A Tale of 2 Dinners Part 2 The Good Ending – A Marvellous Kaiseki Dinner @ Gettoan on 26Jan2015

Posted on February 8, 2015 by chefquak

excellent uni

after the excellent ryokan breakfast this morning, we now had cause to anticipate a nice kaiseki dinner on 26.1.2015.

kaiseki menu

this time we were not disappointed.

hence i had termed these 2 dinners on 25.1.2015 & 26.1.2015 “a tale of 2 dinners”

what a difference a menu change made.

see the sub-par dinner on 25.1.2015…

with a good kaiseki dinner & breafast, Gettoan 月灯庵 did fully meet our expectations of a good ryokan.

umeshu梅酒

for this evening, dinner started with umeshu梅酒.

excellent chawanmushi with egg & spring onions

the chawanmushi (茶碗蒸し) was outstanding. there was bits of minced ginger on top. the texture & flavours were exquisite. maybe i will try this at home.

superb braised wagyu & tendons

the braised wagyu & tendons was just superb. texture was almost like gelatinous, had bite yet dissolving in the mouth, and nice mellow beefy flavours, mildly sweet. this was par excellence! ^^

sashimi moriawase

grating own wasabi

ika

fish sashimi

we grated our own wasabi roots!

sashimi moriawase was nothing like last evening’s which was below those at sun with moon, or for that matter any supermarket basement sashimi picks in japan!

this time we had good serving each of uni, very sweet! ika was pretty good & the fish slices were very good too. the same lady server initially said it was swordfish, but when i mentioned it did not look remotely like kajiki, she corrected herself but we did not understand what fish it was actually. whatever, what counted was it’s good!

excellent anago tempura

& we had an excellent tempura!

the 2 large pieces each of anago (sea or conger eel) was a large helping. the tempura batter was just great & the whole experience wonderful.^^

bungo wagyu 丰后和牛

& we had a wonderful bungo wagyu 丰后和牛 shabu shabu. there were 10 large thick slices of wagyu for 2 pax, beef was well marbled and flavourful, very good indeed!

shabu shabu

noodles, mushrooms, veg

we had the usual noodles, mushrooms, vegetables.

bungo wagyu 丰后和牛

i can have this again! 🙂

if we were to make a comparison with mikuni’s excellent kagoshima wagyu sukiyaki konabe, certainly what we have at Gettoan was much more marbled & better beef quality. in terms of satisfaction, mikuni’s was almost as good & a good approximation to this.

pickles

we had pickles with the gohan (rice).

cake dessert

dessert was ok. we did not have much interest for the butter cake. it maybe that gettoan indeed is trying to be fusion, with the foie gras tofu last evening (tonight’s chawanmushi would beat tat hands down), and these cake stuff, which some restaurants in Singapore like kuriya etc does too.

anyway, we were immensely satisfied with the kaiseki dinner this second night. ^^

c.h.e.f andy

Wonderful Breakfast – A Redemption @ Gettoan Ryokan 月灯庵 Yufuin汤布院 Kyushu 九州 on 26.1.2015

Posted on February 8, 2015 by chefquak

Gettoan japanese breakfast

after a totally underwhelming sub-par kaiseki dinner, we could be forgiven for lowering our expectations to base level for the following day breakfast on 26.1.2015. not a great feeling when you are staying 2 nights in an expensive ryokan.

fortunately this time, the breakfast surprised & delighted us, as it should jolly be.^^ redemption!

fresh mixed fruit juice

we started with a freshly made mixed fruit juice which was very good & refreshing.^^

excellent fish tartare with miso & shiso leaf

then we had an excellent fish tartare with brown miso, decorated with a shiso leaf (edible). this was good!

egg, saba dish

egg

grilled saba

there was a dish of egg, grilled saba (horse mackerel), some grated radish. well i guess this time “normal service (i.e. expected good japanese food)” resumed.^^

grilled saba was good, not special but good.

deep-fried tofu

the deep-fried tofu was very good – crispy skin, tasty inside, and looked great! this how good japanese cuisine ought to be.

nice yuba tofu

the yuba tofu dish was excellent too, in flavours, texture. i drank up the sauce.

mashed potatoes, mentaiko with crisp anchovies, pickles

pickled veg with bonito flakes

the mentaiko, potato dish & pickles was the usual good standard.

pineapples with yuzu jelly

pineapples & jelly were refreshing.

this not a kaiseki dinner, just a simple breakfast, but it showed some delightful fineness & execution befitting of japanese cuisine. ^^

so finally, we were looking forward to the kaiseki dinner later.

c.h.e.f andy

Great Seafood & Good Value Dinner @ Kamjiazhuang 甘家庄 on 7Feb2015

Posted on February 8, 2015 by chefquak

crab beehoon

daughter has become the family’s resident food convenor, sourcing out nice, happening makan & coffee places.

this evening she again organised an excellent seafood dinner at kamjiazhuang 甘家庄, located at blk 202 AMK ave3.

kamjiazhuang 甘家庄 AMK Ave3

it is located at a coffeeshop. we had a reservation. the place was quite crowded.

fish maw soup

we ordered a fish maw soup small. the colour did not look great, but the soup was in fact very tasty.^^

东坡肉 braised pork belly

we asked for popular & recommended dishes. 东坡肉 braised pork belly was one, and it was done pretty well, very good standards – very tender, moist and w/o the oily taste (肥而不腻).

pumpkin prawns

the pumpkin prawns was good, a slight variation/departure from the usual wasabi prawns. they were same deep-fried but coated with the pumpkin sauce (felt like it had salted egg in it but could not be certain).

conpoy tofu

the conpoy tofu was good too, very tasty, certainly better than the minced pork tofu we had recently at kok sen on 21.12.2014.

crab beehoon

& the S$60 crab beehoon –

just look at the above photos c/w those at seng kee recently. the crab was huge 1.1-1.2kg, bigger than the one at seng kee (S$70). the crab was also sweeter & firmer than seng kee’s.

however, somehow i was still not fully satisfied with the beehoon. yes, this was much better than seng kee and about same as ming kee live seafood. in my memory (& maybe that was just a memory!) house of steamed fish was much better, tastier, but really cannot tell now.

butter squid with pork floss

daughter wanted to try their butter squid with pork floss. batter was good & squid was not tough. at first bite it was quite crunchy & tasty but i agreed with my wife that the taste was too sweet, perhaps it was the pork floss, couldn’t really tell.

overall, we paid S$124 for 6 dishes including a S$60 crab beehoon with a very good & large crab. for me, that was a very good dinner. 🙂

c.h.e.f. andy

A Tale of 2 Dinners Part 1 – Disappointing Totally Below Par Kaiseki Dinner @ Gettoan on 25Jan2015

Posted on February 5, 2015 by chefquak

bungo wagyu ishiyaki 丰后和牛石烧

we were booked for 2 nights at Gettoan ryokan 月灯庵 at yufuin 汤布院. Gettoan ryokan & its kaiseki dinners had very good reviews, and we were expecting a very good dinner on the first evening we checked into the ryokan on 25.1.2015.

it turned out to be really disappointing. i would say this dinner was below just about every ryokan dinner i had in tohoku (we visited just before the tsunami, sadly cannot go back now), and way below (say) mikuni or hachi or kuriya in singapore.

i need to add here though that the japanese breakfast the next day was excellent (& the day after too) & the shabu shabu kaiseki on our second night 26.1.2015 was just exquisite, par excellence, so i term this a tale of 2 dinners. ^^

A Tale of 2 Dinners Part 2 The Good Ending – A Marvellous Kaiseki Dinner @ Gettoan on 26Jan2015

Wonderful Breakfast – A Redemption @ Gettoan Ryokan 月灯庵 Yufuin汤布院 Kyushu 九州 on 26.1.2015

https://chefquak.com/2015/02/08/another-wonderful-breakfast-to-savour-gettoan-ryokan-月灯庵-yufuin汤布院-kyushu-九州-on-27jan2015/

kaiseki menu

sensai

sensai-seaweed wrapped minced salmon?

sensai – fish roes

the sensai was ok, but really unexciting for this class of ryokan (i.e. very expensive ryokan). the mini kaiseki lunch at kuriya had far better sensai (前菜). and the omakase lunch at GOTO had just as good sakizuke(先附).

tofu dish with foie gras

the foie gras flavoured tofu dish was a nice dish, but really average by japanese kaiseki standards, non descript really.

sashimi moriawase

the sashimi moriawase (kampachi, tai maybe?? & hirame) was an immense let down, completely substandard. for me, even sun with moon sashimi is much better standard than this! sashimi was not sweet & was tough – a really low grade cut!

yuba pot

there was a egg, yuba pot with veg. i would give same assessment as the foie gras tofu…underwhelming, just like the entire dinner.

clear soup with fish

the clear soup came with a nice tasty piece of fish, maybe snapper? anyway for this dish alone, maybe one could say “normal service resumes??” but this was a non-substantial by-the-way dish in a kaiseki.

bungo wagyu ishiyaki 丰后和牛石烧

of course the bungo wagyu ishiyaki 丰后和牛石烧 was just excellent. like my wife said, ishiyaki is self service & they did gave a very good beef cut. in a good or at least par-for-the-course kaiseki, one expects to taste good cooking, some creativity & great matching of taste. those were non existent in this dinner!

ochazuke (お茶漬け)

other than the bungo wagyu ishiyaki 丰后和牛石烧, the ochazuke (お茶漬け) was the only other dish throughout the dinner that we consider of good standards. the kampachi cut was good & could be taken as sashimi or slightly poached with the rice. the yuzu miso paste was great & the dashi 上汤was just excellent! a very good dish.

deseert

the dessert was just as bad. any dessert in sun with moon would be better!

one comment on the service. the overall service of the ryokan was top notch as expected of any ryokans of this standard. we were assigned a server who spoke very good english & we were kind of expecting top level service.

but the service was really superficial! the server tried to get us to order red wine instead of sake claiming that the dishes suited wine better. i would say none of the dishes qualified at all as western or fusion & why would one take red or white wine instead of sake for a japanese dinner, they were just not very good japanese food! & it was quite blatant way to get us to spend more money. this the first & only time we encountered that in japan. even in Singapore these days, server will advise you NOT to order things you don’t need/want!

and worse, after the beef before ochazuke she asked us whether we wanted tea. we asked for ocha & was later billed 950yen! of course it was not about the money. she did not tell us it was chargeable, and the way she asked it was evident that she did not intend to reveal it was chargeable. immediately after the ochazuke, we were served another ocha, this one free. does that make any sense??

for me it was a lowly tactic suited for yesteryears, like london chinatown in the 1970s, not a top class ryokan in Japan, or for that matter any ordinary restaurants in Singapore.

fortunately for us, the ryokan redeemed itself the next few meals. we were asked again the next dinner if we wanted tea by the same server, again w/o telling us it was chargeable! some bad habits just do not go away!

c.h.e.f andy

Great Steaks & Views @ Lamp Sha Lake Kinrinko Yufuin on 26Jan2015

Posted on February 5, 2015 by chefquak

bungo wagyu 丰后和牛

we again had an excellent bungo wagyu 丰后和牛 lunch next day on 26.1.2015. ^^

we googled & originally wanted to go 湯の岳庵 yunotake which is located at kamenoi besso ryokan, also by lake kinrinko. when we enquired at our ryokan Gettoan, they mentioned the lamp sha, and it was really a very good recommendation. 🙂

we decided to both ordered the bungo wagyu 丰后和牛 steak set lunch.^^

sweet corn soup

first was the sweet corn soup. it was good! very good restaurant standard indeed!

sauce for steak

bungo wagyu 丰后和牛

bungo wagyu 丰后和牛

bungo wagyu 丰后和牛

next came the steak with the sauce comprising beef broth, onions, garlic, an excellent sauce.

the steak was tender w/o tough connecting tissues. it came in a hot place shielded all round with a cut paper. we were told to add sauce w/o removing the paper, that way the sauce would not splash onto our clothings when coming in touch with a hot surface. 🙂

my wife had a first piece in the middle (which was medium rare) & she said it was so good. we both felt the steak was somewhat overdone towards the end because it continued to cook on the hotplate. would have been so much better had it been medium rare!

lake kinrinko-view from lamp sha

lamp sha also boast a very nice view, overlooking lake kinrinko! ^^

yuzu sorbet – lamp sha

it was a 3-course lunch for 1650yen. the last item was an yuzu sorbet. that was like just S$17.30++ for 3-course lunch including japanese wagyu!

this was 1 of the most value-for-money lunches. you get to see the incredible views of the lake & an excellent bungo wagyu 丰后和牛steak! 🙂

c.h.e.f andy

OK Zi Char Dinner @ Seng Kee on 1Feb2015

Posted on February 3, 2015 by chefquak

crab beehoon

went to a friend’s place to watch australian open tennis finals between djokovic & murray on 1.2.2015. 🙂

i supported djokovic. my 3 friends all supported murray, though 2 of them betted against him. djokovic won. our common favourite is nadal. cannot tell how long nadal can still go on, though he had came back from injuries twice before. between federer & djokovic i will support federer. but djokovic against anyone else i will support djokovic. 🙂

after the AO finals, one friend bought 4pax dinner at seng kee black chicken herbal soup, 467 Changi Road. i was here maybe 3yrs back, also a dinner treat from the same friend. ^^

seng kee black chicken herbal soup

seng kee occupies 2 corner units + one intermediate terrace unit along the terrace shop units adjacent to jalan masjid.

red snapper head

steamed red snapper head

we had a steamed red snapper 1/2 fish head. it was very nice. fish was sweet & tasty. i liked this dish best. ^^

steamed baby squid

the steamed baby squid was ok, nothing special. somehow the good teochew cold cooked baby squid was a lot sweeter & tastier, but i don’t get to eat that much these days. maybe still can get at teochew porridge stalls.

spinach

sambal potato leaves

i liked both the vegetables. the spinach was very good, and the soup with wolfberries & egg was very tasty. same with the sambal potato leaves. loved it.

crab beehoon

unfortunately the main event, crab beehoon, one of my favourite dishes, was quite poor. the beehoon did not have any rich infusion of crab flavours. just compare this with the very nice crab beehoon at ming kee on 23.3.2014. or house of steamed fish or golden spoon (though it seemed that golden spoon standard has also dropped substantially??).

there were lots of beehoon, but they tasted like any fried beehoon & not the best ones at that in terms of wok hae, but no hint of crab or shellfish flavours at all! where was the stock?

the crab itself was quit ok. a good, tasty crab, but not really special or outstanding.

steamed minced pork salted fish

the steamed minced pork salted fish was edible, but strangely felt like there was quite a bit of starch in the minced pork. also the pork was well, quite porky (not flavourful but porky). honestly my helper does this a lot better at home. anyway my friends who frequent seng kee every week gave their feedback to the server & the restaurant did not charge this dish.

臭豆 – petai

otah

the 臭豆 – petai was ok, quite a competent preparation but not a favourite dish for me.

the otah was pretty good for me (again otah not my favourite dish) but my friends who were here quite a lot thought it was poor.

the 4pax dinner came to S$140 or S$35pax. i thought it was quite ok in fact for the food we had, though the main event was the crab beehoon & that was a bit of a let down.

c.h.e.f andy

Great Wagyu Yakiniku @ Yufuin Wasaku Kyushu Trip on 25jan2015

Posted on February 2, 2015 by chefquak

kuroge wagyu

this the start of our short kyushu vacation. today my wife & i arrived yufuin 汤布院 oita prefecture about noon time, taking the 1hr 40mins highway bus from fukuoka airport.

check-in at our yufuin ryokan Gettoan was not until 3pm, so we planned to take the 30minutes walk from yufuin eki (train station), along the shopping street yunotsubo to lake kinrinko 金麟湖.

we had googled about yakiniku restaurants for lunch, and found wasaku, which was just few minutes walk from yufuin eki along the way to lake kinrinko.

yufuin wasaku yakiniku

restaurant was empty & we were the only lunch customer throughout.

it was a nice setting on the usual tatami & with very powerful exhaust suction. 🙂

kuroge wagyu

kuroge wagyu + chicken

the kuroge wagyu 黑毛和牛 karubi set (i think 1640yen+8%tax) was very good. the wagyu + chicken set was 1760yen+8%.

chicken seems very popular in many parts of japan for both shabu shabu & yakiniku, not sure why. we found it tough & nothing special. the plain wagyu set was better as it had 7 pieces whereas the combo set had 4 or maybe 5pieces.

salad & sauce dip

wagyu yakiniku set

the set came with the usual salad, gohan with pickles, miso soup, & sauce dip for the yakiniku.

kuroge wagyu

we thoroughly enjoyed this first restaurant meal on this kyushu trip (had ramen at fukuoka airport on arrival earlier while waiting for our bus to yufuin). there was no opportunity though to go back. we had kaiseki dinners & breakfasts as part of our 2-day ryokan stay at Gettoan, and we had a nice steak lunch at lamp sha 1561 kawakami yufuincho next to lake kinrinko the next day. ^^

the 2 sets came to about 3672yen or S$36++, a very good deal compared with wagyu yakiniku in Singapore, or even just australian or NZ beef cuts.

c.h.e.f andy

Good Wagyu Yakiniku Dinner at Azmaya & Coffee+Cakes at Laurent on 23jan2015

Posted on February 2, 2015 by chefquak

A5 kuroge wagyu 黑毛和牛-S$60 (i estimatr 120g/150g)

had 4pax dinner with friends at azmaya omakaseya at robertson walk, followed by coffee & cakes at lauraent bernard chocolatier on 23.1.22015. 🙂

i was just at azmaya omakaseya a week ago on 15.1.2015, so this is a quick update. i used 2 qoo10 coupons the last time but was told by the restaurant that i could also get 50% discounts on alacarte orders.

belly pork & beef harami (with leeks) yakiniku

we had the same A5 kuroge wagyu 黑毛和牛 sirloin S$60 (2 orders) & karubi $29 (2 orders) + 1 order of pork belly S$14 & 1 order of harami (with leeks) S$13, plus 2 drinks. total came to about S$42pax nett after 50% discounts on food. excluding drinks it would have been S$34.

somehow the wagyu sirloin & karubi did not appear to be of the same quality as what i last had, if one were to compare the photos here. so 50% discounts but same quality???

pork belly had not much taste as before, but was ok with leek sauce.

i had the harami (with leek) for the first time. it was quite good. of course it was a tougher meat but taste was ok.

bibimbab ishiyaki

bibimbab ishiyaki – S$16

the stone pot bibimbab S$16 was good. i guess not the best but very competent, and with lots of beef, & at 50% discounts I would say it was very good for the price.

spicy galbi soup – S$10

likewise the spicy galbi soup S$10 was also competent, & again very good for the price.

at S$34pax nett w/o drinks i think it was a very good dinner. i would certainly do this again. 🙂

soufle + lava cake at laurent

soufle at laurent

lava cake at laurent

after dinner we went over to laurent bernard chocolatier for coffee & cakes. they were famous for their chocolate soufle & also lava cake.

both were very good. i liked the soufle a bit better. the lava cake was very good too.

i am not sure taste wise it was actually better than my own chocolate lava cake (however i have not made lava cake for a while & the more recent couple times did not come out that well in terms of producing the lava texture…i must really try again this…)…maybe i will try the chocolate soufle too…i tried the grand marnier soufle once..it was ok but maybe a chocolate flavoured one maybe more the taste for my wife & i.

the flat white was ok, but didn’t feel any better than that at asseemly coffee or at wheedler’s yard. and i still feel that the flat white at chye seng huat & at dutch colony at pasarbella were better.

c.h.e.f andy

Wonderful Homecooked 11pax Dinner on 22Jan2015

Posted on February 1, 2015 by chefquak

#1 wife’s pumpkin tofu salad

made 1 of my best dinners on 22.1.2015. ^^

invited a few close friends. my weekly running partner brought his son, and my dentist friend brought his daughter.

also invited my god sis & her husband.

this time, i reverted to a sit-down course dinner. for a start, i served 3 dishes as tapas.

#1 we had an excellent pumpkin tofu salad. this was my wife’s creation. my helper toasted the pumpkin & fried & cut the tofu & mixed in the extra virgin olive oil, balsamic vinegar, sea salt & agave nectar the night before, and my wife tossed in the rockets just before starting dinner. 🙂

#2 miso cod

miso cod

#2 miso cod is my god sis’ favourite. she mentioned it so many times. ^^

i have not made it for a long time as my wife prefers the texture & taste of plain grilled cod. i had it in the oven for a tad too long but managed to rescue it, only had to take off most of the skin. still it was excellent to my taste, both the firmer texture & also the miso flavour. my god sis liked it very much & had 2 servings. i liked it as much as the plain grilled cod & slightly better than my teriyaki cod. this dish was prior done about 1 hr before dinner.

#3 tagliata di manzo (using 150D grain-fed ribeye) – quite excellent

#3 the tagliata di manzo (using 150D grain-fed ribeye) was really quite excellent this evening, very well charred for maillard reaction. i did the steak only when all guests had arrived. also seasoning the rockets & cherry tomatoes with olive oil & balsamic vinegar was done just before plating & serving so they would not be soggy. plating was a bit rushed & not ideal this evening.

#4 lobster bisque

#4 after the 3 tapas, i served the lobster bisque, very nice mellow & intense flavours with good amount of brandy, not too creamy. very nice. my friend’s daughter took a second serving.

#5 pistachio crusted 1/2rack of lamb

#5 lamb is usually not such a favourite among my dinner guests, but my friend’s daughter loves lamb, so i did 1/2 a rack of pistachio crusted lamb. i bought at mmmm at west coast plaza & the lady instead of cutting 1/2 rack started to cut out 2 slices before i could stopped her. so i had to improvise & used a kitchen twine to hold the 1/2rack together. again i have not done this for a while but the rack turned out very well. i managed to cut 5 pieces. my friend’s daughter had 2 helpings, my friend’s son & another 2 friends had the lamb.

#6 lobster spaghetti

lobster spaghetti

#6 lobster spaghetti was just splendid this evening! very tasty & good chunks of lobster meat (i used 2x375g frozen lobster from cold storage). the lobster head & tomalley (liver etc) were excellent. i thought though using capellini (angel hair) i did previously would be better both in looks & texture.

#7 “monterosso miky” seafood risotto

“monterosso miky” seafood risotto

#7 my own version of “monterosso miky” seafood risotto was wonderful this evening. very very tasty, with excellent lobster & prawn stock balanced with lots of vegetables. the carnaroli rice i bought at stresa, lake maggiore was excellent & the texture was just al dente. 🙂

#8 squid ink manila clams with squid spaghetti

squid ink manila clams with squid spaghetti

#8 the squid ink pasta was also very good. i had squid & lots of manila clams which were plump & succulent. i agreed with my wife though that the manila clams were much better done the asian zi char style with curry leaves & olive oil, & lose some of the distinct taste & flavours, and tasted only like good littleneck clams “la la” in this preparation.

#9 japanese A4 wagyu – this was soooo good.

japanese A4 wagyu

#9 i had a japanese A4 wagyu which was better served as a separate dish than together with the tagliata di manzo & rockets. the 150D grain fed ribeye earlier was very good, but this was par excellence!^^

#10 tofu cheese cake

#10 we rounded off with my tofu cheese cake, as good as always. ^^ wonderfully light texture, mildly sweet sour with lumen juice, yogurt, whipped cream, silken tofu & cream cheese, & a nice biscuit base.

i was just happy to have the cosy, warm get-together with my close friends, and very happy & satisfied with the dishes & dinner. 🙂

c.h.e.f andy

Daughter Bought Excellent Family Dinner @ Concetto by Saveur on 18Jan2015

Posted on January 22, 2015 by chefquak

chilled capellini, crab & shrimp tartare, lobster foam & ikura

daughter wanted to buy 4pax family dinner again & brought us to this happening place concetto by saveur at The Cathay on 18.1.2015. 🙂

i must say i am very pleasantly surprised, far exceeding my expectations. ^^

concetto by saveur

we had a reservation were there early at 6pm & were among the first few customers, but the place filled up quite quickly.

we ordered 2 appetisers & 4 mains/pastas to share. i liked everyone of them! ^^

grilled octopus caesar salad

the caesar salad was very good, not too creamy, nice bacon tips & overall flavours especially enhanced by the grilled octopus.

chilled capellini, crab & shrimp tartare, lobster foam & ikura

the chilled capellini, crab & shrimp tartare, lobster foam & ikura lagi best.

chilled capellini, crab & shrimp tartare, lobster foam & ikura

i can have this all by myself, excellent lobster foam, wonderful flavours, texture & looks.

funghi risotto

funghi risotto was very good, a good restaurant standard, intense aroma and taste.

crab risotto

i like the crab risotto even better than the funghi.

duck leg confit, pesto tagliatelle

& i am usually not so hot on duck confit but this was good, nice crispy skin & tender, soft meat, not sinewy which was often with braised meat & some duck confit, the reason braises are not my favourite.

i liked also the pesto tagliatelle, though pesto can be overpowering if taken much, but this was an excellent accompanying portion.

kurobuta pork cheek with gnocchi

the kurobuta pork cheek with gnocchi was another pleasing dish. i liked the tender & flavourful pork & also the gnocchi.

the bill

dark chocolate tart

we had a dark chocolate tart to share. nice too. deconstructed.

the bill for 4pax include 1 glass of wine (S$6) was $107 about S$27pax nett, a perfect family evening out, nice food & ambience.

food was mostly better or as good as petite menu, which my daughter said was now closed, and some chef had gone on to start portico, a new eatery. i guess that would be our next family go to place to try out.

c.h.e.f andy

Nice Bakuteh @ Rong Cheng 榕城 Sin Min Road on 20Jan2015

Posted on January 20, 2015 by chefquak

rong cheng bakuteh

sent my car to amazing glaze at sin min autocare for some treatment this morning on 20.1.2015.

decided to walk over to rong cheng 榕城 bakuteh at sin min road. i have not here here for many years liao. had been a regular previously. ^^

rong cheng bakuteh

the ribs are a bit softer as it was past 2pm. but i still liked it. ^^

for me, this is very much a personal taste & preference. many people prefer very soft ribs, the meat falling off the bone. so they may find rong cheng ribs a bit tough. for me, i prefer a texture where the meat is tender but there is bite & bounce, and for me i always find that the meat is sweeter when it is not soft & overcooked.

it is though very easy to do bakuteh at home, and i can get the fatter & more tasty indonesian prime ribs from sheng shiong. the result is almost as good, so i don’t really go much for the increasingly expensive bakuteh the last few years (I used to do a few times a week!).^^

c.h.e.f andy

Irresistible Curry Chicken Noodles @ Ah Heng on 19Jan2015

Posted on January 19, 2015 by chefquak

ah heng curry chicken noodles

went downtown to do some chores on 19.1.2015.

could not resist dropping by hong lim food centre to eat ah heng curry chicken noodles. ^^

this my favourite hawker food. used to be bakuteh but these days i don’t take that much & bakuteh is so easily done at home.

not that i eat curry chicken noodles often either. the last time i took ah heng curry chicken noodles was on 16.9.2013. but of course i had heng kee’s curry chicken noodle not so long ago on 7.11.2014.

of the two, i still prefer ah heng. for me, even the food photos for ah heng looked more appealing.

ah heng curry chicken noodles

i took the S$6 large noodle with chicken thigh (鸡尾). i mean the chicken was really tender & sweet, better than some chicken rice stalls. i can do the chicken pretty well actually (in my own curry chicken noodles), but there is just no comparing the curry! it is sweet, tasty, flavourful, spicy.

just as well this place not near my house. got to drive, park & pay ERP somehow just to get here.

c.h.e.f andy

OK Post-movie Dinner @ Shokudo Orchard Cineleisure on 16Jan2015

Posted on January 18, 2015 by chefquak

unagi tofu salad

went with friends to watch “the theory of everything” at orchard cineleisure on 16.1.2015. 🙂

it’s a movie about the lives of stephen & jane hawkings. really nice movie – wonderful script, acting, direction. i liked it very much! ^^

after movie, we decided to have a quick dinner at shokudo (食堂or canteen in japanese) at level 2.

we ordered 4 dishes to share for 4pax as we only wanted a light meal, and one friend had to leave shortly. 🙂 later we added a parfait for remaining 3 of us to share.

we had the unagi tofu salad. somehow we were chatting & missed the wafu 和风 dressing (a vinaigrette) or ponzu sauce until we almost finished. the salad was actually quite nice with the dressing.^^

saba tamago don

the saba don was quite tasty. saba was tasty & tender & the don (rice) was nice. 🙂

ebi truffle mentaiko ali olio

the ebi (prawn) mantaiko aloo olio looked anaemic when it came. my friends added the grated cheese & red chilli pepper & it looked a bit more appetising.

the truffle flavours were actually quite nice.

a deepfried tofu dish

we had a fried egg tofu with some cheese flavours topped with mentaiko. pretty ok. felt like the tako balls type preparation.

parfaitcc

parfait

i always like the parfait in japan & also sun with moon. this was good good, with yuzu sorbet. mochi, green tea jelly & cornflakes…didn’t see any chestnut? anyway i liked this best.

the food was ok. the bill S$66 also about right for the food we had. it was a fun time with friends – movie, makan & chat. 🙂

c.h.e.f andy

Excellent Yakiniku @ Omakaseya Azmaya on 15Jan2015

Posted on January 17, 2015 by chefquak

wagyu karubi

Expensive Mediocre Teochew Porridge @ Lim Joo Hin Eating House on 16Jan2015

Posted on January 17, 2015 by chefquak

teochew porridge dishes

went with sis & b-i-l to lim joo hin teochew porridge at bukit ho swee for lunch on 16.1.2015. 🙂

had not been here like forever, maybe 10years? reason is i always feel that teochew porridge is ultra expensive for nothing food. well, today was no exception, just a confirmation, so in a sense i was not overly disappointed since already expecting it to be so!

strange psychology!

lim joo hin teochew muay 潮州麋

place was bright & clean. not crowded yet at 12pm.

servers were rude & unhelpful, not rude in talking to you but rude in mannerism & ignoring you.

mullet 乌鱼

mullet 乌鱼 was still moist so soft. this not the usual style, her bun 鱼饭 or teochew chilled cooked fish should be cold & dry. meat was sweet & nice dipped in taojeo (bean paste), overall just average. unlike cold crab, we can do this easily at home ourselves.

braised duck

braised duck was ok average. my own braised duck though is a lot better, more “pang” i.e. tasty.

“kor” her -method of braising fish

“kor” her -this method of braising fish is rarely seen nowadays. the fish tasted like sardine (likely was) which was very different fish from the ones my grandma made 50yrs ago. the dish was just slight sour due to the sour dried veg, i think, which made it very appetising.

cabbage

lim joo hin teochew muay 潮州麋

leek

the vegetables were nice, especially the leek & “chiu kuay”, a gourd (my sis added 2 veg dishes later – “heng chye” spinach & “chiu kuay”).

3pax lunch cost S$47.40 for eating almost nothing. i am never coming back – well, maybe another 10yrs! ^^

c.h.e.f andy

Nice Light Lunch @ Crystal Jade Lamian Xiaolongbao HollandV on 11jan2015

Posted on January 12, 2015 by chefquak

小笼包

went for a light lunch with wife & daughter @ crystal jade lamian xiaolongbao at hollandv yesterday on 11.1.2015.

we ordered the usual xiaolongbao 小笼包. it was good as usual – great soup & tasty fillings, skin that held together & not thick. we added a second order later. ^^

抄手

ordered the other favourite spicy dumplings 抄手 too. today this was not too good. the sauce seemed dilute, overall not flavourful enough & not as attractive as canton paradise.

spicy chicken 口水鸡

spicy chicken 口水鸡 was good as always. i enjoy this dish everytime. ^^

beef brisket ramen 牛腩拉面

soemthing new for me was the beef brisket ramen 牛腩拉面. happy to note that this was much better than i expected. the beef brisket 牛腩 was really good. there was a bit of beef tendon as well.

this my daughter’s favourite. i didn’t think it was better than that served in sicc though. i used the spicy sauce from the spicy chicken 口水鸡 & the noodles were really nice & flavourful with the sauce.

a relax lunch on a quiet sunday. 🙂

c.h.e.f andy

Cool Place to Chill Out @ Wheeler’s Yard on 11Jan2015

Posted on January 11, 2015 by chefquak

wheeler’s yard

went to a friend’s relative’s wake at jalan rajah on 11.1.2015. was quite sad at the time.

a close friend & i left after the rites. at the carpark i was looking across at wheeler’s yard at lor ampas. we decided to go for a cuppa.

i have read about this place. my daughters had been there on separate occasions, and some friends had also posted on Facebook.

place was spacious & airy. i should add a really cool place to chill & unwind.

flat white

it was 5pm on a sunday & only a few tables were occupied. my friend bought 2 flat whites, & we walked outside & picked a high table facing sungei whampoa which flows into kallang river.

coffee was good, but no better than dutch colony, assembly coffee or chye seng huat. i think chye seng huat serves the best flat white, followed by dutch colony.

wheeler’s yard

i enjoyed the tete a tete very much. good coffee, relax environment, a good friend to share a conversation.

c.h.e.f andy

Best Bakchormee @ Changi Airport T3 B2 Kopitiam on 2Jan2015

Posted on January 11, 2015 by chefquak

bakchormee @ changi airport T3 basement B2

sent son to airport on 2.1.2015. he was back for 2 weeks short winter leave. 🙂

after checking in, i had also parked my car, there was a short time before immigration & boarding.

we went down to T3 basement 2 kopitiam food court & ordered a bakchormee at the lai heng fishball noodle stall.

for me, this is 1 of the best bakchormee. we had this many times before & it had always been good, no exception this time.

this the tai hwa crawford-style with mushroom sauce & lots of vinegar. it was very good, like as good as tai hwa’s. tasty, vinegar just right, good ingredients – liver & all. very satisfied.

it is different from the jalan tua kong meepok tar at 6th avenue, jalan tua kong lau lim @ bedok simpang, 132 marine terrace fishball noodles, but similar to ming fa @ upper thomson though that one has less vinegar.

c.h.e.f andy

Quick, Simple Home Dinner on 9Jan2015

Posted on January 10, 2015 by chefquak

manila clams

bought some live manila clams & mussels from sheng shiong in the morning.

manila clams

the manila clams were expensive this time at S$13.90/kg. mussels were priced as usual at S$3.50/kg. i bought 500g mussels & 600g+ manila clams. 🙂

manila clams

i decided to cook the manila clams & mussels differently.

for the manila clams, i cooked with curry leaves, chilli padi, sliced ginger, oyster sauce & starch, similar to the wok-fried manila clams i did last time minus the white wine, orange peel & butter.

mussels

for the mussels, i decided to use the western mussel pot style. i used butter, chilli padi, sliced ginger, sliced orange peel & white wine, & added a teaspoon sugar.

oysters

as my youngest daughter decided to join the 2 old folks, i added a oyster omelette. i used the large frozen oysters, fried the egg first, pushed that to one side, put pan to high heat & added the oysters, and stir-fried for short while (about 20secs).

very nice wok hae (flavours) for all 3 dishes. manila clams had the best flavours.

romaine lettuce

we also had a romaine lettuce to round off the light dinner with some plain rice.

nice evening & great simple food.

c.h.e.f andy

Nice Lunch @ Rendervous at Central on 8Jan2015

Posted on January 9, 2015 by chefquak

beef curry

went my to my close friend’s clinic for my troublesome implant. another close friend was scheduled for 6-monthly descaling, so we had lunch together afterwards.

our god-sis who helped out at the clinic, & my dentist friend’s daughter, also joined us for 5pax lunch at rendezvous at central on 8.1.2015. 🙂

lunch orders

friend insisted on paying. initially we ordered 5 dishes – mutton curry, beef curry (dentist friend’s daughter likes mutton & god-sis doesn’t take mutton), chicken curry, kang kong & sayur lodeh.

he later went to add orders of chilli eggplant, chilli tenggiri & another mutton. unfortunately i was too eagerly eating & did not take photos of the new orders.^^

mutton curry

chicken curry

i love all the curries, and especially the unhealthy sauces. this time i reneged on my no carbs policy. well, worthwhile carbs took over!

the chicken curry was lemak. but it was no comparison with the flavourful yellow or red curry chicken at river valley nasi padang at zion road (which is now sadly closed).

sayur lodeh

sayur lodeh was competent.

kang kong

kang kong was ok.

for the new orders, i always like chilli eggplants, great texture & taste. & i like fish in general so the chilli tenggiri was great too.^^

chendol

we had 1 mountain dew & 4 lime juice – very small glass & lots of ice, so very dilute, not sweet (good) but almost tasteless (bad!). for me, this item was a rip-off.

after the food we ordered 4 chendol. i had 1 by myself, very sinful.

overall, the company made for a very enjoyable lunch. the food was good too & i walloped all the rice!

was kind of expensive though. my friend paid S$127 for the 5pax lunch.

c.h.e.f andy

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