3 lobsters in pumpkin style

did an e6pax birthday dinner for brother YS & sister YH at ah yat grandstand on 4.6.2018. ^^

YS & WL are travelling, and wife & i also travelling so we had the birthday dinner earlier. 🙂

ah yat have the S$29.80 boston lobster & 50% off live seafood promotion so it was a good choice.

lala with ginger & scallions 姜葱哈利

lala with ginger & scallions 姜葱哈利

lala was good. very well done, tasty & we all liked the tasty scallions too. 🙂

it was expensive despite the 50% off & cost more than 3 bull frogs, quite ridiculous actually but anyway we wanted a good spread of food, so it was a good choice.

gongbao frog legs 宫保田鸡

the frogs were S$4.50 each. so just S$13.50 for 3 bull frogs.

it was excellent gongbao style. we told them “very little sweet” and it was not sweet. 🙂

gongbao frog legs 宫保田鸡

totally fresh live bullfrogs, tender & bouncy & a great flavour gongbao style with cashew nuts.. 🙂

3 lobsters in pumpkin style

we ordered 3 lobsters, S$29.80 each 500g boston lobsters…

lobster was very good, fresh & tasty. the pumpkin sauce was very good with crab & very nice on its own. but we all felt it was overwhelming the natural flavours of the lobster, and teh superior stock style 上汤焗(which we usually took) was better.

so a bit wasted. will stick to superior stock 上汤焗in future..

hk steamed tiger garoupa

hk steamed tiger garoupa

the hk steamed tiger garoupa was excellent as always…fish was tender, sweet & fresh, full marks for the cooking. 🙂

pepper alaskan crab tanhoon

we ordered the pepper alaskan crab tanhoon S$38.

there were quite many pieces of alskan crab legs, & the tanhoon was very tasty with good “pang” pepper flavour..

kailan

we ordered kailan. it was good but expensive.

horfun

and a horfun, good also thugh not enough wok hae, but also very ex.

guilinggao

the restaurant gave us complimentary guilinggao, special for my brother YS because he always have big group dining here.

pepper alaskan crab tanhoon

and we also had 10% discounts.

dinner came to S$280 for 6pax, pretty good for the quality of food we had.

because it was YS & YH birthday, they also gave us longevity buns 寿桃

c.h.e.f andy

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

Ah Yat Seafood @ Grandstand

bakchormee

went for my weekly jogging with my RI jogging buddy CH this morning on 31.5.2018. ^^

decided to drop by sheng shiong clementi ave 2 for some grocery on the way back.

tai hong bakchormee

stopped by at tai hong fish ball bakchormee at coffeeshop at blk 352.

bakchormee

i tried this place once i think, & it was not bad…so i decided to have another go.

ordered the fishball bakchormee S$3.50.

it had lots of ingredients – 2 fishball, 2 meatballs, lots of liver & minced pork, & also fish cake, and mushroom sauce..the chilli was pretty good too..& noddles were qq…

so it’s not really tai hwa standard by any stretch…but ok for me..don’t mind it if i am around here…

c.h.e.f andy

4pax 盐水鸭 lunch

went with sis, SL (my brother YS’s old buddy from primary school) & her son LS to have 4pax 盐水鸭 lunch at benson duck this morning on 30May2018. ^^

(SL & her son LS came my place for 4pax dinner recently on 10.3.2018). 🙂

i ordered 1 duck (S$32), tapao 1/2 & served 1/2 for 4pax.

also ordered S$8 fish maw pig innard soup, and they served us a S$5 large plate 金龙菜, a malaysian chives now quite popular that is tender like yellow chives…

great lunch, S$30.50 for 4pax.

after lunch i sent LS to his office at toa payoh lor 1 near bradell mrt, then we went to 光明山 to pay respect as today is my mother’s death anniversary 忌日..

half 盐水鸭

half 盐水鸭

i brought the half 盐水鸭 back for wife. she & son enjoyed it though not as much as i do.

c.h.e.f andy

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

Benson Salted Duck 盐水鸭

indian rojak 

my OPS bro WM & wife J messaged to have indian rojak at ayer rajah food centre on 27.5.2018. ^^

they just finished church. they came by to pick me up.

habib’s rojak – ayer rajah FC stall 68 

abdhus salam rojak – ayer rajah FC stall 73 was cosed so we made do with habib’s rojak – ayer rajah FC stall 68 .

i came here 3 times, twice with RI bros & once with WM, and we all concluded stall 73 was better… 🙂

indian rojak

J said the prawn fritters was not good! otherwise quite ok.

so this not the best she had tried & maybe not so meeting expectations.

i did not take rojak, just had my usual kopi c gosong tilok.

c.h.e.f andy

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

Habib’s Rojak

Address:

Ayer Rajah Fooc Centre

503A W Coast Dr, Singapore 121503

chinatown braised duck

my OPS bro WM dropped by at teban gardens today but i left already.

he went to visit an aunty who had a fall & now warded at st lukes hospital.

after he dropped by my place & we went to commonwealth crescent food centre.

WM ordered his favourite hong kee porridge.

i had my jian kan wanton noodles.

chinatown braised duck

WM was watching the queue, and he went to buy the duck. he said lower quarter S$18, really overly expensive, but it was a huge portion could pass as 1/2 duck.

we had this here on 5.9.2016.

duck was just as good, very tender & tasty, good lor flavours & not salty. a really very good duck, as good as or almost the standard of hup seng braised duck in sin ming. 

c.h.e.f andy

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

Hong Kee Porridge

#02-89

牛车水阿婆卤鸭

#02-95

31 Commonwealth Crescent S149644, Commonwealth Crescent Market & Food Centre

盐水鸭 whole duck S$32

surprise package today. 9 RI bros turned up for 盐水鸭 at benson duck toa payoh lor 1.

just yesterday i was buying some msw to share after the lunch today & checking on the numbers. it was like 4 or 5.

as it turned out, this one of the highest attendance out our birthday get togethers, which mostly had full attendance, all 14 bros.

benson duck

this my best 盐水鸭 in singapore, not in a restaurant. well the only one i know. lol!

whole duck is S$32. it is tender, sweet, tasty, not salty, quite perfect actually.

we were seated on adjoining tables, seating 4 & 5, so we ordered a portion for each table.

pig innards soup 猪杂汤 S$8

the fish maw pig innard soup was very good, very tasty soup & the liver, pork balls & sliced pork were good too.

braised pork & chicken liver, gizzards S$8

duck liver was ok. the braised belly pork & gizzard not so good.

the 金龙菜 here just S$3. c/w S$15 for the same thing we had few days back at sum kee on 18.5.2018! 

lunch came to S$106 for 9pax about S$12 each…nice lunch. food was wiped clean…

msw durians

after lunch, we went to toa payoh lor 8 & took four seasons chendol.

after that we shared the durians. i bought 2 msw about S$40 expecting 4-5pax lol!

anyway it was enough, no need to eat too much.

盐水鸭

i do a good 盐水鸭 myself, but not for a long time, maybe should try it again.

c.h.e.f andy

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

Benson Salted Duck 盐水鸭

2 x干香 crabs for $30 promotion

my OPS buddy PK bought 4pax lunch today at diamond kitchen on 22.5.2018. ^^

there was a crab promotion 2 crabs for S$30 he ordered the 干香 style. 🙂

fish head curry

there was also another promotion like 4 dishes including fish head curry for S$76.

PK ordered that too.

fish head curry was good, though i thought the one at sum kee we had last friday on 18.5.2018 was better!

breaded chicken

the breaded chicken quite good too. chicken was tender tasty, breadcrumbs good too, not oily & nice sauce…

lala

lala also good…plain but fresh & plump & sweet. 🙂

fried veg

vegetables were ordinary…

2 x干香 crabs for $30 promotion

the best deal had to be the 2 crabs promotion = 2x500g crabs for S$30.

干香 style not very flavourful though & not spicy. PK went back again & had pepper crab…he said that was better.

i think lunch would be like S$125..the crab was good deal…the S$76 set so so i think…maybe order ala carte the fish head curry & some other dishes.

c.h.e.f andy

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

laksa

my OPS bro WT went to sin kian choon & bought 3 msw for me…today cheapest at S$12/kg

I went to meet him at bukit merah view food centre..

we had S$3 laksa & chendol.

bukit merah view fish ball minced meat noodles

the laksa was good, nice lemak savoury gravy, and quite good serving of plump cockles, better than i expected from a fishball noodles stall.

not weiyi laksa, but i didn’t mind it, will do for me la… 🙂

chendol

the chendol was pretty good too!

coconut milk was thick, no kidney beans just ordinary red beans & gula melaka not thick enough but otherwise ok.

i took ice kachang here last couple times but this standard of chendol ok for me.

3 msw $54

sin kian choon msw $12 per kg

durian was S$12, so the $54 would be like 3.5kg.

i brought to my brother’s home next day but actually it was not that great. still nice msw flavours, not near the best, and large seeds also not so many pieces for 3 durians c/w with the 2 durians we shared for 4pax last friday.

c.h.e.f andy

crispy eel

had a 3rd mother’s day 8pax family dinner @ silk sicc island on 19.5.2018. ^^

i did a first on 12.5.2018, just a simple home hotpot dinner for 3pax inc SL.

then SL bought 5pax tapas dinner at sabio on 13.5.2018.

SM & JH were not available both times so we had again this evening 8pax mother’s day dinner. 🙂

deepfried eggplant

i ordered the crispy eel (S$8) & deepfried eggplants with pork floss (S$6).everyone like the appetisers, more the eggplants as the eel was slightly sweet. for me both were ok, good. 🙂

tea infused roast duck S$52

the tea infused roast duck was excellent. so flavourful & tasty. the best dish this evening & a dish wife & i like a lot here. 🙂

crispy perch in thai sauce

crispy perch in thai sauce 4x$13.90

crispy perch in thai sauce another lovely dish everyone enjoyed.

i ordered 4 portions to share among 8 & the restaurant cut for us before deepfrying with batter so effectively we had 8 pieces, perfect!

a really lovely dish – great batter, a good tasty perch, and a bit tangy thai sauce.

braised belly pork 3x$6

also ordered the braised belly pork. ordered 3 pieces for 8pax, and quite enough.

this a really nice dish – excellent pork, great veg & sauce & buns as well. 🙂

truffle minced pork tofu S$16

i ordered the truffle minced pork tofu, another wonderful dish with very nice deepfried tofu & truffle minced pork sauce.

in fact all the dishes here, except the dessert which was pedestrian, were really great..

claypot frog legs S$24

i ordered a medium claypot frog leg, very good too.

claypot frog legs

tender, delicious & great scallion, ginger sauce.

spinach in 3 eggs

and a spinach in 3 eggs…SL love it, me too, but not particularly wife’s favourite.

braised prawn meepok S$27

braised prawn meepok

i ordered a medium prawn meepok. we usually take beehoon but decided to try meepok as that was the original menu dish

the braise was very tasty as usual. meepok was done well, al dente ie qq & not mushy. still beehoon infused/absorbed the braise far better so beehoon still the better dish.

guilinggao 龟苓膏

i ordered 6 dessert, a guilinggao 龟苓膏 & 5 bowls of mango sago…very average dessert.

dinner for 8pax was about S$290, quite ok & very good food that all enjoyed.

c.h.e.f andy

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

curry fish head S$26 

WT bought nice 3pax lunch today at sum kee, telok blangah street 31 on 18.5.2018. ^^

sum kee 

the place quite filled up at lunch time. parking is free.

curry fish head S$26 

fish head curry was good, both lemak & savoury.

i like the fish head curry here…drank up most of the curry…not the best i had but it would do…

S$26 not cheap, also not ex..S$25 the going rate most zi char places though one can certainly find cheaper ones & promotion prices etc…

spanish ribs S$28

the spanish ribs was to me quite ex for zi char place, but then these days many zi char more ex than restaurants, so just need to look out for deals…

this a half rack maybe 6 ribs, and more ex than tony romas (just checked $26.90 for babyback 1/2 rack and S$24.90 for st louis 1/2 rack).

spanish ribs S$28 

ribs were well done fork tender. no better than tony romas or anybeach cafe or roasters i guess.

bbq ribs are not particularly my favourite though i don’t ind also. spanish ribs in fact a bit chinese style with sticky too much honey kind of sauce. i prefer the st louis kind more savoury meaty sauce & bbq flavours…my friends loved it though.

金龙菜 S$15

金龙菜 was good but a bit ridiculously price at S$15 for small. most other veg on the menu are S$8 or S$10 for small. and as i remembered & had it shortly the week after, the one sold at benson duck was just S$3.

S$78 for 3pax

S$78 for 3pax for 3 dishes & drinks, a bit high side for me for the place & food.

the place was crowded at lunch time, so most people i guess finds it ok.

msw $12 per kg at sin kian choon

msw $12 per kg at sin kian choon

msw $12 per kg at sin kian choon

we decided to go sin kian choon in one after lunch & bought msw at S$12/kg.

then we stopped over at telok blangah & another OPS buddy PK joined us for durians.

after that we returned to our parked cars at sum kee.

a wonderful lunch & durians afterwards.

c.h.e.f andy

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

mushroom cannelloni

LK bought 5pax lunch @ toptable on 17.5.2018. ^^

we came here many times liao…always good standard here.

S$13.80 3-course menu

the chief waiter (these are all hospitality diploma students) was really good, very knowledgeable & could answer all the questions.

he was able to explain almost all menu items. i think he only got one question wrong. iasked if the barramundi was pangrilled, then crusted & baked, he said it was pangrilled, then crusted. 🙂

we all ordered the mushroom cannelloni. it was good! a nice pasta with good mushroom flavours & pasta texture & nice taste of pineapples.

gremolatta crusted barramundi

the crusted barramundi was clearly baked.

this also the first time i think a dish here is below par. the fish was overcooked & powdery, not firm…

seabass do tend to have powdery texture, so pangrilled & baking would have helped to make it firmer if it was not overcooked.

earl grey & lychee mousse cake

the earl grey & lychee mousse cake, so no surprises there!

overall a good value 3-course lunch for S$13.80, and good standard too.

c.h.e.f andy

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

Top Table @ Temasek Polytechnic

Address:

fatty hollandv $3.50 laksa

running some errands at hollandv.

saw the laksa stall & decided to try.

fatty hollandv laksa 

the guys was on his phone & preparing my laksa at the same time.

i said thick beehoon mee 2 times but he was oblivious.

fatty hollandv $3.50 laksa

i ended up with just thick beehoon, anyway didn’t want to bother also & not that i mind just thick beehoon…and didn’t think much of what i would be getting alos.

as it turned out, it was better than my low expectations.

no weiyi laksa for sure,

but cockles were good & plump and good serving. gravy was lemak & savoury, quite edible afterall. not a stall i would go to have laksa but otherwise passable.

c.h.e.f andy

2 starters – fish skin & cloud fungus

our OPS carpe diem (seize the day) yolo (you only live once) gang arranged to have 4pax lunch at kai gardens on 16.5.2018. ^^

(blogging about carper diem yolo made me think we should do something more in this group than just dining…)

another bro not available so we visited him after lunch. 🙂

kai garden S$98 peking duck set lunch menu for pax

this a top value set 6-course including peking duck at $98++ for 4pax..

the peking duck 五彩缤纷鸭 alone ala carte cost S$88, and the second eat would cost another S$18.

the 2 appetisers were very good standard = deepfried fish skin & a vinegared cloud fungus.

deepfried spring rolls

dimusm 潮州粉果

dimusm 潮州粉果

the 2 dimsum we had today = spring rolls & 潮州粉果. very good standard i would say. the simple spring rolls were crispy outside, not oily, & tasty inside. 潮州粉果 was good!

i would prefer the xiaolongbao 小笼包which they served ladt time though…

peking duck 五彩缤纷鸭

peking duck 五彩缤纷鸭 is their signature dish here.

5 colored wraps for peking duck

served with 5 wraps (beetroot, spinach, pumpkin, charcoal & normal) and 5 sauces (seafood, pepper, wasabi, sweet sauce & normal).

peking duck

duck was sliced very well & there were like 20pieces or more enuf for each person takng each of the 5 wraps.

peking duck

another unique ingredient not seen in other peking duck dishes is the crispy item. it added a special texture & mild sweetness to the dish. a very important ingredient.

stir-fried garoupa

the stir-fried fillet was ok i guess, if pedestrian for this standard of restaurant.

shredded duck braised beehoon

the shredded braised beehoon was very tasty.

it was no more tastier though than say silk restaurant @ sicc.

osmanthus jelly

osmanthus jelly was good (M liked it). quite a simple low value dessert though to make up the set.

after lunch, we went to visit our buddy HC, and had a cuppa at starbucks.

c.h.e.f andy

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

half suckling pig S$118

daughter organised a 6pax family early birthday dinner for my helper aunty Bes on 15.5.2018. ^^

rubato

she & wife chose rubato at greenwood. i have not try this place before. 🙂

rubato

rubato

rubato

quite a large seating restaurant, with alfresco dining as well. nice ambience.

half suckling pig S$118

we were attracted by the 1/2 suckling pig, an excellent dish for A$118. ^^

half suckling pig S$118

must say this the two best non-chinese suckling pig i had.

the other one that was really good, equally good i had was at one ninety resutaurant at four seasons hotel 5yrs ago on 30.5.2013.

i don’t see that any more.

burrata

burrata

burrata was quite excellent, among the best!

light & flavourful, the proscuitto was very good too.

as good as valentino, the restaurant we want avoid..

seafood linguine in a bag

wife read that seafood in a bag was good, and it was too.

to the extent that a baked pasta can be, this would really be the best, very tasty, aldente, just like any normal good pasta dish.

squidink pasta

squidink was very good too, think flavourful squidink. oved it!

pizza marinara

parma ham pizza

the 2 pizzas – seafood & parma ham were competent, like any other pizza, nothing great but ok…

bill S$422 for 6pax inc wine

 bill for 6pax inc wine was S$422, less wine would be S$322 for 6pax. not too bad considering 1/2 suckling pig & S$48 burrata.

half suckling pig S$118

half suckling pig S$118 the most memorable dish!

c.h.e.f andy

mother’s day card

youngest daughter bought mother’s day 5pax family dinner this evening on 13.5.2018. ^^

we don’t go to places that charged double the price, are overcrowded & giving bad service on such occasions, so daughter made sure sabio served the usual menu.

mother’s day card

the children bought the flowers & made the cards too.

sabio @ duxton

daughter picked sabio @ duxton.

we had a great family dinner here once before 6 months ago on 5.11.2017. 🙂

sabio @ duxton

nice place, good food but not much business.

chorizo ham croquette & tortilla

we ordered their 8 tapas for S$88 deal.

chorizo ham croquette was good but we agreed those at foc were better.

tortilla aka spanish omelette

tortilla aka spanish omelette was ok, better than mine, but this evening a bit dry..

squid ala plancha

squid ala plancha was good, tasty gravy…

mussels in white wine sauce

mussels in white wine sauce less good, nothing special & broth not that tasty…

octopus

the octopus & sauce were good.

potatoes

came with the potatoes.

ceviche gambas with tacos chip

ceviche gambas with tacos chip was excellent!

ceviche gambas with tacos chip

we wanted at first to order a second tiem & increase to 12 tapas for S$128 but we were too full already..

pan fry prawns

the panfried prawns was another excellent dish.

this was what inspired me to fashion my own chorizo prawn dish.

churros

churros was also one of our fabourites here. not too sweet, very crispy & flavourful!

mixed spanish fried rice

mixta spanish fried rice

the server said they don’t serve pasta & paella any more.

it has to do with not having the oven for paella, so they called it a spanish fried rice. rice was overcooked & not aldente. overall flavours were pretty good.

all in all a very enjoyable evening by the effort of daughter SL.

c.h.e.f andy

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

wanton noodles

daughter messaged to have early lunch at empress road food centre on 13.5.2018. ^^

Ah Wing’s Wanton Mee (詠記麺家)

she found the stall she wanted = Ah Wing’s Wanton Mee (詠記麺家).

it is at one end at the back of the food centre (if you are coming from the carpark direction).

dumpling soup 水饺汤

JH ordered additional dumpling soup 水饺汤.

dumpling noodles 水饺面

daughter took the dumpling noodles 水饺面.

i had my usual kopi c gosong tilok.

wanton noodles was quite good. noodles were qq & chilli was good. char siew good too.

so was the dumpling.

there was a queue at 11am+ on a saturday…

this daughter always organised the family gatherings, and asked to have lunch with me a few times. i always joined & have a coffee.

chefandy

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

4pax dinner @ ming chung

4pax dinner @ ming chung

WM bought 4pax OPS bros dinner at ming chung restuarant, 67 maude road on 10.5.2018. ^^

ming chung

we were talking about heng hwa food on one of the chat so decided to try here.

heng hwa dishes

food was quite average, not really that great..

but good enough & bros had a great time together. afterwards we walked over to chye seng huat for a good cuppa

WM ordered 6 populr dishes here.

heng hwa lor mee

heng hwa lor mee

heng hwa lor mee is a must have here. different from the hokkien dark gluey sauce, this came with pork, veg, seafood & clams in a broth.

heng hwa lor mee

quite tasty, and altogether a nice dish to have.

fried batang fish

the fried batang fish is one of their signature here.

this though was below my expectation. it was plain & quite tasteless.  it’s a simple dish to do & i think WT & I can do better.

hae chor

the hae chor didn’t quite look like hae chor in good teochew restaurants. taste wise they were pretty ok.

oyster egg

oyster egg was non descript, ok too i guess.

tofu

tofu dish ok with a tasty broth with seaweed.

cuttlefish kang kong

cuttlefish kang kong was below par to me.

this a common zichar dish & i think many zichar would do better than this.

4pax dinner = S$79

dinner was S$79 for 4pax, quite ok.

CSH cafe

CSH cafe

after dinner we walked over to chye seng huat cafe for a cuppa.

a nice evening together.

chefandy

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

wagyu jo karubi (prime ribs)

had a belated birthday dinner for JH at aburiya @ robertson quay on 4.5.2018. ^^

this our usual haunt. for me the best yakiniku in singapore. 🙂

the wagyu jo karubi (prime ribs) very good, always are.

lamb 

tried lamb this evening. ok…

pork & some beef

we ordered secreto, “secret” prized cut from the shoulder…

it was ok. everybody preferred the wagyu jo karubi though.

sweet corn

 first time having sweet corn here. nice! 🙂

kimchi chigae

kimchi chigae always perfect, not too salty & very tasty.

bibimian

bibimbab

& we all love the bibimen & the bibimbap too.

& the folks consumed a bottle of sake.

a very enjoyable family outing, as always! 🙂

chefandy

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

hotpot 火锅

having lunch with meimei, my godsis today on 4.5.2018. ^^

my sis & bil are joining lunch. my sis loves hotpot 火锅, and hotpot about the easiest thing to do, no effort so i decided to just make hotpot 火锅 for lunch. 🙂

hotpot 火锅

i got the mushrooms (enoki, shitake & abalone mushrooms), and chinese cabbage & spinach from sheng shion.

hotpot 火锅

i had some leftover chicken stock so boiled 1/2 the chinese cabbage in the stock for 3hrs.

added 1/2 the beef balls & teochew fishcakes (also from sheng shiong)..

beef, pork & prawns

i used 1.2 of the 500g first choice USDA shabu beef from qbfoods, and the other day i bought japanese white pork from donki.

japanese white pork (bought from donki)

the white pork was for sukiyaki so thicker cut than shabu, but ok for me.

this pork was ok but not the same quality as iberico pork, not as tender & sweet, but still quite ok.

USDA first choice shabu beef

the USDA first choice shabu beef  was quite super. sweet beef very thinly sliced, so very tender & sweet. first choice indeed.

mushrooms & vege

& mushrooms & vege always good complements for hotpot & made the soup very sweet, balanced sweetness from the meat & the vege.

teochew fishcake & bean curd skin

the beancurd skin always very good.

hotpot 火锅

we cleaned up the food. i left the table earlier so meimei had a good chat with my sis & bil.

after lunch my sis made 功夫茶, and we ate some ground nuts.

a very enjoyable lunch & time together.

c.h.e.f andy