Foodie Paradise

Yu Sheng (鱼生） is a Chinese-style raw fish salad, commonly eaten during the Chinese New Year period.  "Lo Hei", as it is known in Cantonese, or tossing the yusheng, is a CNY custom practice where family and friends will toss the shredded ingredients that made up the yu sheng into the air with the chopstick while making auspicious wishes out loud to mark the start of a prosperous new year.

Yu Sheng is a popular, must-eat dish every Chinese New Year.  However, not many of us actually know that the current-day Yu Sheng is a dish invented in 1964 by a Singaporean chef.

Photo from Makansutra

 

For $20, the Yu Sheng serving was huge!  The raw fish slices were sufficiently marinated to cover any fishy taste and ingredients served were fresh.  The entire dish was very crunchy and delicious.  It’s definitely one of the better Yu Sheng that I had tasted (though I have tasted better ones before) and definitely worth the $20 price tag!

 

Yam Pot with Prawns and Cashew Nuts

 

 Photo from Makansutra

 

I also tried another famous dish pioneered by Mr. Tham - Yam Pot with Prawns and Cashew Nuts. It was my favourite dish that night.  The fried yam was very crispy and seemingly melted in my mouth when I bit them.  Though yam is one of my favourite food, I personally feel that it’s difficult to make a delicious yam cuisine.  If a yam dish is not handled well, it is very easy to get "sick" eating the dish within a few bites.  It’s definitely high culinary standards to make such delicious yam pot!  Besides the lovely outer yam crust, the ingredients in the pot were just as delicious.  The prawns were very smooth and tender.  I just love this dish lots!

 

LE CAFE CONFECTIONERY & PASTRY
264 Middle Road
Tel: 6337-2417

Ratings: 7.5/10

Tucked in the corner of Middle Road, I uncovered this treasure accidentally last year when I was around the area.  The first thing that caught my eye about this shop was the voluminous photos and newspaper articles that adorned the shop front.  Being a typical Singaporean, the voluminous photos and newspaper articles immediately signalled to me that this is a "must check out" shop. 

"Are you serious?!!??"  That’s the first thought that came to my mind after talking to the female shop owner, Betty. 

I had such a big reaction simply because this is the first and only shop that I have come across so far that sells pineapple tarts all year round.  Pineapple tarts are Chinese New Year (CNY) goodies that are usually only available during the CNY period around January and February each year.  I just find it hard to believe that a shop can make profits through selling pineapple tarts as one of its main items all year round.  Betty also told me frankly that if I want to order pineapple tarts from her shop during the CNY period, I’ll have to order 3 months in advance.   

That day, I left her shop with a bottle of pineapple tarts and a box of moon pies.  I also become a fan of LE Confectionary that day after trying those lovely pastries. 

Being such a forgetful person, I have of course forgotten to place my order for pineapple tarts three months before the CNY.  Despite turning up at her shop three weeks before CNY, I could only managed to get two bottles of those lovely pineapple tarts in the end, after some pleading. 

The lovely pineapple tart

 
The scrumptious fillings

These pineapple tarts, due to their huge sizes and round-shape, have been nicknamed as "golf balls".  I suppose one of these pineapple tarts are equivalent to two of the usual pineapple tarts that we can buy locally.  And I can only say, "Double the size, double the enjoyment of tasting these delectable goodies". 

A word of warning though, these pineapple tarts are addictive!  The first thing that hits you when you first bite into the pineapple tart is the lovely crust, which has a slight milky taste to it.  The crust is very fragrant and has just the right texture.  Then you’ll taste the thick pineapple filling inside the tart, which has the right level of sweetness.  The pineapple filling will leave a sweet aftertaste in your mouth, but not as to be so overwhelmingly sweet that makes you feel sick.  What I really have to rave is the texture of the entire pineapple tart.  The texture of the pineapple tart is just right, making it very nice to chew.

I guess it is easy to tell that these pineapple tarts are my current favourites.  In fact, they are the best so far that I have tasted in Singapore.  

Besides the pineapple tarts, I have also tasted their moon pies and some other traditional pastries from the shop.  They are all equally delicious.  Betty, the female shop owner, will also not hesitate to share the history of the shop with you (they have been there since 1959) and to recommend you what are the lovely "treasures" in the shop.  Most of the customers there are also loyal customers who will come back year after year to buy their pastries.  When I was there, I met an Indian guy who was collecting a birthday cake for his son.  He told us that he had been coming back to this shop for eons to get birthday cake, because there are no other shops that sold such lovely cakes like LE Confectionary.   

Well, it’s definitely too late to get the pineapple tarts for this coming CNY now.  However, make a note in your diary.  Book these pineapple tarts three months before the next CNY.  I am sure you won’t regret buying these pineapple tarts.  Of course, you can always drop by the shop anytime after the CNY to try these pineapple tarts and the other delicious pastries.  You might also get addicted to them like me!

Hoe Heng Handmade Noodles
Blk 269 Waterloo Street
(First hawker centre from the Guan Im Temple) 

Ratings: 6.5/10

I’m feeling sheepish right now, simply because my last food review was in October.  I haven’t blogged a food review for more than three months! When I started blogging this entry, I realised I have forgotten the "usual format" that I adopt for my food reviews.  I had to keep referring back to my past entries.

After being hounded by my friends who kept subtly reminding me for the past three months that I haven’t updated my food blog for so long, I’m finally back blogging about food.   

I blogged about the mouth-watering red wine chicken thread noodles at Seow Choon Hua Restaurant many months back.  Sadly, I haven’t found time to go back to visit the food stall since then as I seldom frequent that area. 

Thus, when I found out that there’s also another stall selling lovely red wine chicken thread noodle at Waterloo Street, I immediately made a mental note to go try it as soon as possible, especially since I pass by that area regularly.   

To do some recap, red wine chicken thread noodles or 红糟鸡面线 originates from Fuzhou, China.  This dish is cooked in red vinasse (红糟) and shaoshing wine, hence giving the dish a very aromatic smell.

红糟鸡面线 - Red Wine Chicken Thread Noodles - $3

If my memory did not fail me, since the last time I had this dish was almost a year ago, I personally prefer the red wine chicken thread noodles at Seow Choon Hua restaurant more.  This is not to say that this stall at Waterloo Street serves lousy noodles.  In fact, the red wine chicken thread noodles was delicious.  The chicken was tender and tasty and it was more appetising than the one I had at Seow Choon Hua restaurant. 

In comparison, the characteristic red soup of the noodles at the Waterloo Street stall was thinner in consistency at this stall and I found it harder to detect the sweet and sour taste in the soup.  Some of the thread noodles were also lumped together which means that the noodles were not well cooked. 

Overall, I will have loved this dish better if not for the fact that I have tasted better ones previously.  I may visit this stall again, as it is located at a more accessible location for me than the stall at Seow Choon Hua. 

Besides eating the red wine chicken thread noodle, greedy me couldn’t resist ordering some of the crispy curry puff from another stall located in the same hawker centre. 

 

The crispy curry puff tasted average.  The skin of the crispy curry puff was not well made and wasn’t not sufficiently crispy.  I didn’t like the fillings in the crispy curry puff too.

Hence, if you happen to be around the area, do pop by to give the red wine chicken noodle a try.  Otherwise, walk further down slightly to another hawker centre along the row of shops and try the hainanese curry rice there.  The hainanese curry rice tasted great the last time I had my meal there.  Hmm, I shall make another mental note to review that delicious hainanese curry rice stall the next time I am there!

Red Star Restaurant  
Blk 54 Chin Swee Road
#07-23
Singapore 160054
Tel: 6532 5266 / 6532 5103

Ratings: 7.5/10 

Congee

How can you tell if a particular popular eating-place really serves a lip-smacking meal? 

One method that I use to judge is to observe the kind of crowd the eating-place draws (Note: this method is only applicable to our local hawker fare and Chinese food).  If the crowd is predominantly young, i.e. the below-35 crowd with the occasional tag-along kids, there is usually a higher chance that the food will not be exceptionally mouth-watering.  However, if the crowd mainly consists of people from the pre-1965 era, then there will be a much higher chance that the food served will be lip-smacking.

Red Star Restaurant is located in an inconspicuous office building in the old HDB estate of Chinatown.  There is only a cranky lift in the building. The next alternative to get to the restaurant that is located on the seventh floor will be to take the stairs. 

Eating at Red Star seems to be a three-generational affair, where the grandparents will join their grown-up kids and their grandchildren for a weekend get-together meal.  Occasionally, you can also spot elderly couples enjoying their dim sums or groups of middle-aged friends who have decided to gather for a delicious dim sum brunch. 

Do these signs point to a delicious meal?  You bet. 

Fried Dough Fritters with Mayonnaise 

Dim sum, a Cantonese term, is literally translated to mean "dotted heart", meaning to order to one’s heart’s content.  A variety of small food items made up a meal of dim sum.  Personally, I feel that the literal translation, "dotted heart", is a very apt description of dim sum itself.  Dim sum is called dian xin (点心）in Mandarin.  "Dian" in mandarin means "little" or "dotted".  "Xin" in mandarin means "heart".  Lots of hard work is devoted into the preparation of each of these exquisite products.  It is as if the chef has put his heart into preparing these savoury dishes for your tasting.  Thus, the dainty works of art served in bamboo skewers that are finally presented to you on your table are actually "little hearts" presented to you by the chef. 

 
Siew Mai, or steamed pork dumplings

Red Star Restaurant has been a long time favourite of mine to savour these delicious "dotted hearts".  Unlike many Cantonese restaurants these days, where you order your dim sum on paper menus, the dim sums at Red Star are still served in the traditional way where the waitresses will push mobile carts piled sky high with bamboo skewers filled with different dim sums around the restaurant.  When one of these mobile carts are pushed to your table, you can then order the dim sum directly from the waitress who will never hesitate to visually whet your appetite by showing you the different items she has on her cart while giving her recommendations at the same time.  The cluttering of trays and noisy chatter create a friendly and heart-warming dining ambience that is a characteristic of traditional Cantonese dining. 

However, rest assured that there is also no stereotyped rude service associated occasionally with Cantonese restaurants.  The service at Red Star is friendly and prompt.  My family wanted a certain combination of dishes.  However, this combination of food was not present on the particular dim sum cart from which we are ordering.  My dad wanted roasted duck while I wanted to try some of the roasted pigskin.  The waitress promptly went to get that particular combination of roasted duck and pig skin for us so that each of us can get what we wanted.

 
 
Roasted Duck and Pig Skin

Of course, the main reason why I love Red Star’s dim sum so much is the palatable dishes they serve - exquisite and scrumptious.  Almost every dish that I called never fails to surprise me in terms of their delicious quotient.  At the end of the meal, I seem to have tasted a myriad of tastes, each as memorable as the next.     

One of the best "taste" experiences a person can have is when the food literally melts in your mouth when you taste it.  The extremely crispy pigskin almost melted in my mouth when I bit it.  Similarly, for the taro root dumpling, it was so light and fluffy that they seemingly melted upon tasting.  Even for the egg tarts, after biting through the flaky outer crust, the sweet egg custard that fills the middle of the tart melted the moment I tasted it.  Egg tarts are one of my favourite dim sums and so far, the egg tarts at Red Star are one of the best that I have ever tasted.

Egg tarts 

Fried Wantons with Mayonnaise

Xiao Long Bao, or Pork Dumplings

The only dish that I had some nit picking to do was the Xiao Long Bao or Pork Dumplings.  I was surprised to find this Shanghainese cuisine in a Cantonese restaurant.  I supposed this was an addition to the menu because of the growing popularity of Xiao Long Bao in Singapore.  Sad to say, this dish was the only dish that disappointed that day.  Although the skin of the Xiao Long Bao was delicately thin, it seems overly stuffed with pork and the most important characteristic of Xiao Long Bao, that steaming soup that spurts out of the Xiao Long Bao upon the first bite, was missing.

Finally to round off the meal, it was dessert time.   

 
Mango Pudding

 
Black Sesame Paste

The desserts made it to the crème of the crop of the meal.  It has been a long time since I have tasted such mind-blowing desserts.  Yes, you had not read wrongly.  It is mind-blowing desserts.  My first reaction upon tasting these desserts was a big "wow". 

Instead of the usual coconut milk that is added to the Honeydew Sago, condensed milk was added, making the Honeydew Sago taste like liquid ice cream.  The mango pudding has a strong but not over-powering taste of mango in it, making it simply yummy.

Black sesame paste is one of my favourite desserts.  However, I have not found one that tastes satisfactory to me, except the ones that I had tasted in Hong Kong some time back.   They are either too thin for my liking or taste crumply and thick that makes me feel sick eating it after some mouthful.  The black sesame paste that I tried at Red Star tasted just right.  It has a silky texture and a strong sesame taste to it.  It was just absolutely delicious. 

I was a happy and satisfied customer when I left the restaurant.  Did I just grumbled about Singapore being a lost food paradise and that the last delicious meal that I had enjoyed was in Sydney?  I guess these grouses of mine were happily forgotten by the time I left the restaurant.  Gabriel was just asking me why I give such low food ratings.  I suppose I tend to nit pick more than dishing out compliments most of the time.  However, when I do come across an eating-place that truly deserve a high rating, I will never hesitate to dish a good rating out to it.  This is definitely one of the rare moments where I am going to give a high rating to a restaurant, for letting me enjoy a truly satisfactory meal in Singapore since a long time. 

BBQ King
18-20 Goulburn St
Sydney 2000

Ratings: 7.5/10

Roast Duck

Before I went to Sydney, I heard some comments from friends that the roast duck in the Chinatown there is delicious. I was very sceptical about their comments. I was thinking to myself that the chances of me finding great Chinese food will be so much higher in countries like Hong Kong, Taiwan, and our own Singapore, rather than in cities like….Sydney? Furthermore, I was keener on trying the Modern Australian cuisine while I was there, rather than trying out Chinese food, which I can always try at home.

However, since the apartment in which we were staying was located just a stone thrown away from Chinatown, it became inevitable that my occasional dinner will be settled there, which I did during my first day in Sydney. We randomly went into a restaurant at Chinatown owned by some Hong Kongers. Not surprisingly, the food pretty much sucks. And it pretty much “confirmed” my suspicions that no good Chinese food can ever be found outside Asia.

Then came one day whereby we were wondering what we should have for dinner. Wandering into Chinatown again, we saw BBQ King, a restaurant that was also recommended by the Lonely Planet Guide. Again, I was pretty sceptical. Lonely Planet Guidebooks are definitely not a good “where-to-eat” guide.

Yet curiosity got the better of me. As we walked past the shop, I noticed that there is an article pasted on its doors - a food review about some of the best cheap Chinese eats around the world. Three places were mentioned in the article - a Vietnamese restaurant in France, our local Boon Tong Kee, and BBQ King. That article definitely piqued my interest regarding BBQ King, mainly because Boon Tong Kee is my favourite place to savour our local Hainanese Chicken Rice. So how good is BBQ King to be mentioned together with one of my favourite food haunt?

A quick search online regarding BBQ King will show that lots of flak has been garnered regarding its bad service, the lousy interiors which desperately requires a facelift, and its overcharged prices. True enough, this place doesn’t look at all like a popular restaurant in Chinatown from its exterior and its service was lousy at times when I was there.

But food wise?

more…

Asian Kitchen
1 Raffles Link
#B1-21
City Link Mall

Ratings: 5.5/10

Put two old friends together and the lunch will become a “full-blown” gossip plus catching-up session.

Food? Wait…let me try to remember how the food tastes like? I think the only things that I remember are the gossips that were traded and perhaps the good-looking guys who had walked passed?

I guess the main conclusion that we had come to is that the Asian Kitchen is a great place to people-watch. We were both seated at the strategic table where you get a direct view of the people coming up the escalator. (City Link Mall is a mall-cum-underpass that leads to various buildings including the Esplanade.) Besides getting a great view of the crowd that is walking pass, it is also more cooling to sit in this part of the restaurant since it is further away from the kitchen, in contrast to the tables at the back of the restaurant where the temperature seems to be warmer.

Pork Dumplings or Xiao Long Bao - $3.70

Suan La Noodles - $8.70

I had the Suan La Noodles, which is supposed to be spicy and sour, but I didn’t taste the spiciness in the noodles at all and the Xiao Long Bao do not taste as nice as the Din Tai Fung ones. Therefore on the whole, the food at the Asian Kitchen is only average.

Din Tai Fung
Various outlets around Singapore: Wisma Atria, Junction 8, Paragon, Tampines Mall

Ratings: 6.5/10

From its first outlet at Paragon a few years back, numerous outlets of Din Tai Fung have sprung up around Singapore. Though the Singapore version of Din Tai Fung is nothing compared to its pioneer in Taipei, it’s no doubt a decent Chinese restaurant located in town that is reasonably priced.

Steamed Pork Dumplings or Xiao Long Bao - the signature dish of Din Tai Fung

The “Xiao Long Bao” or the steamed pork dumplings are of course best eaten when they are dipped into vinegar along with shreds of ginger added to it. The thickness of the dumpling skin is just right and the pork fillings together with the juices in each dumpling are delicious.

On the whole, the food at Din Tai Fung can be described as mildly-flavoured. As a result, it is the ingredients that take a centre stage in the dishes that it serves. The dishes neither hit you with an overpowering taste as a result of a strong concoction of sauces, nor do they attempt to “wow” you with delicacies. It is this simplicity in the dishes that are served that highlights the intricacies in the food. And this is the reason why I like the food at Din Tai Fung.

Noodle soup with shrimps sliced bamboo shoot and green vegetables

more…

Seow Choon Hua Restaurant
33 Sultan Gate
Singapore 198481

Ratings: 4.5/5.0

On the day where my trusty pink camera decided to fail me (or rather it was due to carelessness on my part for not switching it off after use thus resulting in a flat battery), I ended up flipping open my pink cell phone to do a bit of photo taking. As I’ve only just gotten my new cell phone, I was actually fumbling with its function while taking these photos. Therefore, the photos turned out to be really blurred this time round.

Talking about cell phones, my old Samsung phone had actually kaput in less than a month after the end of its warranty period. The repair cost was estimated to be more than a hundred dollars. I had to get a new phone in the end.

Seow Choon Hua restaurant is located at Sultan Gate, an Arab area in Singapore. While I was on my way there for my lunch, aromatic whiffs of Nasi Padang greeted me from the numerous Muslim stalls. I was so tempted to just ditch my intended lunch location and settle for some nice curry instead.

Thankfully, I didn’t. Despite being located in an Arab area, Seow Choon Hua sells really great Fuzhou cuisine. Lunch there was really memorable and I have definitely labelled the place as one of my favourite eating places in Singapore!

红糟鸡面线 - Red Wine Chicken Thread Noodles

It is rare to find Red Wine Chicken Thread Noodles in Singapore and what’s more, a really delicious bowl of thread noodles.

When I had my first mouthful of the thread noodles, the first thought that came to my mind was, "This is really great." By the second mouthful, I was hooked to this dish.

This dish is actually cooked with the red vinasse, the vinasse of the Shaohsing wine. Red vinasse was first discovered during the Song Dynasty in China and is a common ingredient in Chinese medicine and cuisine due to its numerous health benefits. According to research, it can help to reduce cholesterol and hypertension. Some of the beneficial substances it contains include Monacolin K, y-GABA, Glucosamine, and Lecithin.

The soup has a mixture of sweet and sour taste, thus making this dish especially appetising. Together with the soft and smooth thread noodles, this bowl of noodles is simply irresistible. However, this dish is best eaten hot, as a tinge of bitterness can be tasted after a while when the soup cools.

Unlike the usual Lor Mee that we can find in most of the hawker stalls around Singapore, the Fuzhou Lor Mee that is sold at Seow Choon Hua is slightly different. Instead of the characteristic dark broth of the usual Lor Mee, the broth for this Lor Mee is actually clear. The ingredients in the Lor Mee are also unique. There are fried wantons, char siews, Fuzhou fishballs, and many other ingredients in the Lor Mee which I’ve forgotten what they are.

However, like all other Lor Mees, they are always best eaten with lots of vinegar added to it!

I have grown up eating and loving the Lor Mee with the dark broth. Being so accustomed to the taste of that type of Lor Mee, there is definitely a personal taste bias involed when I eat the Fu Zhou Lor Mee. In comparison, the Fu Zhou Lor Mee has a milder taste. Nevertheless, it is definitely very delectable.

To side track for a while, this place is actually famous for its tasty Fu Zhou Fishballs. The difference between a Fu Zhou fishballs and a usual fishball is that in the middle of a Fu Zhou fishball, there is actually a piece of minced pork in it, unlike the usual fishballs. Despite being very soft, the Fu Zhou fishballs there are also very chewy.

福州算盘子- Fu Zhou Yam Abacus

The Fu Zhou Yam Abacus is also another unique dish sold at Seow Choon Hua Restaurant. Compared to the Yam Abacus sold at Shunfu Road, the Fu Zhou Yam Abacus is definitely less oily. I don’t really like yam abacus a lot personally, but I got to say they taste fine at Seow Choon Hua.

Btw, if anyone happens to know which is the best Nasi Padang stall in that area, please drop me a comment and I’ll visit the place the next time I’m in that area!