Slovenia here We Come 3pax Family Hiking Trip with Wife & Son 15-21Sep2018

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lie tong still the best

wife did all the trip planning and booking of flights & hotel/airbnb. i picked the avis rental car which son would be driving & read up a bit to be in the know.

& we were all ready for our hiking adventure. the turkish airline flight to ljubljana had a 1hrs 50mins layover at istanbul airport. changi departure was and arrival at ljubljana was .

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

food quality at asia treasure had been deteriorating. for our recent trip to croatia in apr2018, the food at asia treasure T3 was pathetic even c/w SATS lounge opoosite.

this time our turkish airline gate at T1 was nearer to T2 so we took the shuttle to asia treasure T2 lounge.

the only consistent good dish at asia treasure is the lie tong (top photo). it was very good, very sweet & tasty.

fried carrot cake & fried rice

fried carrot cake & fried rice

fried carrot cake & fried rice passable & quite nice with the xo haebeehiam chilli.

fish fillet porridge

fish fillet congee

fish fillet (dory fish?) congee quite ok really, above average.

atas biscuits

the waiting staff at asia treasure T2 served us a large serving of atas biscuits. we kept all for the trip.

economy food

economy food

economy class food on turkish airline nothing to speak about.

actually i though for my recent crotia trip they were much tastier.

economy food

the fish was pretty ok & the zucchini quite good.

salad & side dish

salad with cheese ok, side dish passable.

turkish airline biz class stewardess in chef uniform

they had biz class stewardess in chef uniform.

a few “creative” touches, like the safety video was a lego animation etc.

istanbul airport mall

istanbul airport mall

the transit mall at istanbul was huge. the airport is sprawling & took long time to walk from one side to the other.

we did some shopping. wife bought chocolates & also 2 bottles of red wine.

we decided not to go priority lounge.

damaged luggage

damaged luggage

we found one of our nice luggage completely broken on arrival at ljubljana.

there was no queue & we could easily lodged at report at the counter next to the luggage belts.

guy was fluent in english, efficient & helpful, so filing report for insurance claim later was quite a breeze, no hassle.

quite new skoda octavia 5000km

we booked a mercedes B180 for 6days for €242. avis website said or equivalent, and i checked avis ljubljana they did not have a mercedes B180 in their car inventory.

we got the skoda octavia “equivalent” instead! lol! ^^

car was relatively new 5000km (assuming it was correct). the suspension sounded like car was falling apart though. 🙂

anyway i checked B180 length <4.4m & octavia length 4.68m so maybe octavia was good for us. 🙂

we expected to pay a lot more for excess waiver. it was €20/day for additional €120 making the 6 days rental fully covered €362..quite ok atcually c/w what we paid in croatia.

got a free garmin GPS

also the guy threw in a free garmin GPS & a second driver, and those 2 could add up to like €15/day so not too bad la…

highway pass decal

got decal highway pass (we asked to confirm). seems that some rental don’t provide that, and you may get fined €50 if you didn’t know it was required.

good roads not difficult to drive even on the wrong side

and we were on the way, to lake bled.

like several reviewers said, the roads were good & not difficult for my son to drive, albeit on the wrong side…hahaha!

our avis rental car = skoda octavia

our avis rental car = skoda octavia

we arrived at our hotel grand hotel toplice at lake bled about 10am, nice weather & great sunshine awaiting us.

c.h.e.f andy

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Good Indian Dishes 7pax Lunch @ Gayatri on 6Oct2018

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indian dishes galore

WT bought 7pax lunch at gayatri race course road today on 6.10.2018. ^^

don’t do indian often these days so looking forward to lunch.

S$27 fish head curry medium

fish head curry was very good.

fish was fresh, sweet, meaty. curry was flavourful.

enjoyed this fish head curry. as i shared with J though, i used to like indian fish curry a lot. these days i prefer the forture thai style fish head curry especially, and also nonya or assam fish head curry.

S$6.50 quail eggs masala

quail egg was ordinary, nothing special or distinctive with the masala.

S$22 prawn masala

likewise the prawn masala nothing special.

actually my own prawn masala & fish masala using house brand pre-made spice sachets were far better (i did an all indian dishes 10pax dinner for my friends on 19.7.2017).

S$8.50 mutton vindaloo

the mutton vindaloo was good.

mutton was tender & flavourful & curry was tasty.

S$21 chicken tandoori

tandoori chicken a dish i don’t particularly favour, though some tandoori chicken can be very flavourful & even a bit moist.

not this one, which was the usual dry & average taste.

S$6 tahu masala small

the tahu was good.

S$6 deepfried gobi (cauliflower) small

& i like the gobi, deep-fried and differently prepared from the north indian aloo gobi. still i like this.

S$4.50 garlic naan

naan was good here.

J and i were sharing that the there were not much curry gravy from the southern indian dishes to eat with the naan, like her experience in london indian restaurant bombay bustle recently…

S$131.50 for 7pax

@ killiney road kopitiam farrer road hospital

indian dishes galore

lunch for 7pax was S$131.50, quite ok.

food was good & more than sufficient & also very good variety.

not a priority but this a restaurant i would come back again sometime.

after lunch we walked over to farrer road hospital for a cuppa. WT ordered also kaya toast for PY to try.

PY is flying off back to tokyo tomorrow. WT bought a bottle of kaya for PY to bring back to japan. haneda quite strict, with sniffing canines but should be ok la…

c.h.e.f andy

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

Gayatri Restaurant
Address:
122 Race Course Rd, #01-01, Singapore 218583
8V52+VQ Singapore
Contact:
gayatrirestaurant.com
6291 1011
Opening Hours:
daily
  • 11AM–10:30PM

 

Yummy Japanese Chashu over Rice on 4Oct2018

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chashu over rice

made some jap chashu & pork soft bones for 6pax dinner with OPS bro & friends on 3.10.2018. 

but haha! i forgot to serve them. luckily got WM to tapao the soft bones & 1/2 the chashu back. lol! 🙂

chashu over rice

i got like 2/5 the chashu strip in the chiller so decided to slice and steam over white rice in the rice cooker (after rice cooked). added some crispy chilli. lazy to do sushi rice so not quite donburi haha! 🙂

chashu really tasty & tender, yummy yummy, very shiok la!

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

i used the usual method for jap chashu by seriouseats.com.

130degC for 3.5hrs.

braising sauce –

  • 1/2 cup mirin
  • 1/2 cup sake
  • 1/2 to 1 cup water
  • 1 tbsp sugar
  • 4 tbsp light soy sauce
  • 4 cloves peeled garlic
  • 1 shallot quartered
  • 1 stalk spring onions
  • 3cm ginger (sliced)

c.h.e.f andy

Good Food Great Deal Some Issues on Customer Service – 6pax OPS Bros Friends Lunch @ Rosso Bianco on 4Oct2018

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S$48 chilled angel hair

GY’s close buddy 闺蜜 PY is in town for 2 weeks.

i had them over to my place for homecooked chinese dinner last evening. 

so for today we go italian & I arranged 6pax lunch @ rosso bianco today on 4.10.2018. ^^

WM fetched me & we went in 1 car.

last time i came was exactly 1 month ago with my family, dinner also 6pax on 3.9.2018. ^^

I ordered 3 pasta 3 meat dishes to share..then added a chilled angel hair

complimentary garlic bread

the complimentary garlic bread came with a tasty pesto dip – extra virgin olive oil, basil, baby spinach, pine nuts. very tasty.

S$28.90 truffle foldover pizza

the foldover pizza was quite unique. all my friends liked it.

very tasty dough with rockets, prosciutto, cheese & of course truffle butter.

S$25.80 squidink spaghetti

couple friends were sort of new to squid ink. they all liked the special flavour.

i just returned from a 1+ week family holiday at amalfi coast. singapore has good standard italian food, so i don’t really think that food in italy was better, but pasta there in general more al dente than singapore. taste wise for me singapore just as good. i will do my own pasta & risotto more al dente. i think that way they taste better.

S$26.80 seafood risotto fruiti mare

GY wanted to try risotto. she had pasta before but not risotto.

the seafood tomato sauce was quite tasty. it was a nice risotto though i always prefer pasta.

S$48 chilled angel hair

the filipino lady server earlier suggested their signature S$48 chilled angel hair. i decided to add to our orders.

it came with hotate (scallop) & the usual caviar & truffle.

it was competent, hotate was very sweet & fresh, and truffle & caviar always deliver a very delicious dish. it was not special though as many restaurants serve this & S$48 not cheap though it was a large portion i guess up to 2 times the normal serving, so i guess ok.

S$39 iberico pork rack

the iberico was ok. restaurant said best served well done. i still think for iberico it can be slightly pink.

anyway it was a bit dry & no comparison with the iberico pork rack at foc (here you can see form the photo it was served slightly pink) heaven & earth really!

S$42.80 lamb chop

my friends were unanimous that the S$42.80 lamb chop was best!

3 very meaty lamb chops, with excellent sides of grilled veg & potatoes. very tasty & flavourful * excellent texture.

S$36.80 osobucco

we were all too full for the osobucco.

actually we could do w/o it.

i wanted my friends to try the 3 meats but they did not have the chargrilled ribeye today, and i have not tried the osobucco here so i ordered it.

osobucco is a very tasty dish so this one here was just average, tender enough but not tasty enough.

3mains – lamb chop, iberico pork ribs, osobucco

S$12.80 lava cake

we also ordered a S$12.80 lava cake to share, which everybody enjoyed. good standard. the chocolate was very tasty. 🙂

6pax lunch came yo S$287. I bought & redeemed S$300 chope off peak vouchers at 50% discounts so paid S$150. really good deal.

there was a bit of drama when settling the bill, so i should say a few words on the service & attitude.

The filipino lady server competent & friendly..

The head waiter & other male server were ok until I redeemed the vouchers..we had some problems as my phone was out of battery but i knew that already so whatsapped the QR code & number to my friends..& the redemption terms said either print out or show restaurant the QR code but they couldn’t do it.

but worse they showed unfriendly, unco-operative & rather unhelpful & dismissive attitude like couldn’t be bothered with you..luckily old men also couldn’t be bothered with them so we spent a long time figuring out & they wasted their time waiting..anyhow they reluctantly let me charged my phone & i was able to redeem using my phone.

the point here is if you want to do chope promotions & bring customers to your restaurant, then it is quite counter-productive to be unnice to your customers. it’s like spending the effort, giving deep discounts yet stepping yourself on the foot, very unwise la…

c.h.e.f andy

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

Rosso Bianco

Address

2 Greenwood Avenue
Singapore (289189)

Contact:
rossobiancosg.com
9230 0435

Opening Hours

Monday to Sunday from 11am-11pm
All day dining

OPS Bros and Friends 6pax Dinner on 3Oct2018

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7 dishes for 6pax dinner

GY’s close buddy 闺蜜 PY is in town for 2 weeks.

PY bought us dinners at 荣 expensive ala carte buffet and at 海底捞 when WM & I visited shanghai in nov2017. 🙂

this time i was away on family holiday for 2 weeks+ in sep, so arranged to have one dinner at my house & one outside with OPs bros, GY & PF.

for this evening, i made 6 dishes for 6pax home dinner on 3.10.2018. ^^

1 腊味煲仔饭 sausage claypot rice
2 剁椒红鲷鱼头 steamed red snapper head with chopped chilli & garlic
3 nonya sauce steamed red snapper head 
4 醉鸡 drunken chicken
5 口水鸡 saliva chicken
6 prawn tofu
7 fried long beans

actually i made 2 other dishes = japanese chashu & a chashu method braised soft bones. but haha! i forgot to serve them. luckily got WM to tapao the soft bones & 1/2 the chashu back. lol! 🙂

腊味煲仔饭 sausage claypot rice

claypost rice my usual, very flavourful, rice texture & moisture just right.

only adjustment was since i not adding chicken to the claypot rice, to make the rice more tasty other than having the flavourful sausage, i used intense chicken stock boiled from chicken bones & a bit more of salted fish. i did not add salt.

i cooked 2 cups for 6pax. it was enough. we all don’t take too much carbs.

口水鸡和 醉鸡 saliva chicken & drunken chicken

both the 口水鸡和 醉鸡 saliva chicken & drunken chicken were very tasty & texture of the kampung chicken excellent. my friend finished the drunken chicken & only 2 wingstick of the saliva chicken left so they were well received.

GY doesn’t like singapore chicken rice chicken much as it was (genuinely) soft & tasteless w/o the ginger & ginger scallion sauce, so i was deciding whether to make salt baked chicken 盐焗鸡。

anyhow i decided to make 1/2 口水鸡saliva chicken & 1/2drunken chicken 醉鸡 so i used the chicken rice poached method & added the sauce.

WM thought the wine was too strong tasting. GY preferred the drunken chicken to be stronger wine tasting & saltier otherwise it was ok. 🙂

steamed red snapper head with chilli & garlic 剁椒鱼头

WT caught a 3.5kg/4kg red snapper 1 month ago, and chopped into 3 portions for me.

we were finding an occasion to have a fishy dinner 全鱼宴.

couldn’t really do that with just 6pax so i cooked only the fish head…still a big problem for me to chope the fishe head in 1/2.

the steamed red snapper head with chilli & garlic 剁椒鱼头 was quite competent, so they all liked it. its the smaller 1/2 so i steamed for 10mins. meat texture quite perfect & basically it was the top quality light soy sauce that did the trick, bring out great flavours.

nonya steamed red snapper head 娘惹红雕鱼头

the nonya steamed red snapper head 娘惹红雕鱼头 was even better tasting with the tangy sauce, and something new for PF.

my friends finished most of the 2 fish heads.

prawn tofu

the prawn tofu was ok. i have done better.

today the fried tofu not that good, not done well. otherwise it was ok and the dish was cleared out.

fried long beans

my fried long beans didn’t look great. but taste was pretty good, with oyster sauce and a bit of mala chilli. the dish all finished too.

腊味煲仔饭 sausage claypot rice

for the preparations, i fried chicken fat & ginger, off fire & added 3tsp chopped garlic and 2 slices of salted fish & fried in the residual heat.

then added 2 cups rice, 5 thick chinese mushrooms quarterred, fried & added 2 cups intense chicken stock & set aside.

& time it to cook about 20-25mins ready for dinner at 7pm.

poached kampung chicken

i salted the kampung chicken overnight in fridge.

first time i did poached chicken method for kampung chicken 1.1kg (usually 1.4kg-1.6kg battery chicken).

so i reduced 12 minutes boiling to 9mins & poached in the boiled wtaer for 20mins instead of 25mins.

then plunged in ice bath.

deboned poached kampung chicken

the poached chicken came out quite perfect. 🙂

for the saliva chicken, i added 2tbsp mala chilli sauce, 1 tbsp fish sauce, 1tbsp sesame oil, 2tsp sugar and tasted. it was quite perfect. i added to the 1/2 debone chicken & covered with clingwrap in fridge.

for drunken chicken i added 1/2 cup hua diao jiu, 1 cup chicken stock, 1.5 tbsp fish sauce & 1tsp sugar.

2 fish head dishes

the fish heads were the usual – basically 2-3 tbsp light soy sauce, 2 tbsp mirin, 2tbsp olive oil.

and for the nonya style, 2 tbsp gimson nonya sauce.

fried tofu with gravy for prawn tofu dish

today fried tofu not good.

had to change non stick pan a my usual one losing non stick property…texture of tofu not ideal after frying twice.

chicken stock & gravy was ok. so taste was ok.

fried long beans

i did the long beans a bit earlier as i did not want to rush when guest were here.

but it became a bit old (earlier photo) when i reheat. luckily taste was ok.

6 dishes for 6pax dinner

was a fun dinner entertaining good friends & spending a wonderful evening together.

WT brought a very sweet pomelo from SKC. we had that & did a bit of karaoke in the room after dinner.

c.h.e.f andy

Economic Kind of Average Food @ Teochew Cusisine Restaurant on 2Oct2018

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6pax lunch with WT GY WM HC & PF

HC bought 6pax lunch at teochew cuisine restaurant at toa payoh lor 8 arranged by WT today on 2.10.2018. ^^

6pax lunch with WT GY WM HC & PF 

i ordered 6 dimsum dishes 9 plates & WT ordered the cooked dishes. 🙂

har gao

dimsum here substantially cheaper than most places at S$3.60.

standard quite below par. i would not order dimsum here.

har gao was mediocre variety, skin gluey & prawns not the very fresh & tasty ones.

xiaolongbao 小笼包

xiaolongbao 小笼包 quite poor, soup & meat not very sweet & tasty.

chives dumpling 

chives dumpling ok i guess, basically so so.

char siew cheong fun 

cheong fun very remote from hong kong standard of very smooth cheong fun with tasty sauce.

steamed chicken feet

steamed chicken feet was quite mediocre for me.  i felt it was not the very tasty ones i took at other restaurants. my friends liked it though.

steamed pork ribs

steamed pork ribs only dish that was good for me taste wise.

but more bones. some other places gave more meaty pork ribs…

S$25 mixed braised plate 卤味拼盘

the S$25 mixed braised plate 卤味拼盘 was quite good standard.

the lor 卤 was flavourful & the big intestines, belly pork & pig stomach texture were good.

duck texture were good too maybe a little gamey.

anyway i liked this dish.

there was a dead bee stuck to the duck slices when we removed the coriander. anyway the restaurant replaced with a new platter after we informed them.

the service overall quite good & friendly (the young guy from ipoh took good photos for us too).

S$12 pig trotters jelly

the pig trotters jelly looked ok but was for me below par, basically like those we bought at chinatown 30yrs back that were mostly jelly which melt away.

this means there was not enough gelatine so the jelly tasted of more soy sauce than flavourful gelatine.

my own pig skin jelly was much better much tastier. anyway according to my own preference la.

S$12 oyster omelette

the oyster omelette was really a large serving with lots of oysters for S$12.

i think though oysters were frozen ones, not fresh & plump, and the overall dish was average not great.

but then a place like bee hiang can serve you about the same standard oyster omelette (crispy style) at double the cost.

so i guess this was ok if we not too picky.

S$22 duck web with scallops

the S$22 duck web with scallops & nai bai a very good dish, tasty & quite good value.

gravy was great, and the duck webs & nai bai vegetabkes quite good too. & so the scallops.

S$8 fried kailan

the S$8 fried kailan also very good dish. good standard, in fact better than some places that charged double like S$16.

S$25 mixed braised plate 卤味拼盘

for me, the duck web dish was the best & the mixed braise platter was pretty good.

the price for 6pax including 9 plates of dimsum & 5 dishes was S$122.

i think if order the right dishes, it’s quite ok place to some, so i may bring my sis & bil here, and maybe sanlanjie…maybe try their fish head steamboat…see how..

c.h.e.f andy

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

Teochew Cuisine Restaurant

Address:

212 Lor 8 Toa Payoh, Singapore 310212

8VR3+6V Singapore
Contact:
business.site
6259 0080
Opening Hours:
daily
  • Open 24 hours

 

 

Ah Hengs Curry Chicken Noodles and J Homemade Prawn Noodles on 1Oct2018

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curry chicken noodles with WM

just returned last evening from a very fun & memorable family holiday at amalfi coast (22-29.9.2018). ^^

thought of having curry chicken noodles at ah heng at hong lim, so messaged bros LKY & WM. WM first to respond so we arranged to meet 10.45am at ah heng on 1.10.2018.^^

some days i do have cravings i would drive myself to ah heng on my own…today didn’t really have cravings to that extent…since WM was available we just meet & eat la.. lol! ^^

S$6.50 curry chicken noodles

i reached a bit late 10.55am. there were like 5pax in the queue before me so just 10mins wait.

i ordered my usual large S$6.50 thich beehoon mee & chicken thigh 鸡尾

S$6.50 curry chicken noodles

so shiok!

today the gravy was par excellence! there were couple times i came early 1030-11am ish & felt the gravy was less intense than normal.

today it was perfect! a thoroughly satisfying bowl of delectable goodness…i can have this again!

queue at ah heng curry chicken noodles 11.30am

when we left about 11.30am ish, queue was like12-15pax, the normal at this time.

J prawn noodles with pork ribs

GY’s close buddy 闺蜜 PY is in town for 2 weeks.

WM & J arranged to have prawn noodles at their place on 1.10.2018. ^^

starters

we had some nice starters=cherry tomatoes with dried orange skin, the finest jamón ibérico de bellota (acorn) with very sweet melon, and centry egg on tofu. 🙂

cherry tomatoes with dried orange skin

dried orange peel added a new tangy sweet dimension. 🙂

bellota (acorn) ham with very sweet melon

WM served jamón ibérico de bellota (acorn) bought during his recent trip to rome, florence, venice. and the melon was super sweet.

this better than any parma ham dishes in the restaurants outside la…

century egg on tofu

& some chopped century eggs with scallions on tofu.

J prawn pork ribs noodles

J prawn noodles one of the best. the last time i had 2 large bowls on 20.1.2018. ^^

today the beehoon mee was overdone a notch, and the soup was kind of less intense. maybe would be better if soup was reduced a bit to make it more intense.

Jessie prawn pork ribs noodles

a tasty soup nevertheless & nice ingredients – prawns, sliced pork, frieced shallots & larpork (crispy lard)…all good!

I’s ngoh hiang

HC’s iwfe I who was able able to join made some very nice ngoh hiang.

WT’s sweet pineapple and WM’s cut fruits

WM had cut fruits & WT brought very sweet cut pineapples from SKC.

after dinner WM J GY & PF played shanghai majong…WT HC & I watched TV. i was getting sleepy from jetlag so i left early about 930pm.

J tapao 3pax portion of prawn noodles for my wife & family. 🙂

c.h.e.f andy

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

Ah Heng Curry Chicken Noodles
Address:
531A Upper Cross Street, #02-57/58, 051531
Contact:
9457 4826
Opening Hours:
weekday
  • 10AM–9PM
weekend
  • 8AM–9PM

Very Good Italian Dishes 6pax Family Dinner @ Rosso Bianco on 3Sep2018

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lobster ravioli S$22.80

daughter arranged dinner at rosso bianco at greenwood on 3.9.2018. ^^

the children have entertainment app & they had wanted to use that but the promotion was over. so we bought instead the off peak 50% off chope vouchers. jolly good! 🙂

red wine S$55

they had wine promotion this month. JH & son selected a S$79 wine now S$55.

bread

restaurant served some bread. nothing special, still good bread with good extra virgin olive oil.

lobster ravioli

daughter ordered lobster & crab ravioli.

i not ravioli person. it was good standard for ravioli but nothing special for me. i prefer the other 2 pasta dishes. 🙂

squidink pasta S$25.80

squidink pasta was good standard, al dente, nice squidink flavour, tasty. i guess not the very best.

squidink pasta 

good serving & ingredients.

seafood linguine S$25.80

seafood linguine very tasty too & good amount of seafood.

fold over pizza

the fold over pizza was unusual & really excellent, great aroma, taste & texture.

i will sure order that again next visit. 🙂

when the server was taking order & describing to us we thought it was a calzona, but it was as described a foldover pizza. lol! 🙂

chargrilled ribeye steak S$39.80

we ordered a few meat to share.

the chargrilled ribeye steak was good tender meat, though not served tagliata as stated in the menu.

lamb rack S$42.90

lamb rack was likewise a very nice dish.

like the steak it had the grid chequered look but not really fully charred. i thought charring it would make it taste a lot better.

iberico pork rack S$39

the iberico pork rack looked anemic not well charred & dry but actually it was quite tatsy & tender.

lava cake S$12.80

lava cake S$12.80

lava cake also very good standrad…the dark chocolate flavourful & lots of lava, perfect texture.

iberico pork rack S$39

so for dinner we had-

  • 3 pasta
  • 1 pizza
  • 3 meat
  • 1 lava cake
  • 1 wine

dinner was S$321 for 6pax. we had S$300 chope voucher which we paid S$150. so total was S$171nett for 6pax include $55 wine the best deal la 👍👍👍

really great dinner with family.

c.h.e.f andy

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

Rosso Bianco

Address

2 Greenwood Avenue
Singapore (289189)

Contact:
rossobiancosg.com
9230 0435

Opening Hours

Monday to Sunday from 11am-11pm
All day dining

Good Steamed Red Garoupa with Nonya Sauce & with Taujeon Lime Sauce on 12Sep2018

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nonya steamed red garoupa head 

i bought a S$7 red garoupa head when i went to chinatown to get red garoupa for my cooking demo & sharing at teban gardens last week on 5.9.2018. ^^

i decided to do a nonya sauce steamed fish head on 11.9.2018 & a taujoen lime fish head on 12.9.2018. ^^

nonya steamed red garoupa head

nonya steamed red garoupa head 

the nonya sauce fish head was better tasting.

recipe wise it was same as my nonya steamed red snapper fish head on 31.8.2018 = just 1 heap tbsp gimson nonya sauce, 1tbsp each light soy sauce, mirin & 2tbsp olive oil.

fish head was delicious, but i think my red snapper head previously was better in terms of texture.

taujeon lime red garoupa head 

for the taujeon lime recipe quite straight forward =2tbsp taujeon pounded in mortar, 1tbsp each light lime juice, soy sauce, mirin & 2tbsp olive oil. 🙂

taujeon lime red garoupa head

taujeon lime red garoupa head

combination of taujeon & lime giving a tangy taste was good.

but it was quite far & not really comparable with the zai shun’s taujeon lime sauce for the delicious sharks cartilage dish.

c.h.e.f andy

Very Expensive S$7 Beef Kway Teow Soup on 12Sep2018

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mixed beef + tendon soup

went to get something & stopped by kovan market on 12.9.2018

curry chicken noodle gravy

passed by a long queue at yami mee the teochew noodle stall.

they also sells curry chicken noodles, and surprisingly the curry gravy looked authentic like ah heng curry chicken noodles at hong lim.

yami mee the teochew noodle stall

i was not going to queue so would try this another time.

cheng kee beef kway toew

saw the beef kway teow stall at the coffeeshop on the way back to my car… well there were 5pax before me so still queue 10mins..

beef kway teow

ordered no. 5 the  $7 mixed beef + tendon soup..

mixed beef + tendon soup

serving was real meagre..totally not worth the price..soup & beef etc average & all teeny weeny cuts nothing to eat for $7👎🏼👎🏼👎🏼

sorry won’t eat at this stall again.

c.h.e.f andy

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

(2) Cheng Kee Beef Kway Teow
Address:
203 Hougang Street 21, Singapore 530203
Contact:
hungrygowhere.com
Opening Hours:
daily
  • 8AM–5PM

(2) Yam Mee Teochew Noodle Stall

Address:
01-35, 209 Hougang Street 21, Singapore 530209
Opening Hours
daily (closed monday)
  • 7AM–9PM

Shiok! Scrumptious Tapas 5pax Dinner @ Sabio Duxton on 10Sep2018

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serrano ham with asparagus S$17

GY is back after settling some matters in shanghai. she will stay till late oct early nov this time.

HQ is flying back to tokyo where he is studying & likewise WW returning to shenzhen on friday.

today was a good time to get everybody for a tapas eat & chill at sabio duxton on 10.9.2018. ^^

i parked at pinnacle & we met at essen & then walked over to sabio.

sabio duxton

a cozy place..

sabio duxton

nice tapas bar to chill & relax, and eat some tapas. not much business through the evening…

bellota jamon iberico

they had the whole leg of bellota jamon iberico with machine that can slice very thin prosciutto slices.

eggplant caviar S$12

i ordered 9 tapas + a churros + a spanish fried rice mixta, and GY & WW ordered a beer each.

first dish was asparagus with serrano prosciuto (top photo). the thin asparagus so so, cannot c/w la taperia. & a bit ex at S$17.

ham croquette S$14

the ham croquette was good. 🙂

chorizo S$16

chorizo i liked. WT family so so with it. a bit ex at S$16 but i guess chorizo are expensive.

galician octopus S$22

galician octopus always good, very tender & nice garlic & herbs.

prawn ceviche  S$18 + S$2 tacos

prawn ceviche was good. i like the salsa, lightly vinegared. WT cannot take sea prawns. teh others ok with this dish. it is light so not as flavourful as the other dishes.

garlic prawns S$18

the garlic prawns was good standard spanish gambas al ajillo, a common tapas dish.

in fact my chorizo prawns kind of inspired by this dish here.

scallops in white wine sauce S$22

ordered scallops first time.

a nice dish, especially the white wine sauce, quite delicious. we ordered additional bread S$2 to eat with this sauce & from the other dishes. 🙂

sotong ala plancha S$14

the squid ala plancha (hot plate) was good as always. GY don’t take squid much though she tried some.

churros S$11

S$125nett for 5pax include 2 beers

spanish seafood mixta fried rice S$26

to finish off we had the carb item spanish seafood mixta fried rice S$26.

not the al dente paella type (they said they didn’t have the paella oven), but a very nice dish with loads of ingrdients, many large prawns, chorizo & lots of squid pieces.

& also the churros, just nice 1 piece each.

the bill came out to S$247 for 9 tapas + spanish fried rice + churros including 2 beers (S$18). actually quite ok prices overall for 5pax.

there is an ongoing chope 50% off peak (5.30pm to 9pm) vouchers so i bought S$250 vouchers for S$125.

so the dinner was just S$125 for 5pax. so shiok! 🙂

c.h.e.f andy

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

Sabio @ Duxton Hill
Address:
5 Duxton Hill, Singapore 089591
Contact:
6690 7562
Opening Hours
Mon -Thurs
  • 12–11:30PM
Friday
  • 12PM–12AM
Saturday
  • 5PM–12AM
Sunday
  • 11:30AM–10:30PM

Hong Kong Claypot Rice & Steamed Red Garoupa 2pax Home Dinner on 9Sep2018

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HK claypot rice 

made hk claypot rice & steamed red garoupa for 2pax home dinner with wife on sunday 9.9.2018. ^^

HK claypot rice 

didn’t want to spend too much time, and a sausage claypot rice easier than chicken claypot rice.

& of course i still have lots of pork & liver sausage from hong kong la. 🙂

i washed pork & liver sausages thoroughly…then dried with kitchen towels…i think they very unclean hanging around & stored at wet markets…

HK claypot rice

HK claypot rice 

the i just fried 2 slices of salted fish with chicken fat & added 2 tsp chopped garlic, then added 1 cup rice, fried then added 1 cup water, placed sausages on top and cooked for 20mins thereabout.

took out the sausages & cut & put back then garnised with coriander.

HK claypot rice 

i do this when i am lazy to do claypot chicken rice.

very much easier, and still very fragrant, with the salted fish & sausage flavours & claypot aroma. quite perfect dish.

steamed red garoupa 

i also steamed a small red garoupa i thin about 300g+ about S$5.

steamed red garoupa

steamed red garoupa

super fresh & tender & sweet, and the hong kong steam was perfect for this fresh fish, light soy sauce was wonderful.

HK claypot rice

a quick, simple & delicious 2pax home dinner, easy to do & delicious for the palate.

c.h.e.f andy

Very Good Hokkien Mee @ Tan Song Heng Meiling Food Centre on 7Sep2018

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S$6 hokkien mee

went with wife to meiling food centre.

the hokkien mee at tan song heng is very good, so i queue 15mins for it.

went over to xinlu fish ball noodles but they already closed at 1pm..

there were loads of ingredients – 5 large prawns & many sotong pieces.

most importantly the stock was very good, and so the hokkien mee was so very tasty & shiok!

tan song heng hookien mee

labour intensive & took quite long because he had to start a new lots of noodles.

piccolo latte

S$6 hokkien mee

we really enjoyed this S$6 hokkien mee shared by 2. no need lots of money to have good food.

i think i will try this again at home. my own fried hokkien noodles not too bad too but will try it again.

after lunch we walked over to tiong hoe & enjoyed a nice cuppa.

c.h.e.f andy

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

Tan Song Heng

Stall #02-40

Meiling Street Food centre

Daughter Bought Lunch – Happiness Seafood White Bee Hoon & Jin Xiang Ding Mutton Soup on 7Sep2018

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white beehoon

daughter arranged 2pax lunch today on 7.9.2018. ^^

i fetched her at lunch time & we went to nearby kovan food centre.

daughter likes the white beehoon a lot. she bought S$5 WBH with sliced fish & clams to share. 🙂

the prawn based broth was tasty & there was quite a bit of sliced fish. larpok (crispy lard) was nice..overall a very pleasant dish.

for me, actually it was a very average dish…competent, tasty & nice enough certainly.

happiness seafood white beehoon

we sat next to the stall there was steady orders & food took 15 mins to arrive.

jin xiang ding pig organ mutton soup

menawhile i queued at jin xiang dig pig organ soup stall which sells a variet of double boiled soup & also chinese herbal mutton soup.

jin xiang ding mutton soup

was uncertain about the mutton soup as it does not appear to be a specialist stall selling too many other dishes.

but it was good, not cheap though for S$6 i counted like only 7 pieces of small ribs, like 2/3 of less of what cha chuan tou serves for same S$6.

but the ribs were very good, very tender, tasty, not strong gamey taste, and the soup also very good, mildly herbal & sweet.

i still prefer chai chuan tou at bukit merah view food centre of course! 🙂

very enjoyable lunch with daughter. i was picking up 3 packets of frozen prawns i bought on qoo10 from causeway pacific near here, so it was good arrangement to meet up with daughter for 2pax lunch.

the yutiao stall looked good, so i went to buy a S$0.80 yutiao & daughter & i shared the excess carb…worthwhile calories?? really shiok!

c.h.e.f andy

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

(1) Happiness Seafood White Beehoon

Address:

Kovan Market and Food Centre, 209 Hougang Street 21, #01-20

(2) Jin Ding Xiang Pig’s Organ Soup
Kovan Market and Food Centre, 209 Hougang Street 21, #01-08
Opening hours: 11am to 11pm

Pongs Laksa 7pax OPS Bros Lunch on 6Sep2018

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6pax lunch dishes

got my OPS bros to come for pong’s laksa 7pax lunch on 6.9.2018. ^^

WT brought son HQ, who studied history of arts at waseda & returned singapore for summer break.

my RI bro brought me 4 packets of pong’s laksa paste recently & i did a 5pax pong’s laksa dinner recently on 24.8.2018. 🙂

prawn & chicken pong’s laksa (leftover i took next day)

for today, i prepared salt baked chicken and some prawns to add to the laksa.

pong’s laksa

pong’s laksa is really easy to prepare. the key though is the stock so i made really intense chicken stock from bones of one chicken with added carrots, red onions, ginger & spring onions.

1 packet pong’s laksa serves 4-5pax. all you do is to add laksa leaves & fry, then add 1 litre chicken stock. i then boiled the cut taupok for 40mins in any case to soften it, then i added 300ml coconut milk & 2 tbsp crispy chilli, everything to taste of course. 🙂

then i off fire & added the sliced teochew fish cake. meanwhile i grilled & cut 3 fish cakes and set aside.

when all arrived & ready for lunch, i heated up the laksa gravy, added 50ml evaporated milk, then served.

prawn & chicken pong’s laksa

i served total 11 bowls (7+3 at lunch and 1 bowl leftover i took next day) instead of 4-5 because i added very little gravy. usually gravy were left wasted & really no need to add that much. my friends all ok with small serving of gravy. 🙂

prawn & chicken pong’s laksa (leftover i took next day)

laksa was excellent! tasty, flavourful as always, with nice chicken & prawns. fish cake, taupok & teochew fish cake all great complements.

(these fresh prawns not as good as the frozen prawns from causeway pacific though. my family & all my friends love the frozen prawns).

& i had chopped laksa leaves to add to the laksa. for me the laksa leaves & the crispy haebeehiam chilli really enhanced the taste of the laksa.

WT’s delectable dish

WT mad a delectable dish of fish roe, fish naw, sea cucumber, sotong, fish balls, la la clams..👍👍

yim goke gai 盐焗鸡 (salt baked chicken)

yim goke gai 盐焗鸡 (salt baked chicken)

to complement the laksa, i made 盐焗鸡 (salt baked chicken).

the usual recipe here.

yim goke gai 盐焗鸡 (salt baked chicken)

yim goke gai 盐焗鸡 (salt baked chicken)

chicken was tasty, but not as good as last time. today i was lazy so did not make the ginger scallion sauce (like for samsui chicken).

the sauce was a great taste & experience enhancer. i served that for my best 盐焗鸡 (salt baked chicken) for 10pax RO bros dinner on 27.8.2018.

i will make that again next time for my chicken.

braised pig trotters

i also made soem teochew braised pig trotters, recipe here. 🙂

braised pig trotters

braised pig trotters

i liked the trotters, very gelatinous especially the pig skin also.

& nice flavourful braise.

salted egg chicken fried rice

salted egg chicken fried rice

our friend CH cannot do w/o rice. so i made salted egg fried rice.

very easy. fry chopped garlic & chopped salted egg. add overnight rice & crispy haebeehiam chilli. off fire. when serving, add a bit oil, add 2 eggs to wok & let eggs spread & formed, then spread over the rice & mix. voila!

quite tasty & flavourful fried rice.

6pax lunch dishes

prawn & chicken pong’s laksa

had a wonderful time with my OPS bros. nice laksa lunch & great dish from WT. HC brought a red wine.

c.h.e.f andy

Teban Gardens Cooking Demo and Sharing on 5Sep2018

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sharing with teban garden residents

teban gardens PPHCSC (pasir panjang hill community service centre) arranged a cooking demo & sharing with residents on 5.9.2018.

i first started doing a community meal dish for teban gardens PPHCSC on 8.1.2016.

the centre was started in 2002 after much effort & challenge by our RI friend who is a pastor of pasir panjang hill brethren church (pphbc) which owns & runs the CSC.

i cooked a breakfast dish for teban gardens every friday unless i am travelling or otherwise unavailable. i did my 71st friday breakfast community meal dish at teban gardens community service centre on 7.9.2018.

450g red garoupa

I shared the following-

  1. hong kong steamed red garoupa
  2. steamed minced pork with light soy sauce
  3. salted egg bittergourd

I chose the 3 dishes as they are practical everyday dishes with simple ingredients, tasty dishes & very easy to make.

very good interactions with many questions & interests from the residents.

quick recipe for hong kong steamed red garoupa here-

  1. clean with salt & wash red garoupa (450g)
  2. add 2tbsp light soy sauce, 2tbsp olive oil (or vegetable oil) & 2 tbsp mirin (optional)
  3. add sliced ginger, chopped spring onions & cut chilli padi
  4. steam for 8 mins..check to make sure fish is cooked.

tips-

  • use top quality light soy sauce will make the dish very fragrant & tasty
  • washing with salt thoroughly helps to remove fishy taste

steamed minced pork

quick recipe for steamed minced pork with light soy sauce here-

  1. add 1tbsp light soy sauce, 1 tbsp olive oil (or vegetable oil) & 1tbsp cornflour to 300g minced pork & mix thoroughly
  2. add another 1tbsp light soy sauce, 1 tbsp olive oil (or vegetable oil) to the minced pork in the dish (see photo above)
  3. steam for 12mins, make sure the minced pork is fully cooked…

tips-

  • adding cornflour will make the minced pork very smooth
  • adding & mince together a bit of fatty pork makes the dish more tasty but less healthy
  • use top quality light soy sauce will make the dish very fragrant & tasty

salted egg fried bittergourd

quick recipe for salted egg bittergourd here-

  1. wash cut bittergourd with salt, clean thoroughly & soak in clean water for 3 hrs. wash thoroughly. can also repeat the process.
  2. fry 2tsp chopped garlic & a whole minced salted egg in 1tbsp oil
  3. add bittergourd & fry high fire till it is fully cooked
  4. add 1tbsp oil & crack 2 eggs. wait till eggs fully formed, then fold the eggs over the bittergourd & mix thoroughly.

tips-

  • washing cut bittergourd with salt soaking in water reduces the bitterness
  • let the eggs fully formed before folding & mixing give the dish better texture & looks ie presentation

sharing with teban garden residents

sharing with teban garden residents

i do not myself attend cooking lessons. just my idiosyncrasy.

the reason being that my impression is that dishes taught at cooking lessons are mostly dishes that require many ingredients and condiments/spices/sauces & one is not likely to acquire the condiments/spices/sauces just to replicate the dish at home.

hence i chose the 3 dishes that are everyday dishes one can do at home, very easy to cook & require very few ingredients & yet produce really tasty & enjoyable dishes for the family, friends, one & all…..

c.h.e.f andy

Delectable S$38 3-course Set Lunch @ La Taperia on 4Sep2018

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galician octopus

my RI bro CL bought 3pax lunch at la taperia on 4.9.2018. ^^

all the dishes were delicious & exquisite. thoroughly enjoyed the lunch. & service was good too, polite attentive & responsive. 🙂

the galician octopus was excellent, very tender & tatsy. 🙂

baguette

baguette was good too. we asked for a second serving. here there was slight blemish on the service, as the server did not inform us that they charged an extra S$4 for the bread.

this is NOT a good practice, you should always inform your customer & let them decide if they want to pay for it. we were ok to pay the additional S$4.

chacuterie board

chacuterie was the usual, good enuf standard, and also a good serving. chorizo & parma ham were good & the tomato salsa was very good. 🙂

asparagus

asparagus was again excellent like the galician octopus. very tender & sweet, nice tasty bacon wrap & excellent bearnaise sauce.

lamb rump excellent

for me the lamb rump was the best dish, really tasty & tender.

lamb rump excellent

quite perfect, wonder if i can do this dish. must google & see any good recipes…

really love this dish, even more than the octopus & asparagus.

seafood stew

asturia seafood stew

asturia seafood stew was very good too. CL & CM liked it very much.

for me, it was not the best. stock was primarily shellfish based, though ingredients included rock fish, a very deep flavoured lobster bisque like veloute. i like it to have more sweetness of fish like bouillabaise.

grilled USA pork

grilled USA pork

the grilled USA pork was tasty & tender enough. it was lean meat & not iberico so not as flavourful & marbled but really very good pork.

dessert – churros & pavlova

pavlova

pavlova was nicely done, light, well baked, tasty.

think i will try making this i think “simple” dessert. let’s see. 🙂

churros

churros with chocolate sauce was good. 🙂

bill S$142 for 3pax after $20 off

the very enjoyable 3pax lunch was S$142 with the supplemnets & after stanchart S$20 discounts.

lamb rump excellent

sure to come back again, especially for the lamb rump.

a really great lunch with my RI bros.

c.h.e.f andy

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

La Taperia

Address:
1 Scotts Rd, 02-10/11, Singapore 228208
Located in: Shaw Centre Office
Contact:
lataperia.com.sg
6737 8336
Opening Hours:
daily
  • 12–3PM
  • 6:30–11PM

Nonya Curry Chicken with Potatoes – 71st Teban Gardens Community Breakfast on 7Sep2018

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curry chicken 

made nonya curry chicken for teban gardens community breakfast this morning on 7.9.2018.^^

this my 71st friday breakfast community meal dish at teban gardens community service centre.

i first started doing a community meal dish for teban gardens CSC on 8.1.2016.

the centre was started in 2002 after much effort & challenge by our RI friend who is a pastor of pasir panjang hill brethren church (pphbc) which owns & runs the CSC.

curry chicken 

so the usual washed with salt then dry in colander in fridge.

then marinated with heng’s nonya curry chicken paste & 3tbsp fish sauce in fridge overnight.

curry chicken 

in the morning, fried 1 stalk curry leaves with 1tbsp oil & 3tsp chopped garlic. then added the marinated chicken.

fried high fire for several minutes turning the chicken fillet thoroughly, then covered on low fire for 5mins.

then added 200ml coconut milk. chicken has lots of moisture no need add water.

curry chicken

then removed chicken & added cut potatoes, & drained back the chicken gravy to the pot.

curry chicken 

cooked for 6-8mins anyway checking if potatoes are cooked by breaking it against the wall of the pot or poking through the potatoes.

curry chicken

curry chicken

curry chicken

then transferred the cooked chicken & potatoes to aluminium carrier.

i tasted the curry . it was excellent – intense & flavourful. chicken looked succulent as usual i didn’t try this time.

later MH messaged “They love 💕 the curry chicken all gone – thanks a lot

c.h.e.f andy

Delicious Sharks Cartilage and Salted Egg Bittergourd 5pax RI Buddies Lunch@ Zai Shun on 3Sep2018

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5 lunch dishes

had 5pax lunch at zai shun on 3.9.2018. ^^

4 of us went in one car. HK came separately himself, after dropping son at jurong east mrt.

long queue @ zai shun

long queue @ zai shun

we arrived & parked before 11.30am. still there was a queue of 8pax or so, and the queue became longer & remained so during lunch hour.

we got a table but later arrivals have to wait for tables in the large coffesshop space.

opening hours

they closed on wed. open other days 7am to 3pm.

teochew steamed treadfin head S$35

i ordered 5 dishes for 6pax, cos DP was going to join us. but he couldn’t find the place and after going through much trouble & inconveniences he turned back, so we had 5pax lunch.

the treadfin fish head was done teochew style. it was competent, ok just didn’t stand out, something i can easily do at home & most zi char place can do. treadfin head also ok, lot of meat but not specially tasty like ang kueh (red snapper) or 幼 like soon hock or red garoupa.

fermented beans (taujeon) lime steamed sharks cartilage S$40

though the shop is called zai shun curry fish head which should be good, very few tables took the curry fish head..i think the steam fish here more popular.

the most popular dish is doubtless the taujeon lime steamed sharks cartilage.

very tasty tangy sauce & excellent gelatinous texture, though quite a bit of bones so not that many pieces of gelatinous cartilage for 5pax, but enough. 🙂

pig trotters S$16

pig trotters S$16

first time i tried the trotters. actually this the hock (元蹄), so S$16 was quite ok.

it was good, great texture, great braise (lor), not the best most fragrant but preety good standard. 🙂

salted egg bitter gourd S$10

the salted egg bitter gourd was the other favourite dish here. everyone orders it. & it comes only in 1 size for 1-2pax or in our case 5pax..again good enough portion.

very tasty. in my opinion better than my own, though HK said this a bit wet & mine was better.

fried spinach S$6

spinach was ordinary, not great actually. but also because it was cold.

we waited for DP, and only started when the last dish, the steamed treadfin fish head, was served, so maybe 15-20mins in between after the spinach was served.

fermented beans (taujeon) lime steamed sharks cartilage S$40

lunch was S$110. good food great lunch & good time for all, enough for 6pax so a great time for 5pax la. 🙂

after lunch we adjourned to IMM for a cuppa. i took teh halia gosong. 🙂

c.h.e.f andy

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

Zai Shun 载顺 Zi Char

Address:

253 Jurong East Street 24, #01-205, Singapore 600253

Contact:

6560 8594

Opening Hours: 

thurs-tues (closed wed) 7AM–3PM

BTNR Dairy Farm Walk + Adam Road FC Makan on 2Sep2018

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5.5km 1hr 38mins

went with wife to walk BTNR & dairy farm loop this afternoon on 2.9.2018. ^^

we only started dairy farm loop last week. today my 3rd time. this time endomondo recorded 5.5km & 1hr 38mins. there was an accidental pause during the walk & i adjusted the time & distance. not sure if accurate. will doublecheck next walk.

btnr

we take our usual route from visitors’ centre via southview path to summit.

summit

today reached summit later after 26mins because longer break at the hut.

rengas path to dairy farm

went down rengas path to dairy farm loop.

dairy farm loop

not that easy for 1st timer. we did this 3rd time so quite ok.

dairy farm exit route

this way leads back to the jungle path joined near the summit & then down the paved road back to the visitors centre.

S$3 + S$1 cockles char kuay teow

we went to adam road hawker centre and put back all the calories immediately afterwards 😂😜

char kuay teow always good though not as good as the other day.

the stall was crowded though & waited at least 15mins…many foreigners/westerners tapao also.

ice kachang

ice kachang

S$5 orh luah

had the S$5 orh luah also ok not that good, maybe need to order S$8 to have enough oysters.

took the usual ice kachang. ok but now i find the ice kachang at tanglin halt koufu better,

and the ice kachang (also chendol) we had at great world city B1 food junction on 25.8.2018 also better.

c.h.e.f andy

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

Fried Kway Teow Prawn Mee Oyster Carrot Cake (Adam Road)
Address:
2 Adam Rd, Singapore 289876
Opening Hours:
daily (closed monday)
  • 12PM–2AM