Much Below Par Crab Beehoon Soup @ Uncle Leong Jurong East on 6May2016

Posted on May 7, 2016 by chefquak

crab beehoon – S$68/kg add S$5 for soup

i arranged a 5pax lunch with my OPS primary school buddies at uncle leong jurong east on 6.5.2016. ^^

i had quite many excellent crab beehoon soup at uncle leong jurong east last year (2015).

& recently a OPS primary school buddy bought a very good lunch at red house, so i wanted to let them try the crab beehoon soup at uncle leong.

crab beehoon – S$68/kg add S$5 for soup

price of crab has gone up from S$63/kg to S$68/kg. adding soup still S$5.

higher price is ok, but somehow the soup was not as intense & flavourful as every of the previous times i had???

if you look at the 2 past photos above, the soup previously all had a deeper yellow colour. just by the look, it appeared more delicious than what we had today!

also, as one friend mentioned immediately, the crab was not as “strong” ie the meat texture is not as firm, and i felt also not sweet as a very fresh good crab should taste.

my own crab beehoon soup 2.5.2016

recently i made a 6-course dinner including crab beehoon soup for a very good friend’s birthday.

the crab beehoon soup i made using 2x250g small crab was very nice. i commented that uncle leong’s was much better, but if i were to c/w what we had today, i think mine was better both for the soup & the crab. my crabs were tiny but very sweet!

cereal prawns – S$25

the cereal prawns was still good.

however for comparison, i just had cereal prawns at red house 2 days back for another friend’s 7pax bjrthday dinner, and red house cereal prawns were so much better.

seafood pot – S$30

the seafood pot was still very good.

many good ingredients including fish maw, sea cucumbers etc.

hotpot tofu – S$15

this hotpot tofu was the worst dish. no comparison at all with any zi char tofu dish say the likes of kok sen etc

3-egg tofu – S$15

i used to think this was the best 3-egg tofu.

my taste buds must be different today, but while it was still pretty ok, i thought the recent 3-egg spinach at red house was better.

longan sea coconut – complimentary

when we first tried the crab, immediately we told the server it was not so good.

i did not really expect anything, it was not so good but it was not like “bad”. anyhow the server arranged a complimentary longan sea coconut dessert for us.

the lunch came to S$176nett for 5pax like S$35pax. it was really quite below my expectations, much below par.

the last many times i came in 2015, i used a $51 for S$100 voucher so those meals were first super nice & second like super value-for-money. this time no discounts, but i was ok if only the food were as good, but they were not….

c.h.e.f andy

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

Uncle Leong (Jurong East)

Address:

262 Jurong East Street 24, #01-485, Singapore 600262

Contact:

(+65) 6897 2881

legacyseafood262@gmail.com

Opening Hours:

Mon – Sun: 11am – 11pm

Teriyaki Sutchi Fillet – 5th Newgate Learning Hub Community Lunch on 7May2016

Posted on May 7, 2016 by chefquak

teriyaki sutchi fillet

made a teriyaki sutchi fillet this morning on 7.5.2016. ^^

this my 5th community lunch dish for bathesda community’s newgate learning hub (bread of life). ^^

my 1st for newgate community lunch was on 27.2.2016.

teriyaki sutchi fillet

i did the same teriyaki sutchi fillet for my 10th teban gardens community breakfast on 29.4.2016.

the fish was quite delicious! 🙂

the difference between HK steamed & this teriyaki sutchi fillet 日式红烧鲶鱼柳 just that instead of putting on a steaming tray in a steamer, the fillet is placed with the condiments etc in a non stick pan, turn fire on high to boil then cover & low to steam. in between turn over the fillet at 3mins.

basically the condiments is reduced & thickened & made the fillet quite flavourful. texture just a little firmer than the steamed version.

c.h.e.f andy

Wonderful 7pax Birthday Dinner @ Red House at Prinsep on 4May2016

Posted on May 6, 2016 by chefquak

#4 dungeness crab 苏格兰面包螃蟹 – 1.2kg S$86

we had a wonderful dinner for a very good friend at red house @ prinsep street on 4.5.2016. ^^

my primary school classmate bought lunch here recently (also a birthday). i thought the food was pretty good & might be a good place for the birthday dinner. 🙂

red house @ prinsep street

my wife & i were early as we wanted to look at some shop nearby. street parking was full at 6pm so we parked at sunshine plaza which had a lot of parking.

ambience was quite good. nice place.

#1 thai lemongrass chilli lobster – S$88

i ordered 7 dishes. 🙂

there was a promo thai lemongrass chilli lobster at S$88.

#1 thai lemongrass chilli lobster – S$88

the chilli was excellent. everyone loved the taste.

it was quite a large serving too, i later learned it was a 800g blue lobster. 🙂

#2 cereal prawns – S$28

we ordered cereal prawns 400g at S$7/100g.

#2 cereal prawns – S$28

this was really good too.

#3 pepper crab – S$58

crabs were priced at S$72/kg.

we ordered a small sri-lankan pepper crab, 800g for S$58.

#3 pepper crab – S$58

this was a red house signature dish, and it was very good!

#4 dungeness crab 苏格兰面包螃蟹 – S$86

the 苏格兰面包螃蟹 (similar to dungeness crabs at pier 39 san francisco, also a common crab dish in hong kong & china seafood restaurants) was priced at the same S$72/kg. it’s 1.2kg so S$86, quite a bit more expensive.

#4 dungeness crab 苏格兰面包螃蟹 – S$86

this also red house signature dish.

the crab meat was quite solid & more firm than sri-lankan crab.

#4 dungeness crab 苏格兰面包螃蟹

i felt sri-lankan crab was tastier & had a better texture.

also my wife & i thought the chilli sauce was quite poor really, quite sweet but not intense with meat sweetness, instead gluey, sweet not spicy, more like a tourist version.

i would say alan’s homecooked chilli crab was a lot better than this la…

actually we ordered the chilli sri-lankan crab but they came with the expensive (heavier at 1.2kg)苏格兰面包螃蟹 . it was ok for us too to try a new crab dish.

#4 dungeness crab 苏格兰面包螃蟹 – S$86

this crab had a lot of roes & tomalleys.

friends ordered additional 10pieces man tou, so they must like the chilli. 🙂

#5 spinach tofu – S$21

we ordered a medium spinach tofu, 9 pieces S$21.

i liked this dish. it was very good. 🙂

#6 3-egg heng chai (spinach) – S$22

the 3-egg spinach also very good.

#6 3 egg heng chai (spinach) – S$22

but really this 3-egg spinach dish the best i had was at uncle leong jurong east.

#7 seafood hor fun – S$18

we ordered a medium seafood hor fun.

it was pretty good. several friends commented good wok hae! 🙂

#7 seafood hor fun – S$18

the broad kuay teow was especially flavourful. & the serving had quite a bit of prawns & sotong.

it was a good round-up dish for the dinner.

birthday cake

i didn’t have time so just got a 6″ 500g cake from swissbake at holland village.

this their most popular signature cake paradiso di nicciola. 🙂

cake was pretty good but the double chocolate praline from patissier was just a ot better la…

another friend, my weekly jogging partner, quietly paid for dinner without our knowledge. we were still waiting for the bill but he already settled it. ^^

dinner came to S$409. it was less than S$60pax nett. i think pretty good for this quality of food & actually cheaper than the recent 5pax lunch (which was S$311 for 5pax).

the service here was excellent, very friendly, very attentive, keep changing plates & gave a lot (continuous supply) of wet tissues etc. very good service indeed!

c.h.e.f andy

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

Red House

Address

68 Prinsep Street, Singapore 188661

Contact

Tel = +65 6653 7160

Fax = +65 6336 6801

Email = prinsep@redhouseseafood.com

Parking

Sunshine Plaza, POMO and Somerset Bencoolen

Opening Hours

Mon – Fri

11.30am – 2.30pm (last order 2pm) 5pm – 11pm (last order 10.30 pm)

Sat, Sun & PH

11am – 11pm (last order 10.30pm)

Simple Quick Eats near ICA on 4May2016

Posted on May 4, 2016 by chefquak

laksa @ toastbox

went with wife to ICA (Immigration & Checkpoint Authority) to collect passport on 4.5.2016.

queue number a bit high & officer advised we go have lunch & come back later.

we crossed over the other side of kallang road via lavender mrt station & found toastbox at kitchere complex.

wife ordered a laksa set include iced barley drink for S$6.80. i ordered a kopi c gosong tik lok.

laksa @ toastbox

laksa was lemak, quite tasty, competent if nothing to shout about.

there were lots of taupoks & fishcake, few prawns & no “hums” (cockles).

S$6.80 include drink quite ok i guess in the comfort of aircon environment. my kopi c was S$1.80 already.

needless to say, it’s no comparison with a S$5 laksa & wei yi laksa, tanglin halt food centre la…

old chang kee

after that we bought 2 chicken puffs at old chang kee. took with coffee when we got home. 🙂

always like old chang kee. 🙂

poh guan

i saw this shop poh guan & decided to buy back some “tausapia”. they said their “low por pen” also good, so i bought 8 tausapia & 2 low por pen all S$1ea so S$10 in total.

poh guan tausapia

i told the shopowner that i think balestier sells only S$0.60 ea but theirs seem bigger.

the girl was quite cheerful not the nazi type. she asked me to try it out & see. 🙂

hoong woh tong

this shop reminded us of hong kong guilinggao 龟苓膏，so we ordered small one @ S$5.50 (large @ S$8) to share.

gulinggao @ hoong woh tong

it was good standard. but i tasted better even in singapore la.

they say traditional but the mint taste was kind of overwhelming, not what i like.

the guilinggao 龟苓膏 we had recently at xin cuisine was way better la…

c.h.e.f andy

A Memorable Belated 6-course Birthday Dinner for a Very Good Friend on 2May2016

Posted on May 3, 2016 by chefquak

#1 gordon ramsay garlic chill butter grilled lobster

did a 6-course belated birthday dinner for a very good friend on 2.5.2016. ^^

friend & his wife both have their birthdays in apr, but he is ever so busy. great he could make it today. another common friend couple joined dinner so 6pax. 🙂

6-course birthday dinner

friend like seafood so i made mostly seafood this evening.

we had-

#1 gordon ramsay garlic chilli butter grilled lobster

#2 crab beehoon soup

#3 HK steamed red garoupa

#4 teochew fried egg onions crayfish

#5 claypot rice

#6 patissier’s double chocolate praline cake

#1 gordon ramsay garlic chilli butter grilled lobster

gordon ramsay’s garlic chilli butter marinade was just excellent like last time. 🙂

i used a new bottle of remy martin but was unable to flame this time (not sure why? pan not hot enuf?) so i was worried the lobster might be overcooked (these were the frozen cooked lobster from cold storage).

everyone loved the very tasty lobster. i still felt my piece was slightly tough, but my friends were all ok with theirs. 🙂

today i added some sweet peas, 2 per person. very tasty.

#2 crab beehoon soup

the crab bee hoon soup was just superb this evening. better than what i did last time.

crabs were small today, just 250gx 2 crabs. they were very sweet & done just right not overcooked. i made sure of that la. 🙂

soup was intense & flavourful, crab, lobster, chicken stock with lots of chinese cabbage to balance the taste. thick bee hoon was just right too, not mushy.

#2 crab beehoon soup

still, i think it was no comparison with the very intense & flavourful crab bee hoo soup at uncle leong jurong east.

my OPS friends will be joining me for lunch at uncle leong jurong east this friday.

#3 HK steamed red garoupa

i did a HK steamed red garoupa.

as we were having quite many dishes, i did a very small one just 400g, which i bought from chinatown market the day before.

#3 HK steamed red garoupa

the HK steam method is so simple to do yet so tasty. you can feel the fragrance of the light soy sauce.

i did HK steamed red garoupa at a demo for teban gardens after the community meal on 29.4.2016.

#4 teochew egg & onion crayfish

the next seafood dish i did was a teochew-styled egg & yellow onion crayfish dish.

i softened the onions & added egg, fried separately then set aside.

then i fried the halved crayfish in butter in a very hot pan & added some oyster sauce . i then added some fish sauce. you could feel the aroma! 🙂

then i added back the egg onions & fried together.

#4 teochew egg & onion crayfish

friends liked the dish. my friend’s wife said meat was tender.

(crayfish meat is not as tender, springy, refine as lobster or prawns. & lobster & crayfish are quite easily overcooked).

#4 teochew egg & onion crayfish

the egg & onions were especially tasty as they absorbed the flavours of the crustaceans & also the wok hae.

#5 claypot rice

i did my claypot rice.

its a very flavourful dish. you can feel the aroma around the room & when you lift the lid.

today it was not the best like what i did recently on 20.4.2016, so i would not claim it was better than new lucky….

still i still it was a very good claypot rice. certainly my chicken was very tender & flavourable much better than most claypot rice outside, even for the not best version i did today.

#6 patissier’s double chocolate praline

this is the first time i took patissier’s cake in a long, long while.

it’s a very expensive cake, and the 500g cake cost almost the same like a 1kg cake at cedele.

#6 patissier’s double chocolate praline

but it was very good.

i enjoyed it. my friend said he had not taken cake for the last 10+ years & only taking this because i bought for him. ^^

i don’t meet this friend often. he is always busy. i enjoyed the dinner preparation & we had a really good time this evening. 🙂

c.h.e.f andy

Wife Made the Best Shakshuka on 2May2016

Posted on May 3, 2016 by chefquak

wife’s shakshuka

wife made the best shakshuka for breakfast this morning on 2.5.2016. ^^

really excellent, i think i like shakshuka now. 🙂

wife’s shakshuka

shakshuka is a jewish libyan dish of poached eggs, with tomatoes, peppers, onions, & spiced with cumin. 🙂

wife made it really well with yellow & red cherry tomatoes, yellow peppers, egg, onions & cumin.

wife’s shakshuka

it was a lovely dish.

wife made it once previously & son does a good shakshuka too.

i am actually the one in the house who is not excited with all day breakfast & egg benedict kind of dishes. but this dish i really like.

and i like it more than the breakfast we had at sunday restaurant in london we visited recently.

shakshuka, chorizo, pama ham rockets, baguette

shakshuka, chorizo, parma ham rockets, baguette

wife also prepared fried chorizo & parma ham rockets salad.

& i went to cold storage to get some baguette from cedele for her. 🙂

shakshuka, chorizo, parma ham rockets, baguette

chorizo was wonderful.

parma ham rockets

parma ham rockets are quite the usual. still it was very good!

chorizo, parma ham rockets

it was a very enjoyable breakfast. i was planning to skip the breakfast as i was busy with cooking for my friend’s birthday & collecting his birthday cake from patissier.

but just as well i joined breakfast. it was one of the best i had. 🙂

c.h.e.f andy

Homecooked Yong Tau Fu, White Beehoon & Cuttlefish Kang Kong on 1May2016

Posted on May 2, 2016 by chefquak

cuttlefish + yong tau fu from chinatown market

went to chinatown market on 1.5.2016 to get some stuff for my very good friend’s birthday dinner the next day.

saw the yong tau fu sold by some chinese stall owner for S$3.80. they looked really good, plump & lots of fish meat fillings.

& indeed they were, much better the average yong tau fu stalls.

also bought a S$3 cuttlefish (like S$7.90 at sheng shiong)

yong tau fu, white bee hoon & cuttlefish kang kong

for home family dinner this evening, i cooked the claypot yong tau fu, white beehoon (using some cuttlefish) & cuttlefish kang kong. ^^

yong tau fu

my yong tau fu was the best. later i will do a recipe for this. briefly-

add minced garlic, cut chilli padi & 1tbsp spicy black bean paste (i use lee kum kee) in 1 tbsp oil & fry till fragrant.

clean & cut yong tau fu items in 1/2 & fry in pan. coat the sauce on the yong tau fu.

add chicken stock, cover & reduced to cook the yong tau fu & make a tasty sauce.

add 1tbsp corn flour, 1 tbsp oyster sauce, mixed in little water & add to the pan to get a thicker tasty sauce.

transfer to claypot & heat up when serving (of course can also cook in claypot from start).

yong tau fu

yong tau fu was very good, tasty, not overcooked, not overpowered by the black bean sauce, just slightly starchy.

kok sen’s yong tau fu

for me it was as good as kok sen’s yong tau fu la… 🙂

i do agree with daughter though that this preparation is not as good as the normal style in a good yong tau fu stall like say u hakka yong tau fu.

white bee hoon

i tried white bee hoon again, using the cuttlefish, sliced chicken & prawns.

my version was ok but nothing great & i not hot on the original version, so i not trying this again. better to try cooking fried hokkien noodles next time la. had been wanting to try that. 🙂

cuttlefish kang kong

cuttlefish kang kong also not so great.

i used the nonya sauce so it was tasty but my preparation not quite right & don’t really make the best of the nonya sauce, unlike what i did for the ocra the other night.

got to do this again right before i record the recipe. lol… 🙂

c.h.e.f andy

Good Scissor Cut Curry Rice at Toa Payok Lor 8 Food Centre on 30Apr2016

Posted on April 30, 2016 by chefquak

curry rice dishes

an old friend bought lunch today at toa payoh lor 8 today on 30.4.2016. ^^

there were several well known stalls, from carrot cakes to ocean fish head curry to white beehoon.

toa payoh lor 8 food centre

we decided to have the scissor cut curry rice, so we can sit down & chat & not have to queue at separate stalls.

curry rice dishes

scissor cut curry rice was not yet fully ready & display all their dishes.

we were the first customer at 11am on a saturday, so no queue, we just collected the dishes.

my friend paid S$15.50 for 4dishes for 3pax, about S$5pax. pretty good.

mainly it’s the curry that attracts me! pouring over the rice.

actually come to think of it, it is almost same as japanese sweet curry (also poured over the rice!)

the curry here was almost as good as that at loo’s which we had recently. well, maybe loo’s a bit better la.

curry chicken wings

curry was good. chicken wings ok just so-so. not sure why they don’t serve chicken thighs?

kong bak

kong bak was very good in texture, taste too, sauce the a bit gluey type, slightly sweet not enough “pang”.

steamed egg with pork & water

steamed egg was good. this a childhood dish still common today.

i remember having it at RI canteen at grange road.

spinach

spinach was usual. pretty ok, not much different from the $10 romaine lettuce at paradise dynasty ion orchard.

both were ok but can do with a bit more oil as the plain veg can be a bit “siap”.

overall, it was a pretty good lunch at S$5pax.

chengdol

my friend went to get the chendol, the stall that former PM mr Goh Chok Tong likes.

chengdol

this the really authentic version. very nice kidney beans, quite a lot of palm fruits (atap chee) & very flavour gula melaka & coconut milk, very nice, enjoyed it!

my 2 friends had a good chat about photogrpahy which they were quite expert & knowledgable about.

c.h.e.f andy

Recipe 1st Sharing & Demo = HK steamed Red Garoupa 示范港蒸红斑 on 29Apr2016

Posted on April 30, 2016 by chefquak

red garoupa (about 550g)

i was asked to do a demo session at teban gardens community service centre today on 29.4.2016.

my choice was HK steamed red garoupa 示范港蒸红斑.

red garoupa (about 550g) + condiments (olive oil, light soy sauce, mirin)

the reason was that it is so very easy to do a HK steam fish.

for a red garoupa of say between 500g and 550g, just steamed for 10mins.

& condiments also so easy. just 2 tbsp olive oil (or veg oil), 2 tbsp light soy sauce, 2 tbsp mirin (or water).

and add sliced ginger (julienned), cut chilli padi & chopped spring onions. also 3cm spring onions for garnishing.

demo HK steamed red garoupa 示范港蒸红斑

and also i always believe a cooking demo is just fun but NOT of much use if after that the people go home & they cannot repeat what they saw at the demo.

demo HK steamed red garoupa 示范港蒸红斑

so it should be really practical.

something anyone can just do it on their own.

3 condiments ginger, spring onions etc, fish – anyone can do it la..

demo HK steamed red garoupa 示范港蒸红斑

& for the demo i used red garoupa, as it looked beautiful especially when nicely cooked & tasted wonderful, very delicate, sweet, tasty.

demo HK steamed red garoupa 示范港蒸红斑

but for the 2 community meals-

HK steamed sutchi fillet on 15.4.2016

teriyaki sutchi fillet 日式红烧鲶鱼柳 today on 29.4.2016

i used sutchi fillet as there is no bones, so quite suitable for the older folks, and very easy to serve to between 80 to 100pax.

& its really cheap & easy to get it. red garoupa can be very expensive at neighbourhood wet markets & troublesome to go say chinatown market.

also the demo & the HK steamed & teriyaki dishes showed that they can buy any fish they like, expensive or cheap & can basically cook it in the same way, by steaming or teriyaki.

c.h.e.f andy

Teriyaki Sutchi Fillet – 10th Teban Gardens Community Breakfast on 29Apr2016

Posted on April 30, 2016 by chefquak

teriyaki sutchi fillet 日式红烧鲶鱼柳

this morning i made a teriyaki sutchi fillet (similar to creamy dory) on 29.4.2016. ^^

this my 10th friday breakfast community meal at teban gardens community service centre (CSC).

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.

teriyaki sutchi fillet 日式红烧鲶鱼柳

sutchi or pangasius is sold as a cheap frozen white fish fillet in giant, sheng shiong etc. i bought some from sheng shiong at 1kg packet (800g nett) for S$3.95.

for the community meals, 2 advantages are –

there is no bones, so quite suitable for the older folks; &

preparation is very simple, just add condiments & fry for between 6 and 7mins.

teriyaki sutchi fillet 日式红烧鲶鱼柳

i usually add salt & wash the fillet in water, then drain.

like the HK steamed dish preparation, the condiments are the same – just 2 tbsp olive oil (or veg oil), 2 tbsp light soy sauce, 2 tbsp mirin (or water).

and add sliced ginger (julienned), cut chilli padi & chopped spring onions. also 3cm spring onions for garnishing.

teriyaki sutchi fillet 日式红烧鲶鱼柳

basically the condiments is reduced & thickened & made the fillet quite flavourful. texture just a little firmer than the steamed version.

everyone at teban gardens commented 很入味！

c.h.e.f andy

Nice Dinner @ Paradise Dynasty Ion Orchard on 28Apr2016

Posted on April 29, 2016 by chefquak

xiaolongbao 小笼包

went with friends to watch captain america – civil war at shaw lido yesterday.

after the movie we adjourned to paradise dynasty at level 4 ion orchard for dinner on 28.4.2016. ^^.

another friend join us after his day seminar, so we had 4pax.

captain america – civil war was very enjoyable movie, the best comics movie for me, better than x-men etc which i like, and 1 of the best movies i have seen…

great story-telling, great dialogue, good humour… friendship…chemistry…so many good actors…super fun…

peanut & chestnuts starters – S$2.50

we asked the price of the peanut & chestnut starter. it was just S$2.50 so we took it. it was really good, there were lots of chestnuts.

paradise dynasty

the place was well patronised but not yet full at 8pm.

paradise dynasty

paradise dynasty was having 30% discounts on 5 dishes.

the service by the chinese server was very good. it was difficult for us to identify the 5 dishes as they appear in totally different parts of the ordering chit. she took us through, explained the dishes & ordered for us.

xiaolongbao 小笼包 – S$7.80

we started with 2trays x 6 xiaolongbao 小笼包. so 3 pieces each for 4pax.

xiaolongbao 小笼包 was good. the soup inside was very tasty. however dough skin at top slightly thicker, also the meat filling not as tasty.

overall not as good as crystal jade lamian xiaolongbao.

later we greedy lot added another 2 trays, so in total each of us took 6 pieces. haha! 🙂

drunken chicken醉鸡 – S$9.50

drunken chicken was good too.

drunken chicken醉鸡 – S$9.50

chicken was tender. presentation was good. the 绍兴酒fragrance very good. 🙂

(for comparison see the photo for peach garden miramar, tasted good looked odd).

minced pork soup 狮子头 – S$9.80

the minced pork soup 狮子头 quite a ok soup.

minced pork soup 狮子头 – S$9.80

soup below S$7 after discount so ok.

but really pales in comparison with a good lie tong 例汤say at tunglok signature orchard parade.

omelette 赛螃蟹 – S$13.80

the omelette 赛螃蟹 quite a meaningless dish for me, forgettable & it’s not cheap for egg whites with supposedly conpoy in it.

romaine lettuce油麦菜 – S$10.80

the romaine lettuce油麦菜 was quite misleading. it looked like a very tiny serving so i thought it was expensive at S$10 (this dish no discounts).

actually it was quite a decent helping, so not really more ex say c/w kok sen, a zi char stall.

fried rice – S$11.80

the fried rice was pretty good too. reasonably tasty & a good helping for 4pax.

fried rice – S$11.80

not the best of course.

no comparison with crystal jade lamian xiaolongbao’s spicy seafood fried rice.

fried ramen – S$11.80

we ordered a fried ramen. i guess we could eat a lot if we want too.

fried ramen – S$11.80

it was ok, but really no different from any breakfast fried noodles or the hong kong style street sweet soy sauce noodles.

dinner came to S$108nett for 4pax.

a friend has his birthday next week so we bought him dinner. ^^

very enjoyable movie & a great dinner chat & time together with good friends.

price wise, if we kept to the 5 items with discount which was quite enough for 4pax, price would be S$70nett, so very reasonabe for the food.

we added of course the veg, the noodles & 2 more xiaolongbao. 🙂

c.h.e.f andy

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

Paradise Dynasty at ION Orchard

Address –

2 Orchard Turn
ION Orchard #04-12A
Singapore 238801

Contact:

6509 9117

Business Hours

Mon – Fri
11.00am – 10.00pm (Last order at 9.30pm)

Sat, Sun & PH
10.30am – 10.00pm (Last order at 9.30pm)

Tea Smoked Duck Breast

Posted on April 28, 2016 by chefquak

medium rare tea smoked duck breast – 12.4.2016

experimented on tea smoked duck breast on 2 occasions recently! ^^

first was oddly for the 5pax vegetarian dinner for my wife’s friends (which she does meditation with) on 12.4.2016.

i made a 4-course all vegetarian meal. wife thought we should add some protein since only 1 person is vegetarian. so i made a mock kurobuta & a medium rare tea smoked duck.

both were quite excellent that evening. 🙂

2 expereinc with duck breast previously –

i do a good carnard a l’orange (duck in orange sauce) too. that though was a different recipe & not smoked.

i also did a tea smoked duck fettucine previously but that time the breast was kind of too well done.

cinnamon bark, star anise, cloves, tea, rice, brown sugar for smoking

for the preparation, i used an internet recipe i saw some time back-

add 3 star anise 1 cinnamon bark 1 tbsp brown sugar 1 tbsp rice 1 packet tea leaves on aluminium foil on a stainless steel oven-proof pan

place duck breast on rack above foil (this time i bought a 200g ready fresh duck breast from sheng shiong for S$2.80)

heat pan till smokes & roll up aluminium foil to trap smoke inside..for 10mins

place pan in oven at 90degC for 1/2hr…repeat ie reheat pan to smoke every 1/2 hr (i did twice for medium rare, 3 times for medium)

after smoking

aroma was excellent during smoking & afterwards.

after smoking

duck breast is ready for crackling – frying to crisp the skin.. 🙂

gordon ramsay’s cold pan method

i used gordon ramsay’s cold pan method.

(i did this again on 267.4.2016. this time i did the smoking longer ie 3times for medium)

gordon ramsay’s cold pan method – rendering out the fat

place the smoked duck breast skin down on a cold non-stick pan w/o any oil & start low fire.

what it does is that the heat has time to slowly rendered out the fat. when fat is almost totally rendered out the skin is then able to crackle.

(sprinkle sea salt & black pepper over the duck breast & add herbs if desired).

medium tea smoked duck breast

it takes about 9mins.

medium tea smoked duck breast

the fat was almost totally rendered out, leaving just a thin skin so it could crackle.

now let the duck rest for 10mins.

tea smoked duck breast – 27.4.2016

& it was easy to cut.

tea smoked duck breast – 27.4.2016

place skin down & cut through to the skin.

medium rare tea smoked duck breast – 12.4.2016

i personally like the medium rare better (top & above photos).

and i was able also to cut easily with skin side up as i was cutting thicker slices that time.

it’s a wonderful dish. smokey tea flavours, crispy skin & tender, moist medium rare meat. quite excellent.

it was good experiment for me, lots of fun, though personally i may not usually want to spend the time doing the smoking. it works for small family meals & maybe with just 4 or 5 friends, not so convenient for large group – would be tedious & take the fun out of it.

c.h.e.f andy

Protected: 8pax Curry Rice Lunch for OPS51 Friends on 21Apr2016

Posted on April 27, 2016 by chefquak

Great Quality Lunch @ Tunglok Signature Orchard Parade on 6Appr2016

Posted on April 27, 2016 by chefquak

1/2 roast London duck – S$32

went with friend for lunch at tunglok signature @ orchard parade on 6.4.2016. ^^

just returned from london last evening. had an excellent family holiday in london, lisbon, porto with wife, son & daughter.

my OPS friend bought me an excellent G7 Sinma frog porridge lunch on 11.3.2016 before my trip.

so my turn to buy lunch. 🙂

garlic steamed razor clams – S$12.80

we started with a steamed razor clam.

clam was smaller than what usually is served in say ah yat, jumbo, long beach etc. the sauce a bit gluey, but overall the taste was still very good. 🙂

i would order this again, also after 50% palate discounts for 2pax, this dish was only S$6.40++.

lie tong 例汤 1/2 pot=S$16

we shared 1/2 pot lie tong 例汤 1/2 pot at S$16 (full pot S$28).

lie tong 例汤 always good here, and at others like imperial treasure etc. for me, a good lie tong 例汤 1/2 (they usually very good la) is better than taking sharksfin (politically incorrect) or even fishmaw soup.

1/2 roast London duck – S$32

& i wanted to let my friend try the roast london duck. ^^

they used irish duck which is fatter & more flavourful.

can’t it’s better than the tea smoked duck at xin cuisine,

but certainly it is better than the very good roast duck at canton paradise.

Rack of lamb – S$15

rack of lamb was good too, tender not too strong gamey taste. but chinese preparation is for me, never as good for this dish c/w with modern european.

we shared one order.

String beans – S$18

string beans was more ex, basically S$18 is a good restuarant kind of pricing for veg.

Garoupa fillet noodles soup – S$12

i had a zhajiangmian variation here with my wife recently.

this time, it was a garoupa fillet noodle soup.

it was good, soup very tasty, garoupa fillet fresh & sweet.

we shared one order.

Excellent 5pax Birthday Lunch @ Red House on 26Apr2016

Posted on April 27, 2016 by chefquak

spinach mushroom dumpling

OPS friend celebrating wife’s birthday & invited us for lunch at red house princep street on 26.4.2016.

(we didn’t know. we asked but he didn’t say till afterwards).

i have never been to red house for the longest time.

they are having a 40% off dimsum promotion till 31.12.2016!

food was surprisingly good leh! ^^

the spinach mushroom dumpling looked alluring & tasted really good. very nice mushroom flavours, and so refine. 🙂

har gao虾饺

the simple har gao虾饺 also looked so refine, and tasted wonderful too. 🙂

fu pei quin 腐皮卷

fu pei quin 腐皮卷 not overly oily, very crispy & good fresh prawn fillings, a very well done dish. 🙂

steamed bamboo clams 圣子 – S$10 each

friend ordered the steamed bamboo clams 圣子. dish was ok.

this a bit small c/w say ah yat or jumbo or long beach, quite similar size to the recent ones we had at tunglok signature orchard parade, but tunglok’s minced garlic oil & tanhoon a lot tastier than this.

steamed razor clams with garlic (beautiful photo taken by Jeanette at 6.10.2012 homecooked dinner)

actually even my own preparation is tastier than this.

lemongrass chilli lobster 香茅辣椒龙虾 – S$88

the lemongrass chilli lobster 香茅辣椒龙虾 was excellent! ^^

lemongrass chilli lobster 香茅辣椒龙虾 – S$88

usually it is a waste to add chilli to a fresh & expensive lobster.

this one though was done very well. the chilli was very tasty, i thought a bit thai style.

lemongrass chilli lobster 香茅辣椒龙虾 – S$88

lobster very good, the chilli did not overwhelm the sweetness of the lobster meat. enhanced it la… 🙂

1/2fragrant crispy duck 香酥鸭 – S$23

friend also ordered 1/2 fragrant crispy duck 香酥鸭.

it is a variation of the roast duck which we eat too often.

this was deep-fried & could taste the fragrance of the spices. they usually served it with some crepe so the server proceeded to destroy (tear up) the duck. we didn’t want the crepe. friend’s wife commented the presentation was not good. in shanghai/jiangsu they would cut the duck in slices & nicer presentation.

also the duck was a bit dry inside, not such a good preparation.

spinach tofu 三层楼 – S$14

the spinach tofu was excellent, very tasty very well done.

spinach tofu 三层楼

i first had this 三层楼 at tunglok group maybe >20years ago. this one though tasted better than tunglok.

sambal kang kong – S$12

sambal kang kong was good, more than competent.

seafood hor fun 杂锦河粉 – S$12

the seafood hor fun 杂锦河粉 was very good too. very nice wok hae (wok fragrance!)

seafood hor fun 杂锦河粉 = S$12

the dimsum dishes were quite refine & the main courses were also top draw.

overall it was an excellent lunch, much better than i expected from a seafood restaurant like red house (there are so many similar places like jumbo, long beach, no sign board etc).

sorbet lemongrass jelly

the dessert were ok but did not really stand out.

i enjoyed my lemongrass jelly with sorbet.

杨枝甘露

the 杨枝甘露 looked average.

orh nee 芋泥

the orh nee 芋泥 didn’t looked right. maybe taste was ok?

lunch came to S$311 for 5pax, about S$62pax.

quite high for lunch. still i think a great place for a great lunch or dinner with good friends. must look a bit at the dishes to order, but i surely coming back again la! 🙂

c.h.e.f andy

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

Red House

Address

68 Prinsep Street, Singapore 188661

Contact

Tel = +65 6653 7160

Fax = +65 6336 6801

Email = prinsep@redhouseseafood.com

Parking

Sunshine Plaza, POMO and Somerset Bencoolen

Opening Hours

Mon – Fri

11.30am – 2.30pm (last order 2pm) 5pm – 11pm (last order 10.30 pm)

Sat, Sun & PH

11am – 11pm (last order 10.30pm)

Nice Coffee & Pastry & Breakfast Place @ Tiong Bahru Bakery on 22Mar2016

Posted on April 26, 2016 by chefquak

tiong bahru bakery

a RI friend organised a 8pax “eat-about” on 22.3.2016. ^^

we started with breakfast & coffee at tiong bahru bakery.

then went for early lunch at loo’s hainanese curry rice nearby.

after that we had the hawker centre coffee at tiong bahru food centre.

& the we bought some cakes + lim lam hong angku kueh & came to my place for another cuppa.

i say – this tiong bahru bakery really crowded! 🙂

croissant

must say that the plain croissant is one of the best i had. 🙂

flaky outside soft inside & nice buttery flavour.

almond croissant

not so hot on the almond croissant.

there were some promotion …i think its about S$2.50 each.

flat white

and the coffee is good here!

pastry stuff not top of my list, but i quite happy to have a nice cuppa & chat with good friends. ambience wise it is no better than any of the good coffee places.

after a relaxed coffee chat, we walked over to loo’s hainanese curry rice for the second part of our “eat-about”,

c.h.e.f andy

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

Tiong Bahru Bakery @ Eng Hoon

Address –

56 Eng Hoon Street
#01-70
Singapore 160056

Contact –

+65 62203430

Opening Hours –

Sunday to Thursday, 8am to 8pm
Friday to Saturday, 8am to 10pm

Enjoyable Curry Rice @ Loo’s Hainanese Curry Rice on 22Mar2016

Posted on April 26, 2016 by chefquak

loo’s curry rice dishes

a RI friend organised a 8pax “eat-about” on 22.3.2016. ^^

we started with breakfast & coffee at tiong bahru bakery.

then went for early lunch at loo’s hainanese curry rice nearby.

after that we had the hawker centre coffee at tiong bahru food centre.

& the we bought some cakes + lim lam hong angku kueh & came to my place for another cuppa.

we had a day trip to JB recently, so we thought we would recast it for singapore. haha!

we also had a 10pax bakuteh + curry rice lunch at my place post JB. 🙂

a slightly different kind of curries. maybe i will give this curry hainanese pork chop a try also.

loo’s curry rice

the loo’s curry rice was quite simple food, dishes a bit limited, but still quite enjoyable.

curry sauce – loo’s curry rice

the curry was especially shiok!

not that it was better than the fish head curry or lemak chicken curry. it’s slightly powdery, but overall just very shiok combine with the rice & pork chop.

curry pork chops

pork chop was good.

not a particularly interesting dish for me. still thinking whether i want to try cooking this. deep-fry is always a bit troublesome & i try to avoid.

curry sotong

curry sotong was good. large sotong, nice think ones. nothing special i guess.

meat balls

meat balls were ok.

egg plant

the egg plant was good. nice colour & great taste.

chap chai

chap chai was quite standard.

loo’s curry rice

simple food, limited selection, no really special dishes except curry.

loo’s curry rice dishes

but they all combined to give a really enjoyable meal.

green tea & almond pound cakes

after loo’s curry, we had coffee at tiong bahru hawker centre.

a friend bought green tea & almond pound cakes.

lim lam hong angkukueh

we stopped by lim lam hong at jln bukit merah & grabbed some angku kueh.

the guys adjourned to my place for some coffee & tea.

an enjoyable, fun day’s outing with good friends.

c.h.e.f andy

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

Loo’s Hainanese Curry Rice

Address

#01-88, Tai Kwang Huat Coffee Shop, 57 Eng Hoon Street, 160057

Contact

+65 62253762

Opening Hours

Daily: 08:00 – 14:00

Closed: Alt Thu

Just Average Zi Char @ Jin Wee Siglap on 25Apr2016

Posted on April 26, 2016 by chefquak

fish maw soup – S$25

a friend organised a movie session on 25.4.2016. ^^

we watched 2 movies – “Room” & “Everest”. in between, we walked to siglap for dinner.

jin wee restaurant @ siglap

it’s a regular zi char eating house.

jin wee restaurant – menu

menu likewise pretty standard zi char fare.

we were looking at the lie tong 例汤 S$12 & the fish maw soup S$25. a friend decided on the fish maw soup.

soup was quite good. quite chokeful of ingredients, good amount of crabmeat & very tasty.

not as good as the fish maw soup at beng thin, but maybe not that far off.

seemed expensive at S$25 at a zi char place like this, but what’s important is it’s good la..

crispy pork chop – S$15

the crispy pork is popular here, we ordered the larger serving at S$15.

crispy pork was good, & the sweet sour sauce was well done too, a competent sauce not too sweet & good with the pork. sweet & sour not my favourite though.

overall i like loo’s curry pork chop better.

fried tofu with minced pork – S$15

the fried bean curd with minced pork was quite tasty too.

felt expensive to me at S$15 for a simple dish with cheap ingredients, but maybe it was not exorbitant.

sambal kang kong – S$8

the sambal kang kong was nice if quite standard fare anywhere.

the dinner came to S$71 including drinks (we had 4 barleys + 1 tea) for 5pax, so about S$14pax. we ordered not much food though just 3 dishes + soup.

i thought the prices were just a bit expensive but it was quite ok dinner overall.

c.h.e.f andy

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

Jin Wee Restaurant @ Siglap

Address

928 East Coast Road, 459117

Contact

+65 64410485

Opening Hours

Mon – Tue: 11:00 – 21:30

Thu – Sun: 11:00 – 21:30

Closed: Wed

Protected: Woon Meng & Kam Seng Bought BMF 白米粉 Dinner @ Jin Hock Seafood on 19Apr2016

Posted on April 25, 2016 by chefquak

A Quick & Shiok 3pax Curry Dinner on 24Apr2016

Posted on April 24, 2016 by chefquak

fish head curry

made a really quick simple dinner for 3pax this evening on 24.4.2016. ^^

it was simple & quick because all i did was to use ready paste & sauces.

i had a small 1/2 fish head leftover from the day when i did a 8pax curry rice lunch for my primary school friends.

so today i used a chilli brand fish head curry paste & cooked the 1/2 fish head with some yellow onion, ocra, eggplants, tomato. will share the recipes here on another post, but basically –

just fry the paste with curry leaves & onions, then add ocra, then add fish head & egg plant & coat, then add coconut milk & chicken or fish stock & cover to steam the fish head, then add tomato.

spicy dishes

i cooked another 3 small dishes. it looked like a lot of food for 3pax, but actually fish head was very small (like 450g more bones than meat), & the 3 other dishes all very small quanitites. 🙂

squid ink sotong

for squid ink, just stirfry the ink sacs with cut chilli padi, garlic & yellow onions in butter. add some stock & reduced, then add sotong seasoned with fish sauce & pepper. last add corflour with oyster sauce.

gimson nonya sauce

singlong sambal ikan bilis

for the ocra & long beans, i used ready bottled sauces.

sambal long beans

for long beans i used gimson nonya sauce.

this sauce is so very good, my daughter liked it (the dish) best of all.

long beans take time to cook, so just fry garlic in oil & nonya sauce paste, add long beans, then add stock & cover. when long beans are cooked, reduce sauce further as desired to give a intense tasty dish. so good!

chilli ocra

fot the chilli ocra, i used singlong sambal ikan bilis paste. basically done same way as long beans, but i added some yellow onions also.

very quick to prepare & shiok dinner la…

c.h.e.f andy

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c.h.e.f

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Author Archives: chefquak

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A Memorable Belated 6-course Birthday Dinner for a Very Good Friend on 2May2016

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Tea Smoked Duck Breast

Protected: 8pax Curry Rice Lunch for OPS51 Friends on 21Apr2016

Great Quality Lunch @ Tunglok Signature Orchard Parade on 6Appr2016

Excellent 5pax Birthday Lunch @ Red House on 26Apr2016

Nice Coffee & Pastry & Breakfast Place @ Tiong Bahru Bakery on 22Mar2016

Tiong Bahru Bakery @ Eng Hoon

Enjoyable Curry Rice @ Loo’s Hainanese Curry Rice on 22Mar2016

Just Average Zi Char @ Jin Wee Siglap on 25Apr2016

Protected: Woon Meng & Kam Seng Bought BMF 白米粉 Dinner @ Jin Hock Seafood on 19Apr2016

A Quick & Shiok 3pax Curry Dinner on 24Apr2016

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Tiong Bahru Bakery @ Eng Hoon

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