Tag Archives: zi char

Really Shiok 4pax Curry Rice Lunch @ Loo’s Curry on 27May2016

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my fren bought the whole stall

my fren bought the whole stall

my OPS friend bought lunch at loo’s curry at Tai Kwang Huat Coffee Shop, 57 Eng Hoon Street,on 27.5.2016. ^^

he bought up whole stall, 6 dishes for 4pax!

& we had prawns, chicken, sotong, pork chop, fish head & veg! 🙂

i am recently with my RI friends on 22.3.2016.

we had 8pax & ordered about the same food (which was enuf la)…lol! 🙂

hainanese pork chop

hainanese pork chop

pork chop is a must signature food for hainanese curry rice (next to the curry itself i guess…lol). 🙂

i not particularly keen on tonkatsu but this went very well with the curry.

curry prawns

curry prawns

the curry prawns was a surprise for me.

usual in these chai poon 菜贩 type stalls, or even in zi char stalls, don’t expect very fresh prawns.

this one was very good, very fresh!

curry sotong

curry sotong

curry sotong always good. we ordered that last time also.

(just read on straits times today 28.5.2016 that the word sotong is now officially included in oxford dictionary!)

curry chicken

curry chicken

chicken curry was very so so, in fact one of the poorer ones i have taken eg the hoower food court cheap curry rice’s curry chicken a lot better

& of course the geyland serai stalls like sinar pagi nasi padang better than both.

the curry itself though always good!

black beans fish head

black beans fish head

black beans fish head was ok, but these kind of dish have to take at zi char stalls like kok sen at keong saik street la.

curry veg

curry veg

curry veg was good but usual.

vegetarian ngoh hiang

vegetarian ngoh hiang

friend went to order vegetarian ngoh hiang some more. all items very tasty especially the one with mushrooms stuffed inside.

i had to finish almost all the rice & not eat dinner, and after lunch we went for durian some more.

the curry rice was just S$40 for 6 dishes include prawns, we think only because the stallholder “ah” with my friend. the vegetarian ngoh hiang S$10 for 4 items also a bit special price?

friend’s elder brother (70) & sil came for lunch also. after lunch they stopped by our table & had a short chat.

c.h.e.f andy

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

Loo’s Hainanese Curry Rice

Address

#01-88, Tai Kwang Huat Coffee Shop, 57 Eng Hoon Street, 160057

Contact

+65 62253762

Opening Hours

Daily: 08:00 – 14:00

Closed: Alt Thu

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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

Just Superb Roast London Duck @ Tunglok Signature Orchard Parade on 9mar2016

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roast london duck - S$30

roast london duck – S$30

went with wife to tunglok signature @ orchard parade last evening on 9.3.2016. ^^

my favoruite restaurant but not been there for a while.

last time i had an excellent meal here was on 4.8.2015.

we ordered a scottish razor clam each. unfortunately server came back to say they served the last to some diners in the room.

蒜泥白肉 - S$8

蒜泥白肉 – S$8

i ordered a 蒜泥白肉 & the salted egg & wasabi prawns to replace.

this 蒜泥白肉 looked nice but was mediocre this time. sliced pork was quite plain & sauce was heavy, i scrapped away most of it.

i think my own 蒜泥白肉is  taste-wise much better than this, though looks need to improve.

roast london duck - S$30

roast london duck – S$30

the roast london duck was simply incredible!

so tasty & flavourful from the fat & the skin very crisp.

overall it was even better than the excellent duck we had 2 days ago at ya wang 鸭皇 at sentosa in JB! so good it was!

roast london duck - S$30

roast london duck – S$30

but of course the duck itself was different, this a smaller duck from ireland. S$30 should be the going price in the good restaurants except here we have the 50% palate discounts for 2pax so, only S$15++

the meat was very tender & juicy.

salted egg & wasabi prawns - S$10

salted egg & wasabi prawns – S$10

the salted egg & wasabi prawns were between mediocre & competent.

salted egg & wasabi prawns - S$10

salted egg & wasabi prawns – S$10

in fact, the nicest was the tomatoes.

not that it was really no good, but it was more ordinary than ordinary. some zi char restaurants do better la! 🙂

string beans 四季豆 －S$18

string beans 四季豆 －S$18

the string beans though was very good. crunchy, fresh, sweet. 🙂

special zha jiang mian炸酱面－S$9.80

special zha jiang mian炸酱面－S$9.80

the zha jiang mian炸酱面 was more like a bakchormee, and it was pretty good too.

special zha jiang mian炸酱面－S$9.80

special zha jiang mian炸酱面－S$9.80

not my ideal noodle dish to order in a restaurant, but in fact equal or better than many.

& good ingredients too, scallops & prawns & loads of minced pork. chilli sauce was also good.

雪中情怀

雪中情怀

the dessert 雪中情怀 was my perennial favourite.

雪中情怀

雪中情怀

really enjoyed it, very refreshing. a lot of pomelo inside & of course mango.

altogether a very enjoyable dinner. after palate discounts dinner came to S$59 all-in for 2pax. yes! ^^

c.h.e.f andy

So-so Perankan Food @ Dulukala Peranakan Restaurant Beauty World Centre on 29Feb2016

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dulukala peranakan restaurant @ beauty world centre

dulukala peranakan restaurant @ beauty world centre

had another expiring groupon to use, and went with sis & bil to dulukala peranakan restaurant at beauty word centre on 29.1.2016. ^^

met my daughter & her bf at the food centre. she was left unsatisfied the other day when we were here as top1 was closed. this time her wish was granted. i will try the stall another time. 🙂

we had 5 peranakan dishes

we had 5 peranakan dishes

i had a S$80 groupon voucher. we ordered 5 dishes including the S$25.90 assam fish head. it came to S$83.70 including service no GST, so effectively about S$51.50 (S$47.80 for S$80 voucher).  🙂

wall display - dulukala peranakan restaurant

wall display – dulukala peranakan restaurant

restaurant was simply furnished, just some display & framed sketches.

peranakan silver belts 1930s

peranakan silver belts 1930s

they had a classic nonya silver belt. this one has 4 tingkat layers on interlocking rings.

assam fish head2 S$25.90

assam fish head S$25.90

assam fish head was ok. fish was fresh, quite meaty. assam was ok, we still finished all the gravy, but it was not like specially tasty, just average, so-so really.

assam fish head2 S$25.90

assam fish head S$25.90

overall the dish fell far short in terms of shiokness c/w the thai style fish head at forture, the zi char at old holland road.

sotong hitam S$13.90

sotong hitam S$13.90

the sotong hitam was quite poor. it was artificially sweet – sugar…a small serving for S$13.90. my first impression was we got a small serving because of groupon discount?? but i didn’t think so as except for this & the small serving of chap chai, the other dishes seemed ok.

sotong hitam S$13.90

sotong hitam S$13.90

i would say this was quite poor dish. the very nice unique squid ink flavour was absent.

ayam bush keluak S$13.90

ayam buah keluak S$13.90

the ayam buah keluak did not resemble anything like the restuarant photo (which looked wonderful!)

ayam buah keluak2

ayam buah keluak S$13.90

chicken itself was very so-so, dry, but the serving was substantial & the gravy was quite excellent, didn’t feel so at first taste but it gets into you. like the dish overall though it is easy to have the chicken a lot more tender.

chap chai S$10.90

chap chai S$10.90

the chap chai also did not resemble the restaurant menu photo.

chap chai S$10.90

chap chai S$10.90

a very small serving. taste was pretty good with the tau jeon.

lady figers with ikan bilis S$9.90

lady fingers with ikan bilis S$9.90

the lady fingers with ikan bilis was tasty. i must try cooking some dishes with ikan bilis.

the simple ikan bilis bee hoon (very ex at S$4) we had recently at ayer rajah food centre also very tasty.

overall with the groupon discounts, S$51.50 for 5 dishes including fish head was quite good price.

still it didn’t give me the same satisfaction of a good S$10 curry rice for 2pax like that at hoower food court in haig road; or a

good nasi padang like that at sinar pagi nasi padang at geylang serai food centre.

on balance, ok to try but for myself don’t think i would want to take this again.

c.h.e.f andy

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

Dulukala Peranakan Restaurant

ADDRESS:
#04-04, Beauty World Centre, 144 Upper Bukit Timah Road, 588177

OPENING HOURS:

Daily: 12:00 – 15:00

Daily: 18:00 – 21:00

PHONE:

+65 64652036

Curry Fishhead at Sanpo Foodcourt on 16Jan2016

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curry fish head

S$25 curry fish head

i passed by sanpo foodcourt everytime on the way to phoon huat or joyful palace at clementi central.

i could see the banner advertisement on their fish head steamboat as i drove by. i thought one day i would drop by to try.

so today wife & i decided to go try the zi char stall there on 16.1.2016. ^^

SP Foodcourt

Sanpo Foodcourt

the place had a good traffic but not really crowd.

SP Foodcourt

Sanpo Foodcourt

we saw many eating the curry fish head. i guessed that’s the dish to try.

SP Foodcourt

Sanpo Foodcourt

i asked about the fish head steamboat. it’s priced at S$30, S$40 etc. we were not taking that this evening,

but i was thinking at that price, i would rather go to whampoa keng…at least i am certain what i get will be good.

sanlo horfun

S$4.50 sanlo horfun

we ordered a small S$4.50 sanlo horfun. it was good, nice wok hae, a small portion but that was enuf carbs for the 2 of us. 🙂

curry fish head

curry fish head

the fish head had 2 pricing S$23 & S$25. did not really make sense to me. asked the girl & she said S$25 bigger fish head. really???? S$2 difference???

anyway, being kiasu, we ordered the S$25 fish head. it was assam, with quite a bit of coconut milk quite lemak. fish head was fresh & meaty. my wife liked the fish head.

for me it was quite good, but not really comparable to the thai fish head at forture restaurant at old holland road.

one thing they gave a lot of vegetables & also taupok.

it was a good fish head. i didn’t mind it, but maybe didn’t hold any special attractions for me. 🙂

c.h.e.f andy

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

Sanpo Foodcourt

Address:

431 Clementi Ave 3, Singapore 120431

Tak Shiok Fish Head Steamboat @ SICC Bukit Room on 4Dec2015

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fish head steamboat

S$36 1/2 fish head steamboat

not been to bukit room for sky knows how many eons?

got a S$20 birthday voucher to use, need to spend S$50 to redeem, and only 2 of us this evening, can’t do that at 19th hole, so decided to go bukit room on 4.12.2015.

the 1/2 red garoupa head steamboat is a promotional item at S$36, so we ordered that.

asparagus

S$12 asparagus

also ordered the aspagaragus S$12.

asparagus

S$12 asparagus

this was pretty good. nicely done with good wok hae, wok aroma.

fish head steamboat

S$36 1/2 fish head steamboat

the fish head steamboat?

well, how to say? can’t say fish head steamboat was no good, but it’s 1/2 fish head in a steamboat rather than fish head steamboat la! haha! 🙂

fish head

pre-fried fish head

more like a decent salted veg tofu soup at an ordinary coffeeshop zi char & added some fishhead…

miles from the real thing like whampoa keng intense broth standard..

fish head steamboat

S$36 1/2 fish head steamboat

dinner was just over S$50, so after $20 voucher, about S$31 maybe…

after dinner, we tapao cha kuay teow from 19th hole..basically tak shiok… if you know what i mean. so the S$30 is much better spent at the 19th hole. 🙂

this restaurant is really like old fashion zi char stall higher price, surprise to see quite a few tables occupied, so the restaurant does have some regulars i guess.

c.h.e.f andy

Best Crab Beehoon Soup at Uncle Leong Jurong (Encore) on 7Dec2015

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crab beehoon soup

crab beehoon soup

went back with family for 5pax dinner at uncle leong seafood at jurong last evening on 7.12.2015. ^^

i was here recently with some friends on 17.11.2015!

"full" or "solid" crab

“full” or “solid” crab

well, it was just as heavenly this evening. whole family loved all the food.

crab was solid (there was a smallprint on the web menu that they do not guarantee the crab is “solid”), flesh was firm.

& very sweet, even though it was boiled in the beehoon soup.

well, & the beehoon was just heavenly, no word to describe!

the soup ran out quickly so my second helping was mostly beehoon, but it was so infused with the crab flavours…..

uncle leong jurong seafood

uncle leong jurong seafood

it’s a bit quieter this evening on a monday maybe jut 50% full.

sea cucumber mised seafood pot

sea cucumber mised seafood pot

the sea cucumber seafood pot was STILL excellent. very fresh seafood (razor clams, scallops, prawns, fish), very light broth, no fishy taste, very sweet.

i think i can make this dish.

pumpkin prawns

pumpkin prawns

pumpkin prawns was good i guess c/w many places. as good as any just not as wow c/w the other very shiok dishes.

3 egg spinach

3 egg spinach

the 3 egg spinach is the best i had in any restaurant or zi char place.

this evening, on second try, wife & daughter also think it was very good (their first try), a bit less thrilled for me whereas for the crab beehoon soup & seafood pot, still same shiok feeling.

salted egg crab

salted egg crab

wife & daughter loved the salted egg crab too.

daughters also loved the deep-fried mantou 馒头.

crab beehoon soup

crab beehoon soup

it was good, just not in the same league as the crab beehoon soup. wonder if i can do this.

dinner came to S$235 for 2x1kg crabs at S$63/kg, plus 3 other dishes, drinks & whatnots. i think it was ok w/o discounts. with the groupon discounts S$120 for S$200, the dinner came to S$155. quite super!

service was just as good as the last time. i did not give tip this time though. it’s a in the mood thing, no need to do every time. 🙂

c.h.e.f andy

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

Uncle Leong Seafood (Jurong East)

Address: #01-485, 262 Jurong East Street 24, 600262
OPENING HOURS:Mon – Fri: 12:00 – 22:00 Sat, Sun &: 14:00 – 23:00
PHONE:+65 68972881

The Best Crab Beehoon Soup @ Uncle Leong Jurong East on 17Nov2015

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crab beehoon soup

S$63 crab beehoon soup

i bought a S$200 groupon voucher & 5 of us went to uncle leong seafood at 262 Jurong East Street 24, #01-485 Singapore 600262 for crabby dinner on 17.11.2015. ^^

all my friends agreed this was the best crab beehoon soup we had for years!

uncle leong jurong east

uncle leong jurong east

uncle leong jurong east

uncle leong jurong east

2 of us were there slightly earlier at 6.45pm. the crowd came in later & place was quite well patronised, not sure if it was because of the groupon deals.

sri lankan crab

S$63/kg sri lankan crab

we managed to get 2x1kg sri lankan crabs. ^^

at first the lady server said may not have 1kg (only bigger) but she went anyway to check & i went over also, and she got the 2x1kg crabs. 🙂

display shelves

display shelves

they had display shelves. 🙂

our enjoyable crabby dinner

our enjoyable crabby dinner

we decided on 1 crab beehoon soup. i asked about the dry crab beehoon but seemed that it was not a popular order. we picked the golden sand crab + 1 deep-fried mantou 馒头 (or buns).

crabs were S$63/kg, so that took up S$126 of the S$200 voucher. we ordered 4 other dishes – a 3eggs spinach, spicy minced pork tofu (锅仔豆腐), sea cucumber seafood pot and a pumpkin prawns. 🙂

crab beehoon soup

S$63 crab beehoon soup

the crab beehoon soup was pure heaven!!! ^^

so intense, smooth, sweet, and the crab was firm & “solid” (there was actually a clause on the online menu saying they do not guarantee that the crabs are “solid”). 🙂

crab beehoon soup

S$63 crab beehoon soup

for me, heaven was a long time coming.

last time i had crab beehoon soup was december 2014 at mama kong. no comparisons really!

& before that, maybe fast backwards 15 years? at melben toa payoh ave 8. that was heavenly too. in between? don’t know but i don’t remember…

spicy minced pork tofu

S$15 spicy minced pork tofu (锅仔豆腐)

the other dishes we ordered turned out to be good, very good to excellent too.

the spicy minced pork tofu (锅仔豆腐) belonged to the just “good” category. a very competent dish actually, can’t really criticise it, but the spicy chilli not the type i like. it was not so matching food and by comparisons, the other dishes  were much better.

3 eggs spinach

S$15 – 3 eggs spinach

this 3 eggs spinach was quite excellent.

3 eggs spinach

S$15 – 3 eggs spinach

one of the best tasting i had. it is a common dish at zi char & i thought of not ordering it.

3 eggs spinach

3 eggs spinach

but it was done really well. spinach was crunchy not overcooked & you could taste the 3 eggs distinct flavours quite well. 🙂

sea cucumber seafood treasure pot

S$30 sea cucumber seafood treasure pot

& this was a really, really good sea cucumber seafood treasure pot.

sea cucumber seafood treasure pot

S$30 sea cucumber seafood treasure pot

the sea cucumber were not the top quality thick ones, but still quite good quality. the prawns, fish, razor clams, scallops etc were all very fresh & the broth was really delicate, smooth but super tasty, par excellence! 🙂

sea cucumber seafood treasure

sea cucumber seafood treasure

for me, this dish can rank with what top chinese restaurants here can deliver.

pumpkin sauce prawns

S$25 pumpkin sauce prawns

the pumpkin prawns was very competent dish. prawns were fresh, same preparations basically deep-fried. only difference with wasabi, salted egg etc was the sauce.

a friend preferred the salted egg version. for me the pumpkin sauce was good too, but somehow i remembered they tasted better at ah yat turf city (quite sometime back) in pumpkin crabs but i think those had curry leaves flavours.

golden sand crab

S$63 golden sand crab

for me, the golden sand crab was very good too. this was their signature dish.

my friends were ok with it, not so wowed as the crab beehoon soup! 🙂

crab claws2 crab claws

the crab though same 1kg, somehow had smaller claws, still good but overall the crab beehoon soup trumped this.

deepfried mantous

deepfried mantous

deep-fried mantou 馒头 (or buns) to dip in the creamy sauce.

golden sand crab + mantous

S$63 golden sand crab + mantous

some may prefer chilli or pepper crab. i don’t mind this at all or the pumpkin crab, probably like them better than the salted egg version.

dinner came to S$234, so with the groupon voucher discount (S$119.80 for S$200), it was S$154 for 5pax, 6 excellent dishes with 2x1kg crab dishes & a really “right up there” sea cucumber seafood treasure pot. about S$31pax nett.

i must add that the service & attitude (almost entire army of chinese servers) were really good. i gave them a sizable tip when leaving.

we all enjoyed the dinner & company tremendously. after that we adjourned to a friend’s place nearby for a nice cuppa, nespresso. 🙂

i bought another voucher when i got back. ^^

c.h.e.f andy

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

Uncle Leong Seafood (Jurong East)

Address: #01-485, 262 Jurong East Street 24, 600262
OPENING HOURS:Mon – Fri: 12:00 – 22:00 Sat, Sun &: 14:00 – 23:00
PHONE:+65 68972881

OK Only Quick 3pax Lunch @ Two Chefs Commonwealth Crescent on 18Nov2015

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black bean sauce song fish head3

S$15 black bean sauce song fish head 松鱼头

went with sis & b-i-l to two chefs @ commonwealth crescent for a quick lunch today on 18.11.2015. 🙂

my last post on two chefs was 2 years ago, no change in opinion..haha!

two chefs at commonwealth crescent

two chefs @ commonwealth crescent.

it was 11.35am. they were open, no customer yet. we were the first. 🙂

see hum (cockles)

S$7 see-hum (cockles)

we ordered a see hum (cockles).

see hum (cockles)2

see-hum (cockles)

cockles were tiny! & the serving very small for S$7. inflation la..usd going up? whatever…

S$5.50 san lo hor fun2

S$5.50 san lo hor fun

for me the best dish was this S$5.50 san lo hor fun.

S$5.50 san lo hor fun

S$5.50 san lo hor fun

really flavourful, the real meaning of wok hae, good serving of sliced snakehead too. ^^

black bean sauce song fish head2

S$15 black bean sauce song fish head 松鱼头

the S$15 black bean sauce 松鱼头 was good.

fish head was fresh. sauce was good. but fish head was so very tiny leh…super tiny…eh…never see before..haha! 🙂

1488925_10152080453379494_497272604_n

special sauce song fish head (松鱼头)

but really no comparison with 香港街珍记 – Hong Kong Street Chun Kee, just 1 level up at the market next door

the sauce at chun kee has a nice tangy lime taste, & it’s like 2x the size.

& even the zi char stall hong man ji delights 鴻满记小吃 at mei ling market & food centre sells a good S$13 hk steamed song fish head 港蒸松鱼头.

black bean sauce song fish head

S$15 black bean sauce song fish head 松鱼头

lunch came to S$27.50. not ex but then servings really tiny. so for me only the san lo hor fun consider good (but then it was not always consistent!). the song fish head & cockles were just ok only…

& lastly, the old lady server had a poor service attitude. haughty, unfriendly, told us curtly there was no sliced fish beehoon soup here, the S$5.50 hor fun was very small, & looked very fed-up when we didn’t order a larger portion.

& interestingly, the young fella who took the bill was quite courteous, maybe he’s the boss..

i think no chance i will come here again for the song fish head la when hk street chun kee is one step away.

c.h.e.f andy

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

Two Chefs Eating Place 双厨菜馆 (Commonwelath)

Address: #01-129, 116 Commonwealth Crescent, 140116

OPENING HOURS:

Mon: 17:00 – 23:30

Tue – Sun: 11:30 – 14:30

Tue – Sun: 17:00 – 23:30

Closed on Every Last Mon of the Month

PHONE:+65 64725361

Expensive Not Great Duck Noodles @ Tao Xiang Kitchen 6th Avenue on 4Nov2015

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S$7 roast duck noodles

S$7 roast duck noodles

i dropped by 6th avenue around 4pm to take a late lunch today on 4.11.2015.

was deciding whether to have the nice roast chicken rice which i like or to try the duck noodles.

S$7 roast duck noodles

S$7 roast duck noodles

this tao xiang kitchen had been around for a while & previously occupied the front stall but now have taken up the stall to the back of the coffeeshop.

it is supposedly helmed by a hong kong chef. i used to take the roast duck a few times many years back but have always found the stallholder & servers very abrasive & unfriendly, basically the nazi chef type. at the time, i thought the roast duck was pretty good & flavourful.

S$7 roast duck noodles

S$7 roast duck noodles

so today i decided to try the roast duck again, since i have not done for so long.

the stall holder was not very friendly but still tolerable today. but it’s the food that counted.

however i found it quite poor today. the drumsticks noodles was S$7. at S$5.50 i would find it very mediocre. at S$7 i think it was quite below par.

there was roast & duck flavours but it was just very average for me.

i think by comparison the roast duck at joyful palace 怡乐坊@ food loft clementi was just so much better! and still cheaper.

S$7 roast duck noodles

S$7 roast duck noodles

i tossed the noodles. noodles was loose & qq. chilli was good. both the noodles with the sauce & the chilli were slight salty.

S$7 roast duck noodles

S$7 roast duck noodles

overall, it was a expensive & forgettable S$7 roast duck drumstick noodles. don’t think i will try this stall again.

there is though a new zi char stall there that occupies the prvious tao xiang front stall location straddling to stall units that served fish head steamboat & crab beehoon (both the thick beehoon soup & the thin wet fried beehoon styles). i would want to try that.

c.h.e.f andy

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

Tao Xiang Kitchen
#01-01/02, 10E Sixth Avenue, 276474
OPENING HOURS:
Daily: 08:30 – 20:30

Quite Poor Zi Char @ Ban Leong Wah Hoe on 18Oct2015

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chilli crab

chilli crab

daughter wanted to buy dinner for family + close family friends at ban leong wah hoe to celebrate an occasion. we went there for a 7pax dinner on 18.10.2015. ^^

ban leong wah hoe

ban leong wah hoe

i looked up hungrygowhere & openrice. the latest 7 reviews in hungrygowhere 2015 & 2014 were all bad. mostly about the bad service but also about lousy food & non transparency. only a single good review going back to mar2014 on hungrygowhere. for openrice it’s going back to 2013.

i noticed also the absence of pricing in the menu. i think that is quite an unacceptable practice today in zi char, restaurant or hawker centre, haha! so that’s why so many comments about non transparency.

ban leong wah hoe

ban leong wah hoe

we found the service ok actually, no nasty lady boss. service was ok & kind of expected for a zi char place.

but the place was quite crowded, so people were coming. youngest daughter managed to find street parking on the next street from casuarina road.

butter prawns

butter prawns

food though was quite poor. quite below the standards of the usual zi char places like –

butter prawns

butter prawns

butter prawns was poor. quite dry. maybe should have ordered cereal prawns instead. the breadcrumbs were the tasty bits so that said much about the prawns.

chilli crab

chilli crab

chilli crab?

ok i guess. the sauce was quite tasty like any chilli crab, not spicy at all (i prefer spicy!)

chilli crab

chilli crab

crabs were good though, firm & meaty! ^^

this crab made me appreciate my friend alan’s homecooked crabs even more. his chilli crab sauce had more intense & lingering crustaceans flavours whereas this sauce was mostly sauce just some crab taste.

alan’s crabs themselves though were not as good, not so “solid”. it could be that the sauce flavours were more intense because he used a lot of crabs (6 crabs!).

toasted buns for chilli crab

toasted buns for chilli crab

anyway ban leong wah hoe’s chilli crab sauce was still nice, and great with the toasted “mantou” buns.

prawn past chicken - har jeon gai

prawn paste chicken – har jeon gai

prawn past chicken or har jeon gai was tasty, nice flavours.

prawn past chicken - har jeon gai

prawn paste chicken – har jeon gai

but the breading was not great, hard & crusty. actually our friend (my daughter’s guests for the evening) does a much better fried chicken, and so does my helper.

dou miao

dou miao

dou miao was mediocre, i think quite poor. i can do a better fried dish with more wok hae anytime.

worst tofu ever!

worst tofu ever!

the tofu dish was almost not edible, hopeless dish! chunky roasted pork (& a quite bad roast pork to boot!). not sure how to comment on this.

zi char dishes

zi char dishes

basically quite poor for zi char.

mee sua

mee sua

mee sua with quails eggs was supposed to be a singature dish??

mee sua

mee sua

it was ok, edible, but i won’t even say competent.

2 crabs were S$120. not cheap but i supposed ok. dinner for 7pax was S$222 or thereabout, so like S$32pax..

a very far cry from my recent zi char dinner at whampoa keng fish head steamboat, which also cost S$33pax

i guess sometimes it depends on whether we order the correct dishes. still, based on this quite poor experience, this is a place where i have no interest to try again.

c.h.e.f andy

Steamed Yellow Croaker, Japanese Seabass or 小黄鱼

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steamed yellow croaker, japanese seabass or 小黄鱼

steamed yellow croaker, japanese seabass or 小黄鱼

bought yellow croaker, also called japanese seabass or 小黄鱼 at chinatown market, so decided to steam it for dinner on 7.10.2015. ^^

my helper does a very good hong kong steamed red garoupa. it is really of good zi char & restaurant standard. though the red garoupa we bought from chinatown market were not live (or swimming), they were always very fresh.

i was thinking of varying the hong kong steamed 港蒸style, & i had previously done very good tasting-

steamed yellow croaker, japanese seabass or 小黄鱼

steamed yellow croaker, japanese seabass or 小黄鱼

so i marinated the fish (a large one for yellow croaker maybe 600g+)with 3tbsp light soy sauce, 2tbsp olive oil & 2tbsp mirin (optional). & that’s it!

then it’s garnishes like sliced red chilli (i forgot to add sliced ginger), & cut spring onions near the end of steaming.

steamed yellow croaker, japanese seabass or 小黄鱼

steamed yellow croaker, japanese seabass or 小黄鱼

i steamed in the steam oven for 12mins. if not using a steam oven, then similarly in a steamer for 12mins.

the fish was really excellent, very sweet & tasty & fine. 港蒸style小黄鱼 texture is finer than red garoupa & equally good.

the sauce was very tasty & not really so different from hong kong steamed 港蒸style, the same flavourful light soy sauce taste, not too salty, but it is a very good variation & equally tasty, instead of resorting to the proven style everytime.

小黄鱼 is also good served chilled similar to the chilled mullet 乌鱼.

we had very good ones at chao inn 潮楼 at kwun tong in hong kong on 3.6.2015!

fried yellow croaker, japanese seabass or 小黄鱼14.9.2015 fried yellow croaker, japanese seabass or 小黄鱼14.9.2015(2)

i also tried fried yellow croaker 煎小黄鱼 (above 2 photos), not too bad too!

that after trying a pretty good one at imperial treasure nanbei at taka on 23.8.2015.

but really, steaming is the best to bring out the freshness & sweetness of the fish la!

c.h.e.f andy

Homecooked Zi Char Daipaidong Dishes 郭记大排档美食 (Just Kidding!)

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郭记大排档美食 homecooked zi char dishes

郭记大排档美食 homecooked zi char dishes

made a 4pax homecooked zi char dinner for my sis, b-i-l & daughter last evening on 7.7.2015.^^ was back home at 6pm & 5 dishes all done in an hour. dinner ready by 7pm. 🙂

whole eggplant with meat onion sauce

whole eggplant with meat onion sauce

i washed & steamed the whole eggplant first, about 10mins.

whole eggplant with meat onion sauce

whole eggplant with meat onion sauce

i portioned about 350g minced pork for the 3 dishes – steamed egg, steamed salted fish minced pork & eggplant. and cut 1 small red onion & 1/2 large tomato.

whole eggplant with meat onion sauce

whole eggplant with meat onion sauce

when serving, i browned some garlic in 1tbsp oil, added onions & minced pork then tomato, mixed 1 tbsp oyster sauce, 1 tbsp tomato sauce, 1tsp fish sauce (to taste) & 1 tsp cornflour in 2/3 cup water. i added to the pan & reduced. then i drenched them over the steamed whole egg plant.

this really an excellent dish!^^ eggplant was firm not mushy yet sweet & tender when cut, & combined perfectly with the sauce.

i basically had the inspiration & was recreating the dish from 富记大排档tai wai.

but seriously i think my dish tasted much better. 富记’s meat sauce was purely tomato sauce. by adding oyster sauce, the taste was very much better, at least for my palate haha!^^

i ran out of salted fish so asked sis to buy some on the way. sky time salted fish 250g sky time salted fish 250g2 she got me sky time salted fish which was a lot better than the one i recently used. the flavours were fragrant & you can feel it while steaming & at the table (the reason some may hate salted fish..haha!) there were about 7-8pieces in the 250g bottle which cost S$4.90. 🙂

i used 1 slice, removed the larger bones & did a very small portion about 180g minced pork, & cut lots of slice ginger, some mixed in the minced pork, rest on top, and added about 2tsp of the salted fish oil & 1 tbsp veg oil. steamed for 10mins. this dish was excellent. most comfort of comfort food. i like my own version 咸鱼饼 as much as that of shi le yuan 实叻圆糜, which i also like a lot.^^

i mixed 2 eggs, aded 2 tsp fish sauce & some white pepper. then mixed the remaining about 120g minced pork with chopped large red chilli & spring onions, and added 2tsp fish sauce. i should have added 2 tbsp water but forgot that this evening. steamed for 10mins.

the egg was still very nice & tasty, but the texture would have been better with some water. the best steamed egg with minced pork i did is here 

teochew chilled mullet 乌鱼打冷

teochew chilled mullet 乌鱼打冷

i bought a small mullet 乌鱼from sheng shiong for S$4 (S$8.90/kg). i placed some cut ginger in the belly & steamed for 15mins. then cool & place in the freezer for 15mins.

teochew chilled mullet 乌鱼打冷

teochew chilled mullet 乌鱼打冷

the teochew chilled mullet 乌鱼打冷 taken with tau jeon was as good as any outside. a thing i observe (a bit of personal preference also) is do not ask the seller to clean the fish. all the livers & delicacies were gone! for my preference also not to ask even to remove the scale (if need be just remove the gills). for me i can remove the gills & clean the fish stomach myself & i feel that keeping the scale is better especially when serving the mullet chilled. then the skin will come off easily together with the scales. otherwise the skin is difficult to break with chopstick & the meat will be meshed uo when eating.

egg fried rice

egg fried rice

& i had some egg fried rice, very firm individual grains coated with egg. ^^ c.h.e.f andy

Catching Up Over Relaxing Lunch @ Keng Eng Kee (KEK) on 17Jun2015

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sliced fish with bitter gourd in black bean sauce

S$12 sliced fish with bitter gourd in black bean sauce

meet up with an old RI friend for lunch at keng eng kee (KEK) today 12pm on 17.6.2015.^^

came for dinner 1 year ago with my sis & b-i-l.

i was there 15mins early. parking was better than expected. 🙂

i asked whether we could sit at the aircon place. lady gave me a card to call next time. my friend joined & said he tried to call but it was too late to make a booking. anyway the table at the coffeeshop area had fans & quite well ventilated. it was quite ok on this day.

sliced fish with bitter gourd in black bean sauce

S$12 sliced fish with bitter gourd in black bean sauce

we ordered the bitter gourd in black bean sauce dish. actually we ordered the one with beef (as we also ordered sliced fish thick beehoon soup) but it came with sliced fish. anyway we were ok with it.

it was done well, a good zi char dish, no difference from the rest. i had it at kok sen in kiong saik street before & basically about the same. i had it also at 香港街珍记 – hong kong street chun kee at commonwealth crescent. equally good. 🙂

spinach with ikan bilis

S$8 spinach with ikan bilis

we were contemplating either the spinach with ikan bilis or the “jew her eng chye” aka cuttlefish kang kong. both were shown on their picture menu.

spinach with ikan bilis

S$8 spinach with ikan bilis

friend decided on the ikan bilis.

spinach with ikan bilis

S$8 spinach with ikan bilis

it was very good. ikan bilis gave it a very good texture combination. the vege was done well & tasty.

sliced fish thick beehoon soup

S$5 sliced fish thick beehoon soup

for the carb dish we shared a S$5 sliced fish in thick beehoon.

sliced fish thick beehoon soup

S$5 sliced fish thick beehoon soup

this was quite perfect. a light carb, doubled as a tasty soup & with healthy sliced fish. ^^

prices had gone up a bit, as old prices were blanco & written over. lunch was S$25.40 including 2x$0.20 for wet tissue. quite ok lah! 🙂

this friend only joined RI in pre-U & was in the band so close to some of my band friends. good to spend time rediscovering old friendship.

we walked over to alexandra village for ice kachang & jackfruit jelly after lunch. 🙂

c.h.e.f andy

So-So 4pax Dinner this time @ Kok Sen Keong Saik Street on 21Dec2014

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claypot yongtaufoo

claypot yongtaufoo

the family went to watch dimsum dolly at esplanade. after the show 4 of us decided to go kok sen for zi char food. we were early before 6pm on a sunday 21.12.2014, & was lucky to get a parking lot right next at kok sen right away. 🙂

claypot yongtaufoo

claypot yongtaufoo

we ordered the usual. claypot yongtaufoo was very good.

deep-fried tofu

deep-fried tofu drizzled with minced pork

deep-fried tofu

deep-fried tofu drizzled with minced pork

the deepfied tofu dish though was much below par. tofu was ok, sauce very average. quite strange…just looked at the photo of dinner here on 7.8.2013. the dish did not even look the same.

blackbean snkaehead (tomen) fish belly with bittergourd

blackbean snakehead (toman) fish belly with bittergourd

blackbean snkaehead (tomen) fish belly with bittergourd

blackbean snakehead (toman) fish belly with bittergourd

the blackbean fish belly bitter gourd was a good as always.

sanlo horfun (生捞河粉)

sanlo horfun (生捞河粉)

sanlo horfun (生捞河粉)

sanlo horfun (生捞河粉)

but the sanlo horfun (生捞河粉) was also below par, not much of wok hae. there were a lot of snake head (toman) sliced fish though.

we had our favourite romaine lettuce (油麦菜) as well.

the 4 dishes with some lemon juice drinks cost $56. but mainly the food was a bit tak shiok! not so fun…maybe should try dongya (东亚) next time.

c.h.e.f andy

Good Zi Char Dinner @ Keng Eng Kee (KEK) Restaurant & Teochew Opera on 9Jun2014

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S$10 claypot liver

S$10 claypot liver

i had wanted to try keng eng kee (KEK) the last time the few of us were doing a hawker & zi char tour but had never gotten to it.

was watching a teochew classical tunes (operatic) concert at singapore concert hall at 7.30pm by ngee ann cultural centre, singapore teochew federation & nan hua opera (南华儒剧社) – program here, so decided to have early dinner at KEK on 9.6.2014.

i must say i really enjoyed the teochew opera singing. used to listen to them a lot when very young, so even though had not listen to some for decades, the songs were still familiar. 🙂

the singing was good & the ones by 孙小华 (芦林会) & 陈纬恬 (刘明珠) was outstanding, extremely emotive, moving & captivating. 陈纬恬, singaporean, is just 11 years old. she performed 小蝴蝶 in (莫愁女) in shantou, china when she was 5! this young girl is set to be a super star.

S$10 claypot liver

S$10 claypot liver

we were there at 5pm on a monday. the indoor aircon seating was fully booked, & 1/2 of the outdoor seating at the coffeeshop was also reserved with the names on the tables.

famous dishes at KEK includes claypot liver, moonlight nor fun, mingzhu rolls (明珠卷) & salted egg crab etc.

#1 i do like liver but am not particularly fond of claypot liver which is like a liver overkill. we ordered it anyhow & it turned out to be really good! the liver was not overcooked, had great wine flavours & very sweet & just the right texture. an excellent dish! 🙂

S$25 nonya song fish head

S$25 nonya song fish head

#2 we were deciding between black beans bitter gourd with sliced snakehead (生鱼) or a song fish head(松鱼头). the server recommended the fish head nonya style. it was very good, the sauce was the same as the very nice fish head at forture seafood but dryer & less curry. i would think that angkoli (red snapper) which forture used would go better than 松鱼 for this dish.

cuttlefish kang kong

cuttlefish kang kong

#3 cuttle fish kang kong was competent & tasty, the sweet sauce though was kind of overpowering.

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明珠卷 mingzhu roll

#4 the 明珠卷 mingzhu roll (6 pieces) was good too. however we did not really need this dish. the other 4 dishes were already too big for 3pax, so we tapao (take out) remaining 3 pieces.

S$5 moonlight hor fun

S$5 moonlight hor fun

#5 the moonlight dry nor fun was a good dish. it was a strange concoction combining char kuay teow with hor fun(河粉), and came with chinese sausage & also prawns & squid with thick hor fun. it was not really my favourite. i would prefer the usual hor fun or san lor hor fun (生捞河粉) to this.

keng eng kee alexandra village

keng eng kee alexandra village

S$25 nonya song fish head

S$25 nonya song fish head

there was no service or get. the bill came up to S$60 for 5 dishes for 3pax. the food would easily have served 4pax. i would rate KEK on par with kok sen & much better than two chefs. i would expect the song fish head(松鱼头) at 香港街珍记 (Hong Kong Street Chun Kee) to be better but then the menu range at the latter is small.

this definitely a eating place that i will come back again! 🙂

c.h.e.f andy

Just Average Zi Char @ Two Chefs on 26Nov2013

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blood cockles

blood cockles

4 of us continued on our zi char dinner quest at two chefs on 26.11.2013.

the zi char stall at a commonwealth crescent had good reviews, but honestly i was quite disappointed. while it was better than woh hup at hong lim (which was bad!), it was far, far from the very nice dishes we had at kok sen. in my opinion,it was not even comparable to the forture restaurant at the old holland road coffeeship.

we did not order their signature butter pork rib using milk powder as a few reviews & also a friend who dined there recently said it was too sweet. the only dish i really liked was the S$6 blood cockles – pickled raw cockles (腌血蚶) with lots of garlic. 🙂 but then i was about the only one eating them as my friends were not into this much & one felt that garlic was too much (though i liked). so it was not representative!

claypot fish head

claypot fish head

to me, the worst dish was the claypot fish head, gluey & not having the sweet, fresh, tender taste of fish, though the photo may look ok. its a dish i had not taken for perhaps >10years or longer. though i think most are now served cut up & deep-fried, i still prefer the one i had 30 years ago at whampoa where they served the head whole & not deep-fried. two chefs did have assam fish head & blackbean sauce song fish head. surely those would be ok – it’s like anyone can do a song fish head, i remember 1 news report said 1 hawker centre had 15 stalls selling it!

1395769_10152020219324494_1304235356_n 1392863_10152020219444494_1766685328_n

golden mushrooms tofu

golden mushrooms tofu

3 egg heng chye

3 egg heng chye

the salted egg prawns were ok, tasty but oily, and really not my preferred preparation for prawns.

the golden mushrooms tofu was ok i guess, but quite poor in comparison with kok sen & muliangzai liang kee which were minced pork deep-fried tofu.

the 3-eggs heng chye was watery, taste ok.

overall, it was a very average meal can get at any coffeeshop (like 6th avenue coffeeshop). i guess correspondingly the price is cheap S$60nett for 4pax, but then kok sen was cheap too & very much better!

maybe still have to try the muliangzai type of zi char stalls.

c.h.e.f. andy

Good Teochew Zi Char @ Mu Liang Zai Liang Kee on 12Nov2013

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braised duck & tau kua

braised duck & tau kua

6 of us had teochew zi char at muliang zai liang kee on 12.11.2013.  few of us started a hawker & zi char tour some months back. it was mostly touch & go. the zi char at kok sen @ keong siak street was very good. woh hup @ hong lim was quite poor it was not worth a post!

mu liang zai liang kee is located along the same row of shophouses along havelock road at the opposite end of g7 liangkee. it is owned by the 5th son of ng bak liang (so  木亮仔=son of bak liang).  you can read the story of the 3 liang kee here.

we had a very enjoyable dinner, true tecohew comfort food, mostly good standard & tasty & at very affordable prices, w/o service & gst. we had 8 dishes adding up to S$136, about S$22+pax nett. 🙂

ter kar tan - pork trotters jelly (猪脚冻)

ter kar tan – pork trotters jelly (猪脚冻)

hae chor （虾枣）& liver roll (肝花)

hae chor （虾枣）& liver roll (肝花)

deep-fried tofu with minced pork (金牌豆腐)

deep-fried tofu with minced pork (金牌豆腐)

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yellow chives with prawns

yellow chives with prawns

chilli crayfish

chilli crayfish

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orh nee (芋泥)

orh nee (芋泥)

the pork trotters jelly (猪脚冻) was just ok, competent. imperial treasure, crystal jade & chui huay lim versions were much better. it was cheap though, a large portion for S$10.

the hae chor (虾枣) & liver roll (肝花) were quite good, no much different from other teochew restaurants.

the braised sliced duck was surprisingly good. i did not expect much as many teochew restaurant like huat kee had very average (or poor) braised duck, and the braised goose we had recently at chui huay lim was poor c/w with this duck. still i very much prefer eating the style of braised duck like the 1/2 duck for S$28 at imperial treasure c/w this tiny plate of sliced duck for S$18. that was just my personal taste preference though.

the deep-fried tofu with minced pork (金牌豆腐) was excellent, equal to that at kok sen.

the orh nerng or oyster egg was an average & passable dish (passable in both senses – not failed OR can skip). like good teochews the few of us still preferred the sticky orh luar version with sweet potato flour at hawker centres.

the yellow chives with prawns (S$18) came with 7 large prawns. the prawns were large, fresh & springy, so it was not a bad prawn dish. it was though a bad yellow chives dish, no wok hae & swimming in sauce. it should be much dryer with strong wok hae flavour. 🙂

the crayfish (S$28) i did not consider a well done dish (though some of my diner friends were obviously relishing it).  i preferred the ah orh version of teochew crayfish with yellow onions & egg. the crayfish itself were plump, bouncy & tasty. not quite sure what chilli it was, not sambal & not really chilli crab chilli, though it did go well with the steamed buns.

the orh nee (芋泥) was good too – another pleasant surprise!

overall it was a good dinner for S$22nett. will be back again!

c.h.e.f andy

Cheap & Good Zi Char @ Kok Sen on 7Aug2013

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black bean sauced fish head with bitter gourd

black bean sauced fish head with bitter gourd

Update = we went to two chefs at commonwealth crescent on 26.11.2013, but that was just average. kok sen was a lot better. 🙂

for hawker tour, see hawker tour @ BTFC on 19.7.2103.

this the 2nd edition of our hawker & zi char tour. 🙂

i had never been to kok sen at keong siak street. however i have seen FB friends posting photos & good comments, & hungrygowhere reviews were mostly good, so i did not doubt that it would be a great outing on 7.8.2013. we have also among us some expert who had been to kok sen & dong ya (东亚), and knew all the right dishes to order. 🙂

claypot chicken flavoured with tangerine

claypot chicken flavoured with tangerine

deep-fried tofu drizzled with minced pork

deep-fried tofu drizzled with minced pork

beancurd paste romaine lettuce

beancurd paste romaine lettuce

we were early at 6.30pm before the crowd. the first 3 dishes came quickly. all were good. i don’t care much about claypot chicken dishes, but this 砂煲甘香鸡 came with a touch of tangerine, was quite unique & tasty. liked it! 🙂 the 家香豆腐 (deep-fried tofu drizzled with minced pork) was very good – the tofu skin was very crisp & the inside was tasty. excellent dish! the 腐乳油麦(romaine lettuce with fermented beancurd) was super too. in my opinion better than 强记鸡粥 at Tai Wai in HK. 🙂

for me the best had to be the black bean sauced fish head with bitter gourd (top photo). it came with good serving of fish meat & fish head. liked this dish a lot & will be back for more! 🙂

horfun with egg

horfun with egg （滑蛋河粉）

alas, the last was not the best. in fact, the horfun (滑蛋河粉) was just mediocre, not even good. any coffee shop zi char stall would do same or better.  this was strange really. any good zi char stall must be able to fry up dish out “wok hae”, and it was odd that this was not so for a common basic dish like horfun?

the entire dinner was S$71 including 1 drink + chinese tea for 5 of us. good food + great company = enjoyable evening.

after that we went to have coffee at dong ya (东亚). they now occupy the previous pasta inc shop & just started business so had not replaced the pasta inc shop name signboard & did not have many customers..anyway will be back to try dong ya (东亚) also.

c.h.e.f andy