Tag Archives: ramen

Good Standard Bakchormee @ Ah Hoe Meepok Blk 710 Clementi Ave West Street 2 on 2Nov2015

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ah hoe bakckormee S$5 meepok dry

ah hoe bakckormee S$5 meepok dry

there’s a lot of buzz in the media & among friends lately about a japanese family who started a bakchormee mee stall at clementi west.

one friend rounded the rest of us up so today 9 of us descended on ah hoe meepok at blk 710, clementi west street 2 on 2.11.2015. ^^

ah hoe mee pok @ blk 710 clementi west st3

ah hoe meepok at blk 710, clementi west street 2

ah hoe mee pok @ blk 710 clementi west st2

ah hoe meepok at blk 710, clementi west street 2

some of us were there at 11.30am. there was no queue yet. nearer 12pm we had about 6pax & started queueing. there were then about 4 to 5 persons in the queue. but shortly after the queue was 10+ long and continued so.

singaporeans vote with their feet. as one of the reviewers johorkaki said, if the food were not good, the hype would soon fixxle out.

ah hoe bakckormee S$5 meepok dry

ah hoe bakckormee S$5 meepok dry

8 of us ordered the S$5 meepok dry. only 1 friend ordered the soup.

so do i think it was that good?

ah hoe bakckormee S$5 meepok dry

ah hoe bakckormee S$5 meepok dry

meepok was qq, texture was very good. the chilli & sauce coated the noodles well & taste was good.

there were loads of ingredients, i had 5 pork balls, 3 slices of shellfish, sliced pork, mushrooms &minced pork. there was no liver, or tipoh (the dried flatfish).

ah hoe bakckormee S$5 meepok dry

ah hoe bakckormee S$5 meepok dry

for me though, it could do with a bit more vinegar, and the chilli sauce though tasty, was not spicy & did not have the kick.

ah hoe bakckormee S$5 meepok soup

ah hoe bakckormee S$5 meepok soup

there was some garlic vinegar sauce i think, which a friend who was here for the 3rd time now said it was good, so i added that to the noodles & tossed.

i think it was similar to what we added to the ramen at Ichiran 一蘭 in fukuoka. it was nice, but somehow i still prefer the more fragrant black vinegar.

ah hoe bakckormee S$5 meepok soup

ah hoe bakckormee S$5 meepok soup

i did not try the soup version. it looked good too. i will certainly try the soup version next time.

my benchmark for meepok teng (soup version) is xing ji (興记) bakchormee fengshan food centre

ah hoe mee pok @ blk 710 clementi west st2

ah hoe mee pok @ blk 710 clementi west st2

ah hoe bakckormee S$5 meepok dry

ah hoe bakckormee S$5 meepok dry

i certainly like this bakchormee here & will take it again, but it was not compelling or must have variety for me.

i would prefer-

  1. tai hwa bakchormee at crawford lane.
  2. lai heng bakchormee at changi T3 B2 kopitiam
  3. & also the 6th avenue jalan tua kong meepok tar though that is a different fishball noodles style

bakchormee was good & we had a great time among old friends 9 of us.

it is not something though i would specially drive myself to come & eat alone. unlike say my favourite ah heng curry chicken noodles at hong lim food centre; or

the really good why eat har big prawn noodles.

c.h.e.f andy

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Instant Noodles with Prawns & Oysters

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instant noodles with prawn & oysters

instant noodles with prawn & oysters

wife, children were out, eating alone this evening.

didn’t feel like cooking anything. looked at the freezer & picked out some prawns & frozen oysters – easiest to defrost. the prawns had shells on so easy to separate.

myojo chicken abalone instant noodles

myojo chicken abalone instant noodles

did not feel like having the more expensive instant noodles like (1) mykuali penang white curry noodles or (2) instant mala ramen 香锅麻辣牛肉面 or (3) nissin kyushu black ramen. so just pick the cheap myojo chicken abalone instant noodles. 🙂

instant noodles with prawn & oysters

instant noodles with prawn & oysters

instant noodles with prawn & oysters

instant noodles with prawn & oysters

noodles were quite tasty. prawns were fresh & oysters large & plump.

instant noodles with prawn & oysters

instant noodles with prawn & oysters

after all the nice big prawn noodles at why eat har, i was kidding my friend whose brother is the co-proprietor of why eat har that i am now having small prawns instant noodles.^^

c.h.e.f andy

Ichiran 一蘭 Ramen Hakata & Green Tea Parfait on 28Feb2015

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ichiran ramen

ichiran ramen

i seldom take ramen in singapore as it is too much carbs & i find it too expensive for me. i can get so much better food at those prices. it’s just my personal bias, haha!^^

in japan i had a few ramen, notably my favourite ramen ever hanamaruken ramen (花丸轩) @ dotonbori osaka.

&  toyama black (富山ブラック) stall by menya iroha @ ramen village at kyoto station building.

since we were in kyshu, we wanted to try Ichiran 一蘭. so on 28.1.2015, after walking around tenjin underground city & buying excellent sashimi from mitsukoshi to feast in our hotel rooms, we went looking for & found Ichiran 一蘭 at B2F of fukuoka bank bldg. in front of hakata station.

i don’t think any ramen can ever replace my favourite hanamaruken ramen (花丸轩). but ichiran was really good!^^

in japan, so many eating outlets used vending machines, wonder why they are not more popular in singapore? very few restaurants have vending machines.

 

ichiran ramen

ichiran ramen

we shared one ramen.

& selected firm (al dente), additional pork & vinegar. my wife liked this pork better as it was lean, unlike hanamaruken ramen (花丸轩) & toyama black (富山ブラック).

noodles texture was superb, completely al dente!^^

the tonkotsu broth was fantastic, pork excellent, so overall a very good ramen.

greentea parfait

greentea parfait

greentea parfait

greentea parfait

after ramen, we shared a green tea parfait.

really excellent parfait, with green tea cake, green tea ice cream, green tea jelly, mochi, warabi mochi etc.

this day was for bites, so we had ramen, parfait, then went back hotel to have our sashimi omakase. in the evening we went to canal city, ramen stadium, & ate kushiyaki & ramen at yatai 屋台 at nakasu.

c.h.e.f andy

Excellent Sashimi & Sushi from Fukuoka Mitsukoshi at Tenjin on 28Jan2015

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uni 1500yen

uni 1500yen

we arrived fukuoka hakataeki by train from beppu about noon time on 28.1.2015. 🙂

after checking into our hotel JR Kyushu Hotel Blossom Fukuoka on the west side of hakataeki, we decided to take the subway to tenjin to walk around & explore the area.

it was a tenjin underground city with huge shopping streets – tenjin chikagai.

we planned to go to the canal city & maybe try out the yatai 屋台 at nakasu in the evening, so decided to go back to hotel for a rest first.

my wife & i had always enjoyed sashimi & sushi from the supermarkets. this time we bought a few from mitsukoshi at tenjin to enjoy our own omakase sashimi treat in the hotel room…haha!^^

on the way back to hotel, we decided to share a ramen at ichiran at B2F of fukuoka bank bldg. in front of hakata station.^^

the uni, needless to say, was heavenly – so sweet, fragrant, melt in the mouth.

toro 900yen

toro 900yen

& the toro, it was excellent! maybe it was chutoro but it was quite fatty, & simply lovely!^^

hotate 500yen

hotate 500yen

hotate always good, plump, sweet, tasty.

sayori 500yen

sayori 500yen

we had not take sayori  (flying fish or half-beak) for long time since the good old days at unkai (tanglin road) & mezzanine as we don’t go (super rare) sushi counter nowadays in singapore. this was good though i now don’t miss it much.

shellfish sushi 1100yen

shellfish sushi 1100yen

& we had a top quality sushi platter, with akagai, torigai, awabi (abalone), hotate & atlantic surf clam etc.

all these came to 4500yen! & absolutely restaurant quality in the best jap restaurants in singapore. the box of uni alone would cost S$60++, likely S$80++.

such a wonderful feasting!^^

c.h.e.f andy

Food that Pleases @ Tunglok Signature Orchard Parade Hotel on 13Sep2014

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lobster ramen - the best!

lobster ramen – the best!

time flies. almost a year had passed, the last time i took the fabulous 6-course lobster dinner set at tunglok signature orchard parade hotel was on 19.10.2013.

so i was looking forward to relish the wonderful moments on 13.9.2014. we took the exact same S$98 lobster & seafood set. as i noted previously, it was of exceptional quality, both in terms of quality of ingredients & quality of cooking. 🙂

as before & always, every dish pleases. if i have to pick my least favourite, it would be the kurobuta & it was good too. 🙂

foie gras & smoked duck wrap

foie gras & smoked duck wrap

duck & duck liver wrap

foie gras & smoked duck wrap

the foie gras & smoked duck wrap was good, tasty, refreshing. i thought the “pan-fried foie gras” tasted similar to the usual unglamorous poached duck liver though.

crab roe sharksfin soup

crab roe sharksfin soup

crab roe sharksfin soup

crab roe sharksfin soup

the crab roe sharkskin was super & chokeful of ingredients.

steamed garoupa fillet

steamed soon hock fillet

steamed garoupa fillet

steamed soon hock fillet

the steamed soon hock fillet was very well done, very sweet, tasty, smooth, with the garnishes & sauce as well. i am thinking to replicate this for my home dinners.

pan-fried kurobuta

pan-fried kurobuta

pan-fried kurobuta

pan-fried kurobuta

the pan-fried spanish kurobuta was quite delicious too. if there were not other also great dishes, i would consider this pretty good.

lobster ramen - the best!

lobster ramen – the best!

lobster ramen - the best!

lobster ramen – the best!

the lobster ramen was the best. this time the serving came with shelled 1/2 lobster (before it was a 1/2 lobster in shell). lobster meat was fresh, bouncy, sweet. the sauce was excellent. i was impressed with this dish & thinking how to replicate it at home.

(P.S. i subsequently created my own prawn ramen in golden braising sauce – 黄焖草虾面, not quite the same obviously but anyhow pretty good on its own).

雪种情怀

雪种情怀

& i love the dessert 雪种情怀 – 1 vanilla & 1 coconut ice cream on the usual grapefruit mango puree (杨支甘露).

with palate 50% discounts for 2pax, dinner was S$49pax + S$2pax for the tea. wonderful deal! 🙂

c.h.e.f andy

 

 

Mykuali Penang White Curry Noodles on 9May2014

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10330417_10152381319884494_8922871026030392773_n

mykuali’s penang white curry noodles with belly pork

didn’t think i would be blogging about instant noodles, but the penang white curry noodle by mykuali which i bought recently from sheng shiong was really hot stuff (pun intended). 🙂

it has not taken root in singapore yet, but the koreans regularly buy & eat instant noodles at the grocery stores & at street-side “sarabat” stalls which sells them with all kinds of toppings, just as they do in indonesia. 🙂

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slow-cooked belly pork (japanese chashu standard)

i added very thinly sliced slow-cooked belly pork. the whole thing looked very like a very delicious craving-inducing chashumen. 🙂

i found a quick way of making very good tender & tasty belly pork. you can brine the belly for 1 to 2 days in sugar & salt or just add garlic, shallots, spring onions etc for flavours at time of cooking. anyway place the belly pork (after scalding with boiling water to remove the scums) in a crockpot COLD & add either the brine OR the other flavouring ingredients. turn crockpot to low & in about 3 to 4hrs you get a very tender belly pork just like the japanese chashu. it is that simple! 🙂1507033_10152381320064494_6440200458511359462_n10308084_10152379373874494_1604373033650047404_n

10341477_10152379374094494_862234557622178249_n

mykuali’s penang white curry noodles

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mykuali’s penang white curry noodles

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mykuali’s penang white curry noodles with belly pork

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mykuali’s penang white curry noodles with belly pork

i used belly pork but could have added prawns & squid, maybe even cockles. of course like jap ramen, it could be chicken or tonkatsu (breaded pork cutlet) as well. 🙂

a most satisfying meal.

c.h.e.f andy

Great Ala Carte Dinner @ Tunglok Signature at Orchard Parade on 29Nov2013

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fried mixed vegetables

fried mixed vegetables

went back to tunglok signature @ orchard parade on 29.11.2013. was raining so wanted car park with shelter & did not want to go far. 🙂

amex palate privileges 50% for 2pax only for ala carte on weekdays so we explored the menu.

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lamb rack S$10

lamb rack S$10

lobster noodles S$25

lobster noodles S$25

雪中情怀mango pomelo dessert with 2 scoops ice cream S$8

雪中情怀mango pomelo dessert with 2 scoops ice cream S$8

we decided to try the specials – a fish soup S$38. the soup was excellent! very smooth, sweet, tasty. 🙂 it was expensive though. the portion was similar to a 1/2 pot of lie tong (例汤) which cost S$14 – served 1.5 to 2 bowls each for 2pax. probably better off with the lie tong.

the lamb rack came with onion ring & tomato. it was very good too. lamb was very tender w/o strong taste, equal to the best among good western restaurants. the mildly sweet sauce was a nice change from the usual mint sauce too. 🙂

the mixed vegetable (top photo) was an excellent vegetarian dish. on this night it was a bit oily, but otherwise very good.

& the lobster ramen in superior sauce was heavenly. i had lobster noodles often at hua ting some years back when i had the alacarte card as it was very good. but this was even better! ramen was very nice too, especially the texture/bite. 🙂

& we rounded up with the really enjoyable  雪中情怀mango pomelo dessert with 2 scoops of ice cream. we asked to change the usual vanilla to coconut ice cream – very nice indeed! 🙂

the dinner was S$172 before discount. i wouldn’t do this at such prices. with 50% palate discount it was S$86 & a very good price for such fine dinner. the weekend lobster 6-course set though was even better as it included the 2 best dishes – lobster ramen & 雪中情怀 – plus other great dishes!

c.h.e.f andy

My Favourite Ramen @ Hanamaruken(花丸轩) Dotonbori Osaka on 21May2013

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pork soft bones ramen at hanamaru dotonbori osaka

pork soft bones ramen at hanamaruken dotonbori osaka

was posting my recent ramen experience at toyama black (富山ブラック) by menya iroha at ramen village (拉麺小路) at level 10 kyoto station, and got motivated to look up my dotonbori photos during my may2013 trip with my sister.

we visited this stall, hanamaruken ramen (花丸轩) at dotonbori osaka on 21.5.2013. it is my favourite & only ramen that i really want to eat. 🙂

hanamaru dotonbori osaka

hanamaruken dotonbori osaka

hanamaru dotonbori osaka

the kitchen – hanamaruken dotonbori osaka

pork soft bones ramen at hanamaru dotonbori osaka

pork soft bones ramen at hanamaruken dotonbori osaka

they served the ramen with a 10″ (maybe 12″) long pork soft bones which had been cooked & flavoured for don’t know how many hours the taste & texture was just sublime! 🙂 of course there were the scallion, nori (seaweed), & you can get your own water, pickled ginger & 1 hard-boiled egg for every bowl of ramen you ordered.

see the youtube video of the wondeful bowl of ramen here.

being the carnivore i am, 2 slices of thin chashu are ok for me but a 10″ long pork soft bones infused with all the supreme flavours was about my only motivation to devour 1 large bowl of carbs…but of course it was about taste & texture contrast, so carbs was quite welcome together with the pork. 🙂

i will take this w/o fail everytime i am in osaka. other food can wait…haha. 🙂

c.h.e.f andy

Ramen Toyama Black (富山ブラック) & Greentea Jelly @ Ramen Village L10 Kyoto Station on 9.10.2013

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ramen - tomiyama black (富山ブラック) from menya iroha

ramen – toyama black (富山ブラック) from menya iroha

i don’t take ramen much in singapore. think they are very ex like S$14++. 🙂

during my recent tateyama alpine route trip, i had ramen at the ramen village (拉麺小路) at level 10 kyoto station on 9.10.2013, the day i arrived at kyoto. there were like 15 stallsto choose from & we shared a 800yen (S$9++) at toyama black (富山ブラック) stall by menya iroha.

ramen - tomiyama black (富山ブラック) from menya iroha

ramen – toyama black (富山ブラック) from menya iroha

seriously eating ramen

seriously eating ramen

tomiyama black (富山ブラック) ramen stall by menya iroha

toyama black (富山ブラック) ramen stall by menya iroha

ramen village (拉麺小路) at level 10 kyoto station

ramen village (拉麺小路) at level 10 kyoto station

the ramen & broth were excellent very tasty! & so was the chashu & the egg which was tasty even though the yolk was not runny (didn’t have to!). 🙂 still my personal favourite ramen was at hanamaruken ramen (花丸轩) at dotonbori osaka that served a 10″ softbone, i being the carnivore. 🙂

greentea jelly mochi dessert at L10 ramen village kyoto station

greentea jelly mochi dessert at L10 ramen village kyoto station

greentea jelly mochi dessert at L10 ramen village kyoto station

greentea jelly mochi dessert at L10 ramen village kyoto station

we also had the cheap version about 550yen greentea parfait (jelly & mochi) at a stall there. just for convenience. it was not really cheap as you could get the 900yen or 1000yen versions at kiyomizu or kawaramachi which had the soft brown mochi dusted with powder & macha tea.

c.h.e.f andy

Oven Slow-braised Chashu (Japanese Braised Belly Pork for Ramen)

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chashumen

chashumen

have not done any blogging on recipes for a while.

lately, after seeing some internet recipes on cooking Japanese chashu (see a very good one by http://www.seriouseats.com on chashu pork), I did a few attempts myself, with some reasonable success. 🙂

I had also in fact undertaken a 10pax homegourmet dinner recently on 11.6.2013, where I also served 10 bowls of chasumen, which was rather well received. 🙂 the top photo (and the one right at the bottom) were taken during that dinner. 🙂

chashu (Japanese oven slow-braised pork belly)

chashu (Japanese oven slow-braised pork belly)

now on the cooking. I blanched a 300g belly pork in boiling water to remove the scums & then rinsed with slow running water.  I then used a string (butcher twine) to tie the pork belly to make the semi-circular shape. 🙂 I prepared the braising sauce which comprised 1/2 cup sake, 1/2 cup mirin, 1 tablespoon sugar, 3 tablespoon light soy sauce and 1 cup water. I added sliced ginger (3cm block), 4 peeled garlic cloves, 1 stalk spring onions, 1 shallot quartered and heat till boiling. I added the belly pork & transfer to a preheated oven at 130degC for 1/2hr. I then let the oven cooled and set to 90degC and left the belly pork to slowly braise over 2hrs. 🙂

chashu (Japanese oven slow-braised pork belly)

chashu (Japanese oven slow-braised pork belly)

the result was a very tender texture of belly pork including the skin. 🙂 & it was sweet & tasty from the sauce marinade. 🙂

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the above photos were from my very first attempt.

just to add – I have now perfected the 6 minutes runny yoke egg (will make a separate recipe post later!). also though the chashu would go very well with the regular ramen, I prefer the much lighter version using the thin Japanese noodles, especially when this carbo item is served as part of a 8-course menu. 🙂

20130422_193049IMG_3846

the bowl on the right with the runny york egg was from the recent 10pax homegourmet dinner on 11.6.2013. 🙂

c.h.e.f andy

Ingredients:

  • 300g belly pork
  • 1/2 cup mirin
  • 1/2 cup sake
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 1 tbsp sugar
  • 3 tbsp light soy sauce
  • 4 cloves peeled garlic
  • 1 shallot quartered
  • 1 stalk spring onions
  • 3cm ginger (sliced)

Directions:

  1. blanch 300g belly pork in boiling water to remove the scums & then rinse with slow running water.  use a string (butcher twine) to tie the pork belly to make the semi-circular shape.
  2. prepare the braising sauce which comprises 1/2 cup sake, 1/2 cup mirin, 1 tablespoon sugar, 3 tablespoon light soy sauce, and 1 cup water. add sliced ginger (3cm block), 4 peeled garlic cloves, 1 stalk spring onions, 1 shallot quartered and heat till boiling.
  3. add the belly pork & transfer to a preheated oven at 130degC for 1/2hr. let the oven cool and set to 90degC and leave the belly pork to slowly braise over 2hrs. serve or store in fridge for future use.