Diamond Kitchen – Crab Party [MEDIA INVITE]

Black Pepper Crab @ Dimond Kitchen

Calling Crab Lovers, Diamond Kitchen is having their crab promotions. 3 Sri Lankan Crab per Set, they can cook in more than 20 different styles and priced between $49.90 to $55.90. This crab promotions is available until 31 January 2021. 

Crab promo Menu

We tried 3 different cooking style of crabs starting with Mongolian Crab. My first time trying this style of crab. The crabs are fresh and juicy cooked in Mongolian style sauce, which has a touch creaminess, peppery and a hint of curry powder. It is unique and I don’t mind ordering this again. 

Mongolian Crab

Mongolian Crab

Salted Egg Yolk Crab (Dry). The crabs are coated with salted egg yolk batter and deep-fried till the batter is crispy. Though the salted egg coating is nice, the crabs spend a bit too much time in the frying oil, resulting in slight dryness in the meat. For Sri Lankan crabs, I would prefer the Salted Egg Yolk Wet version. 

Salted Egg Yolk Crab (Dry)

For Salted Egg Yolk Crab dry version, Diamond Kitchen (“DK”) can consider using soft-shell crabs instead of Sri Lankan crabs. The soft-shell crab won’t take long to cook and the combination of sweet juicy flesh with crispy salted egg yolk coating will be amazing. This dish will also attract those customers that do not like to get their fingers. I am just salivating thinking about this. 

Salted Egg Yolk Crab (Dry)

Black Pepper Crab. The most memorable crab dish for the night. The crabs are sweet and fresh, blend nicely with the black pepper sauce packs with a solid peppery flavour. One word to describe it, Yummy! 

Black Pepper Crab

Champagne Pork Ribs ($24 for Medium). A signature dish of DK. The boneless pork ribs are crisp and juicy, evenly coated with caramelised champagne sauce. The sauce is sweet and refreshing at the same time. 

Champagne Pork Ribs

Champagne Pork Ribs

La la Bee Hoon ($24 for Medium). Smooth and silky bee hoon cooked with clam infused broth. The soup is naturally sweet and absorbs into the bee hoon. DK version of la la bee hoon is very generous with the pepper, delivering a nice warm flavour in each slurp of the broth. A very comforting dish, especially during this rainy season. 

La La Bee Hoon

La La Bee Hoon

Three Egg Spinach ($21 for Medium). One of my favourite spinach dishes. The broth is robust, while three eggs covered most of the surface of this dish. The wolfberry added a nice touch of sweetness in this savoury dish. 

Three Egg Spinach

Three Egg Spinach

Pumpkin Beancurd ($21for Medium). A very tasty tofu dish. The tofu is smooth, silky and delicate. The pumpkin sauce is robust, creamy and infused with seafood flavour. A surprising burst of flavour in this ordinary-looking dish. 

Pumpkin Beancurd

Pumpkin Beancurd

Beef Hor fun ($10 for small). A traditional beef hor fun style, plated in rustic style. The gravy is very solid and the portion is very generous. However, the hor fun lacks the wok hei x-factor, plus some part of the noodle is lumpy and not silky. 

Beef Hor Fun

Pumpkin & Gingko Yam Paste ($16 for small). A tasty thick yam paste. The pumpkin slices and gingko provided a contrasting flavour to the yam paste. Meanwhile the coconut cream slightly diluted, I was hoping that it is thicker and creamier. 

Pumpkin and Gingko Yam Paste

Pumpkin and Gingko Yam Paste

Due to the safe distancing measure, the restaurant setting becomes very spacious. The place is brightly lit and the use of white table cloth and golden colour chairs allow to create a modern Chinese restaurant setup. Located in Laguna Park Condominium make the restaurant isolated, however, through its delicious dishes, it has attracted a long list of loyal customers. 

Overall, the current Sri Lankan crab promotions are value for money. Most of their dishes are well executed and delivery solid flavours. Don’t expect a creative fusion cuisine, instead look forward to comforting Chinese cuisine. Cheers!! 

Thank you very much, Kristine and Diamond Kitchen Team for hosting us. 

Food & Drinks: 8/10 

Value: 8/10 

Service: N/A (Tasting Invitation) 

Ambiance: 7.25/10 

Budget per Person: $26 - $50; $51 - $80 

Diamond Kitchen 

5000F Marine Parade Road 

#01-22/23 Laguna Park Condominium 

Singapore 449289 

T: +65 6448 0629 

W: https://www.diamondkitchen.com.sg/

F: https://www.facebook.com/DiamondKitchenSeafood

IG: @Diamondkitchensg 

OH: Daily 11.00 – 14.30, 17.30 – 22.30 

Menu and other promotion, available here. 

Other Location 

Buona Vista Branch 

87 Science Park Drive 

#01-01 Oasis 

Singapore 118260 

T: +65 6464 0410 

OH: Daily 11.00 – 14.30, 17.30 – 22.30

Tasty Court – Delicious Nanyang Cuisine

Crispy “Dong Tok” Roasted Chicken 

It was an accidental visit instead of a planned visit to celebrate Little Devil’s Birthday with the family. At first, we wanted to visit another restaurant that serves Peking Duck. Alas, due to a booking system error, we were almost stranded without a dinner place. Luckily, we manage to find Tasty Court nearby.

Tasty Court by Chef Pung - Entrance

Executive Chef Pung Lu Tin is a respected chef in Singapore’s Chinese cuisine dining scene. He has more than 39 years of experience as a Chinese cuisine Chef and holds many respectable positions in local and international Chinese Cuisine associations.

Chef Pung

While waiting for the rest of the family members to arrive, we decided to order Double Boiled Soup for the Day, Cordyceps Boiled with Pork Soup ($10). The soup consists of pork soft bones, cordyceps flower and yu zhu (Solomon’s seal) and cooked for 6 hours. The result is consommé like robust pork soup, naturally sweet and delicious.

Cordyceps Boiled with Pork Soup

Cordyceps Boiled with Pork Soup - The Ingredients

“Hua Diao” Drunken Chicken Thigh Roll ($12). A modern plating of drunken chicken. The chicken is firm and succulent; however, it can do with more generous dose of Hua Diao wine. The ginger and spring onion paste added aroma and refreshing taste to the chicken roulade.

“Hua Diao” Drunken Chicken Thigh Roll

Crispy Baby Squids with Orange Lime Sauce ($12). The baby squids are deep fried till crispy, then tossed with orange lime sauce. It is sweet, crispy and crunchy. Other than appetizer, it is also good to snack to accompany beer and wine.

Crispy Baby Squids with Orange Lime Sauce 

Crispy Fried Prawn Dumplings ($12). More like prawn balls instead of dumplings. The exterior is crispy, while the interior is juicy and succulent. The generous fillings are made from fresh prawns and pork. LD and I love the super tangy pickled vegetables on the side. It just cuts through any “jelakness” of fried dishes.

Crispy Fried Prawn Dumplings

Crispy Fried Prawn Dumplings

Crispy “Dong Tok” Roasted Chicken ($24). One of the signature dishes at Tasty Court. The skin is paper thin, the flesh of the chicken is tender and succulent. The overall chicken itself is very tasty and you can eat it without the salt and pepper dip. Yummy!!

Crispy “Dong Tok” Roasted Chicken

Roasted Duck with Fresh Fruits and Mango Sauce ($25 for half / $50 for whole). We ordered half duck as we got a lot more dishes coming. Instead of simple roast duck, it is served with fresh fruits and mango sauce made this dish more “atas”. The combination of crispy skin, fatty duck and juicy meat is just delicious.

Roasted Duck with Fresh Fruits and Mango Sauce 

Baked Flower Clam with Three Mix Wine ($16). I find this dish plain compare to the rest of the dish. The clam meat is springy and juicy; however, it is lacking flavours to enhance the flavours of the clams.

Baked Flower Clam with Three Mix Wine 

Salted Egg Yolk Prawns ($24). Big, juicy and crispy prawns. Each of the prawns is evenly coated with salted egg sauce. Watch out for the finely chopped chilli padi, as the burst of spiciness just enhance the salted egg flavour in this dish.  One of the best salted egg prawns I ever tried.

Salted Egg Yolk Prawns

Seafood with Poached Rice ($86). Before you go gaga about the price, this dish is worth it. The seafood broth is robust and infused with the freshness of sliced fish, prawns, clams and female crab. According to Kim, the Service Manager (Maybe one of the Boss as well), the crab they use is the same grade for cold crab. No wonder the crab is plump and fresh. The portion of the broth is so generous, they even offer us more rice if needed. Wow, Yum Yum!!

 

Seafood with Poached Rice

Seafood with Poached Rice - The crab

Seafood with Poached Rice - The Rice

For vegetable, we ordered sambal kangkong ($12). However, they cooked it with garlic instead. We decided to just keep and eat the dish. It is well executed as the kangkong is fresh and crunchy.

Kangkong with Garlic

Desserts are Yam Paste ($5), Chilled Herbal Jelly ($5), and Hasma with Red Dates ($10). Don’t expect a dessert house standard as the yam paste and herbal jelly are likely to be factory made. The hasma surprisingly is good. The portion of the hasma is very generous, and the sweetness is just right making it a refreshing dessert.   

Hasma with Red Dates

Hasma with Red Dates

The setting of the restaurant is simple and functional. The white colour wall creates a sense of modern and clean feel to the restaurant. We visited them on Monday night, Tasty Court is crowded, filling around 5 to 6 tables. Although only Kim and another colleague handling the front of the house, they remain friendly, informative and not pushy. Kudos to them.

Part of the Dining Area

Overall, LD and I enjoyed our meal there. The ingredients are fresh, the dishes are innovative and excellent. We’ll definitely come back to try the rest of their dishes. Cheers!!

Food & Drinks: 8.5/10

Value: 8.25/10

Service: 7.5/10

Ambiance: 7.25/10

Budget per Person: $26 - $50

Tasty Court By Chef Pung

1 Figaro Street

Singapore 458322

T: +65 6538 3533

W: http://www.tastycourt.com.sg/

F: https://www.facebook.com/Tasty-Court-by-Chef-Pung-718798384975248/

OH:

Mon – Fri: 11.30 – 14.30; 18.00 – 22.30

Sat & Sun: 11.30 – 14.30; 17.30 – 22.30

Ginger – Heritage Flavours Buffets [MEDIA INVITE]

Roasted Wagyu Beef with Rendang Sauce

From this month onwards, Ginger will showcase Asian-inspired dishes to the buffet line for weekday and weekend buffet, curated by Executive Chef Vincent Aw.

Executive Chef Vincent Aw
Image Credit: PARKROYAL on Beach Road, Singapore

For Weekday lunch, you can look forward to sumptuous local dishes such as Chicken Rice, Kueh Pie Tee, Assorted Satays, Braised Kurobuta Pork Belly with Flower Bun, Curry Chicken Noodles, Penang-style Prawn Noodles and Salted Egg Prawns.

Weekday Lunch Buffet
Image Credit: PARKROYAL on Beach Road, Singapore

For Weekday dinner, highlights include Baby Lobster Laksa, Babi Ponteng, Braised Pork Trotter Mee Sua Soup, Claypot Pork Ribs Herbal Soup with Chicken Crullers, Deep-fried Soft-shell Crab with Chicken Floss, Wok-fried Prawn Noodles, and Salted Egg Crab / Singapore Chilli Crab.

Weekday Dinner Buffet
Image Credit: PARKROYAL on Beach Road, Singapore

During the tasting session, I tried their Hainanese Chicken Rice. The rice is plump, fragrant and filled with chicken stock, while the chicken is succulent with a good springiness in the skin. They also served the beansprout with the chicken rice, which tasted like Ipoh beansprout dish, earthy and crunchy.

Hainanese Chicken Rice (rice not in the picture)

The mutton and chicken satays are not to be missed, it is well marinated, slightly charred externally and juicy internally.

Mutton Satays

The BBQ river prawns will make unscheduled appearances during weekday dinner or weekend dinner. It is grilled slightly undercooked, so you can still enjoy the delicious brain juice from the prawns, though the flavour is stronger compared to those you eat in Thailand. It is served with Thai style chilli or BBQ style chilli.

BBQ River Prawn

BBQ River Prawn - Plain, Chilli and Thai Sauce

The salted egg crab that I had definitely entice the “finger licking good” episode during lunch. The Indonesian mud crab is fresh and meaty. The external part is evenly coated with salted egg, and frankly, some of the flavours did trickle down into the flesh in the crab body.

Salted Egg Crab

For something comforting, Ginger’s porridge will definitely hit the sweet spot. With traditional condiments such as peanuts, olive, pickled turnip, dace fish, chicken floss, fermented beancurd and braised beancurd skin, it just feels like home.

Porridge and Condiments

Traditional desserts such as red bean soup, Peranakan desserts, cakes and ice creams surely give you a sweet ending to the meal.

Desserts

Heritage Flavours Weekday Buffet

Lunch: Mon – Fri, S$35++ (per Adult), S$17.50++ (per Child)

Dinner: Mon – Thu, S$58++ (per Adult), S$29++ (per Child)

* Food items on the buffet line are served on a periodic and rotational basis, to provide an all-new dining experience upon every visit.

Weekend buffet at Ginger will impress you further with its luxurious selections during the weekend buffet. Indulge in premium dishes such as Soft-shell Crab with Wasabi Mayo, Claypot Rock Lobster with Fish Maw Soup, Grilled Half-shell Scallop with Oriental Butter Emulsion, White Pepper Crab, Salted Egg Yolk Crab, Wagyu Beef Cheek Rendang.

Baked Salmon with Salmon Skin

In the carving stations, you can look forward to Whole Baked Nyonya Salmon and Whole Roast Wagyu Beef.

Whole Roast Wagyu Beef
Image Credit: PARKROYAL on Beach Road, Singapore

The rock lobster has always been a permanent luxury staple at Ginger. This time around, it will be cooked with fish maw soup. Although during the tasting, I did not feel the OMPH in the broth, I am pretty sure it will be better during the dinner, like the previous few times that I dine there.

Claypot Rock Lobster with Fish Maw Soup

The rendang style roasted wagyu beef is one of the styles in cooking beef in Ginger. Cooked to medium rare, it proves to be the right texture for the beef. The sauce works well with the beef, although it can do with a bit of twang so you won’t get overwhelmed with the richness of the sauce.

 

Roasted Wagyu Beef with Rendang Sauce

Premium Madness Weekend Buffet

Lunch: Sat - Sun, S$58++ (per Adult), S$29++ (per Child)

Dinner: Fri – Sun, S$68++ (per Adult), S$34++ (per Child)

* Food items on the buffet line are served on a periodic and rotational basis, to provide an all-new dining experience upon every visit.

Thank you very much for to the team at PARKROYAL on Beach Road for the tasting invitation. Cheers!!

Food & Drinks: 7.25/10

Value: 7.25/10

Service: N/A (Tasting Event)

Ambiance: 7.5/10

Budget per Person:$26 - $50, $51 - $80

Ginger

7500 Beach Road

PARKROYAL on Beach Road, Singapore

Ground Floor

Singapore 199591

T: +65 6505 5710

W: Ginger at PARKROYAL on Beach Road, Singapore

F: https://www.facebook.com/PARKROYAL.BeachRoad

IG: @Parkroyalbeachroad

OH:

Breakfast: 06.00 – 10.30

Lunch: 12.00 – 14.30

Dinner: 18.00 – 22.00