The Best Wanton Mee @ Kok Kee on 15Aug2016

Posted on August 15, 2016 by chefquak

wanton mee

went with a good friend to our OPS friend’s mom’s wake at singapore casket on 15.8.2016.

sadly…we now at the age where these things happen more frequently.

we had a good chat with this friend this time. though my primary school classmate did not spend much time together previously.

kok kee wanton mee

after that 2 of us walked over to kok kee wanton mee at lavender food hub @ zhuge liang at hoa nam building.

kok kee wanton mee – S$4.50

i like kok kee wanton mee best, better than the other places i tried.

but i have not tried this since they moved from lavender food square 2 years ago.

prices had gone up by S$0.50 to S$4.50 for small, S$5.50 for large.

kok kee wanton mee – S$4.50

though the bowl looked small, there were 2 wantons & quite a bit of char siew.

char siew is the standard wanton mee lean char siew. they were tender & tasty.

the best was still their special recipe sauce poured over the noodles. noodles were qq like all good noodle places & very tasty.

for me this is still the best la! ^^

dumpling soup 水饺汤

friend also ordered the dumpling soup 水饺汤。 this was ok nothing special for me, S$6 for 6 dumplings i can do without.

thomson overhead bridge fishball noodles

next to kok kee is the former famous thomson overhead bridge fishball noodles. my friend wanted to try but they closed liao.

i still like this kok kee wanton mee best la!

c.h.e.f andy

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

Kok Kee Wanton Mee 国记云吞面

Address:
Lavender Food Hub @ Zhuge Liang, Hoa Nam Building
27 Foch Road, Singapore 209264

Opening hours:
1PM till sold out

30% ST Treats Discount Chirashi Don Set @ Sun with Moon on 14Aug2016

Posted on August 14, 2016 by chefquak

chirashi don set – S$33.80

went with wife to sun with moon for 2pax dinner on 14.8.2016. ^^

30% off chirashi don set by sunday times treats

saw this 30% ST treats discount for chirashi don set at sun with moon wheelock this morning.

i like the chirashi don set here. had it recently on 27.6.2016.

chirashi don set – S$33.80

this chirashi don came with 14 cuts of sashimi including chutoro, so pretty good stuff.

chirashi don set – $33.80

at 30% discounts, price about S$23 for a dinner set.

pan fried salmon steak

& the set came with a choice of side dish.

this time i picked the pan fried salmon steak, which is like S$15.80 on the ala carte menu.

so a fairly good deal.

unagi & toriyaki kamameshi set – S$22.80

unfortunately the manager claimed that one sunday times voucher only entitled to one set.

there was nothing in the voucher saying that & the normal interpretation would be that 30% applies for all orders of the chirashi don set.

imo (in my opinion) a proper management & marketing philosophy would be when you want to do a promotion, do not shoot yourself in the foot. it defeats the purpose of the promotion. either you are hapy to give the discount or uf you are not don’t give discounts. period.

haha…but i told the manager i was not about to argue with him, so if he insist the discount applies to only 1 set, then so be it. we order something else. not the manager;s fault i guess, but i will mark this against the service philosophy.

so we ordered the unagi & toriyaki kamameshi set.

not bad too, but nothing too great also.

unagi & toriyaki kamameshi set

i liked the unagi.

the chicken was not as tender or flavourful c/w my own claypot rice. my one was very much better.

unagi & toriyaki kamameshi set

still it was a good enough dish, overall quite tasty.

dinner about S$57, which was quite decent for the quality & food we gotten.

c.h.e.f andy

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

Sun with Moon (Wheelock)

Address:

501 Orchard Road, #03-15 Wheelock Place, Wheelock Place, 238880

One of the Most Value-for-Money Dimsum @ Paradise Dynasty ONEKM on 12Aug2016

Posted on August 14, 2016 by chefquak

braised pork belly lamian 扣肉拉面

went with my OPS friends for tea at paradise dynasty @ ONEKM on haig road on 12.8.2016. ^^

paradise dynasty promo – weekdays 3pm-515pm dimsum lamian 50% off

paradise dynasty got this promo 50% off for dine-in at VivoCity and OneKM outlets only till 31.8.2016.
valid from Mondays to Fridays, 3pm to 5.15pm, excluding eve of/and PH.

xiaolongbao小笼包

we ordered one tray of xiaolongbao小笼包, 6 pieces, just nice for 3pax.

xiaolongbao小笼包

this was good, the soup tasty, the skin thin & held up well, the filling tasty.

so much better than the disappointing xiaolongbao小笼包 i just had at crystal lamian xiaolongbao at hollandv.

crispy ba pao 生煎包

the crispy 生煎包 was ok, looked nice, not enuf crispy & not enuf soup inside.

spicy dumplings抄手

the spicy dumplings抄手 was great, tasty & good spiciness.

braised pork belly lamian 扣肉拉面

the best for me was the braised pork belly lamian 扣肉拉面. 3 of us share one.

such an excellent lamian. the braised pork belly 扣肉was super! & the broth, runny yolk egg & lamian were all good.

braised pork belly lamian 扣肉拉面

the chilli also very good. i added soem to my lamian.

sesame dumplings 芝麻汤圆

the discounts apply to the dessert too.

sesame dumplings 芝麻汤圆

& sesame dumplings 芝麻汤圆 is always good.

although i can buy that from giant & make myself..haha!

tea for 3pax came to S$27 after the 50% discounts. a far cry from my crystal jade lunch earlier today 3pax for S$61.

my friend paid using OCBC card & got back a S$10 voucher.

i think this one of the most value-for-money makan i had. 🙂

c.h.e.f andy

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

Mon-Fri	11.00AM–10PM

Sat-Sun	10:30AM–10PM

Sweet & Sour Dory Fish Fillet with Carrots & Onions – 10th Newgate Learning Hub Community Lunch on 13Aug2016

Posted on August 13, 2016 by chefquak

bread of life community lunch at newgate learning hub bathesda bedok

made sweet & sour dory fish fillet with onions & carrots this morning on 13.8.2016. ^^

this my 10th community lunch dish for bathesda community’s newgate learning hub (bread of life). ^^

my 1st for newgate community lunch was on 27.2.2016.

sweet & sour dory fish fillet with onions & carrots

i cut the sutchi fish fillet into about 8 pieces each, totaled >72 pieces , washed them wit salt & drained & toweled dry.

dory fish fillet

i fried the vegetables & fish in separate wokpans.

fish fillet using my usual marinade – 2 tbsp olive oil, 2 tbsp mirin, 2 tbsp light soy sauce. for sweet & sour i added 1 tbsp flat sugar, 1 tbsp white wine vinegar & 3 tbsp heap tomato ketchup.

also added 2 tsp chopped garlic, & some sesame oil.

the fish i fried only about 4 mins, not to overcook.

onions & carrots

as there was a lot of liquids, i strained the fish & added the liquids to the vegetables.

i added 1 tbsp oyster sauce & 1 tbsp corn flour & some slat to taste. covered & let the carrots cook & sauce thicken.

sweet & sour dory fish fillet with onions & carrots

then added back the fish fillet.

sweet & sour dory fish fillet with onions & carrots

and mixed well so the fish were well coated with the thickened sauce.

for bread of life usually about 60+pax, today slightly more about 70pax. the dish was portioned out nicely.

bread of life community lunch at newgate learning hub bathesda bedok

the main co-ordinator briefing the community on some matters prior to commencing lunch.

c.h.e.f andy

Not Cheap Mediocre Food @ Crystal Jade Lamian Xiaolongbao on 12Aug2016

Posted on August 12, 2016 by chefquak

xiaolongbao 小笼包

son is back for short break. 3 of u swent to hollandv for lunch on 12.8.2016.

daughter wanted nakhon but shutter not up yet at 11.45am & people were sitting outside.

son didn’t think much of nakhon so we went to crystal jade lamian xiaolongbao for lunch.

last time i made a post on crystal jade lamian xiaolongbao was on 11.1.2015.

didn’t think i was here much if at all since.

anyway the xiaolongbao 小笼包 today (we had 2 trays) was substandard, way below par. people were saying since L Capital Asia, LVMH’s private equity arm took over, food standard going south? don’t know but today’s xiaolongbao 小笼包 was very different from one of the best i had always enjoyed here, soup was still sweet but not as much, & skin & fillings were not good as many others i had, just very mediocre la…

saliva chicken 口水鸡

saliva chicken 口水鸡 still tasted good..

saliva chicken 口水鸡

we still like it.

beef brisket lamian 牛腩拉面

beef brisket lamian 牛腩拉面 my daughter’s favourite. she still liked it today.

i tasted a bit but i think that sicc’s version was still much better, both the soup & the briskets/tendons.

spicy xo seafood fried rice – S$14.80

the best here for me was the seafood fried rice in spicy xo sauce.

spicy xo seafood fried rice – S$14.80

rice was so fragrant, individual grain. we say “tio tio” in teochew. good amount of ingredients. quantity seemed to have shrink quite a bit for S$14.80.

price for lunch was not cheap at S$61 for 3pax for the quality of food.

c.h.e.f andy

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

Everyday	11AM–10:30PM

18Chefs at Star Vista + Ah Seng Durians on 10Aug2016

Posted on August 10, 2016 by chefquak

seafood pasta – S$13.80

my OPS friend came by. he was doing some errands & going for a late lunch.

i already had lunch earlier with wife at mei ling food centre.

my friend decided to go to 18chefs at level 3 star vista. 🙂

18chefs @ star vista

nice airy place, still empty at this mid afternoon hour.

my friend ordered the $13.80 seafood pasta, and added a soup & drink combo for another S$3.80. i took a tea. friend has 15% discounts, so price pretty ok.

for me though i think both he & i can cook a much better pasta ourselves.

18chefs is a F&B chain by se teo, a facebook friend, with a great social mission, providing gainful & productive alternative pathways & re-integration. an endeavour deserving of support. 🙂

MSW + XO durians

after lunch, my friend decided to go try ah seng durians.

today no much queue, just 3 before us. MSW was at S$14/kg but no golden phoenix.

XO durians

we decided on 1 MSW + 1 XO durian.

XO was creamy, had bittersweet taste. maybe golden phoenix still better but this was very good also.

it was a tiny durian maybe just 1 kg or less, but yielded like 14 or 15 seeds & very thin husk so very worthwhile.

MSW

MSW was good as always, creamy & very flavourful, though not the best i had from ah seng. MSW is heavy & thick husk, so make sure we get round ones with lots of seeds to be worthwhile. today my friend paid S$34 for 2, quite ok for what we had.

c.h.e.f andy

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

Eighteen Chefs @ Star Vista

ADDRESS

1 Vista Exchange Green
#02-22 The Star Vista
Singapore 138617

OPENING HOURS

Daily: 11:00am – 10:30pm

PHONE

+65 66945975

Duck Rice & Wanton Mee @ Mei Ling Street Food Centre on 10Aug2016

Posted on August 10, 2016 by chefquak

duck rice – S$3

went with wife for lunch on 10.8.2016. ^^

we booked nabehide for lunch but called them as we were late at 1.30pm. they advised that it takes 15mins to prepare the hotpot & they closed at 2.30pm, so we decided to cancel & go for something simple at meiling food centre.

duck rice – S$3

most of the stalls at meiling FC were closed anyway including xin lu fishball noodles & hai tang lor mee stalls.

wife decided to try out the duck rice.

duck looked ok, good colour & moist. however the taste was not there, not “pang” quite bland.

meiling street wanton mee

so i decided to order wanton mee instead.

wanton mee – S$3

$3 wanton mee quite ok, a lot of char siew + 2 deepfried wanton & 2 soup wanton.

wantons were good & char siew quite good taste,

wanton mee – S$3

my first taste = noodles not tasty enough, not like kok kee which was very tasty.

noodles were qq & as i took more with the spicy chilli, it was actually quite ok. in fact i finished all the noodles. at S$3 with all these ingredients it was pretty ok for me.

c.h.e.f andy

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

Mei Ling Street Wanton Noodles

#02-32, Mei Chin Road Market, 159 Mei Chin Road, 140159

OK Dinner @ Brasseries les Saveurs on 4Aug2016

Posted on August 8, 2016 by chefquak

amuse bouche – crabmeat wrap

went with wife for dinner at brasserie les saveurs at st regis on 4.8.2016. ^^

1st time coming here since amex love dining (palate) now included this restaurant.

brasserie les saveurs @ st regis

though it is a brasserie the ambience is quite grand with double volume high ceiling.

a bit like the clifford at fullerton bay w/o the seaview.

brasserie les saveurs @ st regis

quite nice la…

brasserie les saveurs connoisseur dinner semi-buffet

we looked at the dinner menu.

there was a connoisseur dinner semi-buffet.

the hors de eouvres buffet items quite limited, not even as good as the below par equinox i recently visited where the spread was like halved.

the main courses though looked better than equinox, and i was eyeing the prime ribs.

the captain advised that the prime rib for the semi-buffet was about 2/3 the serving c/w ala carte (S$76), but if one were taking that then might as well have the semi-buffet (S$73).

i may come back for this, but for this evening, i didn’t want the buffet so we did ala carte.

amuse bouche – crabmeat wrap

amuse bouche was a crabmeat wrap. ok nothing special but certainly a plus if they offer amuse bouche for regular ala carte orders. 🙂

bread

bread though was poor, as in not bad but not the standard of this outfit.

oysters platter S$32

the oyster platter was good.

oysters platter S$32

nice sweet juicy oysters, and a good price at 50% love dining discount for 2pax.

lobster bisque

lobster bisque looked good, tasted ok, indeed velvety, quite a bit of crabmeat but not that sweet. actually quite an average dish for me…

pan fried scallops S$26

pan fried scallops were dry & below par. felt old, not fresh not gummy texture. i think very poor for a good restaurant standard.

even my own pan-seared hokkaido scallops was better than this!

we were a bit the non complaining type. the scallops were not spoilt or bad. but actually it would be better if i told the restaurant immediately whether they replaced it or not. it’s better to feedback to them.

tajima wagyu skirt steak S$58

fortunately the skirt steak was very good.

very flavoruful & tender enough, though some parts just slightly tendonous.

the mash, herb butter were good too. 🙂

tajima wagyu skirt steak S$58

this audtralian wagyu with jap name & a secondary cut so i was wondering how they prepare the steak as it would be tough with connective tissues. the captain couldn’t really explain or he didn’t understand the question, but anyway steak was good which was all that mattered.

dinner was S$161 for 2 after 50% discounts. the glass of wine wife had was expensive. i think S$29 no discounts. at this price even with discounts dinner was ok not great & could get much better value elsewhere.

but i will still come back for the prime ribs, and maybe also the tajima steak & oysters w/o the other items.

c.h.e.f andy

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

Monday-Sunday	6:30AM–10PM

Seafood Alio Olio on 7Aug2016

Posted on August 8, 2016 by chefquak

seafood alio olio

did a very good seafood alio olio this evening on 7.8.2016. ^^

i have not done this for a really long time.

mainly because my helper does an excellent alio olio. she usually uses prawns & sliced chicken breast. on balance i think her best would still edge out my dish tonight.

still my seafood alio olio was very good tonight. 🙂

seafood alio olio

i browned the garlic cloves on medium fire. fantastic aroma…added cut chilli padi.

then added prawns & squid seasoned with fish sauce & white pepper.

then added chicken stock.

i removed the prawns & squid then reduced the stock. tasted it, was tasty & intense. i did not add white wine & sugar this evening.

then i added back the prawns & squid, off fire, added the spaghetti & tossed.

last, i added some butter, so the spaghetti & sauce mixed very well.

i topped it with some basil.

seafood alio olio

the result was a very tasty pasta.

daughter commented the sotong (squid) was excellent, just the perfect texture. so was the prawn!

& i like the spicy tinge from the chilli padi.

a simple dish & enough for 3pax on a sunday evening.

c.h.e.f andy

Ingredients:

200g spaghetti
1 whole bulb of peeled garlic cloves
2 tbsp olive oil
6 medium prawns
1 whole medium squid
2 tbsp fish sauce + 2 tsp white pepper (season prawns & sotong)
300ml chicken stock

Directions:

brown garlic cloves on medium fire. add cut chilli padi.
add prawns & squid seasoned with fish sauce & white pepper. add chicken stock.
remove prawns & squid and reduce stock.
add back prawns & squid, off fire, add the spaghetti & toss.
add some butter, so the spaghetti & sauce mix very well.
top with some basil.

Pretty Decent Food @ The Bark Cafe on 6Aug2016

Posted on August 7, 2016 by chefquak

smoked duck

this evening we gathered at a friend’s place for a movie session on 6.8.2016. ^^

long queue at ah seng 4.45pm saturday 6.8.2016

we started with some durians from ah seng. 🙂

i prebooked MSW (mao shan wang) 2 days before. still they ran out of MSW & told me i had to wait till past 6pm for another batch to arrive. i couldn’t so switch to golden phoenix + D13.

i was lucky i got my durians soon enough. as i was leaving at 4.45pm on a saturday, the queue had built up. these people just queueing to get a queue no.

golden phoenix

golden phoenix + D13

i had 4 golden phoenix at S$49 + 4 D13 durians at S$29=total S$78.

as it turned out we were very happy with the golden phoenix + D13. D13 was flavourful but actually not as good as the other day. golden phoenix was excellent, very nice flavour, mild but lingering. ^^

lor mai kai 糯米鸡

the host made some lor mai kai 糯米鸡.

i like never take this except for dimsum. this one was very good, chicken very tender, rice was tasty, top slightly dry but inside ok. even ginger was nice.

after all these eating we started our movie. it was a korean movie “the man from nowhere”. quite a nice action movie, good acting.

the bark cafe

after movie host drove us to the bark cafe just by changi prison. it was about 9.30pm. quite an interesting place.

caesar salad

when i started writing this review, i looked at other reviews. strangely they were almost all negative, only hungrybunnie mentioned that the smoked duck was good.

for the dishes we ordered for this evening, they were mostly ok, good by my standard.

the caesar salad was pretty ok, like any other caesar salad.

chilli razor clams

the chilli razor clams was my friend’s favourite for the evening! 🙂

chilli razor clams

it was ok for me. 🙂

dish was overall tasty, razor clams no sand & not overdone = which should equal good la!

sauce i think was the xo type, so the strong flavours type, a bit robust, but then chinese style dishes supposed to taste this way.

spicy beef tenderloin

the spicy beef tenderloin was a chef’s special on the menu. i asked & the server said it was tenderloin. i asked if preparation was chinese style, he said there was vinegar.

a friend said the beef was “joon” teochew for tough. actually for me it was ok, for this price not expecting the expensive beef cuts. i have never tried this preparation before, sliced like tagliata, not raw like carpaccio, & with quite a lot of vinegar?

spicy beef tenderloin

anyway i quite like the taste, and texture was ok for me, just slightly tough.

smoked duck

for me also, the smoked duck was the best dish for the evening.

the smokey flavour was excellent, and the duck was juicy & tender. like hungrybunnie said, this dish belongs more to the atas restaurants, and they did it exceedingly well here. for me that was top restaurant standard. the mash & rockets were good too.

my own medium rare tea smoked duck breast – 12.4.2016

definitely better than my own, which was pretty good itself. 🙂

chicken & cheese pizza

i didn’t mind the pizza. i supposed it was nothing special but still a good pizza. pizzas could be bad too, but this was decent to good.

chicken wings

the chicken wings my friend highly recommended. & it was good.

chicken wings

though not as good as my helper’s deep-fried chicken wings, which is better than most i get outside.

dinner 6 dishes for 6pax came to S$152, abut S$25pax nett. pretty decent la i would say.

c.h.e.f andy

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

The Bark Cafe

Address

1000 Upper Changi Road North, 507707

Contact

+65 65454118

Opening Hours

Mon – Fri: 11:00 – 00:00

Sat: 11:00 – 01:30

Sun: 11:00 – 00:00

Gordon Ramsay’s Slow Roasted Belly Pork Experiment (Simply Delicious) on 6Aug2016

Posted on August 7, 2016 by chefquak

Gordon Ramsay’s slow roasted belly pork

saw Gordon Ramsay’s slow roasted belly pork on youtube the other day.

decided to give it a try. very interesting! ^^

i used just 200g belly pork (instead of 2kg in the video), cut a smaller piece from 500g frozen belly pork bought at sheng shiong.

& didn’t have fresh whole fennel & host of other stuff, so used 1 small carrots + 1/4 corn.

din want to open a white wine so used red wine.

anyhow the belly pork turned out almost perfect – texture perfect & very tasty….

only thing is couldn’t produce the crackling skin…though it sounded crackling when ran with a knife, the skin was actually chewy & not edible. other the pork was excellent.

2 ways i thought i will adjust this, either reduce the time at 180degC then do 250degC for say 10 to 15mins, or just cut away the skin.

Gordon Ramsay’s slow roasted belly pork

so method was same but my ingredients quite different from Gordon Ramsay-

200g pork belly (cross-scored the skin)

1 small carrot cut into 2 or 3 pieces

1/4 corn

3 cloves garlic

3 star anise

1 cut chilli padi

3 bay leaves

2 tsp fennel powder

2 tbsp olive oil

fry the garlic, star anise, bay leaves, chilli padi in an oven proof mini wok. fry the carrot & corn & remove to allow space for the belly pork.

salt the skin & fry belly pork skin down. then stand the pork skin up held by the carrots & corn, & add –

2-3tbsp red wine

1 tbsp white wine vinegar

then put 180degC oven for 1.5hrs.

as Gordon Ramsay mentioned the nicely flavoured braising liquid reduced & cooked the pork belly while the skin is cracked (but this part i couldn’t get right yet).

Gordon Ramsay’s slow roasted belly pork

the pork was delicious, just the perfect texture & wonderful flavours.

i will do it on a bigger 500g square slab later on when i have the numbers (of diners) to do. ^^

c.h.e.f andy

Ingredients:

200g pork belly (cross-scored the skin)
1 small carrot cut into 2 or 3 pieces
1/4 corn
3 cloves garlic
3 star anise
1 cut chilli padi
3 bay leaves
2 tsp fennel powder
2 tbsp olive oil
2-3tbsp red wine
1 tbsp white wine vinegar

Directions:

fry garlic, star anise, bay leaves, chillli padi in an oven proof mini wok
fry carrot & corn & remove to allow space for the belly pork.
salt the skin & fry belly pork skin down. then stand the pork skin up held by the carrots & corn.add red wine & white wine vinegar.
put 180degC oven for 1.5hrs.

S$4 Mee Kia Tar @ Jln Tua Kong 6th Ave on 6Aug2016

Posted on August 6, 2016 by chefquak

$4 mee kia tar

went with wife to jalan tua kong meepok tar @ 6th ave on 6.8.2016. ^^

last time i post about the stall was on 24.1.2016. 🙂

cannot find parking at 2pm, so went over to park at guthrie house. it charges by minutes – 4cts/mins 1st hour 2cts/min after, so 92cts for this time quite ok, no hassle. 🙂

$4 mee kia tar

this time we both took mee kia.

i think the thing special about jln tua kong’s mee kia tar is mainly the chilli.

chilli was just very tasty & had the kick. of course noodles was qq, al dente. 🙂

$4 mee kia tar

both of us did not finish our noodles, reduce carbs. i could have though, it was good, tasty.

this an enjoyable noodles for me at any time 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

3pax Simple Home Lunch + Ah Seng Durians on 4Aug2016

Posted on August 6, 2016 by chefquak

home lunch dishes

2 OPS close friends came for lunch today on 4.8.2016. ^^

just 3pax so nothing much to do.

chargrilled prime ribs

we are planning a OPS bbq to celebrate 3 birthdays in august 2016.

i though i might do a prepped pork ribs to bbq. so i tried it on my friends today.

it was same method as my mock kurobuta ribs, only that i chargrilled it after(not before) slow braising.

chargrilled prime ribs

i had the ribs in a sealed oven dish with marinade in a 90degC oven for 5.5hrs.

chargrilled prime ribs

then i chargrilled on a high heat non stick pan with a bit of butter to approximate bbq.

it was a wonderful tasting ribs, very flavourful both from the marinade but also from the slow braising which dissolves the fat & convert the collagen (connective tissues) to flavourful gelatin.

home lunch dishes

i did 3 other dishes.

prawn with minced pork fried tofu

was trying to replicate the prawn tifu dish at sik bao sin.

my dish was tasty not no comparison to sik bao sin.

prawn with minced pork fried tofu

i did a minced meat prawn sauce with the usual oyster sauce & fish sauce & white pepper.

as one friend said, my dish didn’t need recipe, just a general knowledge of mixing condiments & cooking the right texture.

fried tofu

i shallow fried silken tofu, wanted soft texture inside didn’t want to use the tau kua, or the egg tofu. maybe i try egg tofu next time.

looking at sik bao sin’s photo, actually they deep-fried the tofu. i hate deep-fry use so much oil

sik bao sin also did not have minced pork just an egg. will try that next time.

prawn with minced pork fried tofu

then the ingredients were ready, so just a matter of putting them together in a wok when friends arrived.

leek & potatoes

i didn’t have any veg in the chiller, literally emptied out, so i just used the leftover 2 stalks of leek & the potatoes.

came out a very tasty dish! both the potatoes & the leek. very nice! 🙂

leek & potatoes

i fried the potatoes separately. the key is not to overcook. potato cook test is to push it against wall & if it breaks into halves means it’s cooked.

an even better test of course is to eat a piece, which was what i did. 🙂

the leek has to be covered & braised after frying in garlic & cut chilli padi, so soft & still green, and very sweet with the oyster sauce & fish sauce.

like my friend said, this kind of dishes no need recipe la! ^^

hk steamed pating fish

the hk steamed pating fish was the main event.

though still quite nice, it was nevertheless a slight disappointment for me.

hk steamed pating fish

all 3 of us thought the sauce was very nice.

i used 3 tbsp of top quality light soy sauce 陈年生抽王, 2 tbsp olive oil, 2 tbsp mirin, & that’s it. i used that for red garoupa, soon hock, song fish head.

& to demo at my cooking demo at teban gardens community service centre on 29.4.2016 becos it is so easy anyone can do this, which is the purpose of a cooking demo, so everyone can do it afterwards.

for pating fish i added finely chopped ginger & garlic, and some cut scallions.

hk steamed pating fish

so the sauce was nice, but 2 of us thought the fish was not the very fresh type. the meat had a touch of powdery & not the super fresh bouncy type.

still ok texture & good taste to eat, but below par for me la… 🙂

coconut jelly

a friend brought both coconut jelly & fresh coconuts.

coconut jelly

we took the jelly, very nice.

ah seng durians

after that we went to ah seng for durians.

i bought MSW & D13.

but one friend was nursing a recovering flu & throat & did not want to eat. so we just took the packet of D13 & i kept the MSW for my brother & for home.

ah seng durians

ah seng durians constantly long queue.

ah seng durians

they invested in the vaccum pack machine but basically charges the same price, and good service & almost always good quality so like all these other people, we also prefer to buy there.

c.h.e.f andy

6pax Homecooked Lunch + Ah Seng Durians on 1Aug2016

Posted on August 5, 2016 by chefquak

chargrilled belly pork & pork loin

did a 6pax homecooked lunch on 1.8.2016- ^^

chargrilled belly pork & pork loin
spicy black bean sauce fish head
white bee hoon 白米粉 with lar pok – crispy lard
fried leek with sliced pork
kimchi (a friend brought)

the pork loin & belly pork were slow braised first. i forgot to add salt & pepper when frying. it was better when i added salt & pepper on the board for dipping. didn’t have good mustards also. must buy!

friend’s kimchi

friend brought nice kimchi! not too sweet. spicy i like! 🙂

spicy black bean sauce fish head

the spicy black bean sauce fish head my best dish today. sauce had just the right bit of tangy taste & excellent with the song fish head.

3 friends not so hot on song fish head so we other 3 took most of it. 🙂

lar pok – crispy lard was very good!

my crispy lard very good today.

lar pok – crispy lard was very good!

very fragrant!

unhealthy? could be that the white bee hoon more unhealthy, since i used the lard.

the crispy lard pieces, fat mostly rendered out liao.

white bee hoon 白米粉

my stock was quite tasty, the white bee hoon less so, maybe slightly too much bee hoon for the amount of stock. 🙂

fried leek with sliced pork

all the friends liked the leek, a tasty dish.

it’s comfort food 家常便饭 so i just cooked what is in the fridge.

i had a fatty pork loin, so cut out fat for crispy lard & used lard oil for white bee hoon.

had small piece leftover pork belly & cut 1/2 of pork loin for slow braising then chargrilled.

no vegetables in fridge so used the only leek left & cooked with leftover pork (sliced pork).

MSW + D13 durians

after lunch we went to ah seng to collect our prebooked durians.

ah seng durian

ah seng long queue as always.

ah seng durians

we bought S$38 for 2kg+ MSW, S$19 for 2kg+ D13, S$11 for a small golden pheonix.

still not enough but ah seng too long queue so bought 1 red prawn & 1 D13 for S$25 at le le.

very fun lunch & durians with close friends. ^^

c.h.e.f andy

Great Zi Char Dishes @ Quan Ji 权记 on 3Aug2016

Posted on August 5, 2016 by chefquak

鱼肌米粉 fish belly thick beehoon soup

went with my OPS primary school classmates for a walk along the souther ridge from hortpark to kent ridge park.

quan ji zi char

after we adjourned for my friend’s 7pax dinner treat at quan ji 权记 at amoy street food centre on 3.8.2016. ^^

quan ji zi char

all dishes quite good & only cost S$102 – 6 dishes for 7pax.

my friend ordered most of their signature dishes.

the 鱼肌米粉 fish belly thick beehoon soup was ok but not intense enough.

cannot c/w holland village XO fish head bee hun (on 6.2.2016). i had takeawy from here about 1 year ago.

har jeon kai – prawn paste chicken

har jeon kai – prawn paste chicken was tasty, many friends liked it. for me it was too crispy & dry.

for me my helper makes much better taste & texture-wise deep-fried chicken wings.

排骨王

排骨王 was very competent dish, not too sweet. just not my favourite dish.

black bean sauce fish head

black bean sauce fish head was good standard. about same as kok sen.

lar pok – crispy lard

the lar pok – crispy lard was tasty. just don’t like the oil.

seafood fried hor fun

seafood hor fun very good wok hae…wok aroma..

seafood fried bee hoon

the fried bee hoon too good wok hae.

bismillah roti prata

one of our friends at dinner this evening is the chicken suppier to bismillah roti prata (& many restaurants & stalls). ^^

curry chicken

we have to try his chicken of course. 🙂

the curry was excellent, chicken tender & good!

ayam goreng

i liked the ayam goreng also.

osmanthus konnyaku jelly

a friend made osmanthus konnyaku jelly. 🙂

osmanthus konnyaku jelly

very good standard!

not as well flavoured as ji de ci 记得吃 though.

overall S$102 is really quite good for this quality of food. will be back! 🙂

c.h.e.f andy

Kong Bak Braised Belly Pork 鲁腩肉 – 16th Teban Gardens Community Breakfast on 5Aug2016

Posted on August 5, 2016 by chefquak

more food this morning – pre national day

did a kong bak 鲁腩肉 for teban gardens community breakfast this morning on 5.8.2016. ^^

this my 16th friday breakfast community meal 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.

next monday 9aug2016 is national day, so every of the staff & volunteers decked in national colours red & white. ^^

& today they have special catering, more food for the residents! 🙂

kong bak braised pork 鲁腩肉

for my kong bak 鲁腩肉, i used my kueh chap recipe. maybe will do a separate recipe later.

kong bak braised pork 鲁腩肉 with tau kua & tau pok

basically i used my “cold crockpot method”. about 1.2kg pork belly in crockpot make sure braising sauce covers pork. turn on low for about 5hrs or meat thermometer temperature reaches 90degC. this will give very tender belly pork that is still firm have good bite & not falling apart.

braising sauce –

3 tbsp dark sauce
5 tbsp light soy sauce
2 tbsp zhengjiang black vinegar
1 tbsp heap sugar
1 cinnamon bark
2 star anise
2 cloves
1 bulb peeled garlic
3cm sliced ginger
1 tbsp 5-spice powder
1 litre water (enough to cover pork in crockpot)
salt to taste (about 2 -3 tsp)

when done removed pork, strain the braising sauce & cook the tau kua & tau pok about 15mins. 🙂

c.h.e.f andy

HK Steamed Song Fish Head 港蒸松鱼头 – The Best! on 2Aug2016

Posted on August 3, 2016 by chefquak

HK steamed song fish head 港蒸松鱼头2-2aug2016

did a HK steamed song fish head 港蒸松鱼头 this evening on 2aug2016. ^^

already made a detailed recipe post – HK steamed song fish head 港蒸松鱼头 on 16.6.2016.

and in conjunction with a cooking demo i did for teban gardens community service centre on 29.4.2016.

HK steamed song fish head 港蒸松鱼头2-2aug2016

it was very easy to do. defrost, clean with salt water.

placed on steaming tray. added 2.5tbsp light soy sauce, 2tbsp olive oil, 2 tbsp mirin, and added cut chilli padi, sliced ginger, scallions.

then in the steam oven (or a steamer) for 13mins….voila!

HK steamed song fish head 港蒸松鱼头2-2aug2016

the fish head was just so tasty & delicious.

the light soy sauce very important. i used top quality 陈年生抽王，top quality la…very “pang”.

this the smaller 1/2 of the fish head. i bought S$6.90 whole head from sheng shiong on saturday, ate 1/2 with friends on monday & having the 1/2 in the freezer.

c.h.e.f andy

Very Nice Yakiniku Dinner @ Aburiya on 31Jul2016

Posted on August 2, 2016 by chefquak

jo karubi – prime ribs @ aburiya

went with wife to her favourite restaurant aburiya on 31.7.2016. ^^

now my favourite too…really enjoyed the dinner! 🙂

last time i blogged about aburiya was 1 year ago when son was back in aug2015.

we had been here several times afterwards.

sake set S$18

wife ordered her usual sake set!

jo karubi – prime ribs S$16.90

we had one order of jo karubi & added negi (pickled scallions) for S$1.50.

menu has a new look & prices went north a bit…

kurobuta set S$25

the server (good lady) recommended the kurobuta set.

it was good. we liked every cut, 3 spanish on the left & USA on the right (above photo). 🙂

wife liked secreto best & also the collar (second from left) today which was not too fat. can be quite fat sometimes & not so good.

i liked all the meats. & while the jo karubi this time was good, the kirobuta set was much better value, and together an excellent combination.

kimchi chigae S$11.90

we had our usual kimchi.

kimchi chigae S$11.90

still very nice though this evening i felt i had less need for this.

bibimen S$12.90

& we always ordered bibimen.

in general i prefer bibimbap. wife likes bibimen.

bibimen S$12.90

& we both like the bibimen here. really nice.

some red tea ice cream (complimentary)

we were offered a complimentary red tea ice cream. first time, & we have dined here several dozen times. 🙂

good gesture. the tea flavour was strong & nice. it was sweet, maybe could not say too sweet, but sweet. 🙂 we took about <1/2 each.

dinner was S$101 inc sake. not cheap but i think quite ok & we enjoyed dinner very much.

c.h.e.f andy

Daughter’s Friends 7pax Homecooked Lunch on 30Jul2016

Posted on July 31, 2016 by chefquak

mock kurobuta ribs

daughter invited her friends for home lunch on 30.7.2016. ^^

i organised basically the same menu as what i did for my wife’s friends 2 days before-

mock kurobuta pork ribs

deepfried chicken wings (by my helper)

claypot rice

claypot tanhoon prawns

steamed soon hock

fried sweet peas & baby corn wit prawns (by my helper); &

tiramisu

mock kurobuta ribs

the marinade was better tasting today after some adjustment.

the texture was fork tender, which was just slightly not my most preferred texture of being tender but still firm with bite. i did 95degC for 6 hrs & left in for another couple hrs in the oven. next time i will do 95degC at 5hrs.

deepfried chicken wings

my helper’s chicken wings i think are the best chicken wings.

for me it is better than the prawn paste chicken wings at (1)hup choon & (2) forture.

deepfried chicken wings

looked good& she drained the oil also.

claypot rice

claypot rice was the usual very flavourful dish.

tanhoon prawns

tanhoon prawns too. stock was very flavourful.

i am looking around to see if i can get other brand of tanhoon. currently using happy family. ok but looking to see if i can get better.

steamed soon hock

soon hock ready to put in steam oven.

steamed soon hock

steamed soon hock hong kong style.

today i thick texture slightly over, not the best la…

prawns, sweet peas, baby corn

helper’s sweet peas & baby corn always good, and she added prawns this time too.

i did this dish for the teban gardens friday breakfast community meal too.

i chatted with daughter’s friends. they all had a good time. one of them cooked a bit & used a sous vide machine, more advanced than me la…i still happy with using oven as proxy…

c.h.e.f andy

Sunday Lunch with Daughters @ Holland Dr Food Centre on 31Jul2016

Posted on July 31, 2016 by chefquak

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

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

(1) Ru Ji Kitchen Fishball Noodles

(2) Yap Kee Wanton Noodles

Address:

44 Holland Dr, Singapore 270044

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c.h.e.f

cook.hangout.eat.fun

Author Archives: chefquak

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6pax Homecooked Lunch + Ah Seng Durians on 1Aug2016

Great Zi Char Dishes @ Quan Ji 权记 on 3Aug2016

Kong Bak Braised Belly Pork 鲁腩肉 – 16th Teban Gardens Community Breakfast on 5Aug2016

HK Steamed Song Fish Head 港蒸松鱼头 – The Best! on 2Aug2016

Very Nice Yakiniku Dinner @ Aburiya on 31Jul2016

Daughter’s Friends 7pax Homecooked Lunch on 30Jul2016

Sunday Lunch with Daughters @ Holland Dr Food Centre on 31Jul2016

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