Review: Zheng Yuan Wei 蒸原味 @ Katong Square

One of the interesting restaurant that opened at the newly refurbished Katong Square - Zheng Yuan Wei. They specialised in steampot, which retains the original flavours of the ingredients and making it a much healthier choice. Steampot originates from Guangdong and is very popular in Hong Kong and Taiwan right now. You can even find the steampot pot being sold in supermarkets!

We went there as a party of five and ordered their set menu for 4, a Boston lobster, a plate of pork belly and a pot of tea. The total damage was just slightly less than $300. The set menu of 4 comes with vegetables (lotus root, corn, pumpkin and sweet potato), one whole fish, scallops, clams, mussels, oysters, prawns, flower crab (it was out of stock so they replaced with a mud crab which I think is better) and rice grains. The seafood were all 'live' seafood.

The rice was first put into the bottom of the pot to be transformed into a porridge and eaten at the end of the meal. The idea is for the condensed steam to stream down to the bottom of the pot, and together with the juices from the seafood, forms a hearty porridge.

The staff will put the seafood one at a time on the steamer and set the timer for you. Each item usually takes about 3 to 5 minutes before it is ready to be eaten.

The seafood were all fresh and firm, but only the lobster, clams and prawns require minimal seasoning. The other seafood will be better off if you make your own dip (included as part of your meal) to accompany it. Special mention goes to the fish (deboned) which made even a non-fish lover like me fell in love with it. The crab's flesh was also really sweet and I would recommend it over the flower crab if given the choice.

Once you are done with all the ingredients, the staff will start to mix the porridge for you. By this time, the rice grains have become the consistency of a Cantonese porridge. Spring onion, an egg and fried onions are then added to the mix. Do not expect it to be a rich seafood porridge, rather it is a homely porridge with a tinge of the sea. You can add in a bit of soya sauce if you find it too bland, but I actually enjoyed it with just a dash of pepper. This finale dish will definitely satisfy the elderly who prefer something lighter.

It was generally a good dining experience and everyone enjoyed the food. It would be even better if they can have a variety of set menu or make it more customisable.

Review: Chicken Hotpot 鸡公煲

Today is my fourth time at Chicken Hotpot, so you know it's good! If you like steamboat and ma la xiang guo, this is the dish for you. They have a simple menu with 4 types of pot: chicken (their signature), beef, prawn and fish. I have tried both the chicken and prawn pots before, generally preferring the chicken, although the prawns they provided are easy to eat (partly de-shelled) and quite big.

Their signature chicken pot is heavy on the spices and you get to choose your level of spiciness. Bear in mind it can get quite spicy so if you are not good at spicy food, just go for mild. The chicken (bone-in) are chopped into chunky pieces and simmered in the thick spiced gravy. If your gravy runs low, the staff will pour in some chicken stock for you, which is more suitable to be drank rather than the thick gravy.

Recently they also have a promotion item which is my all-time favourite, the chicken and pork tripe pot. This is strongly recommended by me and I feel is more to Singaporeans palate. In fact, when I first tried Chicken Pot, I had their significant chicken version and prawn version and wasn't that impressed. This chicken and pork tripe version made me came back 2 more times!

If you like peppery bak kut teh, please choose this version and you won't regret. It can be a bit too peppery at first taste, but as you add in more ingredients, it gives the soup base more flavour and take away some of the peppery taste. Similar to the other version, you can get a refill when the stock runs low. The soup is really tasty and comforting especially on a rainy day. A chicken and pork tripe pot comes with chicken pieces and chunky pork tripe pieces.

The best way to enjoy Chicken Pot is not to over order the main pot, but select the additional ingredients. For 2 pax, I would just order a small pot then choose some of the ingredients from their fridge (self service). Their steamboat ingredients are all nicely displayed and wrapped up in the fridge and the pricing is differentiated by the colour of the plates.

I recommend ordering the prawn/cuttlefish paste which comes in an 'icing bag'. You will have to ask the staff to cut a hole at the tip when you are ready to it. Their cuttlefish balls also go well with the chicken and pork trip pot. Other ingredients available include vegetables, fish paste, pork belly with enoki, mushrooms, noodles, sliced fish, sliced meat etc.

Lastly, a shout out to the manager (short-haired lady) at the Bedok Point branch who always has a smile on her face and provided very attentive service. There was once we ordered a plate of enoki mushrooms and had already eaten more than half of it. The manager suddenly came over with another plate of enoki mushrooms and said she realised the staff had under-weighed the entire batch, so she gave us another plate. Honest shops like this are really hard to come by nowadays so it was a pleasant feeling even though she could have ignored it as we couldn't tell we were shortchanged. 

Tips for Singaporeans going on Trafalgar Tour in Europe

Some tips and things to expect for those going on Trafalgar tours for the first time. This is based off my experiences with Trafalgar tours in Europe. I have only good things to say about Trafalgar tours so far... so hopefully you will enjoy it as much as me!

Pre-Trip

1. Check the availability of airport transfer. They will have certain timings so if you are intending to take the airport transfer provided by Trafalgar or the hotel, make sure you plan your flight accordingly.

2. Check the first day of your itinerary. If there is going to be a welcome reception or short city tour, arrange to arrive at your destination early morning at the very latest, or preferably, the day before. Otherwise, you will miss this half day event.

3. After receiving your tour material/package, it is advisable that you fill up the pre-trip information a few weeks before your trip. It is a short survey indicating each member's personal preference and his/her travel details. This has to be done on your own.

4. Bring along/use the Trafalgar luggage tags provided. They have their own system of ensuring your luggage are well accounted for every morning so do bring them along.

5. Look through the optional tours and have a rough idea which are the ones you are interested in. Prepare sufficient cash accordingly (see point 13 below).

During the Trip

6. Unlike tour guides from local travel agencies, Trafalgar travel directors (as what they call themselves), are more straight-forward and business-like. They go by rules to ensure the safety and efficiency of the tour.

7. The itinerary and departure time for each day will be posted on a notice board in the hotel lobby. You are required to set your own morning call. The travel director will mention the departure and breakfast time a few times and if you miss it, you can refer to the notice board.

8. Slow-paced itinerary. Excluding the optional tours, there are usually only 2 or 3 places of interest to visit each day. You usually end the day at around 5 to 6pm each day and you get to stay at the places of interest longer than local tours will provide. This is why Trafalgar is more popular with older people.

9. Luggage will mostly be taken care of by your travel director. The travel director will usually give you the keys to your room and the luggage will be brought up to you by the hotel staff. The next day, you just need to leave your luggage outside your room (make sure the Trafalgar luggage tag is there) and it will be on the bus by the time you leave.

10. They usually have a rotating seating arrangement on the bus. Each day, you will be rotated and assigned to a different seat so that everyone gets their chance to sit in front or at the back during the trip. From my experience, they will just rotate clockwise, so if you are a family, you will need to sit in front/behind each other in order to be together after each rotation.

11. Be prepared for 'weird' lunch hours or spots. I am not sure if the ang mohs tend to have light lunch and heavier dinner or what, but for the Trafalgar tours I went, they seemed to place less importance on lunch, unless it is a special lunch that has been built into the itinerary. They might drop you at convenient places with not much options (mostly cafe serving sandwiches or pastries). If you are expecting to have a full course meal, be prepared that it might not be every day you get to do that.

12 Be-My-Guest lunch/dinner is the most enjoyable part of the tour :) Don't miss it!

13. The optional tours are really optional. Many a times when I went with our local tour groups, they have optional tours which are not really optional because it is either the entire tour group go for it, or not to go for it. So unless the entire group happened to agree on the option, it is not really 'optional'. For Trafalgar, they will arrange for you to either head back to the hotel or some other shopping places if you are not joining. On rare occasions, you might need to wait for the other members to finish before heading to the next destination together.

14. Bring cash to pay for optional tours. Although you can pay for the optional tours using credit card, but their portable credit card machine can be a bit wonky especially if it is in remote places. My family paid by cash and it was very fast whereas I saw other families trying to pay using their credit cards for a few days because it just wouldn't work.

15. You might want to bring something dressier for special dinner(s). Do not be surprise if ang moh tour mates turn up for some musical or dinner and dance event dressed to the nines! On one of my trip, the travel director brought us back to the hotel to freshen before a traditional Scottish dinner show. Most of the ang moh tour mates came down in gowns and tuxedos!

End of Trip

16. Your travel director will arrange your airport transfer if you not extending, otherwise you will need to arrange your own airport transfer.

17. Some travel directors do not openly ask for tips. If there is a farewell dinner included in the package, that is usually a good time to give the travel director and bus driver their tips.

Review: Prorance Hair Rich Powder

I have little hair which makes my scalp obvious when I part my hair. I am not balding but because the scalp against my black hair makes it more obvious and ages me.

As you can see below, this was how obvious my scalp was before. As the top of my head is relatively flat, it makes my hair looks flat and sparse too.


Prorance Hair Rich Powder is the first cosmetic product I bought for my hair. I am not familiar with this brand but I note that they have lots of products for hair, so I do feel like they are a hair product specialist.

The product, with its black and gold theme, gives off a luxurious feel.



At the top of the cap is a mirror. A nice touch but I don't think I will be using it to view my application of the product on my hair.



Once opened, there is a white puff and upon shaking it with the puff facing downwards, there will be specks of powder coming out. The powder comes out quite easily. Reminds me of shaking pepper but odourless.



This was how it looked like when I tried shaking it on the back of my hand. The powder stays on quite well when I tried to dry wiped it, but can be easily removed with just water.



This was how my hairline looks like immediately after application. It does look better, especially when I am taking photos from the front. So far I have not experienced any discomfort from using this product. It doesn't feel itchy although I have to clarify that I was in an air-conditioned environment for most part of the time while using this product.

Review: Mizon Apple Smoothie Peeling Gel for sensitive, dry and flaky skin

I always have this problem of dry flaky skin when using BB cream or foundation. Despite several attempts at moisturising my skin, the problem still occurs. The patchy spots can become obvious especially in an air-conditioned room.

I read up on solutions to my problem and there will always be this advice to exfoliate your skin. It is a piece of advice which I took to heart and went in search of some simple exfoliating products. I am actually quite fair and my skin smooth with no breakouts. The only problem is dryness (not noticeable if I am not wearing makeup) and some sun spots at the cheek area. Because of my relatively good skin and complexion, I avoid putting on too much products on my face because after all, they are chemicals.

I bought a Japanese brand exfoliating paste from Tokyu Hands after noticing the 'natural' exfoliant, rice bran. It does a decent job in leaving my skin feeling squeaky clean but it also brings about a tightness to my skin. Although the exfoliant is natural, but it is really physically scrubbing away the skin cells, dead or not.

My second product was the Mizon Apple Smoothie Peeling Gel seen below. It comes in a standard 120ml plastic tube. It claims to use fruit extract to 'dissolve' the dead cells on your skin without damaging your skin.



The gel is translucent and after rubbing in circular motions for a few seconds, you will feel the granules on your skin.



The granules are not your dead skin cells, or at least not all of it are. There will be more granules if you use it directly on dry skin as compared to when your skin is wet. I applied a bit more around my dry flaky spots - around my nose and forehead. It soothes my skin and makes it a bit smoother and brighter. I don't need any moisturiser after using this product because it doesn't make my skin feel dry or tight.



Overall, I am pleased with this peeling gel from Mizon. I have been using it probably two or three times a week and so far no adverse effect.

Highly recommended!

Singapore Restaurant Week, October 2016: Umi + Vino @ Emporium Shohukin

The last restaurant week, we went to another one of Emporium Shokuhin's establishment, Takujo Fine Dining. The experience back then was enjoyable and worthy of visiting during the restaurant week. This time round, we decided to try Umi + Vino, a modern seafood joint that is part of Emporium Shokuhin.

The 3-course dinner give diners a choice of asian prawn stew or french oysters as a starter, a la plancha sampling platter or braised wagyu beef as a main, and a chocolate cake for the dessert. We got around to try each dish on the restaurant week menu.

I had read good reviews of their asian prawn stew, and true to that, it turned out good. The grilled prawns were served in a lemongrass-infused broth and with toasted bread. The highlight of this dish was the broth, which was full of flavour without over-killing the taste of the prawns.

On the other hand, the oysters were well, decent oysters. It was most definitely fresh, but the accompanying raspberry shallot vinaigrette did nothing much to it.

I was looking forward to my main course, the a la plancha sampling platter, which is essentially a mix of grilled seafood. It came with half a lobster, squid, prawns and a piece of rice cake. The prawns were cooked the same way as in the asian prawn stew - grilled and lightly seasoned. The lobster was of a decent size and they even extracted the claw meat from it's shell for you! The squid and rice cake were my favourite. I have a soft spot for squid, especially when it's grilled and lightly seasoned. The rice cake was like a MOS burger rice burger patty but with even better seasoning. It might come across as oily for some, but I thought it was a pretty good twist to plain old rice. The accompanying ginger shoyu sauce was not necessary at all and savouring the seafood on its own is more than enough. 

The portion of  braised wagyu beef was quite big, suitable for guys. However, it was too oily and rich for my liking.

Last but not least, the chocolate cake was of a certain quality, and not just a filler to the set meal. I was surprised that the cake was comparable to those found in specialised bakery shops. It wasn't a rich chocolate cake. The layers of chocolate sponge, whipped cream, liquer, nuts and chocolate mousse made it a light and enjoyable end to the meal.

Review: Grilled Scallops over at Unkai Japanese Cuisine

Grilled scallops (Hotate Tobiko) at $15 for half dozen, the only item I ordered at Unkai. They also sell raw oysters, sake sashimi and chilled/grilled crabs.

At $2.50 per piece, it was a good indulgence. Scallops were juicy with a pleasant torched taste.

51 Old Airport Road

#01-88/89 Old Airport Road Food Centre
Singapore 390051