Good S$13.80nett Teochew Muay Buffet @ Gimtim on 9May2016

Posted on May 10, 2016 by chefquak

teochew muay buffet dishes

friend bought 3pax lunch at gimtim at amk ave 4 on 9.5.2016. ^^

this was a follow-up of our last makan at toa payoh lor 8 food centre on 30.4.2016.

i have been to 2 other gimtim group restaurants & they were pretty good-

sweet potato porridge

they have a S$13.80 nett teochew muay weekdays buffet lunch.

buffet turned out better than i expected. 🙂

setting & dishes were humble, but the taste was quite good.

braised chicken

chicken was good, tender & sauce tasty.

braised duck wings

duck wings so so, can skip.

mui choy 梅菜

mui choy 梅菜 was good, not salty, nice flavour.

kiam chai咸菜

kiam chai咸菜 also good, not salty, & sweet.

egg plant

egg plant boleh da…

chicken feet

chicken feet was good. friend went to get a second helping.

ter kar (pig trotters)

ter kar (pig trotters) nice gummy texture & tasty. people took most of it i managed to get some odds & ends.

tau kee

tau kee average competent.

pork & cauliflower

pork & cauliflower simple, ok.

tofu fungus chinese cabbage

egg tofu quite well done. with wood fungus & chinese cabbage, sweet.

braised pig heat meat & tofu

strange they did not have kong bak. friend only picked up pig head meat, tofu & egg. they were good. 🙂

braised pig ears

there was a refill, but only pig ears. good too. 🙂

ikan selar

the i think ikan selar? was good. people took the tails so only left heads.

i will try to cook this dish myself.

sides

i enjoyed all these little sides – fermented beancurd, peanut ikan bilis, olive vegetable, haebeehiam & radish pickles.

all memory foods from childhood la….

pulut hitam

had some fruit (papaya) + pulut hitam.

i don’t mind this place. can come back some time again with my sis.

c.h.e.f andy

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

GIMTIM

Address :	Blk 157, Ang Mo Kio Avenue 4 #01-546 Singapore 560157
Hotline :	6459 7766 (Reservation is needed on Saturday and Sunday)
Fax :	6458 0467
Email :	amk157@gimtim.com.sg
Business Hour :	Monday – Friday (Lunch 11.30am – 2.30pm / Dinner 6.00pm – 10.30pm) Saturday, Sunday, Public Holiday (Lunch 11.00am – 2.30pm / Dinner 6.00pm – 10.30pm)

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

Posted on November 12, 2015 by chefquak

#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

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

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

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

＃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

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

#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

a very good fish dish by my reckoning.

#4 abalones with broccoli

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

#5 (the best) steamed scallops

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

#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 nicely done prawns – sauce too sweet

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

#6 nicely done prawns – sauce too sweet

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

#7 (very tasty) braised seafood beehoon

the #7 braised seafood beehoon was very tasty.

#7 (very tasty) braised seafood beehoon

& with good ingredients.

crabless beehoon (with prawns & oysters)

reminded me of my own crabless beehoon! 🙂

#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

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

Sumptuous Weekend Wine Brunch @ Amber Landmark Mandarin Oriental on 4Apr2015

Posted on April 11, 2015 by chefquak

#2 whole abalone with braised oxtail sauce

wife booked 3pax weekend wine brunch at amber at landmark mandarin oriental on 4.4.2015.^^

amber has 2 michelin stars 6 years in a row & is the no.4 in asia & no.24 in pellegrino’s world’s top 50 restaurants.

this 1 of the places you have to leave credit card details and will be charged in full if you cancel within 48hrs. i am not sure if it is a new practice but we booked 2pax degustation dinner at joel robuchon maybe 4yrs ago & did not have to do that. & we had been to caprice at four seasons, and pierre at the other mandarin oriental and did not have to do that.

anyway we were happy to try out this place, and our faith were more than rewarded. this was simply the best meal we had in hong kong, not comparing joel robuchon’s degus dinner which cost more than twice this lunch.

baguette, olive & onion bread

after a very pleasant morning stroll along the peak circle walk taking in the hong kong skyline, we took a cab form the peak to landmark mandarin oriental which only cost us hk$55.

we started with a nice champagne.

the baguette and olive & onion bread from the bread basket were warm & very good, with both salted & unsalted butter.

6-course weekend wine brunch with 4 paragons of wine (champagne, 2 whites, 1 red)

weekend wine brunch was a 6-course (though that included cheese & 2 desserts) with selection of 4 wines at hk$888.

we found out that it was really an excellent deal even c/w weekday set lunches w/o the wine. so it was an excellent decision & wonderful lunch.

foie gras lollipop

squidink pita

we had 2 amuse bouche. both were good.

the foie gras lollipop in raspberry jelly had beetroot on one side & some crackers? on the other.

the squid ink pita was better, can’t remember maybe it was some cheese, anyway just remembered it was savoury & nice.^^

#1 foie gras terrine with suckling pig – very good

1st course was served with a riesling which i liked best of the 2 whites & champagne. all were nice anyway.

my son & i picked the foie gras terrine with suckling pig (interleaved) as our first course. it was very good, very flavourful & substantial.

#1 hokkaido sea urchin with caviar

wife picked the hokkaido sea urchin in lobster jelly with caviar topped with a gold leaf (which came with a hk$260 supplement). uni was sublime of course but the S$46+ supplement made no sense to us.

#1 hokkaido sea urchin with caviar

we all love uni of course, but we are not short of taking them, and we had whole tub of uni in japan for 1500yen (fukuoka recently) & lots of them at kuriya dining for the S$62 chirashi lunch with big serving of uni.

uni is uni. no culinary skill involved, is there?

#2 whole abalone with braised oxtail sauce

second course was served with another white chardonnay.

for the second course, wife & i had the whole abalone that came with braised oxtail sauce & oxtail!

it was really well done. the abalone was so well braised or sous vide it was pure tender & the oxtail sauce was an excellent match. the 2 pieces of oxtail were also very tender & tasty & robust. wife loved this though for me, i still prefer the chinese or japanese braised abalone in brown sauce, and the chinese dry abalone over the japanese fresh ones.

son decided to venture a bit & took the battered frog legs. i tried a bit. I must say it was very good, enough for me to say that fie the choice of the whole abalone & the frog leg (it was a no brainer before), i am not sure i will automatically pick abalone every time. 🙂

#3 sole with mussels & razor clams

the mains were served with a selection of red. we picked the spanish wine which was very good.

for the 3rd course, wife had the sole with mussels & razor clams. i think it was excellent, the best you could do with a fish. the sole was very tasty, tender and also firm in texture.

#3 pyrennes lamb

son & i had the pyrenes lamb shoulder. it was braised to perfection & smoked, very tender & smooth consistency w/o strong gamey taste. it was exquisite for a lamb shoulder.^^

#4 cheese platter – reblochon, comte & camembert
(all 3 cheese were good, i like comte best, very tasty)

we had 2 plates of the cheese platter above for 3pax. it was lots of cheese. i liked all 3 cheese = reblochon, comte & camembert. i liked comte best, very flavourful almost like blue.

raspberry mousse + chestnut mousse on meringue with pear

chestnut mousse on meringue with pear+blackcurrent sorbet

we didn’t think much of the chestnut mousse on meringue, kind of sweet not accustomed to the taste! any sorbet, blackcurrent or otherwise, was good. 🙂

#6 raspberry sorbet & chocolate mousse

i liked the raspberry sorbet & chocolate mousse much better.^^

flat white

we were served coffee & petite four to round of the lunch.

this was the best meal i had in hk, a very memorable one, and i will definitely come back again with my wife.^^

c.h.e.f andy

Very Good 6pax Suckling Pig Set @ Ah Yat Grandstand on 4Jan2015

Posted on January 5, 2015 by chefquak

#1 lobster salad

today my very close friend’s birthday.

last evening i arranged a birthday dinner for him at ah yat seafood @ grandstand turf club road on 4.1.2015. 🙂

happens that my god-sis & her husband’s birthday were also just past, so we had a 6pax dinner together with my other 2 close friends.

i ordered the 6pax lobster sharkskin abalone 9-course dinner. it was very good, quite expected. the place was crowded & noisy like a fish market, with 2 tables next to us having endless drinking challenge & making a din. we used to say that the place did not matter since we would be the table making the most noise. this time though we were not. ^^

anyway, the birthday boys & girl were all happy with the trade-off – good food for fish market noises. 🙂

#1 lobster salad

#1 lobster salad. canned fruit salad was refreshing, and a friend cleared off everything. 🙂 as a lobster dish, lobster salad always suspect to me, few lobster pieces & lots of fruit salad, could never really compared with a proper lobster dish.

#2 sharksfin soup

#2 sharksfin soup was sweet & tastier than i expected, but not quite the standard of ah yat abalones forum restaurant.

#3 suckling pig – this was so good

the #3 suckling pig was really par excellence. it was so good, crispy & tasty, equal or better than the suckling pig at hung kang or at summer garden SAFRA mt faber.

#4 fish maw with leeks

#4 fish maw with leeks was good too. not the expensive 花胶. still a tasty dish.

#5 abalones, mushrooms & chinese cabbage

#5 abalones, mushrooms & chinese cabbage another great dish. abalones were smaller & no comparison with the abalones in brown sauce at ah yat abalones forum restaurant. of course. still it was great dish. i liked the mushrooms & chinese cabbage too.

#6 hk steamed tiger garoupa

#6 hk steamed 港蒸tiger garoupa was tops. better than tau heung restaurant in HK.

#7 fried suckling pig meat

i enjoyed the #7 fried suckling pig meat too, but really i thought just chopping up the meat & head would be just as good.

#8 yee meen

#8 yee meen – passable i guess.

#9 bird’s nest

#9 bird’s nest was kind of forgettable dish for me, zero impact.

we had excellent company, good food & great memories..a most enjoyable evening. 🙂

c.h.e.f andy

Protected: RI G20 12pax Suckling Pig Dinner @ Summer Garden SAFRA Mt Faber on 24Sep2014

Posted on September 29, 2014 by chefquak

Great Suckling Pig Set @ Summer Garden SAFRA Mt Faber on 24Sep2014

Posted on September 25, 2014 by chefquak

#1 suckling pig

a friend organised the sep2014 G20 12pax dinner at summer garden SAFRA Mt Faber on 24.9.2014. summer garden is part of qian xi group of restaurants.

the restaurant was empty save our table + 1 other table, like 10% occupied. it’s a waste really as the food was good & service ok.

the friend ordered the S$398 10pax suckling pig set. guess it was upsized to 12pax & we paid for 12pax, though some dishes like suckling pig was same size whether 10pax or 12pax.

#1 suckling pig was good! not better than hung kang or chui huay lim, but it was good, crispy skin, tasty. one friend commented no strong taste, not that i would mind a good porky flavour. 🙂

#2 dried scallop crab meat sharksfin

#2 dried scallop crab meat sharkskin had good tasty stock & chokeful of ingredients. couldn’t say it was better than hung kang (which sharkskin fish maw soup was very tasty), but it was very good.

#3 roast chicken

#3 roast chicken was one of the best – very crispy skin & nice tender meat, tasty with the five-spice salt. as good as roland & better than yuanxing.

#4 deep-fried soon hock

#4 deep-fried soon hock good, very competent, as in most restaurants. wonder if it was 10pax would it be still 2 fishes. soon hock tended to be quite standard 600g size so not sure for 10pax they could find 1 larger soon hock or same 2 fishes.

#5 wok grilled king prawns (13/15)

#5 the wok grilled king prawns (13/15) was good. king prawns were large, 13 to 15 pieces per kg so 70g to 80g per prawn. i would consider this better than the white cereal prawns at hung kang.

#6 flower mushrooms, fish maw, sliced abalone, spinach

#6 the abalone dish came with lots of ingredients – flower mushrooms, fish maw, sliced abalone, spinach. this dish would be superior to hung kang which had a bailing mushroom dish.

#7 seafood heng hwa beehoon

#7 and my bowl of seafood heng hwa beehoon really chokeful of prawn, squid etc not sure if the rest got the same.

the beehoon was not tasty enough though, and did not have clams so not quite qualified as heng hwa beehoon?? perhaps the sauce was not mixed thoroughly, but the authentic heng hwa beehoon a friend cooked recently at his house was tastier than this one.

#8 bird’s nest

#8 bird’s nest with rock sugar was very good, not too sweet. i liked it, surprised me actually!

S$398++ suckling pig 10pax promotion menu

for me, the S$398++ suckling pig 10pax promotion menu was quite a good deal. i am likely to go back for a family dinner. 🙂

price wise it was cheaper than hung kang’s S$468++ “birthday” suckling pig menu. hung kang had the more expensive pomfret, but depending on taste, some may prefer the soon hock.

c.h.e.f andy

So-So Dinner @ Sopra Cucina on 10Sep2014

Posted on September 11, 2014 by chefquak

suckling pig – S$48

decided to have dinner at sopra cucina at pan pacific orchard after watching a movie “magic in the moonlight” at shaw lido on 10.9.2014.

sopra cucina & bar had great ambience. the inside was like a large private drawing room with chesterfield deep-buttoned leather seats. it had a charming facade & there was an open patio bar area & live music. some hungrygowhere reviewers commented on the loud & bad singing. on this evening seated inside the restaurant, the music was ok & the singing was fine & probably welcomed by the bar customers. 🙂

the restaurant had few customers on this evening.

bread basket

the bread basket was poor (or like a pizzeria or fast-food serving) & not really consistent with the furnishings & ambience of the restaurant.

octopus salad – S$18

we ordered the octopus salad. it was not chef’s recommendations but apparently quite popular with customers. it was quite a large helping. the steamed octopus were ok not tough, like the ones at vicoletti at stresa, but not the standard of the grilled octopus at alle darsene at bellagio. still it was pretty good for an antipasti. 🙂

pregola frutti di mare – S$28

sopra cucina served sardinia (second largest island in the mediterranean after sicily & before cyprus) cuisine. we ordered the pregola frutti di mare. the prawns were fresh. the scallops & squid were so-so. the tomato flavours were ok but felt more like an average sauce than that from nice fresh tomatoes. the pregolas looked like “barley risotto” but pasta in texture. i would rather have a spaghetti or linguine or fettucine anytime. it’s a personal preference i guess. somehow the dish did not give me the same satisfaction & enjoyment of a good pasta.

suckling pig – S$48

the roast suckling pig was quite flavourful & the skin was crispy. of course i would rather have the chinese roast suckling pig anytime. i supposed it’s as good as the suckling pig at capri, but for me the suckling pig with stuffing at one ninety mezze lunch was far better.

with 50% palate discounts for 2pax, the bill came to S$74nett including a glass of wine, or S$47++=S$55nett just for the 3 dishes. so price was ok but the satisfaction was not there, unlike say the scrumptious dinner at arossa on 3.9.2014.

i saw that there were several sadinian dishes like gnocchi, ravioli, the lamb & the fish which all looked pretty good on photos. still undecided whether i want to give it another try later.

c.h.e.f andy

Protected: RI G20 Dinner organised by Kim Kong @ Hung Kang on 18Aug2014

Posted on August 20, 2014 by chefquak

RI G20 Dinner @ Hung Kang on 18Aug2014

Posted on August 19, 2014 by chefquak

suckling pig

we had our monthly dinner 11pax at hung kang last evening on 18.8.2014.

last time i came here was the birthday whole suckling pig birthday dinner for my brother & sister in Jun2013. 🙂

menu still the same but saw some inflation from S$438 to S$468.

longevity buns

i liked the longevity buns though it was just tau sah. 🙂

#1 appetizer platter – spring rolls, jellyfish, chicken, trotter jelly

#1 appetizer platter of spring rolls, jellyfish, chicken, trotter jelly was pretty ok though presentation (look) not the best. spring roll was good. trotter jelly just average. jellyfish the usual, chicken didn’t look great but tasted fine. 🙂

#2 sharkskin & fish maw soup

#2 sharkskin & fish maw soup was good very tasty! 🙂

#3 suckling pig

#3 suckling pig good also. though i thought that chui huay lim & even ah yat were tastier.

#4 white cereal prawns

#4 white cereal prawns. nothing much to comment, but i liked the usual cereal prawns much better.

#5 teochew steamed pomfret

#5 teochew steamed pomfret was very good! not “chow chor” aka fishy taste. excellent dish. 🙂

#6 sliced beiling mushrooms with jingbai (京白)

#6 sliced beiling mushrooms with jingbai (京白) was pretty ok.

#7 fried noodles

#7 fried noodles was just ok.

#8 pumpkin orh nee (金瓜芋泥)

#8 pumpkin orh nee (金瓜芋泥) was ok. but not as good as many other places though, like chui huay lim or even muliangzai liang kee.

c.h.e.f andy

Expensive Family Ala carte Dinner @ Chui Huay Lim Restaurant on 19Jan2014

Posted on January 20, 2014 by chefquak

teochew cold crab

had an expensive very average food at chui huay lim on 19.1.2014.

i did a family dinner there with my brother & sister & ordered ala carte as i had jumbo$ expiring in jan2014, better redeem. 🙂

the the prices gone up. roast suckling pig was S$168, now S$198! cold crab was S$28, now S$30. 1/2duck & 1 whole puning chicken were S$28 now S$32. pork trotter jelly & hae chor were S$8, now S$10.

teochew cold crab

cold crab was the best, bursting with roe & meat filled the whole shell. 🙂

ter kar tan (pig trotter jelly)

ter kar tan (pig trotter jelly) was good too. 🙂

roast suckling pig

crackling skin of the roast suckling pig was good . but the meat was overcooked & tough!

lor arh (soy sauce duck)

the 1/2 lor arh (soy sauce duck) was good but no better than muliangzai liang kee, and imperial treasure teochew restaurant was simply superior in comparison, and i think my own lor arh also more flavourful.

pining chicken

puning chicken was really poor, and i ordered 1 whole chicken as we had 11pax! waste of money, any chicken rice stall would offer better chicken. my wife said my own homecooked chicken was better!

spinach tofu with shimeji mushrooms

tecohew dried scallop chinese cabbage dish

teochew cha kuay teow

the teochew mixed vegetables with dried scallops & the broccoli spinach tofu with shimeji mushrooms were good, and the teochew plain char kuay teow with chye poh was super, very good wok hae! there were 2 vegetarians among us by practice.they didn’t take the scallop but were ok with & enjoyed the dish. 🙂

i did not order any fish & prawns as they were very expensive. red garoupa was S$11/100g & tread fin tail was S$8/100g. i think most restaurants would do garoupa at S$8/100g or S$9/100g!

overall, i thought chui huay lim had turned very expensive for very average food. much better to do lee kui (ah hoi), muliangzai liang kee & swa gardens etc which have comparable food at lower prices. i still have jumbo$ though but will probably go to jumbo outlets rather than chui huay lim.

c.h.e.f andy

Suckling Pig 8-course Dinner @ Sichuandouhua Parkroyal Kitchener on 12Jul2013

Posted on July 15, 2013 by chefquak

1/2 suckling pig (4 eats) for 6pax

the group decided on trying sichuandouhua after we dropped the plan to try Esquina’s S$95 tasting menu on a friday 12.7.2013. we picked the S$288 6pax suckling pig 8-course menu, with 20% added discount using UOB card. the very delicious dinner came up to only S$46pax nett. 🙂

sichuandouhua parkroyal kitchener road

i had never been to this sichuandouhua at Parkroyal Kitchener. it had a very pleasant, classy, slightly understated ambience, but it was just <50% full on a friday night.

the 1/2 suckling pig for 6pax (whole for 10pax) appeared bigger than the ones we usually had. it was the片皮 style eaten with cucumber, sweet sauce & chinese crepe, and comprised 4 eats including for steaming red garoupa, deep-fried & porridge afterwards.

the double-boiled kampung chicken soup with conpoy (dried scallop) & cordyceps flowers was excellent, very sweet & tasty goodness. 🙂

deepfried prawns with popcorn etc in XO sauce

the 避风塘prawns in XO sauce with garlic & almond flakes was very good too, a welcomed variation of the usual cereal prawns. 🙂

steamed red garoup shunde style

next we had a red garoupa shunde style. fish was very good. it was like teochew style with lots of tofu strips & steamed with suckling pig neck replacing the usual belly pork (didn’t see much diff there!).

tofu spinach with diced abalones & seafood

next we had a spinach tofu (similar to Tunglok’s 三层楼) with diced abalone & seafood. great dish! 🙂

the next eat for the suckling pig was a deep-fried (椒盐) meat. i liked it though i agreed with 1 friend that it might be even better to just chop up & eat the meat. 🙂

the last before dessert was a porridge again using the suckling pig meat & bones…this was once again an excellent tasting dish-very smooth porridge & very sweet. 🙂

signature douhua with wolfberries

we ended with the signature douhua with wolfberries, and it was good. very smooth indeed!

S$288 6pax suckling pig 8-course dinner menu

according to 1 friend, this menu was popular when they introduced last year so they decided to repeat this year. we checked with the service personnel & they confirmed that was so & the current promotion would end Jul2013.

i think it was a truly excellent meal for the quality & quantity of food at this price. 🙂

c.h.e.f andy

Whole Suckling Pig Birthday Dinner Set @ Hung Kang Teochew Restaurant on 14Jun2013

Posted on June 16, 2013 by chefquak

longevity buns (寿桃)

was organising a birthday dinner for my brother & sister.

Whole Suckling Pig Birthday Set Menu

saw that Hung Kang Teochew Restaurant (韓江潮州酒楼) had a whole suckling pig birthday set for S$438+ so decided to do it there. Hung Kang is 1 of the old names like Yuan Xing (Guan Hin) & Tai Seng, but we had not been there for a while.

dinner started with longevity buns (寿桃). nice touch for the mood so I didn’t mind it though everyone seemed to avoid carbo these days, but can always “ta pao” (take out) right? 🙂

appetizer platter

the appetizer (& later even more so the longevity noodles & orh nee dessert – oddly the start & the ends haha..) I would rate the poor dishes. the jelly fish was ok, spring roll was crispy so quite good, the pressed pig head meat was not my favourite but ok with the “kek you” (桔油) citrous dip & I took couple pieces. but the chicken didn’t quite belong there. should just have a salad prawns etc like most others do.

sharksfin with crabmeat & fishmaw

the sharksfin with crabmeat & fishmaw was tasty, not the watery type so maybe in the “quite good” category. haha. 🙂

whole suckling pig

and the main event – the suckling pig – was good! I guess that was most important. many restaurants now do this very well, so it was not out of the ordinary but it was a great dish which everyone enjoyed. 🙂

the teochew steamed pomfret (斗鲳) was very good too. Many restaurants do not serve pomfret in the cheaper sets, and pomfret has a stronger taste (ie more fishy) than other more delicate textured fish, so its not easy to do it well. but this pomfret was excellent! real tecohew stuff! 🙂

cereal prawns

the cereal prawns looked great & tasted good too.

teochew stewed chinese cabbage

this teochew slow stewed chinese cabbage was wonderful, really nice – another excellent dish!

longevity noodles

I didn’t quite like this longevity noodles. somehow it was far too sweet? too much sugar? places like say Chui Huay Lim do their teochew fried seafood beehoon so well & flavourful. this one was carbo we didn’t really need.

looking at the photos, the orh nee (yam puree dessert) actually looked quite ok. unfortunately taste not there! it was not “pang” ie flavourful as orh nee went (maybe too healthy no lard?) so another carbo we didn’t need!

whole suckling pig

well, some misses but we did get to have our fix for suckling pig, and a had few other great dishes too! 🙂

c.h.e.f andy

Sumptuous Semi-buffet @ One Ninety at Four Seasons Hotel on 30May2013

Posted on June 9, 2013 by chefquak

roast suckling pig with stuffing was sooooooooo good!

It’s my turn to buy the monthly dining quartet meal. I had not been to One Ninety @ Four Seasons Hotel for years but I recalled they had a good semi-buffet. & there was a 1 free for 3 paying promotion using DBS card ending May2013, so we went there for lunch on 30.5.2013, in time for the promotion. 🙂

& it was a super, super lunch. I would go again w/o the promotion. 🙂

the appetizer & dessert buffet was priced at $38pax, and $48pax if we added a main course on the menu, which we did. & on saturdays & sundays, they throw in a Moet champagne buffet at $58pax.

The suckling pig with stuffing (top photo) was nothing short of fabulous – sooooooooooo good! it was so flavourful, tasty. I always felt nothing beat chinese roast suckling pig. still do. but this was as good as it gets, perhaps different (as the focus was not just on the crispy skin but overall flavours) but on par. 🙂

langoustine or scampi – sweet, quite good

snow crab legs

the langoustine or scampi was sweet, quite good but I actually thought the snow crab legs were better. though not the very best but still very good quality, and a few of us had a few helpings. it was sweet & not so salty as what Kuisinbo & some poorer buffets served.

the pork terrine in above left photo was the poorer one- could skip as there were so many good dishes. there was a better one with pig ears, which I had forgotten to take picture.

sushi – most sushi in buffet were a waste of time! this one I only took the aburi mayo prawn & smoked duck (twice I took meaning quite good..haha..). 🙂

pork pate below & pressed foie gras on top

the pork pate was extremely good – I took 3 pieces. 🙂 I did not take the pressed foie gras which according to my friends were even better.

excellent roast duck & stuffing

the excellent roast duck was almost as good as the suckling pig – both the duck & stuffing – & yet tasted different. 🙂

1st of my 3.5 plates haha!

nobody would believe me after this if I tell people I generally do not go for buffets. haha! 🙂

we didn’t really need to take the main course. we tried to cancel the main course but to be fair to the restaurant they said they already prepared the items once the order was placed. and the waiting staff here were really exemplary – they even “ta pao” for one of us the main course as we really could not finish. we would really not expect to ta pao for a buffet but it was a great gesture so we accepted happily! 🙂

we thought the main courses might be 1/2 portions like the French servings, but here they came in full portions. 🙂

I had a medium rare rack of lamb (above left) – it was very good. I thought it didn’t look great – my first impression was that the sauce might kill it -but it turned out to be quite complementary. the medium rare tenderloin was very good too.

glazed beef ribs – kind of braised then pan seared

WH had the glazed beef ribs – kind of braised then pan seared. I guessed it was good too but braised items were usually too heavy even for normal-sized meals. 🙂

my dining companions were thrilled with the dessert spread..they seemed quite average to me though. i was told the chocolate mousse was very good. the macarons were a bit too sweet for me. I did enjoy the cheese spread & condiments though. 🙂

I certainly plan to come back for this again (w/o the main course), with or without the promotion. 🙂

c.h.e.f andy

Incredible Value Dinner @ Taoheung Carnavorn Road Tsimshatsui on 11Mar2013

Posted on March 13, 2013 by chefquak

Taoheung group is my favourite restaurant group in Hong Kong. I specially like the set meals at Ying (迎) at Nathan Road and at Chung Cuisine (锺菜) at Times Square Causeway Bay.

They have ongoing promotions, and we managed to book a table for 3pax at Taohueng @ Carnavorn Road Tsimshatsui during our recent visit (they will NOT accept table booking on the same day but you can go at 6pm OR 9pm to queue up for the dinner OR supper promotions – they even have an electronic colour-coded queue system for 2pax, 3-4pax, 5-6pax, 7-8pax etc, more sophisticated than the banks..lol..). 🙂

There was NO service to talk about here (well at least for the 1/2hr starting from 6pm where there seemed to be orderly mayhem!). I had tried previously another of their restaurants Pier 88 (稻香超級漁港) during the promotion hour and to their credit service there was ok despite the mad rush at 6pm.

We had the incredible value promotion in the picture above=HK$99 for a steamed live garoupa (I estimated about 700g-800g) PLUS a platter comprising suckling pig, roast duck, char siew & soy chicken! 🙂 The normal price for the tiger garoupa alone (w/o promotion) was HK$238!

The steamed garoupa was very good, which was like “routine” in Hong Kong.

steamed live tiger garoupa

The suckling pig platter – what can I say? every item was very good even including the black fungus, which was crunchy with a touch of sesame oil. Not sure the normal price for such a platter, but I would gladly pay HK$99 or more for the platter alone.

platter=suckling pig, roast duck, char siu, soy chicken

platter=suckling pig, roast duck, char siew, soy chicken

You kind of “have to” order 例汤 (soup of the day) when in a cantonese restaurant in Hong Kong, so we dutifully ordered one on the menu=chicken & fish maw (花膠) soup. It was a big pot costing HK$108. It was good but NOT great! Auntie Bes can make just as good soup at home. The one we had at Lei Garden (利苑) Time Square – which is famous for its soup – the day before, a smaller pot at HK$88 was by far the better.

& when in Hong Kong, you “have to” order vegetables. We had choy sum with moi choy (梅菜菜心). It was wonderful! 🙂

choy sum with moi choy (梅菜菜心)

The very satisfying dinner for 3 of us came to HK$331 (which already included 10% service charge), like S$53 nett! I can certainly do this every time. 🙂

c.h.e.f. andy

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c.h.e.f

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Tag Archives: suckling pig

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Sumptuous Semi-buffet @ One Ninety at Four Seasons Hotel on 30May2013

Incredible Value Dinner @ Taoheung Carnavorn Road Tsimshatsui on 11Mar2013

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