[CLOSED] Restaurant HOME- Usher Into A Bountiful Year of DOG at Restaurant HOME [MEDIA INVITE]

Fragrant Rice with Dried Scallop and Preserved Meat wrapped in Lotus Leaf

Restaurant HOME has finally found a new home in Upper Changi North. To be exact, at 27 Cosford Road. The secluded location is also known as Johore Battery, where it still showcases the last artillery battery in the east of Singapore. The vast natural land area provides a unique background for Restaurant HOME to bring back the good old times like it was in the 19^th century.

Restaurant HOME and Bar

Johore Battery - Still a tourist attraction

Restaurant HOME is proudly owned and run by celebrity Chef Tan Yong Hua, who strive to bring simple home-cooked inspired dishes to his diners. The Previous review of Restaurant HOME can be found here.

Part of the entrance to the restaurant

This time around, we are here to sample the offerings for Chinese New Year Menu. Our tasting is based on Prosperous Menu E, priced at $558+ for 8 person and $688+ for 10 person.

Yu Sheng with Norwegian Salmon (遍地黄金 (三文鱼捞生)). Simple and uncomplicated Yu Sheng with refreshing ingredients. The shaved vegetables and pickled ingredients are crunchy and you get a nice kick from the pickled ginger. All of the ingredients are evenly coated with the combination of oil and sweet and sourness from the plum sauce. Not only you get Abundance of blessing this Yu Sheng will definitely wake up your appetite.

Yu Sheng with Norwegian Salmon

Double-boiled Amidori Abalone with Chicken and Night Blooming Cereus soup (万事胜意（霸王花鲍鱼炖鸡汤)). Clear and robust double boiled soup. The chicken-based broth boiled together dragon fruit flower which has the detox and cooling effect on the body. Together with the abalone, the dragon fruit flower adds sweetness to the broth.

Double-boiled Amidori Abalone with Chicken
 and Night Blooming Cereus soup

Barbecued Duck with Lychee Wood (富甲天下 (炭烧荔枝木烤鸭)). Instead of the popular Peking Duck, Restaurant HOME will serve the Barbecued duck during the CNY period. The duck is juicy and succulent, while you can still enjoy the crisp and crunchy duck skin. I like the duck here as it has a good fats content under the skin which also helps in keeping the moisture in the flesh during roasting. Yummy.

Barbecued Duck with Lychee Wood 

Braised Green Wrasse with Roast Pork, Leek and Flower Mushrooms 年年有余 ((红烧蒜子火腩扒海青衣)). The fish is steam just right. The flesh is firm and smooth, topped with the dark robust looking gravy infused with roast pork and flower mushrooms. Not to worry, instead of overpowering the natural flavour of the fish, the gravy enhanced its natural flavour nicely.

Braised Green Wrasse with Roast Pork, Leek and Flower Mushrooms

Duet of Pork Ribs with Barbecued sauce and Stir-fried Kai Lan with Preserved Meat (心想事成(烧汁排骨 拼 腊肠炒芥兰)). The ribs have a right balance of meat and fats. It is crispy externally, while the meat is just succulent. The barbecued sauces added a nice zip of flavour to the ribs.

Duet of Pork Ribs with Barbecued sauce and Stir-fried Kai Lan with Preserved Meat

Stir-Fried Kai lan with Lap Cheong is another an old school way to add flavour to the vegetables. The vegetables are fresh and crunchy, while most of us just like the tasty, meaty and delicious lap cheong.

Pan-fried King Prawn with Superior Soy Sauce (喜哈大笑(干煎明蝦皇)). The King Prawns are fried first to create crispy skin and seal in all the juice. The salty, rich, buttery and umami sauce is just so delicious, you just want to lick it from the shell. The superior soy sauce really shone here and will definitely go nicely with a bowl of white rice. A “rice thief” dish indeed.

Pan-fried King Prawn with Superior Soy Sauce 

Fragrant Rice with Dried Scallop and Preserved Meat wrapped in Lotus Leaf (五谷丰收(瑶柱腊味荷叶饭)). The finale of the savoury dish. The rice is cooked in lotus leaf with dried scallops and lap cheong. The rice is moist and slightly on the softer side. It absorbs the aroma and flavour from the lap cheong and dried scallops. I will like it better if the rice has more bite to it (al-dente texture).

Fragrant Rice with Dried Scallop
and Preserved Meat wrapped in Lotus Leaf

Black Sesame Glutinous Rice Ball in Longan Red Dates Tea (阖家团圆(龙眼红枣雪耳芝麻汤圆)). This is the finale of the CNY Menu to give the patrons the sweet ending for their dining experience at Restaurant HOME.

Black Sesame Glutinous Rice Ball in Longan Red Dates Tea

Overall, the Chinese New Year dishes in Restaurant HOME are the combination of Cantonese cuisine together with old school home-cooked inspired dishes. My personal pick is the double boiled soup, roast duck, pan-fried king prawns. Definitely, a place to consider for your Chinese New Year Celebration this year.

Restaurant HOME – Chinese New Year 2018

When: 1^st February - 2^nd March 2018

There are 7 different Chinese New Year Menu to choose from.

The full details of the menu is available here: http://www.restauranthome.com.sg/promotions

(Click on the photo of CNY 2018 Menu to go to the next page)

For Reservation: Call 6465 1698

Thank you very much Restaurant HOME for the tasting invitation.

Food & Drinks: 8/10

Value: 7.5/10

Service: N/A (Tasting Invitation)

Ambiance: 7.5/10

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

Restaurant HOME & Bar

27 Cosford Road

Singapore 499549

T: +65 6465 1698

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

F: https://www.facebook.com/27cosfordroad/

IG: @restauranthomesg

OH:

Tue – Sun: 11.30 – 14.30, 17.30 – 23.00

Closed on Mon, except if it is a Public Holiday. 

Ellenborough Market Cafe – Prosperity Dinner [MEDIA INVITE]

Yu Sheng - Design 1

From 5 February to 2 March 2018, Celebrate Chinese New Year with Prosperity Set Menu at Ellenborough Market Cafe, curated by Executive Chef Louis Tay.

Yu Sheng - Design 2

The starter during this period is, of course, Salmon Yu Sheng. Just check out the five photos, just to show how adorable the five Yu Sheng design. Taste wise, all the fresh and pickled ingredients works. The plum sauce is not overly sweet, together with the oil, it bound all the ingredients nicely.

Yu Sheng - Design 3

Yu Sheng - Design 4

Yu Sheng  - Design 5

Double-boiled Fish Maw with Dried Scallops and Cordyceps Flower. A signature Cantonese double-boiled soup. Clear and robust broth, filled with the umami flavour from the fish maw and dried scallops. The dried fish maw is used here, instead of the fried fish maw. You can taste the springy texture and the collagen when you bit into it. Delicious and good for your health and beauty as well.

Double-boiled Fish Maw with Dried Scallops and Cordyceps Flower

Imperial Herbal Chicken. A traditional dish, done to the best. The Spring Chicken is deep fried at first, before it is wrapped and steam. The deep frying locks the flavour of the chicken, while the steaming allows the nutrition from the herbs and flavour to sip into the chicken. Most of Imperial Chicken I ate before always too liberal with the dates turning the dish to be overly sweet. The version here just hits the spot for me.

Imperial Herbal Chicken

Hong Kong Style Fried Garoupa. Similar to the Imperial Chicken, the fish is deep fried first, then steamed. You can expect the combination of the crisp exterior with fresh fish flesh. Instead of the usual soy sauce, the sauce is very complex include crispy roast pork, onion, mushrooms and paprika.

Hong Kong Style Fried Garoupa

Wok-Fried Asparagus with Pearl Scallop in XO Sauce. The scallops are big in size, juicy and sweet bodes well with the crunchy asparagus. The XO sauce gave this OMPH in this dish. I was hoping this dish to be dryer so you can taste more of the XO sauce.

Wok-Fried Asparagus with Pearl Scallop in XO Sauce

Braised Abalone and Sea Cucumber with Australian Broccoli. I personally like the braised sea cucumber here. Not only the braising sauce absorbs nicely, the crunchy texture complements the abalone and broccoli as well.

Braised Abalone and Sea Cucumber with Australian Broccoli

Fried Glutinous Rice Wrapped in Lotus Leaf. A mouthwatering and al-dente rice. It is aromatic and appetizing as well and makes you forgot that you are full.

Fried Glutinous Rice Wrapped in Lotus Leaf

Dessert is Double-boiled Hasma with Red Dates. One of LD's favourite desserts. The portion of Hasma is very generous, Together with longan and red dates to flavour the soup, it definitely gives the Prosperity Dinner a sweet ending.

Double-boiled Hasma with Red Dates

Spring Revelry – Prosperity Set Menu

When: 5 February – 2 March 2018.

Price: Menu A, $788 ++ for table of 10;

Menu B, $988 ++ for table of 10;

For reservation or enquiries:

Call: +65 6239 1847 / 1848

Email: dining.merchantcourt@swissotel.com

Spring Revelry – Prosperity Buffet

When: 5 February – 2 March 2018. , Lunch and Dinner.

Price: Lunch: Adult, $60++ ; Child; $34++

Dinner: Adult, $80++ ; Child; $40++

For reservation or enquiries:

Call: +65 6239 1847 / 1848

Email: dining.merchantcourt@swissotel.com

Thank you very much for Swissotel Merchant Court for the tasting invitation

Food & Drinks: 7.5/10

Value: 7.25/10

Service: N/A (Tasting Event)

Ambiance: 7.75/10

Budget per Person: $51 - $80, $81 and Above

Ellenborough Market Cafe

20 Merchant Road

Level 1, Swissotel Merchant Court

Singapore 058281

T: +65 6239 1847/1848

W:http://bit.ly/SMC413SG

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

IG: @Swissotelmerchantcourt

OH:

Buffet Breakfast: Daily, 06.30 – 10.30

Buffet Lunch: Daily, 12.00 – 14.30

Buffet Dinner: Daily, 18.30 – 22.00

Buffet High Tea: Sat, Sun & PH: 15.30 – 17.30

(Ala Carte Menu is available upon request)

Ah Ho Teochew Noodles – Delicious Traditional Fishball Noodle

Ah Ho Teochew Noodle - Mee Kia

I stumbled upon Ah Ho Teochew Noodle when the Wanton Mee shop (See Da Jie Wanton Mee review here) at the beginning of Sam Loeng Road was not opened on that day. I decided to stop at this coffee shop just to get a quick bite.

Ah Ho Teochew Noodle - The Stall

Since there is a short queue at this stall, I decided to join the queue. While queueing, something caught my eyes. Why would a normal noodle shop allow you to order Fried Tee Po ( Fried Flat Fish) separately, the traditional ingredients for Teochew Noodle soup that is bitter yet give the distinct OMPH taste to the dish.

As most of the customers ordered soup noodles, I decided to order Mee Kia Soup (Large- $4.5 each). Another sign of promising noodle shop is they allowed you add the pork lard yourself, WOW.

Mee Kia Large

First slurp, the soup is robust and the combination of the sweetness from the pork bones and the Oink Oinkness from pork fats. The noodle is cooked to al-dente and each ingredient which include minced pork, sliced pork, fishball, fishcake, fish dumplings mushroom, tee po and pork lard added multiple layers of taste in this dish. Definitely a lot of ingredients for a simple bowl of noodle.

The Noodle

The minced pork and sliced pork are tender and succulent. Fishballs are bouncy and tasty, slightly better than average fishball noodle shops. The fish dumpling is smooth and crunchy. The Tee Po is crispy, crunchy and definitely add to the complex flavour of this dish. Yum Yum.

The Fish Dumpling

The Sliced Pork

Overall, the Teochew Fishball Noodle in Ah Ho is definitely something to savour. I have returned here once more with LD, and she agrees with me, the fishball noodle here is good. So if you are Fishball Noodle lovers, you need to check out this place. Cheers!!

Note: When I was doing my prep work for this review, I notice that Ah Ho has been around since the 1970s. Some said the quality has drop compare to the past. However, I only tried Ah Ho recently and I still find them to be very good. A lot of the elderly order Kway Teow Soup, but I just like my noodle better.

Food & Drink: 8.5/10

Value: 8.5/10

Service: N/A (Self Service)

Ambiance: N/A

Budget per Person: $0- $10

Ah Ho Teochew Noodles (亚河潮州粿条面)

12 Verdun Road

Verdun House, Kim San Lee Coffee Shop

Singapore 207278

T: +65 8127 4249

OH: Thu – Tue: 08.00 – 14.00 

Closed on Wednesday

Golden Peony – Welcoming Auspicious Year of the Dog [MEDIA INVITE]

Trio of Dessert: Crispy Jujube Pastry, Japanese Sweet Potato Puree with Pearls (In the glass)
& Fried 'Nian Gao' with Sweet Potato and Taro.

From 5 February to 2 March 2018, the award-winning Golden Peony will welcome the Year of the Dog and showcases Executive Chef Ku Keung's innovative creations.

Leading the spread for this year Chinese New Year dishes is Fortune 3-D Meringue ‘Yu Sheng’. This gigantic size Yu Sheng is designed based on this year auspicious animal, topped with superb ingredients such as New Bedford Scallop, Salmon Crispy White Bait and Fish Skin.

Fortune 3-D Meringue ‘Yu Sheng’
Image Credit: Conrad Centennial Singapore

I like the Yu Sheng here as you can clearly taste each of the ingredients and the sweetness of the sauce is just right for me. This year, the Bedford scallops with golden foil creates a unique and meaningful touch, it is like receiving a golden coin for the new year.

Fortune 3-D Meringue ‘Yu Sheng’ (for 30 pax)

Yu Sheng

Up next is the Double-boiled Cordyceps Flower Soup. Cordyceps Flower is known for its benefits in helping your body respiratory functions and anti-ageing. Double-boiled in a young coconut with black chicken, it gave the soup natural umami sweetness. Instead of black chicken pieces, it is made into black chicken meatball which is tender and juicy. A New Caledonia Obsiblue prawn is added to give the soup sweet and brainy taste.

Double-boiled Cordyceps Flower Soup

The next dish, showcasing the famous X.O. Chilli Sauce with Lobster. Stir-fried Half Lobster topped with crispy X.O. Chilli Sauce. The X.O Chilli sauce is crispy packs of punch. Paired with the lobster, it helps to enhance the taste of the lobster flesh. It has almost the same taste as Bi Feng Tang style of cooking.

Stir-fried Half Lobster topped with crispy X.O. Chilli Sauce

Fortune Eight Treasure Stewed Duck. I personally think that it is the highlight of this year CNY menu. A traditional Shanghainese dish, the whole duck is de-boned then stewed in braising sauce for a couple of hours. It is then stuffed with “8 Treasures”, wrapped with lotus leaf and dough and baked further. Total cooking time is about 5 hours.

During the tasting, this dish was served table side. It is flambee with Chinese wine to seal all the flavour. The result is a melt in your mouth duck meat, with healthy fillings like black fungus, ginkgo nuts and shiitake mushrooms. Yum Yum.

Fortune Eight Treasure Stewed Duck

Fortune Eight Treasure Stewed Duck (Individual Portion)

Braised Australian Abalone in Japanese Beancurd and Black Moss. The Abalone is served in Japanese Beancurd, making it looks doubled in size. The abalone is well braised and soaks up the delicious braising sauce, which was rich, robust and packs of umami flavour. The natural sweetness of the Japanese beancurd skin and prawns fillings inside gave a contrasting taste compare to the savoury abalone.

Braised Australian Abalone in Japanese Beancurd and Black Moss

Every year, Executive Chef Ku Keung always come out with a new and exciting stuffing for its suckling pig dish. This year Roast Whole Suckling Pig with Shanghainese Sticky Rice, Fritters and Chicken Floss which commonly eaten as breakfast in Shanghai. The sucking pig is thin and crispy, goes well with the unique flavour of the stuffing.

Whole Suckling Pig with Shanghainese Sticky Rice, Fritters and Chicken Floss

Whole Suckling Pig with Shanghainese Sticky Rice, Fritters and Chicken Floss
Individual Serving

The trio of desserts is just delicious and beautifully presented. On the top, Crispy Jujube Pastry, consist of sweet almond tuile with fluffy sweet potato pastry ball. In the glass, Japanese Sweet Potato Puree with Pearls and on the side Fried 'Nian Gao' with Sweet Potato and Taro. What a sweet ending to the meal.

Trio of Dessert: Crispy Jujube Pastry,
Japanese Sweet Potato Puree with Pearls (In the glass)
& Fried 'Nian Gao' with Sweet Potato and Taro.

Overall, it was indeed an impressive line up for Chinese New Year at Golden Peony. Kudos to Executive Chef Ku Keung for coming up with the creative creation again. Do consider Golden Peony for this year Chinese New Year gathering.

Thank you very much to Conrad Centennial Singapore for the tasting invitation.

Usher in the Year of the Dog at Golden Peony

When: 5 February to 2 March 2018

Where: Golden Peony and Festive Takeaway Conrad Centennial Singapore

Reservation: www.connoisseur.sg or call Golden Peony at +65 6432 7482 / 88

For Festive Takeaway: Email: sinci.festive@conradhotels.com / call +65 6432 7489

The CNY Menu and Brochure are available at www.connoisseur.sg

Food & Drink: 8.75/10

Value: 7/10

Service: N/A (Tasting Invitation)

Ambiance: 9/10

Budget per Person: $51 - $80; $81 and Above

Golden Peony

2 Temasek Boulevard

3F, Conrad Centennial Singapore

Singapore 038982

T: +65 6432 7482/88

W: http://bit.ly/cbk-GoldenPeony

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

OH:

Mon – Sat: 11.30 – 14.30; 18.30 – 22.30

Sun: 10.30 – 14.30; 18.30 – 22.30

[CLOSED] Jalan Petaling – Famous Malaysian Street Food in Singapore

KL Seafood Hokkien Mee

Jalan Petaling Famous Malaysian Street Food (“JP”) in Serangoon Garden is another culinary showcase by Long Jiang Culinary. JP is inspired by the famous Petaling Street, popular for its food heaven and shopping in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Jalan Petaling Famous Malaysian Street Food

A must try here, of course, their KL Seafood Hokkien Mee ($8.80). A signature dish of Jalan Petaling in Kuala Lumpur. The version here definitely comparable to the famous joint in KL. The unique thick yellow noodle absorbs the sweet, thick dark soya sauce gravy. You can taste the “Wok Hei” plus a generous portion of crispy and fragrant pork lard gave a nice burst flavour between bites. The seafood is fresh, complement the noodle nicely.

KL Seafood Hokkien Mee

KL Seafood Hokkien Mee

Claypot Stir-Fried Silver Noodle (Mee Tai Mak- $6.80). One of the most common dish found in “Chee Cheong Kai”, a popular nickname of Jalan Petaling given by the local. The Mee Tai Mak, cook in the similar dark gravy and served with a raw egg. The raw egg added the smooth silkiness in this dish. I find this dish a little too sweet and the Mee Tai Mak feels slightly mushy to my liking. I like it when the silver noodle is harder as it got more bits to it.

Claypot Stir-Fried Silver Noodle (Mee Tai Mak)

Seafood Lor Mee ($8.80). A dish that I was particularly fond of during my frequent visits to a Malaysian restaurant in Clayton, Victoria. I loved this dish because of the thick, silky robust broth that is filled with egg. In JP, the noodle used is the same as the KL Hokkien Mee. The broth is tasty but a bit more diluted and missing the OMPH. I know it is not fair to compare, however, I prefer a thick gooey Lor Mee style gravy and more punch in it.

Seafood Lor Mee

Seafood Lor Mee

Steamed Rice Roll with Yong Tofu and Curry Gravy ($6.80). The rice roll served in different ways, but the one with curry and yong tofu seems to be the more appetizing. Nothing much to say about the rice roll as it is factory made, while the curry is spicy and aromatic. Not a lot of coconut milk is used in the curry, as it has a lighter texture.

Steamed Rice Roll with Yong Tofu and Curry Gravy

The yong tofu are homemade with a good bounce and it is delicious. JP used minced pork and salted fish fillings, instead of the regular fish fillings. The Yong Tofu also served per piece at $1 each. You can choose from Stuffed beancurd, Stuffed Eggplant, Stuffed Bitter Gourd, Stuffed Chilli, Stuffed Beancurd Skin.

Yong Tofu

Rice Roll with Sweet Sauce

During our multiple visits, we found that Hakka Soy Sauce Chicken (SGD $16 Half, $30 Whole) is highly recommended. The braising sauce is robust and aromatic, while the chicken is braised just nice. The skin of the chicken is silky, smooth and springy. The meat is just succulent even for the breast part. At the cuts closer to the bone you can see some trace of blood. This is common and it shows that the chicken is cooked just right. The braising sauce is also a perfect companion for the white rice. Yum Yum.

Hakka Soy Sauce Chicken - Half

The Bak Kut Teh ($8) here is definitely the JB style. Herbal with a slight hint of pepper. The pork ribs are on the thinner side or less fat, resulting some of them tasted dry.

Bak Kut Teh

Located on the second floor of myVillage, the restaurant is filled with lots of natural light and nice outdoor scenery. The décor simple, following the current trend of industrial vibe. Service is a combination of self-service with the sauce and chillies, plates and cutleries while there are always service staff to take and serve your orders.

Part of Dining Area

Overall, Jalan Petaling is definitely a place worth a visit. LD and I have returned here several times and the food is easily likeable. Their signature KL Hokkien Mee and Hakka Soy Sauce Chicken are definitely on top of my recommendation. Cheers!!

Food & Drinks: 7.75/10

Value: 7.5/10

Service: 7.25/10

Ambiance: 7.7510

Budget per Person: $11 - $25, $26 - $50

Jalan Petaling

Famous Malaysian Food Street 茨廠街美食

1 Maju Avenue

#02-01/02, myVillage

Singapore 556679

T: +65 6634 2288

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

IG: @JalanPetaling

OH: Daily 10.30 – 22.30