Sunday, September 16, 2018

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G7 Sin Ma Live Bull Frog Seafood, Singapore

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If you think that frog legs is only an Asian delicacy, think again. In fact, frog legs are one of the better-known delicacies  of French and Chinese cuisines. 

Hidden in the neighbourhood of Geylang, G7 Sin Ma Live Seafood is one of the local restaurants that offers these delicacies like bull frog legs. Open till very late in the night, there are still many customers having supper, most often the claypot frog legs with porridge.

Diners can either order ala carte or a set. We ordered a set which came with two pots of bull frog legs and a pot of porridge. 

Johnny, the owner, believed never to short-change his customers, therefore, the bull frogs were said to have carefully sourced  and prepared with only the freshest ingredients were used. 

The bull frogs can be cooked in three different sauces - 宫保田鸡-style,  姜葱田鸡-style. I love the former as it was flavourful and spicy at the same time. There seemed to have marmite-taste in the sauce. Enjoying the porridge with the sauce was ambrosial that we could even finish the pot of porridge with the sauce alone. (Food rating: 4/5)

The sambal sotong (calamari) was divinely delicious. The sambal chilli sauce was superb and the calamaris were tender soft. (Food rating: 3/5)

When having porridge, we must never forget to order a serving of egg omelette with preserved radish. The chef's culinary skills were very good. The eggs were fried in very hot wok / pan that gave a very nice 锅气. I enjoyed this egg dish immensely and it complemented the porridge very well. (Food rating: 4/5)

Address: 163 Geylang Road Lor 3, #01-01/02, Singapore 389239
Pricing: $
Rating: 4/5
Ambience: Blend in with  locals whilst having a pot of congee with frog legs.
Recommended dishes: All of the above.
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Sunday, August 05, 2018

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Enjoying Seasonal Cuisine at 1 Michelin-Starred Summer Pavilion, Singapore

$$$ , Cantonese 0 Comments
Located at Ritz Carlton Singapore, Summer Pavilion, a Michelin one-starred restaurant serves exquisite and contemporary Cantonese cuisine handcrafted by Chinese Executive Chef, Cheung Siu Kong. 

We had a celebratory dinner at Summer Pavilion and ordered the osmanthus dinner menu, which consist of 5 items. On top of that, we ordered a couple of ala carte side dishes for sharing, whilst waiting for dinner. 

[Above] First dish of the Osmanthus Dinner Menu was the Steamed Lobster, Crab Meat and Chicken Dumpling, Deep-fried Lobster Roll, Prawn Paste, Breaded Vermicelli (龙虾小笼包，千丝龙虾卷). The dumpling skin was silky smooth, yet springy when chewing. The skin was thin but holds the weight of the seafood and soup in the dumpling. The filling was sweet with a tint of seafood. The Lobster Roll with Prawn Paste looked like the Dragon's Beard Candy. The breaded vermicelli was crispy, coupled with the crispy seafood, was absolutely delicious. These food must be eaten in its original taste. Dipping with sauces may spoil the taste. 

Next in line was the Double-boiled Superior Bird's Nest and Chicken served in whole coconut (椰皇炖海岛官燕盏). Normally, bird's nest is eaten in sugar syrup but this dish was totally different. The soup was savoury in taste with Chicken. Because of its savoury taste, you will naturally think that you are having vermicelli rather than bird's nest in the soup. Scrap the coconut flesh and you will be surprised to enjoy another layer of gastronomic taste on top of the collagen filled chicken broth. 

The third dish was the braised whole abalone served with seasonal vegetables in oyster sauce and pan-fried foie gras (蚝皇六头汤鲍时蔬伴香煎鹅肝). Some people may not like the foie gras but do give it a shot. The foie gras was crispy in the outside and tofu-like soft in the inside. More importantly, it did not have a bad aftertaste. As for the abalone, the portion was just nice and the texture was perfect. The oyster sauce and the abalone were a perfect match. The Kai Lan vegetables was perfectly cooked. The stems were soft and tender and the leaves were beautiful green. (Food rating: 4/5)

Sauteed Japanese King Scallop cooked with Black Pepper Sauce served with Fried Rice with diced Australian Scallop, Egg White and Crispy Garlic (黑椒炒带子皇伴金蒜蛋白带子炒饭). This bespoke dish, though presented simply, said a lot of chef's culinary skills and the quality of food. Each rice grain was beautiful and the scallop with black pepper sauce was light yet powerful. Reminiscing this dish makes my mouth water. (Food rating: 4/5)

Additional appetisers were served concurrently beside the ones listed in the set menu. The deep-fried beancurd cubes with spices and salt (椒盐脆豆腐) were amazing. The outside was crispy and the inside was tender and soft. The spices and salt were perfect combination that elevated this dish to the next level. (Food rating: 4/5)

Another simple, yet amazing appetiser was the deep fried silver fish, drizzled with spicy salt (椒盐脆银鱼). The fish was crispy and the size was perfect. It was a great snack to set the luxuriant dinner experience. (Food rating: 3.5/5)
We ordered steamed fish separately, giving a more balanced meal. The Soon Hock Fish is a premium freshwater fish, which is popular among the Chinese Community. Cooked in Cantonese style, the fish is steamed with soy sauce, topped with shredded ginger, cilantro leaves and scallions. The fish was sweet and fresh, and more importantly, it was extremely enjoyable. (Food rating: 4.5/5)


The Barbecued Peking Duck (half) priced at $40, though the price is in the high side, was amazingly delicious. The crispy skin was flavourful and you may not even need to add any sweet hoisin sauce to accentuate the highly acclaimed poultry. (Food rating: 4/5)

Priced at $13 per portion, the Sliced Chicken in Rice Wine with Jelly Fish (海蜇醉鸡片) was very refreshing. A chilled dish with tender and nice fragrance was absolutely wonderful. (Food rating:4/5)


Finally, the dinner ended with a sweet note - Chilled Black Glutinous served with Coconut Ice Cream and Mango bits (香芒紫米冻). Well, the dessert was nice as it has a local touch. However, it would be good to end the dish with a Cantonese dessert, since it is actually a Cantonese Restaurant. (Food rating: 3/5)

We loved the culinary set as it alludes the oriental western touch.

The total set menu - Osmanthus Dinner Menu was $170 per person, excluding the ala carte dishes and hot beverages we ordered. It was a very luxurious dinner but it was a wonderful experience. 




Address: 
Summer Pavilion
The Ritz-Carlton, Millenia Singapore
7 Raffles Avenue
Singapore 039799 

Price: $$$

Overall Food Rating: 4/5

Ambience: A  cosy and elegant ambience where you are enjoy both the ambrosial food and the ambience.

Service: The overall service experience was good. However, we were not served with the steamed rice we have requested since the middle of the dinner. We have asked at least three times to the servers and left disappointed as we did not managed to try their highly recommended steamed white rice.




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Sunday, July 22, 2018

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Steambox, a healthier way of cooking seafood, Singapore

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Steamed pot is now the latest craze in Singapore, where diners can enjoy fresh steamed seafood and meat as a healthier choice of food. Enclave in the Serangoon Gardens area, the restaurant Steambox with big signage was visible to anyone within the vicinity. 

A friend of mine introduced me to Steambox for dinner. The location was unusually away from the typical malls, but it was a great experience. The interiors gave off a cosy and simple ambience that diners feel comfortable to eat in any way they like. I, for one, dressed in my usual tees, shorts and flip flops, enjoyed my meal just the way I like it. 

First and foremost, diners get to cook the type of porridge of their choice. For us, we chose the century egg pork porridge. The porridge is cooked at the bottom of the stove. 

Not forgetting the popular sinful salted egg crispy fish skin for appetiser. 
 
The first serving of steamed food comprising fish ball, steamed pork with ginger strips, chicken with wolfberries, and sweet corn. 

The second serving was seafood comprising of scallops, lala and fish fillet. The seafood was amazingly fresh with its natural sweetness. 

Finally, the cooked century egg pork porridge. 

Address: 68 Serangoon Garden Way, Singapore 555962
Price: $
Rating: 3.5/5
Ambience: A popular family restaurant with friendly staff. 
Recommended dishes: Scallops, pork with ginger strips, etc. 

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Saturday, June 16, 2018

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Tokidon - Deliciously prepared Japanese Rice to Perfection

#ijustwantfoodss , $ 0 Comments

Hidden in the basement of newly revamped Hong Leong Building, Tokidon is the talk of the town. With huge slabs of beef - Wagyu Beef, Tenderloin and Strip loin on display, the meat when cooked was tender and succulent. The beef is cooked in medium rare as such the meat retains its jus. A simple small Japanese food kiosk serving limited but quality food is something I would definitely recommend. 👍


Truffle Tenderloin Don, priced at $15.90, is a wallet-friendly option where this dish uses a leaner and more affordable beef. The beef was well seasoned and very tender. The crispy garlic slices were deliciously fragrant with the chewy Japanese rice. Break the onsen egg and mix well with the rice with it. You will have a delicious lunch you will never forget. (Food rating: 4.5/5)


Truffle Wagyu Don, priced at SGD23.90, serves with Wagyu Striploin with onsen egg topped with cured kelp and house blend truffle soy. Tokidon uses thick slices of striploin. (Food rating: 4.5/5)


Alternatively, add on a Foie Gras at $11.90 on your rice bowl. The foie gras was prepared to perfection. The crispy outer layer and tender soft inner layer of the foie gras was divine!

Although the food was ambrosial delicious, the prices are expensive. I hope that they will sustain for the long run. Total damages were $75.60 for three different dons.

Address: 16 Raffles Quaty, #b1-33 Hong Leong Building, Singapore 048581
Price: $
Rating: 4/5
Recommended dishes: Truffle Wagyu Don, Truffle Tenderloin Don
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Saturday, June 09, 2018

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Are you "Ambush-ed"? Enjoying European dishes without travelling overseas

#ijustwantfoodss , $ 0 Comments
As much as I enjoyed The French Table, Ambush is equally good. Focusing on European dishes from France, Italy and Spain, the restaurant surprised me with not only a nice ambience but also great food without traveling overseas.

Starting with Tapas, the Calamari Fritti with Thai Mayo Dip (S$7.80) tasted very well on its own. The light flavourful marinated calamari were delicately pricked into the bamboo sticks. The calamari drizzled with lemon was absolutely good. The Thai Mayo Dip was too heavy which was not a good choice. If you were to order this tapas, it is recommended to eat it on its own. (Food rating: 3.5/5)


Baked eggs, Bolognese, Cherry Tomatoes, Cheese with Herb Ciabatta Bread, priced at $15.80, was an interesting dish. The beef bolognese, cherry tomatoes topped with baked eggs and cheese was absolutely delicious. The Herb Ciabatta Bread was perfectly seasoned with herbs and toasted, making the dish extremely pleasant. I took the bread, broke the egg yolk and scooped a small portion of bolognese with runny yolk. This action took me by surprise. The taste was fantastic. This dish is not recommended to eat it on its own as the bolognese was very rich. I would love to add pasta into the dish. Two slices of Ciabatta bread are not sufficient to tone down the heavy flavour. (Food rating: 3.5/5)

36-Hour Oxtail with Potato Puree, Braised Vegetables and Au Jus (gravy), priced at S$18.80, is highly recommended. Loved the oxtail which was so soft that it disintegrated when cut. The meat was tenderly soft and melted as soon as it is in the mouth. The Potato Puree could compete with The French Table, which was silken soft and rich in flavour. Unfortunately, the braised vegetables could be cooked longer and cooked in the rich Oxtail Stew. It seems as if the vegetables were cooked separately from the stew. However, discounting the vegetables, the overall experience was great. (Food rating: 3.5/5)

Truffle and Pancetto Risotto with Button Mushrooms, Cherry Tomatoes, Parmigiano and Au Jus (S$14.80) was equally good though it took sometime before it was served. The rice rich in stock stayed "al dente", making it to have a bite and not being soft once cooked. Loved the rich stock and the texture was superb. The truffle oil was subtle and the button mushroom aroma was rich. (Food rating: 4/5)

This is definitely one of the best tiramisu I had in recent months. The tiramisu, priced at $7.80,  emits three layers of taste. Each layer gave a different experience whilst enjoying the cake. Firstly was the bittersweet chocolate powder, followed by the sweet mascarpone cheese and finally with the biggest punch, the coffee liquour. (Food rating: 5/5)


Address: 9 Bishan Place, #02-19/20/27, Bishan Junction 8 Shopping Centre, Singapore 579837
Pricing: $
Rating: 4/5
Ambience: A very nice ambience with attentive service staff. 
Recommended dishes: 36-hour Oxtail Stew, Calamari Fritti, Tiramisu and of course, the truffle risotto.

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Thursday, May 24, 2018

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Chicken Collagen Hot Pot for the Soul, Tsukada Nojo (塚田農場)

$$ , MRT: Dhoby Ghaut 0 Comments
I was back at Tsukada Nojo since my last entry on the different kinds of steamboat (hot pots) in 2016. Beauty in the pot is still one of the popular steam boat joints, despite the rise of different kinds of steamboats over the years. 

At Tsukada Nojo, it serves collagen soup beauty made with nourishing Jitokko which is a very valuable brand of chicken in Japan.

The jelly-like collagen were scooped into the pot.
The collagen slowly melted into thick chicken soup.

The ingredients before cooking. 

Nikumaki Onigiri - Original and Spicy were interesting rice balls different from the normal rice balls we have. The rice was so so and ordinary. (Food rating: 2.5/5)

Address: 68B Orchard Road, #03-81 Plaza Singapura Atrium@Orchard, 238891
Pricing: $$
Rating: 3/5
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