好主意 - Food Lover's Ideas

Best Ramen in Singapore

2011-12-29T13:00:00.000-08:00

My favourite Ramen shop is still Baikohken, even with the many new ramen chains opening in recent years. Here's my favorite list:

1. Baikohken (梅光軒) - Tasty Miso Charsiew Ramen, and Miso Vegetable Ramen aaaa
One of the best miso soup base and tender charsiew. Specialise in only ramen. Now opens on Sundays too.
address: 7 North Canal Rd (opposite OCBC Building, near Boat Quay) (Map)
Opens 7 days, 11am-3pm 5pm-10pm
$13-$15
Japanese website: http://www.baikohken.com/
lunch/dinner

2. Santouka - Very tasty Miso soup and best Charsiew aaaa

Best miso soup and very tender, best charsiew so far.

address: Shop #02-76, Central Mall, 6 Eu Tong Sen Street (Map)

$12 onwards.

Japanese website: http://www.santouka.co.jp/

lunch/dinner

3. Marutama - Aka Ramen, and tasty Miso Charsiew Ramen aaa
Specialise in ramen using chicken soup base. With pine nuts in the soup.
address: Shop #03-90/91, Central Mall, 6 Eu Tong Sen Street (Map) --new branch at Liang Court
lunch/dinner

4. Tampopo - tonkatsu (black pig) ramen and dishes aaaa
Many other authentic japanese cuisines besides ramen
address: moved to Level 1 at Liang Court (Map)
ref: http://www.yum.sg/restaurants/tampopo/user_gallery/
lunch/dinner

5. Ichibantei - Tantan Ramen aaa
Tantan and Miso Ramen. Kids can join members and get a self serviced large bowl of ice cream too.
address: 60 Robertson Quay #01-13 The Quayside (Map) , also in China Sq, Hong Leong Bldg

lunch/dinner

6. Ramen Champion - Ikkousha and Gantetsu aaa
I prefer Ikkousha and Gentetsu, both are rich in the soup base.
address: Illuma Bugis Level 4 (Map)

lunch/dinner

7. Bon Gout - Miso Ramen aaa
Recycle bookstore + cafe, free to browse and buy used books on the shelves
Beef curry rice and set meals are good too
address: 60 Robertson Quay #01-01 The Quayside (Map)

website: http://bongout-cafe.com/
lunch/dinner

8. Miharu （美春） - Miso Ramen aaaa
Specialise in ramen. Although I personally find it a bit too salty to my taste, but many Japanese likes to visit this Ramen restaurant.
address: #01-11 Gallery Hotel (Map)
lunch/dinner

9. Kyo-Nichi Ramen - Collagen Ramenaaa
Specialise in collagen ramen. Taiwanese style japanese ramen.
address: China Square #01-31/32 (Map)
lunch/dinner

Other Ramen restaurants that are not bad too includes:
Ajisen Ramen - Bugis Junction, Parkway Parade
Beppu Ramen - Far East Sq, Tiong Bahru Plaza

Fiery Pumpkin Dip

2008-11-29T18:39:00.000-08:00

BBQ last night in a friend's place, and I made 2 dips for the bread & chips. Salsa, as usual, is always welcoming and is a dip that never goes wrong for a party. I didn't expect everybody love this pumpkin dip. So decided to share the recipe here :)

This orange color dip offers a rich combination of sweet, spicy and fiery flavours. My cookbook actually had a warning line on this page: Be Warned - once you start dipping, it's hard to stop!

Original Recipe

600 gram / 1 lb 5 oz butternut squash or pumpkin. seeded, peeled, and cut into chunks
2 tablespoons olive oil
Salt & grounded black pepper
1 garlic clove, crushed
1 teaspoon granted fresh root ginger
1 red chilli, seeded and finely chopped
Juice of 1/2 lime

My Recipe (with variation in ingredients, served 10+ people in the party)

half Chinese pumpkin (around 2.5 lbs), seeded, peeled, and cut into chunks
3 tablespoons olive oil
Salt & grounded black pepper to taste
1 garlic clove, crushed & peeled
1 big cube fresh ginger, peeled
1 red dried chilli (the mini one from Southeast Asia), seeded and finely chopped
Juice of 1/2 lemon

Method

Preheat oven for 5 mins.
Put pumpkin in a baking dish, drizzle over 2 tbsp of olive oil, salt and pepper.
Roast for 20 minutes, 10 mins each side, or until tender.
Put the pumpkin, garlic, giner, chilli, and remaining oil into a blender. Process until smooth.
Squeeze in lemon juice and check the season to taste.

Cooking Tips

The thinner chunks of pumpkin you cut, the less roasting time. I used microwave oven instead of real oven. With the microwave + grill function, it only took 15 mins to soften the pumpkins, while 20 mins with the grill only function.
Why I use Chinese pumpkin? 2 reasons: It's easy and cheap to get in fresh market here, and it taste better for dips & soups compared to Japanese pumpkins.
Can serve hot, warm or cold. It will thicken on cooling. Give a good stir before serving.

Innovative Wine Tasting Bar

2008-11-28T19:24:00.000-08:00

Wine tastings became fun with gimmicky Enomatic Wine Serving System. Enomatic is a state-of-the-art computer controlled wine serving system that monitors the operation of each bottle and allows the poured wine to be set to any quantity. The unit features individual bottle positions that can adapt to different sized bottles, electronic push-button operation, and back-lit display. The anti-oxidation feature is automatically activated whenever a new bottle is added in the system. The computer also tells the restaurant how long a bottle has been in the Enomatic.

I visited the Tasting Wine Bar in Hong Kong on Friday night. You can taste a wide selection of wines with a variety of prices, that wouldn’t usually be offered by the glass. The bar offers 40 varieties of wines (32 Reds, 7 Whites, 1 Rose), from Old to New World wines. Many of them are unable to sample in normal restaurants / bars without purchasing the whole bottle. Instead of spending more than $500 for a bottle of wine, I can taste half portion of the same wine for $89. They even have wine from Lebanon. They also offer tapas & cheeses (free one serving during happy hours), which are excellent companion to wines. I poured my own glass of wine without touching a bottle!

How does the Digital Wine Cellar works?

First, you walk over to a big glass-fronted box with wine bottles in it.
Insert a prepaid debit card
Hold your wineglass under a spout
Press a button
and -- Huhuu -- dispenser pour your Shiraz.

You have 3 choices to choose from the system:-
(1) By the glass (150ml)
(2) Half glass (75ml), or
(3) Tasting portion (25ml)

Each bottle is marked with the price per different serving size. The prices changes on a digital display. Cost wise, for tastings portion (i.e. 25ml), price ranging from HK$14 to HK$170 at the top end (Vintage 1997) .

The downsides of this bar was that the lights were too bright, and the low ceilings made the room very noisy and when crowded with people. Service could be improved though.

Where can I find this wine machine in Hong Kong?

Sky Lounge at Sheraton Hotel
Address : 20 Nathan Road, Tsimshatsui, Kowloon, Hong Kong.
Tel : +(852) 2369 1111
Opening Hour : Mon-Thur 16:00-01:00; Fri 16:00-02:00; Sat 14:00-2:00; Sun 14:00-01:00

Tastings Wine Bar
Address : 27-29 L/G Wellington Street, Central, Hong Kong.
Tel : +(852) 2523 6282
Opening Hour : Mon-Sat 17:00-02:00 (Sun Closed)

Best Avocado Juice in Town

2008-11-22T07:14:00.000-08:00

Started business in year 1990, this is the first original Avocado juice (well, it's more like a milk shake) stall in Alexandra Village, not sure if it's the first in Singapore though.

I have tried many different Avocado shake, this stall still the best. It's just so fresh & creamy. Absolutely delightful.

Besides Avocado juice, this stall also sells other exotic drinks, such as beet root, strawberry + soursoup, apple + carrots, etc. Many of the new flavors are worth trying.

Avocado shake originated form Indonesia. It's a simple mix of fresh avocados, evaporated milk & brown coconut sugar (gula melaka). For variation, some people like to add vanilla icecream and blend it together with the other ingredients.

Benefits of Avocado Juice
Many have a wrong perception that avocado juice is fattening. In fact, avocado contains a good supply of carotene. It contains no less than 11 vitamins and 17 minerals, with rich vitamins A, D, and E, which are good for human skin.

Mr. Avocado

Address: #01-19 AV Hawker Centre, BLK 120, Bukit Merah Lane 1, Singapore 150120.

Opening Hours: 09:30 - 21:00 (Sat Closed)

Phone: +65 9663 1648

Price: SG$2/glass

What is Bird's Nest?

2008-11-22T03:39:00.000-08:00

What is Bird's Nest?
Bird's Nest (in Chinese: 燕窩) has been know & used by Chinese communities for centuries as a health food. It is actually the salivary glue of Swiftlets (Collocaliini) taken from their nests. Swiftlets are distributed mainly in the Indian Ocean, Southeast Asia and North Australia. With it high market value, Bird's nest has been promoted by marketers as highly nutrition food, which is good for skin, anti-aging, lowering risk of disease, and longer life span. Traditionally, it is double boiled with rock sugar. Many celebrities and riches claimed to eat Bird's nest everyday.

What is the Nutrition Value of Bird's Nest?
According to scientific research, bird's nest contains mainly carbohydrates, amino acids and mineral salts, glycoproteins, sialic acid, galactosamine, glucosamine, galactose, fucose, etc. Sialic acid has advantages in infants. While some amino acid found can facilitate body's repairing and immunity.

Is Bird's Nest Good or Bad for Cancer Patients?
Scientific evidence was given by Ng et al. (1986) in Hong Kong, suggested that bird's nest might possess immunoenhancing effect by aiding cell division of immune cells. In 1987, other scientific evidence was published by Kong et al, demonstrated an epidermal growth factor (EGF) that stimulated the DNA synthesis in 3T3 fibroblast in a dose dependent manner in vitro. EGF is a 6,000 Da polypeptide hormone produced by glands of the gastrointestinal tract, namely the salivary and Brunner's glands. It appears to play a crucial role in major normal cellular processes such as proliferation, differentiation and development. It may offer a rationale for the medicinal use of edible bird's nest in ageing resistance. Since the receptor for EGF is highly expressed in a number of solid tumors, including breast, head-and-neck, non-small-cell lung, renal, ovarian and colon cancer, people are worried about a possibility to induce tumor progression and to resist chemotherapy/radiation treatment in tumor cells; in consequence, suggest that cancer patients should avoid bird's nest. However, there is no evidence supporting this suggestion. Scientific evidence for its efficacy is still limited.

Banana Curry

2008-11-21T18:37:00.000-08:00

An interesting & healthy vegetarian recipe. The banana flavor actually is very subtle. It actually taste like beans curry, not sweet dessert at all. It is quick & easy to prepare, and the flavor can be adjusted according to your taste buds.

Here is a recipe from the UKTV:

Ingredients:
Green Banana - 5 underripe
Vegetable Oil - 2 to 3 tablespoons
Onion - 1 finely chopped
Curry paste - 1 tablespoon
Coconut Milk - 400ml
Corainder - 3 tablespoons

Method:

Slice the bananas into slices about 2.5cm thick
Heat the oil in a deep frying pan and fry the banana slices in batches, until lightly browned on each side. Drain on kitchen paper.
Add the onion to the pan and cook for 10 minutes, stirring occassionally, until soft.
Return the banana slices to the pan and stir in curry paste. Pour over half the coconut milk and stir well. Cook for 10 minutes on a low heat. Season.
Pour the remaining coconut milk and simmer until the mixture thickens and the bananas break down a little. Garnish with coriander and serve with rice.

Where you can eat banana curry in Singapore?
Bollywood Veggies Farm
Address: 100 Neo Tiew Road, Singapore 719026 (Kranji)
Tel: +65 6898 5001
Fax: +65 6898 2013
Opening Hours: 09:00-18:00 (Mon & Tue Closed)

Depot Road Zhen Shan Mei Calypot Laksa

2008-11-21T18:07:00.000-08:00

A 15-year-old Laska Shop, which have been voted for the BEST LASKA in town. Many magazines, TV & celebrities also recommend.

What so special about the Laksa here?

Most places serve laksa in plastic bowls. Here, the laksa comes in steamy in original claypot. Claypot not only keeping the laksa hot, it also trap the spicies and flavor into it. The older claypot they use, the more flavor you taste. The soup base here is very rich & thick. Unlike Katong Laksa which is more soupy.

The service staff normally ask if you want to add cockle (sea hum). If you're allergy to seafood or have sensitive skins, suggest to skip it.

Depot Road Zhen Shan Mei Calypot Laksa

Address: Stall #01-75, AV Hawker Centre, BLK 120, Bukit Merah Lane 1, SIngapore 150120.

Opening Hour: 08:30 - 15:30 (Monday Closed)

Price: SG$3.5/Small; SG$4.5/Midium; SG$5.5/Large

Kalimeris Indica & Tofu Salad

2008-11-21T17:55:00.000-08:00

Kalimeris Indica & Tofu Salad (in Chinese: 涼伴香乾馬蘭頭) is one of my favourite Chinese cold dish. This cold salad dish originated in Shanghai. It is also a popular appetizer in restaurants.

Ingredients:
Kalimeris Indica (馬蘭頭) - 250g
Dried Tofu (豆腐干) - 2 pieces
Salt - 1 teaspoon
Sugar - 1/2 teaspoon
Sesame Oil - sprinkle

Method:

Wash Kalimeris Indica, boil it for 2 minutes. Drain the water, let dry & cool.
Chop the Kalimeris Indica after it is cold.
Cut Dried Tofu into tiny pieces
Mixed Salt, Sugar, Sesame Oil, Soya Sauce, Kalimeris Indica, Dried Tofu together.
Can put everything in the fridge after mixing, and serve when you want to eat it.

Cooking Tips:
Kalimeris Indica must be well drained & dried before chopping.

Kalimeris (Chinese: Ma-Lan-Tou) is a small genus with 8 species from the sunflower family. The genus occurs mainly in eastern Asia (China, Korea, Japan). The foliage is herbaceous. The blue-green leaves vary per species and are smooth tectured. The can be narrow and long, round and large teeth or lobed.

It usually grown on riverside or roadside, thus, people also called it "sidewalk chrysanthemum".

People eat Kalimeris Indica because it is highly nutrition. Besides protien, fat, carbohydrate, it also contains rich inorganic salt & vitamins. Its Vitamin A contents is higher than tomato, while Vitamin C content is higher than mandarin orange.

It is believed to be good for the liver, eyesight, and can control blood pressure.

Taipei Travel Guide Book

2008-11-20T18:53:00.001-08:00

I came acorss this Taipei Travel Guide Book when browsing around in bookstore in Hong Kong. By far the best Travel Guide Book to Taiwan I've read, even if you're not on a budget. It describes both the well know sight seeing places, and many great restaurants, some of them out-of-thay-way local eateries. One could hardly find them without a book.

Although it is written in Chinese, but you don't actually need to read Chinese to use the book. My Ang-mo friend found it so handy by just looking at the pictures. He simply showed the book to taxi driver, and pointed to the address written on it.

Seriously, this kind of guide books are very popular in Hong Kong and Japan. I wonder why there's no English version, and I couldn't find it in Singapore! It's just so handy and easy to use.

But don't worry. I found out a link here, where you can buy the book directly from Ming Pao online.

Carrot Onion Soup

2008-10-16T07:55:00.000-07:00

The best method to clear up old vegetables in the fridge, instead of throwing them away, is to make SOUP! I had a very delicous Carrot Onion Soup in a Christmas Market in Dresen (Germany). It was very lovely. So, with 3 pieces of old carrots in the fridge, which don't taste good for frying, I decided to make this soup!

Ingredient (4 servings):
3 pieces Carrot
1 whole onion
1 chicken stock cube
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon Dill
1 litre water

Method:

1. wash & peel the carrots, cut into big pieces, put inside a pot.

2. wash & peel onion, cut into 4 pieces, also put in the pot.

3. add one litre of water, chicken stock cube, butter & dill all in the pot, bring to boil, then cook for 30 mins with slow heat.

4. turn off the fire. when the soup cool down, pour everything into a blender and blend till smooth.

5. pour the blended soup back into the pot, and cook for another 15 mins under slow heat.

Cooking Tips:

I don't like to put flour into soup. To make it thicker, you can add more carrots. If you like to thinner (more soupy), then add some more water to dilute it.
carotene is oil soluble, but not water soluble. It's good to add oil when cooking carrots, so that the carotene will be easier for the body to absorb.

Roasted Portabello Mushrooms with Garlic, Butter & Cheese

2008-10-14T03:02:00.000-07:00

Meaty portobellos are topped with garlic, butter & cheese. Great for appetizers. It is very simple & easy to make! I made it last week and even my 11-year-old neice love it!

Ingredients:

6 Portobellos Mushrooms
3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
Butter
Spread Cheese
Dried Basil Leaves (optional)

Method:

Wipe mushrooms clean and remove stems.

Preheat oven or toaster oven to 220 degrees C (425 degrees F).

Place mushroom caps, gill side up, on baking sheet.

Brush butter on each cap.

Put garlic on each cap, then spread cheese to fill the cap .

Bake for 25 minutes, or until cheese is fully melted.

Sprinkle with basil and serve (optional).

Mother's Recipe: Soya Sauce Chicken

2008-10-14T00:09:00.000-07:00

Today suddenly want to eat Soya Sauce Chicken, so I tried out this recipe from mom. It turned out great!

Ingredient:

1 Whole Chicken
5-6 slices Ginger
4 pieces Shallot (peel & cut into half)
1 cup Water
1/2 cup Soya Sauce
1/2 cup Rice Wine
1 piece Anise
1/2 tea spoon Salt
1 table spoon Oil
1 cube (about 5x2x1 cm) Black Sugar Cube (can be replaced by rock sugar)

Method:
1. Wash & clean the chicken. Cut and throw away its head, neck, ass and fat part. Then cut into 6 big pieces.

2. Throw in Shallot, Ginger, Anise, Black Sugar & Water into a pot, bring to boil.

3. Mix Soya Sause, Rice Wine & Salt in a bowl, pour into the pot after the water boil, turn to slow heat (simmer).

4. While boiling the sause, use high heat to heat up a wok with oil, seared the chicken for 5 minutes (each side around 2.5 minutes), until it's skin turn golden yellow, half cooked.

5. Throw chiekcn into the boiled Soya-Sause-Pot, bring to boil.

6. Cover the pot, boil for another 3 minutes.

7. Switch off the fire, and let it simmer for at least 20 minutes. The longer you simmer the chicken, the deeper in taste. Best result is over one hour.

8. Cut the chicken into small pieces when it's cool down. Boil remaining Soya Sause, and pour ontop of chicken when serve.

COOKING TIPS

To chicken taste tender & moist, Do not use strong heat to boil the chicken, it must be simmer.

Don't put the Soya Sause in the pot too early, or else it will burn.

If you want the chicken looks darker in color, add some dark Soya Sause.

Can use a scissor instead of knife to cut the chicken when serve, or tear out the meat by hand.

Fusion Roti Prata (Indian Bread)

2007-10-28T22:46:00.000-07:00

Restaurant Name: Mr. Prata

What will you think of when you feels like eating Indian Food? Probably nan bread / roti prata / some spicy curry? Now in Singapore, you can taste fusion Indian food, an encounter of the West & India: Cheese Prata & Ice-cream Prata! You can even find interesting mix of prata flavour here, such as garlic, banana, chocolate, durian, etc. Whatever you can think of. Mr. Prata started business since 2005. This 24-hour eatery located near to the Botanic Garden, not too convenient, but still have lots of customers, you can imagine. Many customers purposely drive here to eat. All pratas are freshly made upon order.

Roti Prata wrapped with mushroom, ketchup, minced lamp, mozzarella cheese. Taste like pizza. An interesting mix however prata was not crispy enough.

Roti Prata with thick Peanut Butter spread, top with ice-cream and sprinkled with chocolate. SGD3.50. An very interesting texture... warm prata vs. cold ice-cream; salty prata vs. sweet. Have to eat it fast, otherwise the prata became soft & it wasn't very nice by then.

Mango Lassi (SGD3) was nice, wish they use a better looking glass for that instead of a plastic one.

Phone: +65 62356993

Address: No. 26 Evans Road, #01-02, Evan Lodge, Singapore 259367.

How to get there: near Botanic Garden, 30 mins walk from Orchard MRT, or take a taxi from there.

Bak Kuet Teh (Pork Rib Soup)

2007-10-28T22:08:00.001-07:00

Restaurant Name: Ng Ah Sio Bak Kuet Teh (黃亞細肉骨茶)

"HK CEO Donald Tsang was in Singapore for a 3-day state visit and thought it would be a good idea to wrap up his tour with supper at the famous Rangoon Road Ng Ah Sio Pork Ribs Soup Eating House. Unfortunately the lady owner had different idea… she refused to open beyond the operation hour (6 am to 2 pm) to cater to the V VIP and his entourage." This front page news made this already famous local eatery splashed all over the international medias. Personally, I don’t fancy the Singaporean styled Bak Kuet Teh too much. I love the Penang styled with strong herbs and dark coloured soup.

Bak Kuet Teh (SGD5) with free top up of soup. For the soup, I think pepper taste was too strong, while the soup base was too plain without much herbs. The prok ribs taste a bit little those soup leftovers from mother's soup... too soft & tasteless.

Pig's skin (SGD2) was nicely stewed though, tasty & soft while still keeping the richness in "plastic", rich in cologin.

Stewed Pig's leg with Peanuts (SGD5), good but not fantastic, just normal

Pig's Liver Soup (SGD5) also very normal, same soup base as the Bak Kuet Teh, nothing amazed me.

Opening Hour: 6am – 2pm (Closed on Monday)
Phone: +65 62947545 / 62946500
Address: No. 208 Rangoon Road, Singapore 218453.
How to get there: 10m mins walk from Little India MRT.

Chinese Tapas (Snacks)

2007-10-28T21:40:00.001-07:00

Restaurant Name: One Rochester

Located next to Singapore's Silicon Village, Rochester Park is a lovely little hideaway from the city's noise & pollution. The water running & burds' sound make it your secret garden to chill out at night. There are 11 colonial white houses inside the garden, used to be British Official's home. One Rochester is one of them. Their drink menu offer more than 500 choices, many special martini, and many delicious tapas (snacks). There was a 3-man live band playing Jazz Rock when I visited, they sounds like Jamiroquai of Funk Odyssey, awesome！

Rock Melon Martini. SGD14. I simply LOVE it.

I never thought of having Chinese Roasted Pork to go with my Martini cocktail, but it was a greta match. The pork's skin was roasted until crispy, meat not too dry but fatty-feeling oil were roasted awat. Love it! SGD15.

Deep Fried Mushroom. SGD10. It was good too, fresh & crispy.

Another fusion, Fried Fish Skin (Chinese Style) and suprisingly it goes with my Melon Martini too :) SGD10.

Phone: +65 67730070

Address: No 1 Rochester Park, Singapore 139212.

How to get there: take a taxi from Buona Vista MRT.

Spanish Tapas

2007-10-28T21:12:00.000-07:00

Restaurant Name: Oosh

From farm to army camp, today Tanglin Village is converted as an area for classy dinning & drinking. There are more than 30 bars & restaurants in Tanglin Village. Among them, Oosh is one of the biggest outdoor restaurant in Singapore. It is converted from an old black & white coloured British building. Entrance is decorated with fish pool, small waterfall, green trees, and bamboo huts. You won't feel like in Singapore when dinning here, it was like in a resort in Bali. It is not difficult to spot a few Ferrari or Porsche car parked outside this restaurants, as well as local celebrities & models walking around.

Spanish Tapas: Garlic Shrimp. SGD13. This dish was completely disappointed as the shrimp was frozen & treated very crunchy, but completely lost its original taste.

French styled Duck Confit with Green Salad. SGD26. Duck meat was medium cooked, OK tender & juicy, however, the gravy wasn't nicely made. Salad was fresh though.

Parma Ham & Asparagus Roll. SGD10. Well, this dish is not difficult to made at all. Must be good as long as they use fresh & quality ingredient. No complaint.

Phone: +65 64750002
Address: No. 22 Dempsey Road, Tanglin Village, Singapore 249679.
How to get there: take a taxi from Orchid MRT.

Chicken Rice

2007-10-28T20:26:00.000-07:00

Restaurant Name: MELT - The Oriental Hotel

Singaporean crazy for Chicken Rice. In fact, the Hainanese Chicken Rice is invented in Singapore instead of from Hainan. You can get chicken rice at SGD3-5 or spend some money for an expensive one in a 5-star hotel. Wondering where to get authentic and delicious hainanese chicken rice in a comfortable & chilling environment? You can try out MELT in the Oriental Mandarin Hotel. With 5-star service, the ambience, food presentation, as well as some confortable air-conditioned & chill out music. Along the the classic image of the Oriental Mandarin Hotel, the chicken rice here taste classic & authentic & good.

Hainanese Chicken Rice, your choice of chicken breat or thigh. SGD17 per set.

Strawberry Iced Tea from the Red Bar, I LOVE it! SGD8.00 per glass.

Phone: +65 6338 0066
Address: No. 5 Raffles Avenue, Marina Square, Singapore 039797.
How to get there: 5-10 mins walk from City Hall MRT.

Chili Crab

2007-10-24T23:49:00.000-07:00

Restaurant Name: Villa Raintree Seafood Galleria

Located on top of a hill in Labrador Park, hidden inside millions years of tropical rain forest, this restaurant is probably the most quiet & comfortable place for Chili Crab in Singapore. Chinese restaurants normally don't serve delicious crabs, most of the time are over cooked. Here, they make the crabs texture like the French style, just nicely cooked, smooth & tender & super juicy. Chili taste not too strong, so that it didn't cover the natural fresh taste of crabs. Chef came from Fu-jian region of China, has been working in Singapore for over 10 years, and loves to create fusion dishes.

Stuffed lychee with crab meat, then deep fried until crispy. A very delicious & refreshing fusion dish. SGD8.00 each.

Scallop Siu-Mai with crab eggs soup, beneath the soup is a layer of steamed egg. Super Yummy! SGD12.00 each.

Famous Singapore chili crab. SGD32.

Best to order some buns, and dip it with the chili sauce!

Champagne Pork Rib. It was a bit disappointed though, rib was over cooked, very dry & chewy, gravy was a little too salty. SGD11.

Fried Noodles with shrimp, fish & scallops. The noddles were super crunchy, with fresh & sweet seafood, it was a very good combination. Couldn't help to finish the plate even I was already full.

Mixed fruit jelly made with teal leaves, very refreshing & the leave my mouth with a pleasant fragrance. SGD5.00

Opening Hour: 12 noon - 2:30pm / 6pm - 10pm

Phone: +65 63770351

Address: No. 30 Labrador Villa Road, Labrador Nature Reserve, Singapore 119189.

How to get there: take a free shuttle bus from Harbour Front MRT.

Duck Rice

2007-10-24T23:05:00.000-07:00

Restaurant Name: Rochor Duck Rice

Singapore not only famous for its Hainanese Chicken Rice, Duck Rice also a must try specialty. You cannot find the same type of duck rice in other Chinese cities. Rochor is one of the old duck rice shop, with over 30 years of business. The signature dish of shop is the "Chinese Herbal Duck Soup" (十全大補鴨湯), which was featured in local newspapers.

Duck meat was tender. Rice was cooked with cabbages & soya sauce, quite special, but texture was a little too dry for my taste.

Smooth rice noddles served with duck stocks. SGD0.80 each.

Chinese Herbal Duck Soup, supposed to be very good for the body. SGD4-12 each.

Pig's intestine. It was clean and well prepared, you can't taste the fatty feeling. SGD2.00.

Ducks were hang at the door, attracting customers.

Opening Hour: 9am – 8:30pm

Phone: +65 2986627
Address: No. 327 Beach Road, Singapore 199560.

How to get there: 5 mins walk from Bugis MRT. Located opposite to the Concourse.

French Cuisine in Tropical Garden

2007-10-24T22:08:00.000-07:00

Restaurant Name: Au Jardin

Hiden inside a small 3-storey white colonial house, this French restaurant is one of the best in Singapore. The "white house" was built in 1920, used to be home of Mr. Corner. Most furniture & decorations still restored until now. Ground floor is wine cellar and sitting room for pre & post dinner drinks. Upstairs dinning area. Eating in this restaurant was like dinning in a cottage house in my friend's grandma home in Europe, a very warm feeling. The restaurant only has 13 tables, maximum can accommodate 50 guest. 3 days prior booking is recommended. Au Jardin is French words, meaning "in the garden". Chef flexibly creates dishes using fresh & season ingredients. Menu changed every 3 months.

First course Marinated Longoustines with Oscietre Caviar & Baby Mache Cray Fish. It's simply refreshing, sweet, and fragrant! Awesome!

Bigorre pork (a special French pig with controlled export) cooked in 4 different ways: 1. Confit-grilled (slow cooked) pig's belly, very tender & juicy, my favourite among the four; 2. Pork cheek cooked stewed with red wine, a little sweet; 3. Roasted Pork Loin (lower back part); 4. Spanish lomo ham.

Prunes with vanilla cream & tapioka ice-cream. Prunes were imported, not too sweet, just nice to taste, while waffle was very crispy. Awesome!

Lots of wine selection in their cellar, the oldest one is 1945, cost SGD8,000.

Price: 8-course dinner SGD165. 4-course dinner SGD125. Ladies lunch (only open for ladies) with 4 small courses SGD42. Sunday brunch SGD58 (semi-buffet)

Opening Hour: Lunch 12 noon - 2pm / Dinner 7pm - 9:30pm / Sunday brunch 11:30am - 2:30 pm

Phone: +65 64668812

Address: EJH Corner House, Singapore Botanic Garden Visitor Centre, Cluny Road, Singapore 259569.

How to get there: take a taxi or shuttle bus from Orchid MRT, it's located inside the Botanical Garden.

Old Time Breakfast: Kaya Toast & Coffee

2007-10-24T21:37:00.000-07:00

Restaurant Name: Ya-Kun Kaya Toast

Almost every travel guide book recommend to go to Ya-Kun for a traditional old time Singaporean breakfast. This shop started in 1944, have been accompanied Singaporean for over 60 years. Now already have several branches in Singapore, Taiwan & Korea. However, they insist of making every toast & coffee in traditional style as 60 years ago. eg. use hand to toast every bread on top of charcoal. What is Kaya? Kaya is a sweet bread spread made with coconut milk, sugar, egg york, and pandan leaves. It's a little bit like jam, but a South East Asian style with a very special & unforgettable aroma. Among all branches in Singapore, I especially like the one in Far East Square. The spaces & quiet, feels like in a Paris's cafe.

Crunchy Kaya Toast, I just couldn't help ordering a few more after the first bite. SGD0.85 each.

Half boiled egg. Locals love to eat it with peppers & soya sauce, dip it with kaya-toast. Sounds wired but indeed pretty yummy!

The coffee here is strong while smooth, mix with condensed sweet milk instead of sugar. SGD1.oo each.

Coffee are filtered in traditional cotton cloth bags to enrich the smoothness.

Every bread is toasted by hand over charcoal fire.

Packacged kaya jam can be bought home, but I think can only stroed for 1-2 weeks in fridge, not too long. SGD4.00 each.

Phone: +65 64383638
Address: 18 China Street, #01-01 Far East Square, Singapore 049560.
How to get there: 5-10 mins walk from Raffles Place MRT

Best Durian Cake

2007-10-24T20:32:00.000-07:00

Restaurant Name: Goodwood Park Hotel

Located in Orchird Road, the heart of Singapore's shopping district, this colonial Germany styled hotel offer the best Durian Cake in town. For many years, this is a popular place for locals for a stylish & hearty afternoon high-tea. Durian Puff & Durian Mousse are the signature dessert. It recorded highest sales of 8,000 pieces of Durian Puff in one day. Now you can find more than 10 different flavour of durian dessert in the menu, such as Durian Waffe, Durian & Nuts Tart, Durian Sticky Rice Balls, etc. Fulfill both your creativity and tastebud. To ensure the quality, chef only choose the best D24 durian from among their 7 suppliers. I brought my German friend there, and he love the desserts even though he didn't like durian before in other places.

Durian Mousse Cake, the most original & signature dessert. SGD6.90 each.

Durian Roll, made by traditional pandan leaves, SGD6.00 each.

New flavour: Durian, Pandan & Coconut Cake. SGD 6.50 each

Durian Crepe, have to eat it fresh. SGD4.80 each.

Durian Crumble, a very nice mix of texture of smooth & crunchy. SGD4.50 each.

Durian Puff (left), melt in your mouth texture. SGD1.80 each. Smooth Durian Mousse sandwich with crispy waffe (right). SGD6.50 each.

Phone: +65 67377411

Address: 22 Scotts Road, Singapore 228221.

How to get there: 10 mins walk from Orchid MRT

Mussels and Belgian Beer

2007-09-16T07:49:00.000-07:00

Craving for mussels? Here's a good restaurant to enjoy a bucket full of black mussels, with a choice of different sauces; tomato or white wine based. Also a good variety of fruity Belgian beers to choose from. It is also a bar at night. Restaurant is facing the Singapore River at Robertson Quay.

Brussels Sprout - aaaa

address: #01-12, 80 Mohamed Sultan Road, The Pier @ Robertson (Map)

Chocolate fudge cakes

2007-09-15T07:14:00.000-07:00

Best chocolate fudge cakes ranked by order of my preference:

1. Jane's Station aaaaa
This is my favourite chocolate cake. Melts in the mouth. Yummy. Well, a bit far though. It is next to the famous Jalan Kayu roti prata shop.

address: 265 Jalan Kayu
Tel: 64811322
Other Reviews.

2. Lana Cakes - aaaa
Very popular, need to order in advance, at times up to a week before hand.

address: 36 Greenwood Avenue (Map)
Tel: 64665315, 64668940
Opens: 10am-6pm, Wed to Fri. 10 am to 5pm on Sats

3. Awfully Chocolate - aaaa
Their Chocolate Rum & Cherry is very good too. Walk-in only have Chocolate Rum & Cherry available at 1Kg size. Other flavours and sizes must order in advance.

address: 01-26 Katong Mall, Tel: 6345219001-05
Cluny Court, Tel: 6469056501-16
Republic Plaza, Tel:653565934
Jalan Kuras, Tel:64517104
(http://www.awfullychocolate.com/)

4. Choc A Bloc aaa
Moist sponge with alternate fudge

address: Blk 86 Bedok North Street 4 01-179
Tel: 64466096

Local dishes for foreign visitors

2007-09-09T11:57:00.000-07:00

You have foreign visitors coming to Singapore and need some ideas to bring them for a taste of quality local food? Here are some local dish ideas to consider for hosting dinner and lunch for foreign visitors (see location map):

1. Outram Park Ah Wah Bak Kut Teh (亚华肉骨茶） - visited by Donald Tsang, CE of Hongkongaaaa
Must try the teowchew tea with the bak kut teh
address: 7 Keppel Rd #01-05 Tanjong Pagar Complex (Map)
Close on Mondays, open daily 7am - 3pm
lunch

2. Indian fish head curry - Indian curryaaaa
address: Race Course Road, Our Makan Place (chinese coffee shop at the corner)
lunch/dinner

3. Jumbo Seafood - Chinese seafood aaa
address: Clark Quay (Map)
dinner

4. Lau Pa Sat (Old Market) - local Singapore food, food center aaa
Satay, Poh Piah, grilled seafood ... etc
address: Shenton Way (Map)
lunch/dinner

5. Beach Road Prawn Noodle House - prawn with pork ribs soup noodle + ngo hiang aaaa
address: 370 East Coast Rd near Still Rd junction (Map)
lunch ($4, $5, $6)

6. Hock Lam Street Popular Beef Noodle (泰南隆) - kway teow soup is good aaaa
Best soup base. Would not recommend the dried one though.
address: 27 Purvis Street (opposite National Library) (Map)
medium: $5
lunch

7. Chin Chin chicken rice - Hainanese dishes, chicken rice, pork chop aaa
address: 19 Purvis Street (opposite National Library)
lunch/dinner

8. Chinatown Food Street - local hawker favourites aaa
address: Chinatown, Smith Street (Map)
dinner

Best Mee Pok in town

2007-09-02T02:11:00.000-07:00

My favourite Mee Pok is Ah Lim Mee Pok at Upper East Coast Road at the junction of Jalan Tua Kong and Upper East Coast Road. The stall is in a coffee shop next to a 7-Eleven shop and Killiney Kopitiam.

The prawn is very fresh, especially the texture of the translucent and crystal prawn. It is next best to having prawn sashimi. Must try! (prepare for at least 10 minutes waiting time) Order some roast chicken and roast meat from the corner stall while waiting, they are good too.

If you don't like it too spicy, ask for less chilli. Or you can also ask for no chilli, no ketchup, but definitely with dark vinegar. In my view, this is better than Lau Lim.

By the way, while waiting for your mee pok, enjoy some roast meat and roast chicken at the corner chicken rice stall. That's quite good too. For coffee drinker, there's nothing to beat having a cup of kopi-c at the Killiney Kopitiam next door :)

Address: 15 Upper East Coast Road (Map)
(Close On Mondays. price $3, $4, $5)
Parking: URA open car park opposite the road