Ocean Private Kitchen (HK)

B and I were in Hong Kong over the weekend for my cousin's wedding, so naturally we had to sneak some good eats into our itinerary. I had heard about Ocean from friends and that it was very "value-for-money". When I found out that corkage for the first 750ml bottle of wine is waived, and it's $50 from the second bottle onwards - I was sold!
Aww always so nice to see Rosemary (pet name) - long distance relationship has lasted us what, 7 years? It's nice to know that we both make efforts to stay close.

Ocean restaurant is a in Happy Valley and the chef apparently used to work at Mandarin Grill and Bar. This was the menu for the night. We all had the steak and at HKD420 for the set (SGD 70) it was excellent value! 

(1) Tomato with mozzarella cheese and osmanthus

What a great start to the meal. Fresh succulent tomatoes paired with cheese - so clever infusing the dish with osmanthus (it's called 桂花 in chinese, usually used to infuse teas and desserts). Very refreshing and left us wanting more.

 (2) Cream of pumpkin

A classic done well with robust flavours. Served piping hot - a small gesture but one I insist upon - nothing worse than a bowl of lukewarm soup (no, not a fan of gazpacho). 

(3) U.S. Beef Tenderloin with rosemary butter & port wine reduction

WOW. This was the highlight of the meal. A generous cut of tenderloin perfectly (and I do mean perfectly) cooked medium rare, dressed in a beautiful (and I do mean beautiful) sauce. I wiped the plate clean of that amazing rosemary butter too. The 2004 Chateau Bel-Air-Ouy I byo-ed made a heavenly (and I do mean..) combination

(4) Coconut and pineapple in 5 textures

I usually expect mediocre desserts when the main courses are amazing but here, I was happily proven wrong. Chunks of pineapple + strands of coconut + coconut jelly +coconut/pineapple ice cream + coconut mousse + sprinkling of cornflakes for crunch = what-genuis-made-this #cannotgetenough. Read this - enough said.

Verdict - We loved the impeccable food at this non descript hole-in-wall restaurant and the service made us feel like family. It's heartening to know that such an enjoyable, intricate meal can be had at such value. I whole-heartedly recommend this place to anyone looking for a good meal in Hong Kong!

As the waiter (brother of the chef or his wife) explained, the family are devout christians and so we each got a pick a psalm on a piece of paper to take home with us.

I am not publicly (haha) religious but this was a nice touch to end a most lovely meal.  

Symmetry

Who doesn't love eggy brunches? Taking time out from the rough and tumble of everyday life and just vegetating out in front of a plate piled with carby (toasted brioche's the best) eggy (scrambled or poached, they have to be runny) goodness. And of course, a good cup of coffee. No better way to ease slowly into/out of the weekend - feel the knots loosen in your shoulders, just laze people watching. No next appointment to go to, and no errand to worry about. Pure bliss. I wish I can do it more often.

Symmetry is a new find which serves up some pretty yummy brunch grub. You have the usual brunch classics done right, but at the same time, I love the interesting twists they put to new dishes. Unfussed but trendy decor with distressed metal details and raw brick walls + great service from the (young teenager) waitstaff. Very cool.

I thought my choice of the Truffle Eggs Mushroom ($21) was an excellent one - check out my runny scrambled eggs and who doesn't love all things drizzled with truffle oil. I wish there was a larger serving of bread though - not enough to mop my plate clean! The strawberry jam was a nice touch. Pretty.

The crispy duck egg on a bed of watercress, pancetta and pearl barley ($19) was what I meant when I said they are innovative with their egg dishes. I loved the cheesy mess here, especially the crunchy bits of pork fat!

Another impressive dish was the Flan $23. Nope, not a dessert - excellent take at the savoury end - my only grouse was that I wanted a larger portion. The pork cheek confit was very tasty and tender and how does one not love perfectly poached eggs and sauteed mushrooms swimming in a pool of cream? Best way to inhale (yes inhale) this dish is to stir it all up, use a spoon to gobble and save the soggy flan pastry for last - t'was so good! 

A latte ($5.50) and gingerbread man cookie to end my very satisfying meal.

Verdict - I approve! Such a refreshing take, after my disastrous re-visit to Spathe for brunch last week. Yes that's another story to tell. For now, let's just make reservations for my next trip down to Symmetry. Will bring B along - he can try the bloody mary and I can indulge the cocktail craving I was trying so hard to resist this trip #mindovernectar 

Oca Grassa

When food reviews tell you that you need a "part giant or party of four" to share a Florentine steak, you cannot help but feel a tad cheated when the portion comes small. Especially when the Chef really was genius in (apparently) grilling meat over Japanese charcoal embers with no flame - a technique which gave the well-aged meat an amazingly smoky charred-but-not-burnt flavour, and a I-want-more-melt-in-your-mouth texture.

No fair. At $158 a portion, we just couldn't afford to order a second serving #innerstrength.

I honestly cannot see how the hot slab of salt the steak arrived on enhanced its taste though. But it was pretty. One wonders how long they recycle each slab for, or if they will throw it away if rogue customers decide to lick it *grin*.

I wouldn't exactly call Oca Grassa an Italian restaurant since the head Chef is Edwin Lau, but labels don't matter as long as the food is good, I suppose. By the time we arrived at 8.30pm for the 2nd seating, quite a number of items on the menu were already sold out. Oh well. Of the ones we did manage to order, there were hits and misses.

A big hit with me was the Octopus Salad ($20). It's difficult to cook octopus without making it hard and chewy, but the chunks here were oh-so-tender. I loved the combination of textures between the octopus, mangoes, capsicums and lettuce. I was most impressed that even the octopus had that (see above) lovely smoked flavour - I regret that I didn't take a picture of it.

The Brodetto di Pesce ($56 for two to share) - a garlic/tomato based seafood broth with generous servings of clams, mussels, sea bream and shrimps - was pretty good too.  A bit pricey I thought, but quite enjoyable.

The linguine with sauteed prawns and squid aglio olio ($20) did nothing for me. No offence to the Chef but I could have cooked it myself. Again. Don't trust food reviews blindly - there I was, futilely looking for that zing which the dish purportedly has because "he adds prawn stock to the mix". I felt quite silly haha.

We also had the tiramisu for dessert. It was so-so.

Verdict - I am not too sure if I will be back even though the meat was good. It's a bit pricey, to be honest. The acoustics of the seating area was really bad too - it was very noisy and we had to raise our voices to be heard. Not a place for romantic dates, FYI.

Claypot Fun (East Coast)

I love, love, love food cooked in clay pots. It's that extra wok hei you get that just makes everything taste so much better. I feel ashamed of myself for just discovering Claypot Fun located at the Playground at East Coast - it's literally right under my nose when I go for yoga class!

It is officially going on my list of "comfort food" joints *grin*

Classic claypot rice with generous chunks of juicy chicken, moist mushroom and fragrant lap cheong - we ordered a second large-sized serving!

Old skool minced pork and salted fish rice tasted of pure nostalgia.  I prefer the claypot chicken rice though.

Fermented Shrimp paste lettuce in claypot - my very favourite dish! Very simple ingredients but I absolutely loved it. I think I finished one claypot on my own while my sis looked on in amazement (lucky she doesn't like veggies so no competition there).
   

The other star dish of the evening was the claypot liver. Sooo good - I couldn't get enough of that yummy sauce and soft tender liver slices.  The braised eggplant and sweet and sour pork in the background, on the other hand were just so-so. 

Verdict - A lovely venue for a hearty home-style meal. I thought the prices were pretty reasonable for aircon comfort too. Will definitely be back!

Communal: Diner. Bar. New American Restaurant

Think American food and images of burgers and milkshakes come to mind. Never mind that we all secretly love fast-food, but it's a bit of a stretch to call it American "gourmet cuisine". 

After my visit to Communal, I am still not convinced (haha) but hey, it was a fab meal in a nice ambiance which didn't burn a hole in the pocket so call it whatever, Communal is a great new addition to the Singapore restaurant scene. 

B is away in Geneva for work but here's the guys sending him their love from Singapore.

Yes we all missed you on this Friday night!

Well until they served the lobster mac and cheese ($22) anyway. Look at this. Food is the best distraction ever *grin*

I know some prefer their mac and cheese really cheesy but I much prefer Communal's version. Lighter on the palate but still flavorful. The lobster was fresh and sweet. Nice touch, the crispy bread crumbs. Good call, ordering not one but two portions to share among the 7 of us. 

Then came our mains. 4 of the gang all ordered the signature Communal Diner Bar (CBD) burger ($25) - with onion, bacon and eggs. I agreed to share AL's burger and also ordered the Braised beef cheeks ($26) on mashed potatoes to share with her. Ling had the Fried chicken ($18). Argh I just realized I was so busy taking pics of everyone else's food I forgot to take a pic of mine!

Fresh and juicy double beef patties simply done without too much frills on soft burger buns - yums. Only slight complaint was that the medium rare the guys ordered came a tad too bloody. AL and my medium patties were perfect!

The fried chicken was good too, though Jill's "as good as KFC" didn't do much to elevate the gourmet status of the dish haha. 

We really enjoyed the cozy yet industrial chic decor of the restaurant. Nice open concept kitchen, rustic brick walls, black leather seats and wooden tables. Conversation (and wine) flowed freely. Ryan the chef came by to chat with us and I was suitably impressed by how personable he was. Very earnest in asking for feedback - excellent attitude.

We got a complimentary lemon tart for dessert. It was alright. What impressed me more was the Monkey Bread - mmmm I've been thinking about it. So good. Sweet, sticky, gooey chunks of dense bread with cinnamon.  Match made in heaven with vanilla ice cream.

Verdict - Perfect pit stop to fuel up before heading up to Mad Men for our fave live band.  Great food and very reasonable prices - we paid $70 per pax for 2 macs and cheeses, 4 burgers, 1 fried chicken, 1 braised cheek, 1 monkey bread, 1 oreo cheesecake and 1 ice-cream sundae (catch breath), 2 bottles of red wine, a martini and 2 beers! B - let's go check out the $15 set lunch soon. 

Department of Caffeine

I've been on the hunt for cafes with good coffee AND food. When I read about this new coffee joint along Duxton Road, and the reviews seemed to suggest that the food was good, I prompted suggested it to Noe for our lunch date. Walking distance from both our offices!

VERY limited menu. The salads sounded interesting on paper, but when I looked at them displayed at the counter, they didn't look appetizing at all. The beetroot salad - it was just chunks of beetroot! The bean salad was well... just beans. Ditto the japanese noodle salad..

The coffee was ok I guess. Not amazing but competent. This is afterall, a coffee joint. 

So I ended up ordering the pulled pork sandwich which came highly recommended by the staff/owner (?). To xxx, I apologize for my disappointment in your salads - great service, btw. 

The pulled pork, though tasty, was a tad dry. Nothing a drizzle of BBQ sauce could not solve but still..  The sandwich scores on presentation (I'll give you that) but keep it moist sir, keep it moist!

Ok. That came out wrong. Anyways, you get my point. 

I would suggest having the morrocan carrot and raisin salad that came with the pulled pork sandwich as a main salad. Because it was the best part of the meal (seriously). I liked the texture and the raisins were plump and sweet. 

Verdict: I might return for the coffee since it's near the office, but likely after lunch.  

Spathe Public House (Dinner)

The S3's been slow and so I'm doing some housekeeping to clear the photo gallery. Whoops - I found a whole backlog of food pics to blog about. With so much to choose from, one must be selective.

Spathe (pronounced ‘speyth’) is named after the leaf-like bracts that encloses a flower cluster, meant to symbolize the start of something new. Well, that stretch of Mohamed Sultan is sorta new I suppose, having had a faceover with so many nice restaurants clustered there now. I for one, prefer the new Mohamed Sultan, compared to the bacardi-soda-littered days of Madam Wong and Wong-San's (no doubt there are some ehem good ol' memories there..).

That night, we had five pax, a good number for a dinner party, perfect for Spathe's "sharing" concept. I had read somewhere that there were certain off-menu items we had to pre-order, including beef tartar. B and Alf being huge fans of beef tartar (and all things moo), I pre-ordered two portions ($18 each - I think) so the boys wouldn't fight. 

The portions were pretty generous. Good. The rest of us get to try it too (no offence, B & Alf).

B, the BTT connoisseur thought it was pretty good though he insists "You haven't tried the one I make yet" - yes dear, I have been anxiously waiting to try but it's slowly becoming imaginery...

We ordered 3 of their Mammoth Signatures, though we only went with the elephant portion for the Sou Vide Octopus salad $38 ($18 for single portion). One of the best salads I've had in a looong time.  

Loved the texture from the octopus, spinach, honey, garlic, wholegrain mustard vinaigrette. Lucky we ordered the mammoth, otherwise I would have ungraciously hogged the huge salad bowl.  

We ordered the single portion of the Mohd Sultan Meter Dog ($18/ $55 for mammoth). Apparently there's a Mammoth Challenge – diners who can finish this enormous hot dog within 10 minutes will get to eat it for free! Hmmm. Diner or diners? If the latter I am keen to participate - who's in with me?

Take a deep breath. Say veal-and-chicken-spicy-curry-wurst. Yum yum. Loved the wasabi mayo and caramelized onions. I am seriously considering the challenge now.

We also had the 12 hour Slow Cooked Pork Belly ($24). It was pretty good (though not wow) - pork belly was tender and who doesn't love the runny goodness of a poached egg? The wholegrain mustard and bordelaise sauce went well with the mashed potatoes.

The Chicken and the Sea paella ($25 /$78 for mammoth) came with, well, chicken and seafood (surprise surprise). Perfectly al dente and a medley of flavours in the mouth. I would definitely order this again in a heartbeat, but I cannot imagine achieving the same level of consistency if they were to cook in a mammoth portion? Yes, that's a question for you guys.

Now, you'd think that a place that does its mains well would serve mediocre desserts but here's an exception. The Poached Pear Charlotte Royal with warm chocolate sauce ($11) was excellent, as was the Sticky Toffee Pudding with hokey pokey (?) ice cream ($12). My favorite dessert of the night was off-menu - simple, unadulterated buttery waffles with creamy vanilla ice-cream (can't remember price).

Verdict: I have so fond memories of this place I'm taking my sis here for her birthday brunch. Watch this space for my review!

The Sushi Bar (Far East Plaza)

I never thought I'd say this but after last weekend's meal at The Sushi Bar (#03-89 at Far East plaza), I am all sashimi-ed out. Talk about too much of a good thing. Don't get me wrong - no complaints - I just need some time to "recover" before going back to conquer the next Chiraishi Don. Burp.

Check out what I got for $24.90.

Chiraishi porn indeed. If you thought Chikuwa Tei was generous with the fish - you gotta check these guys out. There was just a thin layer of rice, mind you. "Omg there's another layer of sashimi here" the guys (yes, grown men) moaned.

B wanted uni so he ordered the Premium Chiraishi Don at $38.90. It's essentially the same as what we had, just with uni and ebi.

We were the face of gluttony that afternoon. The 4 of us (3 guys and a girl) also ordered:

The Slices of Rare Sirloin ($14.90 for 100 g - we ordered 200g!) was delish - great marbling for the price and perfectly cooked.

Scallop mentaiyaki ($13.90) - thinly sliced carpaccio of scallop lightly aburi-ed with delicious mentaiko mayonnaise. Loved this!

Aburi salmon/soft shell crab roll ($13.90 for 8 pieces) - this hit the spot for me. I love all things aburi-ed and these guys really know how to wield a torch!

Don't judge us, but 4 chiraishi dons and all of the above later, we ordered more sushi. I was craving anago - you understand how cravings work right? Erm, right?

Verdict: A totally over-the-board meal but pat-on-our-backs - we actually managed to finish all that food. Yes, I polished off my humongous Chiraishi Don! The bill for 3 "normal" Chiraishi dons and 1 Premium Don, together with all the above and 3 asahi beers, came up to $50 per pax. A darned good deal if you ask me. They were relatively crowded on the Saturday afternoon we were there. I hear weekday lunchtime crowd can get a bit crazy. And no wonder. Sheesh. Do they earn from this?

Turning 35 and Dinner at Brinj

I know age is just a number and I don't turn melancholic about turning a year older. But milestone birthdays like turning 21, 25, 30, 35 and (gasp) 40 are inevitably reminders that time is a passing us by and we need to seize the day. Birthdays are a good time to take stock of where you've been, where you are and, more importantly, where you want to be in life. Honestly, 35 is not that different from 34, but it feels different, it feels like turning the corner into adulthood for good. 

I love myself at 35. I have regrets, but I've also done a lot of things I'm proud of before turning 35. One of these things, is having met some really great friends and KEPT them in my life. I AM TRULY BLESSED. With my (actual) family, Shanghai family and Bear family. I probably don't say it often enough but:

I love you guys. Each and everyone of you beautiful people continue to inspire me everyday with your energy and infectious enthusiasm.   

Some pics here (missing some peeps but not forgotten - you know who you are)

I had a blast at Mad Men - the live band was awesome! Thanks to all who turned up and made the night truly special for me. One of the most original birthday greetings I received was from L, who told me - "Here's wishing you lots of good food ahead.."

Indeed. Birthday dinner at Brinj was AMAZING. 

There were 12 of us and I had pre-ordered dishes which were signature to this small nondescript restaurant at Cheong Chin Nam Road. Parking was a bitch but the food was definitely worth the pain. 

First up - the highlight of the dinner - Lechon, or roasted suckling pig. Wow. This little piggy made us all very happy - love love love the crisy fat and crackling, and the meat was so tender and juicy!

Close your eyes if you are squeamish - this is me butchering the pig's head muhahaha. 

The grilled corn salad which followed was refreshing. They added some spices me thinks, I liked the aftertaste. Next, we were served the lamb ribs. According to Patrick the chef, this was milk-fed lamb (available from Tekka Market wor) which is prized for its flavor and texture. Grilling is the best way to enjoy it and true enough - we loved it. B especially.

Next up was a roast duck served with carrots in an orange sauce. I was a bit disappointed because the duck was a bit dry. The carrots were nice and soft though. 

The grilled salmon and calamari was what cemented my respect for Patrick. It takes skill to perfect grilled salmon but when done well, I love how the natural oils in the salmon keep it moist but also create a slight crispiness on the outside of the fish. The grilled squid was impressive too - we were all stuffed but how to resist the perfectly charred yet melt-in-the-mouth tender piece of heaven? The pilaf rice which it was served with added even more texture to this dish. Excellent.

We then ended the meal with some carbo - Baba noodles. Basically hokkien mee in duck fat. It was ok. By then we were all stuffed!

Yes, dessert was sweeter than usual.

Verdict:I think I speak for all 12 at dinner that this might well be one of the best meals in 2013. Quote Joyce:

"The spread we had for our private dinner of 12 was sumptous - despite the cosy western set-up of the restaurant, I really enjoyed the Asian touches to every dish e.g. the hei bi hiam which accompanied the bread, the samabal balachan for the lamb.'"

Agree. I highly recommend Brinj so do go check it out - Patrick was talking about moving to NZ (noooo...) so hurry! Gather a group, bring a few bottles of wine (offer Patrick a glass to sweeten the no-corkage policy) or buy some from his very reasonably priced selection, and prepare to have a blast. I gave him a budget of $80 per pax to work with and the above was what we got - one fantastic night out with delicious food and good conversation.

Love you all my makan kakis. Muakz!

Tze Char Adventures: De Classic Golden Spoon

De Classic Golden Spoon is one of the tze char insituitions in Tiong Bahru, along with Por Kee, just diagonally across. B prefers the latter to De Classic Golden Spoon, but I can't get enough of their pumpkin cereal tofu dish (left). 

Last Saturday A (a friend based in Tokyo) came to visit and since he already had chilli and pepper crab, we thought why not let him try the signature crab bee hoon dish at De Classic Golden Spoon?   

True enough he loved it. What's not to love? Juicy crab with wok-hei infused bee hoon in the umami sauce - niceee.. We also ordered a ton of other dishes - sambal kang kong, vege, prawn paste chicken, hae choh etc. BYO-ed 3 bottles of wine + $30 damage/pax - Fantastic meal with excellent company *grin*

Spiffy Dapper

We felt like tourists walking through Boat Quay and avoiding eye contact with the menu wielding restaurant pushers trying to bring us to the dark side. Finally we locate number 61 and walk up a precariously under-lit stairway. Wow, a bit dangerous to walk down if you get drunk. 

Anyway, it was a Friday and I really needed a drink. We read about the Spiffy Dapper, a new cocktail bar and decided to go check it out. Inside, it's dim and they were playing Jazz music - there's a 20s' Prohibition speakeasy vibe going on - nice! 

Dee had the 'Glad Rags Sheba' -"A Sex Bomb Dressed to the Nines'. We infuse Granny Smith Apples into Cane Sugar with a hint of Cinnamon over 8 hours to get the perfect extract, then add a good measure of Bourbon and Fresh Lemon Juice to complete this baby. This little tart is out to impress."

Chris had the  'Dolled Up Horse-Feathers'  - You know you are in too deep when you got feathers on thundering horses. A twist on the classic Moscow Mule with hints of Passion Fruit and Feijoa. 

I had the 'The Big Cheese' (see description above). All 3 cocktails were nicely done - of the 3 I preferred Dee's  'Glad Rags Sheba'.

3 delicious cocktails sitting in a row. 

Next time I'm back, I want to sit at the bar. Time to bring out the flapper dress! 

Liberty Coffee

B first saw this little cafe beside Jewel Cafe & Bar when we had dinner there. "Let's go check it out?" he asked so there we were one lazy afternoon, at Rangoon Road again (new regular hangout). 

Excellent suggestion - I think I just found my new favorite cafe!

Liberty Cafe is a small space with limited seating so it was pretty crowded when we got there. Luckily for us - we managed to snag a table within a few minutes. While B was ordering our usual lattes, I practically drooled at the display of cakes and tarts. 

Resist. 

We sat flipping through the newspapers. I turned to look at the cakes again. 

Resist.

Everyone around us seemed to be having the cakes and many were buying the cakes takeaway. 

Resist.

"Will you share a cake with me?" I asked B, using my please-indulge-me puppy eyes. Resistance was futile. Haha. 

So the coffee came and after taking one sip, B exclaimed "WOW". I took a sip and I went "Ok I see what you mean."

They use some excellent beans here. I usually like a little sugar in my coffee which is sacrilegious to the coffee snobs and baristas out there I know. But the coffee at Liberty was so aromatic with no bitterness that I just drank it without sugar. Yay I feel so grown up. 

This gula melaka chiffon cake deserves its own close-up photo. OMG I can totally understand why people were buying the cakes to go. I LOVED this cake - it's heavier than normal chiffon cake with nice layer of gula melaka infused coconut and topped off with chopped pistachios. Even B (who doesn't have a sweet tooth) thought it was very good. 

I want to return next weekend to try the other cakes!