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. 

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

Ma La Xiang Guo @ Bedok Interchange

Tried the Bedok Interchange's Ma La Xiang Guo twice to pen this review.

The concept is similar to the well-known Ri Ri Hong Ma La Xiang Guo in Chinatown. You just need to tell the stall helper what ingredients you would like, the level of spiciness and the staple to go with your xiang guo. The helper will then give you a tag and call out your number when it's ready. They also serve other Sichuan dishes like 'Baked fish (烤鱼)' and 'Water-boiled fish (水煮鱼)' which are all spicy food.

First impression of the stall puts me at ease. It looks cleaner and the ingredients neatly displayed in their fridge. I compared it to Ri Ri Hong which may be a bit unfair given that the Bedok ma la xiang guo stall is relatively new. 

What I like about the Bedok version over Ri Ri Hong is the variety of ingredients. More unique items include beef tripe, cuttlefish, pork innards and a wider variety of vegetables. Besides rice, you can also opt for Mantou which I saw many Chinese nationals ordering. Their pricing is also reasonable, like Ri Ri Hong - $1 vegetables, $2 chicken/pork and $3 seafood/beef/lamb.

My order of cuttlefish, kangkong, pork balls, beef tripe, pork belly, bean curd, enoki mushroom and a bowl of rice costs $13. Bear in mind that the Bedok version is saltier and you will definitely need some staple to go with it. Most of the time when I eat at Ri Ri Hong I don't need any rice to go with my xiang guo. Taste-wise, I think Ri Ri Hong still has that special fragrance coming from the bean paste, nonetheless, Bedok is a good alternative!

Review: Yong He Bak Chor Seafood Noodles

Tucked away in one corner of the coffeeshop, one might just missed it despite its bright and attractively taken display photos. Yong He bak chor seafood noodles is a relatively new stall in this old neighbourhood, but the description of their menu excites me.

I love my bak chor mee and I love seafood so this definitely attracts me. Their menu is simple with only 4 main course options. I always order their signature seafood bak chor mee ($5) while my mum likes to upgrade to the large prawn bak chor mee ($12).

This is what you get for their basic $5.50 seafood bak chor mee. A sweet prawn, some clams (they called it lala), braised mushrooms, braised pork, minced pork, sliced abalone, a scallop and lettuce.

While it has the usual bak chor mee ingredients, the slightly pricier price point can be justified by the seafood items. The prawn was sweet and fresh enough to suck the umami goodness from its head. Beware of the excessive pork lard if you are health conscious or not a fan of that. The only downside to this rendition of bak chor mee is the strip of braised pork which has been braised till black and dry. It is like eating a piece of bakkwa. They could have just used the normal poached sliced pork.

My mum's large prawn version. She claimed they were sea prawns and very good.

The shop is located at the coffeeshop just opposite Temasek Junior College. The coffeeshop also has a very interesting stall selling sandwiches and salad. Shall give it a try next time!

Address

Blk 18 Bedok South Road, 

Singapore 460018

Review: Ah Hua Kelong (The Bedok Marketplace)... from kelong to table top

As a huge fan of seafood, Ah Hua Kelong was high up on my must-try list when I first heard about it. I was pleased to know they had an outlet at The Bedok Marketplace in Simpang Bedok, which was a place I frequent. Their seafood are local, live and fresh from their kelong, grilled to perfection at their stall.

I got to say that after my first trip to Ah Hua Kelong, a second trip followed shortly. I have tried them twice and now I can give a partial verdict, i think. Staff was friendly and helpful, showing and explaining what are the items available that day. The two times I went, I ended up ordering sets that are not on the menu based on their recommendation.

My opinion of Ah Hua Kelong's seafood is that it is fresh and very briny. The molluscs were extremely briny, not sure if that's a good or bad thing, but I don't really mind. I must say the mussels were a big surprise. I tend to avoid mussels at buffet because they are kind of tough and has a cheaper taste as compared to oysters. Ah Hua Kelong's mussels were super soft and juicy. I didn't feel sick even after eating a number of them. They really changed my opinion of mussels.

The XXL clams were nothing noteworthy except for their size. We asked for the lalas to be cooked 'well-done'. These were huge and I cannot imagine myself eating it slightly blanched like the kind in laksa. The lalas were kind of tough and chewy maybe because of the doneness. 

Next up we had the prawns and scallops. The scallops are must-try! I love the sweetness of the scallops paired with the crispy shallots. The prawns were nothing to shout about, but enjoyable when paired with the thick black soy sauce with chilli padi.

The grilled sea bass was the last to arrive. During my first trip to Ah Hua Kelong, the fish was the star of the meal because of the soft and sweet fish, charcoal-grilled to perfection. There was no unpleasant odour or fishy smell from the fish. The chinchalok condiments goes very well with the fish and helps to cleanse the palate.

We paid $89 for the above items which is a new set currently not found on their menu. The staff said it was meant for 3-4 pax but even a small eater like me could easily finish half of the seafood. I would say at most 3 pax for this set if you add on rice for each person.

If it is your first time, you might want to go for their various set, but if you would like to save space to try out the other stalls' offerings, I recommend the mussels, scallops and sea bass!

How to get there by MRT

- Alight at Tanah Merah MRT

- Walk towards Katong Flower Shop

- Cut across the playground/park to Upper Bedok Road

- Walk along Bedok Road to Jln Chempaka Kuning

Review: The Burning Oak

I've been wanting to write a review on The Burning Oak for a long time but has been procrastinating. Now that I have decided to write it, I had since tried them twice during lunch time, once to takeaway and once dine-in.

I want to put it up front that I absolutely love their food. It is definitely value-for-money. It's a pity that I haven't gotten down to try their dinner menu, but the set lunch menu was all satisfying. My favourite was the pork cheek bento set which came with a generous amount of meat, pickles, fried shredded ginger, rice and a bowl of miso soup.

You can really feel the amount of effort and patience that goes into each of the item. The pork cheeks were nicely grilled with a smoky charred taste while the pickles seek to tone down the oiliness from the pork. The miso soup was worth mentioning, having a high concentration of bonito flakes resulting in a rich earthy taste.

Although the stall is in a hawker setting, the waiting time is about 15min since they make-to-order. I will be back again to try their dinner menu next.

Review: Aura (Restaurant Week 2015)

Aura was my second restaurant week meal. After a disappointing first meal at Sabio by the Sea, I wasn't expecting much.

We went for the lunch, and being one of the first few to visit the National Gallery before it officially opens, it was a nice visit. The restaurant two floors, one for their main restaurant, and the other for their bar. Both have a nice view overlooking the padang.

Appetizer was scallop crudo with truffle. It was too delicious, with the scallops and truffle complementing each other very well. I truly enjoyed this dish found myself craving for more.

Next comes the whole wheat stracci with duck and foie gras. Another appetizer?! It was a heavy dish but enjoyable. Reminded me of the Chinese dish of noodles with duck in hoisin sauce.

For the main course we had a choice of the black cod or beef sirloin. I chose the sirloin which was a clear option for me before the meal. However, after the heavy stracci dish, I was feeling quite full and longed for the black cod instead. Thankfully the portion of the beef sirloin was just nice. Nicely seared on the outside and still pink and juicy on the inside. A respectable sirloin, just not entirely wow.

After the sirloin, I was certainly not looking forward to the profiteroles dessert because I was already 90% full. It came looking pretty with each colour representing one of the 3 flavours: strawberry, pistachio and chocolate. Surprisingly the little dots of berry sauce on the plates were very appetite-inducing and I managed to taste the profiteroles. My order of preference: pistachio > strawberry > chocolate. I really like the pistachio which was more distinctive.

All in all it was a good meal and I would certainly recommend checking out Aura.

Review: Sabio by the Sea (Restaurant Week 2015)

A group of us went for the restaurant week dinner menu at Sabio by the Sea. It was a big mistake. The staff who took our order was polite but couldn't quite comprehend our orders due to English not being her first language. She did not try to suggest other items instead of all of us ordering from the restaurant week menu.

As it was our first time at Sabio, we thought it will be the usual western food concept where each our tapas, main and dessert. Unfortunately for us, the food was too heavy and oily to our liking, we ended up struggling to finish. It will be more ideal if half of the group try the restaurant week menu while the rest choose from the standard menu.

This was the restaurant week menu taken from the restaurant week website. Besides the set dinner, we ordered an additional hot tapas (Pulpo a la gallega, octopus cooked in paprika, olive oil and lemon) to share.

Within the group, we tried the different options within the restaurant week menu. The eggplant caviar was the one of the rare item on the menu that is light on the palate. It's slightly vinegarish and was delightful on the toast.

The oysters were fresh but true to it's description, it's really deep-fried. Nothing particularly outstanding about this dish though they were generous in their servings, giving 4 oysters per person. This was the item that got me feeling sick and almost-full. If you are a small eater like me, I would suggest you go for the eggplant caviar instead of the oyster.

The octopus, which was an add-on item, was by far my favourite dish of the night. Seafood and butter always complement each other. The sliced tentacles were cooked to perfection, so tender yet flavourful from all the spices added in. There was also a potato-ish taste to the gravy.

By the time my paella arrived, I was 85% full. I didn't get to try the meat paella, but the seafood paella wasn't too bad given that I'm already not in the mood for my main anymore. The rice was nicely scented but the essence of the seafood wasn't integrated into the rice. No complaints about the seafood which was plenty though nothing to shout about.

I wasn't looking forward to the dessert, knowing that it will be another oily dish. Was so sick of it that I didn't bother taking any photos. The churros itself wasn't that bad but the combination of a fried dough stick with rich coconut and gula melaka taste just threw us all off. None in our group liked the combination.

Their standard item menu should be worth visiting, but my first restaurant week experience was kind of disappointing.

Review: Qbap handcrafted kebabs @ Raffles City (Closed)

I have a thing for Middle-eastern food. The spiced and juicy meat... drools. Chanced upon this halal joint at Raffles City selling kebabs. If you have been to Europe, you will know that kebabs are sold everywhere and are considered street food. Here, a restaurant selling kebabs in the town area? Hmm, must be expensive.

It's always their meat and rice that attracts me, hence, I opted for the rice instead of the wrap. I don't really like wraps as it tends to be messy. Ordering is a breeze as they don't have much items on the menu board. Choose your type of kebab, your choice of vegetables, and in the case of the rice, a sauce. Like subway style.

I had the chicken with triple mustard sauce with arabic rice. The rice was kinda disappointing as the flavours wasn't to my liking. Nothing to complain about the vegetables. The chicken was flavourful but could be juicier. Portion was generous and I saved the unfinished for dinner.

I don't mind coming back again, maybe to try their lamb instead of the chicken. It can be my comfort food when I crave for a healthy meal I guess.

Review: Lolla

touted as one of the top 10 hottest restaurant in the world by zagat, i knew i had to make a trip down to try their signature sea urchin pudding. located near maxwell market but away from the noisy main street, lolla seems like a restaurant one would miss even if you walk past it everyday.

made a reservation for two  beforehand and were given a counter seat. surprisingly when we arrived slightly past 12noon, there were already a couple of customers in the restaurant. for those who do not want to reek of smokiness after your meal, my advice is not to take the counter seat.

ordered a full portion of sea urchin pudding (no surprise), tomato salad, grilled octopus and a roasted duck breast with date puree from the specials board. it didn't felt like we ordered a lot because we were under the impression that lolla's concept was of small plates, so four small plates to share seems reasonable. service staff were polite, attentive and helpful.

the main attraction, the sea urchin pudding, was the first to arrived. i watched as the chef gently placed the sea urchin on top of a bowl of prepared squid ink pudding. mmm... one can never go wrong with sea urchin, especially when theirs was very fresh and creamy. the squid ink pudding was rich and savory with no fishiness. the two, when eaten separately, was enjoyable, but i can't really feel any synergy from putting these two together, except for that additional umami-ness i guess.

next up was the grilled octopus. i love eating octopus and its hard to find them on menu in singapore. having cooked octopus myself, i know it is not an easy ingredient to play with. it arrived looking nicely grilled with lots of char bits which i like. however, the first bite was disappointing. because they used a large tentacles, so they had tried to tenderise the insides, which made it slightly fibrous. it felt like eating a piece of boiled dried cuttlefish. the seasoning was also not to my liking. the potatoes that came with it couldn't save the dish either. i would prefer my octopus to be juicy and less fibrous.

the grilled octopus filled me up, so it was good to see the tomato salad served next. looks just like it is, simply tomatoes with a balsamic dressing. the tomatoes were fresh though, but not a wow dish.

despite being very full by the time the roasted duck breast arrived, this dish was surprisingly good. i would say this was my favorite dish for this meal at lolla. the duck breast was cooked to a perfect medium-rare and served on top of date puree, together with some nuts and fruits. it has the aroma of foie gras with a good balance of meat and the fats. the nuts and fruits complemented the duck meat really well and i could have polished off the entire plate if not for being too full from the previous dishes.

 

Review: Chicken Up @ Tampines Mall

the queue might be long, but they have an efficient automated queue ticketing system. key in your mobile number and you will be notified of how many groups are ahead of you in the queue and approximately how long you have to wait. they will give you a call when your table is available.

the system indicated a waiting time of about 30mins, but we were seated at our table within 15mins. their menu is simple, with several flavours of half chicken and wings and some side dishes. we ordered some sticky soya sauce wings and a spicy half chicken which was highly recommended by chicken up. we also added a seafood scallion pancake and watermelon soju to our order. 

i would recommend going for the sticky soya sauce chicken because its juicier and the sauce was very savory. the spicy half chicken tastes vaguely similar to a crispy kfc chicken, though fresher and less oilier. unless you like alcohol, i will not recommend the watermelon soju as it's more soju than watermelon, giving it a bitter tastes. the scallion pancake was forgettable and one of the worst scallion pancake i eaten in singapore. it was thick with batterbut with generous amount of seafood (mainly squid and shrimp). i prefer my scallion pancake to be thinner and crispier.

Review: Platypus Lobster Shack

before yesterday, i was under the impression that nothing can go wrong with lobster as an ingredient. platypus lobster shack proved me wrong.

after reading decent reviews about their lobster rolls and crustacean bowl, i went there with high expectations. ordered a traditional lobster roll and a crustacean bowl (main) and was promptly informed that the crustacean bowl will take about 15mins.

quick service, the lobster roll arrived within 5mins of ordering. even at first glance, it doesn't look appealing. it was not overflowing with lobster chunks, instead, all i saw was lots of diced tomatoes and sauce. the presentation of the food was also bad, with the mesclun salad sloppily piled on one corner, with some of it even hanging down from the edge of the plate. i would give credit to the truffle crisps, though slightly oily, tasted good. as i expected just from the outer appearance, the roll came with small and few chunks of lobster meat which were overpowered by the sauce. i would say even the one at boston lobster shack tasted better!

after tasting the disappointing roll, i was hoping the crustacean bowl wasn't as bad, given that most reviews highly recommended it. the first bite was not bad, smoky taste of burnt cheddar, like eating an aburi sushi. however, after the third or fourth bite, i started getting sick of it. like really sick. the caviar was nothing to rave about and did little to enhance the overall taste of the dish. there was barely any sea urchin creme as touted in their menu. the lobster meat was in small mushy chunks, and you can hardly tastes the sweetness of the lobster with so many flavors going on in your mouth. the rice, with the ponzu sauce, would have tasted nice if not for the overpowering burnt cheddar on top. though this dish took 15mins to arrive, but it was lukewarm. im not sure if the rice was meant to be partly cooked and partly uncooked, but it tasted like that to me, and i didn't really like it.

Review: No Name Cheng Tng

cheng tng is one of my favorite dessert, and i'm lucky to be living near two of the most famous cheng tngs stalls in singapore. i had the one at bedok food corner (ye lai xiang) a few times already, but this is my first time trying 'no name cheng tng' which is actually within walking distance from my house.

for me, i like my cheng tng to be full of ingredients and not too sweet. no name got it right. at only $1.60 (they increased by 10 cents due to rising food costs) for eat-in and $1.70 for takeaway, they are surely one of the most affordable cheng tngs in singapore. you can see my bowl of cheng tng below, it's filled to the brim. all the ingredients were good, my only small complain is that the white fungus (my least favourite ingredient in a cheng tng) is 'dry' and there's too much of it. taste of the longan soup is similar to ye lai xiang.

although ye lai xiang is widely known to be the best, but 'no name' is a close second, if not on par... not to mention it comes at half the price of ye lai xiang!

Address
No Name Cheng Tng
Block 69, Bedok South Avenue 3

Review: The Lawn @ Shenton

Happened to be around Tanjong Pagar when I dropped by The Lawn for lunch. I like salads, especially when there are a wide variety of toppings and generous serving. Salad-focused F&B outlets are usually on the pricey side. The last thing one wants to feel is to pay a lot yet end up hungry and dissatisfied.

The staff were polite and efficient in taking and preparing your order. You get a slip of paper to choose either salad/olive rice and your choice of mains. You can choose 5 toppings for if you opt for the salad, otherwise it will just be rice, standard salad and the main.

I had the salad (mesclun leaves with egg, cucumber, olives, pineapple, fusilli pasta), grilled cajun chicken with a honey mustard dressing. I have tried other salad outlets before, but this is is by far the best. The portion was substantial with the right amount of mesclun leaves and topping so that I am full but not tired from all that chewing. I think I did a neat combination with the toppings as it doesn't feel dry even with the little dressing I added and neither was it too bland or salty. Though the pineapples were canned, but it added some sweetness and juice to my salad. My only disappointment was the cajun chicken. It was breast meat and thus very dry. For a meat-lover, I actually enjoyed the salad more than the meat.

Address
The Lawn at Shenton
8 Shenton Way #B1-11
AXA Tower