picking durians at pulau ubin – good ones

a RI friend & her hubby organised an exciting durian picking “expedition”& biking trip at pulau ubin on sunday 20.6.2015.^^

this friend is the meticulous planning big sister kind, thought of every details from what to bring (like backpack, extra plastic bag for durians, helmet/cap, mosquito repellent, sunscreen, towel & change etc), timing & taking the bumboats to the specific locations to find the best durians. 🙂

as one friend mentioned on Facebook post-

Due credit is given to these 4 organizers with their faces shown to the start of this album.

I was very impressed as everything was done with such meticulous planning and with such military precision.

We have our medical and safety officer, to ensure we would be well taken care of in an emergency.

Mmm ….without them,  I think we would have gone home bare-handed

ferry to pulau ubin

we had 14pax.

i got up at 5am & was ready to leave for changi jetty at 5.15am. i was on the whatsapp & 1 friend could not make it last minute. as he was fetching another friend, i waited till 5.45am for the other friend to reply messages & come online in order to confirm the pick up location & time.

anyway in the rush we missed the turning from telok paku road to changi village road & went further along loyang avenue before realising & turning back. so we missed the first bumboat load of 12pax. our 12 friends who were there earlier left for pulau ubin (as earlier arranged to do..ie the first to make up 12pax proceed first).

when we were at the changi jetty, we were missing another 3 or 4pax before the bumboats will leave. the system is to wait for 12pax to fill up a bumboat (fare is S$2.50pax) unless you want to pay S$30 to charter the boat.

ferry to pulau ubin

we were very shortly on the 10mins bumboat journey from changi point ferry to pulau ubin. 🙂

several of the passengers on the bumboat were talking about picking durians. they all came well armed with backpacks & plastic bags. ^^

pulau ubin

we arrived at the pulau ubin jetty.

a friend came to meet us, and we took some photos.

pulau ubin

nice shoreline in morning light. 🙂

bicycle rentals

there were many bicycle rental shops near the jetty.

our friends who came earlier rented the bikes. couple brought their own bikes.

pulau ubin

11 friends who were biking took to the road first. 3 of us took a pleasant morning stroll behind. a very enjoyable walk. 🙂

pulau ubin map

from the jetty we walked to belatok hut then turned left to jln ubin batu.

too many durians but few good ones

we walked passed the yellow hut to the next junction. the cyclist friends were already collecting durians.

i went into one bush & found a durian soon enough. it smelled good. my friend’s hubby who is the expert among us said it was ok. later when we were selecting the good durians to bring home, this was not among the really good ones. we opened it. one part was ok good taste but thin not so creamy, the other parts were not fully riped yet.

too many durians but few good ones

we collected many durians. just 2 friends & i (3 of us together) collected like 20 durians, but maybe only 3 or 4 were good ones.

rest stop

after picking enough durians, we proceeded to puaka hill. again the cyclist went first. we took a slow walk, and a drink at the rest stop. the group stopped at the bridge & took some photos. then we took some photos at puaka hill & at the hut below where some of my energetic friends attempted yoga stunts & headstands???

pulau ubin

we walked back to the jetty. the main party of cyclists went further ahead and joined us at the jetty afterwards.

pulau ubin

it was a wonderful outing. lots of fun picking durians & enjoying nature around us.

drink stalls

going back, we stopped near the jetty & had some drinks. we went to the rest room to freshen up & change. it was very hot day & a lot of perspiration.

picking durians at pulau ubin – the good ones

after discarding many durians, there were still a lot to bring back.

picking durians at pulau ubin – the good ones

i did not bring back any. but those who brought back, thanks to my RI friend & her hubby’s good guidance & pick, enjoyed very good durians.

c.h.e.f andy

chicken karaage

this evening a RI friend arranged our monthly dinner at level 2 at killiney on 16.7.2015.^^

this friend is the district governor (elect) july2016 term for rotary 3310 & they meet often at level 2 at killiney. indeed the restaurant owner sylvia is also a rotary member at suntec.

it’s a small group this evening. at first there was 7 but 2 could not make it last minute so we had 5pax. 🙂

i guess it’s good to have a big group. still even in a large group, we often talked mostly among a few seated next to each other, so it’s quite fine among old friends, whether a big or small group.

place was small. we had a good chat with the lady server. she said there were 2 in the kitchen & 3 servers, though i only saw her serving.

there were 4 tables including ours occupied. the place can take 40pax for a private function. they have a S$30pax 3-course set dinner menu, and a S$9.80 set lunch menu. 🙂

the server gave us a complimentary tapas – chicken karaage to start. 🙂

smoked salmon canapes

the organiser arranged for a special menu – 3 tapas, lobster bisque, choice of 1 main & dessert of the day.

smoked salmon canapes

the smoked salmon canapés was ok – smoked salmon average, the pastry was crisp & good, quite a lot of avocado cream?

sausage with mustard & pickled gerkhins

the sausage with mustard & pickled gerkhins was good too. i had 2 pieces.

sausage with mustard & pickled gerkhins

it’s not chorizo, probably chipolata.

lobster bisque

lobster bisque was competent, had all the right shellfish & bit of liquor flavours. 🙂

lobster bisque

i guess not the best i had but certainly very competent. it’s also about personal preferences. i like a much more intense lobster bisque & slightly more liquor.

also for myself i prefer a good vegetable base to balance the shellfish flavours which i do for my own lobster bisque.

but i do also like a standalone just intense lobster bisque. ^^

seafood alio olio linguine

i thought the seafood alio olio linguine was excellent. very nice garlic taste, very flavourful & al dente.

there were like 5-6prawns & several pieces of sliced scallops. the prawns were good, texture a bit like the chinese crystal prawns (brine treated?). not my preferred texture but overall it was good.

seafood alio olio linguine

the server said they added white wine which was not the usual preparation. that’s what i do too for my seafood alio olio spaghetti.

i had the alio olio at kith recently. i liked both but overall i guess i would prefer this preparation.

braised beef cheeks

the braised beef cheeks is 1 of the favourite dishes here. many bloggers had commented favourably.

another new favourite dish is the steak sandwich which had a ribeye steak (server told me about 2/3 normal steak portion). i will try that next time.

server told me they were braised for 4hrs.

braised beef cheeks

it was a competent braise. soft, tender. i didn’t think it was special. texture wise i guess it was very good. the flavours were ok, beefy, not specially tasty. braises not really my thing, but for such cut of meat, slow gentle braises or low temperature cooking like sous vide are the way to produce a nice tender meat w/o making it too sinewy & to turn tough connective tissues to flavourful gelatine. for such preparation, i would prefer the more fatty meats & more gelatine. i have not made my spanish slow-braised beef ribs for a long time, maybe i will give it a try again.

dinner came to S$192 for 5pax so about S$38nett. we gave S$40ea & a friend decided to top up the remainder & give S$20 tip to the lady server. it was a great gesture & a good habit to have when you are happy with the service. ^^

c.h.e.f andy

10 dishes teochew muay @ ye shanghai

when i was queueing for shi le yuan 实叻圆糜 the other day, the guy in front of me said ye shanghai was cheaper & had a larger spread, and he only came to shi le yuan because ye shanghai was closed that day.

ye shanghai @ bukit merah view

so i came with my sis & b-i-l to try out ye shanghai on 16.7.2015. it’s not bad!^^

we came at 1030am so no queue, but also not all dishes were ready.

we ordered total 10 dishes. it came to only S$20.60. so the man was right, a bit cheaper than shi le yuan, more variety of dishes just as good but not really better. maybe the veg dishes were better here.

“kee her” fish

there was no ngoh soon (small treadfin) & mullet 乌鱼 they only served those in the evening.

we ordered the “kee her” fish. i thought it was very good actually taken with tau jeon, good proxy to mullet 乌鱼.

big intestines+belly pork

the big intestines was good very well cleaned, nice texture, slightly milder lor 鲁 taste, i quite like it. 🙂

the kong bak belly pork too.

big intestines

nice big intestines.

brinjal

veg here very nice. the brinjal was every tasty.

pig’s skin

pig’s skin was very good. just like the ng ah sio one we had recently at rangoon road, no fat, all collagen. 🙂

salted fish minced pork 咸鱼饼

salted fish minced pork 咸鱼饼 was very good too. somewhat different from shi le yuan but equally good.

steamed egg

only dish not great was the steamed egg. not much taste, maybe that was to be expected of a steamed egg with nothing in it.

peanuts

peanuts nothing to talk about.

spinach

spinach was very good, tasty!

tau kee

tau kee was the usual.

cabbage

cabbage was very good, very sweet & tasty.

cabbage

we had a second order. so after the 10 dishes, sis went to order 2 more, cabbage for S$1.

steamed pomfret

and pomfret for S$4. pomfret was good too. i didn’t mind it but maybe i prefer the kee her more. 🙂

10 dishes teochew muay @ ye shanghai

so we had 10 dishes (top & above) for S$20.60. then greedy added 2 more dishes so total S$25.60 including 3 porridge.

really good meal & totally satisfying with or w/o the additional 2 dishes.

c.h.e.f andy

cockles

was in jalan sultan area to collect a pair of glasses with wife on 14.7.2015. we asked the spectacles shop what to eat around there. they said mrs pho, or fish head soup etc.

mrs pho

we ended up at mrs pho at 349 beach road. ^^

mrs pho

small place. looked pretty ok.

salted lemon & liang teh

we had a salted lemon (which tasted like sour plum) & liang teh 凉茶, S$2 each.

S$6.50 cockles

we added the cockles last. it was hard to eat, having to shell & it was hot to the touch. it was quite enjoyable though i always prefer the blood cockles say at two chefs.

S$9.50 mixed pho

the pho was pretty good.

sliced beef was good, there were 2 pieces of briskets, good too. beef balls ok. quantity wise could have more ingredients. 🙂

S$9.50 mixed pho

for the mixed pho which cost S$1 more there was a egg soup. not sure how this complements the pho but it was pretty ok.

S$9.50 mixed pho

the soup was quite good too.

vietnamese bbq pork

the bbq pork with bee hoon was quite nice.

vietnamese bbq pork

it is similar to the dish i cooked here except i pan-fried the pork.

vietnamese bbq pork

anyway i am trying a oven roasted version of pork collar but with a thai curry flavour. let’s see how that turns out.^^

c.h.e.f andy

squid-ink risotto with squid

daughter bought me an excellent squid-ink risotto at father’s day dinner at follia recently on 20.6.2015.^^

i really liked the flavours of the risotto with good shellfish stock, smooth & creamy. the proprietor told us later though it was butter & no cream.

so i thought i will do one with butter & no cream.

i do a very good squid-ink pasta myself but have not tried it on risotto.

i decided not to use browned garlic & alio olio flavours. i did not have chicken stock so i cut up 1 carrot, 1 whole yellow onion, some leeks leftover in the chiller & put in the crockpot overnight to make a vegetable stock. that should be enough with the squid ink & sauce from pan-fried squid.

squid-ink risotto with squid

& it was an excellent squid-ink risotto, about same or very close to the follia standard.^^

squid-ink risotto with squid

for the preparation –

get enough squid ink – the normal elongated squid has very little ink so needs about 5 large squids, i happened to have a flat squid (cuttlefish) in the freezer & that has a lot of ink.

i had 2 medium squid. these were very thin, so i cut them in rings instead of the usual cross/chequered cut

i seasoned with fish sauce & white pepper & butter-fried the squid & set aside.

i fried & softened 1 cut red onion in olive oil, added the squid ink & then added 1 cup of carnaroli rice & coat the rice

i added 1.5 cups of stock (including draining the sauce from the fried squid) to cover the rice & bring to boil

then i placed in a preheated 205degC oven for 10minutes.

squid-ink risotto with squid

the rice would be like 80% to 90% cooked, centre still slightly hard not yet al dente. i added salt to taste.

squid-ink risotto with squid

i did not read up any recipe, but i guessed the butter had to be added at the time of tossing, otherwise will be just boiling butter. 🙂

just like adding butter to toss for my mentaiko pasta.

squid-ink risotto with squid

when serving-

i added another cup of stock & boiled & reduced, checking that the risotto is al dente & not overcooked

then i added the pre-fried squid, again so that they were not overcooked & rubbery

i cut about 20g butter into small cubes, off the fire & toss the butter with the risotto

& it worked wonders. i say almost the exact same flavours & texture like what we had at follia.

c.h.e.f andy

chicken ballotine

tried a chicken ballotine the last few days.

when we were in cornwall recently, we had a really good mother’s day lunch at gurnard’s head on 10.5.2015 & the chicken ballotine was excellent. ^^

i googled for the recipe & found a really pretty chicken ballotine at whereismyspoon.com.

chicken ballotine

in my first attempt, i put too much filling & it was not easy to roll & make it hold tight, especially when cutting.

chicken balotine

anyway it was easy enough to make (i used chicken breast instead of thigh)-

butterfly a chicken breast (i cut from whole fresh chicken & remove skin)

cover with a large cling film (later used to wrap & steam the chicken) & pound & flatten (i use a metal soup ladle…can use rolling pin)

season with 2 teaspoon fish sauce

i added white pepper, paprika, parsley flakes

chicken balotine

for the fillings, i –

slightly browned 2 streaky bacons on non stick pan on low fire

fried 1/2 cut onions in butter to soften

then add a bunch of spinach

chicken ballotine

i laid the bacon strips first, throw on some cheddar cheese shreds, then added the onions & spinach.

i rolled tightly in the cling film & twisted the ends to tighten.

then placed in a metal dish to steam for 15minutes.

#2 chicken ballotine

must say the taste was really quite good, steamed meat was very tender not tough or overcooked, & the sweet onions & spinach & not overly strong flavours of the bacon was a great enhancement. 🙂

chicken ballotine

can certainly improved on the looks. this one had too much fillings.

chicken ballotine

fillings were reduced & looked better.

chicken ballotine

i did not blend the fillings this time. may try that next time or just chopped up the bacon & fry lightly.

c.h.e.f andy

osso bucco alla milanese

daughter arranged a father’s day dinner at follia on 20.6.2015.^^

this the 3rd father’s day. wife arranged a 2pax father’s day lunch at kuriya dining earlier, and then a family father’s day dinner at valentino, as wife & youngest daughter were away during father’s day.

pane pizza all’ aglio – just S$4.80

we started with pane pizza all’ aglio, just S$4.80.

pane pizza all’ aglio

it was good as any pizza minus the toppings. 🙂

bisque di aragosta

the lobster bisque was good, flavourful, and came with mussels, clams, prawn & flower crab. most important the bisque tasted great! 🙂

bisque di aragosta

flower crab had no meat, the ingredients looked good, but not really important. i was curious that 2 reviewers – one said dislike the mussels the other said they had a bad taste. the mussels were ok for me though.

S$35 crayfish squid ink risotto

the special crayfish squid ink risotto was very good. really like the flavours of the risotto with good shellfish stock, smooth & creamy. the proprietor told us later though it was butter & no cream. it was especially good with the tomato sauce for the crayfish mixed into the risotto.

crayfish squid ink risotto

there were 2 halves crayfish & 2 large prawns. 🙂

crayfish squid ink risotto

S$35 not really overly expensive for the dish. however i don’t really need to pay for crayfish. i can do my own very well bought from chinatown, at times just S$12/kg. the squidink pasta dish on their menu is good enough for me.^^

linguine frutti di mare

i liked the frutti di mare a lot too. it was really an excellent flavoured tomato sauce.

linguine frutti di mare

the ingredients were also very good.

linguine frutti di mare

i will definitely take this again.

follia 4 clover way

we arrived at 7pm & the place was empty. but by 8pm, it was full left 1 table. a simple but pleasant place & a very friendly proprietor who took photos with us later.

osso bucco alla milanese

i ordered the osso bucco alla milanese as it was the only dish featured on their homepage.

& i was not disappointed. it was the same saffron osso bucco dish i had at a riverside restaurant along milan’s navigli district, just as good! 🙂

the osso bucco was very well done, fork tender, tasty & not sinewy. braised meats are never my favourites though, nothing to do with the dish itself. & the saffron risotto was excellent, and very nice garlic toast too.

i do very good pastas (like squid-ink spaghetti and lobster angel hair pasta) & also an excellent seafood risotto myself, but the pastas & risottos here were really good i will come back for more.

c.h.e.f andy