Cheers to the New Year

What better way to usher in the New Year than to chill out with some of your pals over a bottle of red wine and catch up on the year’s ups and downs. And what better place to chill after a dinner at En Japanese Dinning Bar, other than Vino Vino Wine Bar, which is located just a unit next to it.

Recently expanded by another unit, the wine haven provides a perfect tranquil environment for wine lovers to relax, chill and unwind.

Complete with grapevines and rustic décor amidst the urban landscape, guests get have a luxurious selection of 40 over wines predominantly from Australia and New Zealand.

And everyone would be please to know that these wines are usually affordable, without compromising the quality.

Last visited, they are even having a fantastic promotion of “Buy 2 & get the 3^rd bottle free” – perfect deal for a big group of friends and fellow wine enthusiast meeting up during the festive season.

Rating

Food: 3.5/5
Service: 4/5
Ambience: 5/5
Price: 3.5/5
Total: 16/20
207 River Valley Road,
#01-53 to 55, UE Square

En @ MS

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Small Talk: Another HAPPENING Saturday evening, and this time it was a dinner with an old friend whom has just returned from Sydney and a birthday celebration for Des @ the newly opened - The Clinic @ The Cannery, along with the rest of the gang.

Happy Birthday Des and hope you had a BLAST!!!
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Never had a Japanese Restaurant that I have been to, warrant a 3^rd visit from me within a space of two months, but this rule simply did not apply to En Japanese Dining Bar.

Introduced by my manager (whom is very particular about what she eats), I was pleasantly elated to find that not only was the food outstanding, the price is sound as well. Situated at UE Square, facing the now awfully hushed Mohammed Sultan Road, En Japanese Dining Bar is a also a fav among the diminutive but surely growing Japanese community, in the River Valley area.

Known for its little dishes of appetiser and starters rather than the main dishes, customers are spoilt for choice with the amount of dishes they can choose from the menu. While waiting for the rest to arrive,

a friend and I had some Kawaebi (Deep Fried Small River Shrimps) to go with our Hakkaisan (Honjouzou) – Medium Dry, Well Balanced Sake.

Dinner then proceed with our first starter of the day – Beef Carpaccio, or Thinly Sliced Raw Beef and Sliced Onion with Sour Soya Sauce.

Along with just a dash of lemon juice, the beef is juicy and melts the moment it touches your mouth (a result from the freshness of the meat), leaving you to crave for more when you are done with it. Thankfully, the Sashimi did not disappoint us when it arrived. The Kanpachi (Yellow Tail), Mekajiki (Sword Fish) and Salmon Belly was just as fresh and the thickness of each slice – perfectly cut.

More Sashimi came along, but this time in the disguise of Imaiyu Salad, or the Fresh Sashimi Salad with Special Blended Vegetable Dressing.

Cubes of raw meat act as a perfect complement to the vegetables, and along with the appetising salad dressing, this dish is a hit with both the carnivores and the herbivores. And when the cooked food finally arrives, the Roasted Minced Chicken Balls on a Skewer Laced with Egg Yolk has a sweet aroma which lingers in the air even after that satisfying bite.

However, one may find the texture of questionable due to the bits of tendons within the minced meat. The only staple we had for the night was another perfectly executed Unagi Fried Rice, or Eel and Egg Fried Rice.

The natural juices oozing out from the Grilled Eel somehow goes harmoniously well with the rice, making it enjoyable to consume and a perfect dish to share among a table of 4. To round of the lovely night, we had Black Sesame Ice Cream and Green Tea Ice Cream with Red Bean Paste.

Not a big fan of both flavours, I was somehow charmed to find that the Green Tea Ice Cream, with a hint of bitterness, goes astonishingly well with the Red Bean Paste.

Rating

Food: 4.5/5
Service: 4/5
Ambience: 4.5/5
Price: 4.5/5
Total: 17.5/20
207 River Valley Road,
#01-57, UE Square
Singapore 238275

Pre-Christmas...

Just came back after having a blast at a Single’s Party (read: Oh yes, I am single and ready to date). Nice music and great people, along with fantastic food. Strangely enough, it was Tony that I was really interested to talk to (read: I am not gay!!!) when I found out that he’s attending a culinary course at the Academy at-sunrise over at Fort Canning and I was really interested to find out more from him (btw, his rice paper roll was wonderfully delicious). I am seriously contemplating to take up a culinary course just to fulfil my childhood dream – food business!!! And I am happy to discover that there are other alternatives besides Shatec that people like me, can turn to, to master the art of culinary.

On a separate note, I was unpacking my stuff from the boxes after the paint job and I realised I still need 2 more types of Absolut Vodka to complete my set. Anyone has any idea how I can get hold of Absolut Peppar or the Absolut Vodka Red (Read: 50% alc/vol)? It would definitely act as a wonderful Christmas Gift this year!

Cheap, Good & Near

It was said in Singapore, good seafood is never cheap, and cheap seafood is never good. However, I reckon that my family had struck a jackpot in locating one place which offers affordable seafood. What’s more, it’s just a 15 minutes car-ride from my place. Even though it was a weekday and it rained in the evening, it didn’t deter many tables away from the coffee shop. The first dish that arrived that night was the Bee Hoon Goreng. The reason for choosing Bee Hoon as opposed to the more famous cousin, Mee is - it is less filling.

Although slightly more wet as compared to that of the Malay or Indian style, the flavour of the tomato ketchup was captured nicely in the cooking and a squeeze of the lime simply enhances the taste of the food even more. The Fried Dou Miao with Garlic was fresh and cooked just nicely, although it was nothing to rave about.

Though the Seafood Hor Fun was pretty brilliant. The Flat Rice Noodles was thick and fried evenly, with a touch of ‘Wok Hei’, or burnt taste in it. Not forgetting that the ingredients were plentiful. Gravy also wasn’t too starchy as well.

The only disappointment that night was the Fried La La (Clams) in Spicy Sauce.

The chef would always cooked the clams in boiling water before pouring the spicy sauce over the clams thus eliminates waiting time, but more often than not, as the water is not drained from the clams, the ‘water-taste’ is ever-present in the dish. Also, the gravy is not captured in the clams as it was poured over rather than frying it together. Thankfully, the last 3 dish of the night saved the day. The Steamed ‘Live’ Soon Hock was fresh and the meat was tender.

Just slightly under a kilogram, the meat wasn’t too tough and the Hong-Kong Style gravy was great to go with - both the fish and the rice. The Steamed ‘Live’ Frog Leg with Chicken Essence was up next, and again, it didn’t disappoint.

Meat was tender and juicy and the chicken essence blends well with the dish. Being a frog leg lover, my only complaint was that there wasn’t enough of that to go around. The finale was the Steamed ‘Live’ Flower Crabs. Personally, I prefer them than the meatier Sri Lanka ones.

Flower Crabs are so much sweeter and it’s also much easier to eat, and most of the time, you wouldn’t need a nut-cracker to enjoy the meat. Oh, and by the way, its December now, and it’s Crabbing Season in Perth. Oh…how I miss crabbing in Mandurah River, and enjoy the spoils of the Flower Crabs at the end of the day.

Rating

Food: 4/5
Service: 4/5
Ambience: 3/5
Price: 4.5/5
Total: 15.5/20
New Seafood Resturant
Corner of Hong San Terrace & Choa Chu Kang Ave 1

OUCH!!!

A dinner outing with two University friends brought us to the former Marché at The Heeren Shops.

Rename to that of Vila’ge, it is said that the exact replicate, right down to the cow mascot that greets customers, is a direct competitor of Marché. From the famous Rosti to the Crepes & Waffles and Sausages, from the décor to the lighting, almost everything is an exact replica. The only difference is that they served both light and dark Erdinger which I had a pint of it.

So I being the adventurous foodie decide to try something I thought I never seen before and that is the Seafood Baked Rice. Although it came with mussels and scallops, it wasn’t fantastic.

The lacked of a layer of cheese on top of the baked rice (as compared to those found in Swenson) resulted in Western Styled Clay-pot rice. The grain were dry and crunchy, and the lacked of cheese and cream simply makes the dish plain. And beware, the hot plate is a hazard – it scarred my hand and left an EXCLAIMATION MARK on it.

Talk about OUCH!!!!!!

Rating

Food: 3/5
Service: 3.5/5
Ambience: 4/5
Price: 2.5/5
Total: 13/20
260 Orchard Road
#B1-01 The Heeren
Singapore 238855

Work like a Slave.. Live like a King

Sorry for the lacked of updates yet again. For some of you, you might already know that I am currently in Phuket managing a conference. For the rest, hang in for another week and I will be back with more fantastic food reviews. Meanwhile, while working hard like a slave, I will be living luxuriously like a King in a USD$245/night hotel room at the JW Marriott @ Phuket Resort & Spa at Mai Khao Beach, Phuket.

Resting place before the Bell Counter

Lobby & Registration Area

Check in!!!

Check out the toilet...you can even open up the shutters for an "Open" Concept

Lazy Corner within the room

Lotus Pond... where the welcome reception will be held

Lotus Pond... from another angle

Pool area... in front of Lotus Pond facing the sea

Reflection Pond...overlooking the Lotus Pond

Reflection Pond...such tranquility!

Performance at the Reflection Pond

The Main and the Supporting

It is often said a great movie is often due to its main lead, and how often the supporting cast is often neglected. However, in a particular kopitiam tucked at the corner near Kallang MRT Station, both the main lead and supporting cast gained from the wonderful partnership.

At Jalan Sultan Prawn Mee off Geylang Lor 1, every Sunday afternoon is a battleground in the kopitiam. Finding a table for 4 is at least a 10-15 mins affair, and waiting for the noodles to appear on your table is at least another good 45 mins.

So being a smart foodie like any other Singaporeans, I suggested ordering a plate of Wu Xiang, the only other stall in the kopitiam, while waiting for the noodles to come. But since everyone else thought about it, the Wu Xiang took as long to arrive as the noodles.

In fact, my serving of Wu Xiang came after we were midway through with our noodles. The Noodles despite the long wait was however worth it. My bowl of Prawn Beehoon & Mee Soup with Pork Ribs, along with the generous serving of fried lard and chilli powder was a perfect combination.

The usage of the thicken version of Bee Hoon (Author’s note: NOT Chor Bee Hoon) was also a brilliant move, as the normal thinner ones tend to suck the soup dry, considering there wasn’t much to start of with.

Rating

Food: 4.5/5 (One of the best prawn noodles I have tried)
Service: 2/5 (The wait was long and tables are often not cleaned)
Ambience: 2.5/5 (Hot, and tables too close for comfort)
Price: 3.5/5
Total: 12.5/20
No. 2 Jalan Ayer
(off Geylang Lorong 1)

Hawkers' Galore

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Small Talk: Congrats to Des on her winning in 98.7FM DJ control contest!!!

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To all my avid readers, sorry for the lacked of updates recently, due to the sheer amount of work from the upcoming events I am dealing with. So in order to reward you guys for your unwavering support, I have decided to do multiple write-ups on the recent hawkers’ galore I have tasted. Right before I started on my new job, I headed back to Maxwell Food Centre for the famous Zhen Zhen Porridge for breakfast before an interview. Usually long queue will be formed during lunchtime; therefore I was not surprised to see that the queue was already forming at 9am for breakfast as well.

The value of this Cantonese congee stall is that the workers are not stingy with their condiments in their food. More so, the amount of chicken pieces I get from the chicken congee was bounteous.

The Yu Sheng, or raw fish (Chinese Style Sashimi) was also fresh and plentiful for a $2 portion.

Mixed well with the generous helping of sesame, spring onion, ginger, garlic, and a drizzle of lime juice, you have the perfect supplement for your congee.

Rating

Food: 4/5
Service: 2.5/5
Ambience: 2.5/5
Price: 4/5
Total: 13/20
Maxwell Centre #01-54

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Another interview the following week took me to Tekka Market for lunch.

This time round, I spotted another long queue forming at the first stall – Heng Gi Roasted Goose and Duck Rice. Without any hesitation, I spent the next 20 minutes queuing for my roast duck drumstick with rice.

Distinctively, the rice is served in a bowl instead of plate. Although some will complain that the duck is roasted for too long, and thus too salty, and the gravy too oily, I find that the meat does goes well with my rice, and the meat was luscious and full of flavour.

And if you happen to be one of those who love roasted duck wings, they are sold at $2 each and get sold out real quickly (I know because the lady in front of me bought 20 portions for takeaway).

Rating

Food: 4/5
Service: 3/5
Ambience: 2.5/5
Price: 3.5/5
Total: 13/20
Block 665 Buffalo Road
#01-406 Tekka Food Centre

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The last location was a Sunday lunch, and I was brought to the temporary site of “Old Kallang Airport Food Centre”. And whenever I am there, a stall I would certainly not miss would be that of Nam Sing Fried Hokkien Mee.

The stall can be easily spotted as the elder brother who is the chef wears a protective goggle to fry his noodles.

The difference in his fried hokkien mee is that he uses normal rice vermicelli (Bee Hoon) instead of the usual thick ones (Chor Bee Hoon) used by many. I notice that these bee hoon are not soaked for too long and thus when fried along with the yellow noodles, it doesn’t break easily and the gives it a ‘springy’ texture.

Also, with a hint of ‘Wok Hei’ before the stock of prawn head is added, the hokkien mee is simply aromatic and delicious. The generous serving of squids and prawns also make the 30 minutes waiting time seemed insignificant. The stall also stood by it’s principle of not serving sambal chilli to their customers and only cut chilli is dished out.

Rating
Food: 5/5
Service: 3/5
Ambience: 3/5
Price: 4.5/5
Total: 15.5/20
Old Kallang Airport Food Centre

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So while waiting for the hokkien mee to arrive, I was quick to spot that another long queue forming outside Sin Bee Hiong Hokkien Lor Mee.

Due to the easier preparation of the dish, I was able to get my Lor Mee within 10 minutes. However, had I been any slower in my decision to sample that stall, I would have missed it, as I was their last customer of the day – to the disappointment of many behind me.

The good thing about being the last customer is the liberal serving of the Deep Fried Fish Meat at $4. With a hint of black vinegar in the gravy, the noodle is simply excellent. The gravy is not too thick and starchy compared to many others, but yet it still manages to retain the strong flavour.

Rating

Food: 4/5
Service: 4/5
Ambience: 3/5
Price: 3.5/5
Total: 14.5/20
Old Kallang Airport Food Centre