Thai Style Curry Fish Head @ Forture Restaurant on 3Apr2014

Posted on April 5, 2014 by chefquak

thai style fish head curry _ S$25

had not been to this old holland road coffeeshop 金山岭 for years.

used to love the thai style curry fish head at forture restaurant (still do!), and also the chilli crab many years back, basically because they were good & cheap then. for a while ah yat @ turf city was having 50% weekday discounts (now 40%) and the crab at ah yat at the time (up to 3 – 4 years back) were like S$19.90/kg after discount for indonesian crabs, which was cheaper than the S$26/kg at forture, and ah yat served very cheap seafood like bamboo clams (still does), so only dish that stood out at forture was the thai style fish head curry.

decided to go with a friend to take the fish head on 3.4.2014 after the long lay off. fish head still very fresh & curry was great. the hor fun though was not good. disappointing really, usually quite good when i “da pao” (take out).

hor fun – S$3.50

hor fun – S$3.50

old holland road coffeeshop 金山岭

thai style fish head curry – S$25

my friend paid for dinner which came to just below S$30. the hot fun was S$3.50, so the fish head must be like S$25 (far cry from the time when it was S$15 & i came often), plus we had 1 rice to share & also the towels. my friend asked for water & the charge was S$0.40.

i guess price was ok. the 1/2 fish head was a large one. it was fresh & the curry was tasty, but taking it after so many years, it was unique but really no better than assam fish head & indian curry fish head – both have more kick than this one. also considering that the spicy bean sauce song fish head at honk kong street cost S$18 (though this one here had vegetables with the curry), S$25 was not cheap.

it was satisfying nonetheless, but the allure was gone. i can have this sometimes & enjoy it, but i can do without too.

c.h.e.f. andy

Very Average Bakuteh @ Lau Ah Tee (老阿弟) Whampoa on 3Apr2014

Posted on April 5, 2014 by chefquak

went to boon keng/whompoa area to get something.

so dropped by to have bakuteh @ lau ah tee (老阿弟). this used to be my 2nd favourite after rong chen at sin min. but last time i went rong chen, somehow the taste had changed? or my taste changed?

anyway they ran out of prime ribs (排骨) so only have pork ribs (肉骨). sorry to say this was not even as good as the bakuteh i do at home. the ribs i bought from sheng shiong were much better, more tender, sweeter & tastier, though i think their soup still better than my packet ones.

so far, ng ah sio bakuteh @ chui huay lim & song fa @ new bridge road are still the better ones i had recently. i will probably have to try the prime rib here at lau ah tee & also at rong chen again to decide.

c.h.e.f andy

Top Quality Lunch @ Les Amis on 1Apr2014

Posted on April 4, 2014 by chefquak

bread bast=baguette, sour dough, walnut bread

a good friend bought lunch at les amis on 1.4.2014. no april fool haha. 🙂

i must have not stepped into les amis for 5, maybe 10 years? though i did have excellent meals at au jardin (it’s now closed) couple times a year. always thought it was very ex…some months back they introduced this 4-course set lunch. having taken the food, i think it is excellent value-for-money at S$45pax, one of the nest lunches i had. 🙂

flat brioche with olives & sundried tomatoes

we started with a bread basket of baguette, sour dough & a very good walnut bread PLUS a truly superb bread (brioche texture) with olive, sundried tomatoes? etc. just fabulous! 🙂

tomato confit on bead of grilled aubergines & filo pastry

tomato confit on bead of grilled aubergines & filo pastry

#1 & the tomato confit was incredible! 🙂 it was on a bed of grilled aubergine on filo pastry. there are tomato confit & there are tomato confit, but this was just excellent!

green pea soup

green pea soup

#2 green pea soup not my favourite, but this was again very good indeed! very smooth & nicely creamy. i may get to like green pea soup a bit more. 🙂

patagonia toothfish (chilean seabass)

beautiful red cabbage

chilean seabass & red cabbage

#3 there was a choice of patagonia toothfish (chilean seabass, my favourite fish, over cod) OR roast pigeon. both of us took the chilean sea bas. it was as good as chilean seabass usually were. the sweet red cabbage was ok but not quite my type – i finished about 40% of it.

while this fish never fails to meet expectations as you need a bad chef to screw this up, the tomato confit way surpassed expectations – most places would get it bad or mediocre.

walnut apple pie

chocolate mousee

#4 the dessert of the day a walnut apple pie? was likewise not my favourite, but again it was superbly done. 🙂 fillings not sickeningly sweet & very good pastry. the chilled chocolate mousse was very good too.

the S$60 lunch menu came with line caught seabass & choice of lobster pasta & australian wagyu etc. i had some doubts on the line-caught thingy being any different from usual & seabass like low down c/w the chilean seabass but the cooking standards here really good i will probably try it.

i was also curious about the 6-course S$120 menu. it said grilled dry aged beef so i asked the waiter (he was very knowledgeable) why this was better than the australian wagyu in the S$60 menu. he said it was OHMI WAGYU! i told him omg! ohmi (a top 3 japanese wagyu) & you don’t write that in your menu? my, my!

i had an excellent degustation at jaan on 20.1.2014 with some friends recently, and we were lucky to trade our pigeon (which was good too) for miyazaki dry-aged wagyu, but this was ohmi, not miyazaki!

i told the waiter this the second time i came across dry-aged japanese wagyu (first was jaan). dry ageing intensifies the flavours & results in substantial weight lost. japanese wagyu is so ex & already very marbled & very intense in flavours i don’t see them served dry aged in japan. 🙂

c.h.e.f andy

Wonderful Japanese Food @ Mikuni on 31Mar2014

Posted on April 3, 2014 by chefquak

truffle kampachi

had another wonderful 4pax dinner – great food & company – with my wife & 2 close friends at mikuni on 31.3.2014. 🙂

i ordered the usual “Andy’s kaiseki” items per the mikuni 24.3.2013 blogpost…lol.. with some new additions, namely lobster teppanyaki & teriyaki cod.

#1 we started as usual with the truffle kampachi. this fusion sashimi dish never failed to impress, both presentation and taste, a perfect start to the evening meal.

#2 next up were 2 maki – mikuni maki topped with unagi (eel) & a salmon belly maki. they were ok but not as good as the UN futomaki & the spider maki. i did not take photos.

#3 next was the botanebi. as usual we had the excellent sashimi (these were large prawns larger than aka ebi & >4x size of amaebi) & had the prawn heads deep-fried – you could eat up everything basically, it was that good! 🙂 there were 3 prawns per serving @ S$45, so i asked them to make it 4 prawns @ S$60

tako sous vide

#4 after that we had the sous vide octopus tempura served with a wasabi mayo which we sprinkled with the red chilli powder. this was again very good, the sous vide meat was tender not tough & totally consistent, and contrasting texture with the lightly battered surface.

lobster teppanyaki

#5 then we had 2 lobster teppanyaki to share among 4pax. 🙂 the preparation was varied somewhat from the last time – instead of uniyaki i.e. with uni (sea urchin) sauce, it was a melted cheese mayo. this was excellent. the cheese could make it “jelak” = easily satiated, otherwise it was just perfect. i ate up everything! 🙂

teriyaki cod

#6 we ordered the teriyaki cod as well. this was one place where i took my inspiration for my own teriyaki cod, which by my kindly friends acclaims was almost there but i guess the one here was still somewhat better. 🙂

kagoshima wagyu sukiyaki konabe

#7 lastly, we had 2 orders of kagoshima wagyu sukiyaki konabe to share among 4pax. the beef looked different, more marbled & slightly thinner. taste-wise it was par excellence, as were the ones previously.

with 50% FAR (feed at raffles) discounts for food & 25% on liquor, the bill for 4pax including a S$50 sake was S$284 nett=S$60pax++ after discounts. and for such an excellent meal. no wonders that we keep going back. 🙂

c.h.e.f andy

HK Style Steamed Sausage, Mushroom & Chicken Rice (香汁蒸蘑菇鸡饭)

Posted on March 31, 2014 by chefquak

HK style steamed sausage, mushroom & chicken rice (香汁蒸蘑菇鸡饭)

when we go dim sum & especially HK, 1 of our favourites is 一口饭. it’s the HK style steamed sausage, mushroom & chicken rice (香汁蒸蘑菇鸡饭). 🙂

not many dim sum restaurants in singapore served this, & we used to go to shang palace because they did. the other dim sum there were also not too bad especially with the 30% discount on sundays before 12pm. still, we usually prefer imperial treasure or crystal jade.

i am planning a homecooked “fine” chinese course dinner for my friends, and was looking at what dishes i could include (say) to replace paella or pasta dishes. this dish looks fine if i can produce a decent tasty version. it seems to me that the sauce we were provided to drizzle over the rice is an important element, it is mildly sweet & not salty & really enhance the flavour of the rice & ingredients. obviously either chicken or pork ribs used has to be tender (not “old” or overcook), & tasty means good marinade as well. 🙂

there were many online recipes especially if googled in chinese, but hardly any showing the drizzling sauce style, and i was not looking at a claypot recipe or fried or baked recipe but a fragrant steam rice recipe. i found one here.

HK style steamed sausage, mushroom & chicken rice (香汁蒸蘑菇鸡饭)

sausage, mushroom & chicken ingredients – 香汁蒸蘑菇鸡饭)

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sausage, mushroom & chicken ingredients – 香汁蒸蘑菇鸡饭)

i added boiling water over the thick dried mushrooms, kept overnight to soften, then cut in halves. i cut 1/2 chicken (about 1.5kg size) so (say) 750g. & marinated with the chicken marinade i prepared per below recipe. this went into the fridge for about 4hrs (i will do this overnight next time). i cut 2 chinese sausages.

i washed about 240g rice (3pax portion) using the rice measuring cup (1.5cups) & added an equal amount of mushroom water which i reserved earlier. the water to rice ratio is 1.2:1 but the recipe asked to add less water as there was water in the chicken & also mushroom, so the rice would not be soggy. i then laid the sausages & mushrooms & also the 2 chicken feet & 1/2 the sliced ginger over the rice in the rice cooker.

i then switched on the rice cooker, and waited till steam showed the water was boiling. then i added the chicken pieces, let the rice cooked, added the remaining 1/2 sliced ginger & kept warm the rice in the rice cooker for another 1/2 hr before serving.

meanwhile i prepared the drizzling sauce. it was very good.

i placed the chicken in a separate serving plate, and took out all the rice & placed in a large serving bowl. the chicken was very tender & nice. for this first attempt i was conservative in the chicken marinade so the chicken taste would be even better with a bit more light soy sauce & fish sauce. this i will do next time. the rice was very fragrant & tasty & the drizzling sauce further enhance the excellent flavours.

so this was a very simple dish to prepare, easy to reproduce, and i am decided to do this for the friends’ dinner. 🙂

c.h.e.f andy

Ingredients-

1/2 chicken (750g)
sliced ginger (2cm piece)

drizzle sauce (important):

1 tbsp light soy sauce
1 tsp dark soy sauce
1 tbsp sugar
6 tbsp water

marinade for chicken (used 1/2 chicken):

1 tbsp light soy sauce
1 tsp fishsauce
1 tsp dark soy sauce
1 tbsp sugar
2 tsp shaoxing wine
1/4 tsp white pepper
2 tsp sesame oil

Directions –

add boiling water over the thick dried mushrooms, keep overnight to soften, then cut in halves. reserve 250g mushroom water cut 1/2 chicken (about 750g) & marinated with the chicken marinade. leave overnight in fridge.
wash 1.5 rice measuring cup of rice & add an equal amount of mushroom water (about 240g). water to rice ratio is 1.2:1 but add less water as there is water in the chicken & also mushroom. lay the sausages & mushrooms & 1/2 the sliced ginger & also the 2 chicken feet over the rice in the rice cooker.
switch on the rice cooker, and wait till steam shows the water is boiling. add the chicken pieces, let the rice cook, add the other 1/2 sliced ginger & keep warm the rice in the rice cooker for another 1/2 hr before serving. meanwhile prepare the drizzling sauce.
place the chicken in a separate serving plate, and take out the rice & place in a large serving bowl. serve!

Excellent Lunch & Company @ Clifford on 27Mar2014

Posted on March 29, 2014 by chefquak

lobster salad

had a most enjoyable lunch at clifford, fullerton bay hotel, on 27.3.2014, in the company of good friends – hugo, a close dutch friend was visiting singapore, & PL, who had helped me a lot in my earlier ventures, and who insisted on buying lunch. 🙂

baguette

multi-grain rolls

duck rillettes

we were served bread – baguette & multi-grain roll. both were good, and especially so as they were served with duck rillettes in addition to the usual butter. 🙂

salmon tartar with sour cream, bit of mesclun salad

i had lunch at clifford maybe 1.5 years ago with my dining quartet which has now discontinued. food & ambience were truly excellent, especially as we had the uob 1 for 1 at S$68 (so S$34pax) 3-course lunch then. 🙂

the price is a lot more now, 2-course for S$48, and 3-course for S$58, coffee included. we took the 2-course. the appetizer choices included a salmon tartar, a mushroom veloute & i think a salad (cannot quite recall). the mains choices included a herb crusted lamb loin, a dory fillet, and a pasta (can’t recall what). there were a lot more appetizer & mains choices but they came with supplements.

PL ordered the lobster salad (top photo – looked just fabulous) – S$12 supplement, and the 220g beef entrecot (a ribeye or scotch fillet steak) – S$25 supplement. i ordered the salmon tartar & lamb loin & hugo ordered same salmon & the dory. the salmon tartar was a good-size helping.

the suave, efficient & polite restaurant manager prakash came by to ask about the food, so i gave him some feedback. i thought the salmon tartar was very fresh & sweet but the sour cream distracted & did not quite enhance the flavour (this part of course is subjective taste…). personally i like it with just sea salt & pepper & olive oil. those might already have been incorporated so perhaps just some additional fresh ground black peppers. 🙂

i thought the prices were really too high, though fortunately the regular appetiser & mains (i.e. w/o supplements) were quite excellent. compare this with les amis’ 4-course S$45pax set lunch, which included choice of patagonia toothfish (the excellent chilean seabass my favourite fish) or quail. to be fair, i have not tried the les amis set lunch yet (will do soon enough!), but you know it’s les amis! 🙂

likewise the excellent S$45pax set lunch we had at au jar din! & au jardin’s plating was also somewhat more artisan by comparison! or indeed the exquisite & simply fabulous S$48 3-course lunch at gordon grill at goodwood park, with 3 mini appetisers & 3 mini soups. 🙂

citrus lychee drink (complementary from parkas)

prakash was very receptive & accommodating. he offered us a complementary citrus lychee drink. PL declined so we had 2 glasses.

220g beef entrecot

dory fillet

herb crusted lamb loin

my herb crusted lamb loin was excellent, nicely medium rare & flavourful with hardly any gamey taste. my friends were asking what was the crust (breadcrumbs with spinach, basil etc) as c/w my own pistachio crusted rack of lamb. the dory looked great.

the beef entrecot looked perfectly charred. PL like it well done. somehow it did not quite look like 220g, not sure if it was dry aged for more intense flavours & so had some weight loss.

petite four

we had coffee & petit fours (which means small oven & not 4 items!). macarons were too sweet. nutty chocolates were ok. i did not try the cake but it should be good.

overall, the service was efficient & responsive, the ambience was just super, and the food quality quite excellent. i can’t say food was better than au jardin though (in fact i thought au jardin’s was better) & of course the price was not just marginally but significantly higher than les amis (S$48 2-course vs S$45 4-course set lunch) or au jar din or gordon grill. i will come here for its great ambience, service & food, but sparingly. 🙂

c.h.e.f andy

Enjoyable Crab Beehoon Dinner @ Ming Kee Live Seafood on 23Mar2014

Posted on March 25, 2014 by chefquak

cockles S$5

was in upper serangoon area & my wife decided to go to ming kee live seafood at macpherson for dinner on sunday 23.3.2014. 🙂 it was few shops from swa gardens when we had nice teochew food for our g10 dinner recently.

ming kee signature crab beehoon 1.4kg = S$75.60

coconut jelly S$8

i don’t take crab often as i find it expensive. but this time we were in the mood for crab. we ordered their signature crab beehoon. its S$54/kg so S$75.60 for a 1.4kg sri lankan crab. usually when eating with friends or children, don’t really get to eat much so this time just 2 of us, it was like feasting on crab. 🙂

i could not resist ordering the S$5 cockles. it was simple dish served with fish sauce & cut chilli. not the raw cockles (血蛤) i had at two chefs, small & not as fleshy..still, enjoyed nonetheless! 🙂

cockles S$5

ming kee signature crab beehoon 1.4kg = S$75.60

ming kee signature crab beehoon 1.4kg = S$75.60

the beehoon was tasty with sweet crab flavour. the sri lankan crab was meaty & fresh & sweet. i don’t take crab often enough to judge but didn’t find it any special though. it was not bad i think the house of steam fish, golden spoon etc were better than this.

we had the coconut jelly dessert. it was just S$8 & the jelly looked like using the coconut juice & adding agar agar. it was good, mildly sweet which was just right & refreshing.

dinner was S$101 in total for 2pax. we had only crab, cockles & coconut jelly. there was GST but no service charge but S$3pax charge already for towels etc (no appetisers).

ok & very enjoyable for this evening because we were in the mood to have crab, but otherwise not a place i would usually go.

c.h.e.f andy

Late Afternoon Dimsum @ Kowloon Dimsum at AMK Ave 5 on 23Mar2014

Posted on March 23, 2014 by chefquak

deep-fried fu pie quin 腐皮卷

was going to amk & decided to drop by kowloon dim sum @ amk ave 5 about 4.30pm on 23.3.2014.

the dim sum joint was located at the coffee shop at blk 151 next to hk street chun kee.

kowloon dimsum @ amk av 5

har gao

char siew fun cheong

sausage chicken steamed rice

we ordered the char siew fun cheong & sausage chicken steamed rice as those were typical hong kong dishes.

the best dish turned out to the the deep-fried fu pei quin. it came with the green wasabi mayo, very crispy & tasty.

the fun cheong was edible but poor, a let down & far cry from the very smooth fun cheong drizzled with nice flavourful sauce that one gets in dim sum restaurants in singapore like imperial treasure & crystal jade & hong kong (of course kowloon dim sum is no restaurant so perhaps cannot make comparison but only as reference for the dishes).

the sausage steam rice (i forgot to take picture!) had many pieces of nice tender chicken (all wing parts). the sauce was no comparison with hong kong but still nice with the rice.

the steamed pork ribs were more meaty than most in the restaurants. the taste just good enough but not among the better ones (say) like imperial treasure or crystal jade.

the har gao was also average. skin was not smooth, filling was huge & taste ok.

the cost for 5 items was just S$16 or S$8pax, which was like 50% that in the restaurants. so price was good. food was not bad either but just average mediocre, so it was not bad & ok to try but not something i would be attracted to do again. 🙂

c.h.e.f andy

Excellent Dinner @ Petite Menu Aqueen Hotel on 22Mar2014

Posted on March 23, 2014 by chefquak

onglet steak (part of S$35 3-course restaurant week menu)

my daughter wanted to try petite menu. she booked a 4pax dinner on 22.3.2014.

parking was horrendous. it was not something unexpected though. i had called to ask for directions to the car park & was warned that there were few lots. i followed the directions & entered from tyrwhitt road behind the hotel at 7.30pm but could not find any carpark. after dropping the others, my daughter & i circled the area & finally was lucky to find a just vacated lot along a row of shophouses at king george avenue.

well, i guess it was worth the trouble. the quality of food at petite menu & artisan presentation was outstanding really for the price. 🙂

i read a few reviews & blog posts & was looking forward to try the S$36 4-course tasting menu (bottom photo). unfortunately this was the restaurant week & the restaurant only served the S$35 3-course RW menu & ala carte. restaurant week had gone off my radar for the last 2 years. there were many good offers when it first started here but these days the RW set menus were often not as good as the regular ones.

on this occasion though, the S$35 RW menu included onglet steak (the flavourful hanger steak near the last rib which my wife & i like which we were first introduced in the early days at petite salut). so we decided to order 2 RW sets & i replaced my salmon with lavendar pumpkin soup (a lower price option) as that was an oft commented dish here.

duck salad S$11

smoked salmon (part of S$35 3-course restaurant week menu)

lavendar pumpkin soup S$8

pan-seared onglet (part of S$35 3-course restaurant week menu)

onglet steak (part of S$35 3-course restaurant week menu)

the smoked salmon was excellent – sweet, light, not salty.

the duck salad was very good standard even though by comparison, the salmon was better. the duck was done nicely, tender & flavourful, tomatoes were sweet & plating outstanding, and it was only S$11.

the lavendar soup was strange (some might say interesting or unique). lavendar was overpowering but taste, texture combination was ok when combined with the wakami seaweed.

the hanger steak was a good helping, medium rare, tender & flavourful, i would have preferred more charred, the sauce was good & so the presentation (above & top photos). overall quite excellent. i asked the waiting staff how this stood up with the S$20 torched ribeye steak on the menu. he thought the ribeye was even better.

salted egg soft shell crab fettucine S$15

mushroom risotto S$14

my daughters ordered 2 main courses, mushroom risotto & salted soft shell crab fettucine, which were popular dishes here.

both were very good. risotto was slightly wet but very tasty, texture a bit past al dente. the fusion salted egg soft shell crab pasta was very good. it reminded us of laksa pesto, one of the early fusion pasta which we first tried (like >10years ago) at willin low’s wild rockets. i will probably try making this at home.

deconstructed black forest S$8 (part of S$35 3-course restaurant week menu)

kaya toast S$7

4-course tasting menu S$36

our 2 RW sets came with dessert & coffee so we picked 2 deconstructed blackforest cakes, which was rated highly by many food bloggers. and it was indeed excellent, the chocolate, cream, pitted cherries, and the soil that came in a tiny planter to be emptied over the cake in a bibimbap stone ware bowl. pretty, delicious & fun. 🙂

for the free dessert we thought might as well try the kaya toast. it was again very well plated, very fusion & artisan, with green kaya, toast and expresso in the middle. like the lavendar pumpkin soup, i did not dislike the dish, it was good, ok, but not something that attracted me to order again.

overall the food was not just looking nice but actually good tasting which to me was most important, so the delightful presentation enhanced the dining experience. a S$20 ribeye (if it is same or better than the onglet steak) is good value, & the risotto & pasta dishes at S$14 & S$15 were all quite outstanding for the price. and likewise the blackforest cake. there is also a $15 pan-seared seabass which i don’t mind trying & another oft commented dish – chicken leg confit. i am not hot on duck confit so can skip this one, can try also if someone else order…haha! 🙂

will be back.

c.h.e.f andy

Nice Wanton Noodles @ Kok Kee (国记) Lavendar Food Square on 22Mar2014

Posted on March 23, 2014 by chefquak

was in the area & my wife suggested to have wanton noodles at Kok Kee (国记) @ Lavendar Food Square on 22.3.2014. 🙂

i had not tried this popular stall before. there were about 15 people in the queue & the wait was >30minutes.

it was worth the wait though! we had each a small portion at S$4. the noodle was wet yet not soggy (as commented by several reviewers) & in fact just al dente and very tasty. 1 of the best wanton noodles i had, better than red ring & the one at first centre. the char siew & wanton were good too but nothing special, no different from other stalls (as also commented by others). i like the char siew at red ring better. 🙂

unlikely to come here specially to queue for the wanton noodles though, especially with the difficulty in parking. but if around the place & already parked, will probably drop by. quite enjoyed it! 🙂 make me want to go back & try the fei fei wanton noodles at joo chiat place again. 🙂

c.h.e.f andy

Excellent Yakiniku Dinner @ Aburiya on 19Mar2014

Posted on March 19, 2014 by chefquak

hokkaido wagyu jo karubi (prime short ribs)

had an excellent yakiniku dinner at aburiya on 19.3.2014. 🙂

had not been there for a while..just checked my blog & it was almost a year ago that i had dinner at aburiya on 26.3.2013.

jo karubi (prime short ribs)

karubi negi

yakiniku

yakiniku

the prices had gone up slightly. we basically ordered similar food. for this evening the jo karubi (S$15.90) was not that great but the cheaper karubi (S$10.90) was good. we also added hokkaido jo karubi (S$21.90) which was excellent, nicely marbled and very flavourful. they did not have the ohmi wagyu though it was on the menu.

bibimen

kimchi chigae

kimchi chigae

ice sake

we always ordered the bibimen & kimchi chigae. both were very good. 🙂

aburiya

aburiya

the inside tables were mostly taken up at 7pm. there were still quite many tables available outdoors.

the dinner including sake (S$15) added up to S$105 for 2pax, not cheap but it was very enjoyable. 🙂

c.h.e.f andy

S$9.80 Quick Lunch @ Crystal Jade Lamian Xiaolongbao HollandV on 13Mar2014

Posted on March 14, 2014 by chefquak

xiaolongbao (小笼包)

had a 20mins lunch at Crystal Jade Lamian Xiaolongbao HollandV on 13.3.2014. they start serving the S$9.80nett lunch set (i think used to be S$8.80) only at 12pm!

i had great dishes here at crystal jade lamian xiaolongbao @ hollandv on 11.8.2013 & also at the taka branch with my G8 friends on 2.9.2013. i had not yet tried the quick lunch set though so today is the day. 🙂

S$9.80 lunch menu

barley drink

prawn dumplings lamian

the xiaolongbao (小笼包) here is 1 of the best, very nice tasty soup, thin & smooth skin & tasty pork fillings. 🙂

the prawn dumplings lamian serving was like 1/2 a bowl, which actually served me fine as i don’t take so much carbo anyway though others might find it too skimpy/meagre… the prawn wantons were tasty too. the set came with a drink. i had the cold barley, usual good.

for S$9.80 nett, the lunch was quite fine, and service was good. they charged S$0.30++ for the wet issue which is fine and the waiting staff told me no need to order ice water which they also charge S$0.30 which is also ok, as the set came with the drink.

it’s not quite the meal for me though. i don’t really need to eat lunch and if i do the S$18pax ++ type 2-course lunch at reddot brewhouse on 12.3.2014 would be more worth the while. 🙂 that of course is strictly my own needs, not about crystal jade’s food…

c.h.e.f andy

S$18pax Set Lunch @ Reddot Brewhouse Dempsey (Quick Update) on 12Mar2014

Posted on March 13, 2014 by chefquak

we had lunch among the fundonate partners & decided on reddot brewhouse at dempsey. it is convenient, has ample free parking & great ambience & of course has the best value set lunch (S$18pax for 2-course & S$22pax for 3-course, and including drink or coffee as well). 🙂

i had lunch here several times and did an earlier post great lunch with old friend @ reddot brewhouse dempsey on 19nov2013, so this would be just a quick update.

we all took the 2-course set. i had the portobello salad. 2 friends had the bruchetta & the reddot salad. another friend had a melt (lava) cake in place of appetizer. i guess 3 of us were all watching our carbo intake.

for the mains, 2 friends had the sirloin steak (which looked pretty good), 1 had the chicken breast. i was deciding between my usual halibut (very good here), the steak (which i do rather well at home) and decided on the chef’s special, the beef stroganoff linguine in the above photo. it was excellent. linguine was al dente, very good, and the sauce was excellent. the beef cut was not an expensive one, so just slightly tough, but overall it was an excellent dish, of good restaurant standard, and with nice alfafa & grape tomato garnish. this was a dish i tried at home once previously (pretty ok), so i wanted to try & get some inspiration. 🙂

the melt cake was a beauty to behold. i had this the last time. the texture (lava) was excellent. the flavour was good too but probably no better than my lava cake. 🙂

1 of my friend was saying he could even come here for lunch if he was dining alone – everything was quite perfect for him.

c.h.e.f andy

Bakuteh (肉骨茶 Pork Rib Soup)

Posted on March 11, 2014 by chefquak

Bakuteh (肉骨茶 Pork Rib Soup) is about the easiest delectable dish to cook at home.

usually i used the $7.50/kg frozen pork ribs bought from chinatown market. last evening when i was at sheng shiong, decided to pick up a packet (about 700g) of fresh indonesian pork ribs at S$19/kg. they were good but very fatty & took shorter time to cook (about 40mins).

if i have to compare i guess the fresh pork ribs were slightly better but fatty, and the frozen pork ribs (cost 2.5x less) were almost as good.

i used a cheap bakuteh spice premix which i liked (photo above). this one is a non-herbal premix which i prefer but i had very good herbal ones too (bought by a friend). 🙂

i only added 1 bulb of garlic (about 1.5 bulbs if cooking 1 kg pork rib), and basically nothing else needed. i do not prefer it very peppery but that is something one can easily add to taste.

c.h.e.f andy

Seafood Paella

Posted on March 9, 2014 by chefquak

seafood paella

tried paella couple of times about a year ago. at the time it was just passable, so i did not post.

today i decided to give it another go. i used my favourite chef john of foowishes.com shortcut oven-baked method.

medium prawns & squid fried with butter

for seafood, i cooked 9 medium prawns (lightly seasoned with fish sauce & white pepper) in 2 teaspoon butter at high heat to about 90% cooked, and did the same for the squid.

for the stock i sautéed the heads & shells of 9 medium prawns in olive oil & tumeric & added 500ml of chicken stock & boiled for an hour.

i had leftover leek, celery, red capsicum from a recent 8pax homecooked dinner. i finely chopped them, and sautéed in olive oil with chinese sausage (substitute for expensive chorizo) with a teaspoon of tumeric (substitute for expensive saffron), together with chopped yellow onions & garlic.

i then added 1 cup of shokaku rice (a USA short grain rice for sushi, which is a lot cheaper than aborio) & mixed well, then i laid the thinly sliced leek & red capsicum on top, added enough chicken/prawn stock to cover the rice & brought to boil. once boiling i placed the oven-proof skillet in a preheated 210degC oven for 16mins. i tasted the paella. the flavour was excellent, and in this case as the stock already had some salt in it & mindful that the prawns & squid were also seasoned i did not add more salt. the paella was about 85%-90% cooked with the centre slightly hard.

i set it aside, and when ready to serve dinner, i boiled the stock & added it over the paella to just cover the rice & heat over high heat & placed the pre cooked prawns & squid on the rice. this cooked the paella to al dente & the seafood. the taste was excellent from the sweetness of the vegetable, stock & also the prawns & squid.

it was a beautiful dish to behold & the flavour was superb. i added a bit too much stock & not wanting to overcook the paella, the rice was just very slightly wet which was ok except i did not get the burnt bottom, which was ok. will try to have that next time. 🙂

Ingredients-

10 medium prawns (shelled & de-veined)
1 large or 2 medium squid (cross-cut)
1 yellow onion (chopped)
1 stalk celery (chopped)
1 red capsicum (chopped & finely sliced)
1-2 stalk leek (chopped & finely sliced)
2 cloves garlic (chopped)
500ml prawn & chicken stock
1 cup shokaku rice (or aborio)
1-2 chinese sausage (or chorizo)
2 teaspoon tumeric (or saffron)

Directions-

seafood – cook medium prawns (lightly seasoned with fish sauce & white pepper) in 2 teaspoon butter at high heat to about 90% cooked. do the same for the squid.
stock – sautéed the prawn heads & shells in olive oil & tumeric & add 500ml of chicken stock & boil for an hour.
cook paella – finely chop leek, celery, red capsicum, yellow onion & garlic. sauté in olive oil with chorizo & saffron. add 1 cup of aborio rice & mix well, then lay the thinly sliced leek & red capsicum on top. add enough chicken/prawn stock to cover the rice & brought to boil. once boiling place the oven-proof skillet in a preheated 210degC oven for 16mins. taste the paella & add salt to taste if desired. the paella is about 85%-90% cooked with the centre slightly hard. set iaside, and when ready to serve, boil the stock & add it over the paella to just cover the rice . add the pre cooked prawns & squid on the rice. cook the paella over high heat to cook the paella to al dente & the seafood. serve.

Early Dimsum Dinner @ Canton Paradise at Star Vista on 22Feb2014

Posted on February 22, 2014 by chefquak

crispy char siew pao

had an early 4pax family dim sum dinner at 5.30pm (to beat the crowd) at canton paradise at star vista on 22.2.2014. 🙂

we ordered 8 dim sum & 1 congee. most were quite good!

har gao

xiao long bao (小笼包)

pan-fried carrot cake

prawn cheongfun (虾肠粉)

prawns in crispy bean curd skin

steamed prok ribs

custard salted egg buns (流沙包)

custard salted egg buns (流沙包)

3 varieties congee (liver, kidney, meatballs)

#1 the crispy char siew pao was quite good. my daughter liked this better but i preferred the one at timhowan. this had a bit much of the pork filling, & for me the flavour & the look were not as good.

#2 the har gao here was very nice, among the best i had. filling was tasty & skin was taut, not soggy, & thin.

#3 the xiao long bao 小笼包 was good too, quite a lot of the tasty soup, certainly beat the very dry ones at tunglok signature i had recently.

#4 the pan-fried carrot cake was just ok.

#5 the prawn cheongfun 虾肠粉 was among the better ones, smooth skin & tasty fillings.

#6 the prawns in crispy bean curd skin was very good, among the best.

#7 the steamed pork ribs was also average & a bit more fatty, not as good as imperial treasure teochew.

#8 the custard salted egg buns (流沙包) was very good, same as imperial treasure teochew & better than royal china.

#9 the congee was quite ok, but i think crystal jade kitchen at hollandv still better.

the bill came to S$62, so about S$15.50pax all-in, pretty ok price, same price & perhaps overall better than timhowan i had recently.

c.h.e.f andy

Great Teochew Food 23pax Dinner Get-Together @ Ah Orh on 20Feb2014

Posted on February 21, 2014 by chefquak

teochew braised duck

had our largest G20 gathering last evening at ah orh at jalan bukit merah on 20.2.2014. 🙂

it was the handy work of 1 of our friends, with his megawatt smile & shining hallo…lol…especially his ability to ring in the gals. we had 23pax (including 3 ladies) on 3 tables, a meeting (or eating!) record! it was 25, but 1 was held up in a meeting, another was ill.

ah orh had mixed reviews & mostly dated. most thought it was expensive for the food (it may still be probably but it often depends on food ordered). anyhow there was a deal.com offer & the organiser bought 3 vouchers of S$150 worth at S$97.50 each – 1 voucher was allowed for each table. 🙂

some friends went early to order the dishes. we had in total 9 dishes & the cost came to S$23+ all-in (about S$180+ per table) after redeeming the vouchers, so it was in fact very good value-for-money even considering that we did not order the usual teochew pomfret, cold crab etc.

deep-fried fish skin

there was deep-fried fish skin as table starter. pretty good!

teochew braised duck

#1 the braised duck platter (top photo & above) was good – moist, flavourful. i would say as good as imperial treasure teochew & better than muliangzai liang kee & chui huay lim. 🙂 the lor bah (braised belly pork) was good too.

fishmaw soup

#2 fishmaw soup was tasty, but maybe just average. the one at beng thin we had recently was substantially better.

ter kar tan (pig trotter jelly)

ter kar tan (pig trotter jelly)

#3 the ter kar tan (pig trotter jelly) was very good – firm, flavourful. there was also good chilli & “seng ni cho” 蒜泥醋 dip. this was as good as chui huay lim, imperial treasure teochew & crystal jade.

yam basket

#4 the yam basket was i supposed really excellent for this dish – yam was tasty & very crisp outside yet “sang” inside & very good combination in texture & taste with the fillings. a very good dish though yam basket not my favourite. 🙂

kailan with ti poh

#5 the kailan with ti poh was competent. vegetable was fresh & crunchy. the ti poh (a teochew favourite condiment not so often seen) added to the attraction but perhaps the wok hae was kind of lacking a bit.

teck kia fish with bitter gourd in black bean sauce

#6 not sure about this teck kia fish (竹仔鱼) dish, certainly competent but the fish had more bones than meat. at kok sen, they used some fish head & added chunky fish meat which worked well to accompany the black bean sauce & was much better overall by comparison.

hae chor

＃7 hae chor was quite ok, competent, nothing special.

orh luah

#8 orh luah was pretty good, large fleshy oysters.

orh nee

#9 orh nee was better than expected, tasty, i liked it but would have been better with pumpkin though. 🙂

company & fellowship were the key in our get-togethers of course, but we did come to eat & overall the food was quite good & the price of $23pax very reasonable after the deal.com offer, not much different from say muliangzai liang kee, and food we had here were better. 🙂 w/o the offer, it would cost about $30pax which was still not a bad deal, about same as what we had at shin yeh at our last 20pax dinner.

c.h.e.f. andy

Great S$88 4pax Set Lunch @ Tunglok Signature at Central on 19Feb2014

Posted on February 19, 2014 by chefquak

smoked duck breast

had a great 4pax fun lunch at tunglok @ central today on 19.2.2014.

i visited the clinic of my close dental surgeon friend twice a year for regular maintenance, and we went lunch near his clinic afterwards each time with 2 other close friends. 🙂

today i ordered the S$88 6-course set lunch for 4pax. PLUS i added a xiaolongbao (小笼包), pan-fried custard buns (流沙包), and a dessert 雪中情怀＝杨支甘露 + ice cream for 2 to share, as 2 other of us did not want dessert. 🙂

fupeiquin (腐皮卷)

smoked duck breast with bean curd

siew mai 烧卖

xiaolongbao （小笼包）

lie tong (例汤) ingredients (forgot to take soup photo)

heng chye with bean curd

prawns with egg white (赛螃蟹)

#1 the 2 dim sums were quite ok, competent – fupeiquin (腐皮卷) was good, siew mai 烧卖 was ok..the xiaolongbao （小笼包）i added was low in tasty soup, skin average, overall average or below, the pan-fried custard buns (流沙包) which i asked to serve with the dessert was also average. overall dim sum wise cannot compare with crystal jade or imperial treasure. 🙂

#2 smoked duck breast was par excellence, as is quite obvious from the photo (top & above) & the braised bean curd too. 🙂

#3 lie tong (例汤) was very good, the ingredients included pork soft bones & 粉角 arrowroots, an excellent soup as always. 🙂

#4 the poached heng chye with beard was good too.

#5 the prawns with egg white (赛螃蟹) i guess was ok above average dish, prawns was fresh bouncy, the style of preparation not my favourite.

stone pot rice

stone pot rice

#6 the stone pot rice was excellent! 🙂

pan-fried custard buns (流沙包)

pan-fried custard buns (流沙包)

雪中情怀＝杨支甘露 + ice cream

complimentary drink refreshment

the pan-fried custard buns (流沙包) was ok average but really the ones at royal china & imperial treasure were much better.

雪中情怀＝杨支甘露 + ice cream is my favourite here, though i didn’t take it today. the complimentary refreshment was ok welcome.

overall the set lunch (exclude ala carte orders) was S$100++=S$117 include S$8 for 4pax tea & S$4 for peanuts which could do without. quite a good set lunch deal! 🙂 including 2 more dim sum & 1 desert it was S$141, still ok.

c.h.e.f andy

Good Dimsum @ Timhowan Toa Payoh on 16Feb2014

Posted on February 17, 2014 by chefquak

chicken, mushroom, chinese sausage rice

went with children for 4pax dim sum at timhowan toa payoh on 16.2.2014.

i went to the hk sham shui po timhowan with friends 2 times, and we really enjoyed the food there, so i had wanted to try their outlets in singapore but really not one to want to queue hours to eat dim sum or any food for that matter.

place was crowded at 4pm. traffic/turnover was good.

we went at 3.30pm on a sunday to avoid the crowd. place was still constantly crowded with good traffic & turnover. we only waited 10mins though to get our seats so it was ok. 🙂

crispy char siew bun

crispy char siew bun

liver cheongfun (肠粉)

prawn cheongfun (肠粉)

deep-fried fupeiquin (腐皮卷).

the menu was very limited, like 1/2 that in hk. i ordered 2 of the 4 heavenly kings. crispy char siew bun was a must, and i wanted to try liver cheongfun (肠粉) again. none of us were fan of mala cake & the pan-fried carrot cake.

we ordered a chicken, mushroom, chinese sausage rice (top photo). it was good, hk standard. we all liked it so we ordered a second helping. 🙂

the crispy char siew bun did not disappoint. it was very good – both the crispy bun & the char siew fillings. the cheongfun (肠粉) was good too, very smooth. liver was nicely done, just right & not overcooked. the prawn cheongfun was very good. 🙂

another order was the deep-fried fupeiquin (腐皮卷). this looked a little different from usual, seemed to be very neat & clean cut. anyway it tasted great, 1 of the best i had. 🙂

hargao

chicken feet in abalone sauce

wasabi prawn dumplings

the hargao skin looked thick, tasted ok, not as good as crystal jade or imperial treasure.

the chicken feet in abalone sauce was ok, but not as good as the usual steamed black beans chicken feet (usually slightly redder & more fluffy deep-fried) in most dim sum places.

the deep-fried wasabi prawn dumplings – i did not try but it was quite ok.

overall the 4pax dim sum lunch cost S$64, about 2x the price in timhowan sham shui po for less food. i guess it was not really expensive, but i would think crystal jade, imperial treasure & royal china dim sum are better. this was 2x the price c/w with kowloon at AMK (I am going to try that one soon & compare). 🙂

c.h.e.f andy

Good Roti Prata at S.M. Aisha @ Food Canopy on 15Feb2014

Posted on February 15, 2014 by chefquak

roti prata S$5.30

went back to food canopy at cluny road near botanic gardens to have roti prata on 15.2.2014. 🙂

first introduced to the place by my wife, then came with my 2 daughters couple weeks back. decided to go myself today.

S.M. Aisha Muslim Food (from West Coast)

mutton curry S$3.50

roti prata S$1.80 for 2

dhal curry

1 of the best prata stall i had. didn’t have many though to really make comparisons.

most important for me where prata goes are (a) freshly made (b)tasty dough (c)good dhal curry..i am ok whether it is the crispy type like at 6th avenue or the slightly doughy type at mr prata or at s.m. aisha which had all 3. 🙂

& the mutton curry was really good, very tender. i still love the mysore mutton at mr prata more, but for mutton curry, this was good! 🙂

the ambience was great too. nice airy canteen, lots of parking on a saturday morning, very clean…by comparison mr cafe down the road is kind of messy.

c.h.e.f andy

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Category Archives: Buon Appetito!

Thai Style Curry Fish Head @ Forture Restaurant on 3Apr2014

Very Average Bakuteh @ Lau Ah Tee (老阿弟) Whampoa on 3Apr2014

Top Quality Lunch @ Les Amis on 1Apr2014

Wonderful Japanese Food @ Mikuni on 31Mar2014

HK Style Steamed Sausage, Mushroom & Chicken Rice (香汁蒸蘑菇鸡饭)

Excellent Lunch & Company @ Clifford on 27Mar2014

Enjoyable Crab Beehoon Dinner @ Ming Kee Live Seafood on 23Mar2014

Late Afternoon Dimsum @ Kowloon Dimsum at AMK Ave 5 on 23Mar2014

Excellent Dinner @ Petite Menu Aqueen Hotel on 22Mar2014

Nice Wanton Noodles @ Kok Kee (国记) Lavendar Food Square on 22Mar2014

Excellent Yakiniku Dinner @ Aburiya on 19Mar2014

S$9.80 Quick Lunch @ Crystal Jade Lamian Xiaolongbao HollandV on 13Mar2014

S$18pax Set Lunch @ Reddot Brewhouse Dempsey (Quick Update) on 12Mar2014

Bakuteh (肉骨茶 Pork Rib Soup)

Seafood Paella

Early Dimsum Dinner @ Canton Paradise at Star Vista on 22Feb2014

Great Teochew Food 23pax Dinner Get-Together @ Ah Orh on 20Feb2014

Great S$88 4pax Set Lunch @ Tunglok Signature at Central on 19Feb2014

Good Dimsum @ Timhowan Toa Payoh on 16Feb2014

Good Roti Prata at S.M. Aisha @ Food Canopy on 15Feb2014

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