is a very nice 杨枝甘露 topped with vanilla & coconut ice cream.

this one with lychee sorbet was not better but just as excellent! 🙂

complimentary juice

we had the usual complimentary juice.

dinner came to S$125nett for 2pax after amex lovedining discounts.

these days they charged 10% service on the undiscounted bill. also no more free parking. so S$4 for evening per entry parking.

for us, a really excellent dinner & superb value.

c.h.e.f andy

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

Tunglok Signatures @ Orchard Parad

Address :
Orchard Parade Hotel #02-18
1 Tanglin Road
Singapore 247905

Contact :
Tel : +65 6834 0660
Fax : +65 6834 0550

Opening Hours :

Lunch :11.30am – 3.00pm (Daily)
Dinner :6.00pm -10.30pm (Daily)

japanese fusion mee pok – S$6

went to ah hoe mee pok after our 6km almost 2 hrs early morning walk at hort park on 2.10.2016.

long queue at ah hoe mee pok = 45mins 

the same long queue.

i queued from 9.45am to 10.30am = a full 45mins.

online orders 

there was a sign saying you can skip the queue by ordering online.

different offers at ah hoe mee pok 

ah hoe actually offer quite many noodle styles.

there is the fishball noodles, the bakchormee (my usual orders), the S$10 crayfish noodles & the $10 bg prawn noodles.

today i also ordered the S$6 japanese fusion mee pok(only available on weekends). they have miso & shoyu (i picked miso) & basically gave the chasu (braised pork). See top photo.

i had enjoyed ah hoe mee pok the last few times i came, most recently on 16.9.2016.

unfortunately today’s noodles were not nice.

the jap owner rested & a woman then a guy took over when i got to 5th in the queue. don’t know if it made a difference. but today the vinegar was excessive & overpowering & in a way destroyed the dish.

the japanese fusion noodles was not as good as the usual dry mee pok. but at least it was soup so did not have the overpowering vinegar today. the chasu was ok but NOT comparable at all with the real ramen chasu.

overall it was still a nice mee pok but as a soup mee pok no comparison with the xing ji (興记) bakchormee fengshan food centre, which is like the best soup mee pok for me.

wife did not like it. she preferred the jln tua kong mee pok tar at 6th avenue. that we are absolutely in agreement.

i though had liked this ah hoe mee pok also & had it several times but today it was just NOT good la.

c.h.e.f andy

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

Ah Hoe Mee Pok

japanese wagyu 

we decided to try nabehide where amex lovedining offers 50% discounts for 2pax this evening on 1.10.2016.^^

nabehide 

restaurant was quite with few customers at 7.30pm on a saturday.

server told us restaurant closing/shutting down on 23.10.2016. no business i guess.

palate (lovedining) menu 

the usual lovedining conditions require minimum order of 2 main courses.

unlike most lovedining restaurants where you can order 2 mains from the ala carte menu, nabehide restricts the 2 main courses to a small palate (now lovedining) menu.

japanese wagyu 

we were uncertain of the quality of the Jap wagyu, so we started with 1 order.

the 250g wagyu was served in 2 trays, 9 pieces.

wagyu was tender & flavourful. quality was very good. 🙂

japanese wagyu 

the wagyu came with complimentary vegetable platter. or choices of 3 items from the veg menu.

vegetables 

we picked the platter for our first order.

charcoal-hotpot 

the hotpot came in a cast iron pot over a smokeless charcoal stove.

charcoal hotpot-konbu & goma soup base

the server told us the S$5 goma (sesame) dashi the most popular. the knobu dashi is free, so we had the 鸳鸯 duet dashi. there s no 50% discounts for the $5 dashi.

japanese wagyu 

we were happy with the wagyu so we order a second serving, plus we tried the S$8.90 pork collar as well.

this time we had 3 veg=tan orh, king oyster mushroom & shitake. 🙂

pork collar was pretty good actually, just that we didn’t really need it, just to try only.

very tasty goma dashu 

the goma dashi after infusing all the wagyu goodness, was super tasty.

japanese normally don’t take soup from shabu shabu. but this goma dashi obviously for drinking & it was very good.

the damage (at S$160nett for 2pax) was substantial, even with 50% discounts…haha! 🙂

of course one can be paying S$350/kg for jap wagyu steak at isetan supermart. for shabu beef maybe S$200+/kg, and we had 500g wagyu for 2 servings, should be almost 500g anyway for the 4 trays.

they charge service on the full price (so that’s S$22.60). restaurant need to make some money la…so nothing to say.

the sake at S$22.80 was poor/average quality…

nothing like the S$15 for 4 sake smapler at sun with moon.

i think dinner was ok, not great value for money (mikuni’s S$48 wagyu sukiyaki + 50% discounts would be better value) but quite ok.

c.h.e.f andy

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

cold appetizer station

went with my OPS primary school classmate for lunch at the line on 28.9.2016. ^^

the line is a new inclusion in amex lovedining, so we have 50% discounts for 2pax for the S$62pax buffet lunch.

this maybe the second time i came here. the first time probably like maybe 5yrs ago when there was also some 50% discounts. didn’t leave an impression then, didn’t leave an impression this time round too.

oysters

the cold appetizer station quite limited  oysters, mussels, clams, prawns.

oysters freshly shucked, sweet, plump but left a bit metallic taste on the palate.

oysters, mussels prawns

prawns were good, like most buffets. mussels, clams can do without.

sashimi station

there’s only salmon, maguro (tuna) & tako (octopus) at the sashimi station.

sushi station

& sushi no attraction for me, so i just took the atlantic surf clam & the reverse maki, ignored the scallop entrails & seaweed, no unagi sushi.

salmon & tako sashimi, atlantic surf clam sushi & reverse maki

the salmon belly sashimi was very good though, very fresh, nice cut, sweet.

salmon & tako sashimi, atlantic surf clam sushi & reverse maki

the sushi rice here quite good, tako so so la…

oysters & salmon belly

i had a second helping of oysters & salmon belly.

sushi, adegashi tofu, cha soba

ebi sushi no attraction for me. adegashi tofu mediocre, cha soba poor.

roasted lamb dish

the roasted lamb was tender & moist, should be quite good, but i forgot to get sauce & did not bother to go back for it, so taste quite bland.

baked salmon

baked salmon quite ok. took just tiny bits to try.

roasted lamb, grilled veg, baked salmon

the grilled vegetables were good, reminded me of pontini eons ago.

dimsum dishes

har gao was good.

my friend took the siew mai. i tried abit. it was good.

i took the orange skin dumpling. this was quite poor not worth trying, skin was thick & fillings were not tasty.

satay

satay was good. i took only 1 chicken satay.

satay & sambal seafood

tried the sambal seafood items.

sambal seafood,roasted lamb, grilled veg, baked salmon

buffet items – friend’s photo

good tasty if robust dish. a competent dish quite ok if no other food.

indian dishes

indian station probably the best food.

dimsum & indian lamb dish

marvellous indian lamb dish

lamb was especially good. very well marinated & properly chargrilled, very flavourful.

i took a bit of paneer (cottage cheese), always good, a prata with dahl & chicken curry.

roast duck, toast pork, char siew, poached chicken

the roast duck was poor, like an average hawker standard,

not even flavourful like chinatown stall or roast duck at joyful palace 怡乐坊, clementi coffeeshop stall,

and so no comparison with (a) canton paradise, (b) house of roasted duck or (c) tunglok signature etc….

laksa

laksa also poor. & too sweet.

prima laksa sauce standard or poorer.

popiah

popiah was good.

popiah

skin was good, thin, firm, not broken up. good chilli, nice wrapping & cutting (inconsistent, some i saw were quite poor). the trick is to ask for smaller amount of ingredients. then it will be manageable, neat & tidy.

cheese

cheese was ok not fantastic.

cheese

i had the brie, english blue stilton, nuts, jam/compotes, dried fruits.

cheese

small amounts. i like cheese, this nothing too great but i enjoyed it nonetheless.

nonya kueh

i took only the lapis sagu.

dessert

ignore the cakes. my friend took the chocolate mousse. i tried a bit it was good.

fruits & nonya kueh

& i had to try the choc lava cake.

choc lava cake

very ordinary, nothing to look at, good chocolate taste, no much lava so not that exciting.

yogurt ice cream

soft yogurt ice cream ok, not my favourite.

3 flavour ice cream

we had 3 flavours ofice cream, mango sherbert, sallted caramel (the best!!) & a pecan one.

cappuccino

& rounded off with a nice creamy cappuccino.

overall for me the buffet was quite mediocre, nothing that attracts me. likely even at 50% discounts=S$31++pax, i still would not be interested to come back.

& at S$62++pax for this food if no discounts, then it is to me overly expensive & not much meaning…

i guess that applies to most buffets for me.

i used to quite like equinox. but now the buffet like reduced 1/2 in size at the same price (S$59pax 50% discounts for 2pax).

the only attraction for equinox is it is a semi-buffet, meaning you order a fine dining main course dish.

here at the same, there is hardly any good standard main course except the indian station.

the point, 2 of us were saying, is that it is not that the standard of dishes here are poor, but they are mostly mediocre.

so if i rather go to eat good/top quality sashimi or pasta or roast duck or laksa or western main courses in small amount than to eat a lot of mediocre food here, & some poor ones like the roast duck & laksa.

not sure i would come back at all. if i do i will just do a bit oyster, sashimi, indian food, a bit dimsum, cheese & enjoyed the few i like.

c.h.e.f andy

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

#1 JB Ah Meng 三楼米粉

we had a lot less RI G20 makans this year.

this time, the organiser chose JB Ah Meng. we had 16pax dinner on 27.7.2016. ^^

recently michelin released a list of bob gourmand eateries in singapore & JB Ah Meng is one.

great! i have been wanting to try this place since lately my OPS friends have been introducing me to 三楼米粉.

a vegetarian friend joined us later after dinner. he always made an effort to join us after our makan if he can.

JB Ah Meng

JB Ah Meng is located between lor 23 & aljunied road.

i turned around couple times but unable to get street parking, so parked at KH Plaza along aljunied road.

#2 famous white pepper crabs – 2 medium crabs S$48

i was a bit cautious, ordered only 8 dishes & medium serving.

later i asked the guys whether they wanted to add dishes, they did not need. a good thing too as we don’t need to eat too much at our age la…lol! 🙂

#2 famous white pepper crabs – 2 medium crabs S$48

white pepper crabs was done well, sweet, tasty. crabs were ok not super.

#1 JB Ah Meng 三楼米粉 _ S$14

#1 JB Ah Meng 三楼米粉 – S$14

the signature 三楼米粉 was excellent!

it was not the most crispy version but it was tasty, moist, flavourful, a wonderful dish.

seng kee’s 香煎米粉or三楼米粉 fried beehoon

not sure it was better than the香煎米粉or三楼米粉 i had recently at seng kee which was more crispy & also very good. 🙂

i was quite inspired by seng kee that i went back & did a 三楼米粉myself. haha! ^^

#3 brinjal potato with chilli dish – S$12

the potato dish recommended by a few reviewers was good.

& in fact most of the dishes were done well & tasty even though not much special.

#4 kampung chicken with mushrooms – S$22

kampung chicken also good taste. serving small, bony & not that much meat.

#5 fishhead 金香鱼头 – S$24

#5 fishhead 金香鱼头 – S$24

金香鱼头 also small serving & mostly bones. quite ex for me at S$24.

#5 fishhead 金香鱼头

good thing the dishes all mostly quite tasty & flavorful. 🙂

#6 crispy lotus roots – S$12

crispy caramelised lotus roots good too! accompanied by snake beans, crunchy & fresh.

#6 crispy lotus roots – S$12

quite a good dish, not so common & nice to try.

#7 beancurd _ S$18

3 mushrooms beancurd was quite ordinary. for me the poorest of the dishes.

#7 beancurd dish – S$18

sauce was very ordinary, mostly like oyster sauce taste, not like very tasty tofu dishes at (say)

• minced pork tofu at kok seng
• or the tofu prawn dish at sik bao sin.

(both are also bib gourmand eateries now).

#8 青龙菜 – S$12

a friend wanted the 青龙菜.

it was good, like chives & tender. & good wok hae! so done quite well la..

price S$328 for 16pax

dinner was S$328 for 16pac which was just like S$20.50pax nett so overall price was ok.

if i had ordered a bit more dishes of larger dishes, probably say S$30pax, not really like cheap for zi char but quite ok la i guess.

we were seated 8pax on 2 tables. nice food & good time together with friends.

c.h.e.f andy

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

yong tau foo 

so we had a 5pax family lunch outing at holland drive food centre this morning on 25.9.2016.

we shared what i thought was expensive not great kueh chap & braised duck at cheng heng.

hakka noodle yong tau foo 

& daughter ordered 2 bowls of ytf at hakka noodles.

yong tau foo 

name is hakka but it felt more like hock chew?

the 釀 meat fillings were pork & not fish meat??

wife & daughter didn’t like it much.

soup was ok. ytf was non-descript. we left about 4 pieces uneaten.

i did not mind the noodles & chilli with some ikan bilis. but far from anything worth eating la.

c.h.e.f andy

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

Hakka Noodles

Address:

Holland Drive Food Centre, #02-15

44 Holland Dr, Singapore 270044

kueh chap

went for 5pax family lunch at holland drive food centre on 25.9.2016. ^^

today we shared some duck & kueh chap.

and daughter ordered 2 yong tau foo from hakka noodles.

cheng heng kueh chap

cheng heng kueh chap is a popular stall here.

cheng heng kueh chap

long queue.

i wonder why after trying the food?

but there’s always a reason. so i guess most people actually like the food. & in the end things are relative, just a matter of comparison.

kueh chap

the kueh was ok, soft. the gravy/sauce though not so tasty.

kueh chap

the intestines & pig skin were good, texture & taste, tau kua also good, taupok so so not soft enough not well infused yet, kong bak too fatty.

lor nerng (braised egg) was good. chai buay was not. not tasty like those teochew muay ones.

the duck was the poorest of the lot. duck not “pang” (flavourful) at all, meat too soft.. i forgot to take photo as it came last.

(cheng heng’s duck was like less than 1/2 the serving of happy duck’s 1/2 duck for S$18 in the photo below).

& it was S$26 for very little food.

bukit merah view FC happy duck’s 1/2 braised duck S$18

bukit merah view happy duck’s pigs ear, intestines, pig skin & lor bak S$10

so as i said everything just a matter of comparison.

c/w the S$30 duck & kueh chap lunch for 5pax guys i had at happy duck bukit merah view food centre on 16.6.2015?

for me, actually simply no comparison la..how to compare???

lor arh = braised duck

& if it was just a matter if taste & not price, then my own lor arh would be just a lot better lor..

lol! 🙂

c.h.e.f andy

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

Cheng Heng Kway Chap & Braised Duck

Address:

Holland Drive Food Centre, #02-05

44 Holland Dr, Singapore 270044

S$4 mee pok tar 

wife having dinner with her friends. children eating out.

decided to have a quick early dinner at jln tua kong mee pok tar at 6th avenue on 22.9.2016. ^^

jln tua kong mee pok tar @ 6th avenue 

i ordered the S$4 mee pok tar. really shiok la! 🙂

S$4 mee pok tar 

it’s really good S$4 mee pok tar…

everything good, the lar pok (crispy lard) the qq noodles, chilli especially good, minced pork, soup etc…

maybe fish balls not as good as xinlu at meiling food centre…

otherwise superb!

S$4 mee pok tar 

it was not too heavy, just nice for me la! ^^

c.h.e.f andy

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

Jln Tua Kong Mee Pok Tar

24 Sixth Ave, Singapore 276481

Good Good Eating House 好好餐室

steamed chicken feet 

wife finished late today.

we did not want heavy lunch so decided to take advantage of 25% discount for tea at crystal jade kitchen @ hollandv (3pm to 5pm) on 21.9.2016.^^

good timing to do some errands & got a seat at the restaurant at 3pm.

crystal jade kitchen @ hollandv-3.15pm

restaurant was quite empty at this hour.

har gao 

har gao was tasty.

skin breaking up a bit but skin & fillings both tasty. i took with some chilli, quite enjoy it.

steamed pork ribs 

steamed pork ribs were good.

tasty, and good amount of meat. tender too. good standard this.

& the steamed chicken feet (top photos). good too.

3-combo porridge =liver,kidney,meatballs

& we always like the porridge (or congee) here.

we ordered the 3-combo, with liver, kidney & meat balls.

3-combo porridge =liver,kidney,meatballs 

porridg very smooth 滑, very good standard.

the bill after 25% discounts-S$26 

basically this standard of dimsum & porridge is HK standard. maybe a bit more than HK prices.

with 25% discounts it was ok at S$26nett. maybe still more ex than HK.

c.h.e.f andy

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

very good ice lemon tea S$1.80

after an excellent best-value lunch at feng bo zhuang, we went to essen at the pinnacle for cuppa on 20.9.2016. ^^

pinnacle @ duxton

pinnacle just outside CBD, so cheap parking just S$1 per hour.

and you can just walk down to tanjong pagar market, where my OPS friend has a stall selling chickens.

i bought some apples, pears, spanish melon from a fruit stall there.

such a wonderfully designed HDB skyscraper.

look better than private condos la… 🙂

essen at the pinnacle

nice cafe. there is nice seating indoors.

also nice wooden tables & chairs outside.

we had a drink inside, then continue outside open patio. 🙂

essen at the pinnacle

view of the buildings from the outside patio.

ancient tree

& the ancient tree outside.

i had a cappuccinoS$2.40. the long black were similarly priced.

it was average, not great, but quite a lot lower price for brewed coffee.

the i had another drink – an iced lemon tea. this was very good. not like just tea with a lemon slice, but nice strong lemon drink with tea flavours. very good. not too sweet also.

they say the food there so so & expensive, like 3 chicken wings for S$8.50. i think also very limited choice. so not much business la…

the drinks seem ok. 🙂

c.h.e.f andy

#4 spicy fish 口水鱼 – S$18

we had 7pax dinner here last month on 16.8.2016.

food was ok for me and there were a few dishes i liked especially the trotters, duck soup, & the 百叶fried bean curd puff dishes.

we had a spare S$100 groupon voucher, so my OPS friend decided to come back today to feng bo zhuang 风波庄 for lunch on 20.9.2016 before the voucher expires. ^^

appetizer

we had chinese tea & appetizer, a spicy bean thing, slightly salty.

i saw on the bill (bottom photo) that they charged S$1pax, pretty ok.

#1 jelly fish – S$8

my 2 OPS friends ordered the dishes. & they were a lot better than the last time.

we had jelly fish, refreshing, quite standard, pretty ok.

#2 lamb, pork, chicken skewers – 10 skewers S$1 each

we had 10 skewers – lamb, pork chicken.

seasoning ok the peppery 羊肉串flavours but the not well bbq, don’t have the bbq flavours.

#3 frog in bamboo 竹筒牛蛙 – S$18

frog was poor the last time.

but this frog in bamboo 竹筒牛蛙  quite tasty, especially with the sauce at the bottom.

#4 spicy fish 口水鱼 – S$18

the spicy fish 口水鱼 looked wonderful, not quite the usual 水煮鱼standard.

the spices were actually quite good, flavourful, but the fish slices not great, not sweet, texture not great, not sure what fish this.

#5 chicken with 粉皮&金针day lily – S$18

the stewed chicken with mushroom dish was very tasty.

the soup was excellent though slightly salty, still drinkable.

#6 红烧雪菜小黄鱼braised yellow croaker – S$18

the 红烧雪菜小黄鱼braised yellow croaker with salted veg was excellent. the frying 煎made it very “pang” & the braising 红烧gave it the sauce flavours & moist texture, excellent 半煎煮preparation.

#6 红烧雪菜小黄鱼braised yellow croaker – S$18

for me the chicken soup & the 红烧雪菜小黄鱼braised yellow croaker were the 2 best dishes for lunch today.

#7 potato strips 土豆丝 – S$9

the julienned potato strips 土豆丝 was good, very competently done, excellent crunchy texture & sweet.

#7 spicy veg 干炒时蔬 – S$16

the spicy veg 干炒时蔬 was a bit wet, not so 干. veg were ok, good enough, the flavourful mala taste only at the bottom.

the bill

the bill for 7 dishes + the 10 skewers came to S$121.

so with groupon voucher S$50 discounts (S$50 for S$100 voucher), it was S$71 for 8 dishes for 5pax. a really good deal in my opinion.

today the lunch was very good. i enjoyed every dish (more or less), and the service was quite ok & pleasant.

it seemed so different from the last time –

• first we ordered dishes that was almost all good (for me only the skewers were food i didn’t need..), and service also…so ordering the right dishes make a huge difference.
• like i mentioned previously if you don’t need to ask questions, just order yourself the service was quite the usual & pleasant enough.

after this lunch, this a place i will come again if there is groupon offer, just maybe not too soon.

after lunch we went to essen @ pinnacle for some coffee & chit chat. 🙂

c.h.e.f andy

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