Author Archives: chefquak

Average Yong Tau Fu @ Bedok North Street 1 Food Centre on 23Apr2016

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yong tau fu

yong tau fu

after the bathesda newgate learning lab community meal which i cooked 1 dish every alternate saturday (hong kong steamed sutchi fillet today), 4 of us volunteers went to have our lunch at bedok north food centre on 23.4.2016. ^^

yong tau fu

yong tau fu

i went to get some stuff from the S$1 shop next to bedok north food centre.

we had teochew muay here 2 saturdays ago after volunteering at newgate learning lab community meal.

my friends queued & got me a yong tau fu.

it was quite average hawker stall yong tau fu.

yong tau fu noodles

yong tau fu noodles

no comparison with the excellent yong tau fu & noodles at u hakka niang tou fu circuit road.

the yong tau fu at u hakka were very tasty & the noodles were excellent.

yong tau fu

yong tau fu

this one here was ok, the standard fare at any hawker yong tau fu stall, not quite the standard of the ghim moh hakka yong tau fu either.

i heard about but yet to try the midnight yong tau fu stall at bukit merah view, anyway i am hardly a fan of the dish.

c.h.e.f andy

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

Yong Tau Fu

Address-

ADDRESS

216 Bedok North Street 1
Bedok North Street 1 Market & Food Centre
Singapore 460216

Interesting Jap Vegetarian @ Teng Bespoke on 21Apr2016

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salad

radish salad

my niece (sis’ daughter) & her hubby bought dinner this evening on 21.4.2016. ^^

my niece & her husband are vegetarian…i did a 10-course homecooked vegetarian dinner for her birthday last year 2015.. 🙂

their baby is just past 6months, and it was a good occasion for family to get together & have a great time. the we had 7pax. we all took time carrying the baby & had lots of fun & laughter. 🙂

teng bespoke is located at sunshine plaza bencoolen street.

vegetarian is not my favourite. i was not expecting much, but it’s always good to try some new experience. reviews were mostly good. one review said to go for the “real” vegetarian stuff rather than expensive “mock sashimi” etc…seems like sound advise to me, and that’s what we did. & overall it was a very pleasant enjoyable dining experience, thanks to my niece! 🙂

the radish salad was a great start. 🙂

salad was refreshing & good for 7pax. we ate it like lo hei…toss around..haha!

the goma (sesame) sauce was light & quite perfect. radish was crunchy. we were saying it felt like turnip didn’t feel like daikon texture, but actually usually we had daikon cooked not in thin strips for sashimi garnishing, so this quite interesting variation.

black sesame yu tofu

black sesame yu tofu

didn’t think much of the black sesame yu tofu.

i not hot on yu tofu anyway. it’s like teochews eating fresh tofu with tau jeon kind of thing, which i quite like, but no need to pay much for that.

king mushrooms

king mushrooms

king mushrooms was one of the recommended dish. it was pretty good.

king mushrooms

king mushrooms

nice mushroom taste, good texture & great condiments.

nabe

nabe

niece ordered a nabe dish. there were like 5 or maybe 6 dumplings. pretty ok too.

soup was plain, good taste.

tomato spring rolls

tomato spring rolls

wife ordered a tomato spring roll. i like this wonderful dish, crispy skin, very tasty spring roll, simply excellent!

saw one comment on yelp – Tomato spring roll – probably the best spring roll I’ve had!

cheese croquets

mushroom tempura

niece ordered a mushroom tempura. it was very good too, not like the usual tempura at all, more like a korokke (croquette).

it was nice…i loved the cheese!

avogado maki

avocado maki

the avocado maki was ok, pretty good actually.

avogado maki

avocado maki

still i like the usual maki a whole lot better, so in the sense just like mock sashimi, i would rather have the real thing la… 🙂

it was a very enjoyable get together.

on their website, teng bespoke claim they are excellent alternative to shojin ryori (精进料理 temple devotion cuisine)..i don’t really know, have not tried in japan. they are too expensive & did not want to spend money on it. this may not be quite equivalent in class i think, but certainly enjoyable. i think i will come back & try other dishes la…

c.h.e.f andy

P.S. checked with niece..dinner was about S#110..i was expecting S$120 or higher…quite ok for the food. 🙂

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

Teng Bespoke

Address

91 Bencoolen Street
#01-50 Sunshine Plaza
Singapore 189652

Opening Hours (everyday)

11:30am – 03:00pm

05:30pm – 10:00pm

Phone

+65 63377050

HK Steamed Sutchi Fillet – 4th Newgate Learning Hub Community Lunch on 23Apr2016

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HK steamed sutchi fillets

HK steamed sutchi fillets

made a hong kong steamed sutchi fillet this morning on 9.4.2016. ^^

this my 4th community lunch dish for bathesda community’s newgate learning hub. ^^

my 1st for newgate community lunch was on 27.2.2016.:-)

sutchi fillet in the fridge

sutchi fillet in the fridge

i did the same HK steamed sutchi fillet for my 9th teban gardens community breakfast on 15.4.2016.

it’s the same simple preparation, so not much to add to the blog post today.

1 of 2 trays of sutchi fillet 7mins in steam oven

1 of 2 trays of sutchi fillet 7mins in steam oven

the advantages of HK steamed sutchi fillet (similar to creamy dory) are that –

  1. there is no bones, so quite suitable for the older folks; &
  2. preparation is very simple, just add condiments & steamed for 7mins.

& of course it is a very cheap fish to get. i bought 2 packets x 3fillets for S$4.50 for each packet 750g.

i am doing sharing & demo to the teban gardens community next friday, so i am sharing this sutchi dish, so that those interested can easily buy & make themselves, no hassle la!

c.h.e.f andy

White Bee Hoon @ Jin Hock Seafood on 19Apr2016

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white beehoon 白米粉

white beehoon 白米粉

2 primary school friends bought dinner for 10pax this evening on 19.4.2016. ^^

several of them were having this white beehoon 白米粉 quite many times recently & shared the photos on group whatsapp. 🙂

jin hock seafood

jin hock seafood

jin hock seafood 金福海鲜菜馆is located at #01-131, 844 Tampines Street 82, 520844. quite easy to get there with google map & parking was no problem at 8pm on a tuesday.

twin appetisers

twin appetisers

we had twin appetisers. hae chor was good & the duck crepe was quite interesting, a bit sweet but quite nice. 🙂

garoupa hk steamed

garoupa hk steamed

we had a tiger garoupa hk steamed 港蒸, quite ok, not the best.港蒸 is a really simple preparation.

white beehoon 白米粉

white beehoon 白米粉

the white beehoon 白米粉 was supposedly their signature?

somehow i did not see the dish on the food pictures displayed all around.

it was wetter than what i expected, so at first i thought it was mee sua..

white beehoon 白米粉

white beehoon 白米粉

all those who had taken the dish here many times felt that this evening it was not as good as usual, probably because it was a much bigger serving. one friend went back a few days later & shared on whatsapp that his one person portion was a lot better. 🙂

white beehoon 白米粉

white beehoon 白米粉

anyway i thought it was still a very good dish, great taste, though i was also not too wowed with it, just a pretty good beehoon. not quite in the category of say crab beehoon though.

crab beehoon

crab beehoon

just for comparison, say a crab beehoon at kam jia zhuang, which is a lot tastier, is also wet but not swimming in sauce.

当归焗盐鸡

当归焗盐鸡

we had a 当归焗盐鸡.

the ginger sauce was nice, the chicken though not too bad actually, was kind of underwhelming… meat a bit dry…

当归焗盐鸡

当归焗盐鸡

so many nice chicken rice in singapore…though different preparation, a 盐焗鸡must be good standard to be comparable.

salted egg prawns

salted egg prawns

the salted egg prawns were ok.

tofu brocoli & deepfired golden mushrooms

tofu brocoli & deepfired golden mushrooms

tofu brocoli dish was ok..

but the compoy tofu dish at kam jia zhuang was better.

sambal kang kong

sambal kang kong

sambal kang kong was quite ok, a bit salty…

green tea cake

green tea cake

friend made a green tea cake.

it was like a pound cake, pleasant, quite light in flavour.

blueberry yogurt cake

blueberry yogurt cake

another friend (1 of 2 who bought dinner) had his daughter made us a blueberry yogurt cake.

nice too. i like it. brought some back too.

overall great fun & a very nice evening out with old friends.

the dinner cost S$262 for 10pax, kind of a bit on the high side.

c.h.e.f andy

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

Jin Hock seafood 金福海鲜菜馆
Address:
844 Tampines Street 82, 520844
Phone:
6787 4255
Opening Hours:
Mon to Sun: 1700 – midnight

8pax Curry Rice Lunch for My Primary School Classmates on 21Apr2016

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curry rice lunch

curry rice lunch

made a curry rice lunch for my primary school classmates yesterday on 21.4.2016. ^^

i made 4 curry dishes + tofu cheese cake. then added on a white beehoon 白米粉 because a friend bought us (most in this group) a white beehoon 白米粉 dinner 2 days back. a friend brought roast duck & another friend brought chef yamashita cakes.

so for lunch we had –

  1. angkoli fish head curry
  2. nonya curry chicken
  3. thai red curry sayur lodeh
  4. thai dry yellow curry sotong
  5. roast duck (friend bought)
  6. seafood white beehoon 白米粉 – i ran out beehoon, asked a friend who brought some
  7. chef yamashita cakes (friend bought) & tofu cheesecake
fish head curry

fish head curry

i used mak’s curry paste for fish head curry.

did this last time for my RI friends. it was very good!

fish head curry

fish head curry

did not go chinatown. i used a 1kg fish head bought from sheng shiong this time.

fish head curry

fish head curry

just as good la…curry very tasty. fish meat fresh & sweet.

friends still liked the fish head curry best! 🙂

my nonya curry chicken always quite good. very lemak & tasty.

& i did it in quantity too for between 80pax & 100pax for –

& they were very well received.

maybe this time the fish head curry stood out more.

there were some leftovers & wife & i went out for dinner. the 2 daughters finished off themselves.

thai dry yellow curry sotong

thai dry yellow curry sotong

the dry curry sotong were pretty good.

thai dry yellow curry sotong

thai dry yellow curry sotong

lemak & flavourful. this a dish my children like a lot.

thai red curry sayur lodeh

thai red curry sayur lodeh

& some vege for balanced diet.

thai red curry sayur lodeh

thai red curry sayur lodeh

anyway i used the thai dancing chef red curry paste, and it was very easy to make.

fry the curry paste with sliced yellow onions & some coconut milk in 2 tbsp oil till fragrant & onion soften, add long beans & cabbage & 2 cups chicken stock & stewed for 20mins, then add taupok & stewed another 20mins. add water as required.

roast duck

roast duck

roast duck was very good. “pang”, looked, smelled & tasted good.

seafood white beehoon白米粉 

seafood white beehoon白米粉

a friend bought a nice dinner at jin hock seafood restaurant金福, ST 82 Coffee House, Block 844 Tampines Street 82. 

my friends had been eating white beehoon白米粉 there quite a lot. 🙂

so i thought i gave it a try too. 🙂

seafood white beehoon白米粉 

seafood white beehoon白米粉

i prepared gravy using chicken stock, a bit of yellow onions & chinese cabbage, and reduced it so it’s very tasty. & i fried the prawns & sotong in butter separately.

ran out of beehoon though, & didn’t want to go out just to get it. asked a friend & he brought a 500g packet with him. i used about 100g. soaked in water.

when serving, i added the beehoon, added oyster sauce, fish sauce, cornflour & stewed 炆! voila!

seafood white beehoon白米粉 

seafood white beehoon白米粉

it was tasty…pretty ok for a first gazak attempt…it’s more seafood taste, not quite like the jin hock white beehoon白米粉 which also had cuttlefish & pork…

will try it next time with prawns, cuttlefish & pork.

chef yamashita cakes

chef yamashita cakes

a friend brought chef yamashita cakes. very nice.

chef yamashita cakes

chef yamashita cakes

enjoyed as much then second time la… 🙂

chef yamashita cakes + chef yamashita cakes

chef yamashita cakes + tofu cheesecake

cakes

chef yamashita cakes + tofu cheesecake

i made a tofu cheesecake.

chef yamashita cakes

chef yamashita cakes

2 friends brought back the tofu cheesecake.

tofu cheesecake

tofu cheesecake

seemed that their family all liked it.

it was a very enjoyable lunch. had a great time together with good friends. we knew each other for 50+ yrs!

c.h.e.f andy

 

Simple Comfort Food for 4pax Family Dinner on 20Apr2016

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#1 spinach soup

#1 spinach soup

wife invited her brother & sil for dinner on 20.4.2016.

i decided to do some simple comfort food-

  1. egg spinach soup
  2. steamed red garoupa (forgot take photos)
  3. sa poh fun – claypot rice
  4. steamed sweet mei cai + aubergines + baby nai bai
  5. lotus seed ginkyo nuts cheng chow

for the egg spinach soup, i just used chicken stock, boiled the spinach stems in it, added tomatoes near the end & beat 2 eggs into the soup. & added spinach leaves last. 🙂

it was just a repeat of what i served for the all-vietnamese new year eve dinner.

we just returned from a tour of hoi an, hanoi & halong bay, and we were served this egg spinach soup on the luxury dragon legend cruise. 🙂 that soup was not on the menu. we think the crew just gave us additional some comfort food they prepared for the crew themselves.

anyhow, both times my soup were as good as that on dragon legend cruise.

#2 sa po fun - claypot rice

#2 sa po fun – claypot rice

my sa po fun – claypot rice, was absolutely the best!

i feel that my claypot rice is outright better than new lucky claypot rice la! ^^

#2 sa po fun - claypot rice

#2 sa po fun – claypot rice

the rice was so fragrant, so tasty!

& chicken was so succulent.

#2 sa po fun - claypot rice

#2 sa po fun – claypot rice

wife’s brother & sil commented even the breast meat was so tender & flavourful, not dry, not sinewy.

#2 sa po fun - claypot rice

#2 sa po fun – claypot rice

the rice itself was not burnt or dry.

the chicken sausage & pork sausage i used were also very good quality.

#2 sa po fun - claypot rice

#2 sa po fun – claypot rice

in fact we did not even have the flavourful dark sauce, and still the rice was very tasty without.

i forgot to take a photo of the steamed red garoupa.

it was good, but it was the usual, fresh, easy to do, nice!

#4 steamed sweet mei cai + aubergines + baby nai bai

#4 steamed sweet mei cai + aubergines + shanghai green

i tried to do the steamed sweet mei cai 梅菜。

the inspiration came from the excellent dish we had & enjoyed always at xin cuisine.

needless to say, i was miles off target.

i do an excellent mei cai kou rou, so can’t do wrong with the mei cai, aubergine was ok but nothing like what we had at xin cuisine. i did not have the wa wa cai 娃娃菜, so proxied (badly) by shanghai green.

#5 lotus seed ginkyo nuts cheng chow

#5 lotus seed ginkyo nuts cheng chow

dessert was the usual lotus seed ginkyo nuts cheng chow. easy, & nice!

c.h.e.f andy

Shiok Everytime – Prawn Noodles @ Why Eat Har on 19Apr2016

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S$7 big prawns with pork ribs

S$7 big prawns with pork ribs 

went to why eat har again (my 6th time) today on 19.4.2016. ^^

good thing about blogging is i can refer to records of my previous visits. so i had 4 visits which i blogged, 1 which i didn’t & today is the 6th. 🙂

the most recent visit was on 7.1.2016.

S$3.50 prawn noodles dry

S$3.50 prawn noodles dry 

there were 10 of us today. ^^

all ordered prawns with pork ribs, except 1 who had only pork ribs to cut down his cholesterol?? not sure that works…

a friend had the S$3.50 dry. looked really good.

actually it works for me too. i enjoyed the soup & chilli most, and sometimes don’t really need the big prawns & i don’t mind the sliced pork too.

S$7 big prawns with pork ribs

S$7 big prawns with pork ribs

soup was excellent as ever la! 🙂

& i always liked the chilli here. today i told alan the stall proprietor & my good friend’s brother that the chilli spicy which i liked but seemed just a bit not so “pang”. still enjoyed la..

S$7 big prawns with pork ribs

S$7 big prawns with pork ribs 

today i thought the pork ribs not as good as previously too… not as tender without being old…

S$7 big prawns with pork ribs

S$7 big prawns with pork ribs 

overall still very shiok la..

i can take the pork ribs prawns noodles dry everytime, but i guess i will give the S$3.50 bowl a try the next time.

c.h.e.f andy

Great 3pax Family Dinner @ Xin Cuisine on 17Apr2016

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lobster noodles S$25

lobster noodles S$25 

had an excellent 3pax family dinner with wife & daughter at xin cuisine yesterday on 17.3.2016. ^^

xin cuisine

xin cuisine 

restaurant is as usual quiet (7pm on a sunday).

there were actually more customers/tables this evening. 🙂

lie tong 例汤 S$12

lie tong 例汤 S$12 

we were here last in oct2015. as you can see all the food item prices had gone up!

we had 1 order of lie tong 例汤.

at S$12 it’s a very small serving & expensive for a lie tong 例汤.

c/w 1/2 pot (3 to 4 bowls) at tunglok signature orchard parade for S$16.

the lie tong 例汤 was very good, very savoury & tasty with pork & vegetable stock, but of course, so is tunglok’s lie tong 例汤, just as tasty. 🙂

1/2 tea smoked duck S$32

1/2 tea smoked duck S$32 

the tea smoked duck is very good here. price has gone up i guess recently from S$28 to S$32 for 1/2 duck.

 

1/2 tea smoked duck S$32

1/2 tea smoked duck S$32 

it is different because of the excellent lingering tea flavour, say c/w the very good duck at canton paradise.

the roast london duck at tunglok though is very good, basically a different more fatty Irish duck. 

i like both can’t decide which is better!

steamed mei cai eggplant & wawa cai S$18

steamed mei cai eggplant & wawa cai S$18 

and the steamed vegetable 蒸梅菜，茄子，娃娃菜 is very good here, love it! absolutely! the sweet mei cai’s flavours very shoik la!

lobster noodles S$25

lobster noodles S$25 

the lobster noodles (S$25 instead of S$22 previously) looked a bit mushy. it was, but just a bit. taste was good. lobster was just lobster, competent. 🙂

big prawn crispy noodles S$15

big prawn crispy noodles S$15 

the big prawn crispy noodles likewise. crispy part still crispy, other part just a bit soft.

big prawn crispy noodles S$15

big prawn crispy noodles S$15 

taste wise it was great!

guilinggao 龟苓膏 S$8 & aloe vera jelly S$10

guilinggao 龟苓膏 S$8 & aloe vera jelly S$10 

the few times we took dessert.

guilinggao 龟苓膏 S$8

guilinggao 龟苓膏 S$8 

the guilinggao 龟苓膏 was excellent here.

such nice, strong flavours…don’t get it in HK even sometimes…

aloe vera jelly S$10

aloe vera jelly S$10 

the aloe vera jelly was more ordinary. nice dessert not great.

for 3pax, we had 35% discounts using the amex palate card, all-in S$101, pretty ok la. 🙂

if it were 2pax would have been like S$80.

really quite good for these food at a good restaurant! ^^

c.h.e.f andy

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

Xin Cuisine (新故乡)
Address:
317 Outram Rd, Holiday Inn Atrium, 169075
Phone:
6731 7173
Opening Hours:

Monday to Sunday 12–2:30PM, 6:30–10:30PM

Just Average Hakka Yong Tau Fu @ Ghim Moh Food Centre on 17Apr2016

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yong tau fu

yong tau fu 

went with wife & daughter to try out hakka yong tau fu at the renovated ghim moh food centre on 17.4.2016. ^^

ghim moh food centre reopened in early mar2016. 🙂

i tried some dishes at ghim moh food centre at the temporary location in feb2016. they were mostly NOT great-

hakka yong tau fu @ ghim moh food centre

hakka yong tau fu @ ghim moh food centre 

queue was long at 11am.

you have to queue to select the food items. the you have to wait (can sit at table) for the food to be cooked.

the husband & wife team were managing it extremely slowly, but steady & unhurried. maybe that’s good! 🙂

the lady helper (3rd person) was likewise unhurried & unharried, slow & cool. looked messy but she got everything right la..

dong feng fa chicken rice @ ghim moh food centre

dong feng fa chicken rice @ ghim moh food centre  

there were queues at several stalls including this chicken rice stall which is a favourite for my daughter’s friend.

yong tau fu

yong tau fu 

we had 3 serving dry, 1 with bee hoon soup.

yong tau fu

yong tau fu 

the yong tau fu looked good, but taste-wise average, maybe above avergae

yong tau fu

yong tau fu 

for me the circuit road hakka niang tou fu was much better. 🙂

yong tau fu

yong tau fu 

we did not have to queue that day at circuit road. but if we had gone earlier during the peak hours, probably long queue also.

well, not me, i won’t go to queue to eat yong tau fu…so no ghim moh yong tau fu for a while la…

silver busker

silver busker 

there was a silver hair busker.

he sang great cantonese oldies, many were english songs in cantonese or mandarin. he also sang in english. the cantonese songs were best. 🙂

silver busker

silver busker 

he collected lots of gratuity. we gave a bit too.

it is good to see older folks staying active & gainful. & he kept us entertained on a very hot day. ^^

c.h.e.f andy

Chef Yamashita’s Delicious Cakes on 14Apr2016

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cake + coffee

cake + coffee

a OPS (outram prinary school) buddy bought me chef yamashita cakes. chef yamashita was with glace then flor & now his own chef yamashita.

it was kind of unexpected. we were teasing & bantering on OPS whatsapp group chat, basically just kidding so i was not expecting the cakes. not complaining either, haha! ^^

the friend brought the cakes to another friend’s place, after our lunch at hoower court.

first time i am trying them. i have seen the photos prior, & they all looked delicious & alluring!

& i had good time as you see above, coffee + cake when i got home. ^^

chef yamashita cakes

chef yamashita cakes

i don’t know the names, but looking at the sliced cakes in chef yamashita website, i had the uji, a green tea cake (btw uji is a small town about 15km south of kyoto on the way to nara & famous for its green tea…i visited with my sis in may2013); the mt fuji; the ichigo; & another pink roll which looks like the framboise turned sideways.

& among these, looking at the whole cakes in chef yamashita website, seems that ichigo is his recommended cake.

cakes are not exactly my forte to comment. i do like japanese cakes. the cream is usually lighter & tastier. & of course they are visual delights to behold.

my daughter though knows of chef yamashita. she ate most of the cakes..haha!

i tasted each of the 4 cakes. i think my favourite is uji. the green tea flavour was excellent, light but lingering, not too sweet (not sure, maybe can be even less sweet), and already said the cream was light & tasty. next was the ichigo (which means strawberry).

actually mt fuji also not bad, chocolate & chestnut cream…not sure what was the pink cake. but it was not bad too. this are cakes that i am actually quite happy to finish the whole cake, usually i would not.

c.h.e.f andy

 

 

 

Still Good Curry Rice Lunch @ Hoower Food Court on 14Apr2016

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curry rice dishes

curry rice dishes

this the second time i have curry rice lunch here at hoower food court, a coffeshop on haig road, on 14.4.2016. ^^

i was first introduced to the stall about 2 months ago by my OPS (outram primary school) buddy on 17.2.2016.

that time was after i sent my shantou nephew & his family (wife +12yr old daughter) to airport.

this time we a bit earlier at about 12pm (i went for a short 6km run this morning…didn’t have much time so could not do it earlier in any case).

the last we ordered 4 dishes for 2pax for S$10 all-in. this time we also ordered 4 dishes (not much choice/dishes left) for 4pax which came to S$22 all-in. the curry chicken had 2 wings more so like double portion.

overall it was ok la…

curry chicken

curry chicken

i liked the curry chicken best. i asked for more curry & mopped up most of it.

sweet & sour fish

sweet & sour fish

the sweet & sour fish was pretty good too.

sweet & sour fish2

sweet & sour fish

the deep-fried garoupa was done ok, not dry, and the tomato sauce with pineapples quite well done, so the dish was overall quite tasty. i considered one of the better sweet & sour dishes which i don’t order often (there were not many choices/dishes to order).

kong ba, tau kua & tau pok

kong bak, tau kua & tau pok

a friend liked the kong bak best. i had considered to order additional portion. this time it was just ok for me, so did not add more.

cabbage, a bit of tanhoon

cabbage, a bit of tanhoon

the cabbage was quite well done, quite tasty.

the dishes were all quite ok. & the prices were still ok. so overall pretty ok, still a place i don’t mind coming back. only constraint is that the choices/dishes a bit limited (the OMO stall lady is also the one who cooks, so not easy to manage too many dishes & also wastage, so basically she does it in such a way that basically all the dishes are sold out).

but the important thing about any dish is it must taste good, & the dishes here taste good. 🙂

some leaves

some plant leaves

after lunch, we went went to the friend’s house for drinks & cake.

the friend made drinks from some plant leaves. he gave me some to bring home.

some leaves

some leaves

one friend is a flora expert, so he dig out some technical info on the plant…sound like martian to me la…

the drink

the drink

i like the drink. somehow i felt i had taken it before & remembered the taste. must be long ago.

macha cake

macha cake

a friend brought the macha cake he made. it was pretty good, not to sweet. he was looking to perfect it a bit more, maybe increasing the macha tea powder to have a stronger flavour.

later another friend came & brought me some yamashita cake.

had a good time with my OPS friends but had to leave/rush for another appointment.

c.h.e.f andy

 

HK Steamed Sutchi Fillet – 9th Teban Gardens Community Breakfast on 15Apr2016

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HK steamed sutchi fillet

HK steamed sutchi fillet

this morning i made a HK steamed sutchi fillet on 15.4.2016. ^^

this my 9th 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.

i did chicken or pork dishes as my item contribution to the last 8 community breakfast.

for today, i thought i will do fish.

HK steamed sutchi fillet

HK steamed sutchi fillet

 

HK steamed fish dish is a common preparation in restaurant, zi char & also easily done at home.

for the community, i used a sutchi fillet (same as pangasius & similar to creamy dory fish).

it is cheap, easy to get (like giant, NTUC, sheng shiong etc) & no bones, so easy for the older folks to eat. 🙂

i used about 1kg+ fish fillet, 5 fillet pieces in total.

it’s so easy to make, the condiments & garnishes are real simple & steaming time is just 6mins+ :-

  1. place the fish on a steaming tray (i did in 2 batches so about 500g+ each time)
  2. add 2 tbsp light soy sauce, 2 tbsp olive oil (canola/veg oil ok), 2 tbsp of mirin (optional)…did not add water as steaming caused water condensation already & not to overly dilute sauce.
  3. add thinly sliced ginger & cut chilli padi.
  4. steamed for 6mins+ (i used steam oven but any steamer will do)
  5. add cut spring onions.

well it’s that easy so anyone can do this.

i was asked to share/demonstrate a dish for the teban gardens community on 29.4.2016. so i picked this dish as it is so easy to do & also easy to buy the affordable sutchi fillet (& w/o bones).

the dish was very nice, fresh, tasty. sauce too.

HK steamed sutchi fillet

HK steamed sutchi fillet

today is actually the first time i did it on a sutchi fillet.

i usually do on 500g to 600g red garoupa, and it’s the same for yellow croaker (japanese seabass 小黄鱼 etc).

so i took a small portion & tested last evening, to make sure i got the timing of 6mins+ right!

c.h.e.f andy

Vegetarian Dinner? + Some Meats on 12Apr2016

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wife have this meditation group.

she invited 2 friends for dinner on 12.4.2016. ^^

youngest daughter decided to join dinner so we have 5pax.

1 friend is a vegetarian so i thought i will cook a all vegetarian dinner-

wife wanted to add some meats. so i did –

  • a grilled smoked duck breast (my own concocted recipe so i called it Andy’s smoked duck breast…hehe..
  • a mock kurobuta (mock as in i used pork neck with the marbling & did a low temperature braise to get a tender texture)

my recent spanish omelette (egg, potato, yellow onion, light soy sauce, pepper) had been very good.

the vegetarian friend claimed it’s better than what he had in spain. not going there (on matter of discussion) but i think my spanish omelette was pretty good la…

the cream of carrots (carrots, red pepper, yellow onion, vegetable stock, thickened cream) was very smooth & sweet.

i used sweet corn for the first time for the vegetable stock. i thought the sweet corn sweetness a bit stand-out, but seemed that everyone liked it.

for the zucchini pasta, i followed my usual recipe with blended zucchini sauce, grilled zucchini.

also added cherry tomatoes & shave parmesan, & basil.

today though i overcooked the pasta a bit, so while it was not mushy, it did not quite have the good al dente. not good.

i bungled up on the hob controls this time….

funghi pasta (my usual recipe) was ok, al dente so the usual nice mushroom aroma & great taste. not not really my best delivery also.

Andy’s smoked duck breast was a new exciting culinary adventure for me. will make a separate recipe post. i tea smoked the duck breast, also in oven for 3 hrs at 60degC. then i used Gordon Ramsay’s cold pan method to render out the fat & create the crispy skin.

it was nicely pink & the taste was quite perfect too.

#6 mock kurobuta

#6 mock kurobuta

i call it mock kurobuta as i am using a cheap pork collar which has the fat marbling, in fact a frozen pork collar from sheng shiong at S$9.95/kg, so like S$3 for 300g.

i did low temperature braise in 90degC oven to make the meat tender & flavourful with gelatine.

#6 mock kurobuta

#6 mock kurobuta

it was very good actually. still looked a bit fatty, maybe i will try 5hrs or 6hrs to reduce the fat a bit.

Smoked duck. mock kurobuta, spanish omelette

Smoked duck. mock kurobuta, spanish omelette

both vegetarian & meat eaters have their fill la…

cooked & ucooked portugese chorizo

cooked & ucooked portugese chorizo

wife, i & the eldest daughter recently toured lisbon & porto so we brought back some portugese chorizo & cheese.

chorizo, cheese & grapes

chorizo, cheese & grapes

we did not have our port with us, so did with some whisky.

chorizo, cheese & grapes

chorizo, cheese & grapes

pretty ok, though it was still different. port was a much better complement to the chorizo prosciutto cheese experience we had in portugal.

pan-toasted japanese cheese

pan-toasted japanese cheese

wife was recently in hokkaido & had some toasted cheese there. she tried pan roasting, though it did not turn out the way she liked. i don’t really know how it should be like, but still the cheese was pretty good la…

dinner very enjoyable. wife was happy. daughter split early to study. we had great conversation, cheese, whisky, coffee…

c.h.e.f andy

Not So Good Lunch @ Ye Shanghai on 7Apr2016

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teochew muay dishes

teochew muay dishes

we arranged to visit a primary school classmate & 7 of us decided to have lunch at ye shanghai on 7.4.2016. 🙂

we were early at 11.15am so there were only few people queueing.

never thought i would say this of ye shanghai as every meal i had here were good previously, but it was not so good today.

a few people wanted lor arh, braised duck. i have not tried here before, so quite happy to try it.

unfortunately though it was quite expensive (duck are more expensive items so not that it was especially expensive here!), and really not nice, too salty & not “pang” ie flavourful…

kong bak & egg

kong bak & egg

i list the food in accordance with my personal preference.

i wanted pig skin. somehow they did not have today. my friend who blanjah lunch (treated us) ordered the kong bak. always liked it here, but it was also not really special…

the one at hoower food court at haig road (happens that also blanjah by this same friend) was actually more flavourful.

minced pork balls

minced pork balls

the minced pork balls were not bad, though i personally prefer the 咸鱼饼minced pork with salted fish.

chicken cutlets?

chicken cutlets?

the chicken tonkatsu (haha!) was ok, but then it’s chicken dish not what i normally order for teochew muay, meat was dry not moist & tender so maybe below par even as chicken cutlet kind of dish.

cabbage

cabbage

cabbage always good here.

now i think my own cabbage much better la…

peanuts

peanuts

never taken peanuts here. it was ok.

1/2 braised duck

1/2 braised duck

& the expensive 1/2 duck. 2 friends who had wanted the duck also said it’s too salty.

1/2 braised duck

1/2 braised duck

in fact i ended up eating more duck i think. but as i said, not “pang” also ie flavourful…

hmmm…my own lor arh, braised duck, a whole lot better than this la…

haebeehiam mnced pork

haebeehiam mnced pork

this dish though i cannot understand. it’s actually a disaster, quite bad!

firstly the minced pork texture & flavour did not go well at all with the haebeehiam, dry PLUS dry texture.

the spicy black bean minced pork in shi le yuan was much better.

my own spicy black bean minced pork which i did for the first time, not so good, but also a lot better, actually no comparison cos this one is just bad.

i not sure how much the 1/2 duck cost, estimate say S$19, plus 6 other dishes, i estimate around S$50 for 7pax.

well, work most times, but not as well once in a while. 🙂

will still come back…the only take away i have is not to order duck so can order another few nice dishes at same total cost.

c.h.e.f andy

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

Ye Shanghai Teochew Porridge (夜上海潮洲粥)

Address

#01-217, Boyang Coffee Shop, Blk 117 Bukit Merah View, 151116

Operating hours:
10.30am to 5am (Closed Tue)

Natas Heaven @ Pasteis de Belem on 27Mar2016

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nata - portugese egg tarts

nata – portugese egg tarts

after a wonderful lunch at mercado timeout market, we took the tram 15e to belem to look at the monastery jeronimos, discovery monument & belem tower on 27.3.2016.^^

the tram was really crowded, there were many stops.

we needn’t worry about where to stop. there was the tram map of course, but it was very crowded & hard to see at times. there was also google map so we knew where we were.

anyway tram stop was basically next to pasteis de belem, in operations since 1837.

we saw the pastry shop, the tram rounded the corner about 10m & stopped.

there was a queue already for those buying takeout. we got a table so no need queueing. queue was a lot longer when we left, right to the corner near the tram stop. why bother i wonder? but maybe there are people buying like 50 or 100 pieces?

some write-ups claim pasteis de belem sells 15,000 pieces a day & ever up to 50,000 max!

nata - portugese egg tarts

nata – portugese egg tarts

it was very good.  a lot better than paradia portuguesa certainly.

price was not much different, €1.05 vs €0.95 at paradia portuguesa & most nata shop, but not sure whether it was a bit more or takeout price a bit cheaper.

the restaurant can seat 400pax. 🙂

pasteis de belem

pasteis de belem

of course they sell various pastries.

pasteis de belem

pasteis de belem

actually except for my daughter, 3 of us not really the dessert type so we only wanted to try nata.

pasteis de belem factory line

pasteis de belem factory line

son & i went to the back & took some photos at the kitchen.

pasteis de belem4

pasteis de belem factory line

it was good marketing.

pasteis de belem factory line

pasteis de belem factory line

they basically have it like a display with huge glass panel for people to see & take phots, selfies etc of the kitchen staff assembling the natas.

jukebox? or money countng machine?

jukebox? money countng machine?

we are mostly not really fan of natas, but they are really quite good in portugal. natas here are eggy, softer & not too sweet (unlike the ones in singapore where the custard like agar agar), & they can grow on you. so i didn’t mind them.

i had 1/2 portugese tart back in singapore last week (some random one someone bought). basically inedible!

c.h.e.f andy

Apple Strudel at Ritz Bukit Timah on 11Apr2016

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apple strudel + coffee

apple strudel + coffee

coffee time 11.4.2016! ^^

bought 1/2 apple strudel from ritz S$12.50, time to relax & have a cuppa.

met my own dutch friend for tea this morning. after that went to Xinlu 新路 for teochew meepok tar, but that seem not so satisfactory this time.

went to giant to get some stuff for a 5pax dinner the next day. on the way back, decided to drop by ritz at bukit timah (they have like 16 outlets) & grab a apple strudel. they said apple is the most popular. 🙂

apple strudel

apple strudel

one of the thing that sparked by interest was actually the egg cream pastry at tartine in lisbon, portugual. i thought that there was similarity in taste & tartine’s pastry was better.

ritz apple strudel

ritz apple strudel

i have not taken apple strudel for years.

1/2 apple strudel3 for S$12.50

1/2 apple strudel3 for S$12.50

the pastry was still crispy & fluffy, that stands out.

i felt that there was too much apple, too dense & not enuf cream. maybe that is the healthy way. so after trying, it confirmed for me that i liked the tartine egg cream pastry better. we had that twice in lisbon.

1/2 apple strudel3 for S$12.50

1/2 apple strudel3 for S$12.50

taste are so different though. my daughter now likes this apple strudel, maybe for the reasons i thought i didn’t like it much.

c.h.e.f andy

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

Ritz Apple Strudel

Address –

No. 833 Bukit Timah Road
#01-10 Royal Ville

Tel: 6469 3470
Fax: 6465 4776

Opening Hours-

10am – 9.30pm Daily

S$3 Teochew Fishball Noodles at Xinlu 新路 on 10.4.2016

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S$3 teochew fishball noodles at xinlu 新路 10.4.2016

S$3 teochew fishball noodles at xinlu 新路 10.4.2016 

a very good dutch friend visiting town. he was having golf at SICC afterwards so not free for lunch. i told him to come over my place for tea this morning on 10.4.2016.

this the same friend i had lunch with at reddot brewhouse at dempsey on 19.11.2013. & we both remembered that! 🙂

he now basically visits singapore 2 times a year. had a good catching up. 🙂

after that i dropped him at sicc for his golf game about 1.15pm.

another group of friends, my primary school classmate were having lunch at 刘强 at bugis from 12pm. we had earlier said to play by ear since i did not know when my tea would end. it was too late for me to join & they had in any case split already…

i thought of repeating my usual lunchless day, but on the spur of the moment decided to go to Xinlu 新路 at meiling food centre for meepok tar.

xinlu 新路 teochew fishball noodles10.4.2016

xinlu 新路 teochew fishball noodles10.4.2016 

use to do this a lot 15-20yrs ago, not much now. quite a favourite then.

last time i had it here was in nov2014.

S$3 teochew fishball noodles at xinlu 新路

S$3 teochew fishball noodles at xinlu 新路 

mee pok still qq, al dent. chilli still good, but this time i felt a bit salty.

6 fishballs - S$3 teochew fishball noodles at xinlu 新路

6 fishballs – S$3 teochew fishball noodles at xinlu 新路 

normally 5 fishballs. i asked for 面少 ie less noodles so got 1 addition 6th fishballs.

fishballs still springy, bouncy. again a bit salty.

S$3 teochew fishball noodles at xinlu 新路3 10.4.2016

S$3 teochew fishball noodles at xinlu 新路 10.4.2016 

i don’t whether my tastebuds has changed or i not in tune to appreciate the noodles, but today i did not quite enjoy the noodles, just felt it was a bit salty.

c.h.e.f. andy

Very Enjoyable Meal @ Kok Sen on 9Apr2016

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big prawn hor fun

big prawn hor fun

daughter decided to buy dinner last evening at kok sen on 9.4.2016. ^^

her friend enjoyed the big prawn hor fun there recently so she wanted to try that also. 🙂

i have not been there since dec2014. the food was kind of so-so then.

yong tau foo2

S$14 small yong tau foo

we ordered wife’s favourite yong tau foo.

it was very good indeed! 🙂

yong tau foo2

S$14 small yong tau foo

this dish here had been good consistently. yong tau foo was tasty & sauce pretty good too. should be not difficult to do this myself.

actually by comparison, i would say the recent yong tau foo i had with my friends at u hakka at circuit road was even better.

though we are talking about 2 different styles of preparation.

foo yong egg

S$11 foo yong egg

i never/seldom order foo yong eggs. this time, i think wife remembered she had good foo yong eggs here with her friend, so we ordered a small serving.

foo yong egg

S$11 foo yong egg

& it did not disappoint.

it was very good, crispy without being oily, very good flavours especially the parts with minced pork & cut shar siew pieces.

big prawn hor fun

S$32 medium big prawn hor fun

the big prawn hor fun was the main event, the star of the show.

big prawn hor fun

big prawn hor fun

luckily, it was really quite good. 🙂

hor fun had great wok hae (wok fragrance/aroma), prawns were good, but really that was no great stuff. i could do the prawns just as good or better easily & we had them often enuf.

i can possibly do the horfun too. it felt a bit like the XO spicy sauce.

anyway i wanted to try some local food like hokkien mee etc, maybe i will get my friends to come over & try hokkien mee, this big prawn hor fun & also (say) chilli crab! 🙂

2 eggs spinach

2 eggs spinach

the 2 egg spinach was competent.

it was however quite far behind uncle leong’s standrad. 🙂

2 eggs spinach

2 eggs spinach

they did not add the 3rd egg either.

the heng chai was pretty good. they did not have a 3 egg version with the egg whites of  a fresh egg scattered over the dish. they only used slated eggs & century eggs.

we had a really good time with the 2 daughters, but 80% of the conversation were about korean series & descendants of the sun…lol! ^^

food was great & enuf. the girls were full & happy & eldest daughter bought dinner. 🙂

c.h.e.f andy

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

Kok Sen Zi Char
Address

30B Keong Saik Road, 089137
Contact

+65 62232005
Opening Hours
Daily: 11:30 – 22:30

Excellent Food Destination @ Mercado da Ribeira Timeout Market on 27Mar2016

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tuna tartare

tuna tartare

one of the exciting places, a major food destination, we read about was mercado da ribeira.

so after putting our bags in our chiado apartment, we walked down to cais de sorde & a short distance to mercado.

mercado da ribeira timeout market

mercado da ribeira timeout market

this was lisbon’s main market since 1894. time out lisboa magazine took over management in 2014. the market stalls selling fresh produce are open 6am to 2pm.

the food court on the western side of the building, opened in may 2014, has canteen styled community tables, opens everyday 10am to midnight sun-wed & 10am to 2am thurs – sat.

what is exciting is that it features many many brand/chefs from portugal’s top restaurants & shops.

mercado da ribeira timeout market

mercado da ribeira timeout market

lisbonlux also provided a comprehensive listing of the boutique stalls at the market, selling food “from seafood to steak sandwiches, hamburgers, sushi and ice cream, among other specialties”.

prosciutto, cheese, wine from manteigaria silva

€10 prosciutto, cheese from manteigaria silva + wine

we started with a €10 prosciutto & cheese plate from manteigaria silva. the white wine was costly at €6 but very good. the extra virgin olive oil was another €1.50 but it was very good indeed.

prosciutto was average, not specially “pang”, cheese was good.

prosciutto, cheese, wine from manteigaria silva

prosciutto, cheese, wine from manteigaria silva

the platter didn’t look like a lot but was pretty ok to share, and the bread was very good (portugese bread everywhere we go in lisbon & porto were very good) & fantastic with the olive oil.

tartar-ia @ mercado timeout market

tartar-ia @ mercado timeout market

next we had tuna tartare from tartar-ia.

tuna tartare

€18.75 tuna tartare

not only it looked exquisite.

it was the best tune tartare i ever had. but it came expensive though, €18.75 for 150g.

tuna tartare

€18.75 tuna tartare

you can call it explosion of flavours. don’t know what were the condiments but everything combined fabulously, fromt eh fragrant extra virgin olive oil to the truffle oil, wasabi mayo? etc…

just wonderful!

steak tartare

€13.50 steak tartare

tuna tartare was so good we decided to try the steak tartare.

steak tartare

€13.50 steak tartare

it was excellent too, though nothing so wow like the tuna tartare, and cheaper.

we also had a white & then a red from tartar-ia…white was not as good as the one from manteigaria silva. red was very good. 🙂

cakes from Nós é Mais Bolos

cakes from Nós é Mais Bolos

we rounded off with some cakes from Nós é Mais Bolos

not know what to order we asked for recommendations, and got the chocolate cake & egg cream cakes.

chocolate cake

€4.50 gigi’s chocolate cake

both were quite unsatisfactory!

gigi’s chocolate cake was too sweet, very so-so, somethin i would not take in singapore.

egg sponge cake

€3.50 egg sponge cake

the egg sponge cake, they claimed best in the world. what can i say, non-descript, forgettable…

the next day i had an excellent egg cream cake at tartine. that was memorable.

portugal (both lisbon & porto) had excellent nata, the portugese egg tarts (& i didn’t know how good they were until i try a random one in singapore few days back, and that was literally unedible by comparison), and many other great pastry, so we don’t really need this.

mercado da ribeira timeout market

mercado da ribeira timeout market

we left mercado & took the tram 15e to belem. this photo from across the road as we walked to the tram station nearer cais de sorde.

c.h.e.f andy

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

Time Out Mercado da Ribeira
Address-
Avenida 24 de Julho
1200 – 481 Lisbon
Contact–
+351 213 460 333

Opening Hours-

Sun – Wed: 10:00 am – 12:00 pm | Thu – Sat: 10:00 am – 02:00 am

Lisbon Flight & Accomodation – Easyjet & Airbnb on 27Mar2016

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easyjet - luton to lisbon

easyjet – luton to lisbon

we had early dinner at sen viet on 26.7.2016 as we were flying early the next day by 6.45am flight from luton to lisbon on 27.3.2016.

flight departure by easyjet was 6.45am.

we planned to be at the airport by 5.15am & the journey form son’s king’s cross apartment to luton airport took 1hr. so son booked a cab at 4.15am.

it just so happens that at midnight, uk reverse daylight saving so clock was reset forward 1 hr so we actually had to leave king’s cross apartment at 3.15am (reset to 4.15am). there were 4 of us & we decided to set the alarm for between 2.15am & 2.45am.

Easyjet actually offered to check in one bag for free. since we already purchased 1 check-in luggage, no delays to put in second free check-in luggage. we think the reason is that for budget airlines, passengers tend to not pay for check in & have too many hand-carries so not enuf cabin space.

there is no immigration at luton from uk to portugal (i guess to EU countries), but there was a passport verification table after airline check-in.

there is no time difference uk & portugal. our flight was delayed almost an hr in departure but caught up a bit so arrival was about 10am instead of 9.30am.

daughter booked a nice 3 bedroom airbnb apartment in chiado, quite a good, central location. we also had an airport pick-up for i think ¢32 from lisbon portela airport to our chaido apartment (8km). not really so costly since there were 4 of us.

on 31.3.2016, daughter had to return london then singapore early. we went with her to baxia-chiado station. it was a 40mins journey by subway to airport & cost ¢1.25.

hall - Airbnb 3 bedroom apartment at Rua da Misericórdia 98, Lisboa

hall – Airbnb 3 bedroom apartment at Rua da Misericórdia 98, Lisboa

daughter booked a 3 bedroom apartment for 4 nights. it’s huge 200 sq m apartment & cost was about S$1000, so S$250/night for 4pax.

the partner robi met us at the apartment. the cleaners were at work. still, we were able to get the keys & leave our luggage in the apartment.

living hall was great, heating, hot water, noise insulation, wifi all great! ^^

had some problem getting the cable & tv channels as everything in portugese. anyway son was able to connect the hdmi cable to watch movies.

master - Airbnb 3 bedroom apartment at Rua da Misericórdia 98, Lisboa

master – Airbnb 3 bedroom apartment at Rua da Misericórdia 98, Lisboa

the bedrooms & toilets were great. didn’t have shampoo, tooth brush/paste/shaver like hotels, but we were equipped so ok.

2 other bedrooms - Airbnb 3 bedroom apartment at Rua da Misericórdia 98, Lisboa

2 other bedrooms – Airbnb 3 bedroom apartment at Rua da Misericórdia 98, Lisboa

bedrooms were all huge & well lit.

kitchen - Airbnb 3 bedroom apartment at Rua da Misericórdia 98, Lisboa

kitchen – Airbnb 3 bedroom apartment at Rua da Misericórdia 98, Lisboa

kitchen was huge, but did not have any nespresso capsule for the machine. someone left some filter coffee so we had that couple times before we grabbed some nespresso capsules (cheaper than london. so in fact we bought like 25 tubes & got a intro gift capsule holder.

paradia portuguesa @ Praça Luís de Camões lisbon

paradia portuguesa @ Praça Luís de Camões lisbon

we left the apartment & grabbed a nata at the corner paradia portuguesa @Praça Luís de Camões.

nata - portugese egg tart

nata – portugese egg tart

nata was great, eggy not too sweet nice crispy, fluffy pastry, though later we had better ones at belem & also at tartine. 🙂

walking down to cois do sodre

walking down to cois do sodre

we walked down the street towards cois de sodre.

this the riberia area where we can take a ferry across to cucilhas.

we had been reading about cacilhas & cristo rei & ponto final restaurant. but the driver who fetched us from airport & robi gave a very different picture. to them, cacilhas was a by-the-way destination of no great consequence.

we went there still on our last day at lisbon, but it slipped down the list of must dos.

from cois de sodre, mercado timeout market was a very short walk. we had lots of great food adventure there. ^^

c.h.e.f andy