Tag Archives: beng thin

Just Average Zi Char @ Jin Wee Siglap on 25Apr2016

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fish maw soup - S$25

fish maw soup – S$25

a friend organised a movie session on 25.4.2016. ^^

we watched 2 movies – “Room” & “Everest”. in between, we walked to siglap for dinner.

jin wee restaurant @ siglap

jin wee restaurant @ siglap

it’s a regular zi char eating house.

jin wee restaurant - menu

jin wee restaurant – menu

menu likewise pretty standard zi char fare.

we were looking at the lie tong 例汤 S$12 & the fish maw soup S$25. a friend decided on the fish maw soup.

soup was quite good. quite chokeful of ingredients, good amount of crabmeat & very tasty.

not as good as the fish maw soup at beng thin, but maybe not that far off.

seemed expensive at S$25 at a zi char place like this, but what’s important is it’s good la..

crispy pork chop - S$15

crispy pork chop – S$15

the crispy pork is popular here, we ordered the larger serving at S$15.

crispy pork was good, & the sweet sour sauce was well done too, a competent sauce not too sweet & good with the pork. sweet & sour not my favourite though.

overall i like loo’s curry pork chop better.

fried tofu with minced pork - S$15

fried tofu with minced pork – S$15

the fried bean curd with minced pork was quite tasty too.

felt expensive to me at S$15 for a simple dish with cheap ingredients, but maybe it was not exorbitant.

sambal kang kong - S$10

sambal kang kong – S$8

the sambal kang kong was nice if quite standard fare anywhere.

the dinner came to S$71 including drinks (we had 4 barleys + 1 tea) for 5pax, so about S$14pax. we ordered not much food though just 3 dishes + soup.

i thought the prices were just a bit expensive but it was quite ok dinner overall.

c.h.e.f andy

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

Jin Wee Restaurant @ Siglap

Address

928 East Coast Road, 459117

Contact

+65 64410485

Opening Hours

Mon – Tue: 11:00 – 21:30

Thu – Sun: 11:00 – 21:30

Closed: Wed

OK Zi Char @ HK Street Old Chun Kee on 31Jan2016

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$25 zi char dinner

$25 zi char dinner

had dinner with wife on 31.1.2016. ^^

friends were watching djokovic murray austrialian open tennis finals…

we wanted to go to a nearby place & decided on hong kong street old chun kee 香港街老珍记 at commonwealth crescent…..

don’t know if the original one still at level 2 of the commonwealth crescent food centre? did not check…

hk street old chun kee

hk street old chun kee

place was well patronised at 6.45pm on a sunday.

hk street old chun kee menu

hk street old chun kee menu

the picture menu showed the food items & prices. made it quite easy.

wife didn’t really like their signature dishes like black bean sauce song fish head or bitter gourd.

we ordered their signature fish head thick beehoon soup, a tofu dish & a fish maw soup.

fish head beehoon

S$5 fish head beehoon

their signature fish head thick beehoon soup was pretty good.

maybe it was not as intense & flavourful as Holland Village XO Fish Head Bee Hun Restaurant 荷兰村XO鱼头米粉酒楼, but then we did not ask for the XO version..

fish head beehoon

S$5 fish head beehoon

still it was a tasty dish, lots of meat fish head pieces & the best of the 3 dishes we ordered, & the cheapest at S$5, 🙂

tofu in thai sauce

S$8 tofu in thai sauce

the tofu dish was ok but just ordinary.

tofu in thai sauce

S$8 tofu in thai sauce

nothing much to say really. at least it was quite passable.

fish maw soup

S$12 fish maw soup

i was of course thinking of the excellent fish maw soup at beng thin.

but alas, this was NOT!

fish maw soup

S$12 fish maw soup

miles off!

not that it was a bad soup. it was passable, but really starchy, gluey stuff…

dinner was S$25nett for 2pax no service no GST. ok but totally average except for the fish head beehoon soup.

but then we did not order the signature dishes so not a very good representation of the food.

i checked they are closed for 1st 4 days of cny & prices are different of day 7. my china relatives are visiting so i may likely bring them here to try out the dishes again.

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)

Wonderful Dinner Treat by Our Good Friends @ Imperial Court on 5Nov2015

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#1 (excellent) half suckling pig

#1 (excellent) half suckling pig

my good friends & mei mei arranged a dinner for my wife & i at imperial court restaurant at the grassroots club on 5.11.2015. ^^

6pax suckling pig menu

6pax suckling pig menu

i have wanted to try the gimtim group of restaurants but have not done yet, so this suited. 🙂

they have a 1/2 suckling pig set for 6. we had 7pax so my friend ordered 2 additional dishes.

#1 (excellent) half suckling pig

#1 (excellent) half suckling pig

the #1 half suckling pig was a large helping. it was much larger than what i had at ah yat & other places like hung kang & summer gardens.

i thought ah yat’s suckling pig was very good but this was equal or better & much bigger portions by comparison.

it was extremely good, very crispy skin & very flavourful, tasty meat. it seemed to be a combination of the 片皮 & 南乳 styles. usually the 片皮 style came with wraps & the 南乳 comes with the meat. my wife & i prefer the 南乳 style.

#2 (quite poor) fish maw soup

#2 (quite poor) fish maw soup

the next dish #2 fish maw soup though was quite poor.

no comparison like the fish maw soup at beng thin.

#9 addition sanpei chicken 三杯鸡 dish

#9 addition sanpei chicken 三杯鸡 dish

＃10 additional beef dish

＃10 additional beef dish

my friend ordered 2 additional dishes=#9 addition sanpei chicken 三杯鸡 dish & ＃10 additional beef dish.

sanpei chicken 三杯鸡 was so-so, maybe below par. the beef was pretty ok, not the very tenderised chinese style beef which i don’t like.

#3deepfried seabass in thai sauce

#3deepfried seabass in thai sauce

the #3 deepfried seabass in thai sauce was very good.

#3 deepfried seabass in thai sauce

#3 deepfried seabass in thai sauce

the sauce was not the usual thai sweet sauce (best for deep-fried chicken wings) but a bit tangy.

#3 deepfried seabass in thai sauce

#3 deepfried seabass in thai sauce

a very good fish dish by my reckoning.

#4 abalones with broccoli

#4 abalones with broccoli

the #4 abalones with broccoli dish was the usual good standard, with nice broccoli & mushrooms.

#5 (the best) steamed scallops

#5 (the best) steamed scallops

i love #5 the steamed scallops. i think they were the best! ^^

#5 (the best) steamed scallops

#5 (the best) steamed scallops

usually i prefer steamed razor clams to steamed scallops because usually steamed scallops get overdone (i don’t know why?).

these ones were very tender & sweet & tasty. excellent is the word!

#6 nice done prawns - sauce too sweet

#6 nicely done prawns – sauce too sweet

the #6 prawns were nicely done, fresh, tasty & crisp.

#6 nice done prawns - sauce too sweet

#6 nicely done prawns – sauce too sweet

i don’t like the sauce though, just overly sweet.

#7 (very tasty) braised seafood beehoon

#7 (very tasty) braised seafood beehoon

the #7 braised seafood beehoon was very tasty.

#7 (very tasty) braised seafood beehoon

#7 (very tasty) braised seafood beehoon

& with good ingredients.

reminded me of my own crabless beehoon! 🙂

#8 fruit cocktail dessert with ice shavings

#8 fruit cocktail dessert with ice shavings

the simple dessert of the day = #8 fruit cocktail dessert with ice shavings was very refreshing.

overall an excellent dinner. i liked the suckling pig & the steamed scallops.

i estimate the dinner to cost about S$350nett, so about S$50nett, 🙂

nice yuzu cheese cake

nice yuzu cheese cake

it was a really fun evening. friend also bought a nice yuzu cheese cake. a truly wonderful time with close friends & great dinner. 🙂

& service was very good. the servers took several photos for us & also went digging up a knife & candles for the cake.

c.h.e.f andy

Imperial Court

Address : 190 Ang Mo Kio Ave 8 #03-01 The Grassroots’ Club Singapore 568046
Hotline : 6553 2777 (Reservation is needed on Saturday and Sunday)
Fax : 6554 2777
Email : imperial@gimtim.com.sg

Steamed Oysters with Light Soy Sauce & Olive Oil

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my contribution - steamed oysters

steamed oyster with light soy sauce & olive oil

this an excellent, cheap, tasty 2-minute dish that i created recently.

i served it on several occasions, namely my lake como etc grand tour tasting menu on 2.7.2014, 12-course homecooked fine chinese dinner on 15.7.2014 and best teppanyaki at home on 23.7.2014, & everyone loved it. 🙂

IQF (individual quick freeze) plump oysters from China

IQF (individual quick freeze) plump oysters from China

i had earlier bought IQF (individual quick freeze) oysters from sheng shiong. they were large, plump & cheap, only S$11.90 for 1kg. 🙂

i had wanted to try out the crispy orh jian similar to that at beng thin & also sticky orh luah at hawker centre. they both turned out ok but not really special. i personally liked the sticky orh luah better & also i could not produce the very thin crispy orh jian or oyster egg at beng thin.

my contribution - steamed oysters

steamed oyster with light soy sauce & olive oil

#2 steamed oyster with light soy sauce & olive oil

steamed oyster with light soy sauce & olive oil

steamed oysters

steamed oyster with light soy sauce & olive oil

anyhow i tried out a steamed cod after my friend bought me lunch at boon tong kee recently. i used just light soy sauce & olive oil & the steamed cod turned out quite well though not yet of the standard of btk. i will evolve the steamed cod recipe a bit more before i make a post on that.

i tried the same on the oysters & they just turned out fabulous every single time, and it was so very easy to make.

for 8 oysters, i used 2 teaspoon light soy sauce & 2 tablespoon olive, added 1 cut chilli padi & sliced ginger, placed on a glass dish so the sauce covered about 2/3 of the oysters & baste them. then i placed the dish in a steamer (water boiling) & steamed for exact 2 minutes. then scooped the oysters on individual soup spoons together with the sauce.

that was all to it. &i got my plump, juicy, very tasty oysters every time. the marinade also smoothed the strong sea taste. lovely dish especially when so easy to make. 🙂

c.h.e.f andy

Oyster Omelette (蚝烙) Starchy Orh Luah

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Oyster Omelette (蚝烙) Starchy OrhLuah

Oyster Omelette (蚝烙) Starchy OrhLuah

continuing on my quest for the starchy orh luah (蚝烙), i bought sweet potato flour from sheng shiong after my passable first attempt on orh jian (蚝煎) – crispy oyster egg.

Oyster Omelette (蚝烙) Starchy OrhLuah

Oyster Omelette (蚝烙) Starchy OrhLuah

Oyster Omelette (蚝烙) Starchy OrhLuah

Oyster Omelette (蚝烙) Starchy OrhLuah

Oyster Omelette (蚝烙) Starchy OrhLuah

Oyster Omelette (蚝烙) Starchy OrhLuah

Oyster Omelette (蚝烙) Starchy OrhLuah

Oyster Omelette (蚝烙) Starchy OrhLuah

Oyster Omelette (蚝烙) Starchy OrhLuah

Oyster Omelette (蚝烙) Starchy OrhLuah

this time i tried a smaller portion, so i used only 1 heap tablespoon sweet potato flour & mixed about 30ml water, adding 1 teaspoon fish sauce & some white pepper(& i would add some chopped spring onions if i have). i used only 1 egg, beating well & adding 1/2 teaspoon fish sauce & some pepper.

i added 3 tablespoon oil & make sure the pan is totally greased, then i spread the  sweet potato flour mixture over the pan on low fire. the difference c/w cornflour is that you see the familiar light transparent batter (whereas cornflour batter is opaque). somehow just the familiar look made it feel delicious. haha. 🙂

i then added the egg & 1 tablespoon of chilli paste & spread with the egg. then i turned fire to high to crisp the egg starch mixture, used the spatula to break up into smaller pieces & pushed to 1 side while i added the oysters. i cooked the oysters for (say) 2minutes making sure it was cooked but not overcooked (it would shrink & become tougher if overcooked).

i would probably need to tweak a bit & do proper garnishing with coriander, but this preparation was nearly there in producing a good oyster omelette, certainly it tasted better than the average hawker stalls. 🙂

c.h.e.f andy

 

Oyster Egg (蚝煎) – Orh Jian

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orh luah = oyster omelette

orh jian = oyster egg

had a very nice orh jian (蚝煎) – crispy oyster egg – at beng thin hoon kee on 1.6.2014. 🙂

IQF (individual quick freeze) plump oysters from China

IQF (individual quick freeze) plump oysters from China

i enjoyed it so much i decided to have a go at it myself. i bought a 1kg packet of huge frozen oysters from sheng shiong for S$11.50. these were IQF=individual quick freeze, so very easy to just take out a few & put the remaining in freezer w/o defrosting them. i took out 12 plump oysters.

orh luah = oyster omelette

orh jian = oyster egg

beng thin's version orh jian = crispy oyster egg

beng thin’s version orh jian = crispy oyster egg

i saw a good internet video a hawker making crispy oyster omelette & also look at some recipes.

i mixed 3 heap tablespoon cornflour in a mixing bowl & added 1/3cup tap water for the batter, 1 teaspoon fish sauce & some pepper. i beat 2 eggs with chopped spring onions, 1 teaspoon fish sauce & some pepper.

i added 4 tablespoon oil to a non-stick pan on high fire, then drizzle the batter on the hot pan to form the base. i then added the egg on the batter, slightly spilling over the edges. i then pushed the egg batter aside (like in the video) & added in the oysters, making sure the oysters are not overcooked (& still plump & not shrunk). then i covered the oysters with the egg batter & flipped it on a serving plate. voila!

it was pretty ok for the first attempt. the egg batter was crispy. c/w beng thin’s version orh jian (crispy oyster egg) in above photo was like paper thin crisp.

i will probably try out sweet potato flour ( in place of cornflour ) OR a mix to see if i can get the more sticky starchy batter texture orh luah (蚝烙) that i like. & get some coriander to garnish. 🙂

c.h.e.f andy

Protected: RI G20 23pax Dinner Get-Together @ Ah Orh on 20Feb2014

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Great Teochew Food 23pax Dinner Get-Together @ Ah Orh on 20Feb2014

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teochew braised duck

had our largest G20 gathering last evening at ah orh at jalan bukit merah on 20.2.2014. 🙂

it was the handy work of 1 of our friends, with his megawatt smile & shining hallo…lol…especially his ability to ring in the gals. we had 23pax (including 3 ladies) on 3 tables, a meeting (or eating!) record! it was 25, but 1 was held up in a meeting, another was ill.

ah orh had mixed reviews & mostly dated. most thought it was expensive for the food (it may still be probably but it often depends on food ordered).  anyhow there was a deal.com offer & the organiser bought 3 vouchers of S$150 worth at S$97.50 each – 1 voucher was allowed for each table. 🙂

some friends went early to order the dishes. we had in total 9 dishes & the cost came to S$23+ all-in (about S$180+ per table) after redeeming the vouchers, so it was in fact very good value-for-money even considering that we did not order the usual teochew pomfret, cold crab etc.

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deep-fried fish skin

there was deep-fried fish skin as table starter. pretty good!

teochew braised duck

teochew braised duck

#1 the braised duck platter (top photo & above) was good – moist, flavourful. i would say as good as imperial treasure teochew & better than muliangzai liang kee & chui huay lim. 🙂 the lor bah (braised belly pork) was good too.

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fishmaw soup

#2 fishmaw soup was tasty, but maybe just average. the one at beng thin we had recently was substantially better.

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ter kar tan (pig trotter jelly)

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ter kar tan (pig trotter jelly)

#3 the ter kar tan (pig trotter jelly) was very good – firm, flavourful. there was also good chilli & “seng ni cho” 蒜泥醋 dip. this was as good as chui huay lim, imperial treasure teochew & crystal jade.

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yam basket

#4 the yam basket was i supposed really excellent for this dish – yam was tasty & very crisp outside yet “sang” inside & very good combination in texture & taste with the fillings. a very good dish though yam basket not my favourite. 🙂

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kailan with ti poh

#5 the kailan with ti poh was competent. vegetable was fresh & crunchy. the ti poh (a teochew favourite condiment not so often seen) added to the attraction but perhaps the wok hae was kind of lacking a bit.

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teck kia fish with bitter gourd in black bean sauce

#6 not sure about this teck kia fish (竹仔鱼) dish, certainly competent but the fish had more bones than meat. at kok sen, they used some fish head & added chunky fish meat which worked well to accompany the black bean sauce & was much better overall by comparison.

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hae chor

＃7 hae chor was quite ok, competent, nothing special.

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orh luah

#8 orh luah was pretty good, large fleshy oysters.

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orh nee

#9 orh nee was better than expected, tasty, i liked it but would have been better with pumpkin though. 🙂

company & fellowship were the key in our get-togethers of course, but we did come to eat & overall the food was quite good & the price of $23pax very reasonable after the deal.com offer, not much different from say muliangzai liang kee, and food we had here were better. 🙂 w/o the offer, it would cost about $30pax which was still not a bad deal, about same as what we had at shin yeh at our last 20pax dinner.

c.h.e.f. andy