prawn pomelo salad

sunday wife organised 5pax family dinner at patara, our favourite thai restaurant on 2.12.2018.^^

patara has a S$38pax ala carte buffet lunch daily. there is a permium buffet at S$48pax. we didn’t need that so we ordered the S$38pax buffet.

daughter ordered all the food. every dish was nice! we enjoyed the lunch thoroughly! 🙂

the prawn pomelo salad very good. wife commented pomelo very sweet, often we don’t get sweet pomelos when we buy ourselves.

thai fish cake

thai fish cake very tasty. good!

thai fish cake

among the best i had!

tomyam gung

tomyam gung and the clear seafood soup both good. i always like the traditional tomyam better than the clear one, but they are always good here at patara.

minced chicken crispy rice

minced chicken crispy rice not my favourite, but here it was also pretty good.

minced chicken crispy rice

didn’t mind it at all.

shredded duck spring rolls

the shredded duck item turned out to eb another spring roll? there was already spring roll in the menu…

it was good, but spring rolls are spring rolls, nothing much to say…

tofu

tofu was good. i liked it. this one tasted exactly like a north indian food – paneer, cottage cheese, texture wise.

scallops

scallops were large and plump and sweet. 🙂

crispy fish fillet

fish fillet was very crispy. son, wife all liked it.

salted egg sotong

daughter said salted egg sotong not too salty, and texture was perfect, not overcooked!

crabmeat fried rice

crab meat frie drice was very good!

half portion olive rice

half portion olive rice

but no enough for hungry folks!

son ordered half portion of olive fried rice. 🙂

chicken in red curry

the red curry was very good, and the chicken was tender and moist. this one i am impressed ‘cos many places overdo the chicken…

aussie sirloin panang curry

the austrlian sirloin with panang curry was fatastic! so we orered one more portion, no 1/2 portion for this one la!

dessert

thai bobo chacha

dessert came in a super tiny serving. we didn’t know and server who took order didn’t tell us, so we had couple more orders.

aussie sirloin panang curry

the beef and the panang curry was really good! real shiok!

c.h.e.f andy

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

Patara Fine Cuisine @ Tanglin Mall

TC and me

my ri bro (he was also like a mentor to my youngest daughter) was away in israel with his son,

when wife organised a dinner for me recently at alba attended by a few of my ri bros and ops bros on 25.10.2018.

so today he arranged a 2pax belated birthday dinner for me at tunglok signature.

i told him tunglok no more lovedining discounts lol! anyway we went ahead. it is near his office very convenient and food here quite good whether at a good deal price or normal price. 🙂

S$78 set menu

it’s like a thai flavours seafood and sharksfin set.

thai conpoy cake with tomtoes

so the appetizer like a thai fish cake deep fried, menu sid conpoy. it was good, tasty…the tomato with a bit of pomelo on top was sweet & refreshing.

tc & me

really thankful to have such a wonderful friend and bro. 🙂

Double-boiled Shark_s Fin with Sakura Chicken

next was a sharksfin dish. the soup was outstanding! tunglok and lei garden, imperial treasure etc lie tong soup always very good.

this was a sharksfin thick soup, very intense tasty superior stock 上汤 so smooth and so very tasty. 🙂

Pan-fried Tiger King Prawn with Supreme Soya Sauce

Pan-fried Tiger King Prawn with Supreme Soya Sauce

the pan-fried tiger king prawn was good. done well.

i guess it was like any other large prawn…

Traditional-style Steamed Sliced ‘Soon Hock_

the steamed soon hock always good at tunglok. and they do other fish fillet dishes very well too.

Traditional-style Steamed Sliced ‘Soon Hock_

this was like the chinese fine dining answer to western cuisine – individual serving plated very well with great sauce and garnishes, vs the traditional whole soon hock fish presentation. lol!

Braised Belly Pork, Onsen Egg and Broccoli on steamed rice

the braised pork was nice, great texture, a bit of vinegared sweet taste 糖醋 served with brocoli, sweetened salted veg and 1/2 hardboiled egg.

as a dish on a whole though, not very good standard w/o good sauce and basically a lot of plain tasting carbs. of course i didn’t take much rice. lol!

Chilled Aloe Vera Lemon Jelly 椰皇青柠雪葩芦荟冻

the chilled aloe vera lemon jelly was good dessert.

complimentary drink

we were served a complimentary drink at the end when serving dessert. a plate cleanser for dessert? anyway nice drink no need to know what it’s for….

birthday verse caligraphy

birthday verse caligraphy

tunglok provided 2 longevity buns 寿桃

and the usual birthday celebratory caligraphy by the restaurant manager. something i recorded previously on 27.5.2015 ^^ –

少年壮志当十一

英俊潇洒二十一

状元高中三十一

年龄岁岁四十一

成就显赫五十一

儿孙满堂六十一

回想当年七十一

福禄寿全八十一

享受人生九十一

要找北京101？？？

we dispensed with the recital this time. 🙂

i had a really good time. we shared about our family, some recent news about a close friend and bro, and i talked a bit about my relatives in china…

so grateful to have a few good close friends.

c.h.e.f andy

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

S$16 spicy black bean paste song fish head 松鱼头

eating dinner alone this evening on 29.11.2018.

lazy to cook. decided to go nearby hk street old chun kee at commonwealth crescent.

i ordered the S$16 spicy black bean paste song fish head 松鱼头.

S$16 spicy black bean paste song fish head 松鱼头

nothing much to write about.

i thoroughly enjoyed the fish head though i made this dish myself often.

very fresh, tasty and excellent sauce/condiments, tangy, slight sweet and salty, perfect for the fish head.

sometimes i do want to enjoy the fish head all by myself..haha! when i eat with sister, usually i leave the gelatinous parts for her so did not get to eat..

what to say…simply shiok!

c.h.e.f andy

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

Kopi Kia  (hong kong street old chun kee 香港街老珍记）
Blk 117 Commonwealth Drive #01-733 Singapore 140117
Tel: 83606663
Email: enquiries@kopikia.com.sg
Operating Hours:
12.00PM – 10.30PM (Monday to Sunday)

family

had a fun 9+1pax dinner this evening with my brother & sister families, and some vegetarian dishes for JR🙂

dinner dishes

i made 10 dishes –

menu

1 腊味饭 sausage claypot rice
2 醉鸡 drunken chicken
3 口水鸡 saliva chicken
4 元蹄 teochew braised hock + trotters
5 冻乌鱼 chilled mullet
6 和风wafu pasta for 净蕊
7 和风wafu eggplants for 净蕊
8 fried tofu & leeks
9 salted egg bittergourd
10 fried long beans

sausage claypot rice 腊味饭

made sausage claypot rice 腊味饭. just fried cut ginger & chicken fat in claypot. then off fire & added salted fish & chopped garlic. added 3 cups rice and fried. added sliced chinese thick mushrooms. then added 3 cups chicken stock (not adding chicken so needed chicken stock for taste) and soaked. added 2 pork sausage and 3 pork liver and duck liver sausages.

when serving started high fire to boil, then lower fire for rice to cook about 30-35mins. 🙂

drunken (醉鸡) chicken

saliva chicken(口水鸡)

bought 1.1kg kampung chicken from sheng shiong to make drunken (醉鸡) chicken and saliva chicken(口水鸡).

白斩鸡poached chicken method. salted chicken overnight. cooked 9mins & poached 20mins in chicken stock (carrots, red onions, spring onions. ginger, garlic cloves). immersed in ice water & placed in fridge. then deboned & placed in 2 dishes.

for drunken (醉鸡) chicken, added 1/2 cup chicken stock, 1/2 cup huatioajiu, 2tbsp fish sauce & 1tbsp sugar. mixed thoroughly then cover immerse the 1/2 chicken.

for saliva chicken(口水鸡), added 2tbsp 老干妈mala chilli oil, 1tbsp – 1.5tbsp fish sauce, 1 tbsp sesame oil, 1 tbsp sugar. mixed thoroughly and drizzled over 1/2 chicken.

sealed with dish cover or cellophane and stored in the chiller compartment or fridge. take out  from fridge 1/2hr before serving.

they all loved the 2 chicken dishes. 🙂

teochew braised trotters

brother likes pig trotters. sil understandably restricts the intake but seems that after retirement he is eating pig trotters every week. lol!

teochew braised trotters

teochew braised trotters

my teochew braised trotters also very tasty, & gelatinous – flavour & texture are the key la! 🙂

i bought a whole front leg comprising the hock (upper) and trotters (lower leg) from sheng shiong just S$9.90.

braised them together, 元蹄 (the whole hock) and the chopped up trotters.

my own recipe…

of course the whole horde of aromatics. fried star anise, cinamon bark, cloves, bay leaves till smell the aroma. added hock and trotters and fried. added garlic cloves, red onions, spring onions, ginger. then added braising sauce =  3-4tbsp light soy sauce, 2tsp dark soy sauce, 1 tbsp sugar, 2-3tbsp huatiojiu..

the keys to a good trotters – flavour (braising sauce and infusion), and gelatinous texture which also makes it tasty.

so braising should be done with littel braising sauce for 1st 1/2hr. covered & turned several times…then added more water & braised for 2.5hrs in total.

teochew chilled mullet 冻乌鱼

the teochew chilled mullet 冻乌鱼 was easy to prepare. just steamed & chilled.

the 2 fishes were >1kg, so i steamed for about 15mins this time, usually about 9mins.

didn’t take photo but fish was good, like teochew muay stalls outside.

fried tofu with leeks

my niece JR is vegetarian, so i made all the other dishes were vegetarian. i only used vegetarian (oyster) sauce.

she brought her 2 boys. the elder S is coming to 3 years. he is also vegetarian currently.

fried tofu with leeks

fried tofu with leeks

tofu just fried with little oil & drizzle sea salt. then freid the leek, added vegetarian sauce and cornflour. added tofu to infused the sauce flavours.

when serving boiled the sauce, added 1 egg, let it formed & drew with chopsticks.

dinner dishes

wafu (和风）pasta

wafu (和风）pasta

i made wafu (和风）pasta specially for JR.

simple dish to. just browned 1 whole bulb of garlic cloves in olive oil, added sliced sweet basil, shitake & shimeji mushrooms, caramelised them, added white wine, 2tbsp tsuyu, 2 tbsp mirin, then reduced and set aside. pasta sauce ready.

when serving, prepare 200g spaghetti before al dente, boiled the sauce, off fire & tossed the pasta, added 15g butter, mized thoroughly, then plated and garnished with sweet basil leaves.

for this wafu preparation, if not vegetarian, can add chopped bacon bits or sliced bacon, very nice too1

pasta was very tasty, but for myself, could never c/w a non vegetarian pasta. 🙂

wafu (和风)eggplant

wafu (和风)eggplant

i made the wafu (和风)eggplant also for JR. same mirin, tsuyu preparation like a teriyaki..

it was ok i think but didn’t stand out.

salted egg bittergourd

my usual salted egg bittergourd.

slight mala long beans

long beans were very nice this evening. i just added 1 tsp 老干妈mala sauce. simple dish yet very tasty. 🙂

saliva chicken(口水鸡)

we had a wonderful family dinner. sil and brother’s 2 chlldren, WS and WC all liked the food. wife said we should do this more often. indeed so. food is just food. family spending time and spending the evening together is what makes it memorable.

c.h.e.f andy

chirashi don S$20

went along with wife to get something from metro orchard on 25.11.2018.

after that we walked to orchard central & had dinner at tanuki raw just before 6pm no queue.

I took chirashi don S$20. wife took goie gras yakiniku S$23. both are ok not lousy not great also..

we ordered 1/2dozen oysters S$2ea happy hour 5pm – 8pm, but must order a drink so wife ordered a S$12 sake.

dinner was ok i didn’t mind it..

6 oysters S$2 each

6 oysters S$2 each

oysters were fresh and plump, very good actually at S$2 each. wife thought it was better than what we had at halia recently.

chirashi don & yakiniku don

chirashi don did not have premium cuts, but they were thick cuts and fresh and sweet. there was no uni or anago or butan ebi but there was a piece of chutara and the hotate were fresh and sweet, good quality.

nothing like the 800yen set i had at standing sushi bar at shibuya central gai recently but that was a different world la1

foie gras yakiniku don S$23

foie gras yakiniku don S$23

wife said foie gras was good but yakiniku was ordinary. i took one piece it was ok but but a top quality beef cut. at S$23 for dinner ala carte i guess it was ok but not special.

c.h.e.f andy

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

S$3 xinlu fishball noodles

back from tokyo a few days liao, so today went to xinlu at meiling street fc to take the s43 fishball noodles on 25.11.2018. ^^

S$3 xinlu fishball noodles

S$3 xinlu fishball noodles

so shiok right/

chilli, qq meepok all perfect!

6 fish balls

fish balls too!

i had 6 fishballs because i ordered less noodles, so compensated 1 more fish ball. haha!

emptied

my RI bro CCG and my OPS bro both messaged on 28.11.2018 to go coffee and makan.

so 3 of us met at my place and went in CCG’s car to eat the xinlu S$3 fishball noodles.

tiong hoe coffee

then we had coffee at tiong hoe on the next road. 🙂

S$3 xinlu fishball noodles

WM bought the xinlu fishball noodles.

and CCG bought coffee at tiong hoe..CCG & WM had mocca latte. I had poccolo latte. 🙂

c.h.e.f andy

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

ye lai xiang teochew muay dishes

had teochew muay with david at ye lai xiang bukit nerah view near his place on 7.11.2018. ^^

david went for a swim at sentosa in the morning & messaged me for lunch at vivocity. i couldn’t get away as there were contractor doing something at my place, so we arranged 6pm dinner near his place.

had a good chat..old friends & david is visiting parents form cupertino and doing some mission work and flying off 2days time on nov9.

earlier we had 9pax RI friends lunch with david at HK street old chun kee followed by a wonderful chinese tea appreciation session at HCK house on 4.11.2018.

david paid for dinner about S$15. later we added 2 more vegetables, another S$4 so about S$10pax.

bittergourd

brocoli + cauliflower

leek + tofu

all the vegetables were nice…david especially liked the bittergourd so we ordered another serving afterwards.

the brocoli cauliflower and the leeks were all nice.

pig trotters

braised belly pork

salted egg minced pork

and the meats too quite ok – the trotters, minced pork..the braised belly was best = good taste & texture.

ye lai xiang teochew muay dishes

a simple homely meal and great chat and catchin gup.

c.h.e.f andy

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

夜来香 YelaixiangTeochew Porridge (夜来香潮洲糜)

Address

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

celebrating son’s birthday

wife messaged that son didn’t mind a late dinner and wanted to have his birthday dinner @ halia this evening on 8.11.2018. ^^

so i booked 4pax at halia at 8.30pm and went online to book the chope 50% off-peak vouchers. 🙂

so had another birthday celebrations for son, and also wife this evening at halia….excellent food & great deal too 👍

celebrating sons birthday

son drove and 4 of us – wife, me, son & PT had another nice evening together. 🙂

6 oysters S$26

i ordered the oysters. they were fresh and sweet like the last time.

appertiser dishes

blackmore wagyu chuck rib carpaccio S$18

the blackmore wagyu chuck rib carpaccio was good with natural sweetness, but son thought it was too strong with ginger taste. it was ok for me.

foie gras S$26

PT liked foie gras. son ordered the dish which he liked too.

chilli crab pasta S$26

i was pleasantly surprised that the chilli crab pasta was good this evening. the recent time i came, pasta was NOT al dente & the chilli crab sauce was not great.

this time it seemed different. son again felt the ginger was too strong…in the chilli sauce, this eas quite evident though for myslef i liked the ginger taste.

my own chilli crab capellini (angel hair pasta) on 24.4.2015

chilli crab pasta is a dish i did several years back when i started cooking. maybe i will try this again la for our next family dinner. 🙂

panfried barramundi2 S$25

panfried barramundi2 S$25

son took the en papilotte halibut last time when he came here with PT. so he decided to try pan seared barramundi this time.

panfried barramundi2 S$25

the panfried barramundi had crispy skin and was a good fresh fish dish.

the mushroom veloute was quite excellent and enhanced the flavour of the fish dish.

my own panroasted snapper fillet in green jalapeno chilli veloute on 29.5.2017

actually it is not difficult to do panfried fish this way, only need some thoughts on what sauce to prepare to go with the fish.

i will make this for our next family dinner, similar to my panroasted snapper (above photo).

panfried sunchikes and mixed mushrooms S$6 each

i ordered the mixed mushrooms with butter and the panfried sunchokes. son, PT, everyone liked it.

rack of lamb medium rare S$40

the last time we ordered lamb rack it came rare instead of medium rare, and it was a bit raw & tough.

rack of lamb medium rare S$40

this time though, the pink was perfect!

i remembered when i first had dinner at halia like 15+yrs ago, i though that the lamb here was the best i ever had. and today it was still good! very good in fact!

my own herb crusted rack of lamb on 20.10.2018

i do a great herb crusted lamb myself. will do that for the next family dinner..

sticky date pudding2 S$10

sticky date pudding S$10

son is an ice cream person and PT a dessert person. and PT doesn’t like yuzu. we didn’t find the (die die must eat) chocolate great at all, so could only narrowed down to sticky date pudding.

the restaurant remembered to sing birthday song. 3 servers came in a team to serve the sticky date pudding with the birthday decor.

bill S$299

blackmore wagyu spare rib S$48

the best dish had to be blackmore wagyu spare rib.

so perfect! the slow braise convert collagen to very tasty gelatine, so umami!

family at wimbly lu

after a nice dinner at pizzaiola, enjoyable pasta, pizza and burrata, a white & a red,

children wante to go next door to wimbly lu for the waffles to complete the birthday celebration on 6.11.2018. ^^

nutella tart

daughter ordered nutella tart.

not sure if it was nutella, but it was a very good dark chocolate. quite good.. i didn’t mind this la…

waffles

& of course the waffles were really something special…

very flavourful and great texture. i think best waffles i had…

vanilla & chocolate ice cream the usual..

birthday cake and flowers

waffles

the second waffles had maybe salted caramel and cheesecake ice cream? not sure anyway these 2 ice creams better.

wife couldn’t join us, we we tapa a pasta from pizzaiola back for her and kept the birthday cake to celebrate at home.

c.h.e.f andy

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

wimbly lu

9pax family birthday dinner @ pizzaiola

daughter picked pizzaiola for her birthday dinner on 6.11.2018. ^

she wanted to go amo at first, she went with her hubby and friends in any case.

this evening we also celebrate son and wife’s birthday.

wife just sat down and had to leave right away, so we tapao food for her later.

burrata S$45

there was the special burrata..very good standard with parma ham & rockets…it was enough for 8pax to share.. 🙂

crabmeat pizza special?

son ordered a pizaa, can’t remember what it was, maybe the crabmeat pizza special?

pizza here quite good, quite nice dough. i liked it. son did not eat all and left some dough in his plate.

Mozzarella, roast beef, parmesan, italian rockets, truffle oil

 and the truffe roast pizza pizza.

this the signature here, and it was good. but maybe it was just the truffle. the roast beef was ok. so said previous time he was here beef was pink and better.

squidink pasta with scallops in cream sauce

the squidink pasta with scallops in cream sauce was a special, not on menu.

we ordered 2 to share. it was very good, just that most of us preferred white wine sauce to creamy sauce.

Fettuccine pasta with bacon, mushrooms & semi-dried tomatoes in cream sauce

the fettuccine pasta with bacon, mushrooms & semi-dried tomatoes in cream sauce had the cabonara creamy taste w/o the raw egg.

it was very good actually. i liked it. one serving was enough for us to share though.

Handmade spaghetti with seafood in tomato sauce

the fruit mare was the poorest pasta, mainly because the tomato sauce was not great. a good spicy tomato sauce arrabiata can be very good actually.

Squid-ink linguine pasta with crab meat & white wine sauce

squidink pasta with prawns in white wine sauce

we decided to add the other special squidink pasta with prawns in white wine sauce . and indeed this was even better. we ordered 2 to share.

later we tried to tapao this for wife but they had sold out.

so we ordered the squid-ink linguine pasta with crab meat & white wine sauce on the menu. somehow it was good but no comparison with the prawn squidink pasta.

so in the end we ordered 1 burrata, 2 pizza, 6 pastas, 1 more pasta tapao, and 1 white wine 1 for 1 so we had free corkage for the red wine we brought.

& bill was about S$260, quite ok i guess.

i had earlier booked to go hopscotch for a drink after dinner. the children were excited to go to wimbly lu next door for their great waffles, so i canceled hopscotch.

c.h.e.f andy

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

pizzaiola @ jln riang

son bought birthday dinner at akira back

son & PT brought us out for our birthday dinners @ akira back on 4.11.2018.

it was an excellent dinner, new place, new food, a bit of japanese fusion nicely done, well presented and most important of all, nice to eat! ^^

son bought birthday dinner at akira back

akira back

S$25 truffle salmon pizza was good

the truffle salmon thin pizza was an excellent jap fusion dish.

very flavourful with the truffle, wonderful combination of texture of salmon sashimi or ceviche on thin crust pizza. the flavour reminded me of our favourite truffle kampachi at mikuni. must go try mikuni again after a long lapse.

S$45 wagyu tartar was very good

the wagyu tartar was excellent too!and the presentation was nice & unique, wrapped with slightly pickled daikon topped with a bit of caviar, like a nori wrapped sushi, so we were confused if it were to be eaten whole like a sushi.

S$45 wagyu tartar was very good

server said chef said to mix everything, like so (above photo).

the wagyu was marbled with natural sweetness. the caviar added some salty sea flavour and daikon added a complementary texture.

S$25 wagyu tacos ok

we had wagyu tacos. it was ok, a bit non descript. the tacos crackers was nice to munch i guess.

S$25 unagi & anago maki was ok

the unagi & anago maki sushi roll came below expectation.

i guess it was a good maki, but it failed to deliver like an anago sushi would, or like a spider maki would.

$72 F1 wagyu ribeye was good

$72 F1 wagyu ribeye was good

son thought that we did not have enough food orders so he added the F1 wagyu ribeye.

F1 is just a wagyu angus 1st generation crossbred, not as good as pure wagyu but still great.

& the F1 ribeye was pretty good if steep in price, just that it was completely outshined by the braised wagyu rib which was cheaper and not even a steak! 🙂

S$17 wagyu frued rice was good flavourful 

the wagyu fried rice maybe a filler but it was really very well done, flavourfula nd good wokhae. we enjoyed the this carb ok. lol!

special lemon dessert

there was some dessert special of the day.

did not hear fully the description. but it was some lemon tart or dessert. it was pretty good.

S$48 braised wagyu rib especially good

the braised wagyu rib especially good. it was the best dish for the evening, and among the many good dishes.

akira back was of course quite expensive and the 4pax dinner came to about S$400 nett. there was 15% discounts by UOB cards, so son and PT paid S$340nett for the dinner.

it was a very nice evening out. these days eldest daughter always suggest eating places and organise family eats most weeks, and it’s good that son is doing that as well.

c.h.e.f andy

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

Akira Back (located in JW Marriott Hotel in South Beach

db bistro @ MBS

wife had 2 tickets to watch mana mia at MBS inclusive of pre theatre dinner package @ db bistro on 3.11.2018. ^^

i had lunch before at db but it must be like 4-5yrs back. i think experience then was good.

today though, food so so at this 2-star michelin chef (daniel boulud) restaurant. db bistro though is just michelin plate, not star or gourmand..

db bistro @ MBS 

ambience is nice, and the eatery had the look of class.

it is also an oyster bar and there were fresh seafood laid out in counter display at the entrance.

bread basket 

the bread basket and butter were good. just could not eat too much. haha! 🙂

pumpkin soup with duck confit

i checked online menu S$52 for 2-course pre-theatre, but didn’t see anything similar to the 2-course menu we were shown.

the pumpkin soup with duck confit was a single item, no alternative choice.

soup was good, not special. it had a special scent, almost pungent, not sure what.

didn’t understand the duck confit topping? the main had only 2 choices – duck confit & panfried salmon trout, so why duck confit with soup, after thought not good menu planning?

of course, it was convenient to add a slice of duck confit in the soup since they were serving duck confit as mains. that could be a reason meh?

some onion bread to go with soup

not sure what bread was paired with the soup – onion bread, foccacia?

quite ok i finished it.

duck confit below par

duck confit below par 

the duck confit to me was well below par, flavourful but dry & sinewy..

of course cooked long time in duck fat for the flavour but if it was done well it should not be dry at all…

panfried salmon trout fillet 

the panfried salmon trout was very well done though, good standard.

a crispy skin salmon fillet not difficult to cook.

the side was important..the kale and lentils were surprise, quite good. not the best sides maybe but they were good.

overall an ok 2-course dinner primarily because it was free. for S$52 2-course dinner, i wouldn’t try…

say take the 3-course S$38 set lunch at la taperia anytime la…singapore so much good food everywhere!

MBS

MBS

we were early so walked around just a little bit, then shared a local kopi at the food court before sitting at the theatre.

==================

abba songs & mama mia always fun & joyful to hear & watch. had a fun evening out with wife.

c.h.e.f andy

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

DB Bistro & Oyster Bar

RI friends lunch for David

our RI buddy David visiting singapore from cupertino where his family is resident to visit his parents and attend to some mission community work.

HCK organised a 12pax special chinese tea appreciation afternoon at his house for David. that was really good.

we had 龙井，大红袍，单丛，兰贵人, a flavoured 花茶??👍👍👍 i can have this again!

RI friends lunch for David

before that we had 9pax lunch @ hk street old chun kee at Commonwealth crescent ..LCH, TKF & CTS joined us after lunch at chye kiang’s place

i ordered 7 dishes  for 9pax lunch $116.

S$16 song fish head 松鱼头always good👍👍

song fish head 松鱼头is their signature dish here and always good👍👍

S$25 fish maw soup

first time i ordered the fish maw soup…a large serving, many had second serving, including me..hehe! ^^

though ingredeints were limited, the stock was sweet & tasty. actually better than many starchy gluey “sharksfin” soup…quite ok dish considering..

S$16 butter squid

i tried butter squid this time, usually order sambal squid. forgot that some friends FCH and EPL don’t take squid (or take less).

this like chinese calamari, not done so well, squid was slightly overdone so slightly tough. ok dish just that the sambal sotong i had previously was done much better.

S$13 排骨王

排骨王was good as  排骨王 goes. last time i tried the salted egg version (i think cost S$3 more) but well worth it ‘cos that tasted much better. 🙂

S$20 hotplate beef

hotplate beef was a failure to me…

quite edible of course and good enough, we finished everything…chinese style preparation usually tenderised the meat & tasted artificial and i guess nothing wrong with the preparation here…just not my kind of dish.

S$12 minced pork eggplant 鱼香茄子good👍

the minced pork eggplant 鱼香茄子 was simple and good👍

tasty! i replicate this dish for teban gardens 140pax community breakfast later, and it was very good. very flavourful & perfect texture. ^^

S$116 for 9pax

S$12 har jiong gae 虾酱鸡 best 👍

an excellent dish here is har jiong gae 虾酱鸡, best la here!👍

flavourful, great batter  and done just right. FCH was talking about sin hoi san near his place where all the HK stars and channel U stars frequent, but of course it would cost 25% to 50% more at sin hoi san. 🙂

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after lunch we walked up to level 2 of commonwealth crescent food centre for tong shui…EPL had to leave earlier so didn’t join the tong shui..

the black face lady dished out 5 bowls of Bubur Terigu （大麦粥）and 3 bowls of cheng tng, or maybe the other way? haha!

it was good and ot was S$1 a bowl so i was happy whatever face she had la! ^^

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afterwards we adjourned to HCK house to enjoy 功夫茶& immerse in chinese culture? CTS came afterwards & showed us the 24-moves taijiquan…👍👍

HCK actually packed a small tin of the special flower tea for me but i forgot to bring back…anyway it would be wasted on me if i made myself so better just invite myslef over to his place & let him do his art.

c.h.e.f andy

lunch with daughter 

daughter called to have lunch on 2.11.2018. ^^

pick up daughter from her workplace and went to meilin street food centre.

S$3 xinlu fish ball noodles

i had my usual S$3 meepok tar, good every time, noodles qq, chilli very good, tasty. satisfied la! 🙂

S$4 meiling street wanton noodles

daughter decided on meiling street wanton mee. i think it was S$3 PLUS S$1 added fried wanton. there were like 6 fried wantons.

meiling street wanton noodles

i tried the noodles ok, but chilli not tasty like my xinlu fish ball noodles. i think the other places like jian kang noodles commonwelath crescent etc are better.

piccolo latte @ tiong hoe

piccolo latte @ tiong hoe

tiong hoe coffee

tiong hoe coffee

S$4 piccolo latte

afterwards went to tiong hoe for S$4 piccolo latte. very good, intense, flavourful coffee!

then sent daughter back to work.

c.h.e.f andy

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

Mei Ling Street Wanton Noodles

#02-32, Mei Chin Road Market, 159 Mei Chin Road, 140159

dinner @ punggol seafood

my OPS bro bought 4pax OPS bros dinner @ punggol seafood at punggol settlement on 1.11.2018. ^^

HC used fave S$110 voucher for S$55, and top up S$45, so S$100..

dinner @ punggol seafood

food was quite ok=curry fish head, smoked duck all good, dongpo rou specially good..perfect texture, excellent flavours only the roast chicken below par and the signature tofu tasteless 👎🏼

S$15.80 lala beehoon

service was actually ok, the usual.

but service philosophy problematic as they don’t allow us to dapao the dishes becos we use fave voucher..

made no sense as we spent above the S$110 vouchers, and it was not like 50% discounts off total bill..meaning we did not have to order above S$110 voucher value, and so anyhting above S$110 it should be for us to decide, especially the case if we should genuinely need to tapao.

so throwing away good food rather than let customer dapao????does not promote goodwill for the restaurant. i wouldn’t come back for this reason, when the food is ok but not special.

S$15.80 lala beehoon

S$15.80 lala beehoon

lala beehoon was good. tasty, a good dish to order.

though i had better lala horfun at yalong bay on 10.7.2018..

S$9.80 smoked duck

the smoked duck breast was good!

S$10 french beans

french beans good too, simple dish done well…

S$25 curry fish head

curry fish head was good, and lots of vegetables.

not special as many places have very good curry fish head….

S$18 roast chicken

S$18 roast chicken

roast chicken was below par…breast was dry and tasteless..skin though was crispy and the tender parts tasted ok with the five-spice salt.

S$16 dongporou 东坡肉

the dongporou 东坡肉 was top restaurant standard, better than silk @ sicc.

totally tender, perfectly cut and crystalline, 油而不腻, top class dish!

S$13 signature tofu

tofu was tasteless, quite poor dish…

about S$100 nett after using fave vouchers

dinner was S$155, so HC topped up S$45, and 4pax dinner was S$100 nett after dicounts.

wasted food @ punggol seafood

so we had a bit of leftover food.

i think it was ridiculous and very bad customer service in denying us to tapao the leftover food. quite clearly everything was going to waste! sigh!

dinner @ punggol seafood

dinner @ punggol seafood

dongporou

overall it was a good dinner hosted by HC.

& the defeatist service philosophy managed to cancel out all the goodwill on the food and the fave discounts.

anyway we OPS bros had a great time together. 🙂

c.h.e.f andy

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

Punggol Seafood

went with RI bros LCM & LKY to kovan market to try out yame curry chicken noodles..but kovan is closed for reno..

LKY brought us to hougang hainanese village centre..though hougang is teochew…lol!

fishball noodles, fried carrot cake, oyster omelette, bedok chui kueh

fish ball noodles

fishball noddles ingredients very good (3 liver, 3 fishball, 1 meatball), chilli, soup all good, meepok NOT qq..that would be a failure…

laksa

LCM ordered laksa…i tasted the gravy.

laksa savoury type like weiyi not just lemak..this the style i like…

fried carrot cake

fried carrot cake

fried carrot cake looked anaemic but quite fragrant… same for orh luah fragrant though frozen oyster, a pleasant surprise.

fried carrot cake stall

S$2 bedok chui kueh

bedok chui kueh good, but chinatown stall felt better..

da zhong cafe

da zhong cafe

da zhong kopi

there were like 6 coffee stalls here, and of course LKY knew which was best.

had the da zhong kopi c gosong tiklor.

coffee very good..

lai seng dessert@ blk 628 amk ave 4

ice kachang @ blk 628 amk ave 4

ice kachang @ blk 628 amk ave 4

later LKY & i went to 628 amk ave 4. i wanted to get something. found the shop but decided not to get it.

..ice kachang only $1.50 but so so…

c.h.e.f andy

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

Hougang Hainanese Village Centre

wonderful dinner for 2

had very good 2pax dinner with lisa @ the halia botanical garden..

all the dishes we ordered were good-

• non alcoholic cocktail $8 very good
• 1/2 oysters $26
• carpaccio $18
• mixed mushrooms $6
• pangrilled sunchokes (like artichoke) $6
• boned in wagyu beef rib $48 – this the best rib 👍👍👍
• die die must have chocolate $10 ok
• flat white $6 very good

wonderful dinner for 2

we were here actually just few weeks back with my OPS bros & spouses on 10.10.2018. we had a great time and dinner.^^wife though had to rush off somewhere & only returned later. and it was pouring that evening & not so many customers.

this evening, even though we booked 9pm to use chope offpeak vouchers, halia was full and the ambience was wonderful.

S$26 oysters 6 pieces

S$26 oysters 6 pieces

we didn’t want too much food and carbs.

wife ordered the oysters. we ordered first 3 oysters for S$13.50, oysters were great..then as we liked it we added 3 more oysters and the server changed it to 6 for S$26 in the bill. 🙂

service here consistently good. the 2 vietnamese servers last visit and this time the filipino server.

S$6 mixed mushrooms garlic butter

the mixed mushrooms with garlic butter was good as before. simple yet excellent dish this.

S$6 panroasted sunchokes

we liked the sunchokes..it kind of looked like old ginger than artichokes though it had the texture…anyway i loved the dish, lots of fibre too. lol!

S$18 blackmore wagyu chuck rib carpaccio

S$18 blackmore wagyu chuck rib carpaccio

blackmore wagyu chuck rib carpaccio was the natural sweey kind w/o sauce. i liked it this way too though i don’t mind sauce too.

vegetable chips

vegetable chips came with the carpaccio. good!

S$48 blackmore wagyu spare rib

S$48 blackmore wagyu spare rib 

and the best had to te the wagyu spare ribs.

it was braised, soft & moist, and extremely flavourful as the collagen became flavourful gelatine.

really excellent this!

S$10 did die must have chocolate

S$10 did die must have chocolate

the chocolate was pedestrian actually, good enough i guess for restaurant standard.

i think the date pudding was best, and the ginger was good (from previous dinner).

S$48 blackmore wagyu spare rib

had a relax evening with wife and enjoyed delicious food at very affordable price after chope discounts.

c.h.e.f andy