3pax Home Dinner with Sis & BIL on 6Aug2017

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5 dishes for 3pax dinner

sis & bil came for dinner on 6.8.2017. ^^

i made the usual teochew chilled fish, also chilled sotong this time, and fried some vegetables. 🙂

  1. chilled mullet 冻乌鱼
  2. chilled yellow croaker 冻小黄鱼
  3. chilled sotong
  4. steamed nonya sauce angkorli fish head
  5. fried kang kong
  6. fried spinach

mullet & yellow croaker

i bought mullet (2 for about S$9) and yellow croaker (S$5.90 eahc) from sheng shing the day before.

i asked the stall assistant to descale the yellow croaker but not to clean the fishes.

for mullet you need to steam with the scales, so that after chilled, the scale can be removed with the skin exposing the very tasty sweet flesh to eat. without the scales the fish skin will stick to the flesh, quite tough, difficult to tear & manage with chopsticks, very hard to eat..

& for mullet, i don’t ask them to clean as we want to preserve some tasty items in the stomach.

so i prefer to do it myself.

for yellow croaker it’s ok to clean & descale…

mullet & yellow croaker

both were excellent fish, and so very tasty & delicious when taken with taujeon! favoruite for us teochew…yellow croaker is a finer fish, but i prefer mullet though i like both.

nonya steamed angkorli fish head

i had a small leftover angkorli fish head, so steamed with the gimson nonya sauce.

chilled sotong

& i had medium sotong, so the best for this teochew muay style. a large sotong with thick rings would be the right pick, but that;s what i have got….

fried kang kong

fried spinach

i fried the 2 vegetables. excellent & very good wok hae, swet & tasty la..

mullet & yellow croaker

these teochew dishes so easy to cook…

basically just bank on fresh ingredients, and very good fish, though mullet is quite fishy for some, & especially the chilled preparation as there is no garnishes & complements to neutralise the taste. but it was perfect for us.

& vegetables, that’s just the easiest thing…

c.h.e.f andy

Simple & Delicious Homealone Seafood Spaghetti on 5Aug2017

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seafood spaghetti

eating dinner alone this evening.

there was multi-grain bread & gourmet butter…haha!

there was also 1/2 a squid in the chiller that i should eat before it spoiled.

anyhow i decided to make seafood spaghetti. so i defrosted a package of shelled medium prawns, maybe10pieces!

seafood spaghetti

i decided to do the style my son made when we were in iceland.

had chopped garlic but didn’t have whole bulb garlic, so i fried cut chili padi, some thai basil which i planted, then added chopped garlic & dry parsley, all in olive oil.

then added the prawns & the the squid…very important not to overcook both prawns & squid..high fire then off.

i made the pasta separately, boiled with bit of salt & some oil to just below al dente, and drained.

seafood spaghetti

& then it’s just adding pasta to the seafood alio oglio sauce, off fire & tossed.

seafood spaghetti

so very easy to make, and so delicious, very good wok hae.

seafood spaghetti

then added some fresh thai basil for garnishing & tasting.

i just love the flavours of the basil. like sweet basil better, but sweet basil still growing so make do with thai basil. haha! ^^

c.h.e.f andy

Coffee & Waffles @ The Bear & Fish Coffee Bar on 25Jul2017 (RI Bro 10pax Sutera Mall Trip 24-25Jul2017)

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nutty latte

this my last entry for our very fun RI bros 10pax sutera mall overnight makan, massage, karaoke trip 24-25Jul2017. ^^

i didn’t actually do the massage as i not hot on massage, but would have done anyway, and will do next time, but for this time i wanted to look see at sutera mall, the shops & makan places…

we had already checked out & deposited our bigger luggage at J Hotel..i had my light backpack with me anyway.

we were catching the 2.40pm bus sw4s for the 45mins journey to second link CIQ, and target to be at sutera mall foyer at 2.30pm to board the bus.

just want coffee

after lunch at Kah Kah Loke 佳佳乐苦瓜汤 we walked round a bit.

we settled for coffee at The Bear & Fish Coffee Bar with the ‘just want coffee’ branding..

greentea & waffle

we tried some wafer…a bit hard & not so flavourful..not quite the standard of daily scoop or udders in singapore.

After coffee & wafer, we walked with our luggage to sutera mall & caught the CW4S bus to second link, then boarded the cw4 on singapore side to jurong east..

c.h.e.f andy

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The Bear And fish ( COFFEE BAR)

Address:
65, Jalan Sutera Tanjung 8/3, Taman Sutera Utama, 81300 Skudai, Johor, Malaysia
Contact:
+60 7-554 0908
Opening Hours:
daily
  • 12PM–12AM

OK Lunch at Kah Kah Loke 佳佳乐苦瓜汤 Sutera on 25Jul2017 (RI Bro 10pax Sutera Mall Trip 24-25Jul2017)

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breaded pork chop RM18

after breakfast at ah hong kopitiam, some bro wanted to go sutera mall…

a bro bought ma tie soh we all tried. not quite the standard of the ma tie soh we bought at ming ang confectionary near ksl…

i bought some sour sweet for my son.

after that we checked out of J Hotel & walked across the street to 佳佳乐苦瓜汤 for lunch

 

Kah Kah Loke 佳佳乐苦瓜汤@ Taman Sutera

Kah Kah Loke 佳佳乐苦瓜汤, across the road from our J Hotel, was closed yesterday (monday) when we arrived.

it’s open today.

we ordered some of their signature dishes with photos pasted on the wall.

lunch was RM 142 for 10pax. maybe we did not order much…

the breaded pork cutlet, like the ba pao, hainanese pork chops, was good.

bittergourd soup with innards RM32

the bittergourd with innards my friends found too sweet…quite i agree..

the innards were ok, some overcooked, & the soup being too sugary sweet, meant that this signature dish was actually quite below par…

tofu RM15

tofu was ok…but this really a “nothing” dish.

birth intestines RM13.50

the birth intestines 生肠 was quite ok, could be more 脆 & 爽口, & the braising sauce was not the best…

sambal sweet potato leaves RM10.50

the sambal potato leaves were good.

tau gay RM10.50

tau gay was ok…but another nothing dish…

RM142 for 10pax

lunch for 10pax was RM142, cheaper than our earlier breakfast at ah hong kopitiam. 

but food was so so, and the signature dishes like bittergourd soup was something we didn’t think much of…. so everything got to take into the context of the price. at RM142 for 10pax nothing much to complain about la…

c.h.e.f andy

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Kah Kah Loke 佳佳乐苦瓜汤

Address: 
130, Jalan Sutera Tanjung 8/3, Taman Sutera Utama, 81300 Skudai, Johor, Malaysia

Opening Hours: 

Tuesday 10AM–3:30PM, 5:30–10PM
Monday Closed
Contact:
Phone: +60 7-556 0864

OK Breakfast @ Ah Hong Kopitiam on 25Jul2017 (RI Bro 10pax Sutera Mall Trip 24-25Jul2017)

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dry mee siam

the morning after we walked over to ah hong coffeeshop for breakfast.

our leader KH said the dry mee siam here very good, and also the nasi lemak is popular order here, though he has not tried it yet..

ah hong kopitiam

ah hong kopitiam is just round the corner of the row of shop houses on the other side from our J Hotel..

ah hong kopitiam 

nice, broght & airy place…

ah hong coffeeshop

we were there about 9.45am, after a late night ending at 1am at “i am a singer 我是歌手 karaoke”…

ah hong coffeeshop 

one bro came earlier after his sleepless first half & second half last evening..lol! anyway he joined us for his second breakfast…

ah hong coffeeshop

there are a few popular menu items…

kuay teow soup

2 friends CM & CH ordered the soupy kuay teow soup..

dry mee siam

the rest of us had the dry meesiam & nasi lemak..

the dry mee siam was actually just average by singapore standard..fried chicken wing batter & meat both dry..

nasi lemak – wrong plate 

they served me a wrong plate of nasi lemak, one with fishball skewers instead of chicken wing. they duly changed it.

nasi lemak –

nasi lemak rice was ok fragrant but really nowhere by adam road selera rasa nasi lemak standard..

peanuts & ikan bilis ok…sambal chilli with onions very good👍

bill for 10pax 

breakfast for 10pax was RM$158…ok but not so cheap even by singapore standard.

c.h.e.f andy

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Ah Hong Kopitiam
Address:
60, Jalan Sutera Tanjung 8/4, Taman Sutera Utama, 81300 Johor Bahru, Johor, Malaysia
Contact:
+60 12-771 9600
Opening Hours:
daily
  • 7AM–10PM

I Am A Singer KTV 我是歌手 @ Sutera Mall on 24JUl2017 (RI Bro 10pax Sutera Mall Trip 24-25Jul2017)

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我是歌手 karaoke

after a really good dinner, more so than i had expected, at  iRestoran Pekin Sutera 五福北京城, it was 10pm…. 

perfect timing for 我是歌手 i am a singer karaoke we booked earlier = just RM140 for 3hrs for a huge room for 10pax with 3 jugs free soft drinks..

we later ordered one round of bottled beers RM158..here they let you bring your own tidbits & bites but you have to buy the drinks from them…quite fair actually…

so overall just RM$310 for 10pax..we finished at 1am, went back & koon liao…

voted best singers for the evening = KH & BT👍…KH being the all round RI bro got talent hopeful & BT claiming this the first time he sang at a karaoke..ya..ya…we all believe him of course! 

c.h.e.f andy

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

Address:
Jalan Sutera Tanjung 8/4
Skudai, Johor, Malaysia
Get Directions
Contact:
@wsgs.sutera
Send Message
Call +60 7-558 1008
HOURS
daily = 10:30AM – 3:00AM

Excellent 10pax Dinner @ Restoran Pekin Sutera 五福北京城 on 24Jul2017 (RI Bro 10pax Sutera Mall Trip 24-25Jul2017)

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starter platter RM120

earlier we looked at a few restaurants in sutera mall like 大上海, evergreen, 客人来..

we decided on peking duck restaurant, Restoran Pekin Sutera 五福北京城…it was an excellent choice..

very expensive seafood 

we didn’t have reservation…the aircon area was full.

so we got a table at a hall that they said have blowers/ventilators…this hall has high ceiling & the tables were spaced far apart. actually it felt more spacious than the aircon hall.

very expensive seafood 

we surveyed the live seafood tanks…

everything was expensive – fish, crab, lobster, prawns etc…everything singapore price or more expensive c/w promotion prices at singapore seafood restaurants eg ah yat abalone forum restaurant…

so we just forgot about these live seafood, & the peking duck also, since we just had very nice meng meng roast duck 阿明帝皇鸭 for lunch… 

smoked trotters RM18

2 bros made very good food orders. all the dishes were just great!

we had a great starter platter (top photo). all the items were good, crispy, fresh, nicely done.

the smoked trotters were ok, sauce a bit overpowering.

very thick sea cucumbers with brocoli RM158

the best dish for me was the sea cucumbers with brocoli.

sea cucumbers were very thick, superb texture & taste delicious,  and enough for 2 rounds (2 servings/pax for 10pax) and maybe some pieces more..

very thick sea cucumbers with brocoli RM158

it was expensive dish, but quite good value vs singapore prices for such a dish..

roast chicken RM48

the roast chicken was excellent!

skin was so crispy, and the meat was moist, tender & sweet. among the very best roast chicken i had.

i almost like never order chicken dishes outside. this one i will definitely order again when i come.

garlic fried lala – littleneck clams RM67.50

we had the lala. this one was fried with garlic & maybe chai poh, can’t really remember…

garlic fried lala – littleneck clams RM67.50

quite ok…but then i had tasted better preparations…

and i must say the price RM67.50 didn’t mke sense to me, when the roast chicken is RM48…

like my own wok fried manila clams 香锅炒蛤蜊 ….

元蹄braised trotters RM45

and we had 元蹄braised trotters.

this was good too, the trotters skin & tendons nicely gelatinous & the braise was flavourful. the lean meat was not sinewy & quite tender & moist..overall a very good braised trotter.

romaine lettuce 油麦菜 RM25

romaine lettuce 油麦菜 RM25

romaine lettuce 油麦菜 was competent, a nice dish, nothing special maybe, but still quite nice complement to the other dishes.

RM 580 for 10pax 

overall the price was RM580nett for 10pax…i thought really quite ok c/w say lunch RM425..

this is restaurant setting, and several dishes like the sea cucumbers, roast chicken were outstanding & the braised trotters were very good, and the starter platter was also a pretty good standard dish, so price was quite good relative to lunch.

c.h.e.f andy

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pekin restaurant sutera

Address:

1, Jalan Sutera Tanjung 8/4, Taman Sutera Utama, 81300 Skudai, Johor, Malaysia
Contact:
+60 7-557 3899
Opening Hours:
mon – fri
  • 5:30AM–10:30PM
sat-sun
  • 11:30AM–10:30PM

Happy Hour at Vigneto Wine House Sutera on 24Jul2017 (RI Bro 10pax Sutera Mall Trip 24-25Jul2017)

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vigneto wine house @ sutera

after a good coffee at doi chaang caffe, 3 of us went to sutera mall to look see look see. the rest went for massage..

we met later for a drink at vigneto wine house, just across the street from our J Hotel, at 5.30pm plus…

vigneto wine house @ sutera

this place has a nice ambience. it was still early so we were their first customer..

a great place to relax a while before going for dinner…

bottoms up @ vigneto wine house sutera

it’s happy hour, so my friends ordered a few rounds of booze…bottoms up!

bottoms up @ vigneto wine house sutera

i am happy with my ice lemon tea…

vigneto wine house

they allowed us to have our own tidbits, so a friend went to bring some groundnuts he brought…something to munch while we chat & toast..

we stayed for a while..& the guys could really finish the beers..

almost 8pm, we decided to go pekin restaurant sutera for dinner & took a short walk over.

drinks for 10pax about RM260.

c.h.e.f andy

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

Vigneto Wine House @ sutera

Address:

106, Jalan Sutera Tanjung 8/3, Taman Sutera Utama, 81300 Skudai, Johor, Malaysia
Contact:
+60 16-737 6230
Opening Hours:
daily
  • 3PM–2AM

Good Coffee @ Doi Chaang Caffe Sutera on 24Jul2017 (RI Bro 10pax Sutera Mall Trip 24-25Jul2017)

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doi chaang cafe

after dessert at tian yuan 甜 元, we checked in & got all our 5 rooms at J Hotel

each room gets a welcome americano at doi dchaang cafe a few shops away..

doi chang is a thai producer & distributor of specialty, single origin, high quality arabica coffee.  Doi Chaang Coffee is only grown and produced in Baan Doi Chang, Wawee district, Mae Suai, Chiang Rai.

we had 10pax with 5 free welcome americano, so we ordered 5 more coffee.

i took one of the americano was good, quite flavourful..i like it…we did not cakes etc as we just had lunch & dessert & we were having happy hour later at vigneto & then dinner.

after coffee, 7 went to have massage, 2 others & i went to sutera mall as i have not visited the mall yet…

c.h.e.f andy

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Taman Sutera Utama, 99, Jalan Sutera Tanjung 8/3, Skudai, 81300 Skudai, Johor Bahru, Johor, Malaysia
Contact:
+60 7-550 4144
Opening Hours:
daily
  • 11AM–12AM

Dessert Time @ Tian Yuan 甜元 Suetra on 24Jul2017 (RI Bro 10pax Sutera Mall Trip 24-25Jul2017)

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peanut 花生糊

after a quite shiok meng meng roast duck 阿明帝皇鸭  & the best char siew lunch, we stopped by tian yuan 甜 元 to have some dessert.

peanut 花生糊 (top photo)，& almond 杏仁糊best here..👍

tian yuan 甜 元dessert

tian yuan 甜 元dessert  is a few shops from our J hotel.

ondeh ondeh

we ordered some ondeh ondeh, coconut dessert with gula melaka inside..quite ok, pretty standard…skin a bit thick though…

rojak

rojak was ok too..sauce was light, just nice, not overpowering…

black sesame 黑芝麻糊 & almond 杏仁糊

black sesame 黑芝麻糊 ok, but peanut 花生糊 (top photo)，& almond 杏仁糊best …

tau huay ginkyo nuts

bean curd with ginko nuts good…

pulut hitam

pulut hitam ok, quite standard..

dumplings in ginger soup

dumplings in ginger soup was quite good, boleh da…

ice kachang

ice kachang was mediocre, not too good actually, syrup not so tasty..

bill was RM99 for 10pax, pretty ok.

after that we checked in at J Hotel, got our 5 rooms, settle down a bit & walked over to doi chaang for free coffee – only 1 americano per room though…haha!

c.h.e.f andy

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

Tian Yuan Dessert Hut

Address:

67, Jalan Sutera Tanjung 8/3, Taman Sutera Utama, 81300 Skudai, Johor, Malaysia
Contact:
+60 7-559 6409
Opening Hours:
thursday – tuesday
  • 1PM–11:30PM
 wednesday closed

Delicious Roast Duck & Best Char Siew @ Meng Meng Roast Duck 阿明帝皇鸭 Taman Sutera Utama on 24Jul2017 (RI Bro 10pax Sutera Mall Trip 24-25Jul2017)

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roast duck 帝皇鸭 RM$66

not all the rooms at J Hotel were ready, but we got 2 rooms to put down our luggage.
then LKY, one organiser, led us to Meng Meng Roast Duck restaurant 阿明帝皇鸭  behind J Hotel for lunch
must say the roast duck 帝皇鸭 was excellent! and the char siew even more so… 👍 👍the other zi char dishes were ok, average….

char siew & siew yoke medium serving RM$33

char siew here was bestest!👍👍👍

we all love the slight chao tar (burnt) fatty char siew, so tasty & flavourful, we ordered a second helping…

meng meng roast duck 阿明帝皇鸭

they are famous for their roast duck 帝皇鸭.

some friends felt that ya wang 鸭王roast duck we had at jln sentosa was better (later i learnt that the stall at sentosa opposite shoon huat bakuteh was taken over by another, and the roast duck & food there are not good now)…

meng meng roast duck 阿明帝皇鸭

resturant was just behind our hotel, walked around the block, a few shops from ah hong coffee house.

meng meng famous for roast duck 帝皇鸭

the restaurant & roast duck are award winning.

meng meng roast duck 阿明帝皇鸭 menu

meng meng roast duck 阿明帝皇鸭 menu

in addition to one whole roast duck & 2 orders of char siew & siew yok, we ordered a few other zi char food.

roast duck 帝皇鸭

duck was a beauty, and very tasty. skin was crispy…

char siew & siew yoke

roast pork was competent, but char siew was the one that stood out…maybe i will try my hands again at char siew, after having such nice ones here…

lotus root soup

spinach soup

we ordered 6 bowls of soup – 3 spinach & 3 lotus roots..

the server had tried to make us to order 10, but 6 was quite enough..they were quite large servings…anyway we had no problems finishing too la…

steamed red snapper红鸡 fish head

we ordered the cai poh steamed red snapper head..

this a very small serving of 1/2 head, and quite mediocre..

my own nonya steamed fish head is better than this any time, and fresher fish head too…

steamed salted fish minced pork

the steamed salted fish minced pork 咸鱼饼 is such a simple standard dish, but they didn’t do it well here. minced pork was lean, dry, not smooth, not tasty..

this i can do better anytime la, and i will be serving this in a homecooked dinner with several JB dishes later…

sambal sotong

the sambal sotong was good.

sambal sotong

tasty, and appetizing. 🙂

a fairly standard zi char dish…

fried ikan selar

the fried ikan selar & chili were pretty good.

this a cheap fish though, and nothing special, quite easy to do at home, and is nice fried or steam, though some may find it a bit more fishy…

kang kong

chili kang kong was good.

chye sim

& the chye sim plain fired with garlic too..

tofu dish

the tofu dish was not too appealing…taste wise mediocre, a poor dish overall..

the bill = RM425 for 10pax

lunch for 10pax was RM$425=at RM$42.50pax actually not very cheap for the dishes we had in a makan place like this…

the roast duck though was impressive & the char siew was out of this world…other than those 2, the other zi char food was ok average, nothing too special..

overall, we all enjoyed the makan very much thanks to the 2 outstanding roasts.

c.h.e.f.andy

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Meng Meng Roasted Duck 阿明帝皇鸭

Address: 
Taman Sutera Utama, 81300 Skudai, Johor, Malaysia

Opening Hours: 

Open today · 10:30AM–10:30PM

Contact:
Phone: +60 7-558 9322

RI Bro 10pax Sutera Mall Trip 24-25Jul2017

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my seafood house 珍阁 at blk 130 next to JCube 

my RI bros organised a 2day 1night trip to JB sutera mall near bukit indah for overnight makan, massage, karaoke trip 👍

there were 10 of us… 🙂

we met for breakfast at the coffeeshop at  blk 130 next to J cube. this where my seafood house zi char, the one we bought food for our recent birthday bash on 11.7.2017.

the guys took the fishball noodles. i did not take any as i am expecting a whole day eating in JB. haha!

from jurong east bus interchange, we took the causeway link bus CW3/4 to second link & CIQ singapore & johore side then CW4s to sutera mall. it was a breeze at the CIQ, and only a 10mins short wait for CW4s.

one friend ouldn’t join us but he came to blk 130 just to join us for breakfast..

2 other friends were traveling, one at siantan, pontianac on a mission, and another with his son in sydney.

another friend could not join the trip but since he was letting us use his condo parking, he came down to meet us to pass us the key card access & also to join the breakfast/coffee.

we arrived at sutera, just 45mins drive from malaysian side CIQ second link. we walked over to J Hotel where our organisers booked 5 rooms for 10pax..then we went for lunch..

c.h.e.f andy

 

Quick & Fast 4pax Homecooked Lunch on 4Aug2017

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3pax homecooked lunch 

sis & bil came for lunch on 4.8.2017. ^^

chilled fish 

didn’t have mullet 乌鱼or yellow croaker 小黄鱼in the freezer, only a fish that maybe a variant of rabbit fish知县鱼.

i steamed that & chilled it, the usual teochew chilled fish preparation. it went very nicely with the taujeon 豆酱.

another fish i had in the freezer is 鲈鱼, lots of tiny bones & need to be careful when eating, do not eat together with rice in a mouthful….

i did the usual HK steam, adding 2 tbsp light soy sauce, 2 tbsp olive oil & 2 tbsp mirin, & garnished with chopped spring onions, chili padi & a lot of minced ginger, like a ginger sauce preparation….it was pretty good though not my favourite fish..

steamed egg with minced pork & light soy sauce 

i steamed 2 eggs with minced pork & my top quality light soy sauce – about 150g minced pork, 2 tbsp light soy sauce, 4 tbsp water, and osme white pepper.

it was very good, very tasty, a simple yet wonderful dish! 🙂

braised leek with taupok 

i only had leeks & leftover taupok, so i braised them like the usaul teochew muay stalls..very good too.

chye sim

spinach 

i didn’t have other vegetables in the fridge.

sis brought her own spinach & chye sim & she & bil fried the 2 vegetables….nice.

seemed like we had a lot of food, but still…no problems finishing it…haha! 🙂

c.h.e.f andy

Nice 6pax Club Lunch @ Seletar Terrace, Seletar Country Club on 3Aug2017

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wadeh udang

my OPS bro bought 6pax lunch at seletar terrace, seletar country club on 3.8.2017. ^^

seletar terrace @ seletar country club

parking is free, great ambience, bright & airy & lots of greens, a cheerful place for makan…

& a great plus, food is pretty good too, and inexpensive…

swimming pool

after lunch, we walked past the butterfly gardens & swimming pool.

singapore has so many swimming pools in clubs & condos, wasting lots of water..can’t be help i guess..

honey wheatgrass drink

friend ordered honey wheatgrass drink, 4 starters & 4 mains for 6pax, too much food, quite good standard & good price about S$85, i think…

the wadeh udang (top photo) was good, crispy, appetizing..

rojak

of the 8 dishes, 2 dishes i thought less good was the rojak & chicken wings..

rojak though can’t be too bad, ingredients about same, so just the sauce a bit too thick for me. too much prawn paste, slightly wrong mix of sauce for me…

chicken wings

chicken wings were below par – dry, over-fried, not so tasty..

one of my friend here & i can easily do better..so is my home helper..

crispy trotters

the crispy trotters was good..this & the wadeh udang can order again next time…

penang char kuay teow

penang char kuay teow was good, 2 parge prawns, pretty flavourful, good enough for me, though some friend said not enough wok hae..had better char kuay teow in other clubs though..

nasi lemak

nasi lemak was competent, not the best…peanuts, ikan bilis, ikan kuning wer good. chili was a tad too sweet, some friends said not spicy enough, overall average, quite doable for me..

laksa

laksa i consider pretty good, better than what i had at (a) tangs market sungei road laksa & some katong laksa because this more savoury, not just lemak…not as good as (b) sungei road laksa at kelatan lane & (c) weiyi laksa (one friend here didn’t think weiyi laksa was very good…)

hokkien mee

hokkien mee i consider pretty good too…the stock is tasty, had lar pok, so probably had lard in the stock. overall a tasty dish. one friend preferred the penang char kuay teow more.

four seasons cendol

four seasons cendol

after lunch we drove to toa payoh lor 8 four seasons cendol.

this the 3rd day in a row i had this cendol. enjoyed it everytime haha! 🙂

this cendol though not good enough for one friend, who think the coconut milk was not enough, not thick enough, and the one he had at sutera mall better.

for myself, cocnut milk was thick & intense & so was the the gula melaka, unlike most hawker centres where they are diluted, sugary sweet but not flavourful gula melaka..

this was the best i had in singapore or anywhere else, so i am quite keen to try the one at sutera mall also..

c.h.e.f andy

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

Seletar Terrace @ Seletar Country Club 

Address:

101 Seletar Club Road, Singapore 798273

Contact:

6481 4812
Opening Hours:
daily
  • 7AM–9:30PM

 

Crayfish Angel Hair Pasta on 1Aug2017

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crayfish angel hair pasta

did a teochew crayfish dish for the excellent early birthday diner for my dentist friend on 14.7.2017.

still had 4 crayfish left in the freezer. having dinner alone & decided to cook crayfish pasta this evening.

crayfish angel hair pasta 

i used angel hair as it took the shortest time, 2mins to cook.

so i had it just below al dente.

i fried cut chili padi, thai basil in olive oil, added chopped garlic (usually i browned whole garlic to flavour the olive oil.. don’t have whole garlic today), then i fried the crayfish & set aside.

then i added sotong (squid) seasoned with fish sauce & white pepper to the pan & cooked a short time (not to overcook it). then i added the angel hair pasta and tossed, and added some butter & tossed.

added sea salt to taste.

crayfish angel hair pasta

then i plated some to eat & garnished with more thai basil.

crayfish angel hair pasta 

very tasty dish.

pasta just al dente.

crayfish was sweet & fresh, and sotong also succulent & tasty.

crayfish angel hair pasta 

a simple but quite excellent tasty pasta, though i did not have stock & did not add white wine.

c.h.e.f andy

Superb Chirashi Don @ Tsukiji Sushi Takewaka Japan Food Town Wisma Atria on 1 & 2Aug2017

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chirashi don 

went to takewaka at japan food town, level 4 wisma atria for chirashi don lunch over 2 days, with my OPS bro on 1.8.2017 & the next day with my RI bro on 2.8.2017. ^^

why?

super worth it leh!

one OPS friend first to send the jpassport promotion, so i duly downloaded & saved the coupons.

then we were at japan food town @ wisma at 11am on 1.8.2017, and we were told we could install the  apps & register free as members. with that we can enter at 11am as members instead 1.30am for public, and entitled to discounts w/o need of coupons. ^^

chirashi don 

there’s this promotion at takewaka 1 for 1 for the chirashi don regular price at S$25.10++. one year anniversary, whatever…

at regular price, it was quite ok actually, so at 1 for 1 quite a steal la..

there was toro, 2 amaebi, unagi, tako, salmon, maguro, tai, katsuo (bonito), 2 tamago, pickles, ginger etc…& the sushi rice was pretty ok..

chirashi don set 

also came in a set, which just means miso soup, chawanmushi & a slice of orange.

chawanmushi

chawanmushi 

& the chawanmushi was pretty good too..

soft, sweet, tasty…this not the super tasty crab chawanmushi of course but still pretty good standard..

long queue at takewaka @ japan food town 

there was a long queue as expected, at takewaka more than the other japn food town restaurants. i think here the best deal for this time.

takewaka @ japan food town

takewaka @ japan food town

& takewaka was pretty filled up…

chirashi don set

chirashi don set 

most important still the food, and it was good quality!

chirashi don 

what to say? S$29nett for 2pax.

for my second visit on 2.8.2017, the toro was much thicker, twice the thin slice on 1.8.2017..both times it was very sweet & tasty.

supreme satisfaction la..

c.h.e.f andy

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

Tsukiji Sushi Takewaka

Address:
435 Orchard Rd, Singapore 238877
Contact:
6262 3247
Opening Hours:
weekdays
  • 11:30AM–11PM
weekend
  • 11:30AM–10.30PM

2pax Lunch with Sister @ Mikuni on 31Jul2017

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teppanyaki set  

went with sis to mikuni on 31.7.2017. ^^

chilean 2014 reserve merlot

actually i had a secret agenda…my wine voucher expiring today 31.7.2017, so i wanted to claim a bottle of wine to bring home (as my sis & I both don’t drink)…haha….

i got a chilean 2014 reserve merlot to bring home…not too bad eh?

teppan & robatayaki menu 

restaurant was full. we sat at the robatayaki counter which i like as a lot of privacy.

i ordered the teppanyaki set for my sis & the robatayaki set for myself.

salad 

we had the usual prawn cracker starter.

& the salad – nice, refreshing.

robatayaki

robatayaki 

robatayaki is grilling over an open hearth. the counter is far from the chef so they serve the food in a huge oar at the traditional places.

here they do away with that.. anyway tasty food more important than ceremonial stuff for me…

cod fish & golden prawns 

the teppanyaki set is a real value for money set here.

the servings of golden prawns (like 10 large/king prawns) and cod were quite huge.

prawns & cod were excellent!

australian beef tenderloin

& just as large serving of australian beef tenderloin steak..

steak was i guess good as they went, but it’s a cheaper cut so no comparison with my kagoshima beef skewer la!

wagyu skewer 

the wagyu was superb! marbled & flavourful…

before the serving of wagyu skewer, i had a scallop grilled in butter, and also a saba & asparagus (but did not take photo)..the saba was quite ok, but of course no comparison with cod..

kurobuta skewer 

i had the kurobuta tsukune.

this one was mediocre, nothing to shout about…

nissin soba 

my last was a gohan dish, a nissin soba, with a cured mackerel…this also mediocre..

sis commented that my set not so good value as hers. i guess quite apart form the excellent wagyu, the rest were not as great as her set with cod, golden prawns & aussie tenderloin.

green tea ice cream 

we could only get 1.30pm booking as mikuni was full. & we finished quite late & so very late dessert offering – a green tea ice cream…nice but nothing great…

lunch for 2pax was S$68++=S$80nett, not bad for the food!

c.h.e.f andy

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

Mikuni @ Fairmont Level 3

Address:

80 Bras Basah Rd, Fairmont Hotel 3/L, Raffles City, Singapore 189560

Contact:

6431 6156

Opening Hours:

Mon-Saturday: 12-2:30pm, 6:30-10:30pm (closed sunday)

Delicious 7pax Homecooked Chicken Rice Dinner for OPS Bros on 28Jul2017

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made one of my best chicken rice this evening for my OPS bros on 28.7.2017. ^^

wife also joined dinner this evening so we had 7pax.

chicken was smooth, tender, sweet & moist…lagi best la! 🙂

chicken rice very flavourful 

& chicken rice was very flavourful.

both chicken & rice were much better than what i did at the 12pax dinner for JH family on 16.7.2017.…

i had 3cups rice for 7pax, fried in chicken fat & cut ginger & lots of garlic, added 1/2tsp salt & added 3 cups very intense chicken stock…& the rice was really flavourful & tasty…i finished all the remaining rice the next day by myself, without any meat, just rice & the sauces.

chicken rice chicken 白斩鸡 

i cooked the chicken just right – 12mins simmering, 25mins off fire poached, then ice bucket, and placed in fridge.

when i deboned the chicken, i could feel the smoothness & tenderness of the chicken.

beautiful to look at & very tasty with the sauces…

chicken rice chili 

i made the chicken rice chili – 6 red chilli, 1 chili padi, 5 tbsp chopped garlic, 3cm chopped ginger, 1tbsp flat sugar, 1/2 cup intense chicken stock 1/2 tsp salt..

really nice chili…as good as outside stalls…

chicken rice ginger sauce 

ginger sauce as well…i chopped the ginger as blending does not give the right texture, becomes ginger juice…

added 3 tbsp olive oil, a dash of salt…

i also made a nice sauce that was perfect with the chicken rice = itbsp flat sugar, 2tbsp dark sauce, 1tbsp light soy sauce, 3tbsp water…that’s it..super supernice…go try it! ^^

i had 1/2 duck in the freezer, so took out 2 days ago, marinated with the spice mix & sealed in container in chiller compartment.

took out this after & poached like the chicken – 15mins boiling, and 30mins off fire poached.

still not as good as my best in the photos here. 

duck was smaller – <2kg from giant soi reduced the salt (can be lesser next time). spice flavours were good…

even my best cannot compare with the quite excellent benson’s 盐水鸭  at toa payoh lor 1 of course, but still this was a pretty good rendition.

spiced duck 盐水鸭 

this time duck was just nice & not overdone…

when i deboned the duck, i knew…

just a small 1/2 duck, so all finished in fact..

tofu prawns 

tofu prawns quite a practiced delivery nowadays..

prawns for tofu prawns 

prawns were done just right, and set aside so not overcooked, succulent, sweet & bouncy.

fried tofu in gravy – tofu prawns 

tofu was fried earlier, set aside and added to the very tasty gravy with egg before serving. then garnished with coriander.

tofu prawns 

tifu were infused with the tasty gravy, so a very tasty prawn tofu dish.

S$15 duck master whole roast duck 

my OPS bro bought the S$15 duck master duck from chinatown.

i told him earlier that since i already had the 1/2盐水鸭 let’s not served the roast duck & just let someone bring it back…

but the duck was small, looked tasty, and ther papers were just talking about duck master & we would all want to just try it, so i deboned the duck & served.

anyhow the roast duck & the 1/2盐水鸭 were all finished.

nonya steamed red snapper 

my friend brought a 800g red snapper.

it would have been a very nice dish…was good every time…

unfortunately this time we were feasting?? and i forgot about the fish & left it in the steam oven until we like finished dinner & all the other food…

sauce was ok, but fish meat was overcooked & such a waste la!

cuttlefish kang kong 

cuttlefish kang kong with the excellent gimson nonya sauce was very good as usual, and all my friends liked it.

my dining aircon was not working. after dinner, we migrated to the aircon room & chatted about another OPS bro’s recently bought audi car, hong kong, next food tour & others..

my OPS bro who brought the duck & snapper also brought a very nice korean musk melon, bought S$5,99 from sheng shiong, very sweet melon.

another fun evening with very good OPS friends.

c.h.e.f andy

 

Great Ribeye Steaks @ Portico Prime Dempsey on 30Jul2017

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chilled truffle angel hair with sakura prawns & caviar=S$30 

went with wife to portico prime @ dempsey to have a good steak this evening on 30.7.2017. ^^

tunglok group had pulled out of amex lovedining so lesser dining options. we always like the steaks at prime…

this though the menu has changed & there were no menu page on steaks but instead all the burgers…is portico prime morphing to like the other portico or like relish & bistro type? don’t know.

anyhow we asked the server & she said there is only 1 cut, the USDA ribeye, 200g at S$46. it is NOT on the menu. i recalled from previous that it was USDA choice ribeye & anyway the aussie rump steak etc were not great, so this was the only cut previously (other than the japanese wagyu which has no discounts) that was the really good steak, so it suits us fine.

we ordered 2 ribeyes.

chilled truffle angel hair with sakura prawns & caviar=S$30 

& we ordered the truffle chilled pasta to share.

it was very good as expected. price was very steep at S$30, basically a fine dining degustation price, so with amex lovedining 50% discounts for 2pax still S$15++

USDA ribeye 200g medium rare = S$46 

the ribeye steak was very good, though somehow i thought previously it was better.

just looking at the photos for my dinner with son on 24.5.2017, somehow the ribeye looked bigger, maybe flatter & the colour & grilling looked better? maybe just psychological.

this steak was ok, but didn’t stand out…

USDA ribeye 200g medium rare = S$46 

wife was saying the steak we bbq ourselves during our recent trip to iceland on number of occasions were like the same or perhaps better.

certainly i can make this at home just panfry, and just as good…

reconstructed blackforest cake2-S$18 

the reconstructed blackforest very small helping & very ex at S$18.

the chocolate mousse was very good. but then i have no special affinity to this now.

reconstructed blackforest cake2-S$18

dinner came to $97 nett for 2 inclusive of a glass of red wine for wife at S$13, no discounts.

was really ok for this quality of steak but also not like compelling…

maybe i should go back to la brezzato try again, but they have also upped their prices there, the last time i went with son on 22.4.2017! 

c.h.e.f andy

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

Portico Prime @ Dempsey
Address:
10 Dempsey Road #01-20, 247700
Contact:
portico.sg
6474 7427
Opening Hours:
Tuesday-Sunday
  • 11:30AM–10:30PM

Braised Belly Pork (Kong Bak) with Taupok – 37th Teban Gardens Community Breakfast on 28Jul2017

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braised belly pork – kong bak 

i did a simple & fast braised belly pork (kong bak) and taupok for teban gardens community breakfast this morning on 28.7.2017. ^^

this my 37th friday breakfast community meal 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.

crowd of residents at teban gardens friday community breakfast 

the residents joining breakfast grew to almost 130.

when i first came in jan2016, there were like about 80 attendees for the breakfast.

braised belly pork – kong bak & taupok 

i bought about 1.6kg+ of belly pork and decided to make a simple & quick braised belly pork (kong bak) and taupok.

Tai Hua chicken marinate (大华鲁鸡汁) 

i used tai hua braising sauce to save time & effort.

braised belly pork – kong bak & taupok 

fried 2 cinnamon bark, 4 star anise, 2 cloves, 1 whole bulb of peeled garlic cloves in oil till fragrant.

then added the belly pork and browned all sides a little.

added 1/2 cup braising sauce, then 1 cup of water, and boiled & covered the wok pan.

then just braised for 2hrs, adding water as required, and checking the texture. i like it to be tender but with some bite, and not overdone so the lean parts are not old…

braised belly pork – kong bak & taupok 

the kong bak came on nicely. i removed & set aside.

2 packets taupok 

then i added 2 packets of hara taupok.

these were 12 to a packet & i cut eahc into 4 strips so i had 2x12x4=96strips..

2 packets taupok

boiled the taupok in the sauce for 30mins or so, till the right texture.

braised belly pork – kong bak

as i have to leave the house by 8.15am to deliver the dish to teban gardens, it would be too late.

so for this breakfast dish i braised the kong bak the evening before & kept in a sealed holder in the fridge. & after taking it out the next morning from the fridge, i placed it int he steam oven & steamed for 15mins to give it the right moisture & texture before plating them in the aluminium carrier.

then i added the taupok on top & some braising sauce to keep warm & moist & covered with aluminium foil.

c.h.e.f  andy