Monday, February 27, 2006
Date: February 25, 2006
Venue: Jalan Tua Kong Lau Lim Mee Pok Kway Teow Mee
When my dad and I discovered that our favorite mee pok (Chinese fetuccini) was no longer at the tiny coffee shop at the corner of Jalan Tua Kong, we were devastated. For a year. we searched high and low but to no avail. Obviously, we didn't search hard enough because after a year (and with help from a family friend), our mee pok loving hearts found their home once again.
One reason why I love this mee pok is simply because of the stall's generosity. You'd be amazed by the sheer amount of ingredients - mince meat, fried pork lard ( which is crazily and yummiliciously sinful), prawns, fish balls, slices of fish cake, fish dumpling, bean sprouts, and slices of pork. Besides coming in generous amounts, the ingredients are fresh too. For example, the prawns are always huge, crunchy, and sweet while the pork never posseses that overpowering smell which most meats tend to possess.
When it comes to flavor, the mee pok is nothing much to holler about but it is way much better than the average stall. The chilli sauce does not reek of vinegar nor does it contain a large amount of dried shrimp, definitely a sin other stores are guilty off. However, what contributes greatly to this flavorful bowl of noodles is the fact that the chilli is mixed with onion oil, pork lard, and a table spoon or two of the stall's crazily tasty soup.
The soup, which accompanies every bowl of dried noodles, is without a doubt the highlight of any meal at this stall. While it's a little on the salty side, it's extremely tasty. On it's own, you can already see why - the bits of pork swimming in the steaming in the soup. But the best way to enjoy the soup is simply with the ingredients mentioned above. If it's already so flavorful on it's own, just imagine the flavors the other ingredients will contribute, especially the sweetness of cooked bean sprouts. How to order it, simple. Just tell the stall dude, " Uncle, one liao tang!"
Every meal at this stall is down right enjoyable. However, the only turnoff is the queue and the crowd. So far, the longest I've waited was an hour. To avoid the queue always arrive before 11a.m. and after 2p.m. on weekdays. On Saturdays, just arrive as early as possible ( the stall opens at 7:30 a.m. every morning). Arrive any later than 1:30p.m., you risk hearing the words, " Sorry but we are sold out."
Price: A bowl of noodles costs $3, $4, and $5 dollars respectively, depending on the size. The ingredient rich soup costs $3.
Less the crowd, the wait is worth it. Just think of that steaming hot soup sliding your throat. Mmmmm - it never fails to motivate me.
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Friday, February 24, 2006
Grand Hyatt Hotel SingaporeDate: 23 Feb 2006
Venue: Straits Kitchen, Grand Hyatt Hotel Singapore
Menu: Dinner Buffet ($38+++ Adults), Hawker Food Spread
The Experience:
So much so for the excellent interior design by the renown team at Super Potato (yup, that's the same Japanese interior designer firm that did up mezza9), Straits Kitchen practically did everything to disappoint (in the food section) less the interior, which to be honest, was quite stunning. Straits Kitchen was intended to reflect the culinary delights of our hawker walks found around Singapore. Sadly, it did little to represent our tradional flavours.
Lets take a tour around the different counters where they are distinguished by the region of cooking.
Malay/ Indonesian Food Counter
The charcol grilled satay did quite a bit to redeem this section of the kitchen except that the satay was on the sweet side. It definitely cannot be compared to the smoky burnt satay you get at hawker centres but this was not too bad. I enjoyed the fact that they made an effort to include a charcol grill for both cooking, and heating. Authentic! The rendang was tender but lacked oomph. I would have loved more flavour in the rempah. The chicken curry was a tad too watery. There was grilled stingray and prawns in sambal, which I avoided as it looked way too dry.
Chinese Stir-fry and Roast Meat Counter
Perhaps the most presentable counter, the stir-fried crab was succulent and tasty. The oyster omelet was chocked full of plump and fresh oysters but it simply lack the fragrance (wok hei) of hawker stalls. The crab meat fried rice was bland and the stir-fry vegetables were crunchy but was soaking in sauce. A clear indication of a poorly controlled cooking heat. It didn't help that when I asked whether I could get some freshly stir-fried vegetables (the sign indicated Fresh Stir Fry Vegetables), I was directed to this wok of vegetables sitting in sauce. The roast meats were delightful, not flavourful. The roast duck and steamed white chicken was plump and moist. The roast duck skin was heavenly, given its warm sheen and crispy exterior. It still lacked flavour though. The double-boiled/ steamed soup consisting of fish maw, sea cucumber and a thick chunk of scallop was a definite treat.
Indian Tandoori Counter
An excellent variety of dishes, my brother very much enjoyed the dishes at this counter, accompanied by the variety of pratha, roti and naans made available. Tandoori chicken, fish, prawns abound together with various curries although with inconsistent qualities. The fish cubes (prob bass) was dry and the prawns were extremely salty. The chicken was quite fragrant but I had to moisten it with yoghurt. I tried the paneer but it just didn't have as much flavour as I expected it to have. I definitely wasn't a fan of this counter.
Popiah/ Rojak Counter
The popiah was good standard fare with the turnips crispy and the filling generous. However, to be honest, once you make popiah at home, you're unlikely to appreciate those outside. Somehow, the ingredients just doesn't feel as luxurious. haha...As for the rojak, well, passable. It had lotsa fritters (my favourite) but it didn't wow me. Rojak to me has to taste richly of belachan and has to be of the right sweetness. The sauce has to be nicely balanced and not many places do it well. The vegetables in rojak has to complement the whole dish and not get overly masked by the caramel flavoured sauce. In this case, it did.
Dessert Counter 1 : Chendol & Ice-Kachang
To be honest, never serve chendol when you can't get it right. The ingredients in chendol are simply and yet, easy to go wrong. In this case, it was bad. I had a bowl of chendol that was practically dilute coconut water/milk simply because the coconut cream wasn't lemak at all. Add ice and all you get is coconut flavoured water. So wrong. The ice-kachang was a terrible disappointement to. Kachang, jelly and sweet corn. Good simple ingredients but poorly made. The red beans were mushy, the jelly tasteless and the sweet corn wasn't sweet. 3 of us, and we couldn't even bear to finish one bowl of each dessert. Ouch.
Dessert Counter 2: Ice-cream/ Sorbet/ Gula Melaka Sago & Kueh kueh
I have mixed views about this counter. The mango sorbet was good but we could taste the egg white used in stabilising the melting point of the sorbet. The black sesame ice-cream and coconut ice-cream is a no-no. For good coconut ice-cream, nothing beats Conrad Hotel's Oscars Cafe.
The gula melaka sago was not too bad, except that I put too much gula =) being a sweet-tooth myself. Passable. The kueh-kuehs were weird. Pineapple tarts that tasted rancid (the pineapple filling was as hard, it made a *dumph* sound when you tap it with the back of your spoon. Butter cookies that weren't buttery. Somehow, any nonya would have waved her hands in protest at their kueh-kuehs. The only redeeming factor was their Indian mitthal. That however, is an acquired taste =)
Dessert Counter 3: Fruits
By this time, you would have expected that nothing can go wrong, especially with fruits. Uh-uh. It was luxurious to have persimons and duku at the fruit counter especially since you don't really see them at buffets. Wonderful. But stay far far away from the starfruit. They were terribly sour. Somehow, better to look at then to eat.
Total bill for 3: $132.87
At that price for hawker fare, Straits Kitchen seriously needs to consider focusing on improving its food.
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Thursday, February 23, 2006
I simply adore mushrooms.
The soft, juicy, and slightly chewy flesh...
The earthy, nutty, and meaty flavors... wow!
And what better way to enjoy these flavors and textures than on crispy buttered toast.
SAUTEED MUSHROOMS ON TOAST
Ingredients
Sliced mixed mushrooms
(usually portobello, brown and white buttons, and Japanese shitake)
Olive oil
Roughly chopped rosemary, thyme and chives
A clove of garlic
Salt
Coarse Black Pepper
Butter
Ciabatta ( or any bread of your choice)
Method
Chop your garlic and heat your olive oil in a pan. When the oil runs smoothly across the pan's bottom, toss in your garlic and sautee till fragrant and slightly brown. Throw in the rest of the ingredients and some crushed red pepper , if you prefer your shrooms slightly spicy. While the shrooms are cooking, grill or toast your bread until it's slightly brown and generously butter them.
Remember - your shrooms should not cook for more than 4 minutes. If you leave them cooking for any time longer than that, you'll end up with really icky moosh. It so isn't a pretty sight.
Anyway, once the shrooms are tender, scoop them onto the buttered toast, serve, and enjoy!
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Tuesday, February 21, 2006
Photo courtesy of Delia SmithSometimes, the simplest things are the most difficult things to handle. Most of the times, chefs forget the basics. Quite simply in Singapore, Chinese dim sum restaurants do not even execute their har gao and siew mai well enough, not to mention the disappointing desserts. A dining experience has to be complete. You can choose to be consistent or surprising. But never disappoint.
Back to the simplest things. Somehow there is nothing so subliminally comforting as a squidgy smosh of creamy scrambled eggs on hot buttery toast.
DROOL-WORTHY CLOUDS OF SCRAMBLED EGGS
Gently beat 2 eggs, 2-3 tablespoons of milk and a pinch of salt and freshly cracked black pepper. Substitute a tablespoon of milk for a tablespoon of luciously sinful thickened cream for that occassional treat. You won't regret it.
Over an extremely extremely low heat, heat enough oil or butter to thinly coat the pan to prevent the eggs from sticking. I choose a non-stick saucepan and olive oil for its nutty flavour. The choice of oil will affect the flavour of your scrambled eggs.
Pour the egg mixture into the gently heated pan and stir continously making sure you get into the edges of the pan. Toast your bread while at it but keep watching the eggs. I choose wholemeal bread as it holds up better and provides a texture contrast to the creaminess of the eggs.
Use a double-boiler or a water bath to control the heat if your stove fire is too strong. The key is extremely low heat. If you're taking less than 3-5 mins to cook it, it goes out of the pan and into the bin.
Keep stirring non-stop and watch as the bursts of bright yellow slowly transform into a creamy pale smosh of decandence. Once 1/2 of the mixture has formed, it is time to enhance it using smoky flavours such as smoked trout/salmon/cheese/ mushrooms or just keep it plain.
Remove from heat while it is still slightly wet and serve it on the hot buttery toast. The residual heat will continue to cook it and the bread will slowly moisten.
Keep stirring non-stop and watch as the bursts of bright yellow slowly transform into a creamy pale smosh of decandence. Once 1/2 of the mixture has formed, it is time to enhance it using smoky flavours such as smoked trout/salmon/cheese/ mushrooms or just keep it plain.
Remove from heat while it is still slightly wet and serve it on the hot buttery toast. The residual heat will continue to cook it and the bread will slowly moisten.
It should have a texture like whipped butter cream. Too wet and you'll end up with soggy toast. But when excellently executed, scrambled eggs are like fluffy clouds bursting with creaminess and flavour. Indulge.
Its simply out of this world, especially on a cool lazy afternoon with a refreshing glass of iced tea.
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Date: 19 Feb, 2006
Venue: Crystal Jade La Mian XiaoLongBao, Suntec City
Menu:
Pork Belly and Preserved Veg ($11.50), Sauteed Sliced Eel ($10.80), Fried Nian Gao ($9), Four Seasons Long Beans ($8), Beijing Pork Dumplings ($4.50), Shanghai XiaoLongBao ($3.60), Glutinous Rice Ball in Sweet Wine ($3), Souffle Egg White Ball ($4.50).
The Experience:
There's nothing like consistency at Crystal Jade restaurants. Actually, so much so that it's becoming a little bland and lacking in excitement. But its always such flavours that bring us back. Complementing our dishes with hot steamed rice, Crystal Jade's dumplings and XiaoLongBaos are definitely way much better than the overly-hyped Ding Tai Fung. At least the XiaoLongBao in the former is filled with a more flavourful stock. If you really want to splurge on Ding Tai Fung, the Shanghai branch sets the standards. The Singapore one has disappointed me on 3 occassions.
The pork belly was wonderfully fragant with the use of sweet mei choy. However, it was way too sweet for my liking. The sauteed slice eels were tender, unlike some of the chewier ones you get outside and there is a nice coating of sauce that ensured that the fish was protected from the high heat. The fried nian gao is a usual staple although I would have preferred a lighter hand at the salt. The beans were nicely done, a little squeaky for my liking but everyone else enjoyed it. Squeaky beans make my hair stand at ends =)
Desserts were so-so. I never liked the egg smell of fried egg souffle although fellow diners found that the souffles were of pretty high standards. The redbean stuffing included slices of bananas which imparted a fragrance. The glutinous balls in sweet rice wine is also worth trying although it is an acquired taste.
Total bill for 5: $78
If consistency is what you want, Crystal Jade delivers it.
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Monday, February 20, 2006
Date : February 18, 2006
Venue : Sum's Kitchen & Hong Kong Roasted Meats
Menu:
Braised Fish Head, Lotus Root and Pork Rib Soup, Pork Chops in Sweet and Sour Sauce ( Pai Gut Wong), Crispy Hong Kong Squid with Salt, Poached Spinach with three eggs, Steamed Two-Egg Custard, Stir Fried Frog with Ginger and Spring Onions
The Experience
Located opposite Sembawang Shopping Centre and sandwiched between a Thai Restaurant and a famous Fish Head Curry Stall, Sum's Kitchen is the place to go if you're craving for a relatively simple and yet wonderfully delicious Cantonese meal. Unfortunately for us that evening, we arrived too late to order their famous Roast Duck.
The meat is tender and moist while the skin bursts with flavor. A word of caution though, their ducks are alway fat but they are so good that even a conscious weight watcher like me throws all caution to the wind just to savour them. Just note that once you arrive after 7:30 p.m, consider yourself really lucky if you even see a drumstick at the counter. Other must try dishes would be the Ma Po Tou Fu and the Eggplant Braised with Salted Fish.
When a person dines at Sum's, a dish anyone must try would be the Crispy Hong Kong Squid served with Salt. Unlike most places, the squid maintains its tenderness while the skin is all so crispy and nicely coated with salt and pepper. Very yummy and really to die for!
And the soups! Sum's Kitchen's double boiled soup never fails to impress me. Tonight's soup was Lotus Root double boiled with Pork Ribs. While it sounds plain and typical but what makes the soup here so tasty is that it's boiled with a generous amount of dried ingredients (squid, oysters, red dates) and a piece or two of what I suspect is dried orange peel. However, the soup menu changes on a daily basis so feel free to ask the staff what is the soup for the day.
While I normally never eat Fresh Water Fish for fear of the muddy taste and smell, the braised Fish Head here is so well done that I had no qualms about eating it. And don't get me started on the Steamed Two-Egg Custard! It was absolutely soft and smooth and the Century egg doesn't have a strong ammonia smell or a heavily rancid taste. Extremely delightful.
Last but not least, the sauce for the Pai Gut Wong was pretty sweet and tangy, unfortunately, the pork chops could have been a little more tender. The vegetables and the frog ( 2 frogs at $18) were good but really nothing much to holler about.
Overall, the service has been pretty all right. Like many small restaurants, the quality varies with mood but fortuantely, we've had no bad encounters lately. The worst we've gotten so far was them being so busy that they even forgot to give us tea and take our orders. However, there is a dude there who is an excellent server. He's always prompt, polite and when we asked him for some pork lard that evening and he happily gave us a huge portion. But non-Chinese speakers be warned. The staff converse mainly in Cantonese and Mandarin and their command of English is pretty poor.
Total Bill for 5: Approx $90
Pretty reasonable for Seven dishes, including tea and 7 bowls of rice.
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Saturday, February 18, 2006
Shangri-La Hotel SingaporeDate: 18 Feb 2006
Venue: Shang Palace, Shangri-la Hotel Singapore
Menu:
BBQ Platter ($24), Shark Cartilage Soup ($18), Dumpling Soup ($18), Har Gao ($4.80), SiewMai ($4.50), Chicken Claw ($4.50), Fritter Rice Rolls ($5), XiaoLongBao ($4.50), Turnip Cake ($4.50), Yam Puff ($4.50), Avocado Paste & Sago ($5), Mango Pomolo Sago ($5), Almond Cream ($5)
Experience:
My first visit back at the Shang after 6 years since their last renovation. The experience was so-so. The desserts was something to rave about but the dim-sum is not as refined as I expected it to be. In short, it wasn't flavourful. Perhaps my tastebuds are adulterated by commercial mass-produced dim-sum but it simply wasn't a memorable event dining at the Shang.
The shark cartilage soup was however, the best I had in town so far, after Ritz-Carlton's Summer Pavillion. Filled with milky goodness, it was served with a massive piece of fish stomach (not the maw), pretty good I must say. The BBQ platter was not too bad either.
Stay far away from their XiaoLongBao. The skin was tough and the interior was dry. The Yam Puff clearly wasn't fried in fresh oil. Despite its crispy exterior, it lacked the sheen and flavour of well made Yam Puffs.
The Avocado Cream was very unique and the smoothness of the cream complemented the sago perfectly. The Almond Cream was refined and fragant probably as good as my all-time favourite, Imperial Treasures @ Takashimaya.
Service was inconsistent. The staff were all extremely friendly and helpful but they lacked attentiveness. I found myself filling up the tea cups more often than I saw them around. Didn't help that I didn't get my water filled up at all after finishing a glass. I suspected they lacked staff but the restaurant was relatively empty, so much so that you could hear the conversation at your next table.
Total bill for 4: $135
A mediocre meal @ a Shangri-la. The ocassional delights.
Venue: Shang Palace, Shangri-la Hotel Singapore
Menu:
BBQ Platter ($24), Shark Cartilage Soup ($18), Dumpling Soup ($18), Har Gao ($4.80), SiewMai ($4.50), Chicken Claw ($4.50), Fritter Rice Rolls ($5), XiaoLongBao ($4.50), Turnip Cake ($4.50), Yam Puff ($4.50), Avocado Paste & Sago ($5), Mango Pomolo Sago ($5), Almond Cream ($5)
Experience:
My first visit back at the Shang after 6 years since their last renovation. The experience was so-so. The desserts was something to rave about but the dim-sum is not as refined as I expected it to be. In short, it wasn't flavourful. Perhaps my tastebuds are adulterated by commercial mass-produced dim-sum but it simply wasn't a memorable event dining at the Shang.
The shark cartilage soup was however, the best I had in town so far, after Ritz-Carlton's Summer Pavillion. Filled with milky goodness, it was served with a massive piece of fish stomach (not the maw), pretty good I must say. The BBQ platter was not too bad either.
Stay far away from their XiaoLongBao. The skin was tough and the interior was dry. The Yam Puff clearly wasn't fried in fresh oil. Despite its crispy exterior, it lacked the sheen and flavour of well made Yam Puffs.
The Avocado Cream was very unique and the smoothness of the cream complemented the sago perfectly. The Almond Cream was refined and fragant probably as good as my all-time favourite, Imperial Treasures @ Takashimaya.
Service was inconsistent. The staff were all extremely friendly and helpful but they lacked attentiveness. I found myself filling up the tea cups more often than I saw them around. Didn't help that I didn't get my water filled up at all after finishing a glass. I suspected they lacked staff but the restaurant was relatively empty, so much so that you could hear the conversation at your next table.
Total bill for 4: $135
A mediocre meal @ a Shangri-la. The ocassional delights.
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Friday, February 17, 2006
Having nothing to critique, I thought I might just open my role in this blog with a recipe for Home Cooked Beef Soup. This soup is really simple, light, tasty and crazily comforting on rainy days. I always serve it with rice or with a Roast Vegetable Pasta or slices of buttered French toast, which have been toasted to crispy perfection.
However, I must apologize. While I have no qualms about sharing my recipes, I am unable to tell just how much of what goes into these meals. Even I have no idea just how much of what I put into these meals. Like I was telling Ben, it's all trial and error and the cooking itself. So hopefully you guys will be able to play around with the ingredients and whip out a storm of a meal.
Lorri's Home Cooked Beef Soup
Ingredients
Beef
Carrots
Red Onions
Potatoes
Celery
Cooking
Roughly chop the onions, carrots, potatoes, slice the celery, and cut the beef into 2 cm cubes. Once that's done, heat a little oil (I use olive) in a pot and throw in the onions and toss them around till they turn translucent. Afterwhich, pour some water in and once it starts to boil, throw in the beef and let it simmer for about half an hour before adding the rest of the ingredients. Add salt and pepper as desired and boil it all under low heat for about another hour or an hour before serving.
Enjoy!
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Date: 9 Feb 2006
Venue: Sanur Indonesian Restaurant Suntec City
Menu:
Kangkong Belachan ($8.50), Tahu Telur ($10.50), Beef Rendang ($7.95), Ikan Pepes ($8.50), BBQ Sotong ($12.95).
Experience:
Sanur is one of those places you go for a casual night out and for tonight, I enjoyed it with my closest group of friends. Sanur has been relatively consistent and I always enjoy their Ikan Pepes. Think otak, but instead of being processed with a lot of flour, this is just a pressed otak filled with flaked fish. Yummy!
The Beef Rendang was in my opinion, a little tough for the liking, although it is usually how they do it. Different from the Malaysian style where its all flaked, Indonesian Beef Rendang comes in yummylicious chunks of beef. Sotong was good, not rubbery at all and the Tahu Telur is a masterpiece on its own.
Service was a little mechanical. I mean, you got what you needed and that's it. Oh, haha and they got us to pay for an exorbitant jug of lime juice ($18.95). It was enjoyable, but it wasn't out-of-this world. It was rather, the company that mattered.
Total bill for 4: $88.65.
Not too bad, although big eaters might find it expensive for the portions.
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So Exciting...A blogspace dedicated to our feasting escapades. And yes! Enjoy...
Date : 7 Feb 2006
Venue: Outback Steakhouse Millenia Walk
Menu:
Bushman Shrooms ($13.90), a pretty small portion of Potato Soup ($4.90), 10-ounce Prime-minister Roast ($32.90), 8-ounce Ribeye Roast ($29.90).
Experience:
Quite Disappointing in fact. I usually dine at Outback and this was the first time my steak (the Prime Minister Roast) was tough. And trust me, it was really tough despite turning out medium-rare. Didn't help that the steamed cauliflower was a little mouldy too.
To be fair, I have always enjoyed their Prime Minister roast; extremely moist with a nice crust. The kitchen probably had a bad day. The soup comforting, although a little heavy with the salting. The Shrooms were so-so.
Despite the bad-food day, the service recovery was excellent. The staff (SNOW - I can still remember his name..haha) actually informed his manager and they offered us complimentary dessert: Thunder Down Under ($13.90 I think) or something similar. That was a decadent heap of chocolate brownie, fresh cream, ice cream, chocolate chips and shavings PLUS loads of chocolate fudge. They were nice about it as well, so it kinda saved the day.
Compared to the EXTREMELY bad service I encountered at MoonFish (Disgusting attitude) and Bakerzin (Pathetic company policy) both at Millenia Walk, I'll still choose Outback. Anytime man...
Total bill for 3: $95.
Not the cheapest place around, but can be enjoyable.
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