Birthday at Labrador Seafood

Birthdays are great excuses to pig out and this year, turning 34, was no exception. Sure, there was that voice in the head nagging “watch it, you and your metabolism ain’t no spring chickens no more” but I hushed it. The diet can wait – I shall remain “fabulously tam chiak!” – to quote my friends.

Labrador Park is one of those places I have never been and you definitely need to drive/cab to get there. K had recommended to try Labrador Seafood so there we were, 12 of my “bear” (and extended) family. It was a bit ulu but kinda surreal, almost as if we were not in Singapore. It was a great location on a cool, breezy Friday evening – super chillax.

Many lovely photographs of the night, thanks to an excellent camera-man.

More than a few flushed faces, thanks to a pre-arranged waiver of corkage for our big group.

For starters, we ordered some cold cucumbers, topshell and grilled squid to go with our (copious bottles of ) white wine while waiting for the rest of the food to arrive.

The squid came highly recommended, B was a happy man, he liked the squid and the topshell (another order please, he said). Promising start to the meal!

We held nothing back and ended up ordering a ton of other dishes, mostly recommended by the staff. There was the signature salted egg crab “must-order” – which was very good indeed.

Being greedy, we also ordered the black pepper crab. I’m glad we did, because that was my favorite dish of the night – love the full flavor of black pepper and oh so juicy!

We indulged in garlic scallops and bamboo clams too. Hard to go wrong with  these dishes. I liked the drunken prawns most, if you do order remember  to ask them to add more Chinese wine for that added kick.

For meats, we had the grilled lamb chops. Mmb and Chong loved these, as did my carnivore boyfriend. I thought it was a bit fatty but I have a low threshold for lard – and I suppose it was necessary to give the lamb chops that nice juiciness.

No meal is complete without carbs and the punggol mee goreng hit the spot for many of my friends. I preferred the beef hor fun though – nice wok hei – eat while hot.    

A dish which surprised me was the chilli kang kong. I dare say it’s one of the better ones I’ve had. See, I’m very low maintenance right – give me a plate of well-cooked vegetables and I’m a happy girl! (B: no need to comment).

The restaurant gave us a complimentary platter of fruits, nice touch.

All in all, it was a lovely night. I feel truly blessed to have all my “families” – mum/sis, bears and let’s not forget the Shanghai family come together to celebrate my birthday. And of course, there's you, B..

Big meal with bears, home-cooked meal by Shanghai family, mummy Tan’s indulgent feast, intimate (pricey but super-memorable) Jap omakase with B – here’s to more food adventures this year!

I hope you’ll join me in eating my way through Singapore (and beyond). Thanks for reading.

Long Phung Vietnamese Restaurant

Labor day hols and we set off in search of a late lunch after sleeping off the decadence of the night before. "How about checking out Little Vietnam at Joo Chiat?" I suggested. So off we went, for some authentic Vietnamese fare and if we were lucky, some "action" on the sleazy front. 

Long Phung was packed at 3pm (No surprises, I guess the clientele keeps late night too hehehe). Besides a large proportion of Vietnamese local girls, we noticed a fair number of tables with foreigners too. A tourist attraction in itself? 

Whatever the business model, my oh my the food was fantastic! As a starter, we shared the summer spring rolls - the roll was a bit thick but the accompanying peanut/ chilli/ sweet sauce was absolutely delish. Satisfyingly spicy - tasted even better after we added asome lime juice to give it some zest.

Next came the pho. I had the special beef pho which had an egg cracked in, and B had the rare beef pho. I have to say, this is the best pho I've had in Singapore so far! Fantastic soup base, not too heavy but oh so flavorful. They didn't stinge on the beef either.

Our roving eyes landed on the steamed clams the next table were having. B unbashedly said "I want that too." Good call - the clams were succulent and the broth was fragrant and comforting.

The bill came up to less $30 for the 2 of us, including 2 coconuts and an iced viet coffee. Now, THIS, is what I call excellent value.

Fish Soup (Part 2): Mei Xiang Black & White

I love fish soup. My usual haunt is Han Kee at Amoy but B and I have been trying to check out alternative places for our fish soup fix. I was on leave that afternoon, so with time (minus stress) in my favor, we decided to check at Mei Xiang Black & White fish soup at Jalan Besar market. They are only open from Mon to Fri and closed weekends and public holidays, so..

We got there at 11.50am, just before the snaking queue formed - scores!

This fish soup stall is quite quirky. There's a huge clock hung up to show that they are open at EXACTLY 11.12am everyday. Interesting how there were these huge black fans against the otherwise white stall decor too. They are famous for the mix of fresh ("white") and fried ("black") fish slices soup mix. I asked if I could only have "white" and they flatly said no. Hmph.

Food nazist aside, the fish soup was indeed good! Fish and prawns were fresh and the soup was very flavorful. A tad oily and not the most healthy around but we slurped our bowls dry. Yummy!

Would I return? Yes, probably. But it's a bit out of the way though, so perhaps on the next day off.   

Damotory

It’s been a hard week at work and B decided I needed mid-week drinks. Go figure. Naturally, I am not one to argue (heh) and he did not have to do a lot of persuasion.

We got to Robertson Walk at a work-life-balanced 8.45pm (“early”, relatively) and were just about to auto-pilot direct ourselves to Orihara for some sake and oden when Damotory (I can't find the address online but it's right in the middle of the courtyard you can't miss it) caught our eye. The banner screamed “opening 50% discount for WINE & BEER” – it was quite the no-brainer for two thirsty and hungry people to be drawn into the restaurant.

Damotory was almost full house but lucky us, we scored a nice tatami mat table in the corner . The clientele seemed to comprise a fair number of local Koreans – always a good sign.

The food menu was simple – about 15-20 items on a small flipboard with pictures, we quickly settled on 3 items for sharing. The drink menu, on the other hand, was quite challenging – so many types of rice wines, shochu, medicinal wines! I was tempted to order the chrysanthemum wine but B wanted the maggeolli (rice wine) instead.

There was a bit of a wait for the food since it was full house but we comforted our stomachs with the free banchan (small dishes) first. I loved the sautéed onions. The kimchi radish was pretty good too. B was very pleased with the maggeolli. Yes that white shoulder in the picture belongs to B.

When the food came, I was personally pretty stuffed on banchan. But I have to say, it was, for the most part, worth the wait. First up, the Gibijjim – traditional korean style braised short ribs $20. This came sizzling in a stone pot and the meat was so tender that it was falling off the bone … The “sauce/ soup”, though a tad too sweet for my liking, provided warm comfort. The radish soaked up the sauce nicely, I polished off most of it.

Next came the Nakji Bokeum - spicy stir-fried octopus with vegetables and noodles $20. Wow this packed quite a spicy kick. I really liked the thin cold noodles this came with, perfect with the spicy sauce.

By the time the Gyeran Malee - folded-over omelette with cheese came $15, we were really, really stuffed. It’s a simple dish, but I thought they did it well. The egg was moist and I loved eating it layer by layer. Too much of a good thing though, we had to pack the remainder home. “Bet it’ll taste even better cold”, B says.

A much needed respite from a crazy work week at a neat price of $65++ for the 2 of us. I am definitely returning to try the exotic (Korean ginseng?) wines and more food items. Hmm, I wonder when the 50% discount ends.

Bites from Bo Innovation

So I was fortunate enough to land myself a free ticket to Savour 2012 this year - tickets for Friday afternoon. Not ideal, I had thought initially (ok I know I really shouldn't be complaining since it was free) but it turned out pretty darn good - no queues to buy the food and it was sheer bliss at the free wine tasting session - everyone eagerly offering us wine.

Yes, I'm quite the cheap drunk (as if you didn't know already).

Anyway, the highlight foodwise for me was the Bo Innovation booth. I can't afford to go for a meal at the HK restaurant proper, but I did spend all of my $21 savour dollars there!



First, I tried the legendary "molecular xiao long bao (XLB)" which most rave about. Indeed, Alvin Leung's technique of making skinless raviolis (apparently popularized by Ferran Adria) was most impressive. The "bubble" just burst XLB juice in my mouth and it was really very tasty. At $9 dollars a pop though, I'd say it's a "try once" novelty.

Luckily, the Har Mae Lo Mein was more filling. It's supposed to be a deconstructed version of the famous Malaysian classic. I loved it - dry noodles infused with rich robust prawn flavour and the scattering of tobiko truly complemented the dish.



Hmm, is it too ambitious for me to say I'd try re-creating this at home? Nice event, Savour. I'd go again next year!

Platters Bistro and Wine Bar

Ok so the owner of this place is a friend. But that fact doesn’t make my review biaised. Not when it’s Jimmy Chok helming the kitchen and he’s undisputedly talented. I missed the soft opening of Platters, but after hearing everyone else rave about the food, I knew I had to get my (growing) ass there asap. So I gathered a group of 8 makan kakis and made a reservation last Friday.

NOTE: Jimmy Chok’s only going to be there for a limited period (they rotate chefs so the menu’s always different!) so hurry!

Conveniently located at Club Street, the bistro was nicely done up with cozy and casual chic vibes. It’s not a big place, seats maybe around 30 pax max. a bit of a Mediterranean feel to the whole place. Our large group got a whole private corner to ourselves – nice!


True to its name, this bistro serves a variety of platters with nice interesting names. They come in half and full boards. For the record, we ended the night with 5 full boards and a mixed cheese platter. Burp.

My personal favorite was the “Bare Naked Ladies” – hokkaido scallop carpacio served with soy, tuna bean coat (omg this was so good), cheese wrapped with smoked salmon and a nice heap of avocado (yum). Definitely a must-order, the platter itself (see above) looked like a work of art.

B and the guys attacked the “Carnivore”platter with gusto – braised beef ribs with horseradish sauce, roasted honey lamb ribs with pommery mustard and poached pork belly with sweet mustard. I wasn’t in a meaty mood to begin with but those short ribs! They tasted so delicious with the sauce. “Order one more?” B turned to ask. No prizes for guessing what my answer was.

Seafood lovers will love the “Out of the shell” platter – a medley of crayfish with mango salsa, sautéed tiger prawn with garlic parsley, crab meat mayo and (yay) more avocado. The crusty bread served with all these platters were super addictive, I found myself wiping the platter clean of crab mayo sauce (oops).

The last platter we tried was “The farmer’s craft” – Mozzarella, parma ham, truffle mayo, melted gruyere paprika served with gherkins, ricotta and watermelon. To be honest I wasn’t too excited by this platter. Or maybe I was just too stuffed from the earlier platters.

Naturally, we also had tons of wines. I gotta say, the wine prices here are pretty reasonable. Amongst the wines we tried was a Spanish red, 2008 Bodegas Ochoa 8a Mil Gracias Graciano from Navarraand a French white Thierry Germain Domaine des Roches Neuves l'Insolite Saumur Blanc. Both were excellent recommendations (thanks to the Bar manager Flo) and went well with the food.

Damage for 5 full boards, a cheese board and 5 bottles of wine came up to about $100 per person – I don’t know about you but I thought this was good value. Really enjoyable dinner. Thanks for the lovely company, makan kakis!

Who’s keen to join me for my next trip (soon)
?

Alkaff Mansion

So it’s Restaurant Week and I had to restrain myself from making too many reservations. “Keep-to-2” was the rule and trust me, it wasn’t easy eliminating and finally settling on the two places I most wanted to check out – Alkafff Mansion and the new Bistro Du Vin on Zion Road.

I have not been to the “old” Alkaff Mansion but my oh my, the restored premises was simple lovely! So grand and chi-chi- I especially love the wood-paneled 1920s second level setting and the outdoor bar – I wanna hold an event here!

Service was fantastic the moment we stepped in. Warm and friendly, the service staff made us feel at home straight away. Maybe it was them, or more likely it was the romantic setting – B ordered a bottle of prosecco (*swoon*).

The restaurant week lunch was at $36++. We looked at the normal menu and noticed that the normal executive set lunch was similarly priced and had the same courses too. No matter, what a wonderful (and, can I repeat, romantic) lunch!

For starters, both B and I ordered the tuna tartar served with avocado and passion fruit dressing. Doesn't it look gorgeous? I really liked the freshness of the tuna and the tanginess from the passion fruit. This dish really opened up our tastebuds for the main courses.

First up, my lobster ravioli in its own bisque. I absolutely love (who doesn’t) lobsters so this dish really hit the spot for me. The ravioli was well made and the bisque was robust yet not too over-powering. I could have had a second serving of this haha.

B had the beef short ribs in porto wine sauce and it looked delish too. I thought the serving size was a bit small for him so it was very kind of him to offer me a sliver to try – yums! Very tasty and well-marinated. We saw some people ordering the cod fish and that looked good too.

For desserts, we both had the blueberry cheese cake. Although not mind-blowing, it was the perfect ending to an elegant (romantic!) lunch.

I’m glad I decided to check out Alkaff Mansion for restaurant week. Watch this space for my review on the new Bistro Du Vin!

Lee Kui (Ah Hoi) Restaurant

It was a wonderful dinner that ended a surreal Saturday. Lazy lunch followed by a much needed deep tissue massage. Stroll around Ann Siang Hill and “accidentally” bought a lovely vintage (I love) dress. Quick glass of bubbly at Buyan before Austrian wine tasting at Group Therapy Café.

We made a new friend (Michael Thurner, ambassador for Austrian wines) from the wine tasting and in addition to the 2 bottles of whites we shortlisted to buy to bring for the BYO dinner, we ended up with 5 more bottles of “leftovers” from the tasting. Kekeke.


B has been raving about the teochew food at Lee Kui (Ah Hoi) Restaurant and I thought free corkage – no better time than tonight to check out the place. You need “critical mass” to sample dishes so our dinner party of 6 was perfect.

First up, the cold crab. Ooh I love crustaceans! The crab was so sweet and the roe so creamy. Very fresh. Would have been even better if there were some double shells but I’d order this dish again in a heartbeat.

Next dish that REALLY impressed me was another cold dish, the jelly fish and squid. This was totally different from the normal stringy jelly fish we have. The jelly fish served (in a most interesting and savory sauce) was heartily sliced and crunchy - it was so good. Definitely must go back just for this dish.

The rest of the dishes were very good too, although the star dish for me was the jelly fish. We ordered the signature oyster egg dish, which came generously piled with oysters and I liked how fluffy the fried egg was.

You can't go to a teochew restaurant and not order steamed fish, so we did. The pomfret didn't disappoint - it was fresh, cooked just nice and I was a tad embarassed for sucking the bones dry. I can't help it! It's tak glam but the bones (especially the head) are the best part :)

Other dishes ordered included the fried prawn balls (very addictive), stewed duck in claypot and braised cabbage with scallops. The latter was surprisingly tasty. By then, we were all stuffed (with food and burp, wine) but Ken Ken wanted more..

.. He wanted to try the signature dessert, the orh nee. I took some and yes it was good but I couldn't (yes me!) finish my bowl. Too much of a good thing, haha. Damage for our 11 course meal came up to $40+ a head - FANTASTIC value considering what we had.

Good Lunch Deals (Part I)

Work has been crazy lately and I haven’t had much time to blog. When I get home, I gobble down dinner and vegetate in front of the TV. So much for a meaningful existence.

I dare not commit to weekday after-work plans now. Most recently on Valentine’s Day, I had a lovely Valentine’s Day dinner slice of raisin bread. B was sweet enough to pick me up post-drinks-with-his-pseudo-single mates but no, Valentine’s supper did not materialize.

Why didn’t anyone warn me about working for an American MNC?!!

No matter. This is a post about nice lunches. Given I can’t do many weekday dinners, I seek solace in my afternoon foodie fix now. These are two recent set lunch gems I found.

1. Kurosan Ginza (30 Robertson Quay, #01-10/11 Riverside View)

This is one mean Chiraishi set with salad, soup and dessert. All for $20++! On our first visit, we already preempted withdrawal syndrome and made reservations to return the next week.

Thank goodness Robertson Quay is a bit out of the work hood for most people, else I might not (for ehem selfish reasons) share this here. Not only is the bowl generously piled high with quality cuts of fish, the chocolate dessert here is absolutely delish too. Some sort of chocolate pudding - the milk/cream and chocolate combi is so yummy! Service here, in true Japanese fashion, rocks.

2. Sandaime Bunji (9 Raffles Boulevard, #01-14/15 Millenia Walk)

Talking about stretching that dollar, did you think that $9++ would get you this (see below) set? The restaurant does daily lunch set specials and the day we went it had:

Teriyaki chicken, salad, cold tofu, chawamushi, big bowl of mixed oden, rice, oxtail soup and dessert

Who would have thought that (such a quite) posh-looking restaurant like this would have such a good lunch deal?! W00t!

“Can you please not blog about this place?” B pleaded. Haha. Sorry love, I have a duty to my readers here. To give B credit, he had “discovered” this sweet deal a few weeks ago and was completely bowled over by the Gyutan (beef tongue – the restaurant’s signature) lunch set.

Watch this space. I am so going to look for more fantastic value lunch deals - I know they're out there!

Esquina Restaurant Review

You are going to hear about this fantastic new tapas place anyway, so it might as well be from me.

Finally, I found a taste of Spain in Singapore! The minute I walked into the narrow 17 seat-by-the-bar set-up, I was hooked. Oooh same vibes as Cal Pep in Barcelona.. Minus the crowd. For now at least (the place only opened on December 9th). I’m glad we checked it out early on; it’s so good it’s going to be crazy getting seats!

We knew the food was going to be good. Esquina’s opened by Chef Jason Atherton, protégé of Gordon Ramsay and owner of Michelin starred London restaurant Pollen Street Social. The restaurant is run by Chef Andrew Walsh. And man were we excited.

It’s a lovely feeling, having a fellow foodie beside you and sharing that anticipation of having our palates seduced. Hugs B, thanks for sharing this new culinary gem.

The menu is supposedly inspired by the canapés at the legendary El Bulli. It isn’t very large but what we had, we loved.

First, B ordered one oyster (I’m not too big a fan) from the raw seafood bar. It was huge. B says it was fresh and well-seasoned. Me, I waited patiently for my garlic and chili Madagascar gambas to be served. Now that, was good. Yes, it’s $8 a prawn but it’s (again) huge and very tasty.

The clams came up next. It was minor torture waiting while watching the chef cook them up – I love the smell of butter and that white wine sauce was divine. If only I had some bread to soak the sauce up.

As we watched the chef plate the next dish, the scallop ceviche with radish salsa, we were impressed by his finesse and obvious pride taken in his creations. It was so pretty - my pic does not do it justice. The taste was very interesting too, the use of sesame sauce in the ceviche gave it an almost Chinese fusion feel.

I needed my carbs so I ordered the rabbit confit with seafood paella. It was a nice manageable portion for both of us. A tad salty but one of the better paellas I’ve had in Singapore – moist, creamy and indulgent. Something I would order again.

At this point, we were almost stuffed. But B looked distracted. He was torn between ordering the bellota ibérico jamón, or the ox- cheeks which came highly recommended by the waiter. We finally chose the latter. It was a fine choice – the ox-cheek and mash were delicious!

Just as we called for the bill, the chef passed us two mini ice cream cones. Complimentary dessert - such a sweet way to end a lovely lovely meal. Damage was about $150 for the both of us – very reasonable, considering we had 3 glasses of wine and a wow dining experience. I can’t wait to go back! I hear they will be opening up an outdoor dining area soon. I still prefer sitting at the bar watching the chefs work their magic though. Encanta España!!

Address - 16 Jiak Chuan Rd. Singapore. 6222-1616. They don't take reservations, btw.

Fukuichi

This is going to be a short post and a supplement to my earlier Chiraishi (see link) entry.

I’ve loved Fukuichi since it was in PSA building and I’m happy to report that it has maintained its standards after moving to Triple One Somerset. I love love love the Kani Tofu (tofu with crab mayo inside drizzled with century egg sauce) and the almond crusted tempura prawns there!

B lives right near by so it’s now the “perfect neighbourhood Jap joint”. That night I ordered the Chiraishi don and B ordered the teriyaki (I think) beef set. I can’t speak for him but my chiraishi was simply lovely. It’s less hearty than Botan or Matsuo’s but the quality of the sashimi was fantastic. If I remember correctly it’s a bit pricier – but note: I am comparing the former two’s lunch set prices to Fukuichi’s dinner ala carte menu.

I imagine we will be making many more repeat visits here, woot!

Le Bistro Parisien

Posh french bistro this was not. In fact, it was rather strange - french food in a Haji Lane shophouse with framed posters of Malay movies and actors and playing Spanish music. It was almost as if Le Bistro Parisien had an identity crisis.

But strangely we enjoyed ourselves - the food was hearty and overall quite yummy!

For starters, we shared the escargots and the french onion soup. I wasn't too impressed with the former - the escargots were a tad over-cooked and tough. The puree they sat on was tasty though.

The french onion soup was excellent, one of the better ones I have had for a while. The soup was incredibly rich in flavor and the cheese crusted bread it came with was absolutely delish. We ordered an additional bread basket just to mop the bowl clean. Definitely a dish I'd order again.

For mains, B had the lamb and I had the salmon. These came highly recommended by the waitress. Both dishes came in huge portions which brought huge smiles to our faces. I thought the salmon, although nicely crusted, was a tad dry. The accompanying cream sauce and buttered rice helped some - overall I quite enjoyed it. B's lamb fared better, he seemed quite happy with it.

This is a halal restaurant so they don't serve wine. It would have been nice to have enjoyed the food with a nice bottle. But oh vell. I still think this is a gem of a find and the in-congruence of the food and setting was strangely refreshing and definitely made for good dinner conversation!