One-Ton Mee

wanton stalls are easily spotted in singapore, but how really to differentiate one from the other? First I would think it's the char siew meat, followed by the dumplings and then the noodles!  What attracts me to this stall is really their char siew pork, it's not-too-sweet, slightly burnt, chewy, fresh, devoid of the stinky pork smell, and there's a pretty spicy chilli as accompaniment! The dumplings are wrapped neatly, filled with fresk minced pork and prawn.  If you like chewy noodles, almost uncooked kind of taste, or rather the cantonese style of noodles, this is definitely your dish.

Plus Points: you can choose your type of pork! fatty or lean?

overall rating: 7.5/10
venue: Keong Saik Street, Chinatown.
Would I recommend a friend? Only for the Char Siew.

CANTONESE DUCKIE

ONE OF VERY BEST CANTONESE DUCKIE

I'm so in love with this crispily roasted cantonese duck!  I know i've posted one duckie some time ago, but this is of a different kind.  The previous one emphasizes on its sauce, the combination of duck and sauce,  but this one here is heavenly by itself, distinctively marked by its crispyness and juicyness!  The meat tastes naturally sweet, and their light soy sauce a perfect combination.  Delicious without the need for more elaboration!  A MUST-TRY.  Another dish they're famous for is their pork ribs.  Not in this post, but i'll definitely furnish it in time to come.  ENJOY!

Venue: located in people's park hawker centre, next to OG, the stall is at the stretch facing OG.
Overall rating: 9/10

Gordon Grill - Be Grilled or Thrilled?

Heard about the Gordon Grill at Goodwoodpark Hotel? I've heard many praises of Gordon Grill, and so I finally visited Gordon Grill expecting to be thrilled!  The first thing which caught my attention was the quaint, cosy and european dining interior, setting a rather romantic ambience for diners.  They pampered us with cushioned chairs and sofas, followed by friendly and attentive waitresses who attended to our orders and needs.

The complimentary bread was nicely roasted, crisp on the outside and fluffy on the inside, and most importantly, it was served hot.  I specially liked it because they served me focacia bread - my all-time favorite, but don't forget to request for olive oil and vinegar, the perfect complement for focacia.  Yet that was when the first disppointment was felt, the olive oil that was served didn't taste like extra-virgin oil, and lacked that distinct fragrant of olive.

The lobster bisque, S$15 a bowl, even though it seemed faultless, failed to score any extra points as it simply tasted like any other restaurants.  Ordinary.

Duo Foie Gras as the appetiser: The delight of Frenchmen just as Kimchi is to Koreans, turned out quite a disappointment unless you like it thick and rather raw.  I found the cut a bit too thick, thence even though it was pan-fried crisp on the outside, the inner meat was a bit too raw and gluey for my liking.

The main dish I had was the Pork Chop, served together with (optional) red wine "Boleigse" sauce. I must praise that the grilling was very well done.  Without any marination, the meat was cooked at the "tipping" point, whereby the juiciness of the meat was left intact, the meat was white in color, unburnt and not a tinge of blood.  Yet on the overall, the sauce that went together with the unmarinated pork chop grill just wasn't really delicious, and tasted rather blend.  I felt something was lacking... perhaps I was still, afterall, looking for the traditional Singaporean Pork Chop Taste.

The small messy thing above in the left corner was the King Crab Salad... sounded great, but tasted ordinary, a dish you could jolly well skip.

The Limelight of Gordon Grill would undeniably be the Steak!  The first impressive impression was made when the water pushed out their wooden cart, allowing you to choose the type, size and thickness of the meat you want.  One might be reminded of the Larrys... however, I must emphasize that the gordon grill did a much better job.  At Larrys, the meat was pre-cooked, pushed out on a cart and sliced out for you... which robbed the feeling of customisation and dedication.  At Gordon's, the raw meat was cut before you, weighed before you, and of course, paid by the grams.  The picture above, is a piece of corn-fed "golden" grade beef @$4.60 per gram... totalled to be about S$98.
 
Taste? In spite of the hoo-ha, the taste was actually only average.  I wasn't thrilled. I would think the beef was rather tender, and the grill was fine... BUT, it's just another grill with a pretty fresh meat.  There was nothing that made it taste unique, nothing that made you miss and keep you coming back for more... Yet to be fair, in my humble opinion, it was definitely better than the Larrys!

Would I return again? Not anytime soon... hoping that they would be much better the next time I visit!
Would I recommend it to friends? Probably only for the romantic European ambience.

Rate: 7/10

Chinese Coconut Rice

Although it is a Malay thing, the Chinese is doing just as well!  The dish of Nasi Lemak has definitely evolved with its popularity.  To capture more market share, and to whip up new styles to whet our appetites, this chinese nasi lemak stall has come up with Curry Chicken Nasi Lemak, and Ayam Chicken Nasi Lemak!  With such an interesting concept, we have to do our part to be there early to queue!  I was late, therefore my rice is white.  But even the white rice is pretty good.  What's really unique about this stall is that they cook it hot for you!  The drumstick, the luncheon meat and the egg are all freshly fried for you as you order.  Don't you remember how many times you've eaten cold nasi lemak at alot of stalls?  This stall just makes the extra effort to serve you piping hot nasi lemak.  I say, go for it!

Quack Quack Here & Quack Quack There!

Hoping for a quacking good time?  This roasted duck/chicken stall in Alexandra Food Market might be just what you want!  What is unique about it?  Definitely its sauces!  Their semi-sweet dark sauce, are of two different kinds.  One is for the roasted duck meat, the other for roasted lean pork meat.  The sauces, combined with the freshly roasted duck and the fragrant rice, leaves a deep impression on your tastebud.  What's more is that they have a free pot of sichuan+duckmeat soup!  It's hot, it's delicious, it's not to be missed!

Delightful Grilling Surprise at Suntec City

I can't remember the number of times I've walked out of a foodcourt feeling dissatisfied with what I've ate, and at the insistence of my friend, I gave it another try at the basement foodcourt in Suntec City and found a delightful surprise at The "Indonesia Grill" stall.

My frowns faded as the chef grilled the chicken leg patiently, taking care of each piece that was ordered by the customers with undivided attention.  The outcome was plates of succulent chicken leg, thoroughly cooked without compromising its tenderness.  The chicken leg was then dipped into a silver tray of tar-black sauce which had a refreshing semi-sweet taste.  Accompanying the chicken was the light curry sauce which they spreaded over the white rice, and the taste can be enhanced by adding the spicy chilli sauce.  The uniqueness was that in spite that the different sauces retained its distinctness, there was a harmonious balance in the overall taste.

Overall Rating: 8.5/10
Recommendable to Friends: Yes.

"F" Cup Bun ~ slurpz slurpz...

Hidden in an unglamourous shophouse in Changi Village, a traditional Johore Dim Sum stall rests quietly, working on its range of mouth-watering steamed buns.  What strike me was the super big "F" Cup Bun, known as Ye Zi Mei Da Bao, a popular metaphoric name for this big bun in chinese, referring it to the voluptuous bosoms of a famous promiscuous actress. Inside this bun is a combination of juicy treasures: Marinated Chicken, slices of mushroom, an egg, and crushed pieces of chestnut.  At the first bite, the juice of the filling oozed out, dripped onto my hand, and left me licking the droplets on my lips.  It's amazing that for such juiciness and the heavy fillings, the bun is able to carry all its weight.  The bun is baked with perfect calculation; not too much and not too little flour.  Another great highlight is the chewiness of the bun!  It is not just flour, it emits an aromatic fragrance that is somehow sweet to the taste which forms a perfect complement for the delicious filling.

Other food products: Dim Sum, Vegetable Bun, Coffee Bun, Big Chicken Bun, Pork Bun etc...

Overall Rating: 8.5/10

Recommendable to Friends: Bun lovers would beg for more.  Bun-dodgers will fall in love.

The Bee Hoon Match?

Wu Xiang Xia Bing is mostly found in hawker centres, and is also fast becoming a forgotten delicacy amongst the locals.  It is no longer easy to find the Wu Xiang which leaves you begging for more... It's just a simple mixture of different kinds of fried finger food like fishballs, sotong balls, fishcakes, chinese red sausage, prawn cracker, beancurd etc.  So what makes a good Wu Xiang Xia Bing? 

It seems so easy, just frying some finger food... but it's really more than meets the eye.  These small finger food is also made best when it is specially made by the chef.  With the right and fresh ingredients to hand-make those meat wraps, sotong yu tiao and fish cake etc, which differs from chef to chef, is what makes the real difference.  ONE Important note is that Wu Xiang Xia Bing meal cannot be completed without the bee hoon!  A tasty bee hoon is one which is not soggy like it is overcooked, has a distinct yet not overwhelming taste of the dark soy sauce, chewy that it is easily digested.  Some people would prefer to go with a little of pepper to add a little excitement to the otherwise plain staple. 

Another perfect condiment to go along with this Wu Xiang Xia Bing is the chilli dip, the hotter the better. =)

Over here in this hawker is this little Wu Xiang Xia Bing stall, where their food is fresh and crispy, and the bee hoon pretty much meets the standard i described (however, their quality is not always consistent).  I like their chilli dip topped with crushed nuts, it's a pretty good match for the fried food and bee hoon!

Overall Rating: 7.5/10

Recommendable to Friends? Only if you are around the vicinity!

Disappointing Garuda...

I love Indonesian Cuisines; adore their tingy spiciness, combined with fresh ingredients, with all the signature sambals and ayam sauces.  Yet Garuda is a disappointing one. Why so?  Even though it looks very appetising with its display of the variety of dishes at the counter, the food upon being served was not warm enough.  Moreover, it lacks the traditional padang taste of spiciness, and the food is not very fresh.  It seems like an attempt to please foreigners' tastebud, rather than really showing off the true taste of Indonesia's sambal and ayam.... In other words, the concept of Garuda is like a Indonesian Fastfood cuisine, where they can serve you quickly with their pre-cooked food, thus compromising with quality.  Even their iced-tea, tasted more like sugar syrup which is too sweet, that I couldn't taste the "tea". 

What I ordered: Sambal Cumi Cumi (squid), Sambal Udang (Prawn), Sayur Lodeh (curry veg which is filled with long beans rather than anything else), fried dory fish and fried egg.

Venue: Vivocity outlet.

Overall Rating: 5/10

Recommendable to Friends? No.

Laksa Steamboat ROCKS!

Laksa, controversially originating from Malaysia, and popularised in Singapore is one of the favourite dishes of Singaporeans!  Almost every Singaporean knows about Katong Laksa, BUT, what about steamboat with laksa soup base??? I've found a delicious one in Telok Blangah!  Located along the AYE, is this restaurant in a shophouse lookalike.  The soupbase is neither thick nor blend, with a fragrant laska aroma, not too spicy that it sets your tongue on fire, but you could always add in more chilli paste to make it hotter!  They have a wide range of fresh ingredients; chicken/pork/beef slices, tau pok, fish paste, teochew fish balls, prawns, scallops, clams, bean sprouts, sotongs, quail eggs etc... simply an inexhaustible list!

In one sentence: Once you start, you cannot stop!  Go with an empty stomach and indulge in your laksa crave!

Venue: 404 Telok Blangah, along AYE.  Carparks in front of the restaurant can only take in 4 cars.  Should turn in at the next available lane entry to park your car if the carpark is full.

Overall Rating: 9/10

Recommendable to Friends: Definitely!