#2 uni & botan ebi in japanese corn veloute

wife bought omakase dinner at hachi 0n 18.9.2015. ^^

this was the best omakase/kaiseki dinner i had. it was better than most of the excellent kaiseki i had in japan ryokans, including a very good kaiseki dinner at roppongi many years back. 🙂

i have to look back to my tohoku trip in 2010, where we had several very good kaiseki dinners at notably Yamayurinoyado Ryokan in Hanamaki (花卷) & ryokan new komatsu @ matsushima (松岛) for equally good or better kaiseki.

best omakase dinner with Lisa @ Hachi Restaurant

this evening there were only 3 tables including ours. the servers said it is often quite full though.

omakase menu

it’s omakase – a chef’s table.

still, quite useful to have a kaiseki menu.

#1 pork wine infused foie gras terrine

#1 we had pork wine infused foie gras terrine.

#1 pork wine infused foie gras terrine

a good start. very tasty, and putting on all the right expectations. ^^

#2 uni & botan ebi in japanese corn veloute

#2 the uni & botan ebi in japanese corn veloute was simply fabulous.

#2 uni & botan ebi in japanese corn veloute

don’t know if it is fusion, generally just take uni & botan ebi as sashimi. this was a superb combination of taste, the very sweet uni & botan ebi, in a wonderful japanese corn broth with all the flower decorations. 🙂

#3 crab chawanmushi

#3 the hokkaido kani (crab) chawanmushi was the tastiest chawanmushi i had.

#3 crab chawanmushi

so sweet, so beautiful! 🙂

#3 crab chawanmushi

quite a memorable dish. motivated me to go back & make a chawanmushi myself. 🙂

#4 oyster sashimi with vinaigrette jelly?

#4 the oyster was large & plump & sweet.

#4 oyster sashimi with vinaigrette jelly?

looked pretty too. i slurped it in with most of the jelly. 🙂

#5 sashimi moriawase = chutoro, sawara (spanish mackerel), kinmedai 金目鯛(golden eye snapper), katsuo (tuna), sanma

#5 sashimi moriawase were top quality – chutoro, sawara (spanish mackerel), kinmedai 金目鯛(golden eye snapper), katsuo (tuna), sanma. ^^

#5 sashimi moriawase = chutoro, sawara (spanish mackerel), kinmedai 金目鯛(golden eye snapper)

chutoro was very good, but i must say the chutoro in mikuni’s matsutake special bento set some days later was one of the best i had.

#5 sashimi moriawase = kinmedai 金目鯛(golden eye snapper) katsuo (tuna), sanma

the sawara (spanish mackerel), kinmedai 金目鯛(golden eye snapper) were all very good.

#5 sashimi moriawase = kinmedai 金目鯛(golden eye snapper),katsuo (tuna)

the katsuo (tuna) & sanma were pretty ok.

#6 awabi (really tender superb abalone)

#6 the braised awabi was really tender, superb abalone dish!^^

#6 awabi (really tender superb abalone)

i took it with the liver dip & the sea salt separately, all very good. 🙂

#6 awabi (really tender superb abalone)

they really braised it very well, as well as the very good chinese braised abalones.

#7 ikura don with toasted sesami – nano size but really excellent!

#7 the ikura don with toasted sesami was a very small serving of rice with quite a bit of ikura.

#7 ikura don with toasted sesami – nano size but really excellent!

all together really excellent!

#8 hamo (conger pike eel) shabu shabu

#8 the best dish (among every best dish) though was the hamo (conger pike eel) shabu shabu, together with the A5 ohmi wagyu that was served next.

#8 hamo (conger pike eel) shabu shabu

the soup was just so tasty.

#8 hamo (conger pike eel) shabu shabu

there were chinese cabbage & pine mushrooms.

#8 hamo (conger pike eel) shabu shabu

the hamo (conger pike eel) shabu shabu. 🙂

#8 hamo (conger pike eel) shabu shabu

hamo was so sweet & tasty.

#8 hamo (conger pike eel) shabu shabu

& the soup was like the very best of dobinmushi i ever tasted! ^^

#9 palate cleanser – pineapple & ginger sauce

#9 next we had a palate cleanser – pineapple & ginger sauce.

#9 palate cleanser – pineapple & ginger sauce

pineapple was sweet. the sauce was sourish & very appetising. 🙂

#10 – yakimono = ohmi A5 wagyu & sanma

#10 the ohmi A5 wagyu in the yakimono was just incredible, so marbled, melt-in-the-mouth!^^

#10 – yakimono = ohmi A5 wagyu & sanma

superb A5 ohmi wagyu. 🙂

#10 – yakimono = rolled sanma & egg plant

the bamboo sheet & the rolled sanma & eggplant were very good also i guess.

#10 – yakimono = rolled sanma & egg plant

but they were quite heavy going & lost in the process of so much excellent food! 🙂

#11 – nigiri sushi – chutoro, shiro ebi, uni & akamatsu

#11 nigiri sushi was again tops!

#11 – nigiri sushi – chutoro, shiro ebi, uni

chutoro, and especially shiro ebi & uni were fantastic. 🙂

#11 – nigiri sushi – chutoro, shiro ebi

just incredible sushi.

#11 – nigiri sushi – akamatsu

the akamatsu was supposed to be more fatty & marbled. maybe i still not used to the taste & it was marbled, but somehow did not feel wowed by it. 🙂

#12 – dessert = black beans yuzu jelly, japanese pear, red beans ice cream

#12 dessert were black beans yuzu jelly, japanese pear, red beans ice cream.

#12 – dessert = japanese pear

pear was pretty ok, sweet, not sweet like japanese rock melon i guess, haha!

#12 – dessert = black beans yuzu jelly

i always liked japanese black beans, the yuzu jelly was pretty refreshing too.

this one of the few dinners that i felt really wowed! ^^

c.h.e.f andy

S$3 meepok tar at xinlu 新路

went to pick up something.

dropped by xin lu (新路) teochew fish ball noodles (formerly from margaret drive) at mei chin road food centre for a S$3 meepok tar on 18.9.2015. ^^

last time i did a post was 2 years ago on 3sep2015 when i came here with my son. time flies!

S$3 meepok tar at xinlu 新路

i ordered my usual S$3 meepok tar, less noodles (面少)。

fishballs- S$3 meepok tar at xinlu 新路

& it came with 5 tasty, bouncy fishballs. the texture is one of the best.

S$3 meepok tar at xinlu 新路

because i ordered less noodles (面少), i get 1 more fishball. well, it’s inconsistent, depends on who is serving. sometimes i get, sometimes i don’t. not that i am too bothered.

the meepok texture was excellent, QQ. and the chilli also consistently good.

anyhow, by comparison, this is a lot better than the-

very poor one (noodles quite unpalatable with the heavy mix of sweet sauce) at food opera @ ion orchard, and also the

below par toa payoh lor 7 teochew fishball noodles (noodles a let down, not QQ!) at food republic @ lido.

and xin lu (新路) only S$3. these other 2 cost S$5!

c.h.e.f andy

chicken rendang

went to my good friend’s dental clinic at central on 16.9.2015.

after that god-sis led the 3 of us to kopi roti central for lunch. ^^

chicken rendang

god-sis went to get the food. i had the chicken rendang. it came with sayur lodeh & egg, for S$5.

it was a very good meal!

rendang was very good & reasonable helping size. both the egg & sayur also good. $5 is not cheaper nor more expensive than say a economic rice at coffeeshop. important thing is that it was tasty, a very nice wholesome & balanced meal for S$5. 🙂

curry chicken

my dental surgeon friend had the curry chicken. looked great too!

nasi lemak

god-sis had the nasi lemak. came with chicken wing, egg, nuts & ikan bilis & otah.

nasi lemak

i think the price of the curry chicken was also S$5, and likely the nasi lemak too.

there was laksa, but from the wall photo it didn’t appear to come with cockles.

i will try some of these dishes next time. i would say for S$5 it was as good as my favourite adam road nasi lemak (adam’s nasi lemak & selara rasa nasi lemak) kind of meal! ^^

c.h.e.f andy

#8 thai red curry vegetables

the thai red curry vegetables was a variation of my thai red curry sotong (squid).

i served that (red curry sotong) for the 30+pax lunch party for my daughter last month.

#8 thai red curry vegetables

i just replaced the sotong by vegetables. i had potato, egg plant, onions, yellow pepper, tomato.

“dancing chef” thai red curry

when i was looking for the right curries to make my thai yellow curry grilled chicken thighs & bought the “dancing chef yellow curry”, i also bought the thai red curry. 

for the curry, i fried 1 sliced yellow onions with 2tbsp red curry powder & 100ml coconut milk. when the onions softened. i added a cut yellow pepper (i did not have red pepper). since it was a vegetarian dish, i added about 300ml of vegetable stock instead of chicken stock. i added cut eggplants & then cherry tomatoes last.

this is a really nice lemak, tasty dish, & spicy too, spicier than the yellow curry.

i served it at a recent 10-course vegetarian dinner for 8pax for my niece’s birthday. everyone liked it.

for me, a non vegetarian, it was no comparison with the red curry sotong of course but still an excellenty flavoured curry dish which i enjoyed thoroughly. ^^

c.h.e.f andy

egg fried rice

fried rice the simplest of dishes.

& really not easy to do it well i guess.

i do a pretty good seafood fried rice.

i did that during a 9pax 12-course dinner for my friends on 15.7.2014 which everyone liked it a lot.

c/w photo of the real thing – crystal jade lamian xiaolongbao seafood fried rice, i guess it was still kind of far off.

egg fried rice

w/o the seafood, egg fried rice is even more basic, no “wow” dish, but a good staple & accompaniment for meat and also for my recent 10-course vegetarian dinner for 8pax for my niece’s birthday.

i have the cooked long grain fragrant rice ready. usually i put slightly less water, about 1 to 1 instead of 1.2cup water to 1cup rice.

i had a non stick pan on medium fire, 2 tablespoon oil & 1 tablespoon chopped garlic. then i turned up the fire & added 1 bowl of rice pushed to one side. immediately i cracked 2 eggs on the empty side. then i pushed the egg over the rice & mixed.

i added fish sauce to taste (about 1 tablespoon) or light soy sauce if it is vegetarian, or either no or much less (again to taste) if i am adding chilli sauce (sichuan chilli or xo chilli).

the whole process is very short, so i usually do on high fire so that the rice is not overcooked & mushy & so that the aroma of the fish sauce comes out & gives the wok hae & the rice are individual grains (we say “sun sun” in teochew).

c.h.e.f andy

Adam’s nasi lemak fish+chicken S$4.50

went to adam road food centre to ta pao (take out) nasi lemak round about 830am this morning on 15.9.2015.^^

no queues at both stalls, adam’s nasi lemak, and selara rasa.

every time my son back in singapore, he would buy from his favourite, the second stall ie selara rasa. and it seems that more also prefer the second stall to the first, judging by the usual queues at both stalls.

for me, i prefer the first stall, adam’s nasi lemak.

Adam’s nasi lemak fish+chicken S$4.50

i had the fish set + chicken wing S$4.50. adam’s included kachang (peanuts) which selara rasa does not.

there is also the fish cake.

Adam’s nasi lemak fish+chicken S$4.50

other than that, the 2 stalls almost similar, and price-wise too.

Adam’s nasi lemak fish+chicken S$4.50

the rice was perfect, very fragrant & individual grain. chilli was tops too. don’t feel much difference between the 2 stalls.

for chicken wing, selara rasa’s is more crispy. i didn’t feel it was better than adam’s previously but for today, adam’s chicken wing a bit average. the ikan kuning fish was quite standard.

both were better than that at mizzy corner at changi village food centre which i had last week with friends before we went for the uniquely Singapore pulau ubin “cooling off” walk.

and the horrendous sri sujana nasi lemak also at changi village food centre.

c.h.e.f andy