6hr “Sous Vide” Miso Lamb Shoulder

Posted on December 21, 2014 by chefquak

miso lamb shoulder

this (above photo) was my very first attempt on miso lamb, which I did for a 11-course dinner for 11pax on 5.5.2014.

i do a good pistachio crusted rack of lamb but no other variations. decided to do a 3-day miso marinade on a cheap frozen lamb cut & coincide the 6hr sous vide bath in 90degC oven with the char siew (to save electricity).

90degC (oven temperature) is also the optimum temperature (fastest) for conversion of collagen the tough connective tissues to gelatine with excellent texture & flavours.

160°F/70°C — Connective tissue collagen begins to dissolve to gelatin. Melting of collagen starts to accelerate at 160F and continues rapidly up to 180F.

miso lamb shoulder

i did again for a 12-course 9-pax homecooked chinese dinner for friends on 15.7.2014.

that was the best i did then, better than the last 2 times & w/o the gamey taste. the 3-day miso marinade & 6hrs “sous vide” in 90degC oven did the trick. many liked this.

miso lamb shoulder

most recent was a homecooked dinner for 14pax friends + spouses on 18.12.2014.

the miso lamb shoulder chop was ok, very tender, with strong lamb flavours nicely masked by miso.

lamb though is in general not much a favourite dish among my family & friends, and a tenderised lamb shoulder, even miso-falvoured, cannot really match a good rack of lamb.

after having the most wonderful rack of lamb i had so far at american club amarone wine dinner on 29.11.2014, i was thinking of trying out a herb crusted rack of lamb as a variation of my pistachio rack of lamb.

c.h.e.f andy

Ingredients:

packet of lamb shoulders from Giant S$4.95 (300g)
1 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp miso paste
3tbsp cup mirin
3tbsp cup cooking sake

Directions:

mixed saké, mirin, sugar & miso paste in a large bowl and whisk.
scald lamb shoulders with boiling water to remove scum. place lamb shoulders in a ziplock bag & pour in the cooled marinate and leave in fridge for 3 full days. turning over once in the morning & once in the evening to ensure all sides are fully coated.
take out lamb shoulders & place it in an oven dish with lid with the miso marinade just covering the lamb for 1/2 hr to get it to room temperature. place it in the preheated oven at 90degC for 6hrs. 90degC is the optimum temperature (fastest) for conversion of collagen the tough connective tissues to gelatine with excellent texture & flavours.
cut the lamb shoulders to bite size & serve.

Fun 14pax RI Friends & Spouses Homecooked Dinner on 18Dec2014

Posted on December 21, 2014 by chefquak

#8 dry wok prawns

invited my regular group of RI friends (this time with spouses) for a homecooked dinner on 18.12.2014. we had 14pax = 5 couples + 4 guys. 🙂

i prepared mostly pre-cooked food that could be served buffet style, so we could all sit down & enjoy the food & conversation together. 🙂

planning was important. i intended several items which i cooked/made final preparations only when all the guests arrived – tagliata di manzo (angus striploin steak), dry wok prawns, pumpkin salad, fried rice.

in the end timing was quite well managed for dry wok prawns & fried rice. for the salad & the rockets/cherry tomatoes bed for tagliata di manzo, they were done too early & the rockets were soggy (unlike my recent lunch which the pumpkin salad & the rocket bed for tagliata di manzo were quite perfect).

#1 pumpkin tofu salad

#1 my wife’s pumpkin tofu salad was an excellent dish when i served during the recent lunch.

this time it was a bit lacklustre. seasoning with sea salt, olive oil & balsamic were done too early. somehow pumpkin was not as sweet.

#2 beer can chicken

#2 beer can chicken was good as usual – tender, moist, tasty. 🙂

＃3 miso salmon belly

＃3 oven grilled miso salmon belly had been a favourite with my family (& friends also during recent lunches), and again a favourite this evening. 🙂

#4 teriyaki cod

#4 teriyaki cod was good as cod goes. i made it very much less sweet & healthier (no sugar only mirin this time).

#5 6hr sous vide miso lamb

#5 the 6hr “sous vide” miso lamb shoulder chop was ok, very tender, with strong lamb flavours nicely masked by miso.

#6 tagliata di manzo

#6 tagliata di manzo (using angus striploin). the bed of rockets & cherry tomatoes were mixed too early so a bit soggy.

steak was medium rare & flavourful, but i was slightly distracted & the charring was somewhat insufficient to produce good enough mallard reaction. also the angus striploin, unlike ribeye, had a bit of tendon, not so ideal.

#7 spicy belly pork 蒜泥白肉

#7 spicy belly pork 蒜泥白肉 was simply wonderful. it was slow-braised using cold crockpot on low almost 6 hrs to 79degC. belly was very tender & the sichuan 麻辣 chilli mix was excellent. 🙂

#9 spicy seafood fried rice

#8 my dry wok prawns is of consistent good standard, charred & flavourful, taste of chilli padi & fish sauce.

#9 my spicy seafood fried rice will never get to crystal jade standard, but it is also consistently good, nice wok hae & flavours with lots of prawns & squid.

#10 stir-fried romaine lettuce

my helper cooked the romaine lettuce, one of our favourite vegetable dish.

#11 chocolate ganache vanilla banana cake

a friend brought a #11 chocolate ganache vanilla banana cake.

#11 chocolate ganache vanilla banana cake

it was a lovely 2-layer vanilla cake with banana in between & covered with chocolate ganache – a really standout first attempt by him! 🙂

#12 tiramisu

#12 my no-bake tiramisu is now another crowd favourite. it was 1 of the easiest dessert to make.

#13 healthy peanut candy

a friend brought a #13 healthy peanut candy (held together by maltose instead of unhealthy sugar), it was nice.

#14 pumpkin cheese cake

i had a #14 pumpkin cheese cake on standby. i sensed that the friends wanted to try, so it was served & we managed to finish 1/2 the cake. it was ok but not as good as the pumpkin cheese cake we had for our recent lunch which was really good.

c.h.e.f andy

Good Crab Dinner @ Momma Kong’s on 20Dec2014

Posted on December 20, 2014 by chefquak

crab beehoon soup

daughter & friend bought 6pax family dinner @ mama kong’s at mosque street on 20.12.2014 🙂

we were worried about traffic & parked 2 streets away at temple street, but actually there were quite a few lots at mosque street at 6pm on a saturday.

we seldom eat crabs. mainly because everyone is lazy to do the shells, and crabs are kind of rather ex in singapore. the last time my wife & i had crab at ming kee, very enjoyable of course – the 1.4kg sri lankan crab alone cost S$75.60++. not quite my thing but once in a long while i can be a bit crabby.

momma kong’s

the small restaurant was packed full. we had a table which was comfortable for 4pax but kind of cramped for 6pax.

stir-fried chilli squid

i guess everyone came here to eat crabs, so stir-fried chilli squid was the only non crab dish we ordered.

crab beehoon soup

chilli crab

butter crab

we ordered crab beehoon soup, butter crab & chilli crab = any set of 3-crab for S$118 on the menu, a small discount from ordering 3 separate crabs at S$42each.

later we added another crab beehoon soup. no prizes for guessing which crab we liked best. 🙂

all the crabs were good. they were smaller crabs, from vietnam or indonesia maybe, about 800g? not sri lankan crabs. all 4 crabs we ordered, the meat were firm & completely filled the shell and very sweet, so for me it was very good & not overly ex.

the chilli crab sauce was competent but i guess boring. the butter crab sauce tasted like the very nice salted egg pumpkin crab sauce at ah yat which i like a lot. it’s a toss up with the crab beehoon soup. usually the impression is that the crab flavours go into the soup (which it did) so the crab is less tasty. in this case though the crab was still tasty & i guess the beehoon soup trumped the butter crab sauce. ^^

we had buns of course, both deep-fried & steamed to wipe up the chilli sauce & butter sauce. 🙂

overall, it was an excellent dinner. excluding wine & beer etc (seems that corkage is only from second bottle onwards, so first bottle free). table was really cramped & i broke a wine glass when reaching out for food. crab! very sian! a server later broke another glass. maybe my table is jinxed.

i may actually come back again though i am not so very crabby person.

c.h.e.f andy

Delicious Dinner @ Tunglok Signature Orchard Parade on 16Dec2014

Posted on December 17, 2014 by chefquak

bamboo clam S$12.80pax

had a wonderful dinner with wife at tunglok signature, orchard parade last evening on 16.12.2014. 🙂

we had the amex palate privileges (50% discounts for 2pax). tunglok group though have this strange rule that it applies only to ala carte orders during weekdays & only to set orders during weekends.

so we did ala carte orders. 🙂

the bamboo clams with tanhoon was excellent!

lie tong 1/2 pot – S$16

& the lie tong 例汤 (soup of the day) was good, as always. this time it was pumpkin with pork rib, a really sweet, delicious soup. i am sure going to try this at home. 🙂

garoupa 2 ways – S$22pax

the garoupa in 2 preparations was good too. the steamed with peppery sauce preparation was very tasty, the deep-fried fish fillet was ok but ordinary.

lobster noodles – S$25pax

& the lobster noodles was always our favourite served in the excellent lobster 6-course set.

this was also the preparation that i replicated at home in my king prawn noodles (黄焖大虾面).

tube juice – palate cleanser

they always serve a tube juice – pineapple, watermelon etc. nice! 🙂

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雪中情怀mango pomelo dessert with 2 scoops ice cream

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雪中情怀mango pomelo dessert with 2 scoops ice cream

we had 1 order of 雪中情怀, a mango pomelo dessert with 2 scoops coconut ice cream, again our favourite here.

the dinner came to S$84.50nett, about S$72++ for 2pax.

well, we keep coming back! 🙂

c.h.e.f andy

Most Enjoyable Autumn Course Dinner @ Mikuni on 11Dec2014

Posted on December 17, 2014 by chefquak

#1 japanese taro, hokkaido uni in sesame tofu topped with ikura

had another splendid dinner at mikuni with wife on 11.12.2014. 🙂

we had the excellent autumn course menu, like a mini kaiseki.

i have never taken a course menu or kaiseki since the name changed from inagiku to mikuni some years back. instead we had been exploring the ala carte menu, creating our own Andy’s kaiseki (just in jest). and lately i am quite sold on mikuni’s chirashi don (i would say almost choutokusen 超特選 chirashi don). 🙂

cracker appetizer

mikuni autumn mini kaiseki

we were very pleased though with this autumn course menu. 🙂

#1 japanese taro, hokkaido uni in sesame tofu topped with ikura

#1 there was uni inside – hokkaido uni in sesame tofu topped with ikura

#7 complimentary drawer tray dessert

#1 japanese taro, hokkaido uni in sesame tofu topped with ikura

#1 japanese taro, hokkaido uni in sesame tofu topped with ikura – taro was just so so. the uni, ikura tofu was of course very nice. did not taste much of the sesame though.

#2 sashimi – hamachi, maguro & white prawns topped with caviar

#2 sashimi – hamachi, maguro & white prawns topped with caviar – sashimi was good cuts but otherwise ordinary except white prawn but that was kind of smallish.

#3 shell grilled scallops, & kagoshima beef robatayaki

#3 kagoshima beef robatayaki

#3 shell grilled scallops

#3 shell grilled scallops, & kagoshima beef robatayaki – kagoshima beef was heavenly. scallops was very nicely done too. quite excellent! 🙂

#4 chestnut tempura & sillago fish tempura

#4 chestnut tempura

#4 chestnut tempura & sillago fish tempura – the sill ago (whiting) fish tempura was par excellence. chestnut was ok, quite nice really if non descript.

#5 osaka styled barachirashi don – uni, maguro, tai, kampachi, kajiki, ikura, lily bulb

#5 miso soup with gohan

#5 the osaka styled barachirashi don – uni, maguro, tai, kampachi, kajiki, ikura, lily bulb was superb. came with pickles & miso soup

#6 chestnut ice cream & japanese honey dew

#6 chestnut ice cream & japanese honey dew was ok. i prefer yuzu ice cream & black sesami ice cream, and of course japanese rock melon to honey dew.

#7 complimentary drawer tray dessert

mikuni offered very good complimentary drawer tray dessert. 🙂

the 6-course dinner cost S$158pax. after 50% feed at raffles discounts, it was S$79pax exceeding sake/drinks. a quality & very good value dinner. 🙂

c.h.e.f andy

Great Mazechirashi Don @ Aoki Restaurant on 10Dec2014

Posted on December 11, 2014 by chefquak

S$40 mazechirashi don set

a friend bought me chirashi don lunch@ aoki today on 10.12.2014. 🙂

this like the gold standard of chirashi don, according to many reviewers. ^^

well was it for me? must say it was very good.

otoshi

we were served an otoshi. very nice. not sure what it was. some shellfish maybe. mirugai (geoduck)?? texture yes but didn’t look quite like.

salad

nice salad with ponzu sauce.

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S$40 mazechirashi don set

& the main event mazechirashi don.

there was uni (not much), chutoro (seemed quite a bit), & the usual hamachi, salmon, maguro, tamago, bits of anago (conger eel), and ikura, also some pickled ginger.

the sashimi amount was substantial & very tasty eaten with the rice.

basically it was a barachirashi don. it would beat tatsu’s very expensive & ordinary S$40 chrashi don hands down.

ginza kuroson S$20 chirashi don lunch set didn’t have uni or chutoro, so not really up for comparison but that was just S$20!

if i am just looking for a very tasty barachirashi don set, then the one at sun with moon was pretty good. it came with an excellent salmon fish head miso soup too. again w/o expensive uni & chutoro.

and recently i had very good chirashi don lunch set at sumiya for just S$18.80. it had thick cube cuts so it was more of a chirashi don than a barachirashi.

so i guess indeed aoki would ace them all. all except mikuni for me.

mikuni’s chirashi don had 2 thick slices of chutoro, hotate, uni, botan ebi, aburi salmon etc at S$45 (after 50% feed at raffles discounts). for me even aoki’s very nice barachirashi don was no comparison.

& it is available for dinner also. but of course feed at raffles 50% discounts only for up to 5pax on sundays & mondays & for only 2pax other days. no perfect deal.

pickles with gohan

nice pickles (not salty) & ginger.

trio of dessert

jelly

trio of dessert

quite nice dessert, a plum jelly, nice penna cotta & ice cream. 🙂

for S$40, i can definitely do this again!

c.h.e.f andy

Strawberry Cheese Cake

Posted on December 9, 2014 by chefquak

strawberry cheese cake

made my first strawberry cheese cake last evening on 8.12.2014. 🙂

enjoyed a very nice deconstructed strawberry cheese cake at relish gardens on 1.12.2014 (sorry, that’s the only thing i like there).

relish’s deconstructed strawberry cheese cake

a word about relish’s deconstructed strawberry cheese cake (in above photo) –

the biscuit base had a feel of caramel, very nice. the strawberries were caramelised. the cheesecake was delicious & there was a dollop of cream on top, the peak of decadence…

i looked through quite many online recipes. could not take to any of them, so decided to experiment my own concoction recipe.

i was aiming to experiment the right taste & texture first then later deconstruct them & put them together when serving. 🙂

strawberry cheese cake

i used the same 8in spring-form for my tofu cheesecake. i decided to use the same 7 digestive (105g) & 60g unsalted butter for biscuit base. this time i added 2 tablespoon of caramel (leftover from banoffee cake preparation). so i melted/softened the butter & caramel & added the digestive crumbs & mixed thoroughly. i also added 1 teaspoon of finely minced ginger.

i then pressed the “wet sand’ mixture into the spring-form lined with parchment paper. then placed it in the fridge.

strawberry cheese cake

i did not bake the biscuit base. the biscuit flavours came out quite well. the texture was a bit softer than my usual biscuit base…my daughter was very apt in the description – she said the biscuit base held together i.e. was solid but texture was like “lao hong” & not crunchy.

so maybe i will try baking the base next time, and then break into small pieces for deconstructed cake. ^^

strawberry cheese cake

i blended 200g cream cheese & 200g chopped strawberries in the blender & added 2 tablespoon brown sugar. then i added 2 eggs. i emptied the custard mix into the cake tin & baked it in a preheated 180degC oven for 30mins (same as for my pumpkin cheese cake). the set aside to cool down.

i did not have sour cream so i used whipping cream (with 1teaspoon brown sugar) & whisked to soft peaks. this can be added separately for the deconstructed version.

then into the fridge overnight.

i caramelised some fresh strawberries with 1 tablespoon brown sugar on a pan. when cool, added to garnish the cake.

strawberry cheese cake

i like the cake. can be improved of course! ^^

the taste was not as fragrant as my pumpkin cheese cake. the texture was less confirm & consistent. pumpkin cheese cake was overall a better cake c/w this version.

maybe i need to fold in some whipped cream to this custard mix.

having a family dinner on christmas eve, so will experiment a deconstructed version. ^^

c.h.e.f andy

Ingredients:

7 digestive biscuit (105g)
60g melted butter
cream cheese -200g
fresh strawberries about 200g (cut small pieces)
2 tbsp flat + 1 tsp brown sugar
1 tsp ground ginger
250ml sour cream
2 eggs

Directions:

biscuit base – make the usual biscuit base with 7 digestive biscuit (105g) crushed to sandy texture in a ziploc bag, then add to 60g melted butter & 2 tbsp caramel & 1 tsp ground ginger and mixed thoroughly. press the “wet sand’ mixture in a 8″ (20cm) spring-form cake tin lined with parchment paper. then place it in the fridge.
cut in small pieces 200g fresh strawberries. add 200g cream cheese & 2 tbsp flat brown sugar & blend in blender. add 1 egg at a time, & blend. then whisk 250g sour cream to soft peaks & add 1 tsp brown sugar.
bake the cake – pour the cake mixture into the cake tin & baked in 180degC preheated oven for 30mins until cake is firm (when a toothpick inserted comes out cleanly) while centre just a little jiggly. leave to cool. add the whipped sour cream & bake for a further 10mins. let it cool & then place in the fridge overnight.
caramelise 6 large strawberries cut in 1/2 with 1 tbsp brown sugar in pan. when cool, place on top of cake to garnish.

Pleasant Lunch @ Ma Maison on 9Dec2014

Posted on December 9, 2014 by chefquak

S$12.90 tonkatsu set

friend bought a simple, pleasant lunch at ma maison @ central today on 9.12.2014. 🙂

he was taking good care & review of my tooth implant. after that we went for lunch at central below his clinic.

he ordered a tonkatsu set & i ordered a beef don set.

ma maison @ central

place was really rustic & pleasant. 🙂

salad

the set came with simple garden salad. olives were nice.

soup of the day

my friends laughed when he asked me to try the soup (came with his tonkatsu set. my beef don came with miso soup) and i said tasted exactly as i expected. 🙂

what to expect of soup of the day for a S$12.90 set include coffee?

S$12.90 tonkatsu set

i tried a piece of his tonakatsu. it was good. the pasta was ok also. 🙂

S$15.90 beef don set

my beef don was ok too. beef was flavourful & sauce was nice taken with a bit of rice. 🙂

it was a very passable lunch. there was also coffee with the set. ambience was great & food better than average. i would pick this over waraku (restaurant next to it).

c.h.e.f andy

Lobster Linguine in Spicy Pink Sauce & Lobster Bisque on 7Dec2014

Posted on December 7, 2014 by chefquak

lobster in spicy pink (creamy tomatoes) sauce

lobster linguine in spicy pink (creamy tomatoes) sauce

cooked lobster in spicy pink (creamy tomatoes0 sauce & lobster bisque for 4pax family lunch today 7.12.2014. 🙂 children are eating dinner out.

cooked lobster S$26.90 1 for 1 (i.e. 2x375g) from cold storage.

lobster pan-fried with butter & brandy

bought cheap cooked lobster S$26.90 1 for 1 (i.e. 2x375g) from cold storage. ^^

cut lobster in 1/2 and shelled the meat including pincers & legs. put those with prawn heads & shells to boil as stock base for lobster bisque.

put butter in pan on high heat, placed 1/2 lobster heads with tomaly side on pan, added brandy & flame & let it flamed off. then added in cooked lobster meat for quick stir fry. set aside.

pink (creamy tomatoes) sauce for lobster pasta

added 1 can whole tomatoes and 1 diced fresh tomatoes to 3 tbsp olive oil, some water (from boiling linguine) & some lobster bisque. added the can tomatoes & fresh tomatoes. added paprika & heavy cream to the tomato based sauce to create the spicy pink sauce, & added sea salt to taste. set aside.

lobster linguine in spicy pink (creamy tomatoes) sauce

cooked linguine to just before al dente, and drained.

when serving, reheat the pink sauce. added the lobster head & meat, off the fire & add the linguine & toss.

voila!

lobster bisque – lobster & prawn shell stock,carrots, potatoes, onions, brandy, heavy cream

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lobster bisque – lobster & prawn shell stock,carrots, potatoes, onions, brandy, heavy cream

10445464_10152875682954494_1192868515003862873_n

lobster bisque – lobster & prawn shell stock,carrots, potatoes, onions, brandy, heavy cream

for the lobster bisque, boiled prawn heads & shells & lobster shells for 1 hr or longer.

cooked diced onions, carrots, potatoes (i did not have leek & celery) in pan with olive oil & butter in a large sauce pan till soft. added 1 tsp turmeric for colour. drained the lobster stock into the sauce pan with a strainer, then used hand blender to blend to smooth. added heavy cream & 2 tbsp brandy & sea salt to taste.

i also prepared some caramelised shimeji mushrooms to garnish the lobster bisque.

a very tasty bisque & pasta lunch.

c.h.e.f andy

Mee Sua Soup (面线汤)

Posted on December 6, 2014 by chefquak

mee sua soup (面线汤)

only 2 of us eating dinner at home last evening.

our helper cooked a mee sua soup (面线汤), a simple dish put together by wife.

mee sua (面线) is a very thin wheat noodle, can be a light, tasty meal especially in soupy preparation.^^ 🙂

mee sua soup (面线汤)

kang kong (morning glory) & tau gay (bean sprouts) were blanched & set aside.

prawns were pan fried & minced pork cake cooked in the stock, & set aside.

when serving, cook the mee sua in the stock, serve & add kang kong, tau gay, prawns & minced pork cake. most important add chilli padi. brings out the flavours wonderfully. ^^ 🙂

c.h.e.f andy

OK Food @ Relish Gardens on 1Dec2014

Posted on December 4, 2014 by chefquak

rocket beef burger

burgers not really my kind of food. i take mcdonalds very occasionally & once when i was travelling with son at lake tahoe. i guess i am quite ok with them at US$1 a piece for breakfast (lake tahoe in 2007) or if it is S$2. i have tried gourmet burgers sometimes. guess they are ok but not what i do when there is a choice.

we had this S$25 for S$50 groupon voucher at relish gardens expired 30.11.2014. i called some days before they agree to honour the voucher for dinner on 1.12.2014 as the other days were fully booked. quite sensible for the restaurant. if you want to promote the restaurant why be rigid & negative & upset the customers. unfortunately most restaurants do not think that way, so 1 point to relish. 🙂

anyway post promotion on 1.12.2014, restaurant was empty only 2 tables occupied at 8pm.

rocket beef burger

we ordered the rocket beef burger & char siew burger.

beef burger was ok, but honestly both my wife & i thought we each made a tastier burger than this. wife made a nice one recently, & i tried one maybe 1 year ago (the very first time) & both my daughter & her friend liked it. i think it was tastier than this.

wife thought the one at toast much better than this. probably. anyway i not so hot on toast kind of food either. if anything i would go for the S$11 D-I-Y steak sandwich at nassim hill bakery (after 1 for 1 promotion when they have it).

char siew burger

char siew burger? no char siew here…a sweeter tasting kong bak??? wife said like eating kong bak pau.

the braised belly pork was good, but again honestly kong bak pau tasted a lot better, both the braise (not so sweet) & the combination more to my taste.

fries ok la….

mesclunsalad

they forgot we ordered 1 fry & 1 salad, so they gave us a free mesclun salad. another point to relish(unfortunately no points for food).

nothing to comment this salad. they should do some japanese ponzu sauce.

relish gardens @ myvillage serangoon gardens

lychee mojito

wife wanted mojito. it was not included in the voucher, so we ordered separately.

the bill

deconstructed strawberry cheese cake

& wife remembered the deconstructed strawberry cheese cake we had in wild rockets of old, must be like 15years ago?

well this was very good. the biscuit felt like there was caramel in it. there was the cream cheese with hint of strawberries & the cream & strawberries. excellent. think i am going to try this at home.

c.h.e.f andy

Most Wonderfully Sumptuous Amarone Wine Dinner @ American Club on 29Nov2014

Posted on December 4, 2014 by chefquak

hors d’oeuvre (outside the main)

wife had an invitation for 2 to a zyme amarone wine dinner at amercian club on 29.11.2014, so i tagged along. 🙂

not that i even heard of amarone before (apparently it is quite well known), anyway it turned out to be quite an incredibly sumptuous wine dinner – the best i had! ^^

wine was so good (even for me) & food was just simply superb! 🙂

there was cocktail & hors d’oeuvre of prawn roll on sugar cane, oyster fritters, dumplings.

this was an american club wine dinner event, & the company which invited my wife piggyback on the event & reserve a private table of 10 – excellent decision!

==================
Saturday, November 29
The 2nd Floor
Cocktail Reception at 7:00 p.m.
Dinner at 7:30 p.m.
Member: $128
Guest: $148
5-Course Menu by Chefs Gary & Kelvin
Wine and food pairing by Matthew, Wine Director
Maximum of 50 attendees
— at The American Club, Singapore.

bread basket

there was a good bread basket of roll, baguette etc.

grilled scallop – amuse bouche

& a grilled scallop as amuse bouche to start the dinner. it was very well done, felt like sous vide consistency. 🙂

incredible zyme amarone wine dinner – the best i had

uni on tuna tartar, guacamole with pine nuts

#1 uni on tuna tartare, guacamole with pine nuts

for the 1st course, we had uni on tuna tartar, guacamole with pine nuts. uni was great, tuna tartare a bit lacking in taste, guacamole was good.

first red was a ripasso 2009, apparently not meeting the 5 year requirement to be an amarone? anyhow, i like this wine.

#2 – 2 ricotta & grana padona cheese ravioli with truffle & wolfberries, excellent sauce

2nd course was ricotta & grana padona cheese ravioli with a huge dollop of truffle & wolfberries. ravioli was good. truffle was very good. the shellfish sauce reduction was exquisite. 🙂

2nd red was a kairos 2008. it was a bit more full bodied & tannic. it’s a better wine but i liked the first one better.

$3 suckling pig – crackling skin on foie gras mousse, pork & mushroom tempura in deep-fried squidink pasta

#3 suckling pig – pork & mushroom tempura in deep-fried squidink pasta

suckling pig - crackling skin on foie gras moussesuckling pig - crackling skin on foie gras mousse, pork & mushroom tempura in deep-fried squidink pasta

#3 suckling pig – crackling skin on foie gras moussesuckling pig – crackling skin on foie gras mousse, pork & mushroom tempura in deep-fried squidink pasta

3rd course was suckling pig – crackling skin on a foie gras mousse, pork & mushroom tempura in deep-fried squid ink pasta nest. crackling skin was wonderful & the meat portions very tasty. most of us though would still prefer the chinese style suckling pig. 🙂

3rd red was a classico. it was a bit sweeter than the second. i liked this better.

#4 really superb lamb – no gamey taste, very tender & flavourful

& the lychee wood smoked lamb rack with herbal crust was really superb, the best i had – no gamey taste, very tender & flavourful…i am inspired to do my own again, but maybe not the pistachio crusted rack of lamb recipe, but a herb crusted one (thinking how to do the marinade).

this last wine harlequin was the best, even for me who don’t know wine. really wonderful taste.

the great wines – 3 amarone

i couldn’t really finish my wine, though they were very good indeed. i did finish off the harlequin, apparently S$300+ bottle. 🙂

#5 4 italian cheese platter

we had the 4 cheese platter, a bit unusual not to have dessert. usually in restaurant set meals, cheese is served before dessert as an option order. i liked especially the blue.

throughout dinner, we were treated to some expert discussion of amarone (in addition to the brief by zyme wine distributor rep) & especially whisky by a connoisseur diner on our table.

for this top quality food & wine, i would certainly be happy even if i were a paying guest.

c.h.e.f andy

Guided Food Tour of Old Airport Road Hawker Centre on 2Dec2014

Posted on December 2, 2014 by chefquak

hougang jing jia mutton soup – S$6

met an old schoolmate for early lunch at old airport road hawker centre 11.30am today 2.12.2014. 🙂

it’s strange. old airport road is such a famous eating place, but i can only remember once i came here with another friend probably 5 years back & he introduced me to a beef noodle stall. it tasted nothing like the hong kong 牛腩面 stalls. i must have been here some other time but there was nothing in my recollections.

this friend comes here like once a month so he gamely walked me round the hawker centre, pointed to the famous hokkien mee stall (no queue yet), past the lor mee stall (already like 15 people in the queue), the fish head beehoon stall (about 6 in the queue).

we ended up at the hougang jing jia mutton soup stall. i went to get 2 bowls 牛杂 mixed rib, tripe, tendon (S$6 each) & he queue for a char kuay teow (S$4 加料 with added ingredients of prawns & squid).

hougang jing jia mutton soup – S$6

hougang mutton soup – S$6

hougang jing jia mutton soup – S$6

it might be that my expectation was a bit high. i was expecting like chai chuan you 柴船头 @ bukit merah view standard. or at least the standard of yu ji@whampoa market or the other stall #01-75 at whampoa market.

but this hougang jing jia mutton soup was quite a let down actually. something was not quite right about the taste. soup was not as flavourful. i felt the meat was overcooked & too soft not the texture i like for mutton ribs and not as tasty, and chilli was simply too dilute.

for me, this was not comparable at all with the other 3 stalls. my favourite is chai chuan you 柴船头 @ bukit merah view but i like the 2 whampoa stalls too.

dongji char kuay teow – S$4

the dongji char kuay teow was good. very good wok hae. and S$1 加料 for all that added ingredients of prawns & squid was just incredible. this must be the most value-for-money S$4 char kuay teow.

still, my friend prefers this dry char kuay teow, but i prefer the wet one at hai kee teochew char kuay teow at telok blangah with lots & lots of cockles added – 加料.

dongji cha kuay teow

cho kee noodles wanton mee

we ought to be full by then. but my friend wanted to show me the 2 good wanton mee stalls which were just few stalls away from each other. 1 was closed, so we shared 1 bowl from cho kee. 4 wantons were good, soft, skin held together & tasty. char siew was good, and most importantly noodles was qq & taste was good.

for me i felt the chilli was not spicy enough. this was about same maybe slightly less tasty than the wanton mee at KPT coffeeshop 401 hougang ave 10, S530401, and for me the best wanton mee was still kok kee previously at lavendar food square (not sure where it moved too), & the one at temberling road & red ring wanton mee were pretty good too.

c.h.e.f andy

Cheap & Really Good for Economic Rice @ Joyful Palace Clementi Ave3 on 2Dec2014

Posted on December 2, 2014 by chefquak

economic rice @ joyful place clementi av3

economic rice @ joyful palace clementi ave3

went for early lunch with a friend (friend’s guided food tour of old airport road hawker centre)

later we drove back to my place for coffee.

i totally forgot my coffee meeting with another friend at commonwealth mrt koufu at 3.30pm on 2.12.2014. after i sent my friend out to bus stop & got back, only when i checked my phone which was charging that i realised i was very late. anyway i managed to get to koufu 45mins late & we had a good chat.

my wife was not back for dinner & this friend was free so we went together to try out joyful palace, a coffeeshop at clementi ave 3 (clementi central locality). i had seen the economic rice when passing & wanted to try this.

economic rice @ joyful palace clementi ave3

i had the steamed fish. it was probably the cheap vietnamese pangasius, a cheap catfish, the common supermarket sutchi fillet. i also had the belly pork & spinach.

the fish was very good. of course it was not fine dining restaurant standard, but it was equal or better even than what you get at zi char places. the belly pork preparation was not my preferred braise, a bit sweet sauce, but it was really good standard. very nicely done. spinach was quite fine.

& it was just S$4.50! and for that price & the quantity i had, this was excellent actually. 🙂

c.h.e.f andy

6pax Family Dinner @ Canton Paradise on 28Nov2014 (Update)

Posted on December 1, 2014 by chefquak

crispy deepfried tofu

6pax family dinner at canton paradise @ j-cube on 28.11.2014. 🙂

this a quick update, as we were just here 2 days ago.^^

not that we had a choice. did not read the small prints, & bought 2 groupons which (1) could not be redeemed at canton paradise star vista but at other outlets, nearest being j-cube, & (2) could only redeem 1 voucher per visit. & today the last day for redemption, so we had to come back again before voucher expired.

this time it was 7.30pm on a friday night & parking was near impossible. we came in 2 cars. 4 of us got into the carpark at 7.10pm. the second car was in the queue but decided to try for another carpark, unsuccessfully & returned to queue again after 20 cars lining the way down the car park ramp & outside. so never get out of the queue! they came to the restaurant like 40mins later.

we tried a few new dishes.

the crispy deep-fried tofu (S$5.80) was very good, crisp outside, smooth consistent inside.

crispy cod fritters

my daughters liked the crispy cod fritters (S$9.80). my wife & I taught sauce was a bit sweet.

crispy char siew pao

i am a bit tired of this crispy char siew pao, others still liked it.

prawn fun cheong

prawn fun cheong was ok.

xiaolongbao (小笼包)

so was xiaolongbao (小笼包), though all of us preferred crystal jade lamian xiaolongbao.

spicy dumplings (抄手)

liked the spicy dumplings (抄手). 🙂

har gao (虾饺)

har gao (虾饺) was the best, 2 large prawns, excellent skin & flavours, the best! 🙂

salted egg custard buns (流沙包)

i am getting tired of salted egg custard buns (流沙包) also.

mixd innards congee (状元及第粥)

this time the mixd innards congee (状元及第粥) below par. they ran out of congee at 8pm after we placed our orders & this was apparently the last bowl. ingredients a bit overcooked.

roast pork

roast pork was good.

roast duck

roast duck, as always, perfect! 🙂

char siew

char siew can skip.

beef hor fun

beef hor fun was oily, has wok hae, tasted more like sicc char kuay teow, not in my book for dishes here.

c.h.e.f andy

Protected: RI G20 Monthly Dinner by Chak Joo @ Ban Heng Harbourfront Centre on 24Nov2014

Posted on December 1, 2014 by chefquak

RI Friends Monthly Dinner @ Ban Heng Harbourfront Centre on 24Nov2014

Posted on November 30, 2014 by chefquak

#10 roast pork

we had our november RI friends dinner @ ban heng harbourfront centre on 24.11.2014. 🙂

this was the smallest turnout, with 7pax.

i had not been to this ban heng outlet before. the last time G20 had a 23pax dinner at ban heng at orchard central, food was quite average.

this outlet has 2 ala carte buffet menu – one pried at S$28.80++ here, and the other at S$21.80++. from what i can see the main difference is for the S$28.80 menu you get to pick 1 order of abalones, crabs, froglegs, live prawns, scallops.

we took the S$28.80++ menu.

#1 roast duck

#1 roast duck was passable. but c/w the beautiful roast duck at both canton paradise star vista & canton paradise J-cube or with the noodles restaurant at centrepoint, this would be a poor & distant cousin.

#2 drunken chicken

#2 drunken chicken was average, competent.

#3 garlic spinach

#4 sambal kang kong

liked the vegetables, #3 garlic spinach & #4 sambal kang kong.

#5 deep-fried soon hock

#5 deep-fried soon hock was a standard dish. it was done well. 🙂

#6 beef with bitter gourd black bean sauce

#6 beef with bitter gourd black bean sauce was also done well. i personally would prefer fish head & meat with black bean bitter gourd, but this was as good as any good zi char, say kok sen at keong saik street or hong kong street chun kee at commonwealth crescent or ah orh at bukit merah.

#7 steamed prawns

#7 steamed prawns was good like any good seafood restaurant.

#8 sharks fin soup

surprisingly the #8 sharks fin soup though gluey like any served at weddings in yesteryears, had very tasty stock. this was much better than ban heng orchard central.

#9 frog legs with ginger & spring onions

#9 frog legs with ginger & spring onions was also a competent dish. not so different from what my family used to have often at ah yat turf city (now grandstand) long in the past.

#10 roast pork

#10 roast pork. all my friends liked this a lot. we had a second order. meat looked great, was tender & tasty & skin was crisp. i would say presentation & taste-wise still a tad below what i had recently at tunglok central.

#11 fried prawns with celery

#11 fried prawns with celery – passable, nothing interesting.

#12 char siew

#12 char siew looked & tasted great. of the 2 dishes, my friends liked the roast pork better.

#13 abalones with mushrooms & spinach

#13 abalones with mushrooms & spinach. this was quite good dish also. the braising sauce though was nothing like the really good brown sauce served in good cantonese restaurants say ah yat abalones forum restaurant for abalone dishes (also goose web & spiky sea cucumber dishes) or at chao yue xuan.

#14 deep-fried tilapia in thai sauce

#14 deep-fried tilapia in thai sauce was an interesting dish. it had less meat so some friends preferred the soon hock dish to this.

#15 scallops in yam nest

#15 scallops in yam nest. scallops were average & overall this dish was poor, below par, not even comparable with a good yam basket say at ah orh w/o expensive scallops.

#16 chai poh minced pork with steamed bean curd

#16 chai poh minced pork with steamed bean curd, i think this was really poor.

#17 sweet & sour soup

#17 sweet & sour soup. this was a pretty good soup.

#18 pepper crab

#18 pepper crab was quite the usual seafood restaurant standard, for sure better than spices cafe.

pulut hitam

aloe vera & jelly

self service dessert were quite standard. aloe vera with jelly was quite refreshing & pulut hitam the usual.

overall, food here was better than ban heng orchard central but not as good as (service especially) peach gardens miramar (menu had wider spread though at ban heng harbour front). for S$28.80++ pax it was 2/3 the price of spices cafe w/o the lobster. i guess quite an ok deal.

c.h.e.f andy

Sumptuous Alluring Omakase @ Hachi on 22Nov2014

Posted on November 29, 2014 by chefquak

#4 sashimi moriawase 1pax = botan ebi, sawala (spanish mackerel), chutoro, ika, kinmedai, tai, hamachi

my wife’s good friend couple bought us a wonderful super delicious omakase dinner at hachi on 22.11.2014. 🙂

my wife & i had been to hachi several times. we introduced the restaurant to them & said we would buy them dinner there, but they sprang this superb omakase on us & bought us instead.

in fact we had never take this S$188pax premium omakase here (restaurant said it’s a new menu started 2014). every time we just took the S$118pax (now increased to S$128 pax) omakase, which was also pretty good. well no complaints. ^^ 🙂

#1 japanese persimmon

#1 first course was a japanese persimmon came shielded with persimmon leaf. dish was beautiful & exquisite, feeling of koyo (autumn colours). persimmon was very sweet but could not recall the other items. there was goma (sesame) sauce.

#2 ayu fish, tamago, ginkgo nuts, chestnut, crispy sweet potato, seaweed

#2 second course was ayu fish, tamago, ginkgo nuts, chestnut, crispy sweet potato, dish of seaweed. such delicate & beautiful plating. 🙂

ayu is a tasty but flaky (falling apart) fish, not my favourite but ayu shioyaki (鮎塩焼) is a very popular dish (see photo of the open grill here). in small bites for this starter, it was quite nice.

#3 steamed tai (seabream) on braised tofu

#3 third course was a steamed tai (seabream) on braised tofu. sea bream was very sweet & tasty. tofu was excellent, very crispy outside & smooth consistency inside.

#4 sashimi moriawase 1pax = botan ebi, sawala (spanish mackerel), chutoro, ika, kinmedai, tai, hamachi

#4 the next course sashimi moriawase for 1pax kinmedai 金目鯛 (japanese golden eye sea bream – see photo here), tai (sea bream), hamachi>> was a real treat. i have not taken sawala before & probably not kinmedai (as sashimi) too.

the kinmedai was really good. 🙂 and of course the chutoro, botan ebi etc etc. ^^

we had really good sashimi moriawase just last week at sumiya on 16.11.2014 which included uni, awabi & akami.

and of course mikuni’s chirashi don sashimi quality was top draw.

but to have this sashimi moriawase as part of an 11-course omakase was truly luxurious, sumptuous. 🙂

the sashimi moriawase for GOTO’s kaiseki was not too bad, but it was expensive & not as good value.

#5 crispy sweet potatoes on steamed sea bream on japaenese rice cake

#5 fifth course was crispy sweet potatoes on steamed sea bream on japaenese rice cake in a very tasty starchy mountain yam soup. simply yummy. i drank the whole thing.

#6 very large (3in), firm & tasty oyster

#6 sixth course was a large (3in), firm & tasty oyster. 1 of us found it sandy. it was ok for the rest. it was evidently good enough though as we finished the oysters before i thought of asking the restaurant to replace the oyster. i like this dish very much.

#7 excellent tempura – anago (conger eel), very good hotate, shiso 紫蘇 leaf (also called oba), and red pepper.

#7 excellent tempura – anago (conger eel), very good hotate, shiso 紫蘇 leaf (also called oba), and red pepper

#7 next course was an excellent tempura – anago (conger eel), very good hotate, shiso 紫蘇 leaf (also called oba), and red pepper.

the konbu (昆布) which japanese use for dashi (clear soup stock) is not edible.

#8 ohmi wagyu (近江牛) with xavier, jalapeño chilli, sweet potatoes

#8 ohmi wagyu (近江牛) with caviar, jalapeño chilli, sweet potatoes

#8 eighth course was ohmi wagyu (近江牛) – among the top 3 japanese wagyu – with caviar, jalapeño chilli, sweet potatoes.

taste was simply sublime, out of this world. ^^

#9 hokkaido momotaro tomatoes – a palate cleanser

#9 next was hokkaido momotaro tomatoes – a palate cleanser.

#10 my selection of sushi = kinmedai, hotate, uni (each diner can pick 3 types of sushi)

#10 the server brought us a tray of 10 to 12 sashimi. each diner can pick 3 types of sushi. my selection of sushi = kinmedai, hotate, uni. the hotate was really good, very huge, plump & sweet. the uni & kinmedai too of course. 🙂

wife had uni, negi toro & kinmedai. the 2 friends each had botan ebi, hotate & uni. 🙂

#11 dessert – yuzu ice cream, kiwi fruit, grapes, strawberries, blue berries, cheese cake slice

#11 i guess dessert was the least tantalising of the omakase – yuzu ice cream, kiwi fruit, grapes, strawberries, blue berries, cheese cake slice. it was a bit more quantity than quality, good standard & substantial, but not like say japanese melon.

overall this hachi premium omakase was much superior in quality of ingredients & taste c/w the kaiseki we had at GOTO on 23.10.2014, which cost a lot more.

c.h.e.f andy

Tofumisu – an Experiment

Posted on November 28, 2014 by chefquak

tofumisu - the healthy verso w/o mascarpone

tofumisu – the healthy version w/o mascarpone

did a tofumisu last evening on 27.11.0214. 🙂

it is a healthy version of tiramisu w/o the main ingredient mascarpone cheese, which is replaced by tofu (bean curd).

i adapted the japanese youtube recipe here.

so decided to experiment. 🙂

tofumisu – the healthy version w/o mascarpone

i added 250g silken tofu to a blender, & added 2 egg yolks, 1 tbsp lemon juice, 3 tbsp sugar, and 50ml almond soya milk, 2 tbsp mirin. i heated up another 50ml of almond soya milk in the microwave & added 1tsp gelatine powder (5g). this blended to a soft custard.

i added 1 tsp sugar to the 2 egg whites & whisked it to soft peaks, emptied the custard from the blender to a mixing bowl & folded in the meringue.

i prepared 60ml of strong expresso (i used fresh ground coffee from my machine), & added 2 tbsp otard (brandy), 1 tsp vanilla essence & 1 tsp sugar.

then i dipped the savoiardi ladyfinger biscuits in the coffee, broke them up to smaller pieces & placed it in the glass containers. i then topped with the custard mix. then in the fridge overnight. 🙂

tofumisu – the healthy version w/o mascarpone

result of experiment – the texture was very good, basically quite similar to tiramisu. flavour wise, tofu taste was dominant, and its not near as nice as tiramisu. maybe adding a bit more of the almond soya milk might help. the price of healthy preparation. ha! 🙂

c.h.e.f andy

Ingredients:

250g silken tofu
2 eggs (separate egg yokes & whites)
1 tbsp lemon juice
3tbsp + 2tsp sugar
2 tbsp mirin
100ml almond soya milk
5g gelatine powder
60ml strong expresso
2tbsp otard (brandy)
1 tsp vanilla essence

Directions:

add 250g silken tofu to a blender, add 2 egg yolks, 1 tbsp lemon juice, 3 tbsp sugar, and 50ml almond soya milk, 2 tbsp mirin. heat another 50ml of almond soya milk in the microwave & add 1tsp gelatine powder (5g).
add 1 tsp sugar to the 2 egg whites & whisk it to soft peaks, empty the custard form the blender to a mixing bowl & fold in the meringue.
prepare 60ml strong expresso (i used fresh ground coffee from my machine), & add 2 tbsp otard (brandy), 1 tsp vanilla essence & 1 tsp sugar.
dip savoiardi ladyfinger biscuits in the coffee, break into smaller pieces & place it in glass containers. top with the custard mix. leave in fridge overnight.

Good but Expensive Dinner @ aPompei on 21Nov2014

Posted on November 27, 2014 by chefquak

florentine steak – S$88

we were thinking of a place to go for 5pax family dinner on a friday w/o too much hassle on traffic & parking. decided to try the new restaurant aPompei at 6th avenue on 21.11.2014. 🙂

restaurant only started a week ago, according to chef mimo, who was from al borgo. we liked the florentine steak at al borgo by chef mim0. my wife recently had that at al borgo & she said it’s no longer good, so we were looking forward to having the good florentine steak here. 🙂

chef mimo was friendly & chatty, and we had always liked his food. so we decided to order his recommendations & let him organise the dinner. 🙂

food was good as we expected. price though was a bit expensive.

bread to start

bread in most italian diners were mostly just baguette with olive oil/balsamic dip, nothing fancy like top restaurants.

antipasti – S$72

the antipasti was a huge serving. it was good, with parma ham, good quality salami (my wife normally does not take salami but she was ok with this one), buffalo mozzarella, another cheese & olives.

we found out only later when we had the bill that the antipasti cost S$72 (since we left it in the hands of chef mimo). this was way too expensive for an antipasti for 2 guys & 3 ladies.

i am just guessing that maybe we were charged 3 portions=S$24×3. if we had ordered ourselves, we would have ordered just 1 portion. it was not about the price of the antipasti but whether we would spent S$72 for a very large portion or used the same money to order 2 more pastas etc.

complimentary focaccia

we had a complimentary focaccia, topped with cherry tomatoes. in fact we thought it was better than the seafood pizza. we saw on the menu it cost S$13.

mussels – S$28

the mussels was very good. i felt it was expensive at S$28. i could do very good mussels myself, but i used the cheap mussels from sheng shiong. these mussels here were of course the better variety. 🙂

vongole – S$28

the vongole was very good also. the spaghetti were very al dente. somehow it cost more than S$24 on the menu? this is also a dish i do well, and sometimes i can get mango clams from sheng shiong which i think is better than la la (littleneck clams).

seafood pizza

the seafood pizza was good, but we felt the cheaper focaccia (complimentary by chef mimo) was better. 🙂

florentine steak – S$88

& the 600g florentine steak. this was our favourite & it was as good as the one at al borgo of old (though my wife said it was no longer so). al borgo charged S$60 initially but raised to S$75 last year. it was S$88 here. i guess the price was not cheap but ok as long as the standard is kept. 🙂

complimentary dessert

chef mimo offered us 2 complimentary sponge cakes. the texture felt a bit like tiramisu (moist) but chef mimo said it was sponge cake. they were good but these tended to be quite sweet.

the dinner for 5pax (2guys, 3 ladies) cost S$350nett including a S$62 bottle wine. wine was good & priced similar to what you get at a good restaurant. 🙂

i felt the dinner was overly expensive at about S$56nett excluding the wine. if the antipasti was 1 portion at S$24++, price would be S$45pax nett, which was still not cheap but i guess ok for the food.

anyway, we were overall happy with the food, even though price was on the expensive side & it had cost a lot more than if we had ordered from the menu, which is what we would do next time. 🙂

c.h.e.f andy

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