Tuesday 31 July 2012

Ban Leong Wah Hoe Seafood 万隆华和海鲜菜馆 (Casuarina Road) - 2nd Post

Another visit back to Ban Leong Wah Hoe Seafood 万隆华和海鲜菜馆. We visited the Zi Char restaurant on a Saturday evening too. The place was packed and all the tables were occupied.

Huge crabs in tanks. This is essential as almost every table has crab dish on it!
Menu (a)
Menu (b)
Part of the menu. As this was our 2nd visit, we had a rough idea on what to order and what not too. The first post can be found here.
Hot Plate Beancurd $10
 The Hot Plate Beancurd was as deletable as before. The sauce is best paired with plain rice. 
Prawn Paste Chicken Wing $12
Prawn Paste Chicken Wings (Har Cheong Gai) was served pipping hot. The chicken wings were coated and marinated with prawn paste before being deep fried. On the exterior, it was crispy and fragrant. In the interior, the meat was fragrant, tender and full of natural juice.
Birthday Noodles (Mee Sua) $12
The Birthday Noodles which was essentially Mee Sua fried with prawns, squid, beansprouts, quail eggs and fish slices. An interesting dish that suits our palate.
Stirred Fried Baby Kai Lan $12
Their stirred fried vegetables here are surprisingly good.  The Baby Kai Lan was still crunchy. The dish as a whole was tasty and not overly salty. Simple and good.
La La Clams $10
At last, we get to try the La La Clams. This dish was excellent! The la la clams were bigger than what is normally served in the other restaurants and were very fresh and 'meaty'. (Why did we order only $10? We should have ordered more!).
Black Pepper Crab
Huge Black Pepper Crab which did not disappoint. I like the sauce as it was finger licking good as what I described in my last post. The crab was very fresh and meaty!  
Butter Crab
Butter Crab
Leaving the best for the last. The Butter Crab was amazingly delicious! It was not the usual creamy version that most restaurant serves. Instead it was deep fried. Each piece of crab was well-coated with the butter batter and fried till fragrant. Despite being deep fried, the crab was still incredibly tender, juicy and sweet. Adding on, the crab was huge, meaty and fresh. Amazingly, meat did not stuck to the shells (which is not the norm for a fried crab dish). There were lots of buttery fritters at the side. They were crispy and sinfully delicious. The unique buttery fragrant made the buttery fritters so addictive that once you start, you can't stop. A must try! (Bern from The Hungry Bunny mentioned that this is their best dish. Totally spot on! Thanks for the recommendation!

The  Butter Crab and Black Pepper Crab cost $86. Well worth the price.

The food here is real value for money. There are two dishes that are a must try over here. They are the Butter Crab and  La La Clams. This time round, the service experienced was not as smooth sailing as before. The lady taking the order was showing an attitude and was impatient. It was also hard to get the attention of the staff. Worth coming down more often for the food here despite the service? The answer is a resounding Yes!

Ban Leong Wah Hoe Seafood 万隆华和海鲜菜馆 (Casuarina Road)
122 Casuarina Road
Tel: 6452 2824
Opening Hours: Daily 5pm to 130am

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Monday 30 July 2012

McDonald's Singapore: $2 6PC Chicken McNuggets, $2 Cinnamon Melts, $3 Quarter Pounder with Cheese(till 5 Aug 2012)

Source: McDonald's Singapore
McDonald's Singapore: $2 6PC Chicken McNuggets, $2 Cinnamon Melts, $3 Quarter Pounder with Cheese(till 5 Aug 2012)

- Valid till 5 aug 2012 
- Offer not valid during breakfast hours
- Print or flash coupon to redeem
- One redemption per transaction
- Not valid at institutional stores and iFly Singapore
- Not valid via McDelivery 

- While stocks last


Other offer: McDonald's Singapore: $2 Sausage McMuffin with Egg, $2 Egg McMuffin (till 5 Aug 2012)

McDonald's Singapore: $2 Sausage McMuffin with Egg, $2 Egg McMuffin (till 5 Aug 2012)

Source: McDonald's Singapore
McDonald's Singapore: $2 Sausage McMuffin with Egg, $2 Egg McMuffin (till 5 Aug 2012)

- Valid till 5 aug 2012 
- Valid during breakfast hours
- Print or flash coupon to redeem
- One redemption per transaction
- Not valid at institutional stores and iFly Singapore
- Not valid via McDelivery 

- While stocks last



Other offer: McDonald's Singapore: $2 6PC Chicken McNuggets, $2 Cinnamon Melts, $3 Quarter Pounder with Cheese(till 5 Aug 2012)

Sunday 29 July 2012

ION Orchard Food Hall: Buy 1 Get 1 Free (till 12 Aug 2012)

Source: ION Orchard Food Hall
Ion Orchard Food Hall: Buy 1 Get 1 Free (till 12 Aug 2012)

Grab the coupon at the Concierge Counter and enjoy 1-for-1 promotions for selected food items at ION Food Hall.
- Awfully Chocolate (Rich Cake or White Chocolate Cupcake)
- Subway (Regular 6-Inch Subway Melt with 22OZ Drink & 2 Cookies)
- Xiao Ba Wang (Meatball Mee Sua with Flower/Black Sugar Milk Tea)

Thursday 26 July 2012

Ajitsuke Tamago Recipe

Home-made Ajitsuke Tamago
Ajitsuke Tamago (Japanese Runny Egg) is marinated soft boiled egg. The egg is frequently served in Japanese restaurant along with Japanese Ramen, sometimes for an extra $2 (which I feel is ridiculous..expensive..)The characteristic of the Ajitsuke Tamago is that the egg whites are hard boiled (solid but soft, delicate yet firm) while the egg yolk are runny/molten. 

I am posting the Ajitsuke Tamago Recipe here. In addition, there are several tricks to making this. I will list those that I know in this post. (If you know of any others, please let me know. So that, we can share  it in here for everyone. Thanks.)

Below is the recipe for making five Ajitsuke Tamago.

Items required:
1) Two pots (one for boiling water, the other for ice water) 
2) Thumbtack 
3) Spoon
4) Timer / Mobile phone
5) Ziplock bag / Bowl & Paper towel
6) Fridge

Ingredients: 
1) Five room temperature eggs
2) One pot of boilding water
3) One pot of ice water
4) Soy Sauce
5) Water (boiled water that has been cooled to room temperature)
6) Brown sugar 
7) Mirin (not necessary - depending on type of marination sauce)
8) Sake (not necessary - depending on type of marination sauce)

To make the Marination Sauce:
Two methods, either (a) or (b)
(a) 
2 cup water (boiled water that has been cooled to room temperature)
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/2 tbsp brown sugar / white sugar, to taste
Combine the water, soy sauce and brown sugar. Mix well and ensure that the brown sugar has been dissolved before adding in 1 slice of ginger. You can add other ingredients such as spring onion, seasame oil, anything to your liking. Also, change the proportion of soy sauce, water, sugar to suit taste.
(b)
1 cup water (boiled water that has been cooled to room temperature)
1 cup sake
1/2 cup mirin
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/2 tbsp brown sugar / white sugar, to taste
Combine the water, sake, mirin, soy sauce and brown sugar. Mix well and ensure that the brown sugar has dissolved. You can add other ingredients such as spring onion, seasame oil, anything to your liking.   Also, change the proportion of soy sauce, water, mirin, sake, sugar to suit taste. 

Steps:
1) Pierce the base of each egg with a thumbtack to make a small hole. This will prevent the egg from cracking when placed into boiling water. (My recent past few attempts I skipped this step) 
2) Using one pot of water (enough to cover the eggs), bring it to a boil. After that, reduce the heat to bring it to a bare simmer. Gently lower the eggs in with a spoon and start the timer. 
3) Cook for 5mins and 45 seconds. Using a spoon, take out the eggs (draining away the hot water) and put them into a pot of ice water for at least 5 minutes. This process is called 'shocking', it will stop the cooking process and create a layer of air (from the difference in temperature) between the shell and membrane making it easier to peel. 
4) Gently de-shell the eggs. This is the hardest part as the egg (white) is very delicate and fragile; wobbly and soft.
5) Two ways, choose either (c) or (d)
    (c) Pour the marinade sauce into a ziplock bag, place the eggs inside and seal it, squeezing out as much air as possible. 
    (d) Pour the marinade sauce into a bowl and place the eggs inside. Cover with a paper towel so that the towel soak the sauce, hold it over the top of the eggs and marinate the whole egg (as the egg will float). 
6) Refrigerate and marinate for at least 2 hours and not more than 12 hours. 
7) Discard the marinade sauce. Serve cold immediately or store eggs in a seal container in the fridge for not more than 3 days. Other methods of serving includes letting the eggs cool to room temperature or putting them into simmering broth for 30seconds if you need to serve them warm. 

Tips:
1) Use room temperature egg
2) Use 3 to 6 day old eggs. Older eggs are easily to peel.
3) Bare simmer means that there are pin dot size bubbles rising up around the eggs. It should not be on a rolling boil as this will crack the eggs
4) Extreme care is required when peeling the eggs. Instead of tapping the eggs on a hard surface (e.g. table), put a wet towel (to cushion the impact) on the table and try to crack the egg shell on the cloth gently. Ensure, all surface area of the egg shell has small cracks before you attempt to peel it. Any excessive force will break the egg and you will have to eat it immediately. (In the first few attempts, on average I ate one egg for every five eggs I peel.) 
5) Ensure that the membranes are all peeled as they are unpleasant to eat and will cause stained patches on the eggs. This will be obviously (and unsightly) after marination
6) If this is your first attempt, make (use) more eggs than require as you may loss some due to cracking when it is cooking and some during the peeling process
7) The timing of 5mins 45secs is for making five Ajitsuke Tamago. This timing will differ depending on the size of the egg, the number of eggs, the size of the pot, amount of water and the heat control. 

The below pictures show some of the cooking process of my recent attempt:
Step 2: Cooking process
Notice the pin dot size bubbles rising up? This is what is meant by bare simmer. 
Step 3: Shocking (ice water)
For marination choose either Step 5(c) or Step 5(d).
Step 5(c): Marination 
Step 5(d ): Marination (Paper towel has not been added over it)
The outcome should be smooth and beautiful exterior with soft but firm egg white and runny egg yolk in the interior.
These were made using the above method/recipe. If you are wondering which steps I chose, for marination sauce, I used (a). For Step 5, I prefer 5(c) using the ziplock bag.

Hope this post is useful. Have fun making it! 

Wednesday 25 July 2012

Angel Horse Teochew Fish Soup (Albert Centre Market & Food Centre)

Angel Horse Teochew Fish Soup is a stall located in Albert Centre Market & Food Centre near Bugis Junction which specialises in fish soup. If you are a regular at this hawker centre, you will notice that there is always a long queue that stretches from 8 to 10 people long at this stall during lunch / dinner time. 
It is important to invest in a good freezer to keep the fish fresh if you are running a fish soup stall. One can expect to queue 20 to 30 minutes before being able to order.
Fish Soup $5.00 with Rice $0.50
The Fish Soup comes in $3.00 / $4.00 / $5.00. I ordered the $5.00 portion along with a bowl of rice $0.50
Fish Soup $5.00
The Fish Soup was clear and its ingredients include bitter gourd, tomato, seaweed, toufu and slices of fish.
There are 2 main factors in a bowl of fish soup. The first is the broth / soup and the second is the fish meat. The soup was clear, tasty and not salty. I am not sure how they make the soup, but from the taste, alot of effort and time should have been taken. Also, there are very small bits of salted fish and soya bean in the soup. No milk was added to artificially enhance the taste of the soup.  

Several slices of fish was given. Each piece was soft and smooth. The fish was very fresh and one can taste the sweetness of the fish. I am glad that they did not slice the fish very thinly (like what some other stalls do). 

In addition, the salted bean sauce and chilli padi given complemented each other very well. However, I saw no need for them as the fish was so fresh that I preferred just the original flavour. This stall serves a very good bowl of fish soup. One of the best Fish Soup I have had thus far; simple and good. It was certainly worth the waiting time. I will be be back for more! Give this a try when you are around the area.

Angel Horse Teochew Fish Soup  (Albert Centre Market & Food Centre)
270 Queen Street
#01-95 Albert Centre Food Centre
Opening Hours: Tue to Sun 11am - 8pm
                           Closed on Mon
Location


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Tuesday 24 July 2012

Shin Yeh 欣葉 (Liang Court)

Shin Yeh 欣葉, a well known Taiwanese restaurant chain has established itself in Singapore at the 2nd level of Liang Court. It is brought over to Singapore under the Tung Lok Group (might be a franchise agreement, I am not too sure).


The interior of Shin Yeh was spacious and classy. There are many private rooms suitable for (large groups) family gatherings. There is a nice view of the Clarke Quay river towards the very end of the restaurant. If you would like a table with such a view, it would be advisable to make reservations.
Appetiser - Braised Beancurd $3

Kick started the meal with the appetiser; Braised Beancurd
Wok-seared Pig's Liver with Coriander $14
The signature Wok-seared Pig's Liver with Coriander had garnered the most raves on the net. It did not disappoint. No wonder this is a must order dish at Shin Yeh. Very tasty, it was still tender and soft in the interior. It was quick fry under high heat to seal the flavours in and prevent the liver from being overcook. 
Pan-fried Turnip Cake $10
The signature Pan-fried Turnip Cake was very well executed. The crunchy dried turnips (chye poh) were not overly salty while the egg was fluffy and moist. Despite being so thick, it was well cooked. Moreover, it was not oily and certainly not soggy after a period of time. This dish was a test for the chef's skill and I am most impressed by the execution of the dish. A case of minimal seasoning, non-greasy and using the freshness and natural flavour of the ingredient (turnip). However, $10 for this, is quite expensive. In layman terms, it is just egg with turnips (chye poh)..
Poached Savoury Kampong Chicken $16
The Poached Savoury Kampong Chicken was another hit. The skin was crunchy while the meat was very tender, juicy and tasty. There was a layer of jelly underneath the skin (this occurs when the chicken is dunked into iced water after the cooking process to chill it to ensure that the chicken will not be overcooked).  Polished off this dish and still wanted more despite it being just the 2 of us.
Double-boiled Shark's Fin with Bamboo Pith, Dried Scallops and Cabbage $28 (per person)
Double-boiled Shark's Fin with Bamboo Pith, Dried Scallops and Cabbage $28 (per person) 
This bowl of Doubled-boiled Shark's Fin with Bamboo Pith, Dried Scallops and Cabbage was incredibly delish! The bamboo Pith was cooked till soft, retained its shape and texture, and had absorbed essence of the soup. The cabbage added sweetness to the soup. While the scallop enhanced the flavour further. It was a delight drinking this flavourful, tasty soup together with the ingredients including the Shark's Fin. Desipte the fact that not a lot of shark's fin were given, this bowl of soup was unforgettable for all the positive reasons stated above.
Wok-fried Seasonal Vegetables (Broccoli) $12
The Wok-fried Seasonal Vegetables (Broccoli) was decently cooked. Not overcooked, not undercooked. The timing was just right and it was tasty.
Taiwan-style Sweet Potato Porridge $1.50 (per person)
Pipping hot Taiwan-style Sweet Potato Porridge to complement the dishes ordered. For this dish, it is refillable. We had two bowls each. The porridge was cooked till the rice grains were soft and still retained its shape. 
Chinese Tea $12 (per pot)
Pot of Chinese tea that was kept warm by the tea light below. 
Complimentary Muah Chee
Complimentary Muah Chee with grounded peanuts. The peanuts were too finely grated for my liking.

The dishes that we had were impressive and delicious. To me, it was all hits except for the complimentary Muah Chee. The only issue I have is the service. The dishes were served quickly (which was a good thing for us). Initially, the service was prompt, our pot of tea was refilled with hot water constantly. However, towards 730pm when the place was packed (almost full house). We had to request thrice before our pot of tea was refilled with hot water. In addition, to pay the bill, I waited for almost half an hour! Furthermore, The Muah Chee was served after I received the bill slip. It was pretty obvious that there were insufficient staff as several customers were also trying to get the attention of the waitress/waiter.

Another point to note, is that the prices of the food are on the higher tier. But for this quality, I can't complain much as the dishes were delicious and used quality ingredients. Worth the price! It is highly recommended that reservations be made if you are coming over for a meal on weekends or Friday as the restaurant was full during my visit on a Saturday night.

Shin Yeh 欣葉 (Liang Court)
177 River Valley Road 
#02-19 Liang Court
Tel: 6338 7337
Opening Hours: Daily - Lunch 1130am to 230pm, Dinner 630pm to 1030pm
Website
Location

Marble Slab Creamery Singapore: Free Scoope Day (28 Jul 2012)

Source: Marble Slab Creamery Singapore
Marble Slab Creamery Singapore Free Scoope Day (28 Jul 2012)
Good way to cool down in this scorching weather. But only at Bugis+..

- Valid from 12pm to 5pm
- Valid at Marble Slab Creamery at Bugis+
- One scoop per customer
- Not valid with any other offers

Monday 23 July 2012

McDonald's Singapore: $1.50 Sausage McMuffin, $2 Filet-O-Fish(till 29 July 2012)

Source: McDonald's Singapore
McDonald's Singapore: $1.50 Sausage McMuffin, $2 Filet-O-Fish (till 29 July 2012)


- Valid till 29 July 2012 
Sausage McMuffin offer valid during breakfast hoursFilet-O-Fish offer valid all day
- Print or flash coupon to redeem
- One redemption per transaction
- Not valid at institutional stores and iFly Singapore
- Not valid via McDelivery 

- While stocks last

Esplanade Mall Promotion: 1 For 1 Lunch Deals (till 30 Sept 2012)


Source: Esplanade Mall
Esplanade Mall Promotion: 1 For 1 Lunch Deals (till 30 Sept 2012)

Enjoy 1-for-1 lunch deals from Al Dente Trattoria, Barossa, Cafereatt, Chocz, Kopi-O, Loola’s by Awfully Chocolate, Mirchi – Taste of India, Simply Peranakan, Space @ My Humble House and Tomo Izakaya!

For more details click here

Sunday 22 July 2012

Sembawang White Beehoon (Sembawang 白米粉) 2nd Post

Sembawang White Beehoon 白米粉 will need no introduction among foodies in the north. This eatery is very popular and there will be long queues formed during meal times especially during the weekends. The Sembawang White Beehoon 白米粉 is located at You Huak Restaurant along Jalan Tampang, opposite Sembawang Shopping Centre. Its signature dish is as its name suggest is White Beehoon.
We were quite lucky as we arrived at around 715pm on a Thursday night for our dinner. Why lucky? Well, there was no queue and several empty tables. After we sat down for about 15 minutes, the crowd arrived and a queue started forming outside. 
Menu
For close up of the menu, you can refer to my first post
Sambal Chilli
The Sambal Chilli was great! Very spicy, fragrant with belacan flavour. Very addictive and goes well with the White Bee Hoon.
Seafood White Beehoon
Their signature Seafood White Beehoon. Looks plain and boring. But give it a try, you will never know what you are missing! Generous serving of pawns, squid, vegetables, egg and beehoon. The beehoon was simmered till soft and has absorbed the essence of the thick, white gravy (broth). The gravy was lightly flavoured yet tasty. A simple dish, made of simple ingredients but when cooked properly, it is so amazingly delicious! A very heart warming dish which is a must order here. Delicious on its own. But if you want a spicy kick to this dish, add the sambal chilli! Furthermore, looks healthy too! (ignore the squid and prawns, think of the other aspect - not oily!)
Meat and Seafood Roll (Ngoh Hiang)
The Meat and Seafood Roll (Ngoh Hiang) also known as Prawn Roll which was recommended by many online.. was well just average. Taste normal and I am sure you can find this standard of Ngor Hiang at many other eateries. 
Bittergourd Omelette (Wet) 
Another dish which I always order is the Bittergourd Omelette (wet version). The bittergourds were sliced thinly and simmered till soft. The eggs were cooked quickly such that they were still soft. A very simple nice dish that suits me particularly well as I like bittergourd. 
Sambal La La
The Sambal La La sauce was slightly spicy. It was quite well fried, each piece of lala was well coated with the sambal sauce. Nothing special, average dish. 
Baby Kai Lan
Baby Kai Lan fried in oyster sauce with slices of carrot and mushroom. An average dish; tasty and crunchy vegetables.
Lime Juice
Drinks are charged separately as they are different entities.

The dish that is a must order at Sembawang White Beehoon is of course the Seafood White Beehoon. The other dish worth ordering is the Bittergourd Omelette and Stir Fry Fish Head. I can't help but emphasis that the Seafood White Beehoon is similar to a home-cook dish; simple and heart warming. In terms of prices, its not expensive too. Worth coming down for a try as it is hard to find such quality food at such prices now. Now, I find it harder to patronise the eatery. Main reason is because of the ridiculously long queues. 
Sembawang Shuttle Bus Schedule
There is free shuttle bus service to Sembawang Shopping Centre extending into the Sembawang, Yishun and Woodlands residential areas.  The bus frequency is quite fast and operating hours are stated in the flyer above.

Sembawang White Beehoon (Sembawang 白米粉) 2nd Post
You Huak Restaurant
22 Jalan Tampang (opposite Sembawang Shopping Centre)
Tel: 9843 4699
Opening Hours: Daily 11am to 11pm (Closed on Wednesday)
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Location


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