Author Archives: chefquak
Scrumptious Alan’s Chilli Crab Dinner on 9Oct2015
alan’s chilly crab
alan (my very good friend’s brother) & his wife invited us over for homecooked dinner on 9.10.2015.
we had 10pax.
alan & his wife & another partner, started “why eat har” big prawn noodle stall in mar2015.
after eating at “why eat har” many times liao, we all agreed that it is undisputably among the top 3 in singapore, and it all depends on one’s personal preference which is the most preferred.
alan’s talents are NOT limited to prawn noodles of course & this evening he was going to showcase his famous crabs! 🙂
for this evening we started with some salad prepared by alan’s wife. excellent salad with crunchy apples & grapes, very light myonnaise & honey. unfortunately my friend forgot to take a photo. he was busy mopping up the salad bowl after we had finished makan. 🙂
fried buns to soak up chilli crab sauce
there were fried buns provided, perfect to soak up the very tasty chilli crab sauce! i had more than one! haha! 🙂
alan’s chilly crab
the chilli crab sauce had clear intense crab flavours, yet very smooth, delightful & lingering. alan & his wife said it was slightly dilute but actually we all liked it that way.
the crab was not very “solid” i guess that depended on the day/timing. the body & the pincers were sweet & tasty.
drunken chicken*
the drunken chicken* was good too. the 绍兴酒 was mild & fragrant, a very good flavouring to the sweet chicken. alan’s partner was saying alan’s roast chicken was even better, so we said we would all have to try that, surely, if it was better than this drunken chicken.
alan told me that the difference in his preparation for 白斩鸡 was that he did not add garlic.
salted fish minced pork咸鱼饼**
& i liked the salted fish minced pork咸鱼饼** a lot so i ate quite a bit.
it was different from the style we made at home. he minced the pork himself & had the fat in a bit chunky to give the bite. this style is the genuine one we get to eat at the good zi char stalls.
steamed red garoupa
there was also teochew steamed red garoupa with salted vege & sour plum & sliced belly pork.
fish was sweet & tasty though the fish was in halves as the steaming dish was too small. i like both the teochew style & also the hong kong steamed style, liking the latter a bit more. 🙂
fried vege
fried vege was simple dish but good.
fruits – golden kiwi fruits, longans & blueberries
& my friend did his fruit number, not bad at all! haha! 🙂
we forgot to eat the grapes another friend, our default grape supplier, brought.
& alan’s wife made a refreshing mango sago dessert.
i brought my tiramisu. i added double the usual dosage of brandy (60ml instead of the usual 30ml). my friend loved it!
actually alan’s wife, myself & my wife thought the liquor was a bit much & nicer if a bit lesser. 🙂
*my own drunken chicken not as good though i made a really awesome chicken rice chicken 白斩鸡. principally becos i used a very cheap S$1.80 绍兴酒..hehe..& my wine marinade is still experimental & need some tasting & improvement.
& i was telling my friends it’s time i start cooking crab!
but alan was right. no matter how tasty the shellfish flavours offered by prawns heads & shells, they were not quite the same as using crab itself. 🙂
c.h.e.f andy
Steamed Yellow Croaker, Japanese Seabass or 小黄鱼
steamed yellow croaker, japanese seabass or 小黄鱼
bought yellow croaker, also called japanese seabass or 小黄鱼 at chinatown market, so decided to steam it for dinner on 7.10.2015. ^^
my helper does a very good hong kong steamed red garoupa. it is really of good zi char & restaurant standard. though the red garoupa we bought from chinatown market were not live (or swimming), they were always very fresh.
i was thinking of varying the hong kong steamed 港蒸style, & i had previously done very good tasting-
- steamed oysters (quite excellent really!);
- an equally good steamed cod = here, & also here!
steamed yellow croaker, japanese seabass or 小黄鱼
so i marinated the fish (a large one for yellow croaker maybe 600g+)with 3tbsp light soy sauce, 2tbsp olive oil & 2tbsp mirin (optional). & that’s it!
then it’s garnishes like sliced red chilli (i forgot to add sliced ginger), & cut spring onions near the end of steaming.
steamed yellow croaker, japanese seabass or 小黄鱼
i steamed in the steam oven for 12mins. if not using a steam oven, then similarly in a steamer for 12mins.
the fish was really excellent, very sweet & tasty & fine. 港蒸style小黄鱼 texture is finer than red garoupa & equally good.
the sauce was very tasty & not really so different from hong kong steamed 港蒸style, the same flavourful light soy sauce taste, not too salty, but it is a very good variation & equally tasty, instead of resorting to the proven style everytime.
小黄鱼 is also good served chilled similar to the chilled mullet 乌鱼.
we had very good ones at chao inn 潮楼 at kwun tong in hong kong on 3.6.2015!
i also tried fried yellow croaker 煎小黄鱼 (above 2 photos), not too bad too!
that after trying a pretty good one at imperial treasure nanbei at taka on 23.8.2015.
but really, steaming is the best to bring out the freshness & sweetness of the fish la!
c.h.e.f andy
Curry Chicken Noodles One More Time on 10Oct2015
ah heng curry chicken noodles S$6.50
Never tired of curry chicken noodle! ^^
but this time had good excuse. had 11am e-appointment at singtel comcentre to get iPhone 6s.
went early at 10.45am but my queue number estimate was 45mins.
do what at comcentre 45mins? might as well drive out before 10mins parking grace period for a quickie (of the curry chicken kind!)
& i manage to tapao 2 packets some more. .so btw smart move!
Singtel messaged 7 ahead in queue they will call soon. anyhow i enjoyed my curry chicken noodles no particular rush still got back here 11.25am, & i only got served at 12.05pm.
i only left the cashier at 12.49pm. what can i say? singtel sucks! 😦
ah heng curry chicken noodles S$6.50
luckily curry chicken noodles were good!
ah heng curry chicken noodles S$6.50
price creeping up now large = S$6.50.
well its 1/3 to 1/2 the price of a ramen & infinitely more enjoyable, so just a matter of perspective! anyhow, a cure for the frustrations at singtel.
i actually tried making my own curry chicken noodles, not too bad (above photo) but it was not so easy.
my own poached chicken 白斩鸡 is certainly as good. the curry gravy though pretty good as well is still not quite comparable.
so! cannot complain about S$6.50!
c.h.e.f andy
Good Value Peranakan Buffet @ Ellenborough Market Cafe on 8Oct2015
prawns + yabbies
went with a friend, who is an accomplished peranakan home chef himself, to ellenborough market cafe for lunch today on 8.10.2015. ^^
this my second time here this year, after a hiatus of probably 8 or 10 years. never get to use the FAR (feed at raffles) 50% vouchers for many years at this or other FAR restaurants either.
ellenborough markets cafe
ellenborough markets cafe
ambience was pretty nice. friend who is more familiar with this place thought it’s usually quite packed & was surprised that it wasn’t.
appetizer section
there was a cold appetizer section with prawns, yabbies, mussels.
prawns + yabbies
prawns was good, i guess quite standard.
yabbies
yabbies nice to look at & admire. as we know, not much meat & also meat is rougher than prawns, not as fine & sweet.
salad section
there was a salad section, soup & bread.
there were 2 soup – a chinese lie tong type, pork ribs i think & a cream of tomato with basil. i wasn’t too interested so did not take photos.
lady fingers – salad section
i tried the lady fingers. pretty ok.
prawn mushroom salad
the prawn mushrooms. ok too.
salmon sashimi
there was only salmon sashimi & some maki sushi.
sashimi, cold appetiser & salad
i started with sashimi, cold appetiser & salad.
salmon sashimi
didn’t look particularly great, but the salmon sashimi was quite excellent. fresh & sweet & i like the oily belly cuts. ^^
kueh pie tee (top hats)
friend made 6 kueh pie tee (you have to add the ingredients onto the hat yourself).
kueh pie tee (top hats)
they were nice, good standard.
ramen noodles..this really nice!
i think the chinese ramen was the bestest dish!^^
chef ramen live demo
ramen chef made a live demo, whacking the marble top with the flour noodles.
chef ramen
freshly made & rather thick.
but it was super nice! excellent texture, wholesome taste, a super broth to rival any tonkotsu & very tasty meatballs.
babi pongteh
i liked the babi pongteh too. just perfect texture & so flavourful.
ayam buah keluak
liked the chicken too.
ayam buah keluak
very nice curry, some very fragrant galangal taste & ginger fibre texture.
hk steamed garoupa
hk steamed garoupa
the hong kong steamed garoupa was also very well done.
plateful of food
plateful of food
problem with buffet – you take a tiny morsel here, and there & your plate & stomach are full.
sea cucumber duck
the sea sumcumber duck was also very good.
second helping of sea cucumber duck
duck was very tender, very lightly & nicely flavoured. i had a second helping.
second helping of babi pongteh & ayam
did too for the babi pongteh & ayam buah keluak.
fruits
din take the fruits nor the ahborling (sesame dumplings) & most other dessert.
durian pengat
basically took some durian pengat.
durian pengat
they were very good.
durian pengat
i generally not keen on main courses on food warmers in buffet, so usually go for semi buffet where the main course is an ala carte order like at one ninety @ four seasons hotel or equinox or basilico, like a fine dining main course.
so in other buffets like the edge or carousel or olive tree (all i mostly don’t really like) or 10 at claymore with ala carte buffet items (which i like), i go for the appetizer & skips most of the main course.
here at EMC, there is very little appetizer to talk about (say c/w one ninety or equinox), and the main courses did not look all that great. fortunately they tasted quite well, though they were robust dishes, and rightly so for peranakan dishes. it’s the grandma comfort food sorts.
i guess the best thing was the price. at S$38pax for weekday lunch & 50% off for FAR discounts, it was just S$19++pax, nothing to complain about, and the best thing was that the dishes were really quite good.
& the great ambience, good company & conversation. 🙂
c.h.e.f andy
Protected: RI Friends 9pax Lunch @ Ye Shanghai Teochew Muay on 7Oct2015
RI Friends 9pax Lunch @ Ye Shanghai Teochew Muay on 7Oct2015
24 plates for 7pax
a good friend organised a 9pax lunch at ye shanghai teochew muay today on 7.10.2015. ^^
the stall is located at kim san leng (金山领 in teochew) coffeeshop at bukit merah view. 🙂
there were 9 of us. 1 came late due to work after we had finished lunch so he took cha kway teow for himself. another tried the teochew muay but it was not his cup of tea so he went to get a dry fishball noodles for himself.
we ordered a total of 24 plates (generally 2 plates for each dish) for the 7pax. ^^
cost was S$68.80, so about S$10 each. i think it was rather expensive reference the usual prices here but it was a very enjoyable lunch & everyone was happy & satisfied with the food & of course the great company! 🙂
ye shangha teochew porride
we were there around 11.30am. the proprietor helped us placed a larger table top & arranged a table big enuf for 9pax. 🙂
we started queueing for the food when everyone arrived, i figured about 1150am, and one friend said we waited about 20mins in a 8pax queue (did not feel that long to me). it became quite a long L-shaped queue maybe about 15+pax round about 12.30pm.
24 plates for 7pax
we ordered a total of 24 plates, mostly 2 plates for each dish. the proprietor said we over ordered (maybe that’s why a bit more than the usual say about S$7pax). looking at the empty plates afterwards, we certainly did not share her sentiments.
the dishes = salted fish minced pork balls 咸鱼饼，kong bak/pig skin, tau kee, chicken feet, brinjal (best!), bittergurd, spinach, cabbage, long beans, sotong, 1 rabbit fish, 1 selar fish, chilli shark meat, there about… ^^
the dishes
we filled up the serving/sauce table.
风扫落叶
& what is too much? 风扫落叶 debris after the hurricane. 🙂
but this time we did not add any dishes. so it was quite enuf.
was really good fun. getting together & enjoying the food. ^^
c.h.e.f andy
Chicken Rice @ 6th Avenue on 6Oct2015
S$5 roast chicken rice @ 6th avenue
had a nice roast chicken rice (+ roast pork) at the stall at kopitown coffeeshop 10E 6th avenue. ^^
wife had some evening appointment & children were eating out. 🙂
roast chicken rice @ 6th avenue
this a stall i like though i don’t eat chicken rice outside that often. it is next to Sunny fishball noodles (which i like too!). & 2 stalls from the roti prata stall.
S$5 roast chicken rice @ 6th avenue
i do chicken rice chicken白斩鸡 very well now, so i usually take roast chicken outside since that i cannot do.
S$5 roast chicken rice @ 6th avenue
the roast chicken is very flavourful, nice roast taste, meat was moist & tender, and rice too was excellent!
i added S$1 roast pork so the meal was S$5. roast pork was good too, may not be better than other similar stalls, but again roast pork is something i cannot do myself.
a simple S$5 meal, but i enjoyed it very much. now i want to ta pao 1/2chicken liao! ^^
c.h.e.f andy
Cheung Chau Island 长州岛 Hike on 3Jun2015
vase rock花瓶石 @ cheung chau island
the second day of my sis’ & my hong kong trip 2-6.6.2015. ^^
the plan was to go to lama island 南丫岛 but we set out late. we arrived at the central pier no 4 just past 11am on 3.6.2015.
the next ferry to lama island was at 12pm. so we walked over to pier no. 5 & managed to get on the ferry to cheung chau island 长州岛 instead. this the second time my sis & i came to cheung chau island.
on the ferry to cheung chau island
i forgot to check though for fast ferry so we got onto the slow ferry (1hr) journey to cheung chai, perhaps no difference anyway.
on the ferry to cheung chau island
on the ferry cheung chau island
cheung chau island jetty
we arrived at cheung chai 12.15pm.
cheung chau island jetty
the morning porridge shop at the market near the jetty was already closed.
we saw seaking 海龙王海鲜. and had a look at the 4-course HK$198 promotion menu. it looked ok. we decided to sit down & try our luck (maybe have our throat slashed…haha!). gratefully the meal turned out pretty ok! 🙂
cheung chau island jetty
after lunch we walked past the jetty, and crossed eastwards over the narrowest part of the island to tung wan 东湾 to start the hike. 🙂
beach at cheung chau island
beach at cheung chau island
beach at cheung chau island
it was noon, & a very hot day!
tung wan beach
33degC, but sure felt like 40degC! 😦
tung wan beach
we walked along tung wan 东湾 beach past the warwick hotel & the cheung chau rock carving 常洲石刻。 we did not climb up to look at the rock carving as we had seen it the last time.
windsurfing kwun yam wan beach
we past the windsurfing centre at kwun yam wan 观音湾 beach。
coming up from kwun yam wan beach
& walked up the slope to kwun yam temple 观音古庙. 🙂
walking up from kwun yam wan beach
glad just to have some shade!
direction signage
small island but we were not about to walk far in this searing heat.
kwun yam temple 观音古庙
kwun yam temple 观音古庙is located at this junction.
brook at kwun yam temple 观音古庙
a brook down to the beach & sea.
kwun yam temple 观音古庙
kwun yam temple 观音古庙
took some photos.
mini greatwall trail
last time we walked on the mini greatwall trail too. this time we went a bit further. 🙂
view from mini greatwall trail
views of tung wan 东湾 beach & lantau island 大屿岛from the mini greatwall trail.
view from mini greatwall trail
view from mini greatwall trail
view from mini greatwall trail
& on the other side lama island 南丫岛 & its power station.
view from mini greatwall trail
we took a short rest at the kwan kung pavilion 关公忠义亭. the last time we stopped here & turned back.
rock formation
this time we walked further & saw some of the rock formation, including the vase rock花瓶石 (top photo). 🙂
view from mini greatwall trail
view from mini greatwall trail
we walked further, past a craggy part, and more rock formation.
view from mini greatwall trail
view from mini greatwall trail
we reached the eatern end of cheung chau island. another area with a picturesque craggy, rocky cove. 🙂
cheung chau sports ground stadium
we walked back & past the cheung chau stadium.
returning to the pier
stopped for toilet break & bought some water from the provision shop. shop owner very unfriendly! 😦
ferry arriving at central pier
ferry arriving at central pier
leaving cheung chau island长州岛, we got to the jetty at 3pm & again just missed the fast boat (next at 3.45pm), so took the slow boat deluxe (HK$20 with aircon), normal HK$13 no aircon at 3.20pm & arrived central pier 4.20pm.
we walked over to stanley street via the IFC.
we found yat lok 一乐 roast goose at stanley street w/o much difficulty & had hong kong’s best roast goose there, plus some dumplings. 🙂
after that we got back to our royal park hotel at shatin, and had a good rest before goin gout for a late dinner. this was part of the planning, as we were going to chao inn 潮楼 at kwun tong to enjoy the 打冷40% 六折discounts which starts at 9pm. ^^
a pretty great day!
c.h.e.f andy
Sambal Sauce Seabass – Another Crowd Favourite!
sambal sauce seabass 26.8.2015 – this everyone’s favourite
in addition to the spicy pork ribs/pork soft bones, another regular crowd pleaser for my dinners is the sambal sauce seabass (& spicy tau jeon seabass). ^^
i love the dish myself & all my friends love it too. in fact i think it is more popular even than the spicy pork ribs. 🙂
i guess fish is more neutral, tender & easy to eat even when placed against a very tender pork ribs or soft bones.
it’s a dish my helper cooked regularly for the family & for my dinners. i have done only once.
& i have served it many times in my dinners for my friends. 🙂
sambal seabass – 6.2.2015
above photo does not require elaborations, haha! ^^
sambal seabass – 3.10.2014
the farmed seabass in singapore is not like the australian barramundi or the french seabass. it has a bit of “mud taste” and is a bit “hu” ie not the very firm, bouncy type of texture, but slightly mushy.
sambal sauce seabass – 28.5.2015
certainly not my favourite fish.
btw, my favourite fish, even more than usual cod, is the chilean seabass, the patagonian toothfish, which is not even a bass, but a cod. 🙂
spicy tau jeon seabass – 19.8.2013
by steaming with the spicy tau jeon sauce, and in more recent times, the sambal sauce, not only it took away the “mud taste”, but complemented the fish sweetness very well. also, i believe the sauce tensioned the skin a bit & made the fish just slightly more firm & less mushy. 🙂
hai’s 海士 instant assam fish paste
i used the hai’s 海士 instant assam fish paste in recent times, as we liked it a bit better than the spicy tau jeon, and also because i could not find the latter in giant lately.
i used 1 packet for a large seabass (700g) or 2 smaller ones (500g), and garnished chopped spring onions & chilli padi (sometimes my helper used sliced red chilli & spring onions). then in the steam oven (or a usual steamer) for 12mins.
c.h.e.f andy
Chocolate Lava Cake (Revisit on 3Oct2015)
oozing choc lava cake
chocolate lava just happened to be the first dessert i picked to try out 3 yrs ago, shortly after i started “seriously” cooking in mar2012.
web recipes are always too sweet for the asian palate (usually i used only 1/3 of the sugar quantity). for chocolate lava cake, it’s like too large serving, too much effort adding cocoa etc, so i basically experimented & created my own recipe –
I was successful in my 3rd attempt in creating the oozing chocolate lava cake, and thanks to Facebook for being such a faithful repository of memories, that was on 22.8.2012!
after lava cake, i went on to do a few very good cakes –
my popular cakes are the first 3.
the jam crumb cake was good, but not so special, the apple pie was tedious & ok, again no wow.
recently, did the lava cake again for a 9pax dinner on 28.9.2015.
choc lava cake x 6 (muffin trady)
& it wasn’t that great, so i thought i gave it a try again.
it is really very easy to make. i use the same chocolate lava cake recipe i created previously –
- beat 3eggs + 2 egg yolks with 1 tbsp flat sugar & 1 tbsp flat sifted normal flour
- melt 100g cadbury old gold 70% cocoa with 60g unsalted butter (i use 1min 10secs in microwave & stir to melt the chocolate)
- add slowly while beating the egg (i use a hand whisk)
- grease bottom & sides of muffin tray with butter & add the cake mixture
choc lava cake
then it’s just 3mins 30secs in a preheated 210degC oven on the grill function.
choc lava cake
i timed on phone timer & removed immediately.
oozing choc lava cake
the cake would have lifted from the side near the top. i use a knife to move round the edges to separate the cake from the tray.
oozing choc lava cake
then i inverted the muffin tray over another flat try & served the cake with ice cream.
the taste was wonderful! ^^
that i knew as i had tasted the cake mix before baking. there was certainty & confidence on the taste & flavours. the flowing lava was somehow an unknown though previously i did not have much difficulty reproducing the oozing lava.
i am still not satisfied this time. will probably try one at 3mins 15secs to get more oozing lava.
c.h.e.f andy
Spicy Black Bean Sauce Pork Ribs or Soft Bones
spicy pork soft bones – 6.2.2015
spicy pork ribs. i really love it! ^^
this a favourite dish for my son, younger daughter & me.
when i am doing a homecooked buffet that featured chinese, this is also among the favourite dishes for all my friends, a perennial crowd pleaser of sorts. 🙂
the number of times i served the dish testifies to its popularity-
spicy bean sauce pork ribs 19.8.2013
spicy black bean sauce pork ribs – 7.11.2013
spicy pork ribs – 28.5.2013
spicy pork ribs – 24.4.2015
#11 helper’s spicy black bean sauce pork ribs – 26.8.2015
usually my helper cooks this. & for my dinners i would leave her to do it.
when she was away on homeleave for 1 month last year, i did it a few times myself.
lkk spicy black bean sauce
recipe is simple & easy to do. i use lee kum kee spicy black bean sauce.
i scalded the pork ribs (or pork softbones) to remove scum & cleaned. i fried 2 (or 3) tbsp of lkk spicy black bean sauce with some chopped garlic in 1 tbsp oil for short while till fragrant. then added 600g (or 1 kg) of pork ribs or pork soft bones. i fried for about 30mins to 40mins on low fire, adding some water to avoid burning & cover. then i placed it on a tray in the steam oven for 30mins. this makes the pork soft & tender.
if you are not using a steam oven, cook pork ribs for about 50mins. taste it to make sure it is to the texture & flavour you like. ^^
c.h.e.f andy
Ingredients –
- 600g (or 1kg) pork ribs or pork soft bones
- 2 (or 3) tbsp lkk spicy black bean sauce
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
- 2tsp garlic
Directions –
- scald pork ribs (or pork softbones) to remove scum & clean.
- fry 2 (or 3) tbsp of lkk spicy black bean sauce with some chopped garlic in 1 tbsp oil for short while till fragrant.
- add 600g (or 1 kg) of pork ribs or pork soft bones. fry for about 30mins to 40mins on low fire, adding some water to avoid burning & cover. then place it in a tray in the steam oven for 30mins. this makes the pork soft & tender.
- if not using a steam oven, cook pork ribs for about 50mins. taste it to make sure it is to the texture & flavour you like.
Wafu 和风 (Japanese Style) Braised Eggplants – Simply Wonderful!
wafu 和风 (japanese braised) eggplants
japanese is a very wide cuisine like chinese, indian, french, italian (whereas my impression is korean cuisine is quite limited).
in japanese cooking there are so many very nice side dishes and great combination of different dishes even in a simple bento at the railway station.
& in kaiseki they always have many diffferent types of appetizers, steamed, broiled, poached, boiled, stewed, braised, vinegared, cured, stir-fired, grilled, hotpot, really endless array of dishes.
for my recent 9pax japanese course dinner on 28.9.2015, i paired the shabu pork with grated radish & small japanese cucumbers.
& i wanted to pair the wafu (和风) pasta with teriyaki cod & a veg.
after surfing/looking up a bit, i found a simple interesting wafu (和风) braised eggplant recipe from japanesecooking101 here.
following the recipe, i cut 2 egg plants in 1/2, then sliced the egg plants (this to let the sauce infused into the egg plants), then cut in 1/2 again, so i have 8 quarters. i fried them a bit, turned over, then added 1 cup dashi (i used chicken/vegetable stock), 1 tbsp tsuyu, 1 tbsp mirin, 1 tbsp sake (basically to taste) & reduced & set aside. when serving i reduced a little further while warming up & served. 🙂
wafu 和风 (japanese braised) eggplants
the wafu 和风 (japanese braised) eggplants was simply excellent! this the first time i did a japanese braised eggplant. it’s so easy & the taste was just fantastic!^^
egg plant is really a very nice veg. you can do it in so many ways.
i had very nice eggplants with minced pork in hong kong at 富记大排档 at tai wai, and i recreated the minced pork egg plant dish at home,
and later a vegetarian version of the egg plant dish. 🙂
& i still want to do the chinese version though (i like the ye shanghai one very much). don’t think much difference, probably just use oysters sauce instead.
a wonderful, most satisfying dish! ^^
c.h.e.f andy
Really Nice Fine Chinese Dinner @ Xin Cuisine on 1Oct2015
S$28 – this tea infused duck is the best roast duck i tried!!
wife & i went to xin cuisine for dinner on 1.10.2015.^^
though this is a palate restaurant, we had never use the amex palate privileges here before today.
the last time we had a superb fine dining here was 2.5yrs ago on 31.3.2013 for a ANZ set promotion.
S$9 – excellent lie tong 例汤
in fact, soup looked quite pathetic but it tasted phenomenal!!!
i think this excellent lie tong 例汤 should be offered & served in a nice earthen pot like at tunglok or say lei gardens in hk instead of an individual per portion serving. at the very least, even if it is served per portion, it should be done in a nice bowl instead of a jack’s place kind of soup serving!
S$9 – excellent lie tong 例汤
must try to do this lie tong at home.
S$28 – this tea infused duck is the best roast duck i tried!!
the duck & veg were just as phenomenal!
S$28 – this tea infused duck is the best roast duck i tried!!
the tea fragrance was so lingering! amazing! restaurant manager said it was because the hk chef not only smoked but also marinated the duck in tea.
maybe i will try my tea infused duck again…
S$18 – just super! preserved vege with chinese small cabbage & egg plant
this preserved vege with chinese small cabbage & egg plant was super also.
S$18 – just super! preserved vege with chinese small cabbage & egg plant
the flavours of the preserved vegetables with the light soy sauce, not salty, was inviting.
S$18 – just super! preserved vege with chinese small cabbage & egg plant
a very fine vegetable dish. 🙂
S$14 – big prawn crispy noodles
the big prawn crispy noodles was great, as expected.
S$14 – big prawn crispy noodles
crispy noodles & broth all good.
S$22 – lobster noodles also good
lobster noodles also good, but broth tasted perhaps just a wee bit not as good as tunglok’s.
S$22 – lobster noodles also good
overall still a very good dish.
i tried my own king prawns braised noodles previously which tasted pretty good too.
i served this at a 11pax homecooked lunch on 15.10.2015 & everyone loved it!^^
this a really nice enjoyable dinner & with 50% for 2pax amex palate discounts, dinner was just S$69.
for me, the dishes were very fine, the soup was wonderful, & the duck quite divine, delicate & lingering tea flavours, and so was the veg. the prawn noodles & lobsters noodles were more ordinary dishes but very well executed, real good class.
service was ok, except at the beginning server took inordinately long time to respond to taking orders (even after acknowledging which already took long time) when there were just 3 tables including our own.
c.h.e.f andy
Wafu (和风) Pasta – Outstanding!
wafu 和风 pasta 1.10.2015
wafu 和风 pasta 1.10.2015
this the first time i did a kind of “wafu (和风) pasta” other than mentaiko pasta. & the taste was wonderful!
i followed the recipe on japanesecooking101 here.
wafu 和风 pasta 1.10.2015
very simple ingredients – just streaky bacon, shimeji mushrooms & yellow onions.
i did it again today 1.10.2015 just a few days later using leftover ingredients, this time using shitake mushrooms as i did not have shimeji. my wife & i were going out for dinner. my daughter came back from her squash game at 9pm & walloped the whole dish! ^^
wafu 和风 pasta 28.9.2015
& the sauce again is the key – dashi (i used chicken/vegetable stock), mirin, tsuyu & a little sugar (optional) & reduced.
wafu 和风 pasta 28.9.2015
taste was, what can i say, just exquisite. it’s not better than most of my pastas which are also very good, but it’s good! equally good! 🙂
c.h.e.f andy
Good Value Set Lunch @ The White Rabbit on 30Sep2015
wagyu carpaccio
had lunch today with a long time business associate/friend at the white rabbit at harding road, dempsey on 30.9.2015. ^^
this the first time i dined at the white rabbit. there is free parking & the ambience is nice. the restaurant occupied a nicely refurbished old chapel, bright & airy with high ceiling/columns & stained glass windows. 🙂
set lunch menu
there is a ongoing uob 1 for 1 set lunch promotion till 31oct2015 (tues to fri).
the set lunch menu included the famous dishes like wagyu carpaccio, seared scallops, alaskan king crab tagliatelle, 60hr mangalica pork belly, 36hr short ribs etc. 🙂
bread roll
we had a complimentary roll & butter to start. quite good. restaurant offered additional bread but we declined.
wagyu carpaccio
i had the wagyu carpaccio. it was very good, one of the better ones (or best) i had. 🙂
there was shaved parmesan & truffle cream, nice truffle fragrance, sweet, great texture.
seared bay scallops
my friend had the seared bay scallops.
seared bay scallops
it looked great & he said it was good. 🙂
alaskan king crab tagliatelle
friend also had the alaskan king crab tagliatelle.
alaskan king crab tagliatelle
i tried a little. pasta was perfect al dente of course. excellent flavours, nice crab sweetness with a bit of bisque veloute, not creamy. i liked the pasta.
60hrs braised pork belly
i had the 60hrs pork belly. read one of the reviews about this special mangalica pork. for myself i don’t think it was naywhere near a good kurobuta in terms of the flavours & marbling.
60hrs braised pork belly
pork was very tender from the slow braise, and the skin was crispy (but if it’s only about crispy skin i would prefer the chinese crackling roast pork over this anytime).
the pork overall quite nice though i not much into the white beans & miso broth. i made a tender tasty slow-braised miso belly pork myself so this dish not so wow for me.
choc fondant
friend had the chocolate fondant. came with macaron & ice cream. 🙂
choc fondant
i did not try it. friend said it was good. will try next time the molten caramel. 🙂
lemon merigue tart
i had the lemon meringue tart.
lemon merigue tart
also pretty ok, nothing special. but for the uob 1 for 1 promotion, the price difference between 2-course & 3-course was only S$2, so i took the dessert. 🙂
c.h.e.f andy
Nice Dinner @ Shelter in the Woods on 27Sep2015
quiche
wife, daughter & i went to shelter in the woods, greenwood ave for dinner on 27.9.2015. ^^
shelter in the woods
very nice ambience. we also managed to park just behind the restaurant. 🙂
this the favourite haunt of 1 of my friends. some months back he tried to buy me dinner here some time back but the place was fully booked, so he arranged a nice dinner at la braceria instead. 🙂
baguette
we had some complimentary baguette.
the server we had was polite, but she didn’t know anything we asked about the menu, maybe it’s difficulty with english.
endives salad
wife wanted to try a different salad, so we had the endives salad.
endives salad
pretty ok with the honey dressing. nothing special i guess.
escargot
the escargot tasted quite good, but was a bit dry.
escargot
it was served on a bone marrow, but unlike the lovely delicious wagyu with bone marrow at tess bar, here the bone marrow seems to be just presentation.
beef tartare
i loved the beef tartare, really nice! fresh, sweet small chunks of beef, and excellent with chooped onions, capers etc.
salt & pepper dispensers for beef tartare
some quaint bottles to dispense salt & pepper. 🙂
beef tartare
i want to have this again, S$18 for an appertiser portion.
japanese sweet corn soup
i ordered the japanese sweet corn soup because it was chef recommendation & also featured by other food writers.
japanese sweet corn soup
should not have bothered. looked lovely in photos, but it was the poorest of the dishes. any of my own soup would be better. not that it was bad, but just ordinary, very sweet & basically not the kind of good savoury soup i like. 🙂
quiche
quiche was good. it’s not the kind of dish i fancy much usually, but this one here i can take again. 🙂
rack of lamb-almost raw
we asked for medium rare for the rack of lamb. it came almost raw. 🙂
rack of lamb-almost raw
i took a piece. my wife & daughter couldn’t, so we asked the restaurant to cook it more. the guy server now said their chef’s recommendation was medium (which was different from what we asked of the earlier lady server who did not seem to communicate well in english).
rack of lamb-almost raw
anyhow we went ahead with medium. it came out medium rare, & it was perfect! 🙂
rack of lamb-almost raw
so once we gotten the medium rare (though they say medium), the lamb was very good actually. & the sauce was very good too, not too “beefy”.
apple tart with ice cream
crispy apple tart was quite good.
apple tart with ice cream
cannot quite compare with the da luca version. still it was pretty ok.
the dinner was S$146nett for 3pax. they forgot to charge a glass of wine (S$19++), so we told them to add in the charge.
we enjoyed the dinner, food & ambience. the 2 best dishes for me were the beef tartare & the lamb rack (when done right!). the quiche was worth ordering too. the sweet corn soup can skip. the rest were average.
c.h.e.f andy
Protected: 9pax Japanese Course Dinner on 28Sep2015
9pax Japanese Course Dinner on 28Sep2015
#1 shabu pork on grated radish & japanese cucumber, miso belly pork, & kakuni (japanese braised belly pork)
trying out japanese dishes like chawanmushi & steak don recently & decided to do a full Japanese course dinner for my good friends, RI friends & spouses, on 28.9.2015.^^
daughter came home & joined dinner so we had 9pax.
it was very fun! haha! 🙂
#1 i decided on a shabu pork starter after looking at a shabu pork salad recipe on japanesecooking101.
just to be sure, i try out with shabu beef the day before & it was very good!
the grated daikon (radish) was a great idea. below that i had 4 julienned small japanese cucumber. very refreshing.
but the key is the sauce – just 1part sushi vinegar, 1 part mirin, 1 part tsuyu. this like the best sauce ever! haha! ^^
#1.1 miso belly pork
i also had miso belly pork. this done 12hrs in 85degC oven then browned on medium low fire in non-stick pan. very tasty dish.
i also had kakuni (japanese braised belly pork), and a friend brought kimchi. that made up the first dish. 🙂
quality was inconsistent. i had to steam 2 batches of 4 ramekins for 15mins at each go when friends were here. for one batch my phone timer stopped at 12m20s in between & i lost the timing.
#3 prawn bisque – not so great today
#3 my third dish was a prawn bisque. while it is european & not a japanese dish, i had been to a few restaurants in kyoto & also osaka where they served western starter & soup as part of a japanese course meal.
prawn bisque was below my usual standards.
#3 prawn bisque – vegetabkes base
the method was ok. i had enough good mix of vegetable base to balance the prawn shells & heads stock.
#3 prawn bisque – not so great today
i think i should have reduced the liquids further to get a more intense bisque.
#4 wafu (和风) pasta, wafu (和风) braised eggplant & teriyaki cod
#4 the wafu (和风) pasta, wafu (和风) braised eggplant & teriyaki cod was an excellent dish though. ^^
#4.1 wafu (和风) pasta with streaky bacon, shimeji mushrooms & yellow onions – pasta was really good!
#4.1 this the first time i did a kind of “wafu (和风) pasta” other than mentaiko pasta. & the taste was wonderful!
i followed the recipe on japanesecooking101 here.
#4.1 wafu (和风) pasta with streaky bacon, shimeji mushrooms & yellow onions – pasta was really good!
simple ingredients – just streaky bacon, shimeji mushrooms & yellow onions. & the sauce again is the key – dashi (i used chicken/vegetable stock), mirin, tsuyu & a little sugar& reduced.
taste was just exquisite. it’s not better than most of my pastas which are also very good, but it’s good! 🙂
#4.2 teriyaki cod
#4.2 teriyaki cod is one dish i cooked a number of times & always, invariably good.
#4.2 teriyaki cod
this time i reduced the sugar & also a little less salty.
#4.1 wafu 和风 (japanese braised) eggplants － this dish was simply excellent!
#4.1 the wafu 和风 (japanese braised) eggplants was simply excellent! this the first time i do a japanese braised eggplant. it’s so easy & the taste was just fantatsic!
again i got my recipe from japanesecooking101 here.
i still want to do the chinese version though (i like the ye shanghai one very much). don’t think much difference, probably just use oysters sauce instead.
#5 kakuni (japanese braised belly pork) don with miso salmon belly
#5 for the gohan course, i had a don.
the friend who brought kimchi doesn’t take beef, so i prepared kakuni, a japanese braised belly pork.
this time though i used a different braising method, a 6hr gentle slow braise in a crockpot from cold to 85degC (using meat thermometer). ^^
#5 wagyu ribeye & black angus ribeye steak don with miso salmon belly
#5 for the other diners, i had a 400D grain-fed wagyu ribeye & a 150D grain-fed black angus ribeye. both were excellent!
and the japanese rice was perfect! so very tasty, one friend went to add rice & just ate the rice plain.
#5.1 miso salmon belly
#5.1 the miso salmon belly was very good too.
#5.1 miso salmon belly
very tasty, just like eating in restuarants in japan.
i also had tamago. the shape & folding was a disaster & one could not even make out the lines, but taste was pretty ok & quite a good addition to the meaty don dish! 🙂
#6 i not very sure how i lost it. haha! 🙂
lava cake was the very first dessert i made, not sure where has all the lava gone.
anyway seems that everyone like the taste though….wait till they have my really lava ones..haha!
like this one! looking back at the records, it was during a dinner on 28.1.2013! 🙂
“shanghai” moon cake
a friend brought “shanghai” moon cake, one lotus paste, the other red beans.
“shanghai” moon cake
so pretty, and very good moon cake too, mainly because the lotus paste was not so sweet like most moon cakes are, and the pastry, with some addition of nuts, was excellent! 🙂
ondeh ondeh – everyone loved it!
one friend brought ondeh ondeh. everuone loved it!
some friends brought rose sparkling wine & white wine too.
& wife offered up her whisky collection. 🙂
very fun enjoyable evening with friends.
c.h.e.f andy
Shabu Beef Rice Burger
shabu beef rice burger
made a shabu beef rice burger on 26.9.2015. ^^
i used to quite like mos burger but had not taken the rice burger for many years. until 9.9.2015 when 4 of us went early to watch workers’ party rally at bedok stadium, my friend parked his car at bedok mall & we bought some food to bring along.
i bought yakiniku rice burger & some friends bought subway sandwiches & other burgers. 🙂
anyhow i bought some shabu beef & pork at hentick & decided to try out a shabu beef rice burger.
i checked out a facebook rice burger recipe here. good enough for me.
later i found a more advanced preparation recipe here.
anyhow i cooked the usual sushi rice – 1.2cups water to 1 cup rice, added 1.5tbsp mirin, sushi vinegar & tsuyu (basically to taste) & i tbsp flat roasted sesame. then i pressed some rice on a cutting board & cut out 2 round pieces & browned them on both sides in a non-stick pan on low fire.
300g quick frozen shabu beef from hentick
for the shabu beef, i poured boiling water over 300g of shabu beef (above) i bought from hentick for about S$7.20, and cleaned away the scum. then i prepare the sauce – 2 tbsp ea of sushi vinegar, mirin & tsuyu. trust me, it’s a very very tasty mix!^^ beef was already cooked but can always stir-fried a bit in the sauce if required.
for the vegetable, i just made do with what i had, so sliced tomatoes & grated radish, can also add onions or small japanese cucumbers etc.
anyhow, the whole concoction came out pretty ok. the shabu beef & sauce were really good. the sushi rice burger itself was good, very tasty but the compacting & shape need to be improved. 🙂
my daughter commented that eating it open sandwich style was like eating a don. of course we wanted to have low carbs, but i hear her that maybe for a proper rice burger i should do the burger style together with the seaweed etc. 🙂
c.h.e.f andy
c.h.e.f 