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! 

Tze Char Adventures : Fatt Choy Mui Seafood Restaurant

In view of certain "pending" events "(to be announced soon I hope), I've decided to go on an austerity drive for a bit. It's going to be tough, considering I've always spent freely, especially on wine and dining. Time to be creative. I still want good food AND enjoy good wine with it. 

The budget alternative - BYOB tze char places!
 
Yes, you can expect plenty of tze char food reviews from now on.

First up, a recently found gem just a stone's throw away (literally 5 min walk) from my place - Fatt Choy Mui Seafood Restaurant at Block 34 Cassia Crescent. I've probably walked past this place gazillion times, acknowledged that it always had a good crowd, but never tried it. All that changed last night, when B suggested dinner there with his folks. 

It's funny how it took me so long to discover this when it was right there under my nose all this time. 

B's parents aren't big eaters so we ordered (relatively) conservatively. The sambal kang kong was above average, with good wok hei and not too oily. The marmite pork ribs were amazing. Nicely charred and well-infused with marmite goodness. I gnawed at the bones most unelegantly. 

They were apparently good for their assam fish head too so we ordered one. I liked the consistency of the sauce and the freshness of the fish. Overall competently done but not something I'd order again. 

To feel healthier, we also ordered a 3 egg spinach dish that was pretty good. Best part of the meal was the bill - $52 for the 4 of us. I thought the price was rather decent. Will definitely be back to try some of the other tze char dishes other tables were ordering! 

Naked Finn

Naked Finn has been on my radar for a while now, so when Christie suggested dinner there, I immediately signed us up. I hadn't managed to make it to The Curious Teepee, a pop-up joint also opened by these same guys (who were also behind the now-defunct Klee) but I heard good reviews. Located in the middle of Gilman Barracks, the restaurant had a major rustic and chill vibe going on there - great to wind down in after a hard week's work. Would have preferred indoor seating though, mosquitos alert!  

2 of our party of 6 were running late so the 4 of  us decided to go ahead and order the set for 4 ($288) first. The set included:

Mesclun salad
Chilled blanched kangkong 
Chilled piquant vermicelli

Grilled lie pod razor clams
Flambe live Japanese littlenecks
Grilled baby india squids
Flambe live giat tiger prawn
Pan fried barramundi
Grilled african lobsters

Creme brulee

The "NAKED" theme here refers to pure unadulterated seafood freshness. Everything was simply prepared and dressed only with sea salt and butter/oil. Flavours of the sea were exploding in my mouth many times over - SWEET. 

Some food porn here (lovely pictures courtesy of Ah Roy)

My favorite among the seafood served was the grilled baby squid. Deliciously smoky! Least favorite, the clams - I think because I cook them at home all the time (and yes I will shamelessly say mine tastes better). I liked their interesting take on the kangkong - blanching and tossing it in kalamansi juice and shallot oil. The chilled vermicelli was genius too (we ordered 2 more servings). 

We couldn't NOT order cocktails. Unfortunately they ran out of the signature Kyoho grape +calpico +vodka cocktail. The fresh coconut + rum cocktail was quite impressive though, as was the sour plum+vodka concoction. Korean pear+gin was so-so. 

Verdict - If you've never been here before, I think it's definitely worth a visit. Personally, I'd return to try the grape cocktail and to just have the baby squid but that's all. The seafood here is awesome but it was pricey. The 6 of us ordered a few other items on top of the set and including a cocktail each, the bill came up to about $100 per pax. 

Swedish Hasbeens

Here's welcoming the latest addition to the family - sweeeet red Mary Jane.

Yes, I really should save more. But how can one resist that super comfy leather and light/sturdy wooden SKY-HIGH base. Plus, they go with everything and I wear them all the time. Amortization - you non-accountancy-trained critics - do the sums and you'll see that these are the best buy (plural) ever!

I know it's a cheap thrill but they look so pretty sitting in my shoe cabinet. 

Old Airport Road Delights Part I (Lor Mee & Rojak)

Lucky me. I live 5 mins' walk from one of our nations "best" hawker centre. Yes, I know "best" is very subjective but in this case, I think Old Airport Road Hawker is widely acknowledged as the mecca of many good foods.

Xin Mei Xiang Lor Mee brings back many childhood memories for my family and I. Even back when we were staying in Katong, my mum would bring me and my siblings to get our Lor Mee fix every other week. The nostalgia probably makes me partial to this stall, but undeniably their broth is rich and flavoursome, and they are generous with the hand shredded fried fish meat and melt-in-the-mouth ngoh hiang. Throw in a lor neng (egg), mix in lots of vinegar, minced garlic, sambal and red-cut chilli and I am one happy child (well, figuratively anyway).

As luck would have it, the Toa Payoh Rojak stall was also open the afternoon we were there. B's been dying to try it but it's always been closed by the time we get to the hawker center at night. There was a long line of people ahead of us but in true tam-chiak spirit we bit the bullet and took a queue number. 

It's unfortunate my rojak pic turned out so blurry but trust me - it was well worth the wait. The secret is in the heh gor (prawn paste) I think - it's home-made and more "penang" (fishier, but in a good way). They take pride in charcoal grilling the dough fritters and tau pok so it's very fragrant. We were really (and I do mean really) stuffed from the Lor Mee by the time our rojak was ready, but (surprise surprise) we still almost polished it off.

BURP. One satisfying weekday lunch away from the CBD. I like.

Jewel Cafe and Bar

You know that rush you get when you chance upon a hidden dine or wine gem, and you just want to shout out to the world to tell them about it? Well, this is it. My muse to start blogging again. 

*clears throat*

B and I both love the lattes at Jewel Cafe (Shenton Way) - I'm no bean guru but those double-shots are aromatic, smooth and keep me happily buzzed all day. 

So when we heard that they opened up a proper bistro (i.e. full menu and ehem.. alcoholic drinks), we were eager to try it out. One rare "Yay-I-have-no-night-calls!" evening, we made our way down to Rangoon Road. Oh man, it was surreal leaving the office when the sky was still bright...

I love the chill out vibe of the place.  There's a few alfresco tables outside but inside there''s seating both on the first floor as well as on the second floor. 

This caught both our attention immediately. 

"Yes don't we all..."

 Whilst B was admiring the big "cup", I shamelessly checked out the bar (don't judge me).  

Maybe I still had the "it's a cafe" mentality but I thought the bar was pretty well equipped. The cocktail list was longer than I had expected too, with some concoctions that sounded interesting.

A negroni for only $12? That sounds good. I will definitely return to try one. 










Now, the food. 

Some things never (and I don't want it to) change. B and I over-ordered, as usual. Although to be fair, we started off conservatively. An appetizer to share and one main each. That's normal right? But while we were waiting for food to arrive and trying to make conversation, it was clear we were both distracted and still stealing glances at the menu. Finally, I caved. 

"Sweetie, shall we order the pasta?"

No resistance there. Bam - 3 mains and an appetizer. 

First up, the Shio-Koji Octopoke that came highly recommended by the server. And for good reason. The mix of octopus, wasabi and avocado was very well put together - a medley of flavours, if I may be a bit (ginger flowery) with my review here.  Something I would definitely order again.

B liked his fried chicken too. Very generous piece of chicken. According to the menu, it's marinated in milk and their special spice mix. True enough, it was especially moist and tender. Not too greasy too (which made us feel a tad better for being such gluttons). 

My main of choice was the Guinness beef stew with carrots. "It has stout in it, " the server had pointed out earlier, to which B rolled his eyes. Anyway, the beef was tender and the dish was yummy though not mind blowing. Very nice of them to accede to my request for bread (which came nicely toased) to wipe up the sauce up. Yes the sauce full of Guinness heehee.

Midway through our meal, the highlight arrived. We loved it even before we tasted it. The capellini with prawns looked so pretty topped off with tobiko and onion flakes. It tasted fantastic. The menu mentioned their "own umami magic dust" - argh tell me what it is - I want to re-create the dish at home! 

Verdict - We really enjoyed dinner here and look forward to many repeat visits. Both to check out the rest of the food menu, as well as to conquer the cocktail list (and wine list. and sake list. you get the idea). Service was great too - keep up the good work guys!