yong tau foo 

so we had a 5pax family lunch outing at holland drive food centre this morning on 25.9.2016.

we shared what i thought was expensive not great kueh chap & braised duck at cheng heng.

hakka noodle yong tau foo 

& daughter ordered 2 bowls of ytf at hakka noodles.

yong tau foo 

name is hakka but it felt more like hock chew?

the 釀 meat fillings were pork & not fish meat??

wife & daughter didn’t like it much.

soup was ok. ytf was non-descript. we left about 4 pieces uneaten.

i did not mind the noodles & chilli with some ikan bilis. but far from anything worth eating la.

c.h.e.f andy

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

Hakka Noodles

Address:

Holland Drive Food Centre, #02-15

44 Holland Dr, Singapore 270044

kueh chap

went for 5pax family lunch at holland drive food centre on 25.9.2016. ^^

today we shared some duck & kueh chap.

and daughter ordered 2 yong tau foo from hakka noodles.

cheng heng kueh chap

cheng heng kueh chap is a popular stall here.

cheng heng kueh chap

long queue.

i wonder why after trying the food?

but there’s always a reason. so i guess most people actually like the food. & in the end things are relative, just a matter of comparison.

kueh chap

the kueh was ok, soft. the gravy/sauce though not so tasty.

kueh chap

the intestines & pig skin were good, texture & taste, tau kua also good, taupok so so not soft enough not well infused yet, kong bak too fatty.

lor nerng (braised egg) was good. chai buay was not. not tasty like those teochew muay ones.

the duck was the poorest of the lot. duck not “pang” (flavourful) at all, meat too soft.. i forgot to take photo as it came last.

(cheng heng’s duck was like less than 1/2 the serving of happy duck’s 1/2 duck for S$18 in the photo below).

& it was S$26 for very little food.

bukit merah view FC happy duck’s 1/2 braised duck S$18

bukit merah view happy duck’s pigs ear, intestines, pig skin & lor bak S$10

so as i said everything just a matter of comparison.

c/w the S$30 duck & kueh chap lunch for 5pax guys i had at happy duck bukit merah view food centre on 16.6.2015?

for me, actually simply no comparison la..how to compare???

lor arh = braised duck

& if it was just a matter if taste & not price, then my own lor arh would be just a lot better lor..

lol! 🙂

c.h.e.f andy

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

Cheng Heng Kway Chap & Braised Duck

Address:

Holland Drive Food Centre, #02-05

44 Holland Dr, Singapore 270044

S$4 mee pok tar 

wife having dinner with her friends. children eating out.

decided to have a quick early dinner at jln tua kong mee pok tar at 6th avenue on 22.9.2016. ^^

jln tua kong mee pok tar @ 6th avenue 

i ordered the S$4 mee pok tar. really shiok la! 🙂

S$4 mee pok tar 

it’s really good S$4 mee pok tar…

everything good, the lar pok (crispy lard) the qq noodles, chilli especially good, minced pork, soup etc…

maybe fish balls not as good as xinlu at meiling food centre…

otherwise superb!

S$4 mee pok tar 

it was not too heavy, just nice for me 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

steamed chicken feet 

wife finished late today.

we did not want heavy lunch so decided to take advantage of 25% discount for tea at crystal jade kitchen @ hollandv (3pm to 5pm) on 21.9.2016.^^

good timing to do some errands & got a seat at the restaurant at 3pm.

crystal jade kitchen @ hollandv-3.15pm

restaurant was quite empty at this hour.

har gao 

har gao was tasty.

skin breaking up a bit but skin & fillings both tasty. i took with some chilli, quite enjoy it.

steamed pork ribs 

steamed pork ribs were good.

tasty, and good amount of meat. tender too. good standard this.

& the steamed chicken feet (top photos). good too.

3-combo porridge =liver,kidney,meatballs

& we always like the porridge (or congee) here.

we ordered the 3-combo, with liver, kidney & meat balls.

3-combo porridge =liver,kidney,meatballs 

porridg very smooth 滑, very good standard.

the bill after 25% discounts-S$26 

basically this standard of dimsum & porridge is HK standard. maybe a bit more than HK prices.

with 25% discounts it was ok at S$26nett. maybe still more ex than HK.

c.h.e.f andy

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

very good ice lemon tea S$1.80

after an excellent best-value lunch at feng bo zhuang, we went to essen at the pinnacle for cuppa on 20.9.2016. ^^

pinnacle @ duxton

pinnacle just outside CBD, so cheap parking just S$1 per hour.

and you can just walk down to tanjong pagar market, where my OPS friend has a stall selling chickens.

i bought some apples, pears, spanish melon from a fruit stall there.

such a wonderfully designed HDB skyscraper.

look better than private condos la… 🙂

essen at the pinnacle

nice cafe. there is nice seating indoors.

also nice wooden tables & chairs outside.

we had a drink inside, then continue outside open patio. 🙂

essen at the pinnacle

view of the buildings from the outside patio.

ancient tree

& the ancient tree outside.

i had a cappuccinoS$2.40. the long black were similarly priced.

it was average, not great, but quite a lot lower price for brewed coffee.

the i had another drink – an iced lemon tea. this was very good. not like just tea with a lemon slice, but nice strong lemon drink with tea flavours. very good. not too sweet also.

they say the food there so so & expensive, like 3 chicken wings for S$8.50. i think also very limited choice. so not much business la…

the drinks seem ok. 🙂

c.h.e.f andy

#4 spicy fish 口水鱼 – S$18

we had 7pax dinner here last month on 16.8.2016.

food was ok for me and there were a few dishes i liked especially the trotters, duck soup, & the 百叶fried bean curd puff dishes.

we had a spare S$100 groupon voucher, so my OPS friend decided to come back today to feng bo zhuang 风波庄 for lunch on 20.9.2016 before the voucher expires. ^^

appetizer

we had chinese tea & appetizer, a spicy bean thing, slightly salty.

i saw on the bill (bottom photo) that they charged S$1pax, pretty ok.

#1 jelly fish – S$8

my 2 OPS friends ordered the dishes. & they were a lot better than the last time.

we had jelly fish, refreshing, quite standard, pretty ok.

#2 lamb, pork, chicken skewers – 10 skewers S$1 each

we had 10 skewers – lamb, pork chicken.

seasoning ok the peppery 羊肉串flavours but the not well bbq, don’t have the bbq flavours.

#3 frog in bamboo 竹筒牛蛙 – S$18

frog was poor the last time.

but this frog in bamboo 竹筒牛蛙  quite tasty, especially with the sauce at the bottom.

#4 spicy fish 口水鱼 – S$18

the spicy fish 口水鱼 looked wonderful, not quite the usual 水煮鱼standard.

the spices were actually quite good, flavourful, but the fish slices not great, not sweet, texture not great, not sure what fish this.

#5 chicken with 粉皮&金针day lily – S$18

the stewed chicken with mushroom dish was very tasty.

the soup was excellent though slightly salty, still drinkable.

#6 红烧雪菜小黄鱼braised yellow croaker – S$18

the 红烧雪菜小黄鱼braised yellow croaker with salted veg was excellent. the frying 煎made it very “pang” & the braising 红烧gave it the sauce flavours & moist texture, excellent 半煎煮preparation.

#6 红烧雪菜小黄鱼braised yellow croaker – S$18

for me the chicken soup & the 红烧雪菜小黄鱼braised yellow croaker were the 2 best dishes for lunch today.

#7 potato strips 土豆丝 – S$9

the julienned potato strips 土豆丝 was good, very competently done, excellent crunchy texture & sweet.

#7 spicy veg 干炒时蔬 – S$16

the spicy veg 干炒时蔬 was a bit wet, not so 干. veg were ok, good enough, the flavourful mala taste only at the bottom.

the bill

the bill for 7 dishes + the 10 skewers came to S$121.

so with groupon voucher S$50 discounts (S$50 for S$100 voucher), it was S$71 for 8 dishes for 5pax. a really good deal in my opinion.

today the lunch was very good. i enjoyed every dish (more or less), and the service was quite ok & pleasant.

it seemed so different from the last time –

• first we ordered dishes that was almost all good (for me only the skewers were food i didn’t need..), and service also…so ordering the right dishes make a huge difference.
• like i mentioned previously if you don’t need to ask questions, just order yourself the service was quite the usual & pleasant enough.

after this lunch, this a place i will come again if there is groupon offer, just maybe not too soon.

after lunch we went to essen @ pinnacle for some coffee & chit chat. 🙂

c.h.e.f andy

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

3tapas=chicken drumlets,pork ribs,mussel pot 

another unsuccessful attempt to have frog porridge at G7 sinma this evening.

no parking lots, lots of cars.

running out ideas where to go for light makan, then remembered i have groupon vouchers. so called up & got an outside table for 2pax at sixty40 @ rochester mall on 16.9.2016. ^^.

ballantine whisky and white wine 

groupon voucher for 2pax entitled us to 2 alcoholic drinks, but not cocktails.

i got a ballantine whisky & wife got a white wine. both are lousy, quite expected for the groupon price la.

sixty40 @ rochester mall

sixty40 @ rochester mall 

place has nice ambience, both inside & outside.

there is life music wednesday to saturday.

it was more fun to sit outside.

chicken drumlets 

we ordered 3 tapas for the applicable menu.

chicken drumlets were good, good flavour, wings still juicy, nice vinegar dip. we also asked for chilli.

mussel pot 

they had the cheap local mussels which was tough not so succulent.

but soup was great. so preparation ok good standard just the ingredients not the good mussels.

pork ribs 

pork ribs was excellent la! loved it! ^^

don’t know if i can make this pork ribs. i think louisiana. pork rib was tender & very tasty, smokey flavours.

not sure if it was just marinade or because of using a smoker or bbq. i can experiment the marinade & recipes but not do the smoking.

S$29.90 groupon voucher for 2pax=3tapas + 2alcoholic drinks 

groupon deal was quite genuine = S$19.90 for 3 tapas, which would have cost up to S$40++.

what i bought included 2 drinks for S$10 more at S$29.90. & we had the whisky & white wine at S$12 & S$11 outside happy hours (we were at at 8.45pm).

the deal expired now but guess it will come back. won’t mind having it again.

dart boards @ sixty40 

they have dart boards inside. some people were playing.

sixty40 @ rochester mall 

sixty40 @ rochester mall 

& nice ambience at the tables outside.

bar food not exactly my most preferred. but i quite enjoyed this evening. good tasty food with wonderful ambience.

c.h.e.f andy

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

Sixty40 @ Rochester Mall

S$4 ah hoe bak chor mee on 16.9.2016

after the community breakfast at PPH teban gardens community service centre, my OPS primary school classmate & i adjourned to ah hoe mee pok at blk 710 clementi west street 2 on 16.9.2016. ^^

was looking forward to this, especially after the below par, actually quite disappointing seng kee bak chor mee at serangoon gardens yesterday!

2pax queue ahead at 10.30am @ ah hoe bak chor mee on 16.9.2016

we arrived about 10.30am. there is not much queue, just 2 pax before us.

we ordered a S$4 mee pok each (the no. 2 bak chor mee style, they also sell the no. 1 fish ball noodles style)

S$4 ah hoe bak chor mee on 16.9.2016

this my 4th time here, the last time was on 3.2.2016, and it was good every time, today included! ^^

S$4 ah hoe bak chor mee on 16.9.2016

there’s lots of ingredients for S$4, lots of minced pork, sliced pork. pork balls, mushrooms etc & not too much mee pok, just perfecto for me la…

the mee pok was qq, quite perfect (unlike the quite unacceptable soggy mee pok i had at seng kee yesterday).

the chilli sauce over taste was very good, just not spicy enuf, not enuf kick for me,i took some chilli paste from them but that was not enuf, so i added a bit of chilli padi without the fish sauce. they also have the garlic sauce like what they used for ramen in japan, but i quite ok without that.

they served a chashu men japanese ramen style (S$6/S$7) on weekends only. maybe i will come & try that 1 weekend. 🙂

braised pork trotters (ter kah) @ ah hoe bak chor mee on 16.9.2016

today i tried the ter kah braised pork trotters.

the skin gelatinous part texture ok. the mushroom sauce taste not my preferred style.

braised pork trotters (ter kah) @ ah hoe bak chor mee on 16.9.2016

i liked both the common styles the lor 鲁 type seved in most bakuteh & other trotter stalls, and also the vinegared trotters. both are more “pang”. this one the sauce is just the similar mushroom sauce for the bakchormee. & i feel the texture of the lean part is not as good.

c.h.e.f andy

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

Ah Hoe Mee Pok

S$4 seng kee 胜记bak chor mee

went with a good RI friend for bak chor mee at seng kee 胜记at serangoon gardens food centre on 15.9.2016. ^^

long queue @ seng kee 胜记bak chor mee

this supposed to be the famous  stall at eunos then changi road before relocating to serangoon gardens. & the stall holder used to be known for clanging his ladle on a plate when he cooked his noodles.

long queue @ seng kee 胜记bak chor mee

it was almost 12pm, & there was a queue of about 8pax ahead of us, though when we collected our bak chor mee, there was only 1 person behind us.

seng kee 胜记bak chor mee

queue was maybe 15mins. we ordered a S$4 bowl dry mee kia. the chilli looked potent & great.

however after all these build up, the results was much below expectations la….

S$4 seng kee 胜记bak chor mee soup

today the soup was quite tasty….

surprisingly i forgot to check my own blog post that i made 2 years ago on 19.11.2014.

i said in the post then –

“that should have been promising, however the results were very disappointing. i would say the bakchormee was totally mediocre, can probably get better from any coffeeshop or hawker centre.

for us, the main failure was the chilli. i went to ask for more chilli. chilli looked potent but it had no taste no kick. my wife’s mee kia (thin noodles) was still qq, my meepok was becoming soggy.

the ingredients were quite good, with teepor (dried flatfish/sole) & her kilo (fish dumplings), mushroom sauce, liver, lean meat etc”.

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

and today i said on my FB-

Long queue…..

Quite surprise noodles soggy not qq …I thot any body can make qq noodles nowadays???

not really poor but definitely below expectations….soup good got tipor taste…good ingredients but chilli mushroom sauce oso not super… 

S$4 seng kee 胜记bak chor mee

2 times over a 2 year gap the same mediocre experience quite enuf for me. don’t think i want to try this bak chor mee again.

c.h.e.f andy

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

Seng Kee Mushroom Minced Meat Noodle 胜记香菇肉脞面

Address:

Serangoon Garden Food Market, 49A Serangoon Garden Way, Singapore 555945

Contact:

8439 0434

Opeing Hours:

7:00am to 1:30pm (Sun and Mon off)

thai style fish head curry – S$25

we had wanted to go G7 sinma for frog porridge.

but there was a long queue. we not quite the queueing type, not for sinma frog porridge anyway though it is very good.

thai style fish head curry – S$25

only 2 of us. decided to just drop in at forture for thai style fish head curry on 12.9.2016. din have to wait long <10mins.

always good this.

the special slight sour, tangy sauce is a winning formula. & of course the fish head is very fresh. & lots of vege.

we eaten here many times. maybe only twice fish head not so fresh.

thai kailan – S$8

tired of sambal kang kong etc.

we decided to have a plain stir-fried thai kailan.

thai kailan – S$8

it was very good too.

the bill

price was ok for zi char places these days. not cheap not expensive also.

thai style fish head curry – S25

sometimes the restaurants give better deals with discounts etc.

but we need variety of food, preparation, and also ambience & mood.

it was a good dinner with wife. excellent fish head, good fried vege, ok prices.

c.h.e.f andy

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

Forture Seafood

Address:

bara chirashi don set S$33.80

went with wife & daughter to sun with moon wheelock this evening o 11.9.2016. ^^

30% off chirashi don set

today is the last day of the 30% off chirashi don set at sun with moon.

this time we came well armed with 3 sunday times treats cut-outs.

sun with moon wheelock

place was fully booked.

we had our reservations at 7pm so had our table. there was a queue for those w/o reservations & they were told to come back after 8pm.

S$15 sake sampler

wife ordered a sake sampler. S$15 & quite good sake.

bara chirashi don set – S$33.80

we all ordered the chirashi don set. wife & daughter had the bara chirashi.

chirashi don set – S$34.80

always like the chirashi don set here.

came with quite good cuts quality sashimi including 1 chutoro. the bara was also quite good.

the set came with a chawan mushi which was quite tasty, good quality & a side. we choose 3 different sides – grilled salmon belly, pork nabe & tempura. i like the grilled salmon belly, best!

didn’t mind to pay full price also, so 30% off was much welcome.

c.h.e.f andy

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

Sun with Moon (Wheelock)

Address:

501 Orchard Road, #03-15 Wheelock Place, Wheelock Place, 238880

S$4.50 curry chicken laksa

wife wanted to have the jian kang wanton mee at commonwealth crescent food centre for lunch today on 11.9.2016. ^^

we had excellent wanton noodles & dumpling soup 水饺汤 here last week on 4.9.2016. 🙂

there was no queue at 11.50am on a sunday but stallholder said they are boiling new soup to come back in 10mins.

seng kee chicken rice

wife decided to try the curry chicken laksa at the adjacent seng kee chicken rice stall 02-78.

S$4.50 curry chicken laksa

it was S$4.50 for the drumstick.

there was a few taupok & couple pig skin.

chicken was good like any good chicken rice stall. laksa gravy was also quite good.

it was ok but not my favoruite laksa or curry chicken noodles.

ah heng’s curry chicken noodles – S$6.50 

quite edible but a long way off the excellent ah heng curry chicken noodles at hong lim food centre. 🙂

the wanton noodle stall was ready but there was now a queue of 5pax ahead of me, still waited another 10+ mins.

anyway we had all our orders of wanton noodles add pork ribs & dumpling soup 水饺汤 eat plus tapao, enough for 4of us. everyone enjoyed the wanton mee as much this second time.

really good wanton mee this!

c.h.e.f andy

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

Address:

31 Commonwealth Crescent S149644 #02-78

ash & elm platter

wife & i had a great evening at the 100gourmet dinner at ash & elm, intercontinental hotel on 26.8.2016. ^^

this our first time to ash & elm, my 3rd time to 100gourmet dinners this year.

the recent 2 times i had just as wonderful dinners (each better than the one before) at –

1. salted & hung on 21.7.2016
2. lewin terrace on 24.6.2016

ash & elm

ash & elm is located at the premises of the previous olive tree restaurant, which i had not great ala crate buffet dinner with friends almost 3 years ago..

100gourmet menu

the citibank 100gourmet dinner menu this evening was quite appealing.

100gourmet dinner – 2pax at ash & elm

wife ordered the wine pairing, another S$60++ for 4 glasses of wine, quite ok.

bread basket

bread basket was good, warm & nice.

bread basket

the seaweed butter especially good, got to refrain from having too much bread la…

#1 cured king fish

cured king fish was very good, like the best of kampachi sashimi..^^

cured king fish

not sure how to eat the burnt mandarin…squeezed some over the fish la..

#2 ash & elm platter

shared a huge platter.

it’s like everything is good.

ash & elm platter

but smoked duck breast with foie gras was best.

air-dried pork belly very good, like a good proscuitto.

cured beef, pork & roasted beef all good, just less so. 🙂

#3 roasted oyster

roasted oyster??

#3 roasted oyster

couldn’t say it was not good, but fresh shucked oysters better la, with the vinaigrette…

hachi’s oyster with yuzu jelly

just compared it with hachi’s oyster dish!

#4 grilled lobster with foam

the grilled lobster was way up there, top draw la! ^^

grilled lobster with foam

so very fresh, tender, sweet, tasty….masterclass! 🙂

grilled lobster with foam

the roasted gem lettuce & bonito foam, simply fabulous!

#5 tenderloin rare

by then we were like fuller than full.

#5 tenderloin rare

very surprising the tenderloin was quite poor! bland & tastless…

#5 tenderloin rare

there is no “ring”, no charring/browning, no maillard reaction!

hear what gordon famously said “no colour no flavour, get some colours on there” (35sec of video)!

#5 tenderloin rare

we mentioned that to the manager as feedback, but told him we did not need to replace the steak as we were too full already.

anyway we think he wasn’t interested in the feedback…service was polite here but perhaps a little lacking in training..other staff too (never revert on question & also request for usual lunch menu to 2 service staff).

#6 raspberry & chocolates

the dessert was excellent!

we actually finished the dessert…usually we are low on carbs & also take less of dessert. so even though we were full the raspberry sorbet, chocolate mousse were just very good, not too sweet.

so far i was happy with all the 3 100gourmet i attended this year.

we had a great evening, a bit much wine for wife since i don’t drink.

c.h.e.f andy

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

Ash & Elm

Address:

Level 1, InterContinental Singapore, 80Middle Road, 188966

lobster squid-ink taglierini in tomato sauce

had lunch with god-sis today at senso on 8.9.2016. ^^

i forgot to bring my phone so photos courtesy of god-sis. 🙂

senso is like a tradition. it’s a place i used to go like 20yrs ago for business lunches when i was working in town.

nothing much have changed since it seems.

anyway in more recent times after senso joined amex palate (now lovedining), i had dinner here once with wife >3yrs ago on 13.7.2013. ^^

nice plant

god-sis snapped a photo of the nice plant on the table.

bread basket

the bread basket was quite good, the focaccia bread, ciabatta & baguette all good. 🙂

seafood linguine in spicy white wine sauce

we ordered a pasta each & a main course to share.

mei mei doesn’t like raw food so we skipped beef carpaccio etc.

mei mei’s lobster taglierini (squid ink) was excellent, quite good pieces lobster & great tomato & basil sauce (top photo).

however as a dish it pales in comparison with labrezza’s lobster tagliolini.

my seafood linguine in spicy white wine sauce was completely mediocre. zero spiciness, zero kick, prawns the crystal prawn texture like chinese food. fish not a great item to add to this kind of pasta, squid & scallops will do better.

seafood alio olio 

my own seafood alio olio is far tastier, and that was before i managed to replicate my helper’s version which is even better.

Gently-roasted Cod Fillet, Chanterelle Mushrooms and Chianti Reduction

cod was ok competent, the puree, sauce & especially mushroom was great.

Gently-roasted Cod Fillet,Chanterelle Mushrooms and Chianti Reduction

cod? maybe the fish itself not so great. this the slightly fishy cod, not the very tasty cod i had in some restaurants.

my own Nobu miso cod

my own Nobu miso cod

my own Nobu miso cod a lot better la…

lunch for 2 pax was S$60nett after 50% amex lovedining discounts.

of the 3, only dish i would take if i come here again is the lobster taglierini. but i think the appetizers & some other main course like veal rack should be ok.

not great c/w with what i had at labrezza recently but quite ok really at a nice place like this with good service.

if S$120, forget it!

c.h.e.f andy

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

1/2 roast london duck – S$30 

went with my OPS primary school classmate for lunch at tunglok signature at orchard parade today on 7.9.2016. ^^

last time i came here with another OPS primary school classmate was on 6.4.2016. 🙂

i ordered the main attraction – the roast london duck. 🙂

roast pork – $12 

we had the roast pork, quite excellent quality, very crispy skin, a nice tender pork with bite, great texture. 🙂

roast pork – $12 

tasty, well presented, and good mustard too. 🙂

roast london duck 

the roast london duck, quite incredible la…so tasty & great crispy skin..

they use irish duck, like in london, which are fatter (cold climate?) and very flavourful. ^^

1/2 roast london duck – S$30 

everything was good…the presentation, the sauce, a very tasty duck..

1/2 roast london duck – S$30 

& forgotten to take the sour plum sauce 酸梅酱，lagi perfecto….

lie tong 例汤 － 1/2 pot S$16 

we had 1/2 pot lie tong 例汤  – about 4 full bowls.

lie tong 例汤 in tunglok always good. this was a good soup too, though i have tasted better here.

lie tong 例汤 ingredients – watercress & pork soft bones

today it was watercress with pork soft bones soup. 🙂

prawn in 2ways=wasabi mayo & salted egg – S$10 

i wanted my friend to try the different dishes, so i ordered just 1 pax portions.

the wasabi mayo prawns & salted egg prawns were really quite nicely done, and the tomato was an excellent accompaniment! 🙂

prawn in 2ways=wasabi mayo & salted egg 

we ended up having just a bit too much food, and though later i told my friend the 雪中情怀dessert came highly recommended by me, we decided to not order dessert.

lamb rack – S$12 

looking back we agreed the prawn dish was one we could do without. while it was very competent, it was a safe order not as unique as the fusion lamb rack.

lamb rack – S$12 

lamb rack was very good standard. lamb very slightly gamey not overly, sauce not too sweet. overall a great savoury experience.

scallop tomato ramen – S$8.80 

the scallop tomato ramen quite ordinary.

scallop tomato ramen – S$8.80 

bit it was light, not satiating, i guess a pretty good meal ending carb dish. very fresh & plump tasty scallop. 🙂

the bill – S$57 nett for 2pax 

lunch for 2pax was S$57 nett after 50% amex lovedining discounts! 🙂

ah seng durians-msw($41) d13($8) 

after lunch we were planning to have coffee.

on spur of the moment we decided to drop by ah seng durians, thinking we wont get any as we did not make prior orders.

turned out there was no queue & we got a large msw (2kg+ at S$15/kg) & a small D13 (one kg at $8/kg)

my friend paid S$49 (S$41 for msw & S$8 for D13)

d13 – S$8 

D13 had small seeds today, taste was good as always.

msw 猫山王 – S$41 

this msw had many seeds & most were tiny seeds!

it’s good to ask for round durians as that has the best chances of getting a lot of fruits inside.

msw 猫山王 – S$41 

msw as usual super creamy & so nice & wonderful flavours.

msw 猫山王 – S$41

we enjoyed the durians thoroughly. though there were other others we had even better durians from ah seng.

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)

$4 roast chicken drumstick rice + S$1 roast pork

thought of going to commonwealth crescent food centre for wanton mee.

a bit lazy, decided to drop by sixth cafelink instead on 6.9.2016. ^^

$4 roast chicken drumstick rice + S$1 roast pork

no place to park though at 6.25pm so i tapao chicken rice back instead of eating there.

i tapao $4 roast chicken drumstick rice + S$1 roast pork.

used to quite like the roast chicken, rice & also roast pork here, so kind of a get-by place for me when i need a quick meal.

had been good the last few times i had it, most recently on 6.10.2015.

$4 roast chicken drumstick rice + S$1 roast pork

for today however rice was very below par, like any not so good chicken rice stalls.

i tried making the rice for chicken rice once & my first & only time was much much better than this.

roast chicken was still very tasty, moist & sweet,

the roast pork today however also not great. texture ok, average but taste was lacking.

problem with consistency. if like this i won’t bother to eat this chicken rice la…

c.h.e.f andy

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

Roast Chicken Rice @ Sixth Cafelink 

Address:

15 Anamalai Ave, Singapore 279985

fish belly porridge

my OPS primary school classmate wanted to buy me porridge breakfast at commonwealth crescent food centre on 5.9.2016. ^^

after he saw my post on jian kang noodles there.

he said the porridge stall was right next to it. it’s a stall i noticed too when i was there.

pork mixed porridge

he ordered a fish belly porridge 鱼腩粥 for himself.

i decided on a pork mixed porridge (sliced pork, pork balls, liver).

the 2 porridge cost S$6.70. both were quite excellent! i tried my friend’s fish belly. they were good. maybe try next time la.

my own porridge very nice too, lots of ingredients & porridge very smooth & tasty though still some distance from the standard in hong kong street porridge daipaidong.

dumpling soup from jian kang noodles

i bought a S$3 dumpling soup 水饺汤. it was still very good, firm, packed & tasty!. we shared a soup, 5 dumplings for S$3, i got 2 dumplings for myself.

soup felt less intense than yesterday. we had porridge this time so maybe the soup taste were masked.

牛车水阿婆卤鸭 – quarter for S$13

my friend went to get lor ark, the 牛车水阿婆卤鸭 braised duck.

牛车水阿婆卤鸭 – quarter for S$13

the colour did not look that great.

but duck was very good. the meat was tender & moist, and tasty. maybe not the most “pang” type, but ok tasty & quite fine texture.

牛车水阿婆卤鸭 – quarter for S$13

thought it was a bit expnsive though S$13 for a quarter?? that’s almost same restaurants leh…

1/2 teochew braised duck S$28 at imperial treasure teochew

like imperial treasure teochew S$28 for 1/2duck (i have not been recently so don’t know price). there is no comparison at all though…imperial treasure’s was so good!

though if this is a quarter it seems quite a reasonable big helping.

c.h.e.f andy

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

Hong Kee Porridge

#02-89

牛车水阿婆卤鸭

#02-95

31 Commonwealth Crescent S149644, Commonwealth Crescent Market & Food Centre

lobster taglialini is excellent… – S$51

had dinner with wife at labrezza at st regis this evening on 4.9.2016. ^^

amex palate has been rebranded lovedining wef 1.8.2016 & we thought to try some new places. 🙂

the whole live lobster taglialini was excellent! ^^ but more of that later. 🙂

labrezza @ st regis

labrezza on level 2 of st regis by the swimming pool.

small place, very few diners on a sunday evening.

bread basket

we were served warm complimentary bread.

very good balsamic vinegar

bread was nice. balsamic was excellent!!! 🙂

made the bread taste superb, also with the good extra virgin olive oil. i asked for butter, but no need actually.

insalata di mare – S$29

we ordered some for the highlight dishes on the website.

insalata di mare – S$29

first was the inslata di mare.

unfortunately look nicer than taste…much below par la..quite tasteless this dish..

sotong (squid) only one tasted nice, good texture. poached octopus not great, tasteless (make me hesitate to order the separate poached & grilled octopus dish on appetizer menu), mussels & clams ordinary, nearly tasteless, and prawns, not even a nice bbq prawn flavour…

i did think before ordering that such a dish just putting a few pieces of seafood may not turn out nice. but wife thought it could have be done very nicely (which is also true). this goes to show taste is very much important than just look & presentation la!

chilled crab meat soup granny smith apple – S$16

the crema fredda fared a bit better.

it was tasty enough, just not comparable to a good intense lobster bisque of cream of leek, potato or mushroom in a good restaurant.

chilled crab meat soup granny smith apple – S$16

never tried this italian version before.

but c/w spanish gazpacho, this not chilled soup, but a cold soup la…

& not creamy blended soup or with yogurt but a consome type soup.

see my own white cucumber & red tomato gazpacho

see my own red tomato & white cucumber gazpacho (above photo). 🙂

lobster tagliolini is excellent… – S$51

fortunately the main courses we ordered were both par excellence!!!

the live whole lobster tagliolini was simply fabulous! lobster super fresh & tasty…

pasta got on me better & better as it went..very tasty (especially with the heap of parmesan shavings at top photo & lots of black pepper)…

& huge serving could pass for 2 full pasta portions.. the pasta i placed on my plate (above photo) was like 1/4 of less of the serving.

300g medium rare angus ribeye, with salsa & rockets…so good! – S$42

& the 300g angus ribeye done medium rare was so, so good!

300g medium rare angus ribeye, with salsa & rockets…so good! – S$42

generally we not so excited with steak outside as we do very good steaks from good cuts ourselves from mmmm, QBFood or even at time cold storage.

but this was excellent, very sweet, tender steak, great salsa & rocklets.

labrezza signature dishes

so as it turned out, the recommended dishes on the website didn’t contribute much.

the insalata di mare & crema fredda looked pretty (less pretty than on the website) but did not deliver.

& i doubt a poached lobster will be better than the lobster tagliolini!

300g medium rare angus ribeye, with salsa & rockets…so good! – S$42

but we were really happy with the main courses. ^^

& especially the price, with 50% discounts for 2pax for amex lovedining, dinner was S$88. 🙂

& hotel parking (costing S$5.15) was foc too.

c.h.e.f andy

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

S$3 wanton noodles + S$1 pork ribs & S$3 dumplig soup

went to wife & daughter to nearby commonwealth crescent food centre for makan on 4.9.2016.

parking was ok at 12pm on a sunday. free parking.

we have not tried any of the hawker stalls here (except the HK Street Chun Kee zi char).

queue at jian kang noodles

so i guess we went by the queue & the dishes we want to try.

commonwealth crescent food centre

ok lunch crowd not really crowded.

S$3 wanton noodles + S$1 pork ribs

both wanton noodel stalls had quite long queue.

i queued at jian kang noodles stall #02-77, like 8 pax before me maybe <15mins.

S$3 wanton noodles + S$1 pork ribs & larpok crispy lard

i had the small $3 wanton noodles. char siew looked anaemic but moist & tasty! i added $1 pork ribs. they were very good, nicely braised, tender & tasty. the wanton & soup were very good too. & the noodles qq, stringy & excellent tasting sauce.

one of the better wanton noodles i had, but i still think kok kee’s is the best la (though kok kee’s small is S$4.50 c/w S$3 here).

& the dumpling soup 水饺汤 is the best here, much much better than kok kee’s (which is non descript). here S$3 for 5 dumplings, firm & very tasty, just the right texture & taste & the soup was great too!

bakchormee – S$3

the S$3 bakchormee was kind of average.

my daughter said it was not too bad. by the time i took it after 15mins queue at jian kang it was a bit soggy.

taste was ok but not standing out, like-

1. tai hwa bakchormee (one michelin star*) or
2. ah hoe meepok or
3. jln tua kong meepok tar at 6th avenue.

heng kee fishball noodles stall #02-94

not much queue also, before or after i ordered.

i am thinking to try the other corner wanton noodles with a queue (a bit shorter like 5-6pax) the next time.

c.h.e.f andy

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

Jian Kang Noodles

Address:

31 Commonwealth Crescent, S140116, #02-77, Commonwealth Crescent Food Centre

black bean sauce song fish head 松鱼头

went to eat black bean sauce song fish head 松鱼头 at hk Street Chun Kee 香港街珍记on 3.9.2016.^^

it is located on  level 2 of commonwealth crescent food centre. 🙂

HK Street Chun Kee 香港街珍记

its quite crowded at 630pm on a saturday.

last time i blog about this place was in dec2013. 🙂

black bean sauce song fish head 松鱼头

the paste was among the best i had.

fish head was very fresh, w/o any fishy taste, meat was tasty, & above all the paste was really excellent.

black bean sauce song fish head 松鱼头

it was a quite different presentation from-

1. HK street sum kee at alexandra village
2. HK street old chun kee at commonwealth drive
3. two chefs eating place at commonwealth crescent

all the above3 have a more liquid sauce, whereas this one at the commonwealth crescent food centre has a quite viscous paste.

this preparation looks like dry steaming w/o collecting the condensation then adding the paste on top.

most recommended methods steam the fish head separately (& remove the water to remove any fishy taste), then add the paste/sauce on top.

my own spicy black bean sauce fish head

for me i am lazy to do that, so i washed the fish head with salt, then add the paste & steam in the steam oven.

i did that for a 6pax lunch on 1.8.2016. the result was almost as good la…

c.h.e.f andy

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

Hong Kong Street Chun Kee 香港街珍记 @ Commonwealth Crescent Food Centre

Address:

31 commonwelath crescent S149644