chorizho tortilla – spanish omelette

several family birthdays coming up this period…we got a day when everyone is around & went out for a 5pax family dinner at sabio @ duxton hill on 5.11.2017. ^^

open air parking outside the restaurant was easy on a sunday at 7pm.

sabio has a group menu. we ordered 12 tapas for S$128 to share among 5pax.

first tapas on the table was a chorizho tortilla – spanish omelette. pretty tasty especially with the chorizo, very nicely done, good presentation. 🙂

they allowed repeat orders (more than 1 order per tapas), so we ordered 8 tapas first, and decide on the remaining 4 after we have tasted the tapas we ordered.

tomato gazpacho S$8

daughter wanted a gazpacho. it was S$8 on the menu so we ordered the gazpacho ala carte.

my own white cucumber & red tomato gazpacho on 19.11.2015

it was ordinary.

i think my own tomato & cucumber gazpacho a lot tastier. 🙂

chorizo ham croquette 

the chorizo ham croquette good too, very tasty & crisp outside. 🙂

ceviche gambas with tacos chip 

the ceviche gambas with tacos chip very good.

ceviche gambas with tacos chip 

we ordered this a second time.

ceviche gambas with tacos chip 

it has sweet raw prawns, good salsa & crisp tacos chip, great texture combination & excellent dining experience!

ceviche gambas with tacos chip 

this a must order if i come again. 🙂

pan fry prawns

& the panfried gambas was just as good. son like this even better.

prawns were bouncy. sauce was the best! very tasty indeed.

pan fry prawns 

wife thought it’s like frozen prawns. in any case this prawn texture is easy to do, the sauce though is more of a challenge. i think it is a lobster or shellfish bisque, so maybe i will try a bisque & do this prawn tapas dish.

sliced octopus

we ordered the octopus. it was nice texture, a bit bland in taste, a bit better with the sea salt.

anyway, gave me some ideas….maybe i will experiment a squid dish..don’t have octopus don’t so easy to get it seems…

chorizo 

a tasty if salty chorizo dish…son, youngest daughter & i quite like the dish..this easy to do…again got to think a bit about the sauce..

mussels in white wine sauce 

mussels in white wine sauce, oddly, was the below par dish among the excellent tapas dishes.

really odd. i really the creamy white wine sauce not tasty. mussels was ok actually but overall much underwhelming.

squid ala plancha 

the squid ala plancha a little overcooked. i can do better than that.

the sauce though was tasty. that one i got to think about what to do how to do…

caviar eggplant with toast 

the caviar eggplant on toast was nice. couldn’t taste any cavar though, didn’t seem to matter much.

this a dish i can do easily.

squid ink seafood fiduea 

the squid ink seafood fiduea was good, flavourful. son & i thought the seafood fiduea at foc was much superior, a lot tastier stock.

i didn’t find any fiduea in the supermarts. i tried with beehoon before, cutting it small after baking. maybe angelhair texture would be better, more al dente. i can cut it small, then bake it or reduce the stock & cook. it would fun experimenting.

squid ink seafood fiduea S$26

still, this squid ink seafood fiduea was quite excellent. i will certainly order this again if i come.

we ordered a jug of sanglia, and son ordered a churos to take away.

5pax tapas dinner came to S$261nett. we were happy with the service which was very good & efficient & also my daughter broke a wine glass, so i gave a big tip.

we enjoyed very much this family outing & joint birthdays dinner. ^^

c.h.e.f andy

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

teochew dishes

had a jumbo S$100 e-voucher expiring 9.11.2017 that can be used at chui huay lim, got my OPS bros to join me for a 5pax dinner on 3.11.2017. ^^

ter kar ton – pig trotter jelly S$12

i need to order like S$200 to use the S$100 e-voucher.

it’s more convenient now withe-voucher only need to show my ic. service was good. the young guy is from shandong jinan (provincial capital). he helped me to compute the food orders & i managed to order about S$203 including tea (S$1.20pax quite ok) & nuts (S$2/plate also ok), so i can apply the S$100 vouchers discounts. 🙂

the ter kar ton – pig trotter jelly S$12 was competent, ok…i had better ones…

hae chor – ngoh hiang prawn rolls S$12

hae chor – ngoh hiang prawn rolls S$12 was very good, very tasty. 🙂

crab meat fish maw soup S$42

the crab meat fish maw soup S$42 also very good, chokeful of ingredients & mostly importantly a very tasty stock! 🙂

the hae chor & this crabmeat fish maw soup are what i would order if i come again. 🙂

1/2 braised duck S$32

the 1/2 braised duck S$32 was the worst dish we had this evening, a disaster considering that braised duck & goose are like the signatures of every good teochew restaurant.

we ordered 1/2 duck S$32 according to menu, but it came as a plate of sliced meat.

there was no options for 鸭片&鸭肉as in many teochew restaurants, and it makes NO sense to serve 1/2 duck in this manner. it did not look like 1/2 duck at all & we did not feel there were thigh meat, only breast meat.

i will NEVER EVER order this dish here again! FULLSTOP!

we should have just rejected the dish la! lol! 🙂

i guess to be fair duck itself was passable, a bit soft & bland in taste with no texture c/w eating a proper duck meat – a style i do not like…

imperial treasure teochew @ taka’s 1/2 teochew braised duck S$28

to illustrate the above photo of imperial treasure’s teochew restaurant show’s how 1/2 braised duck should be served. 

orh lua – oyster omelette S$20

there was cold crab available this evening.

& i absolutely refused to order any fish here! like S$110 for a treadfin fish tail & pomfret etc.

very easy to do just as good steam fish at home for 10% the cost.

pepper beef fillet S$14

the pepper beef fillet S$14 was excellent.

this not the chinese tenderised beef cube style which very artificially tender & overly sweet.

this a bit like korean or western fillet style, done very nicely & even came with caramelised onions.

pepper beef fillet S$14

certainly a dish i would order again…very good for the price! ^^

string beans 四季豆 S$14 

the string beans 四季豆 S$14 was expensive like many vegetable dishes these days. it was quite tasty though, so quite fine by me.

seafood mee sua S$22

the seafood mee sua was nice, flavourful. my friends liked it, said good wok hae, and tasty.

seafood mee sua 

& small serving S$22 good enough for 5pax…

orh nee – yam paste S$5/bowl

i didn’t think much of the orh nee – yam paste S$5/bowl. S$25 for 5pax & quite bland & tasteless, not “pang” not flavourful.

a really good one would be like at fragrant garden – then it would be worth eating.

overall the food was below the standard of frangrant gardens where HC bought 9pax OPS dinner on 30.12.2016. 

dinner came to about S$121 after S$100 voucher discounts, so for that price then it was pretty decent food to have for 5pax!

c.h.e.f andy

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

Chui Huay Lim Teochew Cuisine

Address:

nonya food @ chilli padi

wife arranged 3pax dinner at chilli padi a 11t joo chiat place on 1.11.2017. ^^

we are doing a lunch catering for family & bridesmaid etc for my daughter’s wedding.

restaurant told us though that catering is by a different halal kitchen at bedok.

anyhow we just tried the food since we were already there. 🙂

chilli padi

we were early at 6pm on a wednesday, so we were the first customers.

ayam bua keluak

the ayam bua keluak was good.

the chicken ordinary & not great (like i said about chicken dishes outside, they are invariably overcooked). the sauce was very good. 🙂

ngoh hiang

ngoh hiang was quite good.  though not my favourite. i can do without.

ikan selar bakar

ikan selar bakar was competent. nice chilli inside. nothing special.

sayur nangka – jackfruit dish

the sayur nangka – jackfruit dish quite interesting.

the prawns were mediocre, a waste of time.

the gravy though was very tasty. 🙂

mee siam

mee siam was below our expectation.

it is like a signature dish here, and we expected dry, very flavourful mee siam. but it was wet with gravy piled on it. still tasty ok, but not quite meeting our expectations.

chendol

the chendol looked great. the gula melaka was good, the coconut milk less so,

so NOT as flavourful as four seasons at lor 8 toa payoh. 🙂

S$59 for 3pax

3pax dinner include 3 chendols were $59, quite ok. of course we ordered not many dishes & mostly cheap ones.

durian chendol

the durian chendol looked especially alluring.

the durian paste was good, not like super, but anyway quite nice…only slight miss was the coconut milk, not so fragrant as four seasons chendol at lor 8 TPY.

c.h.e.f andy

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

our lunch at paradise dynasty

my OPS bro HC organised 4pax lunch at paradise dynasty on 31.10.2017. ^^

his S$50 voucher expires on 31.102017 so today is the last day.

i just returned on a red eye flight this morning from shanghai arriving at 6am. & WM still not back from KL. PK joined us today so made up 4pax. 🙂

xiaolongbao 小笼包

xiaolongbao 小笼包 was competent, skin, soup all ok.

radish pastry

radish pastry ok, not the most crispy or sweet radish i had.

spicy dumplings 红油抄手

spicy dumplings 红油抄手 was the usual good standard.

水煮鱼

水煮鱼 is my favourite dish. i don’t get to eat it much as not many like the dish.

the fish was i think the snakehead – loy her…like what they use for sliced fish beehoon or san lou horfun 三捞河粉.

some use pangasius which is the cheap vietnamese catfish (like the very cheap stall at foodgle hub NUS which also nice),

and some use 鲶鱼, also catfish. i don’t really know what is best.

水煮鱼

this one not bad. but kind of not much fish for 4pax. i ate maybe like 3 big slices.

水煮鱼

it was pretty good la…

夫妻肺片

夫妻肺片i don’t eat often either.

anyhow it was nothing special, ok competent…

赛螃蟹

WT ordered the 赛螃蟹.

it’s quite an expensive dish at S$12 or thereabout for just egg.

but it was pretty tasty, very smooth & especially with the vinegar taste..so maybe ok worth it…

土豆丝 potato strips

HC ordered the 土豆丝 potato strips. this one not as good as 东北胖妈 at smith street…no comparison actually..

string beans 四季豆

string beans 四季豆 was nice, also another expensive dish for simple vegetables.

wine dumplings 酒酿汤圆

we also had wine dumplings 酒酿汤圆. this a far cry from the really nice one we had at shenzhen subway station lunch place.

pumpkin cakes

pumpkin cakes were good.

red bean pancakes

red bean pancakes good too but this not my favourite dessert. it was crispy & the red bean paste good.

lunch was S$67 after S$50 voucher, so would have been S$127 for 4pax. needless to say with the $50 discount, S$67 for 4pax pretty good, not quite otherwise la..

c.h.e.f andy

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

Paradise Dynasty @ Ion Orchard level 4

roast suckling pig 

wife bought 5pax family dinner at man fu yuan on 26.10.2017. ^^

man fu yuan 

place was crowded.

amex love dining 50% discount voucher 

we had a amex love dining 50% discount voucher  expiring end oct2017, just right tiem to use it.

eldest daughter & JH were away in boston, so we had 5pax dinner.

roast suckling pig 

suckling pig is very good here.

we actually preferred the 南乳style where the meat is served together.

this one was served 片皮style with thinly sliced skin served with chinese pancake, similar to peking duck style.

roast suckling pig

anyhow we asked for the pig to be chopped up & served.

all of us had too much suckling pig. lol!

lychee salted egg oysters fritters

wife ordered a lychee salted egg oysters fritters.

the slated egg flavour & fritter was well done.

son did not like the lychee flavours.

also could not taste the oysters.

lychee salted egg oysters fritters 

overall not a favouirte dish for me. i could do w/o.

pepper beef

pepper beef was very tender.

wife & i actually not particularly favour these tenderised beef chinese style.

anyhow the dish was pretty well done & tasty as well.

pepper beef 

so it was an ok dish for me.

tofu dish

the tofu dish with enoki mushrooms was tasty, very good broth.

tofu dish 

the tofu itself was not the best, nice crispy skin but inside not the sweet & very smooth teture.

xo fried rice 

we were advised to order the chef special xo fried rice S$32. not sure what different it was c/w the fried rice in the main menu, also a signature dish here.

didn’t taste any spicy xo flavours…the server said they charged S$8 for xo sauce, so that was why we ordered this.

nice flavourful fried rice, not particularly like the best i had…

birthday peaches 寿桃

the restaurant provided lotus paste birthday peaches 莲蓉寿桃.

dinner for 5pax including the whole suckling pig was S$240nett after 0% discounts. pretty good considering that the whole suckling pig alone was S$268 w/o discounts.

the other food were ok, but nothing special..

anyway avery nice enjoyable dinner with family….

birthday cake

we decided to come home for the birthday cake cutting celebration.

c.h.e.f andy

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

chacuterie platter

went to visit my good friend TC, dental surgeon who is taking care of my dental health at 5.30pm on 20.10.2017.

we arranged to have 2pax dinner & tete a tete after. ^^

Ricciotti DBS Affluent Dining Menu

i suggested couple places & TC picked ricciotti. it is a stone’s throw from his dental clinic at central. we crossed the overhead bridge & walked over to riverwalk. ricciotti was right there. 🙂

the DBS/POSB S$50++ menu looked ok not compelling. it is difficult to just see from menu but at least we had an idea of what we were having.

it turned out the the food was really good! ^^

chacuterie platter

we both picked the chacuterie platter. it was very good standard – aged parma ham, salami, ham, pickled olives & gherkins, and salad.

chacuterie platter

and salted bread! and this last was so good, so tasty & wonderful texture – actually like our “ham chee pen”. there are more things in common in the different cuisines than we know…haha! 🙂

anyway, we enjoyed the chacuterie. ^^

spaghetti marinara

we both picked the spaghetti marinara too.

spaghetti marinara

& this was really good good. a simple dish with great ingredients – prawns, squid, mussels, clams, and very nicely done.

spaghetti was nicely al dente, seafood were fresh, and the simple tomato sauce was light, nice & tasty.

spaghetti marinara

& very nicely presented. a very good pasta dish for primi (first main)..

mint brined lamb loin

for the secondi (second main), i chose mint brined lamb loin & TC had grilled seabass.

mint brined lamb loin & grilled seabass

my mint brined lamb loin was quite exquisite, really really nicely done.

medium rare as recommended, very tender, no strong gamey taste, and very tasty with the jus. the whole dish was excellent. ^^

grilled seabass

TC had the grilled seabass. i didn’t try it. he said it was good. presentation was lovely. it looked fine.

panna cotta

the panna cotta was more ordinary, still competent, presented well too with some chocolate flakes, strawberry & blueberry on the side, and chocolate soil & mint on top.

overall i think an excellent meal. may not be wow! but certainly a very good, delicious dinner, quite above expectation.

we chatted for quite a long while after dinner. my friend TC very busy with his practice & he does a lot of overseas mission work & also helping out many in singapore. we both had a great time together, and really we relish this opportunity to share and relax in each other’s company…

c.h.e.f andy

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

the best! pork chop wrapped with bacon = S$38

sunday evening. wife wanted to bring to dempsey cookhouse where she & the children enjoyed great meals recently.

she booked 2pax at 6pm on 22.10.2017. ^^

dempsey cookhouse

dempsey cookhouse

dempsey cookhouse, located within dempsey como which houses other restaurants in the group, has beautiful ambience. high ceiling, very nice large lanterns, very pleasant seating & tables.

& service by all the staff, many filipinos, were good. 🙂

yellow tuna tartare – S$29

wife ordered the tuna tartare.

pricing much on the high side for this serving (other restaurants you probably get a main course serving for S$29).

yellow tuna tartare

dish was good though, that’s all that counted. 🙂

tuna was sweet, very fresh, the sauce (wasabi soy?) was nice too but too salty at the bottom when the server added all.

so this dish bet to add the sauce yourself as required. 🙂

but it’s good!

the best! pork chop wrapped with bacon = S$38

the pork chop wrapped with bacon = S$38 was the best…it was what the server recommended to wife & children the last time, and recommended likewise today.

the pork loin was incredibly tender..not sure how the chef did it, must be sous vide or some low temperature braising…very very tender, smooth, no strands, no residue, no fraying when cut.

& marinade was good, very tasty pork.

the mushroom sides were very good too, got a bit salty after taking much. the pork was so good it did not need the mushroom sauce, just ate it on its own…

truffle cheese pizza – S$34

the truffle cheese pizza – S$34, very steep price for a pizza.

i was considering the trout..later i asked wife she said children took it last time, just so so..

truffle cheese pizza – S$34

the truffle pizza is a signature dish, like must try here, so might as well pay more to try something different than something common…

truffle cheese pizza – S$34

and it was very flavourful, the truffle & cheese, a very nice pizza.

truffle cheese pizza – S$34

not sure it’s what i am willing to pay for pizza…like the pork chop at S$38 is relatively much more superior value…

but if there is no certainty of getting something good or better, might as well pay for something you know would be good.

c.h.e.f andy

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

The Dempsey Cookhouse & BarA

amuse bouche – ham

my OPS friend WM & wife J bought an exquisite scrumptious 8pax dinner at xiyan craig road on 18.10.2017. ^^ 2 of us including moi have birthdays this october month. 🙂

i came xiyan only once (the captain lewis chin said must be 12yrs ago) when they first opened. must say i wasn’t much impressed with the food nor the price! it was a very pricey S$88pax at the time, and the only dish i remembered was good & fine was the hokkaido momotaro tomatoes. i looked at the online menu, and after all these time the menu looked quite the same, and price still S$88pax.

WM’s wife J though entertained here a few times & today she arranged for us her “specially curated” menu, and she booked the entire restaurant for the occasion.

just kidding lol! this evening we were the only table in the restaurant. the original date 12oct though was fully booked so we had to change to 18oct. so hard to tell whether restaurant well patronised or not…

today we were served an amuse bouche, kind of unusual – 3 cuts of ham (lewis said they are the exclusive distributor). i liked it. wife not so into the ham thing, slight salty taken alone w/o sides…not the typical amuse bouche..

xiyan S$98pax menu

the special menu was S$98pax, but J has 10% discounts, so back to the usual S$88pax…

hokkaido momotaro tomatoes

the hokkaido momotaro tomatoes were delicious, did not disappoint. the sauce was goma (roasted sesame) with wasabi. 🙂

hokkaido momotaro tomatoes

sauce was nice if nothing special..i do goma with tsuyu for vegetable salads for my 14days vegetarian diet recently.

prosciutto & smoked salmon salad

the prosciutto & smoked salmon salad with asparagus very good too..& so beautifully plated..

prosciutto & smoked salmon salad

salmon was very lightly smoked, almost like cured, nice & not salty.

the prosciutto (aged parma ham) was good, the usual…

prosciutto & smoked salmon salad

the asparagus & mesclun salad were good, refreshing…

tea smoked chicken

the next dish was tea smoked chicken, again nicely presented. thai styled mango salsa was tangy & refreshing.

tea smoked chicken

overall the dish was underwhelming!

chicken was competent and no more. so actually by the standard of the whole dinner, this would be a below average dish…

some parts of the breast my wife had were “old” meaning slightly dry, overcooked. the tea flavour did not stand out…

unlike say the tea infused roast duck at xin cuisine which was super delicious!…

i almost never order roast chicken outside, whether at chinese or western restaurants, as they usually very mediocre dish….

one outstanding roast chicken i had was at restoran pekin sutera mall recently – “skin was so crispy, and the meat was moist, tender & sweet. among the very best roast chicken i had…

tea smoked chicken

basically unless one can produce a really moist, tender, tasty chicken, otherwise this would be a very average dish…a filler & not much more…

prawn chawanmushi

the captain lewis chin said this dish was akin to chawanmushi, and it was smoother & came with chinese hua tiao wine.

it was a beautifully presented dish, and wonderful colours.

the prawn though was overcooked. my wife told me, and i was thinking the same. prawn texture was slightly tough, not the bouncy, fresh texture…just on the prawn standalone, the simple poached prawn & drunken prawn dishes at peach gardens miramar & tunglok were better.

prawn chawanmushi

the taste of the dish, maybe not the chawanmushi t i am used to in good japanese restaurants…

for myself, no comparison with a good, very sweet & tasty chawanmushi especially one with crabmeat & ikura.

东坡肉 pagoda

the 东坡肉 pagoda was an excellent dish.

a braised belly can easily spray (ie not good texture) if not done correctly, so to be able to slice this thin & having this texture shows the skills of the chef. it is truly 肥而不腻！

东坡肉 tower

it was an outstanding dish in it’s own right, whatever the name.

东坡肉 with 梅菜

so i have just 2 comments-

first – same as what my wife also told me, when eating 东坡肉, the i guess non modern experience is to eat an entire piece, and feel the gelatinous texture & flavours. eating this current way felt more like eating 梅菜扣肉though this texture is more tender than 梅菜扣肉.

东坡肉 with 梅菜

东坡肉 with 梅菜

and second – this 梅菜 was not done well.

it was salty, unlike the very nice flavour, soft & tender steamed 梅菜dish served at xin cuisine.

blanched red garoupa with crispy rice & silken tofu

the best dish for the evening was the blanched red garoupa with crispy rice & silken tofu..

blanched red garoupa with crispy rice & silken tofu

red garoupa was sliced very very thinly, so it cooked when it was added to the soup. it’s like shabu or 涮…

blanched red garoupa

very tasty. really excellent dish!

poaced garoup & rice porridge

& the crispy rice was a great variation, added texture & new dining experience to the dish…

the concept is similar also to ozasuke in japanese cuisine, where a very tasty broth is added to rice. this dish was indeed very enjoyable…

淮山with spinach & wolfberries

the 淮山with spinach & wolfberries was competent dish, nicely done.

淮山with spinach & wolfberries

nice bit of greens. a healthy dish..tasted great…

bomb alaska

the restaurant served a complimentary bomb alaska because we were celebrating our birthdays.

this not on their menu.

bomb alaska

chocolate origin mousse cake & bomb alaska

it was an outstanding dessert.

the burnt meringue was very light & tasty, and the ice cream was excellent..& the birthday cake WT bought from chocolate origin also very good!

ginger soup with dumplings姜汤

we had a choice of dessert.

the ginger soup with dumplings姜汤 looked great.

ice cream

the vanilla ice cream with lychee was ok too, wouldn’t have chosen this if we knew we were having that excellent bomb alaska.

overall, it was a very good dinner, and scrumptious, great tasting one. the food ingredients were not expensive items, so not quite sumptuous i guess. but preparation, presentation, colours (like salmon salad, 东坡肉 pagoda and blanched garoupa) were refine, service was good & knowledgeable, so i consider quite exquisite dinner of fine dining standard. & of course the bomb alaska was a really great touch by the restaurant & really enjoyable..

will i come back here?. not sure really…i still think the S$88 price is too high for the food they serve.

if it is like this evening, i would gladly pay the price for this dinner. but J knew them & could arrange the change of menu & 10% discounts, and there was the bomb alaska, so on this occasion i think i would also pay this price. on the regular S$88, i think it would be totally outside my radar…

my wife & i really enjoyed the company of these very good friends (wife told me so) and it was a most fun evening for both of us…this evening especially, WM & J bought such a wonderful dinner & WT bought a delightful birthday cake from chocolate origin.

c.h.e.f andy

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

very tasty buffet items

a very good lunch with J at one ninety restaurant at four seasons hotel today on 19.10.2017.

J cooks marvellous dishes. she invited a group of us (me included) for scrumptious dinner 2 times recently. & her birthday is in october.

one ninety mezze lunch semi-buffet menu

had excellent dinner with wife here on 7.10.2017. ^^ so thought to try out the lunch too.

a glorious semi-buffet just the place to come for me after my weekly run this morning with CH. lol! 🙂

very tasty buffet items

very tasty buffet items

it was not a very large buffet, not the cooking & taste were excellent like for all the tiems…

i liked almost all of them, and anyway, a smaller buffet is still too much food, and quality & taste more important…

cold cuts

cheese

i found some space for the cheese too.

excellent ligurian seabass

for main course, J ordered the ligurian seabass.

squid ink tagliolini

& i ordered the squid ink tagliolini.

both mains were excellent, fine dining restaurant standard! 🙂

fruit cocktail

i had some fruit cocktail..

dessert

& bits of cake to try out. these can skip also la…

lunch was S$52pax including mains & S$42 without, so with amex lovedining 50% discounts for 2, it was S$52++ = S$61nett for 2pax. very good deal really!

was a nice enjoyable lunch, good food, great company & conversation.

c.h.e.f andy

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

One Ninety @ Four Seasons Hotel

Address:

190 Orchard Blvd, Singapore 248646

Contact:

https://www.fourseasons.com/singapore/dining/restaurants/one_ninety/

+6568317250

opening hours:

龙骨prime ribs S$8 & ter kar S$5

met my RI bro KY for hawker fare makan outing.

rong cheng now sin min road bkt

we went to rong cheng now sin min road bkt at 10am on 16.10.2017. ^^

龙骨prime ribs S$8

i ordered one 龙骨prime ribs S$8 & one ter kar (pork trotters) S$5 to share.

the 龙骨prime ribs always good. this one of the few places that sells this long 龙骨prime ribs..after eating i went to sheng shiong & bought the long fresh indonesian prime ribs myself….going to make my own bkt later… ^^

so i still like this..but today’s not their best..

ter kar S$5

i knew the ter kar S$5  was not great here, but still decided to give it a try.

well no surprises, .ter kar 👎🏼absolutely no standard..gelatinous parts no bite, the braise no “pang” flavours.. my own much better la! 🙂

& then i wanted to order the braised duck from hup seng next to rong cheng, but KY stopped me as he wanted to bring me to ah seng.

penang delights prawn noodles S$4

afterwards we went to penang delights prawn noodles @ blk 711 amk ave 8.

penang delights prawn noodles S$4

penang delights prawn noodles S$4

this the worst prawn noodles i had.. 👎🏼👎🏼sugary sweet no prawn stock flavour. any prawn noodle stall also better than this…

ah seng braised duck

after went to ah seng braised duck..

ah seng braised duck

the stall proprietress knows my RI bro KY well & quite pally with him.

they have another at serangoon gardens operated by the sister.

lor arh – braised duck

lor arh – braised duck

today though the lor arh (braised duck) was soft..so so👈…

i think my own better, & hup seng next to rong cheng better..

small & large intestines 👍

the small & large intestines were good standard 👍..

pig stomach soup

the pig stomach soup…good bite, tender, soup peppery👍👍

today not really much of a makan outing… bkt was good if not their best, braised duck & intestines were ok & the pig organ soup was good.

fun anyway, spending time with bro KY.

c.h.e.f andy

dimsum 50% off

daughter going off mid-week to boston for a conference.

before leaving, she & JH arranged to buy me lunch at peach garden miramar today on 14.10.2017…

i just been to miramar this week on 9.10.2017. that was for my OPS 12pax birthday dinner. i have never taken dimsum at peach garden.

小笼包 

the 小笼包  just average. soup not so sweet. skin ok i guess.

小笼包 

not comparable with imperial treasure or crystal jade.

腐皮卷 fu pei quin

the 腐皮卷 fu pei quin was quite good, tasty, great!

har gao

har gao was ok. i guess not the standard of imperial treasure…

scallop dumplings

the scallop dumplings was good.

crispy dumplings

crispy dumplings were very good too.

steamed chicken feeet

and the steamed chicken feet & pork ribs were pretty good standard. chicken feet good taste & texture.

steamed pork ribs

& the pork ribs were pretty good, not the fatty & bony type, quite good amount of tender meat..

XO carrot cake S$18

the XO carrot cake was a failure IMO!

not charred outside & overly soft inside.

XO carrot cake S$18

not sure why we are paying S$18 for this poor quality dish…

didn’t really notice my daughter ordering from the main menu ie outside the 50% off dimsum menu…but when i queried the server, no one seemed to comment so i guess she did.

3pax lunch was like S$56, so the poor XO carrot cake was like 1/3 of the the bill, plain ridiculous…moral of the story don’t order outside the 50% menu lol! 🙂

c.h.e.f andy

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

fish fillet bee hoon great wokhae

my OPS bro HC bought dinner 7pax dinner at quan ji zi char at amoy street food centre on 12oct2017. ^^

the second time i came here. first was treat by WM on 3.8.2016. 🙂

the best standout dish here this evening was the fish fillet bee hoon. teh wok hae was just so good!^^

next was the har jeon guy aka prawn paste chicken!

quan ji zi char @ amoy street food centre

this evening place less crowded. we had a good table for 8pax near the stall. the hawker centre had high ceiling quite airy & bright.

lar pok oily & burnt not so good 

lar pok oily & burnt so not so good!

har chor good 

hae chor was good, like any good tecohew restaurant.

har jeon guy aka prawn paste chicken good 

har jeon guy aka prawn paste chicken very good…wife liked it..

排骨王good though not my fav 

the 排骨王 as good as any, just not my fav …

fish belly soup competent 

the fish belly soup was competent only, the fish belly was good, the soup could be gooder la…lol!…

black bean fish head so so

the black bean fish head so so very so so, quite mediocre dish…

bittergourd was bitter, black bean sauce & fish head not tasty enough..lots of bones & no much meat..

fish fillet hor fun not so good wok hae 

the hor fun though turned out kind of poorly. didn’t have the wok hae of the beehon and not fragrant.

anyhow it was a really enjoyable dinner for all of us. 🙂

c.h.e.f andy

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

Quan Ji @ Amoy Street Food Centre

Address:

7 Maxwell Rd, Singapore 069111

heap of crabmeat on the squidink pasta

wife & i decided to go one ninety at four seasons hotel this evening on 7.10.2017. ^^

one ninety is included in amex lovedining for a while but we have not tried it for the last many years.

at S$64pax for the semi-buffet dinner, it came to S$32++pax after amex’s 50% discounts for 2, a really top-value meal…

very tasty bread

the bread was tasty, very good bread & the hummus from the buffet were great!

scallops very good..i took 3..added some yuzu dressing👍 

i didn’t think too much of it when i picked up the scallop.

scallops very good..i took 3..added some yuzu dressing👍

but unlike many buffet who uses frozen scallops & mussels etc, this  was a very fresh & plump scallops & sweet. i ended up taking 3 scallops.

the mussels, scallops, prawn dish quite good,

there was a mussels, scallops, prawn dish at the buffet spread. they were quite good too, especially adding a little yuzu salad dressing. i did not take the salad, too much things to eat!

buffet selectiion 

so my first plate had beef tongue (just above the scallop), belly pork next to it (ok but skin a bit tough), the hummus next were excellent especially with the bread..

some cauliflower & veg, a roasted egg plant, pate & fig in the front, and cold cuts on the right…

cold cuts salami, prosciutto especially beef very good👍

the cold cuts were excellent – salami, prosciutto all good & especially beef the best!👍

beef very good👍 chicken very good too

this my second appetiser plate, took some more excellent beef.

beef tongue great texture taste so so…

beef tongue, likely sous vide, had great texture taste so so…

burrata not much taste 

burrata also great smooth texture but not much taste??

baked eggplant ok 

baked eggplant (front) ok but not special…actually the grilled peppers etc were better..so again egg plant good texture just not tasty.

fig & pate ok, cold cuts very good👍 

the fig & pate ok, cold cuts very good👍

the appetiser buffet i had before long time back on 30.5.2013,

were better (it had stuffed roast suckling pig & also roast duck), but this was still very good, for me to take 3 plates.

Mediterranean seabass best seabass i had👍👍👍 

& we were ready for our main courses.

i had the Mediterranean seabass…this indisputably one of the best seabass i had👍👍👍

i think for this standard of cooking, ingredients & presentation, this seabss would be between S$36 and S$44 in a good restaurant of this standard.

Mediterranean seabass best seabass i had👍👍👍 

fish was sweet & very tasty, and very tasty sauce too.

squid ink crabmeat pasta 

the squid ink crabmeat pasta quite different preparation from the usual creamy preparation.

here looked like too much sauce, and the pasta not quite al dente.

squid ink crabmeat pasta

but it was actually very, very good.

maybe the more than al dente was a style, a recipe?

it certainly tasted very good with the sauce, very tasty squidink pasta w/o being heavily creamy.

squid ink crabmeat pasta

& there was loads of crabmeat. a can of good crab meat can cost >S$20.

these looked like fresh crabmeat handshelled??

tapao squid ink crabmeat pasta

we were too full so had to tapao back. son was asleep but he walloped it the next morning…

cheese

i still managed to take some cheese.

it was nice too with the strawberry jam compote..

fresh fruit cocktail 

& i took some fresh fruit cocktail as well!

fresh fruit cocktail 

nice, very refreshing…

salad

the buffet included a salad bar..looked very good but there were too much food so i didn’t take.

buffet spread

the cooked dishes including beef tongue, , a fish, belly pork, pate etc…

cold cuts

& there were excellent cold cuts of salami, prosciutto & beef…i didn’t have space for the rock melon & other ham items…

cheese

there was a cheese section. i took some…

dessert 

& dessert.. i took the fresh fruits cocktail..

overall, this really value-for-money buffet, great ambience, good service & i got a free parking coupon as well.

a really nice evening with wife, wonderful appetiser dishes & great main courses…& dinner just S$32pax.

c.h.e.f andy

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

One Ninety @ Four Seasons Hotel

Address:

190 Orchard Blvd, Singapore 248646

Contact:

https://www.fourseasons.com/singapore/dining/restaurants/one_ninety/

+6568317250

opening hours:

complimentary appetiser

my RI friend PL now teaches at temasek poly.

another friend LS’s daughter graduated from diploma hospitality course at CIA.

we had tried lunches by students of –

1. CIA-Temasek Poly Diploma in Culinary & Catering Management; and also
2. CIA-SIT Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) in Food Business Management programs…

not only are the lunches very attractively priced, the standard of cooking & overall delivery are better than most cafe & average restaurants, and reaching the standards of good restaurants.

today we came for  ala carte 5pax lunch by students of the FBM degree porgram..

complimentary appetiser

there was a complimentary appetiser platter for our table (seems only those on the mailing list gets the free appetiser)…

it was good!

3 bruschetta with 2 hummus (one chickpea, forgot the other one), and selar (big eye scad). there were some sundried tomatoes, salad &

small tortilla (spanish omelette), like what i make..

beef carpaccio – S$6

i took the beef carpaccio. beef was sweet, came with some mesclun & a runny yoke quails egg. nice with coarse black pepper. competent, good standard.

minestrone soup – S$4

LS said minestrone was good… 🙂

vongole linguine – S$7

CL & I shared a vongole linguine – S$7 for starter portion…PL doesn’t take clams.

scampi with homemade pasta – S$8

LS took a scampi pasta, S$8 for appetiser portion. so she ate little.

pasta looked great, must be good. prawns looked ok. scampi is a regular fine dining dish but often in ceviche, tartare, sashimi or cured preparations..

i also had excellent cooked scampi dishes several times during my family trip to iceland in june2017. 🙂

braised beef in mushroom risotto S$16

PL & I had the braised beef in mushroom risotto.

braised beef in mushroom risotto

the mushroom risotto was excellent very flavourful, texture not al dente & quite a lot of sauce. it could be the intended method of preparation, anyway it was good!

the beef was tender, small serving but ok, competent, not quite a good restaurant standard.

breaded pork chop S$14

CL & SK had the breaded pork chop.

breaded not quite my favourite. i tried a piece it was quite ok for me. CL felt that it was a bit dry.

lemon meringue  semi freddo

we tried all the 3 desserts. all were pretty good actually.

i quite like this meringue & like ice cream semi frozen mousse.

tiramisu with kelhua

tiramisu with kelhua was very good, quite like the tiramisu i make, this with good kelhua…

tiramisu with kelhua

i like this also..

expresso with vanilla ice cream

the strong expresso wuth vanilla ice cream ok too, not my preferred combination, rather have nice coffee as coffee, and more difficult to share….

kopi with mooncakes -2 red bean mooncake made by LS

after lunch we adjourned to the canteen & ordered some coffee, tea etc.

LS brought her home made red bean mooncake (which was very nice!). i brought one macadamia nut double-yoke mooncake to share for the occasion.

we asked but couldn’t take the mooncakes at toptable, which was quite ok…

kopi with mooncakes -2 red bean mooncake made by LS

a great time out with good friends….

lunch was S$106 for 5pax…of course LS ate little, and few of us had like 3 courses, with appetiser & dessert.

c.h.e.f andy

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

Top Table @ Temasek Polytechnic

Address:

garlic steamed bamboo clams 蒜蓉蒸竹蚌 – S$5.50 each

had my “break fast” 4pax family dinner @ ah yat forum on 1.10.2017! ^^

(after 14days vegetarian/fruit diet challenge with  my RI friend DP).. lol!

seafood promo @ ah yat abalone forum restaurant

promo still on…we ordered-

• 2 lobsters
• 4 razor clams (one each)
• 1x800g tiger garoupa
• small 滑蛋河粉

braised lobster in superior stock龙虾上汤焗 S$29.80 each

the braised lobster in superior stock龙虾上汤焗 S$29.80 each was so, so good.

the superior stock was so tasty, and that made all the difference.

braised lobster in superior stock龙虾上汤焗  S$29.80 each

and also the texture was perfect, very fresh, bouncy,火候 just right, lagi perfect la…

HK steamed tiger garoupa 港蒸龙虎班 800g (S$38/kg)

that same thing could be said about the HK steamed tiger garoupa 港蒸龙虎班 800g (S$38/kg).

i not excited about eating steamed fish outside eg at (say) zai shun where it supposed to be very good but each fish set you back like S$100 (of course you talking about 苏媚,青衣 etc).

and basically i can steam a red garoupa anythime just as good, tasty, flavourful, so not much point to eat steamed fish outside. not much meaning really!

here this garoupa just S$30, and it was so good.

so i very willing to eat fish here everytime.

HK steamed tiger garoupa 港蒸龙虎班 800g (S$38/kg)

this garoupa was done just so well. meat so sweet, tender, tasty…

seafood horfun 海鲜滑蛋河粉 – small S$20

last time i celebrated early birthday dinner here with my brother & sister on 2.6.2017, the seafood horfun was very good.

today seems that it was less good. the wokhae not so great…

seafood horfun 海鲜滑蛋河粉 – small S$20

i guess still quite a tasty dish.

seafood horfun 海鲜滑蛋河粉

anyway children wanted some carbs…

seafood horfun 海鲜滑蛋河粉

& it was a nice ending to dinner of seafood dishes…

dinner was S$174nett for 4pax…very good price for the food we ordered.

c.h.e.f andy

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

Ah Yat Abalone Forum Restaurant Address:

peking duck – S$26

had S$100 to spend by 30.9.2017 otherwise the quarterly minimum spend would be forfeited.

arranged to go silk @ sicc island location with my OPS buddies on 27.9.2017. ^^

food here is good, and the prices, even better! ^^

second eat FREE=shredded duck crispy noodles 鸭丝生面

i ordered the 1/2 peking duck again.

the peking duck was as good as any, & the second eat shredded duck with crispy noodles was quite excellent, so at S$26 for 2 eats (2 dishes), it was like a must order for me. 🙂

peking duck – S$26

i was still on 14day vegetarian/fruit diet challeng with my RI friend DP till 30.9.2017, so i did not eat the duck, but i knew it was good la..lol! 🙂

i took some prawn crackers…

garoupa fillet with lily bulbs 百合, sweet peas – S$18

the garoupa fillet with lily bulbs 百合, sweet peas – S$18 was a nice dish.

today the garoupa fillet looks & presentation a bit below..so i asked WM since i not eating myself. he said it was ok, pretty good.

good thing about this dish also lots of vegetables so no need to order a separate vegetable dish.

garoupa fillet with lily bulbs 百合, sweet peas – S$18

i checked the photos of my last lunch here, also with my OPS bros.

the garoupa looked much better & they also had cloud fungus, so this dish going south – wrong direction la… 

but i guess still a nice dish…good fish & vegetables…

claypot frog 沙煲田鸡 – S$18

the claypot frog 沙煲田鸡 – S$18 always a great dish..

claypot frog 沙煲田鸡 – S$18

very tasty, good standard, and well presented.

second eat FREE=shredded duck crispy noodles 鸭丝生面

the second eat FREE=shredded duck crispy noodles 鸭丝生面 was swimming in sauce.

i specifically told the guy taking orders that i wanted crispy 生面.the lady serving said they added too much sauce.

second eat FREE=shredded duck crispy noodles 鸭丝生面

i did not take the noodles. the dish was tasty and a large serving, fully 5 bowls. all my friends liked it, and noodles all finished.

WM said noodles slight salty (i guess because too much sauce), but still crispy. that’s good!

the service by the lady servers were good!

the dishes were all good, though perhaps the previous time was even better.

& the dinner for 5pax was S$70nett, very reasonable indeed! (though i ate little so i ordered only 4 dishes, and my friends said it was enough so we did not add dishes).

after dinner, we decided to go downstairs for a drink at the eagle..we all ordered ABC – apple, beetroot, carrot – M’s idea! 🙂

c.h.e.f andy

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

teochew muay dishes=2 fish +7veg = S$18

sis & bil came by to have lunch together.

i picked them at the usual mrt stop at 11.30am & we were at ye lai xiang 夜来香at bukit merah view around 11.50am on 28.9.2017.^^

i thought carpark might be full but the food centre was under renovation? boarded up so carpark quite empty, good for us.

teochew muay dishes=2 fish +7veg = S$18

sis went to order the dishes.

she got 2 fishes + 7 veg for S$18.

ye lai xiang in my view NOT ye shanghai standard..

yelaixiang teochew muay 夜来香潮州糜

the place had much lower traffic c/w when ye shanghai was here…

teochew muay dishes=2 fish +7veg = S$18

S$18 seems cheap but i think a bit more expensive c/w ye shanghai.

i think the 2 fishes more ex, may S$10 together.

rabbit fish 

this larger than the CNY rabbit fish 知县鱼, seen it before but not sure if same breed of fish.

anyway it was tastier than it looked..lol! 🙂

kambong fish 

this fish also maybe not kambong…sees it often..also sweet.

by the way i still on 14 days vegetarian/fruit diet challenge with my friend DP until 30.9.2017 so i did not tale the fish, but sis & bil said & i know they were sweet la… 🙂

taukee

generally the veg dishes were good but not the standard of ye shanghai…quite far in my view.

veg a simple thing right, which means ye shanghai veg dishes really good la! 🙂

tau kee was ok, sweet, ordinary..

spinach heng chai) 

spinach was ok, but by comparison ye shanghai or even if i cook myself, this was below par la..

luffa 丝瓜

likewise for the luffa 丝瓜..

bittergourd

and bittergourd..

cauliflower+brocoli

this cauliflower+brocoli was ok…i took the tau kua too…

chap chai 

chap chai ok…

leeks

leeks a bit nicer…i think the nicest of the veg

teochew muay dishes=2 fish +7veg

so in my view, ye lai xiang c/w ye shanghai 要矮了一载 not the same standard for the vegetable dishes.

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

braised duck 卤鸭

our RI brotherhood gang did a birthday dinner cum karaoke on 25.9.2017. ^^

organisers were looking for a convenient & not costly place where we could have dinner then karaoke.

• NUSS KRGH (kent ridge guild house) currently having their quite popular teochew muay buffet S$14.90 + GST at cafe on the ridge (mon-wed, sep 2017 & nov2017).

the teochew muay buffet has always been good, especially the braised duck 卤鸭 & also the other braises 卤味.  other cooked food & buffet items also good. (i don’t come often though as try not to eat buffet these days. lol! ^^. last time here was 22.11.2016!)..

we reserved 14pax, and full brotherhood attendance this evening, and they arranged a nice long table for us near the door convenient to pick up the buffet items at the open covered alfresco area where they set up the buffet.

few of us arrived early at 6pm so we went to pick up the braised duck 卤鸭.

actually there was not much queue also during dinner & the supply was pretty ok, no problems getting good serving of the duck & other braises.

popiah 

the popiah i would say pretty good, same good standard as any eg what i had recently at bukit cafe at sicc…

raw cockles, chilled squid 

the raw cockles were really good. & quite surprised many in our group actually took the raw cockles & loving it….

the chilled didn’t look that appetising but it was quite ok with the “kek you” dip or with chili..

braises卤味 – duck, kong bak, pig skin etc

the braises were all good..

braise was flavourful, chili was good, and the texture & taste & texture of the kong bak and pig skin were good…taupok, tau kua, braised egg the usual..

prawns, ngoh hiang, egg omelette 

cooked dishes were also quite ok..prawns were actually quite tasty… i took 2 or 3 pieces..ngoh hiang was ok, egg was ok…didn’t take much of them…

prawns, ngoh hiang, taukee, egg, trotters

taukee was good, the usual.

braised pork trotter was good..nice gelatinous, everyone liked it…the pot had mostly bones though so got to pick the ones with more skin..

belly pork chives, satay pork, some 

in fact we did not take several of the cooked dishes.

the satay pork i didn’t quite like, and the chicken not my taste.. the belly pork with chives ok but i rather eat more of the braises.

there were fresh cut fruits, watermelon, rock melon etc quite sweet, and some red bean with lotus seed dessert..ok.

1 bro had to attend a legal meeting (before coming to attend our illegal one..lol!^^). anyhow we already cleared the bill with 13pax about to move to the right note karaoke at 8pm. anyhow the brotherhood went into action, and we had 5 bros waited on him with all the choice dishes from the buffet…a very satisfactory conclusion to a good dinner.

of course this not like the best teochew muay, but teochew muay in many places like joo chiat & geylang & havelock road so ex & not nice…i don’t thing any of this places serve a better braise duck or other braises than here, and even for cooked dishes i think here is better…

& at S$16nett pax, so much cheaper than all these teochew muay places..that’s why i don’t go to any of them for the longest time…

of course not comparing say ye shanghai type chilled fish, steamed fish/fish head & really good vegetables.

c.h.e.f andy

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

Cafe on the Ridge @ Kent Rudge Guild House

Address:

9 Kent Ridge Dr, Singapore 119241

Contact: