Ok, I am finally down to blogging about my dim sum miniature. After making bread and satay using clay, I thought I should challenge myself. So I made A TROLLEY OF DIM SUM!

This is really hard work. I spent about 6 hours to complete it. While I was still doing, this handicraft owner asked if I want to sell my dim sum trolley. I jokingly told him I would sell it for $180! But after spending 6 hours on it, I told him I am not going to sell it to him anymore. IT’S PRICELESS!

I think my soon kueh, har kau looks super real. The rest also look real lah, but I love my soon kueh and har kau most. Coincidentally, soon kueh and har kau are two of my favourite dimsum. I guess I have eaten them more than enough to do a miniature of them. I initially wanted to do custard bun with the overflowing salted egg custard. But I figure that it will be more work and my trolley won’t have enough space anymore, so I decided to drop the idea.

Just like running, doing food miniature needs alot of patience too. And the trick to doing this is to do many many of one item, so that it looks like there is a truckload of food items. If you are still wondering, they are made of clay. I don’t have the knowledge to make so many real dim sum lah.

The trolley has the same height of a iPhone. Each dim sum is about 50-cent coin. My hands, neck and shoulders are aching after the dim sum trolley is finally completed. But the effort is worth it.

Do you love my dim sum trolley?

Opened in April 2011, Hinoki Japanese Dining is set in a pre-war shop house located along Nankin Row in China Square Mall in historical Chinatown. A few months ago, the restaurant welcomed renowned master chef Santaro Li to join them as executive chef.

One of the most highly respected Japanese chefs in Singapore with a huge following of fans, the 60-year-old Li-san was one of the earliest chefs to bring in authentic Japanese sushi to Singapore in the 1980s. Li-san is a ryori-jin (also known as masterchef), specialising in “kappo ryori”, who has conquered all aspects of Japanese cuisine, from sushi to grilling, stewing and boiling. To reach this level requires decades honing one’s skill over a broad range of specialities, for which Li-san has done over a career
spanning more than 40 years.

Chef Li spent three years in Tokyo working with the famous masterchef Michiba Rokusaburo, Japan’s first Iron Chef, from whom he learnt the art of Japanese cooking. He later worked at the Ritz Carlton Hong Kong, the Fort Canning Country Club, Nogawa and finally opened his own restaurant Santaro in 1997 which found a massive following enamoured with his artisanal cuisine.

The restaurant’s décor is contemporary, smart yet simple, decked out in clean lines, earth and achromatic tones. The simplicity is deliberate, to keep the focus on the food and its presentation. And there is the best seats? Of course is the 18-seat sushi counter
where you can watch Li-san and his team at work and enjoy a more interactive experience lah!

Casually put, “kappo ryori” is omakase lifted to the highest degree of Japanese gastronomy. A “kappo ryori course” with Chef Li could start with an elegant trio comprising of salted squid, smoked duck and pitan tofu. Starting with the homemade salted squid, I like how it was presented in a short glass. The shiraou was rather fat and beautifully balanced with the flavourful shoyu sauce. Moving on we have the smoked duck. Lastly we have the Pitan Tofu which is one of my all time favourites in Japanese cuisine. While century egg maybe an acquire taste for some, I simply adored the combination of creamy century egg paired with the chilled tofu.

As with all great chefs, Chef Li fully embraces the seasonality and quality of food and the art of fine presentation, all served up with an element of showmanship as he prepares the food in front of the customers.

The restaurant uses seasonal ingredients and seafood airflown directly from Tsukiji Market twice a week – Tuesdays and Fridays. The sashimi platter was possibly one of the best I’ve experienced thus far with fresh kanpachi, tuna, salmon, prawns, shiromi and herring roe. What is unique to me is the herring roe which has a firm, rubbery texture.

While his cooking is well rooted in the fundamentals of traditional Japanese culinary arts, he also pushes the potential of the cuisine with non-Japanese ingredients like foie gras and century egg, for instance.

I love this swordfish with with truffle oil, foie gras and speckled with kombu (seaweed). The fish is so moist with the fragrance from foie gras and truffle oil, giving a textural contrast every few bites.

Shojin ryori is a style of vegetarian cookery with a tradition that dates back more than 600 years. Shojin cooking is the food that is eaten by the monks and nuns in Buddhist temples and this braised daikon created by Chef Li is a traditional vegetarian temple food. The freshly grated radish is served with some salmon roe. Daikon is vital ingredient in shojin ryori, so is a good gauge for the quality of the chef and I would say the daikon is richly textured and braised.

Chef Hinoki’s signature Fukahire Chawanmushi is simple. It has a beautiful piece of sharks’ fin on top of the smooth steamed egg custard, with the salmon roe providing a burst of salty essence.

Being served by a sushi master is the ultimate bespoke food experience. Shari is the white rice used to make sushi. The best tasting shari is controlled by the temperature of the sushi chef’s body temperature. Chef Li has to keep his hands cold and wet as possible at all times to keep the grains of shari from sticking to his hands.

Before putting his hands to mould the shari, he has to clap his hands to remove the excess water on his hands to keep the sushi from being too watery. His hands literally dance, as the sushi is made and it is very entertaining to watch.

We tried a variety of sushi and particularly love the maguro sushi which has been marinated with soy sauce and a hint of ginger. The sushi here has a balance of the vinegar, soy and wasabi. The ingredient on top leaves a fresh flavour in your mouth and the rice breaks apart smoothly. Tasting each piece of Chef Li’s sushi is a pleasure.

It is very clear that Chef Li has a solid foundation of culinary expertise and my dinner there was one of the most enjoyable one. Dining at Hinoki gets more elaborate at dinner when there’s more time to linger over a meal. Try any of the three 7-course mini kaiseki meals ($85++) featuring Gindara, Wagyu Beef or Tempura or splurge out on a full omakase from $168++.

I am very interested in their lunch sets where they offer unique Lady Bento ($32) which contains no carbohydrates. For those who want to treat themselves, Hinoki offers a unique six-course Mini Kaiseki Lunch ($68++) and an eight-course Combination Lunch menu ($42++) where you choose two main courses from selected options like eel in claypot, sashimi moriawase, and cod fish in spicy cod roe.

Hinoki Japanese Dining
Address: 22 Cross Street, #01-50/53 China Square Central, South Bridge Court
Tel: 6536 7746
Opening Hours: 11:30am to 2.30pm; 6pm to 10.30pm

I woke up on a Saturday morning, happy that the sky is clear. Changed into my t-shirt and shorts, met aunty and uncle for brunch at GRUB. I am so happy that there is finally some nice makan places within walking distance from my house. Yes Kebun Bahru food centre got nice food, Melben also serves good crabs, but sometimes, you just want a place to have brunch in a nice park and chill out.

I have known Mervyn and Amanda for a few years? I can’t remember how it started but they were very supportive when I needed help for my cooking column when I was still writing for the papers. The couple owns a cooking school Cookyn Inc and now they have ventured into restaurant business! I am so happy for them! I have been to GRUB for dinner but coming here for brunch is a totally different experience altogether. Especially if you are sitting at the alfresco area, you can enjoy beautiful greenery of Bishan Park while enjoying your meal.

GRUB do not have an extensive brunch menu, to be frank. But they uses “responsible ingredients” such as free-range chicken and beef, and avoids MSG, artificial preservatives and additives. Its produce is also mostly from local farms.

Truffled egg cocotte ($7) is served with crispy parma ham and toasted focaccia. The runny egg is mixed with truffle oil and when you dunk the focaccia into the egg – heavenly.

Beef & Guinness pie ($12) is the highlight of my brunch. Lying atop of the buttery and flaky pie crust are chunks of meltingly tender beef and freshly-mashed potatoes. It was very delicious, with the pie soaking up in thick savory sauces. MUST ORDER!

Because the aunty and uncle do not take beef, we ordered a Pork Steak burger with apples, cashew chimichurri ($12). I had GRUB cheeseburger the other time round so this was a good change. Canadian pork shoulder is used and slow cooked for 24 hours. The steak is about 2cm, and goes well with the apples, cashew chimichurri. Personally, it was a bit too meaty for me. Perhaps they can pair it with some grilled sauce to enhance the flavour.

The crispy fish burger ($12) is a beauty. There you have a long piece of crumbled fish fillet and remoulade in between the burger. If you are wondering, GRUB uses sustainable fish and it is deep fried into a perfect golden brown. Fries were excellent too.

Homemade Churros ($8) is served with dark chocolate and tangy creme anglaise. I was hoping that it will excite me with some cinnamon aroma.

Belgium waffles ($9) was abit messy with all the grilled bananas, salted caramel and dark chocolate sauce. Yes it was crispy but lacks the rich buttery flavor.

Wash it down with a cuppa brewed with beans by Liberty Coffee (from $3). Note that they do not accept reservations, so be prepared to queue for a while or go there earlier lah!

On our way there, we saw this cute doggie in the park. He was so cute till I have to take a photo of it and show you guys. 太可爱了！

GRUB
Address: 510, Ang Mo Kio Ave 1 (Bishan Park 1)
Tel: 6459 5743 (No reservations)
Operating hours: Tues – Fri: 5.30pm – 10.30pm; Sat – Sun: 9am – 2.30pm, 5.30pm – 10.30pm. Closed on Mondays.
Website: http://grub.com.sg/

I have been wanting to try Kilo for the longest time. Its previous incarnation was the popular Raw Kitchen Bar at Greenwood and they serves very good food. So when they have transformed to Kilo, it was one of my must-try place list but I keep getting distracted by all the new restaurants.

And now that I have more time, I went to take up full time Japanese lessons which means I still do not have the time to fulfill all my must-try places. But I am so glad I took up Japanese lessons because one of my classmates, Seraphina, is actually one of the owners of Kilo!

Do you have those instances where you meet someone new and the new friendship makes you feel familiar and excited? When Sera first told me that she is one of the owners for Kilo, I was like OMG OMG OMG! I really love the food at Raw Kitchen Bar! So when Sera told me about their unique brunch event “Sunday in the City” at Kilo at PACT, I woke the tired boy up for a casual brunch!

Hiding in a remote corner of Orchard Central diagonally facing Orchard Plaza, Kilo at PACT is a 3-in-1 lifestyle concept. There is K.I.N clothing and lifestyle store, LIM Japanese hair salon and Kilo restaurant and bar! The interior is an aesthetically pleasing environment with an open space interspersed with concrete tables. We

“Sunday in the City” is a one-off event where they offered 8 special brunch items and some of which are not on their main menu. Kilo is a restaurant and bar with an inclination for hearty flavours and raw spaces. Its Japanese-Vietnamese inspired menu and concrete interiors hope to make for a different dining experience on Orchard Road.

This deliciously zingy Tequila Cured Salmon ($22) made a smart starter. No strong tequila taste and it is perfect with the crunch of a good toasted bagel with jalapeno cream cheese, pickled red onions and fresh coriander. It has just the right note of ‘special’ for such an occasion.

Beef Short Ribs ($28) is one of our favourites. Think juicy and tender grilled beef short ribs served with marsala scrambled eggs and truffled potato chips. Every bite is fresh and refreshing and the truffle potato chips is super addictive.

Zucchini Pancakes ($18) topped with iberico ham, arugula, a fried egg and balsamic glaze was tasty but nothing exciting.

Another of our favourites is the Banana Bites French Toast ($13) topped with fresh bananas, icing sugar and maple syrup. Yet another twist on your usual french toasts because they have added bananas in between each toast before pan frying. So when you eat it altogether with the maple syrup, you get a good marriage of sweet and savoury. This is in their main menu, worth trying especially if you are a banana fan!

Love the creativity of Kilo at PACT. I will definitely come back for more food items from their main menu.

Kilo at PACT
181 Orchard Road, Orchard Central #02-16/17/18/19
Tel: 6884 7560

What do you look for in a bowl of good laksa? The lemak gravy? The sambal belacan chilli? I attended a Laksa food trail organised by OpenRice and Central Singapore Community Development Council (CDC). One of the laksa place we visited was Sungei Road Laksa at Jalan Berseh.

Sungei Road got its name because it runs along the banks of the Rochor River (Sungei Rochor), hence its Malay name sungei meaning “river”. The road was also known as “Kek Sng Kio” in hokkien dialect or “结霜桥” in Chinese, which was made in reference to the Singapore Ice Works which used to exist in the precinct.

Sungei Road Laksa is a humble stall in a coffee shop. There is a long queue when we got there. The stall is manned by 3 ladies when we went on a Sunday morning. One of them was busy filling the bowls with ingredients, another one was busy taking orders while the aunty was filling each bowl of laksa with the gorgeous broth, fueled by a charcoal burner which I believe to be one of the last few existing stall which is still using charcoal. And, THEIR LAKSA IS ONLY $2!

The laksa is served like a typical Katong Laksa style, with only spoon and no chopsticks. The laksa has a beautiful orange gravy, topped with generous amount of cockles and green laksa leaves.

Here, you don’t get very heavy laksa gravy. It was light, easy to drink but it was a flavourful bowl. You can smell the spices in the gravy, sweet yet mild spicy, infused with coconut flavours and hae-bi in it! And the crunchy bean sprouts added texture to the bowl of laksa. One $2 bowl may not be enough for guys, but it was a perfect size for me. I was slurping up till the very last sip.

The second stop we went is Laksania @ Bugis Plus. This cafe is an social enterprise started by Madam Sim Sin Sin. She provides job for people from MINDS and ASPN to help these marginalised people to gain employment or re-enter the workforce. We tried their Singapore Nonya Laksa, Serawak Laksa, Kelantan Laksa and Chendol. I like the nonya laksa which is made with a rich, slightly sweet and strongly spiced coconut gravy (lemak). Read about my reviews here.

Sungei Road Laksa
Address: Block 27, Jalan Berseh #01-100 Jin Shui Kopitiam
Opening Hours: 9am – 6pm, closed on 1st and 3rd Wednesday of the month

It is amazing what you find when you venture off the beaten path. On my search for One Ocean Seafood Restaurant, I ended up in an area packed with car repair shops. I thought the taxi uncle has drove me to the wrong place, or rather, I gave the wrong address to the taxi driver. But no, all was right. The restaurant is located between a cluster of car repair shops.

My lunch began with a plate of Salted Egg Golden Flake Prawns (咸蛋金薯虾球, $25) which is absolute heaven to a lover of both salted eggs and prawns, like me. The savoury flavour of the rich mashed potato coating is just right – neither too strong nor too weak, while the prawns are marvellously fresh and very tender.

If you are bored of the usual chilli crab, black pepper crab, salted egg crab… how about having Italiana Crabs (意式香草螃蟹, $5/100gm)? Using Italiana Herb Paste from Unilever Food Solutions, the aromatic italiana sauce is smeared all over the crab pieces. It is wonderfully aromatic and indeed unique.

Another italiana dish is Italiana Scallop (意式香草炒带子, $18), a classic Cantonese dish made unique by being given a Western touch. It is based on a common dish in most Chinese restaurants where the scallops are fried with vegetables till both are just cooked. Here, the addition of Italiano herb paste gave it a new dimension as the characteristic aroma of the herbs assailed me with each bite. Yet I could still savour the sweetness of the plump scallops.

There was one dish that failed to excite me though. Golden Mashed Potato Roll (奶皇薯泥卷, $12) had fu pi spread with potato mash, with some curry powder added to the pumpkin sauce. Beautifully decorated, but I thought the curry powder was too overpowering, making it difficult to taste the scallops and cucumber within.

My favourite is the Double Boiled Sharks Fin with Pumpkin and Pork Ribs Soup (金瓜排翅炖排骨, $28/pax). Using concentratred scallop bouillon, the soup was savoury and I enjoyed the pumpkin as it soaked up all the flavours. You need to pre-order at least 1 day.

Interesting cze char dishes with a twist. Hardly get to see cze char who does such wonderful plating. And it is also interesting to see how they can create different dishes using the same paste (eg: italiana herb paste).

One Ocean Seafood Restaurant
Address: 1002 Toa Payoh Industrial Park #01-1407
Tel: 6256 3973
Opening Hours: 11am-2:30pm, 5:30pm – 11pm (Daily)

“When it comes to food, Singaporeans have the most sophisticated palates around the world. Thanks to our relative east of being able to jet-set on “food trips”, many have become familiar with the myriad of tasty offerings from far flung locales.

With the daunting task of exciting our seasoned taste buds, Marina Square’s latest gourmet endeavour “THE DINING EDITION” offers a collection of carefully curated cosmopolitan flavours.

The Dining Edition is located on level 2 of Marina Square Shopping Mall. At this new dining zone, the fun begins in choosing from 16 mid-to-upscale restaurants, bistros, café bakeries and coffee joins. The Dining Edition features 16 exciting mid-to-upscale restaurants, bistros, café bakeries, patisseries and coffee joints and the eclectic mix is made up of both local and international brand names.” – an extract from The Dining Edition’s tabloid.

I have visited the new gourmet zone 3 times and painstakingly gathered some interesting finds from THE DINING EDITION. Now get your tummy ready!

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Suki-Ya
Unit: #02-183B/183C
Tel: 6337 9969
Opening hours: Lunch: 11.30am – 4pm (daily), Dinner: 4pm – 10pm (Sundays to Thursdays), 4pm – 10.30pm (Fridays and Saturdays, incl. Eve of and on Public Holidays)

“Steamboat is one dining option that remains as a favourite among Singaporeans, and Suki-Ya gives the competition a good run for their money.” – how true! What do you call “all you can eat” in Japanese? It is Tabehodai! Suki-ya is designed to offer a heartwarming Tabehodai hot-pot experience at an equally endearing price.

We can choose from 4 soup bases including Sukiyaki, Shabu Shabu, Spicy Kimchi and the newly introduced Japanese Curry, which is exclusive to the Marina Square outlet.

Then, we ran to the buffet bar and enjoyed unlimited servings of vegetables, noodles, fishballs and a DIY sauce corner where we create can our own sauce. One of our favourite is the Chicken Cheese Balls – tender minced chicken balls filled with savoury cheese which melts in your mouth after cooking in the hotpot.

Nothing is complete without some meat for steamboat and I guess that is the highlight. We ordered the unlimited top-quality fresh beef, pork and farmed chicken from the kitchen. They are all sliced paper-thin for ease of cooking. We also ordered the wagyu beef which was on promotion on the day I went. We enjoyed a plate of Premium Wagyu Beef Platter at only $6.90++ (U.P. $14.90). Lunch is $16.90/adult, $12.90/child; dinner is $20.90/adult, $15.90/child.
Suki-Ya also features an a la carte menu that serves up interesting bites such as tori karaage (fried chicken), potato salad, gyoza (meat dumplings), ebi tempura, fried ebi (shrimps), salmon sashimi, fried tofu and edamame. Enjoy your meal at Suki-Ya with something cool and refreshing from their sake and shochu list or simply opt for an icy-cold Sapporo beer.

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Addictions Café & Remedy Bar
Unit: #02-105A
Tel: 6338 9969
Opening hours : 11am – 11pm (Mondays to Sundays)

The second edition to open here in Singapore, Addictions Café & Remedy Bar aims to celebrate the full flavour of life while striking a balance between good and evil, sinful and healthy – but all with the aim to quell food addictions.

The menu is crafted in two parts – food to satisfy the cravings, and drinks as a natural remedy to help you feel less guilty about your indulgences. With more than 25 items on the menu and about 12 remedial drinks to choose from, diners will be spoilt for choice.

My dinner started with Truffle Fries ($10) which is my addiction. Each shoestring fry was fried to a perfect golden brown and coated evenly with truffle salt and oil, exuding a smoky robust flavor with each bite. I loved the shavings of fresh Parmesan Cheese which added some depth.

Addictions Café & Remedy Bar @ The Dining Edition, Marina Square is currently running a promotion. All you need to do is to ‘Like’ Addictions Café & Remedy Bar on facebook and quote “Miss Tam Chiak loves the truffles fries and so do I!” and receive a complimentary bowl of truffle fries when 2 mains are ordered. Limited to 1 bowl per table, from now till 30 Sept 2013.

One of the more interesting picks is the Rack of Lamb ($26). You may think, lamb only what, nothing special. But the lamb is coated in spicy chocolate mint sauce. The lamb was done perfect. While the sauce may seem unusual, actually cocoa was long been used to complement the flavour of meat and they are surprisingly good together.

As part of the all-day-breakfast, the Tortilla Wrap Italian Sausage ($15) is served with mushrooms and scrambled eggs with a chilli tomato relish. This is complemented with an avocado salsa and is a unique twist to the usual all day breakfast. My only small complaint is the tortilla wrap is slightly too thick.

Another favourite of mine is the Vietnamese-inspired Cold Vermicelli with Crispy Chicken Leg ($15) in an herb fish sauce drizzle. This dish is something with a more Asian flavour and the tangy sauce opens up the palate immediately.

Highly recommended remedy drinks at this outlet include the Bramble ($16) – a refreshing drink with sweet-sour nuances and made with raspberries, blueberries, blackberries, lemon, Tanqueray No. 10 Gin and Crème de Cassis. A little egg white creates a foamy finish.

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Saigon Lotus
Unit: #02-100A/100B
Tel: 6337 4648
Opening hours : 11am – 10pm daily

Saigon — as most Vietnamese continue to refer as Ho Chi Minh City—is a thriving metropolis: vibrant and full of good food. Vietnamese food lovers will be in for a treat with the traditional Vietnamese dishes at Saigon Lotus.

There is a lot of attention to detail in all the dishes with ingredients coming directly from Vietnam. With fresh vegetables wrapped in rice paper, these Fresh Spring Rolls ($8) are a refreshing appetizer for an Asian-inspired meal.

Fish is a major part of the diet in southern Vietnam. One unique dish I had in Saigon Lotus is Canh Chua Ca ($28) which is Vietnamese sweet & sour fish soup. The waitress told me that this is what she eats this along with steamed rice, at lunch or dinner as the main meal of the day.

The Canh Chua Ca here contains a choice of fish or prawns in a light spicy-sweet tamarind broth and is topped with chopped pineapple, okra, tomatoes, bean sprouts, coriander and Vietnamese basil served in a huge transparent bowl. While I was savouring it, many passers-by were amused by this and came to me to ask me what dish is this.

The sour part of the canh chua comes from tamarind, and is offset by the sweetness of pineapples. There is a balance between the sourness of the tamarind and the saltiness from fish sauce. It’s a good way to use up every part of the fish.

Another dish I always order in a Vietnamese restaurant is their pork chop. Siagon Lotus’s Grilled Pork Chop ($12/2 pcs) has an irresistible sweetness. The flavourful lemongrass marinade makes the pork chop delectable.

Iced Vietnamese coffee (café sua da, $3.50) is very refreshing in September’s heat. It is made with finely ground Vietnamese-grown dark roast coffee individually brewed with a small metal French drip filter into a cup.

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Carnivore Appetite
Unit: #02-102/102A
Tel: 6336 2282
Opening hours : 11am – 11pm daily, 5pm – 12am (Alfresco bar)

Carnivore is definitely not a stranger to meat lovers. The people behind this 10-year old Brazilian churrascaria have come up with a new, upbeat and modern restaurant – Carnivore Appetite. The atmosphere at Carnivore Appetite is fun, relaxed, simple and understated.

Like the parent company, this casual dining concept features a delectable selection of succulent grilled meats. There is a giant showcase of the rotisserie at the outlet. I approached the handsome passadors manning the rotisserie and meats are readily sliced fresh off the skewers into their plates.

You can enjoy expertly marinated and perfectly grilled meats that include Beef Rump, Roasted Striploin and lamb leg. There are sweet and savoury condiments to enhance the flavours of the different meats.

Besides the meat, there are other hot buffet items such as Chicken Thigh, Chicken with Bacon, Grilled Fish, Honey Ham, Pork Ribs, Lambshank Stew, rice pilaf and the quintessential Feijoada – a Brazilian stew if they so desire.

To complement the meats, there are more than 15 options at the buffet salad bar to choose from. These comprise items such as seafood salad, fresh greens and grilled vegetables. The dessert spread entices with a selection of ice cream, cakes, pastries and Brazilian sweets.

If you come here for dinner, there are more food for you such as cold cuts and seafood! Top off your lunch/dinner with Brazil’s national drink, Caipirinha. Weekday buffet lunch ranges from $12.90++ and $19.90++ and dinner is at $24.00++. Weekend buffet lunch costs $29.90++ and dinner is at $34.90++.

Carnivore Appetite @ The Dining Edition, Marina Square is currently running a promotion. All you need to do is to ‘Like’ Carnivore Appetite on Facebook and quote: “Miss Tam Chiak was here!” and you will receive a complimentary Caipirinha (Brazil’s national drink). Limit to 1 per person, from now till 30 Sept 2013.

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Supreme Tastes Jiang Nan Cuisine
Unit: #02-181/182
Tel: 6333 4038
Opening hours : 11am – 10pm daily

Supreme Tastes specialises in a variety of dishes from the province of Jiang Nan in China. With almost 100 different dishes to choose from diners will be spoilt for choice.

To make our lunch easier, we ordered set menu for 2 ($38.80) and started our meal with double boiled watercress with pork soup and Braised Pork Ribs with special sauce. What I like is their Nan Xiang Xiao Long Bao and Purple Potato Vegetable Dumpling. Each handmade nugget has an almost silk-like thin skin filled with minced pork that has been seasoned with a secret mix of herbs and spices. The purple potato has much thicker skin but the colour makes it super attractive.

A main highlight at Supreme Tastes Jiang Nan Cuisine is their traditional hand-pulled noodles. These delicate slivers of dough are cooked in hot water till perfectly tender to the bite and then steeped in a special homemade chicken broth. Hot and sour soup Lamian has thick broth and slightly spicy. I am surprised the Lamian with Onion Oil fares much better. The fried onion oil is so fragrant. Another highlight here is the freshly made soya bean drink and hot homemade beancurd.

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I hope you enjoyed my 5 picks from The Dining Edition. There are of course more choices such as Bangkok Jam, Beanstro, Hamanoya, Hifumi, Lady M Confections (opening soon), Menzo Butao, Pita Pan, Nuvo (opening soon), SHALLOTS, ST.MARC Café and The Manhattan Fish Market.

For more information, visit www.thediningedition.com. You can also log on to www.marinasquare.com.sg/restaurantmonth to check out a gastronomic calendar of events and menus by participating restaurants and cafes during Marina Square’s inaugural Restaurant Month, held from 6 to 29 September 2013!

The girlfriends has been complaining that I have been posting alot of my bakes but none goes to them. So when we met up last Sunday, I decided to bake them some cupcakes.

I asked Grandpa to buy ripe bananas from the market and he returned with a huge bunch of bananas which is used to make goreng pisang, which is not right. So I went down to the market to look for another bunch of ripe bananas and couldn’t find it. The aunty who sold fruits sold me a bunch of baby bananas and said it is ripe. So in the end, our house had overload of bananas that day. Haha!

Banana Cupcakes with Honey Cinnamon Frosting
recipe adapted from Martha Stewart’s

INGREDIENTS
1.5 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
2 large eggs
1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1.5 cups mashed bananas (about 4 ripe bananas)
1 whole banana, for garnish (optional)

METHOD
1. Preheat oven to 180 degree celsius. Line a standard 12-cup muffin pan with paper liners.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
3. Make a well in center of flour mixture. In well, mix together butter, mashed bananas, eggs, and vanilla. Stir to incorporate flour mixture.
4. Dividing evenly, spoon batter into muffin cups.
5. Bake until a toothpick inserted in center of a cupcake comes out clean, 25 to 30 minutes.
6. Remove cupcakes from pan; cool completely on a wire rack.

Honey-Cinnamon Frosting
Recipe from Martha Stewart’s

INGREDIENTS
1.25 cup confectioners’ sugar
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 tablespoon honey
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon

METHOD
1. In a medium bowl, using an electric mixer, beat confectioners’ sugar, unsalted butter, honey, and ground cinnamon until smooth, 4 to 5 minutes.
2. Spread tops with Honey-Cinnamon Frosting. Just before serving, peel and slice banana into rounds, and place one on each cupcake, if desired.

Remember to only place the bananas when you want to serve, if not the banana will turn black. Verdict? The girlfriends of course love it!

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Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2 is finally here! This American comic film was produced by Sony Pictures Animation and received very positive reviews when it was first launched in 2009. After 4 years, the team has finally produced Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2 which will be in cinema in 10 October 2013!

In this show, it’s always been Inventor Flint Lockwood’s dream to be recognized as a great inventor, but everything changes when he discovers that his most infamous machine (which turns water into food) is still operating and is now creating food-animal hybrids – “foodimals!” With the fate of humanity in his hands, Chester sends Flint and his friends on a dangerously delicious mission, battling hungry tacodiles, shrimpanzees, apple pie-thons, double bacon cheespiders and other food creatures to save the world again!

This instalment has become more exciting with the introduction of “Foodimals”! Sony Pictures has thus, came up with a contest. That is, to CREATE YOUR OWN FOODIMAL! This is a challenge for me. I may have done bento, but bento are mostly 2D. And to create animals using ingredients, needs a bit of creativity (which I do not have any)! After looking at the entries of previous contestants, here’s my own foodimals!

Let me introduce you two of my friendly foodimals. The first one, easy to be done, and it is made from bread – PETER, THE HAPPY BEE!

Cute anot! At first I wanted to do caterpillar. But it somehow became a Bumble Bee! I transformed my breakfast into a cute bumble bee! Stripes made from nori and I used pretzel sticks for the feelers. I did this within 5 minutes!

My second foodimal – LEROY, THE FRIENDLY COW. Inspired by the carton of milk in my kitchen, I used 2 eggs to make the cow. How did I make it stand, well by using pasta! THIS IS REALLY HARDWORK, I took about 15 minutes to complete but I absolutely love this!

I am sure you are more creative than me lah, try to create your own foodimals, snap a photo, hash tag #Cloudy2Foodimals and share on Instagram. Each created foodimal has to be named. Contest period ends on 3 October 2013. Winners of the best created foodimals will walk away with Cloudy 2 movie premiums and preview tickets! Don’t forget to tag your pictures to Sony Pictures Instagram: @ChurpSG!

Here’s a trailer for the show. And also, there is a Foodimal game which you can play. It is available on both iOS and Android platforms. Here’s how you play it: http://youtu.be/Mh52hHd0wAE

For more information, visit Sony Pictures facebook: www.facebook.com/SonyPicturesSG

Arbite, a quaint restaurant within Serangoon Gardens which is popular for brunch and dinner, is not a stranger to many of us. Their latest restaurant A for Arbite has a totally different concept and it is a welcoming change. Located on Aliwal Street, where the trendy Haji Lane is just a stone’s throw away, A for Arbite aims to be more creative with a focus on food pairings. Each of the dinner items has a suggested drink pairing, resulting in a more complete dining experience.

Since opening in March this year, A for Arbite’s drink pairing menu has opened diners’ eyes to unusual Belgian craft beers as well as the unique fusion foods and high-quality ingredients. But the restaurant has recently revamped its entire dinner menu, where Chef Marc wanted to develop and refine the concept and give people an experience greater than simply eating at a restaurant – all while keeping prices affordable.

The wide range, smaller portion sizes and lower price of the dishes lets diners try a wide variety of items without getting full on a single main course. New cooking and preparation techniques have been introduced and can be seen in dishes like the very clever all-in-one Egg benedict ($3). You don’t get the typical huge and runny egg. Instead, squarish brioche is served with black forest ham, poached quail egg and hollandaise. Simply pop the entire bread into the mouth and enjoy the burst of flavours from within.

Caesar salad ($6) arrives with two pieces of romaine leaves with grana padano, croutons, shaved egg, tempura anchovie and bacon bilis in caesar dressing. An interesting portion but it was a messy affair for me as I was only able to bite half of leaves and the ingredients topples down.

The pan-fried scallops ($8) drew praises from us. The scallop is succulent and generously sized with prune, balsamic puree and crispy parma ham.

Looking similar to cha soba, Green Tea Spaghettini ($7) featured handmade green tea pasta, smoked duck breast, wasabi tobiko and lapsang souchong broth. Simply pour the broth into the noodles, the flavour of the green tea is discernible but not overpowering as it’s balanced with the lovely smoky flavour from lapsang souchong broth.

Portobello and lentil stack ($9) is surprisingly my favourite, even though I am not a fan of eggplants. These grilled eggplant, zucchini, lentil and mushroom ragout is bursting with juice and pair well with the heartiness of the lentils!

A very unique presentation for Salad Nicoise ($6) which has tuna loin tataki, shaved egg, potato confit, tomato and olive agar, served with Cabernet Sauvignon dressing. The richly flavored sauce turns a simple salad into an elegant affair. But I thought the tomato and olive agar had a rather acquired taste.

Braised smoked pork belly ($7) is always a dish that provides maximum pleasure. The streaky bacon is braised for 36 hours till tender and delicious. It is served with kimchi and tucked into a leaf bun, which is similar to our the Chinese version of Kong Bak Pau.

Morocon spiced Deep fried quail ($8.50) is served with chilli jam and sprinkled with sumac.

Jar of Duck ($19.50) is one of my favourite starters. A terrine of tiny shreds of tender, succulent duck melded together with black truffle, foie gras, smoked duck breast and roasted grapes, then served with crackers to counteract the richness. I thought the smoked duck was too overwhelming and it has unfortunately covered up the sweetness of duck rillettes and aroma of black truffle and foie gras.

Our favourite dish for that night is Squid Ink Risotto ($16.50). The short grain arborio rice had a nice chewy consistency which is always something we looked for in a good plate of risotto. It is served with a generous portion of seafood such as prawns, squid, mussels, crabmeat and deep fried halibut.

Being a sucker for french toast, their French Toast with G.M. Mascarpone ($5) is quite a good one. It may not be the prettiest, but it has a strong coffee aroma in the brioche, and the sweet gula melaka mascarpone cream cheese.

I never thought I would like their Ginseng Panna Cotta ($7). The first mouthful had a obvious bitter taste but as I slowly eat it, I begin to taste the sweetness from the wolf berries and chrysanthemum sorbet which is rather refreshing.

We enjoyed our dinner with the singing by The A Cappella Society.

A for Arbite
Address: 28 Aliwal Street, #01-01 Aliwal Arts Centre
Tel: 8321 2252
Opening hours:
Tue – Fri 11.30 am – 11 pm; Sat 11 am-11 pm ; Sun 9 am- 9 pm. Closed on Mondays.

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From 26 – 29 September, A for Arbite will be holding CRAFT at A for Arbite and the Aliwal Arts Centre, to celebrate dedication, hard work and creativity.

CRAFT is a four-day event celebrating the best of Singapore’s crafters, artists and artisans, centred around fine food and drink and hosted by A for Arbite. This new restaurant will be serving up its own twist on local street food, while playing host to live workshops, demonstrations, artworks and interactive experiences.

Food and beverage pairing is the focus of A for Arbite, but they have had more than a few people visit them who have been unsure of exactly how it works and afraid of making a mistake. Beers can either compliment (echo a common flavour like sweetness in both the meat and the beer) or contrast (provide an opposite dimension to the flavour of the food such as pairing a golden ale that has a clean and sweet-spicy finish to cut through the milky and salty characters of a cream-based pasta).

So if you wish to learn more about beer and food pairing, register for the workshop on 29 September 2013 from 12pm to 2pm. At this workshop, co-presented by A for Arbite and The Drinking Partners, attendees will have the chance to appreciate and learn more about food and beer pairing, including the ways to recognise and describe the bouquet, palate and mouthfeel of beers, and how different beers compliment, contrast or cut with different dishes. There will, of course, be food and beer to drink so this one is for ages 18+! Tickets are priced at $30/pax.

Thanks to A for Arbite, I am giving away A FREE PAIR of tickets to the Beer & Food Pairing workshop to one lucky reader that is happening on next Sunday (29 September 2013). The event is from 12pm to 2pm and you will to eat and have beer! All you have to do is to answer a simple question:

Question: Where will CRAFT take place?

Giveaway ends on 24 September 2013 (Tuesday), 11:59. A random generator will be used, everyone has an equal chance of winning. Good luck and make sure you can make it on 29 September 2013 ah! If you never win, also go there and have fun!

I LOVE Thailand, especially Bangkok. And one of the reasons is the food there. Obviously, I’m always on the lookout formThai food and recently, I was introduced to Rochor Thai. Founded by a passionate food enthusiast Joel, Rochor Thai has the perfect concoction of classic traditional flavours cleverly infused with modern Thai elements. Previously located at the historical Rochor Centre, Rochor Thai has now moved to the new location at Joo Chiat.

Priding themselves as the Thai bistro to deliver strictly MSG-free dishes, the restaurant wanted to do justice to the beauty of natural ingredients. Making all the pastes and sauces from scratch, spoil yourself with a good choices of Thai dishes.

Som Tum ($6.80) gave a good start to the meal because they are very generous with their spices – HOT AH! The green papaya provides a crisp texture, and blended with hot chilli and dried shrimp.

The Tom Yum Talay ($8.80) here, is a brew that turns your face brick-red with tongue-numbing chilli padi, but abit too oily for my liking.

I know this is great pork collar ($12.80) when I see it and sink my teeth into juicy strips of it. I have tried many Thai places and many of their grilled pork collar is very dry. But Rochor Thai’s pork collar is very tender. It may be slightly salty when you have it alone, but the aromatic dried chilli sauce balanced the flavour.

Clams flambe with chilli jam ($14.80) and chef’s stock is something unique in a Thai restaurant but it was slightly too salty for me.

Chef’s special green curry ($11.80) came with nice tender chicken thigh and thai eggplant. The thick and creamy gravy also had a nice balance of sweetness and spiciness that went well with the rice.

Gaeng Phet Pla Krapong Daeng ($16.80) is one of my favourite dish. The sweet and savoury of the red curry and the smooth and tender snapper fillets totally make the dish outstanding. It has a perfect balance of sour, salty, sweet and spicy flavours.

Unfortunately, their Pad Thai Talay ($7.80) disappoint me because it was too wet and soggy.

I was expecting my Stir-fried Thai ‘Drunken’ Style Prawns ($16.80) to have some alcohol in it because of the work drunken. Haha! But it does not have any alcohol lah. Apparently, the chef said this dish is supposedly known by the Thais to “drown their sorrows”. It’s stir fried in thai chilli jam and thai sweet basil.

Rochor Thai is a no-frills Thai eatery offering the perennial favourites like som tum, tom yum soup, pad thai etc. You can get a good mix of Thai dishes here and they are trying to keep the flavours as authentic. But there may be some dishes which would still need some fine tuning.

Rochor Thai
Address: 340 Joo Chiat Road
Tel: 6440 3270

As part of the Gusto Italiano festival, I was invited to Dolce Vita in Mandarin Oriental to enjoy a Sunkissed Sicily Night with the wines of Donnafugata.

Long considered to be a gastronomic treasure, this dinner focuses on the produce from the South of Italy, Sicily. The culinary team from Dolce Vita expound on the ‘Sunkissed’ flavours through a six course dinner specially created by Chef Johnny Meitei. Born in Manipur, India, Chef Johnny has honed his culinary skills in the kitchens of India, the Middle East, London and now Singapore.

Dolce Vita’s menu appeals by being simple, wholesome, and down-to-earth. It uses only the freshest ingredients of the best quality; and luxurious produce are flown in from various parts of Italy.

We started our dinner with Sicilian Aubergine Relish, whcih is a gutsy relish packed with flavour, a common dish in Sicilian cooking. A cooked aubergine body is quite ugly and brown, but its smokiness is so addictive and sweet peppers complemented it.

Light and fluffy to the touch, couscous the popular fine round granules made from moistened semolina wheat is lip smacking eaten with seafood, Sicilian vegetables, olive oil and saffron.

The Ricotta and Marjoram Ravioli was served with a tangy meat sauce and mint like Marjoram. Freshly made, the pasta itself was firm to the bite. I could have easily eaten another plate.

The pan fried duck breast pleased those who fancy intense flavour. The meat was sweet, moist and succulent, with sauteed spinach and roasted new potatoes to give the saltiness. It is interesting to pair with pomegranate, which adds texture to the entire dish.

Last by not least, the rich Amedei Chocolate Hazelnut Gianduja mousse chocolate sache sponge gave a sweet closure to the dinner.

After tucking into the decadent spread, all I really want to do is lean back on my chair, enjoying the caress of the night breeze on your face while taking a tantalising glimpse of the Singapore skyline in the distance.

Dolce Vita
Address: 5F, Mandarin Oriental, 5 Raffles Ave
Tel: 6885 3500

From now to 27 September 2013, The Fullerton Hotel Singapore’s Town Restaurant will bring together the best local delights from Johor at its “Johor Palace Delicacies” lunch and dinner buffets.

The hotel has specially invited a celebrated culinary expert from the Malaysian state to ensure that the most authentic flavours and dishes will be presented, and these will be created from complicated and tedious recipes that are reputed to be favoured by Johor’s social elites.

I am so glad that finally a restaurant is doing a food promotion about Johor because there are just so much good food in our neighbouring country. I have previously done a huge blog post about some must try places in Johor and whenever I look at it again, I miss the food so much.

The buffet spread at Town Restaurant will comprise more than 25 tantalizing dishes from Johor. Starting from salad, there are Asma Rojak, Rojak Petis, Gado-Gado and Rojak Salad. Asma Rojak which is made of shrimp fritters, fried tofu, tempe, fish cake and gravy. The sauce, which is the focal point of all good rojak, is a thick flavourful sauce. Tasty as it is not too heavy.

Ok I am a mountain tortoise because I have not tried any Johor Laksa before this. I have tried Penang Laksa, Kelantan Laksa, Serawak Laksa, and of course our own Singapore Nonya Laksa, but how does Johor Laksa taste like? I would say it is very different from other states’ laksa!

They used fish based gravy which is blended together with lots of herbs and spices. Here, the thick gravy was layered on the bed of yellow noodles. It is a marriage of spicy, fragrant, savoury and grainy gravy which is very interesting. Laksa Johor will be cooked with other noodles such as Mee Bandung (Noodles in spicy prawn gravy) and Mee Rebus (Noodles in a brown bean sauce with boiled eggs). Satay Ayam (Grilled chicken skewers with peanut sauce) will be freshly grilled at an outdoor pit at Town Restaurant’s alfresco terrace.

The selection of mains offers a variety of chicken, beef, seafood, rice and noodle dishes in items like Nasi Briyani (Spiced rice with saffron and mixed ingredients) which reminds me of my vacation in Nikoi Island because we had something similar too. Anyway, we had a variety of dishes such as bryani daging (spiced rice with marinated beef), ayam masak opor (spiced chicken stew with coconut milk), ikan gulai nenas (fish in tangy pineapple and tamarind gravy) and pencuk timun

We had a sinful bowl of Bubur Kacang which is made from mung beans with coconut milk and palm sugar or cane sugar. The beans are boiled till soft, and sugar and coconut milk are added. There is also Lepat Pisang to go with it. You can still enjoy other asian and international delights on top of the Johor delicacies.

“Johor Palace Delicacies” Lunch Buffet costs $53 per adult and $26 per child; dinner buffet costs $53 per adult and $26 per child on 17, 18, 23, 24 and 25 September 2013, $69 per adult and $34 per child on 19, 26 and 27 September 2013 with a seafood spread, and $79 per adult and $35 per child from 20 to 22 September 2013 with a seafood spread and grilled lobster.

Town Restaurant
Address: Level 1, Fullerton Hotel, 1 Fullerton Square
For reservations and enquiries, please call 6877 8128 or email town@fullertonhotel.com

The hawker food culture is closely associated with Singapore’s multi-ethnic history. Origins of hawker food date back to the days when early immigrants from China, India and the Malay Archipelago brought with them the cuisines from their homeland, which evolved over time to incorporate the local influence.

Early immigrants hawked these dishes on the streets as part of their livelihood. As Singapore developed, street hawkers were relocated to sanitised hawker centres built by the government to maintain a hygienic environment. These iconic traditional hawker dishes flourished as more hawker centres were set up over the years and eventually became an integral part of Singapore’s food culture.

Unfortunately, we are facing a indisputable fact that few people really want to be hawkers. It’s hot, dirty, and tiring. And we have heard many stories of hawker legends having to close down before there are no one to take over the business. While we had many sad stories, there are some heartening ones which we should give a shout out. That is, there are still a group of young hawkers who chose to preserve Singapore’s hawker heritage.

Shangri-La Hotel, has staged a unique promotion, “Hawker Heritage – The Next Chapter,” at The Line on 21 and 28 September 2013. Nine young hawkers from six famous eateries will present local hawker dishes at The Line for you to experience Singapore’s hawker food culture and highlight the new generation of hawkers.

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Early Indian immigrants brought Indian rojak, a mix of deep-fried dough fritters, to Singapore from the Takala region. It was a common sight to see these items sold in pushcarts. Other ingredients were added in later years for greater variety.

Second-generation hawker, Mr. Habib Mohamed, who took over the family business, currently helms this Indian rojak stall started by his father (Mr. Gani) in 1988. Among Mr. Gani’s three children, 25-year-old Mr. Habib is the only child who followed his father’s footsteps in becoming an Indian rojak specialist, selling this hawker fare to his loyal customers.

His foray into the hawker line began with peeling potatoes when he was in kindergarten. Selling Indian rojak has been his first and only job after completing the National Service and G.C.E “N” level education. Carving a successful career and being his own boss as an Indian rojak hawker, Mr.Habib has been featured in local newspapers, blogs and has even appeared in the local Channel 5 television programme, “Makan Places.”

Mr. Habib’s Indian Rojak is a colourful platter of his top-selling coconut fritters, fried bean curd, potato, cuttlefish, fish cake and vadai, topped with onions, green chillies and cucumber that go perfectly with the delicious red Indian rojak sauce. The sauce, made with peanuts, chillies, pineapple and tamarind powder, combines sweetness, spiciness with a hint of sourness.

Mr. Habib learnt the culinary skills from his father and inherited the secret recipes for the batter used for 24 types of traditional Indian rojak items and the sauce that goes with it. Every item from his stall is freshly prepared daily. These include coconut fritters, fried bean curd, potato, cuttlefish, crispy prawn fritters, flour-battered egg, fish cake and vadai.

Habib’s Rojak
Address: Blk 503 West Coast Drive, Ayer Rajah Food Centre, Stall 68
Opening hours: 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily (closed on alternate Mondays)

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Kway Guan Huat Joo Chiat Original Popiah & Kueh Pie Tie was founded in 1938 by Mr. Quek Tren Wen, who sailed to Singapore from Fujian, China. Since then, it has become an iconic shop house in Joo Chiat Road, attracting customers in search of traditional homemade popiah and kueh pie tees. The popiahs are made from scratch, starting with handmade paper-thin popiah skin using fresh dough cooked daily over a flat heated pan before adding the filling and wrapped. Seeing that it was a waste to discard the leftover dough daily, his Peranakan wife came up with the idea of using the dough for making their special bite-sized kueh pie tee cups.

Mr. Quek’s skills are inherited by his children. Five of them are now helming the shop as second-generation popiah and kueh pie tee experts. The men, Mr. Ker Cheng Lye, Mr Quek Chin Heng and Mr. Quek Kiat Siong, are skilful in the art of popiah skin making by tossing the dough continuously using their hands before dapping a portion on the hot pan to make sheets of popiah skin in one swift motion.

The women, Ms. Zita Quek and Ms. Vicky Quek, are experts in making the filling and other condiments for the popiah and kueh pie tee. The third generation has also mastered the art of popiah¬ making. Many of them are professionals in pharmaceuticals, information technology and accounting, but they help out on weekends or when the shop is busy. For instance, 37-year-old Michael Ker (the guy in the first photo), has been doing this for 20 years alongside his day job in the pharmaceutical industry.

The fame of Kway Guan Huat Joo Chiat Original Popiah & Kueh Pie Tie is best seen when throngs of customers queue up at the shop during weekends. Their rich history is well documented in local newspaper clippings and magazines that are proudly hung in the shop. They also cater to external popiah and kueh pie tee parties, as well as conduct demonstration classes for Singapore Tourism Board’s tour groups and corporate events.

Kway Guan Huat Joo Chiat Original Popiah & Kueh Pie Tie (since 1938)
Address: 95 Joo Chiat Road. Telephone: 6344 2875
Opening hours: 7:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. daily (closed on Mondays)

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Do you know, the pork ribs soup dish with herbs introduced to Singapore by Chinese coolies and commonly eaten with rice as a breakfast dish to give them energy for a day of hard labour. Given Singapore’s status as a spice trade hub in the early days, the coolies collected spices, such as pepper and garlic, which were added to pork ribs soup and eaten with a pot of Chinese tea; hence, the name bak kut teh as commonly known now.

Mr. Lim Hai Chai started Rong Cheng Bak Kut Teh (“榕城(新民路)肉骨茶”) 36 years ago. He is a carpenter who loves to eat bak kut teh (pork ribs soup) and drink Chinese tea. Driven by his love for bak kut teh, he learnt to cook the dish from a renowned master in Singapore and set up a permanent shop in Sin Ming Road more than 30 years ago.

Mr. Lionel Lim revolutionized the local bak kut teh scene 20 years ago by using loin rib (龙骨 in Mandarin) and not adding soya sauce to the broth. The clear broth brings out the natural taste of pork ribs, pepper and garlic, which would otherwise be overpowered by the soya sauce taste. He also kept the practice of having “gong fu” tea with bak kut the, which has been passed down from the time of the coolies in the early days of Singapore. Keeping with tradition is the secret to his shop’s success.

Following his father’s footsteps, 39-year-old Mr. Lim is the second-generation owner of Rong Cheng Bak Kut Teh. Having graduated in Australia with a bachelor’s degree in Marketing, he worked in the corporate world for 10 years before deciding to open a new shop in Midview City in 2011. In this shop, he hopes to make his father’s bak kut teh brand name more prominent, while attracting younger customers to this traditional hawker dish and preserving the “gong fu” tea drinking culture to pass on to future generations.

Mr. Lim’s shop is the only bak kut teh establishment place in Singapore to offer floral tea, which caters to the palate of the younger generation. At his shop, they can also learn the hassle-free steps to the tea ritual guided by his staff. This floral tea is lighter and unlike traditional Chinese tea, which tends to be bitter. It emits a floral aroma, such as that from chrysanthemum, white flower and jasmine. Since the opening of his shop, Mr. Lim has been featured in local Chinese newspapers, blogs and the local Channel 5 television food programme called “Meat and Greed.”

Rong Cheng Bak Kut Teh
Address: 26 Sin Ming Lane #01-114/117 Midview City
Opening hours: 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily
Telephone: 6684 1889

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A specialist in handmade fish ball noodles and giant fish cakes, Ru Ji Kitchen (如记小厨) is a popular stall in Holland Drive set up 10 years ago by Mr. Ng Hock Loo, who is currently 60 years old. His daughter, Ms. Joanne Ng, and son-in-law, Mr. Daniel Lee (both 31 years old), decided to continue his legacy and fulfil their entrepreneurial quest of setting up their own stall at Old Airport Road Food Centre in May 2012.

Using his secret recipe under his supervision, Ms. Ng and Mr. Lee, took around two months to master Mr. Ng’s skills. This husband-and-wife duo, who graduated with degrees in biomedical sciences from the University of Bradford in Britain through the Management Development Institute of Singapore, recouped their initial start up cost of S$10,000 in two months.

They have been reaping great success, evident from a long snaking queue of customers yearning to savour the fish ball noodles and fish cakes every morning. Inspired by the brisk business at their stall, the couple will open another stall in Redhill soon and hope to expand by adding five or six more outlets.

Mr. Lee is in charge of frying giant fish cakes to golden brown perfection on the outside and keeping them juicy and succulent on the inside. Ms. Ng fronts the stall with taking orders and preparing fish ball noodles with the help of her parents. Their homemade chilli sauce adds a finishing touch to the dish. They were invited to participate in Singapore Day 2012 held in New York to serve their specialty to Singaporeans overseas. Over the years, Ru Ji kitchen has been featured extensively in local newspapers, radio programmes and blogs.

Ru Ji Kitchen
Address: Block 51 #01-37 Old Airport Road Food Centre
Opening hours: 7:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. daily (closed on Mondays)

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Established by 29-year-old Melvin Soh, Toast Hut is the place for traditional kaya (coconut jam) toast set with coffee and tea any time of the day. Mr. Soh picked up his skills at a local kaya toast chain when he was 17 years old between classes at the Institute of Technical Education. After working there for three years, he opened his own stall in Old Airport Road Food Centre in 2007 at the tender age of 23, serving kaya toast paired with home-brewed traditional coffee, which he learnt from his father.

Aside from the signature items, he serves blended ice coffee to cater to his young customers and freshly made sandwiches using traditional kaya toast bread. In response to the health consciousness of Singaporeans, kaya used in Mr. Soh’s stall is specially created to make it less sweet and not cloying when served with coffee or tea.

His mother and two workers help him at the stall, which has a long queue every morning. He counts international hairstylist Addy Lee as a loyal customer who never fails to visit his stall when he is in town.

Toast Hut
Address: Block 51 #01-52 Old Airport Road Food Centre
Opening hours: 6:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. daily (closed on Thursdays)

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Master hawkers are willing to impart their skills to the younger generation who have the right attitude to learn. This is so for 23-year-old Terence Chee who learnt the art of fried prawn noodles from a master hawker in Serangoon Garden.

After four years of perfecting his skills at various well-known fried prawn noodles stalls, Mr. Chee eventually set up his own stall in May 2012 called Xiao Di Fried Prawn Noodle (小弟炒虾面). This secondary school dropout has carved his name as an up-and-coming hawker star who has been featured in local newspapers, magazines and blogs.

He inherited the true skills of a master hawker and his fried prawn noodles have a slightly gooey consistency. He uses prawn broth to cook the yellow noodles and rice noodles before frying them with bean sprouts, eggs, squids, prawns, pork belly strips, pork lard and chives. The homemade sambal chilli served with lime completes the dish. SERIOUSLY, THIS HOKKIEN MEE IS VERY GOOD!

Terence strongly believes that cooking with passion will make a difference to the final dish. Therefore, he is very particular about the preparation time and choosing the right ingredients such as using a particular type of prawn from Thailand.

Xiao Di Fried Prawn Noodle
Address: Blk 153, Serangoon North Avenue 1, Guan Hock Tiong Eating House
Opening hours: 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily (closed on Mondays)

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When all powers unite – you have the inaugural “Hawker Heritage – The Next Chapter” at The Line! On 28 Septemer 2013 (Saturday), all these 6 hawkers will gather at The Line @ Shangri-la Hotel. From Indian rojak, fishball noodles, bak kut teh to fried hokkien mee, popiah and kaya toast, these hawker food will add variety to restaurant’s 16 theatre kitchens. I am so happy that they are all at one place and I can eat to my heart’s content. This give us a chance to try all their hawker dishes a one go, and also give the hawkers recognition to be able to present their food in a hotel!

On top of that, there are other local favourites such as stingray, braised pork leg, chap chye, stir fried vegetables, braised pork belly etc. And there is even roasted suckling pig!

Other than that, you can enjoy a range of desserts or have old school ice cream bread. There are also signature hawker drinks, such as Milo Dinosaur, Teh Tarik, Kopi Tarik, Bandung and Grass Jelly with Soya Bean Milk which will be distributed in glass mugs or takeaway clear plastic bags akin to those found in local beverage stalls.

You can also revisit the good old days of kacang puteh sold from a pushcart. “Kacang” refers to nuts, beans or peas and “puteh” means white in Malay language. In the old days of Singapore, kacang puteh was commonly seen outside cinemas, schools or along the streets. The Line replicates the experience with its own blend of kacang puteh wrapped in paper cones.

ONLY FOR ONE DAY! “Hawker Heritage – The Next Chapter” is available during dinner buffet at The Line on 28 September 2013 only. Dinner buffet is from 6:00 to 10: 30 p.m., and is priced at $78 per adult and at $36 per child. Hurry book now!

The Line @ Shangri-La Hotel
Address: Shangri-La Hotel, 22 Orange Grove Road
Reservations Hotline: 6213 4398 (or e-mail dining.sls@shangri-la.com)

I am sure many of you are familar with Chef Tan Yong Hua. He has helmed the kitchens of several renowned Chinese restaurants in prominent hotels for over 20 years such as the Raffles Hotel, Raffles the Plaza, Marina Mandarin as well as the Tung Lok Group of Restaurants in Singapore. I met him in 2007 while I was still doing internship for a food magazine. He was still with Peach Blossoms at Marina Mandarin and we featured him as 南瓜王子 (pumpkin king) with many healthy pumpkin dishes.

Fast forward to 6 years later, Chef Tan Yong Hua is now writing the next chapter of his culinary career, preparing deeply personal cuisine that conveys his life experiences to his customers at Restaurant HOME.

One highlight in the menu is Chef Tan’s signature Peking Duck Barbecued with Lychee Wood (炭烧荔枝木北京烤鸭, $38 for half a duck, $68 for a whole duck). Having learnt insider roasting techniques for the dish from local chefs while on a consultancy stint in China, Chef Tan subsequently spent months refining them, adapting the dish for the Singaporean palate.

A taste of his Peking Duck, I found that Chef Tan’s version has less fat under the skin than traditional Peking Duck, but boosts equally good flavours.

Chef Tan has specially designed a customized wood-fired oven with superior heat retention, so that his Peking ducks emerge with skin that is crispy and glossy, not chewy. He also used imported lychee wood, for the more delicate aroma and flavours it imparts. The roast duck looks temptingly golden brown and the fragrance is irresistible.

At Restaurant HOME, a Peking duck feast begins with slices of skin dipped in sugar and continues with sliced meat with pancakes, leek, cucumber and a sweet sauce. For an additional $10, you can choose how you would like the rest of the duck to be prepared: duck bones simmered in soup, thigh and breast meat stir-fried with onion and ginger, or deep-fried and then stir-fried with salt and pepper.

Another signature dish reprised at Restaurant HOME is Baked Marble Goby in Claypot with Chef Tan In-house Recipe(炭烧焗鼎锅笋壳, $9 per 100g), nicknamed “Swa Teng Fish”.

Chef Tan grew up in kampong (swa teng) where electricity could only be produced by a generator, which made it very expensive. His grandmother liked to use claypot to cook, as it kept the food warm for a long time. So he used her cooking method, with premium quality fish, and a unique mix of local spices and ingredients such as blue ginger, lemongrass and spring onions to create this dish.

Homemade Egg Bean Curd with Shrimp Paste Crabmeat and Roe in Pi Pa Style (珊瑚琵琶豆腐, $18 regular) is outstanding too because he and his team make fresh bean curd daily from high quality soybeans, with a traditional and labourious method that guarantees more concentrated flavor and an exceptionally smooth texture. Outcome? Every piece of tofu is smooth and soft!

Braised Diced Chicken with Braised Fungus, Dried Lily Buds and Flower Mushrooms served in Hot Stone (古窝云耳金针焖鸡, $20 regular) is a Cantonese dish that was popular in the 1970s but is less so these days, so Chef Tan revived the dish in his restaurant.

This simple one pot recipe is one that his grandmother often cooked. Though it looked simple to prepared, but it actually requires precise seasoning and cooking technique to balance the ingredients’ flavours correctly.

Another dish which is memorable to me is the Braised Duo Rice Vermicelli with Pork Knuckles served in Oba Leaf (乌巴叶红烧猪蹄焖鸳鸯米, $20 regular) which is a twist from the local “ter kah bee hoon”. The pork knuckles are braised with a selection of Chinese herbs for five hours over low heat, and the bee hoon is mixed with tung hoon for its complementary smoother texture.

Crispy Pan-Fried Pancake Filled with Lotus Paste (莲容锅饼, $8 per order) is something light to share, with overloading of sesame seeds on the surface. It is nice, crisp light and not too sweet. Very likeable.

With freshness and natural flavours being the hallmarks of Cantonese cuisine, Chef Tan showcases his mastery and versatility in Restaurant HOME’s menu by using the freshest ingredients and marrying traditional recipes with his signature flair. They also have sumptuous lunch selections – choose 7 out of over 20 dishes, at just $28.80 per person (*min 3 persons). The menu includes barbecued duck with lychee wood!

One happy news for Chef Tan, he has been selected to represent Singapore, on behalf of the Society of Chinese Cuisine Chefs, for the Iron Chef Bangkok. And he has beat the Iron Chef Bangkok for Chinese cuisine! Congratulations Chef Tan!

Restaurant HOME
Address: 392Upper Bukit Timah Road, The Rail Mall
Tel: 6465 1698
Operating hours: Open Daily 12pm – 3 pm (last order, 2.15 pm), 6pm– 11pm (last order, 10.15pm)

Have you had your salad today? Eating salad regularly is one of the most healthy eating habits you can adopt. After months of eating mooncakes, it is time to look at healthier options. But I don’t want to be biting on celery and carrot sticks everyday. I can’t seriously. Thankfully, salads these days come with gourmet ingredients, protein-laden cuts of meat and interesting dressing other than the usual boring olive oil.

I used to think that salad is a side dish for my meals until I tried some salad bars locally and realized that big bowl of salad can be so filling (and so healthy). There is an increase in the number of salad bars opening in Singapore in recent years. It seems like a good and healthy trend among executives to have salads during lunch. Last year when we held our Food Revolution event at The Lawn @ Biopolis, I tried their bowl of salad and love their grills. This time, I am glad to be back at their new outlet in Shenton Way to try more grills & salad!

Salads are cool, crunchy, and fun to eat (lots of textures, colors, and flavors). You can customize them to include the fruits and vegetables that appeal to you the most. At The Lawn Cafe, you can pick 5 toppings and 1 dressing, starting from as low as $9.90. Of course each bowl of salad consists of a generous portion of mesclun salad and you can choose from 26 different types of topping. I always choose the same toppings for my salad, which includes tomatoes, eggs, pasta and two other toppings depending on my mood. I love my salad to be colourful which will make my day brighter!

I would recommend you to add grills to your salad because The Lawn does pretty good grills. For me, adding grills make my salad more enticing lah. You can pick your favourite grill by paying an additional $3 for chicken/vegetables, $4 for fish/duck/prawns and $5 for beef.

Here, they have 12 types of dressing and the kind owner prepared a sample of each to let us try. Interesting dressing includes sesame ginger (which makes me feel like I am eating chicken rice), Manly Mango, Beachy Peachy, Wafu, Me So Spicy etc.

If you prefer to eat rice like me, they can also pair the grills with rice. Olive rice, side salad and 1 dressing starts from $8.90. But if you want to add grills, pay an additional $3 for chicken/vegetables, $4 for fish/duck/prawns and $5 for beef. Mushrooms are not too bad, as they have a pleasant crunch. The dory fish was a bit dry for me, I wish there was an accompanied sauce to go with it.

There are 10 grills for you to choose from which includes Char-grilled Prawns with Garlic, Char-grilled Cajun Chicken, Butter Seared Pacific Dory with Parsley Rub, Grilled Black Pepper Duck Breast, Ben’s Beef Rub, Char-grilled Mixed Mushrooms.

The beef was slightly too chewy but the flavour was great. I was actually hoping that they grill tiger prawns instead of these small prawns. Cajun chicken was surprisingly good. It was served hot and juicy.

With the opening of The Lawn at Shenton, The Lawn has also introduced some new items on the menu. On the new menu there are desserts and coffee. They had cakes from Gobi and we tried the Matcha Cake ($7.50) with generous bits of azuki beans sandwiched between layers, and Oreo Cheesecake ($7.50) with a thin Oreo cookie crust combines with creamy cheesecake filling, studded with chunks of Oreos to create a deliciously rich dessert. I think we can all agree this is a very good piece of cheesecake! Besides, you get to enjoy the tiramisu from The Tiramisu Hero! Don’t forget to grab a cup of Latte ($4.50) during your tea break!

The Lawn at Shenton
Address: 8 Shenton Way #B1-11 AXA Tower
Tel: 6534 8749
Opening Hours: Mon to Fri 10.30am – 9pm

It was a rainy day – perfect day for steamboat! We arrived at the newly opened Zhongshan Mall in Balestier, to try the new Crystal Jade Steamboat Restaurant.

Steamboat lovers is definitely familiar with Crystal Jade’s steamboat outlet in Holland Village. I often go there for supper and eat their endless supply of xiao long bao, together with steamboat. And what is different about this new concept is, it is Crystal Jade’s FIRST full-day steamboat restaurant, serving lunch, dinner and supper (opened till 2am)!

Cystal Jade offers 7 types of soup base, 14 fresh meat and poultry items, 11 shellfish and seafood items, 28 vegetables, roots and mushrooms items, 5 bean and gluten items, and 8 rice and noodle items. And we love our sauces when we eat steamboat, they have over 20 sauces for you to mix and match.

The restaurant has 9 steamboat sets for 2 persons, priced between $28.80 and $38.80, which includes assorted meat steamboat set , seafood tom yam steamboat set, drunken chicken steamboat set, teochew style pork rib & bittergourd steamboat set etc.

Our assorted meat steamboat set ($32.80) which includes beef, lamb, kurobuta pork and chicken, assorted meat balls, chilled bean curd, golden mushroom, fresh mushroom, white cabbage, baby cabbage, Chinese cabbage and vermicelli.

Crystal Jade takes effort in making their meat balls, prawn balls, fish balls and squid ball. I particularly love their squid ball where plump squid, carrots and celery make the squid balls a flavourful addiction to the steamboat. The carrot and celery complement this mild tasting seafood, bringing out the sweetness of the fresh squid and giving the squid ball a light crunch.

If there is one side dish you must order to pair with steamboat, then it must be the Handmade Deep Fried Bean Curd Skin Roll ($5.90/portion). Specially imported from Hong Kong, these bean curd skins are carefully rolled in hot oil when deep fried and turned into delicious crispy golden sticks. The bean curd became so soft when it is instantly dipped into the soup. But it’s so tasty!

We had two soup base: pork bone and tom yam. These superior broth are simmered for more than 12 hours, with fresh whole chicken, chicken feet, lean pork and pork bones make the base for these two versions of soup.

The pork bone soup is made with the pork that was used in making the superior broth, pan fried till golden brown and further boiled in superior broth into a milky soup for an additional 3 hours. Such a tedious process! But all the flavours and goodness of the pork bones are in the soup and it is a very popular choice.

The tom yam soup base is for those who loves spice – like me! It is made with superior broth simmered with a Thai chilli paste specially imported by Crystal Jade, together with fresh chilli padi, lemongrass, scallion and lime juice. For me, if I find the tom yam too spicy, I would just combine it with a few spoonful of pork bone soup to achieve the mild spicy taste – which usually works very well!

Other than steamboat, the restaurant also offer a selection of Cantonese and Teochew favourites such as Grilled Sea Bass with Preserved Vegetables ($32.80) which I love it very much. A perennial favourite in Teochew cuisine is the steamed fish with preserved vegetables. This dish is the grilled version – a firm and meaty fish grilled to golden brown perfection and packed with a savoury yet piquant sauce.

Another dish we tried that night is an aromatic and intense pot of Sauteed Chicken with Dried Chili & Onion ($18.80/half chicken; $32.80 whole chicken). Fresh and tender chicken pieces are sauteed with dried chilli and onion. First mouthful you get a slight numbing feeling but it gets more addictive as we ate it. Because the dish gets increasing more flavourful overtime when the meat absorbs the zesty sauce.

Steamboat is all about freshness of the ingredients and Crystal Jade has definitely done a good job in ensuring the quality of the ingredients. And even if it is a hot day where you may not like steamboat, they also have a good selection of Cantonese and Teochew favourites. I would say this is great for families and supper lovers!

Crystal Jade Steamboat Restaurant
Address: 20 Ah Hood Road, #01-18 Zhong Shan Mall
Tel: 6339 0283
Opening hours: 11.30am to 3pm; 5.30pm to 2am

Staycations are awesome for a short relaxing getaway. I have been to a few staycations in town and we spent our free time going for movies. But this time, our staycation is at Village Hotel Changi, which is far away from the urban Singapore. Great! Because it gives us some time to be closer to nature and enjoy a leisurely stroll along the scenic Changi coastline.

We checked in to a lovely Superior Room which comes with a king-sized bed and standard amenities. Not very very big, but it is comfortable. There is a bathtub and free wifi!

Got balcony leh! Not bad, can see some trees and the sea!

There are five dining choices within the hotel which includes Saltwater Cafe, La Cantina, Chou Bei Japanese Restaurant, The Wine Company and Vau Wine Bar. Our lunch was at Saltwater Café located at the lobby. Headed by celebrity Chef William Soh, Saltwater Café offers a choice of indoor or alfresco dining, and provides diners with a wide variety of local and International cuisine in both its buffet and a la carte menus.

I got to know Chef William Soh when he presented his ultimate carrot cake will be cooked with scallops in the Ultimate Hawker Festival last year. So I am glad to be here to try their Daily Kampong Lunch Buffet with delectable local Singapore delicacies from a bygone era. We started our lunch with some salad and teh tarik!

They did their grilling outdoors so don’t have to worry about having smoky hair!

DIY Rojak, unfortunately there is no youtiao.

Cook your own lor mee.

The chef does prata for you on the spot.

Roast meat which wasn’t outstanding.

Their laksa is really good! The gravy here is “lemak” – rich, and full of coconut milk. Noodles have a pleasant springiness and the fish cakes and shrimp are very fresh. They didn’t add cockles but I am totally fine without it.

Another must try is their fried kway teow. The noodles were soft and slightly dry. But it is deliciously savoury with lots of robust flavours from the hot wok, seasoning was spot-on but I was hoping that they add more dark sauce. But it definitely had the wow factor.

Popiah

Kueh Pie Tee

Some desserts for you? You can also try to be soya bean seller by pouring your own cup of soya bean or bandung!

After a heavy lunch, I also had some kachang puteh! This is so old school lah! I only remember seeing it outside cinemas!

We met with a super friendly restaurant manager who helped us during our meal. Not only us, he also goes around each table to talk to guests. You will see his face at the end of this blog post, but first let me show you how happy (and full) we were!

Here’s the view outside the restaurant – a pool! I was wishing that I can dive down the pool or spend my quiet afternoon by the pool. But there are so many more things to do around this area so I have to give it a miss.

So what did we do after our lunch? Well, we went to feed the koi in the hotel! Koi are lively fishes that brings joy to people, perhaps because of its bright colours. We paid $2 nett for a packet of food for the koi and went to feed them at the Koi Pond on Level 6.

I went to Topshop to specially buy a set of clothes for staycation! And thank you Comb Head for giving me pretty hair!

I won’t get bored at this staycation because there is a COMPLIMENTARY one hour bicycle ride for hotel guests! We got the voucher from the hotel desk and walked to Changi Village to get our bikes.

I cannot swim but I can cycle! I love cycling because I can forget everything on your bike. I just have to focus on my legs, sing some songs while enjoying the afternoon breeze. The weather is perfect, we cycled to East Coast. If we had more time, I would like to take a boat ride to Pulau Ubin and see kampong life!

To reward myself after cycling, we have a bowl of red tea jelly at Mei Lin Yin Pin (#01-40 Changi Village Hawker Centre)

Our dinner was at The Garden Slug which was disappointing. We were ushered to a table with poor lighting, so bad that we had difficulty reading what’s on the menu. Spotted another group of customers leaving and requested to change table, the staff simply stood there while both of us just looked at the table being taken away by another customer. And the staff just walked away after that.

We ordered a basket of Wasuga Wings ($10.50 for 6pcs) and was told that they ran out of wings (it was 7.45pm). So I had Wasuga Chicken Drumlets instead. The dish came luke warm and tasted bland. Snow White ($17.90) is a big piece of Souffle Egg Omelette with mushroom fillings. Trufflesome Shrooms Pesto Pasta ($23.50) is the saving grace for our dinner there.

The bed was comfortale, it was great for the one night that we needed it for. We were up early the next day because we had a wedding lunch to attend. But we were looking forward for breakfast because of the friendly restaurant manager. Back at Saltwater Cafe again because the hotel stay comes with free breakfast! So we had some bread, dim sum and cold cuts to start off.

The roti prata station we saw the day before turned into an omelette station so we had an omelette.

Some nasi lemak and porridge to keep us warm.

And fruits to end off the meal.

Though this photo is slightly out of focus, but I really want to show you guys the friendly restaurant manager we met for both our meals at Saltwater Cafe. Among all my staycation, he is probably the one who gives me the deepest impression because of his excellent service. Thank you Village Hotel Changi!

Village Hotel Changi
Address: 1 Netheravon Road
Tel: +65 6379 7111
Website: click here
For reservations at Saltwater Cafe, please contact the restaurant at +65 6379 7018

TGIF folks! Are you planning for your weekends already? I have been really busy this week and I am so glad that weekends are just around the corner. If you are planning to have a meal with your family, Old Geylang may be a good choice for you. It housed a combination of heritage brands like Turtle House, Old Punggol International Seafood as well as a durian fruit store, so you can enjoy turtle soup, chilli crabs and durians all under one roof. What’s more, you can also enjoy some crocodile tail! How wonderful is that!

The durian fruit store is located right at the restaurant’s entrance.

One of the item I was looking forward to try is the nourishing herbal turtle soup in claypot from Turtle House! The brand dates back to the pre-world war 2 era as a pushcart stall at Chinatown. Now, you can savour their turtle soup in Old Geylang! The Herbal Turtle Soup (山瑞脚皮汤 $20, $40, $60) here is pleasantly light and savoury with mild-tasting turtle and herbal flavours. It might taste a bit boozy, but it’s not strong enough to make you drunk. If you want more wine, there is rice wine available. The restaurant gets its turtles from Indonesia and Thailand.

We ordered some rice to pair with the soup. The owner recommended us to have a bowl of white rice. White rice? Got anything special about the white rice meh? I ordered a bowl to try, oh mine, it was such a good bowl of white rice. I swear! The white rice here is very fluffy, fragrant and tasty. I thought some ginger or garlic was added because it has a mild chicken rice flavour but no, the owner said nothing was added in his white rice. It is just the way he cooks it that helps to retain the flavours. For the whole night, I was bugging the owner to share his way of cooking. Haha!

I have tried many different sauces that was used to pair with oysters. Many of the sauces are more zesty but Old Geylang chose to use salted egg yolk instead. I was rather surprised but upon trying the Live oyster with salted egg yolk (咸旦生蚝, $8/pc), I was convinced. The fresh fatty oyster is deep fried to a crisp texture and coated with a thick gravy of salted egg yolk. When I pop the whole oyster into my mouth, I can first taste the fragrant salted egg yolk, then the taste of sea from the oyster. It has lots more oomph here than at most places!

Another favourite is the Crocodile Tail in red braising sauce (红烧北菇绘鳄鱼尾, $12/pc). One crocodile tail can only cook two such portions. Cooking this is nothing complicated, the tail is simply drenched in a typical braising sauce in Chinese restaurant. I was looking at the thick crocodile skin and laughing within myself how much collagen I will have from eating this precious gem! Smooth and jelly like texture… yums!

Old Geylang is literally an all-in-one stop for diners. Besides the durian, the turtle soup and the crocodile meat, they also have a roast corner which does pretty okay roast. Our Roast Pork and Char Siew (港式烧腊双垪, $12) comes with a super fatty char siew and a slightly over salty sio bak. Nevertheless, each piece of meat has a nice smoky flavour.

Their Homemade Tofu with Mixed Mushroom (自制翡翠双菇豆腐 $12, $18, $24) is prepared fresh daily. The tofu is so smooth!

Don’t sweat when you see their Signature Chilli Crab (辣椒蟹, $52/kg). The fiery red gravy has a strong tomato base, so it is not that spicy lah! Crab meat was thick, sweet and fleshy, and you may find yourself in a finger-licking situation. Do order the delicious golden-brown mantous (fried buns) to dip into the leftover sauce, which for many of us is probably the best part about the chilli crab experience.

We skipped the usual desserts and chose to order durians from the durian stall just outside the restaurant. The good thing is, we can enjoy our durians in the air conditioned restaurant, at the comfort of our seats! Unfortunately, the season is over so the variety is limited. But come to Old Geylang must eat some durians lah!

All of us feeling satisfied after our meal! This place used to be a school and where we were standing, used to be the stage. We looked like we were taking a class photo right?

Enjoyed my dinner at Old Geylang because the quality of the food was good. And I enjoyed the convenience, to be able to sit comfortably in the restaurant and savour the best from three different brands. Old Geylang is located in the same compound as the Singapore Badminton Hall and is very near Aljunied MRT station. If you do drive, the restaurant provides a free valet service at the roadside.

Thank you Old Geylang for the invitation.

Old Geylang
Address: 1 Geylang Lorong 23, Highpoint Block 6
Tel: 6844 6041
Opens from: Sun to Thur 12pm to 2am. Fri, Sat, Eve, PH 12pm to 3am.

Hello world, happy Saturday! Today, I am back to sharing my Penang food post! Sorry ah, I took such a long break because I have been trying to write a humongous blog post on my Penang hawker food experience but there are soooooo many stalls worth visiting, I type until my hands pain also haven’t finish. LOL! So I decided I am going to share with you Ivy’s Nyonya Cuisine first.

Penang is one of the birthplaces of the Peranakan culture. Recommended by a local, we visited Ivy’s Nyonya Cuisine which is tucked away in a pre-war converted house located at Chow Thye Road (Off Jalan Burma). The cosy restaurant is run by a husband and wife team Mr Tan and Ms Ivy. It has simple decor and basic dining layout, with its name on a banner hanging outside the restaurant. It serves pork-free home-cooked dishes, authentic Penang nyonya cuisines, a variety of set meals, steamboat dinner, seafood dinner and fish head curry.

It’s my first time eating Joo Hoo Ban Kuang Char (RM25/40/55) which is traditional Nyonya mixed vegetables served with fresh lettuce. It resembles the complicated noodles I had at Greyhound Cafe in Thailand where you just have to wrap the ingredients in lettuce and add the super powerful chilli sauce.

Of course, Joo Hoo Ban Kuang Char takes much more effort the preparation is rather tedious. You have to shred turnips lah, shred carrots lah, and cut many other ingredients. Ivy’s version is very tasty and turnips are braised till very soft. Specially love the belachan which is super spicy but shiok. And thankfully, they have the Homemade Soya Bean (RM3) to tone it down.

When owner Mr Tan brings out his Beef Rendang (RM18), he proudly said that this is one of the restaurant’s signature. Indeed, the beef rendang has the right rempah – rich, thick, spicy and coconut-y enough. The meat is fork-tender, I gladly ordered a bowl of rice to pair with this.

King Prawns in Homemade Chilli Paste (RM8-10/pc, minimum 4 pcs) has a slight citrus flavour which added depth to this dish. It has a balance of spicy, savoury, sour with a tint of sweetness from the fresh prawns.

Black Glutinous Rice Bee Koh Moi (RM3/bowl) is thick and creamy. The addition of pandan leaves gives Bee Koh Moy a refreshing aroma.

I recommend you to have the set meals (RM55 for 2, RM72 for 3, RM 96 for 4-5pax) because you get to eat a much more bigger variety of dishes at an affordable price. We had lotsa hawker food before our dinner here so we decided to order ala carte. It was a wrong move totally. Nevertheless, we had a great meal at Ivy’s and will certainly return next time we are in Penang.

Ivy’s Nyonya Cuisine
Address: 58, Jalan Chow Thye, George Town
Tel: +6016 433 7130
Opening hours: 12pm to 3pm, 6pm -9pm. Closed on Mondays

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Other Penang blog posts:

• Rasa Sayang Resort & Spa, Penang
• Pulau Tikus Market
• Guide to Cafes in George Town, Penang
• Street Art in Penang
• 41 Living Story