S$4 meepok tar
thought i will do dinner & skip lunch but wth… decided to spoil myself.
so had $4 meepok tar at jln tua kong 6th ave on 26.10.2016. ^^
S$4 meepok tar
S$4 meepok tar
S$4 meepok tar
chilli, noodles, ingrdients, soup always so good.
just shiok la!
c.h.e.f andy
++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Jln Tua Kong Mee Pok Tar
24 Sixth Ave, Singapore 276481
Good Good Eating House 好好餐室
which bali resort is this?
a group of RI friends have the idea that as we all have a good time coming together enjoying good food & company, making new memories together, maybe we can also do a charity fundraising while we are having our makan & chill get-together. ^^
we had a great fun time together that evening, and we raised S$16,948 for HCA Hospice Care.
hummus & breadstick
we decided to do this again at the same architect friend’s beautiful home, this time a sit down homecooked western dinner on 21.10.2016. ^^
the host provided some hummus & breadstick.
we gathered at the lounge looking into the tranquil koi pond, patio & swimming pool, sharing conversation & waiting for other friends to arrive.
for the food, the host have arranged for his helper to cook oxtail stew, a substantive main course.
i prepared the other dishes comprising a salad, 2 meat & a fish tapas, 2 pastas, a beef steak main course & tiramisu, a popular dessert among my friends.
2 friends came earlier to my place about 5.45pm to help transport the food/dishes over to our architect friend’s house.
we arrived in good time about 6.15pm. the helper’s oxtail stew was “brewing”, excellent aroma wafting in the kitchen.
i got the tapas dishes in the oven at 50degC to keep warm, salad & pastas ready for tossing when we starting dinner, & the ribeye steaks i would cook sometime into dinner.
#1 pumpkin tofu salad
we started dinner at 8pm when all the friends arrived.
my helper had prepared the tofu & pumpkin which i had added extra virgin olive oil, balsamic vinegar & some honey earlier (ran out of agave nectar).
when serving i added some ready mix of olive oil, balsamic, seasalt to the mesclun vegetables, tossed & added to make the pumpkin tofu salad. (this to keep the mesclun fresh & not soggy).
it was an excellent salad!
#1 smoked duck to accompany the pumpkin tofu salad
i had wanted to smoke duck breast myself (my own tea smoked duck breast here!), but i could not get the ready duck breast from sheng shiong & did not want to debone a whole duck for the purpose.
i chanced upon a ready smoked duck breast at phoon huat in clementi, & it turned out the duck breast was very good!
#2 teriyaki miso pork belly (so-so today)
my teriyako miso belly pork was a bit underwhelming today.
taste was ok but did not stand out.
the nobu miso cod though was excellent.
everyone liked it. one friend declared it was his best dish for this evening’s dinner, and plans to cook the dish himself.
the gordon ramsay slow-braised crackling pork was tops this evening too.
my expert photographer friend was distracted this evening, focusing on some other subjects i think, haha!
the meat was very tender & flavourful, well braised, very tasty & still having the bite, not disintegrating! ^^
& the skin was very crispy, crackling.
many friends commented on the crackling skin. it was in the oven for 2 hrs to keep warm, and the skin remained crackling.
the alio olio pasta was very tasty & a friend declared that was his best dish for the evening.
it didn’t start off as alio olio, lol!^^
i bought 5 large squid (2.3kg) form chinatown the day before, and that was all the squid ink there was from the 5 squid.
so i decided to evolve the dish into alio olio, the easiest to make – just browned a whole bulb garlic, fried sliced chicken & prawns, then some diced scallops, tossed in the spaghetti when serving & garnish with thai sweet basil.
squid ink is very flavourful, so though this was not a squidink dish (my squidink pasta here!), the squid ink enhanced the taste of the alio olio pasta!
the second pasta i did was prawn pasta in pink (creamy tomatoes) sauce. a friend mentioned that this pasta was very good.
i like the tomatoes flavour, an excellent dish really, just tomato taste a bit more commonplace.
this was my best dish for the evening.
it was made the host’s helper. (i subsequently recreated this dish myself)
for me, the top 4 dishes were this oxtail stew, the sliced beef tagliata, nobu miso cod & the crackling belly pork.
as this dish was made by my friend’s helper rather than my own, i was more excited trying it.
everyone liked this dish…a friend said the beef was so tender…indeed excellent steak, tender, juicy, sweet! ^^
tagliata di manzo is a common steak dish served in italian restaurants. tagliata means cut, and manzo means beef, so just a sliced beef dish that is well plated with cherry tomatoes & rockets (i used mesclun this evening as i could not get rockets at giant the day before).
#9 tiramisu
& i made tiramisu, a dessert which all my friends liked.
2 friends had extra, extra helpings! 🙂
the host provided cut fruits – papaya & sweet rock melons, and also baluku.
such a pleasant bali dining environment
the bali setting was mesmerising, very calming, warm, welcoming, tranquil.
nice tableware
table was set by the helper. nice tableware.
nice tableware
nice tableware – placemat. 🙂
table set for 10pax dinner
tabel set for 10pax dinner
very enjoyable, relaxing dinner with good friends, long time pals from schooldays in RI from 1971, 45yrs ago.
we say we are all VSOP = very special old pals! ^^
bali retreat
bali retreat
everyone had a great time. memorable joyful evening.
after taking leave from the gracious host & getting home, got the whatsapp message from tai kor (big bro) that we collected $10,020 for HCA Hospice Care.
as we shared these 2 times we came together to organise the FGS Charity Dinners-
the dinner size, donations & amounts are not so important…just old friends having good fun together with the added opportunity to have the joy to make a donation if so wishes la….
c.h.e.f andy
shikisai japanese breakfast
next morning we had breakfast at 8am on 13.10,2016. ^^
it was some redemption (though only breakfast). 🙂
i would put this breakfast up there, as meeting the standard this ryokan should offer la. 🙂
shikisai dining hall
nice dining hall, and in the morning light, a different feel – bright, “airy”, feels expansive looking out at the greens. would have been lots better if they were koyo colours & momiji of course. sigh!
appetizers=fish roe, marinated herrings etc
the appetizer dish included fish roe & a marinated herrings dish (both were very nice) & some gluten. 🙂
salad
salad was good also, with the orange thing some savoury stuff. good! 🙂
onsen egg
onsen egg maybe ordinary, but it’s my perennial favourite. 🙂
steamed yuba dish
wife liked this steamed yuba dish a lot.
and it was very good la! 🙂
clear soup with nori
there was a packet of nori (seaweed) on the table. i added some to the clear soup & some to my rice.
steamed tofu
the steamed tofu dish was very good too.
steamed tofu
especially when added to the sauce & taken together.
steamed cod
additionally we had a steamed cod.
steamed cod
this method of preparation similar to the beef last evening, just placed on a oppa leave & light up below & covered. maybe steamed/simmered?
the cod was pre treated, quite often the case including in bentos.
steamed cod
it was nice & tasty.
red bean dessert
& ended with a simple red bean dessert.
this breakfast was not luxurious, but the food items were certainly tasty & delicious, and adequate, and so it meet the standard for breakfast for such a ryokan like shikisai, where the kaiseki diner did not la.
c.h.e.f andy
++++++++++++++++++++++++++
5 appetizers
2 main attractions of staying in japanese ryokans are (1) the sumptuous kaiseki dinner & breakfast (2) the onsen.
of course, guests have also come to have high expectation of the service, basically the entire experience of ryokan stay. 🙂
the very first ryokan i stayed in was at senkei 仙景 annex yamagaso in hakone.
it was literally like staying in “shangri-la”, divine scenery no less, at least that was the cherished memories. ^^ there i had my first taste of kuroge wagyu, the true 黑毛和牛. 🙂
don’t know how long ago was that, maybe 10yrs now?
the best ryokan experience over the whole holiday stays was undoubtedly in tohoku in 2010, just before it was ravaged by tsunami & nuclear fallout in 2011. how sad!
food wise though, the more recent ryokans impressed much less.
- <partly also because Singapore’s food standards (including some japanese restaurants here) have gone very much higher, comparable to the best worldwide.>
shikisai dining hall
shikisai dining hall – ryokan was fully booked
shikisai has a nice large dining hall, on basement level, overlooking nature & trees.
shikisai kaiseki dinner menu
shikisai kaiseki dinner menu (english)
shikisai is not a cheaper range ryokan, so we were expecting a sumptuous kaiseki.
the kaiseki menu looked like a long menu, but it actually was not. in fact it was quite a small menu c/w many kaiseki dinners we had at many different ryokans in tohoku (say).
junmai sake
wife ordered a sake.
at first she asked for a smaller sake as i do not drink.
the server came with sake in a glass full of ice.
we take sake chilled yes, in ice i never seen that before??? must be something lost in translation. anyway we rejected it & wife got a 300ml junmai. the sake was good, expensive i think 1800yen but good. 🙂
#1 grilled saury
the sakizuke(先附) had 5 items. they were pretty good but not outstanding.
grilled saury was good.
shimeji mushrooms with ikura
the shimkeji mushrooms with ikura quite appetising too.
marinated mussels
marinated mussels so so.
duck egg was just excellent..chestnut dish quite interesting
the duck egg was excellent, not salty, not strong gamey, quite nice flavour & great texture.
the chestnut was just chestnut, nice. the “sea urchin” shell was some cracker thing, much like deep-fried spaghetti type of nice bites.
#2 great soup with gluten
the soup was good, tasty. gluten was good too.
#2 great soup with nice starchy item
it was not the standard of a good dobin mushi, but much better than any gohan soup, miso or clear soup.
#3 sashimi was good quality = chutoro botanebi maybe sawara (spanish mackerel)?
the sashimi dish was good quality, with a small botan ebi, chutoro & what maybe sawara (spanish mackerel).
#3 sashimi was good quality = chutoro botanebi maybe sawara (spanish mackerel)?
sashimi was very fresh, sweet, quite excellent.
#4 tochigi wagyu 国产牛
#4 tochigi wagyu 国产牛
after sashimi, we had tochigi wagyu.
i think it’s a 国产牛，not the standard of kuroge wagyu 黑毛和牛.
but even as 国产牛, the quality was quite average. still nice, a bit beefy for wife, and the method of cooking was a bit like steaming & not pan-grilled or bbq. so maybe that suited this beef which may not be a top marbled wagyu.
#5 yuba in soya bean
#5 yuba in soya bean
we had a yuba dish, served in soya bean drink & served with dipping sauce.
a simple dish, but importantly it was nice.
#6 uni with gluten
#6 uni with gluten
the steamed dish of uni with gluten was average or poor, as the uni is the dry hard type not the sweet, fresh, melt in the mouth, exploding flavours variety.
zaru soba = an absolute disaster worse than what was served on ANA flight
the plain zaru soba ought not be served. it was hard, uncooked inedible, and had no place in a kaiseki.
as i recorded on my FB, the soba served on ANA airline packaged meal was very much better. the noodles were normal qq & the soba sauce was tasty. THIS???
even a plain rice gohan set would be better.
creme brulee combo dessert
the creme brulee combo dessert was competent.
maybe ryokan these days try to cater for wider taste, and throw in some western stuff. this was competent so nothing to complain. i guess actually more luxurious than just some red bean dessert or a plum jelly.
overall the kaiseki was a huge disappointment. very meagre by kaiseki standards, hardly anything other than a decent appetizer, excellent sashimi, average beef, no fish, no broiled dish, no braised dish etc.
this kaiseki was as disappointing as that on the first night at gettoan at yufuin, kyushu.
ok, not sumptuous is one thing, not being luxurious or top ingredients, but more importantly taste. this kaiseki could not even said to be scrumptious. maybe just excellent sashimi & a few competent dishes!
just c/w with hachi’s S$88 set lunch with 3 wagyu dishes, huge oyster, deep-fried scallops etc.
fortunately the second night dinner at shikisai was better. tell that story later la…
c.h.e.f andy
++++++++++++++++++++++++++
sliced fish noodles soup – S$6
i didn’t have a good experience with new food town seafood zi char dishes the last time.
my youngest daughter didn’t want the master tang wanton noodles after looking at it, and nothing much else to order here, so decided to have the fish soup at new food town fish soup on 23.10.2016.
interestingly, this fish soup turned out to be very good!
broth was tasty, sliced fish was good, & daughter picked a slight brown stringy noodles, not the usual mee kia, and that was very good.
new food town fish soup
this stall i will come back & try myself.
c.h.e.f andy
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
10E Sixth Avenue
#01-01/02
Singapore 276474
Daily (closed Thursday):
08:00am – 04:00pm
+65 91992646
wanton noodles dry – S$3.50
daughter wanted to try master tang wanton noodles, so 5 of us went to kopitown at 6th avenue on 23.10.2016.
so much good reviews by so many writers.
so much good things written about mr tang. at 84, among the oldest master hawkers in singapore, 20 years as chief kitchen trainer at crystal jade, makes his own noodles, hong long style noodles etc….
too bad i really dislike this noodles.
i think it’s the worse wanton noodles i have taken!
the much written about S$3.50 wanton noodles dry has no char siew. i did not take the wanton, but the noodles were really “dry” & tasteless, hardly any sauce & only tasted of oyster sauce, which as a standalone taste something i do not like…
it looks nothing like the S$3.50 wanton noodles dry photos in so many other reviews.
master tang wanton noodles
must be a bad day la! boss not around..
wanton noodles soup
i don’t think anything of the noodles soup either!
dumpling soup 水饺汤
the dumpling soup 水饺汤 for me mediocre at best la…
normally i would not go back to such a stall…but there being so many good reviews…maybe i will give it any try some day..not so thrilled about going back too soon though…
c.h.e.f andy
++++++++++++++++++++++++
| Daily |
|---|
#1 lobster ball with chef’s special sauce
had dinner with wife at tunglok signatures orchard parade on 22.10.2016. ^^
been here several times lately, & enjoying it everytime. 🙂
6-course dinner set
we just had an excellent 6-course dinner here 3 weeks back on 2.10.2016, so was quite disappointed to see a change of menu!
as it turned out, the new menu was very good too.
#1 lobster ball with chef’s special sauce
first course was a deep-fried lobster ball.
very good! not as good as the lobster steak in the last menu, but still very nice. chef’s special sauce quite special, a bit japanese.
#2 flambe tan jia sharksfin soup
flambe sharksfin was good as always.
#2 flambe tan jia sharksfin soup
good serving of sharksfin & very good stock.
#3 star garoupa fillet
the steamed star garoupa with preserved veg was excellent!
star garoupa fillet
very very good.
i think i will try this style (with preserve veg) with red garoupa at home.
#4 belly pork
wife generally doesn’t prefer lamb rack.
so we asked for a change, and they served her a belly pork dish.
#4 belly pork
it was very good.
very tender & crackling skin.
not really that much different from my own gordon ramsay slow braised crackling belly pork.
#4 pan-grilled lamb rack
but the lamb rack was better!
wife liked it actually after she tried, though she wouldn’t take 1 serving by herself so the change was still a good one, so we could try both dishes.
#4 pan-grilled lamb rack
it really is the best chinese styled fine dining lamb rack i have taken.
not the usual sickly sticky chinese sauce. quite western actually or fusion…
this also i can think of doing at home.
#5 sliced abalone noodles
the very thick slice abalone quite impressive. 🙂
sliced abalone noodles
noodles were prefect!
& mushrooms, spinach all very good! 🙂
#5 sliced abalone noodles
the lobster steak noodles was still better than this though.
#6 aloe vera with lime sorbet in young coconut
we didn’t want the pulut hitam dessert, so changed both to aloe vera with lime sorbet.
#6 aloe vera with lime sorbet in young coconut
this really refreshing & enjoyable.
not better than the usual 雪中情怀we used to have but a very good dessert on its own right la! 🙂
overall dinner was S$126 (or S$63pax nett) after amex love dining 50% discounts. very good value top quality dinner set!
c.h.e.f andy
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Tunglok Signatures @ Orchard Parad
Address :
Orchard Parade Hotel #02-18
1 Tanglin Road
Singapore 247905
Contact :
Tel : +65 6834 0660
Fax : +65 6834 0550
Opening Hours :
Lunch :11.30am – 3.00pm (Daily)
Dinner :6.00pm -10.30pm (Daily)
Krisflyer gold lounge food – miesli with nuts
wife & i flying off for a short walking holiday at nikko 12-17.10.2016. ^^
we were flying ANA to haneda airport, tokyo so checked in & boarding at changi T2 on 11.10.2016 night. 🙂
Krisflyer gold lounge
DBS asia treasure lounge at T2 under reno & re-opening in dec2016.
wife got invitation to krisflyer gold lounge + 1 guest.
Krisflyer gold lounge
lounge was comfortable enough.
internet was ok.
Krisflyer gold lounge food
food though was not quite the same la…c/w with asia treasure lounge.
Krisflyer gold lounge food
some noodles, tofu (hard, quite poorly done), mushrooms, asparagus. nothing that attracted.
anyway still a good stop before boarding ANA. 🙂
c.h.e.f andy
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Krisflyer Gold Lounge @ Changi T2
Address:
60 Airport Blvd, Singapore 819643
Opening Hours:
24 hours
chai buay, tau kee & pig trotters
my OPS primary school classmate bought 3 pax lunch at joo siah bak koot teh today on 19.10.2016. ^^
joo siah bak koot teh 裕城肉骨茶
joo siah quite well known, but i have not tried before.
we were there at 1.50pm.
no queue at this time but the long排骨sold out, so friend ordered 肉骨.
kai xiang food centre
joo siah is located at a coffeeshop kai xiang food centre. 🙂
bakuteh
the bkt was better than i expected.
actually i was not expecting much, as i can make very good bkt myself easily with cheap ingredients.
bakuteh
joo siah’s soup was good, better than mine i think.
my frozen prime ribs better than this 肉骨 though, as it is prime ribs. prime ribs are more fatty & have better bite, whereas the pork ribs have large part of lean meat not so flavourful & poorer texture.
liver, kidney, small intestines
liver, kidney, small intestines was pretty ok.
on balance, i like seng kee (amk ave 10)’s pig’s tail soup better.
pig trotters
pig trotters quite flavourful. the gelatinous part was good. there was a lot of lean meat though & texture average though taste was good.
by comparison, seng kee (amk ave 10)’s pig trotters would be the kind of standard i prefer.
tau kee
tau kee was good.
chai buay
& chai buay ok too. i would prefer the teochew type chai buay but i guess they were quite different dishes.
lunch for 3pax was S$42.
don’t know if it was expensive. guess it is like the going price in a good bkt place, that’s why i feel quite happy having my own bkt at home.
lunch was fun. we chatted for quite long after makan. then the friends adjourned, came to my place for some kaya toast & more coffee chat.
c.h.e.f andy
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Joo Siah Bak Koot Teh 裕城肉骨茶
Address:
| daily |
|---|
lobster steak noodles 龙虾扒面 S$28
had an excellent dinner chat with my brother this evening at tunglok signatures orchard parade on 18.10.2016. ^^
a place wife & i like & i enjoy many makans here with family & friends.
no point for me to order that as it would equal a S$52 order for other menu items entitled to discounts.
pumpkin soup － one of many excellent lie tong 例汤 (S$16)
we had the lie tong 例汤. tunglok is excellent for lie tong 例汤. i think better than many sharksfin soup.
& this is one of many very nice lie tong 例汤. my helper can make many of these soups very well. this one though was really super here.
pumpkin soup ingredients － soft bones + pumpkin (S$16)
simple ingredients pork soft bones & pumpkin.
pumpkin soup ingredients － soft bones + pumpkin (S$16)
we finished all of them la….^^
roast pork 烧肉 – S$12
one look & you know this roast pork was excellent.
roast pork 烧肉 – S$12
skin could not be more crispy & yet so fine. & the meat texture & taste simply perfect!
prawns in 2 ways – wasabi & salted egg (S$10)
i ordered 1 portion.
prawns were fresh & well fried. this one the batter not the best.
sauces were just nice not overpowering. tomato was excellent.
rack of lamb S$15
this is one place that serves the very best chinese rack of lamb in fine dining presentation.
rack of lamb S$15
usually chinese styled lamb rack is too sickly stickly sweet. this one just perfect.
lobster steak noodles 龙虾扒面 S$28
& the lobster steak was just par excellence. very fresh, bouncy, sweet, tender.
scallop noodles S$10.80
the scallop noodles was fine too.
but of course paled in comparison la…
complimentary beetroot cocktail juice
the server told us this was beetroot, with apple, lime etc.
most mistook it as watermelon. me too la! 🙂
scallop noodles S$10.80
dessert here very good, but brother too full to add a vegetable dish or dessert.
2pax dinner came to S$59 after 50% amex love dining discounts. now they don’t offer parking so it’s S$4 per entry parking for dinner. manageable. 🙂
we stayed & had long chat after dinner. never fail to enjoy great makans & outing here.
c.h.e.f andy
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Tunglok Signatures @ Orchard Parad
Address :
Orchard Parade Hotel #02-18
1 Tanglin Road
Singapore 247905
Contact :
Tel : +65 6834 0660
Fax : +65 6834 0550
Opening Hours :
Lunch :11.30am – 3.00pm (Daily)
Dinner :6.00pm -10.30pm (Daily)
S$4 pork porridge
my brother invited us for a concert at lee foundation theatre, NAFA campus 3, where he is the conductor & arranged most for the songs & music pieces on 8.10.2016. ^^
we turned left into princep street from middle road & managed to park atNAFA campus 3 itself.
it was free seating. my sis & bil also attending. she went early & managed to get some seats in the front row.
it was a enjoyable concert with many old songs & several from the xin yao era新谣…
after the concert, we thought of getting a bite (we both did not take dinner). it was quite late, many places were closed including smith street roadside stalls (past 10.30pm).
anyway, we already parked at temple street so walked to keong saik & of course tiong shian porridge 长城粥品中心coffeeshop is open.
tiong shian porridge coffeeshop @ keong saik street
tiong shian porridge coffeeshop @ keong saik street
tiong shian porridge coffeeshop @ keong saik street
place was full but not crowded. sometimes there were queues to order food.
S$4 pork porridge
we ordered a S$4 porridge.
it still took 15mins to arrive.
S$4 pork porridge
we shared the S$4 porridge
porridge was ok, quite passable, but this the still broken rice, NOT the hong kong totally smooth style which we like.
or any of the crystal jade porridge & of course the hong kong street porridge.
about the standard of hong kee porridge at commonwealth crescent food centre i had recently.
ingredients good, like 5 tiny meat balls, quite a bit of sliced lean pork, 4 to 5 small pieces of liver & 3 small intestines – quite good for S$4.
this the kind of porridge that can be quite nice if you add a bit more fish sauce & pepper.
S$4 pork porridge
the crowd obviously like this place.
for me, for a S$4 pork porridge when other places are mostly closed, quite a ok place to come.
c.h.e.f andy
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Tiong Shian Porridge 长城粥品中心 Coffeeshop
| daily |
|---|
garlic steamed seabass – S$21.90
a chinese friend bought lunch today at formosa delights 清香馆 along clementi road today on 6.10.2016. ^^
seldom come to this stretch of shophouses. it is next to the cheese prata shop & fei fei wanton noodles.
this place is at the junction with pasir panjang road & we all parked at the public barrier carpark across the road & walked back.
清香馆
place had a good crowd at 12.30pm.
service by a vietnamese girl who spoke ok english & mandarin was quite ok. 🙂
garlic steamed seabass – S$21.90
this place seems to be good with its seabass dishes, similar to the 重庆烤鱼type dishes.
& only uses seabass, no 鲶鱼, no snakehead fish.
don’t really understand the pricing, the hk steamed 港蒸is like S$25.90, the i think mala style is S$28.90. don’t make sense to me that garlic steamed should be cheaper than 港蒸, so i told my friend to order the garlic steamed. seabass has a bit of mud taste & more mushy meat not so good 清蒸w/o stronger condiments.
garlic steamed seabass – S$21.90
this was good. i expected it to be like you can do garlic or minced ginger with pating fish.
fish was sweet & nice with the garlic. think i will try this myself at home.
锅贴 guo tie – S$5
锅贴 guo tie – S$5
锅贴 guo tie was good too, much better than i expected. tasty fillings, good dough & nicely crisp.
fried asparagus – S$11.40
asparagus was quite a good serving.
fried asparagus – S$11.40
& done very competently. good wok hae, nice garlic flavour, sweet asparagus.
lunch for 3pax
lunch for 3pax was S$40. GST but no service charge.
this a place i will come back again.
c.h.e.f andy
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
清香馆
Address:
20 Clementi Rd, Singapore 129749
Contact:
+65 67787398
Opening Hours:
Daily: 11:00 – 00:00
made vietnamese chragrilled pork collar & salted fish with celery this morning on 8.10.2016. ^^
this my 14th community lunch dish for bathesda community’s newgate learning hub (bread of life).🙂
my 1st for newgate bread of life community lunch was on 27.2.2016.
it was not so different from the last time, the 13th newgate community lunch on 24.9.2016.
i just replaced the stir-fried pork with vietnamese chargrilled pork.
the later require some marinade & sugar so that it can caramelise on a very hot wok/pan.
celery with salted fish
i did the celery separately.
celery with salted fish
transferred to aluminium tray.
vietnamese chargrilled pork collar & celery with salted fish
then topped with the chargrilled pork.
then i put in a 50degC oven prior to transporting to newgate learning hub.
there were 1.5kg of marinated pork collar.
i marinated the pork collar 48hrs in advance as per my vietnamese chargrilled pork recipe.
for the last batch i separated again in 2, the managed to char a little. 🙂
i tried the pork, it was very tasty. ^^
celery
i cut, washed & drained the celery.
fried sliced ginger & salted fish before adding chopped garlic
i fried the sliced ginger & salted fish before adding chopped garlic.
celery with salted fish
then added the celery.
celery with salted fish
veg a lot of water. no need to add water.
i tasted, and decided to add some oyster sauce (1 heap tbsp).
celery with salted fish
i tasted again. taste was very good, texture needed to soften more.
celery with salted fish
so covered for 2 mins, then removed cover & reduced the liquids a bit.
tried again, taste & texture almost perfect la.
newgate learning hub bread of life (BOL) saturday community lunch
newgate learning hub bread of life (BOL) saturday community lunch
today there was a larger crowd. they counted 82pax. usually it is about 70pax.
this is my last time cooking for newgate bread of life (BOL) community. i do alternate fortnights for BOL & for teban gardens. next week is for teban gardens. the week after they have outing on 22.10.2016 so no need. & their final week at this current premises for the current year is 29.10.2016, the week i am with teban gardens. 🙂
c.h.e.f andy
1/2royal london duck = S$25
a OPS primary school classmate treated us to 4pax dinner at royal london duck at mandarin gallery level 4 on 4.10.2016. ^^
the royal london duck was very good! very impressed.
this the smallish fatty irish duck that is making its round in many restaurants in singapore.
tunglok’s signature’s royal london duck was amongst the best i had in singapore.
this one at royal london duck was just as good, and very pretty! 🙂
we had like 10 dishes for 4pax dinner
the host ordered many dishes. 🙂
char siew
char siew here also among the best i had.
very tender tasty pork belly, with a sticky slightly sweet sauce.
1/2royal london duck = S$25
the london duck was the best dish for the evening.
1/2royal london duck = S$25
if i have to make a comparison, i think tunglok’s was a bit more fatty so very fragrant & skin more crispy.
this one has very nice sauce. both were excellent!
pork trotters terrine 熏蹄
the 熏蹄 was very good too, very flavourful.
i would put this as tie with the char siew, second to the duck.
fragrant crunchy pork一口香酥肉
fragrant crunchy pork一口香酥肉 also very good, but just a bit salty.
i put this as 3rd best dish.
signature steamed rice roll – some springroll fun cheong
steamed rice roll an unusual dish, their signature item too.
it felt a bit like the 炸两, a hong kong dimusm i don’t much fancy, with yao cha guai 油条inside the fun cheong.
in this case spring roll fillings was nice & crispy too. good stuff! 🙂
xo turnip cake
xo turnip cake was good.
my youngest daughter favourite, not my favourite.
i had better xo turnip cake else where though eg mostly recently at full of luck club.
duck meat xiolongbao
duck meat xiaolongbao was ok, nice soup, nice fillings, skin didn’t tear except when picked up by my clumsy friend.. just kidding la…:-p
har gao
we ate har gao much later. the skin was rubbery.
maybe would be better if we ate when hot, but i think it was not as good as most dimsum places.
poached hk kai lan
poached kai lan very good.
poached hk kai lan
i ate many pieces, as the hostess kept serving to me.
conpoy porridge
our hungry friend ordered a plain porridge (he later ordered some kaya balls at yakun coffee place at paragon). it was a huge serving. i took 2 tablespoon to try.
it was among the best congee i had, so smooth, and when congee is done well so sweet for a plain item. this was as good as the congee in hong kong.
dinner came to S$100 for 4pax after 10% POSB/DBS discounts, quite good for so many dishes & very nice 1/2 duck.
i will come back with family & friends.
& we had a great evening makan & chat together, & later went over to yakun at paragon for a cuppa.
i didn’t notice but a friend’s daughter was at the next table. when she was leaving she came over to say hello with her daughter who just finished her PSLE. a pretty lady & her pretty daughter, a very well brought up well mannered & at ease little girl. 🙂
c.h.e.f andy
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Wednesday
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chilled mullet pigs tail bkt pork trotters = S$40
went with sis & bil to 光明山to pay respects.
after that drove to seng kee bakuteh @ amk ave 10 chong boon food centre on 4.10.2016. ^^
we were there about 11.15am, no queue yet.
long queue at 11.30am
later while we were eating, the queue was about 7-8pax.
seng kee bkt
seng kee sells bkt, pig’s tail, pork trotters & fish.
today they have chilled mullet 冻乌鱼 selling at S$12 & S$17, and pek tor (rabbit fish) selling at 2 for S$8.
chilled mullet 冻乌鱼pigs tail bkt pork trotters = S$40
price was expensive for supposedly cheap food in a market/food centre stall.
we had 4 items ＝ chilled mullet 冻乌鱼，pigs tail， bkt & pork trotters for S$40.
& that was after refusing a huge plate of pig trotters & accepting a $4 plate instead!!!
chilled mullet 冻乌鱼=S$17
the chilled mullet 冻乌鱼 was S$17!!!
it was nice, fresh, tasty, skin easily removed (as it should be).
chilled mullet 冻乌鱼=S$17
it’s a larger chilled mullet 冻乌鱼 than the size i prefer to buy at sheng shiong when there is offer like 2 for S$8.90.
for this size, maybe about S$5 each.
& the chilled mullet 冻乌鱼 i made at home is equally nice as this one.
i forgot to take a separate photo for the bakuteh. it was S$7, NOT the excellent long prime ribs龙骨served by rong cheng 榕城 bakuteh at sin min road….
anyway bkt also quite nice, and soup very competent…
pigs tail = S$8
the pig’s tail was S$8. I guess quite ok price. a pig’s tail this size cost S$3+ at sheng shiong.
soup was good not super. pig’s tail was good!
pork trotters = S$4
& the pork trotters was good! excellent texture & flavours too.
so the food was actually pretty ok, the price (on the boards) were quite ok for trotters etc. & there was quite long queue so people do like the food.
but i really don’t like the attitude=pushing my sister a huge plate (which we rejected) like 2.5x to 3x the serving of the S$4 trotters when my sis asked for small. when i asked them to give the S$4, the second women said S$4 was for 1pax.
for this i myself will not return to this stall, at least for a while….
c.h.e.f andy
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Seng Kee Bak Kut Teh (Ang Mo Kio)
Address:
453A Ang Mo Kio Avenue 10#01-06
Chong Boon Market & Food Centre
Opening Hours:
Mon – Sat : 11:45am – 08:30pm
#1 panfried lobster steak
went with wife for dinner at tunglok signature orchard parade on 2.10.2016. ^^
had a nice 6km almost 2hrs walk at hort park this morning followed by a not so nice bakchormee at ah hoe meepok.
now looking forward to a great dinner.
6-course set dinner menu = amex lovedining 50% discounts for 2pax
tunglok is our regular haunt & part for amex lovedining.
for weekends the 50% discounts for 2pax apply only for the set menu.
we had among the best 6-course dinner here in 2013. and had it several times since. 🙂
the menu changed recently, so we decided to try the new 6-course menu= S$98pax at 50% discounts.
it was simply superb! ^^
#1 panfried lobster steak
we started with a lobster steak.
it was a big helping. 1/2 of a decent size live lobster, very flavourful with a nice sauce with a hint of wasabi & salad. 🙂
i may be able to do this myself using crayfish…
#2 flambe sharksfin
not sure what the flambe does? look nice of course, & a hotter soup (it does boils the side) always good. 🙂
#2 flambe sharksfin
anyway it was the usual tan jia preparation, very tasty broth, smooth & pleasing.
#3 green chilli steamed red garoupa
the green chilli steamed red garoupa was outstanding, a surprise for me.
tunglok always do excellent garoupa fillet dish. this was though quite exceptional.
really nice individual serving presentation, large serving of very fresh & tasty garoupa & a quite spicy (a great kick!) really lovely broth.
i am thinking how to do this myself…fillet a 1kg garoupa, make a sauce (boil the head & bones with some spinach (blend??) & chilli padi & reduce), steam the fillet…
#3 green chilli steamed red garoupa
such a wonderful dish! 🙂
#4 panfried spanish kurobuta steak
the panfried spanosh kurobuta also exceed my expectations.
chinese style beef, lamb rack, kurobuta tend to have too sweet marinades.
good ones like it is done here i mostly like but still i like the western preparations better.
#4 panfried spanish kurobuta steak
this one was very good, nice, tasty, peppery, & nice asparagus.
for this, i can probably vary my reverse sear mock kurobuta recipe & adjust the marinade…
#5 scallop noodles
scallop noodles very nice too.
not the best noodle dish here, but very good la! 🙂
scallop noodles
great stock, nice, plump scallops, small amount of noodles, just nice to round off the meal.
this should be easier to replicate.
not as difficult as the prawns in golden braising sauce (黄焖大虾面)
#6 aloe vera & jelly with sorbet in coconut
this aloe vera lemon jelly dessert excellent too!
i always like the 雪中情怀 here = which is a very nice 杨枝甘露 topped with vanilla & coconut ice cream.
this one with lychee sorbet was not better but just as excellent! 🙂
complimentary juice
we had the usual complimentary juice.
dinner came to S$125nett for 2pax after amex lovedining discounts.
these days they charged 10% service on the undiscounted bill. also no more free parking. so S$4 for evening per entry parking.
for us, a really excellent dinner & superb value.
c.h.e.f andy
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Tunglok Signatures @ Orchard Parad
Address :
Orchard Parade Hotel #02-18
1 Tanglin Road
Singapore 247905
Contact :
Tel : +65 6834 0660
Fax : +65 6834 0550
Opening Hours :
Lunch :11.30am – 3.00pm (Daily)
Dinner :6.00pm -10.30pm (Daily)
japanese fusion mee pok – S$6
went to ah hoe mee pok after our 6km almost 2 hrs early morning walk at hort park on 2.10.2016.
long queue at ah hoe mee pok = 45mins
the same long queue.
i queued from 9.45am to 10.30am = a full 45mins.
online orders
there was a sign saying you can skip the queue by ordering online.
different offers at ah hoe mee pok
ah hoe actually offer quite many noodle styles.
there is the fishball noodles, the bakchormee (my usual orders), the S$10 crayfish noodles & the $10 bg prawn noodles.
today i also ordered the S$6 japanese fusion mee pok(only available on weekends). they have miso & shoyu (i picked miso) & basically gave the chasu (braised pork). See top photo.
i had enjoyed ah hoe mee pok the last few times i came, most recently on 16.9.2016.
unfortunately today’s noodles were not nice.
the jap owner rested & a woman then a guy took over when i got to 5th in the queue. don’t know if it made a difference. but today the vinegar was excessive & overpowering & in a way destroyed the dish.
the japanese fusion noodles was not as good as the usual dry mee pok. but at least it was soup so did not have the overpowering vinegar today. the chasu was ok but NOT comparable at all with the real ramen chasu.
overall it was still a nice mee pok but as a soup mee pok no comparison with the xing ji (興记) bakchormee fengshan food centre, which is like the best soup mee pok for me.
i though had liked this ah hoe mee pok also & had it several times but today it was just NOT good la.
c.h.e.f andy
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Ah Hoe Mee Pok
| daily | 6AM–3PM |
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japanese wagyu
we decided to try nabehide where amex lovedining offers 50% discounts for 2pax this evening on 1.10.2016.^^
nabehide
restaurant was quite with few customers at 7.30pm on a saturday.
server told us restaurant closing/shutting down on 23.10.2016. no business i guess.
palate (lovedining) menu
the usual lovedining conditions require minimum order of 2 main courses.
unlike most lovedining restaurants where you can order 2 mains from the ala carte menu, nabehide restricts the 2 main courses to a small palate (now lovedining) menu.
japanese wagyu
we were uncertain of the quality of the Jap wagyu, so we started with 1 order.
the 250g wagyu was served in 2 trays, 9 pieces.
wagyu was tender & flavourful. quality was very good. 🙂
japanese wagyu
the wagyu came with complimentary vegetable platter. or choices of 3 items from the veg menu.
vegetables
we picked the platter for our first order.
charcoal-hotpot
the hotpot came in a cast iron pot over a smokeless charcoal stove.
charcoal hotpot-konbu & goma soup base
the server told us the S$5 goma (sesame) dashi the most popular. the knobu dashi is free, so we had the 鸳鸯 duet dashi. there s no 50% discounts for the $5 dashi.
japanese wagyu
we were happy with the wagyu so we order a second serving, plus we tried the S$8.90 pork collar as well.
this time we had 3 veg=tan orh, king oyster mushroom & shitake. 🙂
pork collar was pretty good actually, just that we didn’t really need it, just to try only.
very tasty goma dashu
the goma dashi after infusing all the wagyu goodness, was super tasty.
japanese normally don’t take soup from shabu shabu. but this goma dashi obviously for drinking & it was very good.
the damage (at S$160nett for 2pax) was substantial, even with 50% discounts…haha! 🙂
of course one can be paying S$350/kg for jap wagyu steak at isetan supermart. for shabu beef maybe S$200+/kg, and we had 500g wagyu for 2 servings, should be almost 500g anyway for the 4 trays.
they charge service on the full price (so that’s S$22.60). restaurant need to make some money la…so nothing to say.
the sake at S$22.80 was poor/average quality…
i think dinner was ok, not great value for money (mikuni’s S$48 wagyu sukiyaki + 50% discounts would be better value) but quite ok.
c.h.e.f andy
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cold appetizer station
went with my OPS primary school classmate for lunch at the line on 28.9.2016. ^^
the line is a new inclusion in amex lovedining, so we have 50% discounts for 2pax for the S$62pax buffet lunch.
this maybe the second time i came here. the first time probably like maybe 5yrs ago when there was also some 50% discounts. didn’t leave an impression then, didn’t leave an impression this time round too.
oysters
the cold appetizer station quite limited oysters, mussels, clams, prawns.
oysters freshly shucked, sweet, plump but left a bit metallic taste on the palate.
oysters, mussels prawns
prawns were good, like most buffets. mussels, clams can do without.
sashimi station
there’s only salmon, maguro (tuna) & tako (octopus) at the sashimi station.
sushi station
& sushi no attraction for me, so i just took the atlantic surf clam & the reverse maki, ignored the scallop entrails & seaweed, no unagi sushi.
salmon & tako sashimi, atlantic surf clam sushi & reverse maki
the salmon belly sashimi was very good though, very fresh, nice cut, sweet.
salmon & tako sashimi, atlantic surf clam sushi & reverse maki
the sushi rice here quite good, tako so so la…
oysters & salmon belly
i had a second helping of oysters & salmon belly.
sushi, adegashi tofu, cha soba
ebi sushi no attraction for me. adegashi tofu mediocre, cha soba poor.
roasted lamb dish
the roasted lamb was tender & moist, should be quite good, but i forgot to get sauce & did not bother to go back for it, so taste quite bland.
baked salmon
baked salmon quite ok. took just tiny bits to try.
roasted lamb, grilled veg, baked salmon
the grilled vegetables were good, reminded me of pontini eons ago.
dimsum dishes
har gao was good.
my friend took the siew mai. i tried abit. it was good.
i took the orange skin dumpling. this was quite poor not worth trying, skin was thick & fillings were not tasty.
satay
satay was good. i took only 1 chicken satay.
satay & sambal seafood
tried the sambal seafood items.
sambal seafood,roasted lamb, grilled veg, baked salmon
buffet items – friend’s photo
good tasty if robust dish. a competent dish quite ok if no other food.
indian dishes
indian station probably the best food.
dimsum & indian lamb dish
marvellous indian lamb dish
lamb was especially good. very well marinated & properly chargrilled, very flavourful.
i took a bit of paneer (cottage cheese), always good, a prata with dahl & chicken curry.
roast duck, toast pork, char siew, poached chicken
the roast duck was poor, like an average hawker standard,
not even flavourful like chinatown stall or roast duck at joyful palace 怡乐坊, clementi coffeeshop stall,
and so no comparison with (a) canton paradise, (b) house of roasted duck or (c) tunglok signature etc….
laksa
laksa also poor. & too sweet.
prima laksa sauce standard or poorer.
popiah
popiah was good.
popiah
skin was good, thin, firm, not broken up. good chilli, nice wrapping & cutting (inconsistent, some i saw were quite poor). the trick is to ask for smaller amount of ingredients. then it will be manageable, neat & tidy.
cheese
cheese was ok not fantastic.
cheese
i had the brie, english blue stilton, nuts, jam/compotes, dried fruits.
cheese
small amounts. i like cheese, this nothing too great but i enjoyed it nonetheless.
nonya kueh
i took only the lapis sagu.
dessert
ignore the cakes. my friend took the chocolate mousse. i tried a bit it was good.
fruits & nonya kueh
& i had to try the choc lava cake.
choc lava cake
very ordinary, nothing to look at, good chocolate taste, no much lava so not that exciting.
yogurt ice cream
soft yogurt ice cream ok, not my favourite.
3 flavour ice cream
we had 3 flavours ofice cream, mango sherbert, sallted caramel (the best!!) & a pecan one.
cappuccino
& rounded off with a nice creamy cappuccino.
overall for me the buffet was quite mediocre, nothing that attracts me. likely even at 50% discounts=S$31++pax, i still would not be interested to come back.
& at S$62++pax for this food if no discounts, then it is to me overly expensive & not much meaning…
i guess that applies to most buffets for me.
i used to quite like equinox. but now the buffet like reduced 1/2 in size at the same price (S$59pax 50% discounts for 2pax).
the only attraction for equinox is it is a semi-buffet, meaning you order a fine dining main course dish.
here at the same, there is hardly any good standard main course except the indian station.
the point, 2 of us were saying, is that it is not that the standard of dishes here are poor, but they are mostly mediocre.
so if i rather go to eat good/top quality sashimi or pasta or roast duck or laksa or western main courses in small amount than to eat a lot of mediocre food here, & some poor ones like the roast duck & laksa.
not sure i would come back at all. if i do i will just do a bit oyster, sashimi, indian food, a bit dimsum, cheese & enjoyed the few i like.
c.h.e.f andy
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#1 JB Ah Meng 三楼米粉
we had a lot less RI G20 makans this year.
this time, the organiser chose JB Ah Meng. we had 16pax dinner on 27.7.2016. ^^
recently michelin released a list of bob gourmand eateries in singapore & JB Ah Meng is one.
great! i have been wanting to try this place since lately my OPS friends have been introducing me to 三楼米粉.
a vegetarian friend joined us later after dinner. he always made an effort to join us after our makan if he can.
JB Ah Meng
JB Ah Meng is located between lor 23 & aljunied road.
i turned around couple times but unable to get street parking, so parked at KH Plaza along aljunied road.
#2 famous white pepper crabs – 2 medium crabs S$48
i was a bit cautious, ordered only 8 dishes & medium serving.
later i asked the guys whether they wanted to add dishes, they did not need. a good thing too as we don’t need to eat too much at our age la…lol! 🙂
#2 famous white pepper crabs – 2 medium crabs S$48
white pepper crabs was done well, sweet, tasty. crabs were ok not super.
#1 JB Ah Meng 三楼米粉 _ S$14
#1 JB Ah Meng 三楼米粉 – S$14
the signature 三楼米粉 was excellent!
it was not the most crispy version but it was tasty, moist, flavourful, a wonderful dish.
i was quite inspired by seng kee that i went back & did a 三楼米粉myself. haha! ^^
#3 brinjal potato with chilli dish – S$12
the potato dish recommended by a few reviewers was good.
& in fact most of the dishes were done well & tasty even though not much special.
#4 kampung chicken with mushrooms – S$22
kampung chicken also good taste. serving small, bony & not that much meat.
#5 fishhead 金香鱼头 – S$24
#5 fishhead 金香鱼头 – S$24
金香鱼头 also small serving & mostly bones. quite ex for me at S$24.
#5 fishhead 金香鱼头
good thing the dishes all mostly quite tasty & flavorful. 🙂
#6 crispy lotus roots – S$12
crispy caramelised lotus roots good too! accompanied by snake beans, crunchy & fresh.
#6 crispy lotus roots – S$12
quite a good dish, not so common & nice to try.
#7 beancurd _ S$18
3 mushrooms beancurd was quite ordinary. for me the poorest of the dishes.
#7 beancurd dish – S$18
sauce was very ordinary, mostly like oyster sauce taste, not like very tasty tofu dishes at (say)
(both are also bib gourmand eateries now).
#8 青龙菜 – S$12
a friend wanted the 青龙菜.
it was good, like chives & tender. & good wok hae! so done quite well la..
price S$328 for 16pax
dinner was S$328 for 16pac which was just like S$20.50pax nett so overall price was ok.
if i had ordered a bit more dishes of larger dishes, probably say S$30pax, not really like cheap for zi char but quite ok la i guess.
we were seated 8pax on 2 tables. nice food & good time together with friends.
c.h.e.f andy
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c.h.e.f 