RI Friends Toptable S$13.80 3-Course Lunch on 26Jan2018

caesar salad with buttermilk poached chicken

CL organised 5pax toptable lunch on 26.1.2018. ^^

CL talked about toptable during the birthday dinner at heavenly divine on 5.1.2018, and the guys decided to have this lunch.

toptable S$13.80 3-course lunch menu

the menu for this week. 🙂

i not fond of chowder & don’t particularly like corn soup, so i went for the chicken salad.

it was quite well done. like i said previously, it is better than cafeteria standard here, almost good restaurant standard.

corn chowder

corn chowder

corn chowder looked great too & the friends who ordered liked it.

chicken & mushroom fricassee

i asked the student server if the chicken or fish main course was more popular. i preferred chicken but i was having chicken salad starter so i was considering if i should have fish instead.

he said salmon is salmon. the chicken fricassee is a bit different. actually it’s just white wine sauce reduced. i decided to give it a try anyway…

chicken & mushroom fricassee

& it was tasty and done well.

chicken was tender, not too large a helping, good enough.

chicken & mushroom fricassee

altogether an enjoyable dish, nicely presented & good taste.

all my friends decided to have the chicken fricassee.

white choc mousse, sour cherries & raspberry sorbet

the trio of dessert nothing special, but well done. a great dessert, that alone would cost >S$12 in a good restaurant.

coffee was included & 3 of us added $0.50 each for cappuccino & latte.

lunch was just S$70 for 5pax, best value for money 3-course lunch in singapore! ^^

c.h.e.f andy

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

Top Table @ Temasek Polytechnic

Address:

Contact:
Opening Hours (for a short period where the program is putting out actual lunches by students):

Excellent Homecooked 7pax OPS 桂鱼&鸦片鱼头 Dinner on 25Jan2018

7pax 鸦片鱼头dinner

we had 7pax home dinner this evening with OPS bros, LH, & J on 25.1.2018. wife also joined dinner. missing M& CH2.

My OPS bro WT returned from shanghai 2 weeks ago.  he brought back 桂鱼&鸦片鱼头(not available in singapore) & gave me 1 large 桂鱼& 2 鸦片鱼头.

i went with sis & bil to hong kong 14-18jan2018, so when i got back, i arranged for dinner at home to enjoy the 桂鱼&鸦片鱼头 from shanghai.

葱焖鸦片鱼头scallions baked flatfish head – the best!

I did first time 葱焖鸦片鱼头..this the best!!👍, recreating shanghai old jessie’s signature dish..i like this best!

葱焖鸦片鱼头scallions baked flatfish head – the best!

there were a lot of food, so i cooked only 1 鸦片鱼头. the next day i did the same 葱焖鸦片鱼头scallions baked flatfish head for my family 5pax dinner. wife, son & JH all loved it…it was just so good!

葱焖鸦片鱼头scallions baked flatfish head – the best!

鸦片鱼头 has meat texture like flaky cod, and fish head bone texture like salmon head softbones. the scallions flavoured the fish & was itself very tasty with the best grade light soy sauce. the sauce marinade was similar to the usual hong kong steamed marinade, with 3 tbsp light soy sauce, 2 tbsp olive oil, squeezed some lime & baked at 250degC for 10mins.

baking gave a firmer, drier texture than steaming & more intense flavours with less liquid.

桂鱼 mandarin fish

also did first time a butterfly fan cut steamed 桂鱼.

& it was quite excellent..just that for me the 葱焖鸦片鱼头scallions baked flatfish head  was even better!

excellent 桂鱼 mandarin fish dish

i usually do hong kong steam in one go, lazy to steam the fish separately.

for this 桂鱼 mandarin fish i was uncertain if it was very fishy so i decided to steam separately as i did for the cheap 鲈鱼 ( 桂鱼 mandarin fish of course a much better fish).

as i butterflied & fan cut already, so i just steamed for 8mins. it was a large fish maybe 800g+ so would have done about 11mins otherwise.

i steamed with ginger & some shaoxing wine, and some chopped scallions, then removed the fish & disposed of the liquids.

then i fried ginger & cut chilli padi, and leek in 2 tbsp olive oil & added 3 tbsp light soy sauce. & poured the sauce over the fish. then rearrange the sliced ginger & leek etc & added the scallions.

it was really an excellent dish..

claypot rice 沙煲饭

claypot rice 沙煲饭

did my usual claypot rice 沙煲饭 . always good this, very flavourful, with tender chicken, nice pork & live sausage from hong kong & wonderful smokey flavours with salted fish.

song fish head 松鱼头

song fish head 松鱼头

did also the usual spicy black bean sauce song fish head 松鱼头.

WM said it was overwhelmed by the 桂鱼&鸦片鱼头, and the dish would go better with plain rice. anyhow i think this evening the sauce was not as good as my usual.

lar pok – crispy lard

lar pok – crispy lard went especially well with the song fish head 松鱼头 . 🙂

braised pig trotters korean jogbal style

braised pig trotters korean jogbal style

i did the braised pig trotters korean jogbal style. also similar to the 酱猪蹄 at七宝 in shanghai or at 老街in 深圳.

LH said it was very tasty. the texture was meant to be crunchy. i liked it but i like my usual softer tender 元蹄texture more.

light soy sauce steamed minced pork

light soy sauce steamed minced pork was the usual & quite a favourite dish too. light soy sauce is truly a god send, does wonders for every dish…

romaine lettuce油麦菜

WT did the romaine lettuce油麦菜, very nice indeed!

a really wonderful dinner with dear friends…i especially enjoyed the airflown 桂鱼&鸦片鱼头 from shanghai.

c.h.e.f andy

Braised Chicken with Button Mushrooms – 51th Teban Gardens Community Breakfast on 26Jan2018

braised chicken with button mushrooms

did a braised chicken with button mushrooms for teban gardens community breakfast this morningon 26.1.2018.^^

this my 51th 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.

2kg boneless thighs + 1kg mid-wing 

i bought 2kg boneless chicken thighs with skin on & added 1 kg of mid-wings from sheng shiong.

when i first started teban gardens had about 80 residents attending breakfast. now it’s consistently 130pax…2kg not quite enough…it is a lot of effort to debone 3 or 4 chickens, so i resort to frozen chicken parts. they work very well actually.

braised chicken mid-wings 

i seasoned the chicken the night before – 2 tbsp fish sauce, 2 tbsp light soy sauce, 2 tbsp oyster sauce, 2 tbsp sesame oil, 4tbsp shaoxing wine, and 2 tbsp corn flour.

quite easy this morning. just fried 1 bulb of garlic cloves, 1 cinnamon stick, 4 star anise, 4 cloves, 4 bay leaves in 1tbsp oil, then added the chicken & fried.

added the button mushrooms. covered & cooked for 5mins..removed the cut chicken fillets & cooked the mid-wings for another 5mins.

braised chicken 

& the dish was done. voila!

braised chicken with button mushrooms 

tasted it…very tender & tasty…

braised chicken with button mushrooms

braised chicken with button mushrooms 

quite excellent dish, and easy to do.

c.h.e.f andy

Good Curry Fish Head @ West Co’z Cafe on23Jan2018

curry fish head S$10

visited a friend with QTC & LCH.

west co’z cafe

west co’z cafe

LCH later bought dinner at west coz cafe

curry fish head S$20

curry fish head pretty good.

egg omelette S$10

oyster egg ok..

prawn paste chicken S$10

prawn paste chicken tasty.

sambal kangkong S$9

sambal kang kong ok.

bill

price quite good – S$54+ for 3pax.

c.h.e.f andy

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

Man Yuan Gourmet 满源 Bakchormee & Hougang Meng Kee Wanton Noodles on 24Jan2018

满源bakchormee S$4

went with wife to do something in sin ming area..

decided to go toa payoh for lunch..lai heng just closed at 1.30pm..

man yuan gourmet 满源

we moved on to lor 8 food centre..took $4 bakchormee from man yuan & $2.50 wanton noodles + S$1 水饺汤 from hougang meng kee

then took S$2 four seasons chendol…

满源bakchormee S4

noodles was qq, good mushroom sauce & vinegar flavours.

chilli though not that great…

满源bakchormee S$4

soup was great – tasty and lots of ingredients.

hougang meng kee wanton noodles S$3 + +S$1 dumpling soup 水饺汤

wanton noodles quite ok..not stand out..

hougang meng kee wanton noodles

hougang meng kee wanton noodles S$2.50

good price just $2.50, with 4 wantons

+S$1 dumpling soup 水饺汤

and S$1 for 3 水饺 in addition to the 4 wantons

four seasons chendol

after that we had four seasons chendol….always good la..

c.h.e.f andy

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

满源 Man Yuan Gourmet

Address:

210 Lorong 8 Toa Payoh
#01-44 Toa Payoh Lorong 8 Market & Food Centre
Singapore 310210

Opening Hours

daily: 12:00am – 11:59pm

Always Enjoyable Xinlu Fishball Noodles 新路鱼圆面 on 22Jan2018

S$3 xinlu fishball noodles

had 新路鱼圆面lunch today on 22.1.2018….S$3 meepok tar..^^

xinlu 新路fishball noodles

went meiling food centre about 5 to noon, waited 10mins..after that queue was 2x longer

met OBT at the carpark with his tennis kaki jimmy ..they just finished tennis game…

S$3 xinlu fishball noodles

this noodles had been my favourite eons back (like 20/30yrs ago) when it was at margaret drive.

i still enjoy this occasionally, but not so hot on it these days to have it often..

S$3 xinlu fishball noodles

the fishballs always good – bouncy, sweet, tasty.

and the noodles were qq, just right & tasty chilli…i always have less noodles, so they gave me 6 fishballs instead of 5. i not too bothered… they usually remembered.

c.h.e.f andy

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

xinlu 新路 teochew fishball noodles
Address:
Blk 159 Mei Chin Road, Mei Ling Food Centre #02-05
Opening hours:
6am – 3pm, closed on Thursday

 

4pax Family Dinner @ Hong Kong Street Old Chun Kee 香港街老珍记 on 21Jan2018

S$16 spicy black bean sauce song fish head

daughter liked the spicy black bean sauce song fish head 松鱼头we had here recently, so we decided to have 4pax family dinner at hong kong street old chun kee at commonwealth crescent on 21Jan2018. ^^

son, daughter, me all loved the fish head. wife could take some also…not her favourite…

S$12 salted egg pork ribs

children were hungry (or greedy), so we ordered more dishes… 🙂

S$12 salted egg pork ribs

the salted egg pork ribs was good, nice salted egg flavour, and the deepfried pork rib nicely done, tender & tasty…

butter squid

the butter squid less good.

basically squid was overcooked & a bit rubbery. i can do better than this. i hate doing deepfry stuff though…use lots of oil, need to think what to do with the oil etc..better to eat out for such dishes…

S$5 sliced fish thick beehoon

they did not have fish belly, so we made do with sliced fish…for me quite different la..

the soup & noodles still nice so daughter still liked it…S$5 a good price, can be an individual meal just S$5 no service no GST..

S$10 medium (2pax) sanlo horfun

the S$10 sanlo horfun felt a bit expensive..

still good wokhae…but somehow the smaller one we had just 2 weeks ago was much more flavourful…

S$10 medium (2pax) sanlo horfun

dinner was S$55 for 4pax 5 dishes, pretty good la… ^^

c.h.e.f andy

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

Kopi Kia  (hong kong street old chun kee 香港街老珍记)
Blk 117 Commonwealth Drive #01-733 Singapore 140117
Tel: 83606663
Email: enquiries@kopikia.com.sg
Operating Hours:
12.00PM – 10.30PM (Monday to Sunday)

J’s Prawn Noodles the Best! I Took 2 Large Bowls on 20Jan2018

J’s prawn bakut noodles

WM’s wife, J’s prawn noodles the best la!

the last time we had J’s prawn bakut noodles was 1.5yrs back, on 15.7.2016.

all we OPS folks have been pining for this..today 11pax OPS descended on WM’s home to savour the prawn noodles on 20.1.2018. ^^

i ate 2 big bowls, beehoon mee…

there were lots of crispy lard (lar pok), bean sprouts, shallots, chilli padi.. we helped ourselves…

J’s prawn bakut noodles

 i think the noodles – soup, prawns, noodles etc were as good as the last time, which was super good, so low carbs me finished 2 large bowls including all the noodles..

my bakut this time was not as tender as the last, otherwise everything was perfect..i think this prawn noodles as good as any outside, didn’t have the chilli paste & dry version, but this soup one was really good!

well, got to pine some more & look forward to next time…

c.h.e.f andy

Bring Back Roast Goose from 鹅皇馆 Hong Kong & 5pax Home Dinner on 19Jan2018

roast goose from 鹅皇馆 hong kong

we had roast goose twice, at yat lok stanley street & also  鹅皇馆 opposite metropark mongkok hotel, during the recent hong kong/shenzhen trip 14-18.1.2018.

on the last day 18.1.2018, our flight was 7.55pm.

i decided to buy 2 roast goose back, HK$380 each, about S$65 each, quite ok….sis bought a whole wax goose HK$188.

i gave 1/2 to my brother YS, and 1/2 to my OPS bro WM, and kept 1 roast goose for my family.

roast goose from 鹅皇馆 hong kong

transportation was a problem. i decided to handcarry up the plane like i did last time.

this time the shop tried to charge me HK$30 for each box to keep the roast goose – not very smart these people…i was not going to pay HK$60 for 2 boxes…

maybe as a result, my wrapping were not good like last time. another problem i now recall was that last time, i left the duck open to air in the plastic bag. this time they were wrapped up, so there was condensation & the skin was moist when i finally reached home & unpacked.

another problem was last time WM & I bought 1/2 roast goose each. this time they were whole goose & the shop forgot to remove the metal pin. this caused problem at the security, and was quite messy as i had to unwrap & remove the pin & it was all oily & messy.

roast goose from 鹅皇馆 hong kong

last time i arrived home early & we ate the roast goose as late supper on the same day.

this time i reached home like 1.30am, so goose had to be eaten following day, and i arranged for them to be air-cooled overnight with a fan blowing to dry the skin…

roast goose from 鹅皇馆 hong kong

roast goose from 鹅皇馆 hong kong

goose was still very tasty & flavourful (WM actually ate it a few days later & heat it up) …but really not the same without the very crispy when served in hong kong.

claypot chicken rice

for the evening, family gathered for 5pax dinner.

so i made claypot chicken rice to serve with the roast goose.

claypot chicken rice

claypot chicken rice

my usual very good standard claypot rice.

very flavourful, and tender, moist & tasty chicken, daughter love the chicken.

prawn egg omelette

wife made her prawn egg omelette, which everyone likex.

lady fingers

& aunty Bes, our helper, did a sambal lady fingers. very good! 🙂

great dinner! 🙂

roast goose from 鹅皇馆 hong kong

i think it is worthwhile to bring back the roast goose. it was only S$65 & some coffeeshop or stalls roast duck here already going for like S$42..

but best if hand carry with double layer heavy duty plastic bag (oily), and kept it open to air…a broad tote bag would be convenient.

c.h.e.f andy

Very Good 7pax Family Dinner @ Patara Tanglin Mall on 12Jan2018

tomyam talay S$12

had 7pax family dinner at patara tanglin mall this evening on 12.1.2018. ^^

my impression was long time not come here…but actually when i looked up, in fact we had a poor 2pax dinner here on 17.2.2017.

this time in fact it was very good food…love it!

they no longer served the pot of tomyam soup, so we ordered just 2 tomyam talay S$12, a clear & a original…for this place, the original always better, much more flavourful..

pomelo salad

pomelo salad

pomelo salad was good & refreshing, maybe 4 pieces of medium prawns..

prawn curry

everyone loved the prawn curry, really fragrant & flavourful…

prawn curry

we ended up ordering like 5 white rice at S$3 each. curry was just so good!

sotong in salted egg sauce

the squid in salted egg sauce didn’t sound very thai..not the usual xi char preparation..and this pretty good on its own!

duck curry

red duck curry always our favourite..

nearly as good as the prawn curry..

green curry beef

usual we take green curry chicken. this evening we took beef.

we didn’t think the flavours went/combined very well. beef was tenderised but a bit too beefy/strong..didn’t go with the curry..

australia steak

the australian sirloin was very good…

australia steak

tender, chargrilled very well & medium rare, and nice beef sauce.

lamb rack

the lamb rack was excellent too…

lamb rack

most like the lamb even more than the beef..i do too!

olive rice

the olive rice was still good.

everyone thought the serving ahd shrunk a lot.

bill S$217

daughter had this entertainer app thing. we could get 3 main courses free.

so dinner was $217nett after three 1 for 1 main courses from entertainment app. pretty good!

c.h.e.f andy

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

Patara Fine Cuisine @ Tanglin Mall

Good S$3 Bakchormee at Blk 352 Clementi Ave 2 on 11Jan2017

S$3 bakchormee

went to my jogging buddy’s place for coffee this morning on 11.1.2018..

i have been ill-disposed the last few weeks so did not do my regular runs, just dropped by his place for morning coffee & chat.

on the way back, i dropped by sheng shiong @ blk 352 clementi ave 2 to get some sundries.

it was almost 12pm. i decided to try out the bakchormee stall at the coffeeshop.

S$3 bakchormee

turned out that the S$3 bakchormee was pretty good!

qq meepok, good amount ingredients, chilli ok, can do with a bit more vinegar…

S$3 bakchormee

not near the tai hwa bakchormee at crawford of course!

nor the lai heng bakchormee.. at toa payoh lor 6 or at airport T3…

but still pretty good at S$3 in a neighbourhood non-descript coffeeshop.

c.h.e.f andy

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

bakchor mee stall @ blk 352 clementi ave 2

Great Lobsters @ Ah Yat Abalone Frum Restaurant on 10Jan2018

lobster in buttee lime sauce S$35 

went with wife to mosque street for some meeting at 5.30pm on 10jan2018.

after meeting, we decided to go to ah yat abalone forum at victoria street at hotel grand pacific for 2pax dinner.

prices had go up quite a bit since last time.

lobster is now S$35, instead of S$29.80 in dec2017, just couple weeks back! likewise tiger garoupa is now S$48/kg instead of S$38/kg previously.

razor clams S$5.50 

we ordered the garlic steamed razor clams, one each…no change in prices still S$5.50 a piece. 🙂

razor clams S$5.50 

it is consistently good in ah yat…

razor clams done just right, succulent, tasty, wonderful garlic oil sauce…

lobster in butter lime sauce S$35 

we ordered the lobster in butter lime sauce S$35.

this a new flavour we like..they don’t do pumpkin flavour here like ah yat grandstand, but this butter lime sauce very good la…

lobster baked in superior stock 上汤焗 S$35 

we looked at the menu..to order a crab tanhoon dish was like S$70, and a prawn tanhoon dish like S$50+…

so in the end it’s still the S$35 lobster that is the best deal.

so we ordered a second lobster  baked in superior stock 上汤焗 S$35 …

lobster baked in superior stock 上汤焗 S$35 

this was very good today.

however recently it became a bit inconsistent & we had tried not so great ones last time.

hor fun S$20 

we order a small hor fun.

it was S$20. good wokhae & wonderful flavours & good ingredients too.

hor fun S$20

hor fun S$20 

a lot of carbs but i like this was the “worthwhile” carbs that we enjoyed having..

2pax dinner with 2 lobster, 2 razor clams, plus hor fun was about S$130, quit eok for the food quality.

c.h.e.f andy

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

 

Good S$9.80 Kaisen Mountan Mori @ Sabar Japan Food Town Wisma L4 on 10Jan2018

kaisen mountain mori S$9.80 

went with sis & bil to sabar at japan food town, wisma atria L4 this morning for early lunch on 10.1.2018. ^^

sabar was having a promotion kaisen mountain mori at S$9.80. it came with complimentary tea..i also got a pair of free saba sushi from jpassport. it was too difficult for me to do it for my sis & bil so i just let them have the pair of saba sushi.

kaisen mountain mori S$9.80 

the kaisen mountain mori itself was pretty good deal at S$9.80.

of course there was no premium cuts, but the magura, salmon, saba cuts were all fresh & sweet, and the amount was substantial, no gimic!

i think this donburi can go for like S$16.90..

kaisen mountain mori S$9.80 

it was a simple & one item lunch.

we all enjoyed it. i would do this again if i am around here..

takeaway chirashi don S$16.80 @ bonta bonta 

leaving japan food town, i grabbed a takeaway chirashi don S$16.80 at bonta bonta for wife.

she enjoyed that very much when she took it later.

c.h.e.f andy

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

Sabar

Contact:
Opening Hours:

2pax Dinner with Daughter @ Hong Kong Street Old Chun Kee 香港街老珍记 on 9Jan2018

S$16 spicy black bean sauce song fish head 松鱼头

youngest daughter arranged to go queensway shopping centre to buy a pair of asics running shoes for me for my birthday earlier.

we decided to have early dinner nearby at HK street old chun kee on 9.1.2018. ^^

hk street old chun kee at commonwealth crescent

i actually prefer hk street chun kee 香港街珍记 at the commonwealth crescent food centre. that is my favourite song fish head 松鱼头 stall. but it was closed.

S$16 spicy black bean sauce song fish head 松鱼头 

hong kong street old chun kee 香港街老珍记 at commonwealth crescent on the other hand i have tried  several times & food so so. 

so i was very pleasantly surprised that the song fish head 松鱼头  this evening was really very good. fish head of course is fresh & sweet. the sauce was incredible! tangy, tasty, love it!

i think they must changed chef!

like that i would come back again for sure.

S$6 sanloh horfun 三捞河粉 

& the same story continued with the sanloh horfun 三捞河粉.

used to be average, now very good wok hae…

S$6 sanloh horfun 三捞河粉

both daughter & dad enjoyed this makan very much.

after that we drove to queenway shopping centre, per entry parking after 6pm, and daughter bought me a pair of asics running shoes.

c.h.e.f andy

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

Kopi Kia  (hong kong street old chun kee 香港街老珍记)
Blk 117 Commonwealth Drive #01-733 Singapore 140117
Tel: 83606663
Email: enquiries@kopikia.com.sg
Operating Hours:
12.00PM – 10.30PM (Monday to Sunday)

Airfryer Sio Bak Recipe – Crackling Belly Pork on 8Jan2018

sio bak – roasted pork belly

made sio bak – chinese crackling belly pork this evening on 8.1.2018. ^^

sio bak – roasted pork belly

i used YKK/I’s airfryer method.

the evening before, i boiled the belly pork in boiling water for few mins. this to remove scum but also made it easier to score the skin of the belly.

then i used a fork to furiously stab the skin. every part, very thoroughly.

then pat dry, seasoned with 1 tbsp shaoxing wine all isdes except the skin.

then added salt to cover the skin, and placed in fridge overnight. the stabbing (scoring) & salt is to draw out the water from the skin & fat, so the skin is dry & can produce crackling.

sio bak – roasted pork belly

when cooking sio bak following day, i preheat the airfryer at 180degC.removed the damp salt from skin, pat dry with kitchen towel, & added a new layer of salt.

then i placed the belly pork in the holder & turned the airfryer control to 30mins (max).

removed belly pork & scrapped off the salt, then returned to airfryer at 200degC for 15mins.

sio bak – roasted pork belly

i would rate this try like 60marks.

skin was crackling, but meat was slightly overdone. it was actually a long piece of belly 600g, but it didn’t fit into the airfryer so i had to cut in 2 (means about 300g each). i think it would do well if it is a larger square single piece at 500g of 600g.

sio bak – roasted pork belly

still the crackling was good this time. the test being that many hours later, skin still crackling & did not turn tough & chewy.

not much seasoning. flavour ok mainly from the salt & the shaoxing wine.

thinking how to improve this next time.

c.h.e.f andy

Friend Bought 6pax Dinner for January Birthday Boys @ Heavenly Divine on 5Jan2018

heavenly divine

this evening, my RI friend bought 6pax dinner for the january birthday boys (he is one himself) at heavenly divine on 5.1.2018.

2 friends shared the same birthday. one was unable to attend today as he was just returning from HCMC with his family this evening.

heavenly divine is at boat quay, the second row of shophouses when you walked from UOB plaza 1. boat quay eats have great ambience, riverside dining outside & renovated shophouse inside.

caramelised bacon with green apple

some friends said the caramelised bacon with green apple tasted like bak kua..

ok but way too sweet la…

crab cake a bit salty

the crab cake was a bit salty, but otherwise a competent dish. presentation was ok.

crab cake a bit salty

crab cake was tasty, and inside was soft not hard & dry.

crab cake a bit salty

i guess above average delivery..competent is the word…

fish & chips

the batter for fish & chips was somewhat unusual.

certainly not the usual batter you get in UK or australia or anywhere else. seldom take fish & chips in singapore (almost never i should say).

had a good one at old brown shoes years back, not sure it is still there.

fish & chips

this batter is a bit like the japanese furai (“fry”) preparation..

but result was good, nice fresh fish fillet & i like the batter. though i still like the usual fish & chips batter with lots of vinegar & salt more…not that i am hot on fish & chips..

st bernard wit beer

the friends shared a german beer…

beer signage decor

the owner is son of the host’s friend, and co-incidentally a relative of the other birthday boy present. small world la!

on the wall, there’s many old USA carplates as decor…our friend (the restaurant owner) was living in seattle & like all americans do, drove a lot while living there. 🙂

steak

i did not select the steak as i didn’t these places offer good cuts or great cooking for steaks..not at these prices to be fair…

steak

i tasted the steaks. as i expected, very mediocre…bland in taste & doneness i didn’t see medium rare..but i was still harbouring a flu so my tastebuds a bit off.

the corn chips were interesting, could taste the corn flavours.

2 birthday cakes

we had a great evening, lots of fun & laughter together…old friends & many old memories & stories to reminiscent…it’s a good way too..another friend present did this dinner previously, so we can follow the tradition of january birthday dinners in subsequent years..

one thing to commend about the place..the owner very friendly, especially with friend & relative among us diners this evening…but he looks like a friendly & chill kind of bloke in any case.

the manager joshua gave really good service & very obliging. we troubled him again & again with group photos with so many cameras..i did not want to add my camera..so got some group & birthday photos from shared whatsapp photos. haha!

food wise, so so not much to comment…

c.h.e.f andy

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Dark Sauce Braised Chicken with Taupok – 50th Teban Gardens Community Breakfast on 12Jan2018

braised chicken with taupok

made dark sauce braised chicken with taupok for teban gardens community breakfast this morning on 12.1.2018.^^

this my 50th 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.

braised chicken

i bought 2kg boneless chicken thighs + 1kg wingsticks, and prepared the dish the evening before.

just fried 1-2 cinnamon stocks, 4 start anise, 4 cloves, 1 bulb of garlic cloves in 2 tbsp oil. fried till fragrant.

then added the cut chicken thigh pieces & wingstick (enough for one each for 130pax residents), and fried.

Tai Hua chicken marinate (大华鲁鸡汁)

then added tai hua chicken braising sauce, coat the chicken pieces. added 1 heap tbsp sugar (3kg chicken pieces) covered & cooked for like 8 mins. simple & quick. i did not add water as chicken had a lot of liquids. of course this needed watching over & add water if required.

braised chicken

the braised chicken was delicious, very tasty & meat were tender, not overcooked.

taupok

next morning, i heat up removed the chicken pieces, and added 20 taupok cut into 4 strips each, so 80 piees.

taupok

the taupok soaked up the sauces, and diluted the taste, so i added another 1/3cup tai hua braising sauce & some water.

braised chicken with taupok

covered over low fire simmering & cooked taupok till soft & well infused with the braise.

braised chicken with taupok

the mixed with the chicken pieces & placed in the aluminium tray & brought to teban gardens.

next week i will do this dish with button mushrooms instead of taupok.

c.h.e.f andy

Wife made Chirashi-don 海鲜丼 on 4Jan2018

chirashi don 海鲜丼

wife made chirashi don 海鲜丼 again this evening on 4.1.2018. ^^

we had hotate, tako, amaebi, salmon & tamago…

chirashi don 海鲜丼

a very good chirashi don!

hokkaido scallops

hotate that wife brought back from hokkaido were delicious, very sweet, plump, frresh.

hokkaido scallops

so good with the sushi rice.

my own tamago

this evening i made 2 tamago rolls.

my own tamago

very simple – 3 eggs, 1 tbsp mirin, 1.5tbsp tsuyu2tsp sugar, 3 tbsp water.

soak kitchen towel in oil & wipe non-stick pan & cook layer by layer…

salmon mayo sushi

wife also bought some salmon may sushi.

very quick & simple meal at home with family…today we did not want to eat too heavy a meal, so it was light & simple.

c.h.e.f andy

Rong Cheng (now Sin Ming Road) Bakuteh Still Good on 4Jan201

sin ming road bakuteh (formerly rong cheng) S$7

send car for servicing to joel motor edgevantage at sin min auto city recommended by my RI bro YKK 👍

need >1.5hrs (send car in about 10.45am collected car 12.15pm+)

sin ming road bakuteh (formerly rong cheng)

came to sin ming road bkt (rong cheng) at blk22 to kill time, and took $7 one large one small t-rex rib

still like the ribs, fatty, flavourful..soup 👎🏼my own better la 🤣

coffeeshop not much traffic at 11.30am

huo seng braised duck closed on thursday.

coffeeshop not much traffic at 11.30am.

kopi c gosong tilok very good – thick & flavourful

coffee = kopi c gosong tilok very good – thick & flavourful  👍👍

curry chicken noodles – not edible

walked over to the coffeeshop at the opposite end of blk 22 (there are 4 coffeeshops along this block 22).

the chicken rice stall also sells curry chicken noodles. unfortunately it was quite unedible…i guess the chicken breast were like a tender, somewhat tasteless breast of a mediocre chicken rice stall. the curry, not edible la…

teochew char kuay teow

the teochew char kuay teow quite ok, but nothing special. even the adam road char kuay teow is better than this. quite many customers though, and though seated i had to wait like 15mins.

rong cheng bkt (sin ming road) still a bakuteh stall that i don’t mind having bakuteh.

c.h.e.f andy

Son Bought Ah Heng Curry Chicken Noodles on 2Jan2018

ah heng curry chicken noodles 

还在咳嗽,舍命陪儿子😜🤣

this a real short post!

favourite son bought favourite curry chicken noodles, so cough can wait..makan fun first la!

ah heng curry chicken noodles 

i have been here back & again lately with RI bro, wife & now son..still managing a cough (& flu the last few weeks).

but son buying…and this was just so good la!

we came about 1.45pm…no queue (though there was one after we got ours), and the gravy was tastier wethink than if we come at 10.30am.

c.h.e.f andy

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