Dapur Penyet – Authentic Indonesian Comfort Food

Bebek Penyet @ Daput Penyet

We found Dapur Penyet when we were looking for a place to sit while waiting for my turn to collect my items from a collection point in Centrepoint. The set-up of the shop is almost like any fast-food chain, however, instead of the usual Western fare, you get Indonesian food.

Our first time there, we tried Siomay ($7.50) and Batagor ($7.50). Siomay is steam Indonesian fish dumplings served with steamed cabbage, beancurd, hard-boiled egg and peanut sauce dipping. It is one of LD’s favourite Indonesian dishes and the version here got her approval. The fish dumplings are bouncy, tasty, while the peanut sauce is aromatic and packs with flavour.

Siomay

Meanwhile, the Batagor is the fried version of the fish dumplings. The ingredients are the same with siomay, except the fish dumplings are deep-fried.

Bebek Penyet ($10.50). Smashed Fried Duck. The fried duck has a crispy exterior, followed by fork-tender and succulent flesh. The flesh also infused with spices derive from long hours boiling in spices filled broth, while the deep frying just intensifies the flavour. The crispy crumbs on top also add different texture to the dish. The bebek penyet is usually served with sambal terasi (Indonesian shrimp paste sambal), but I ask for no chilli. I feel that I like the duck version better than the ayam penyet, as it has more flesh and is more succulent.

Bebek Penyet

Ayam Ijo ($7.50). Smashed Fried Chicken with Padang Green Chilli Sauce. LD got the breast part of the chicken instead of the thigh part. Although the exterior is crispy, the breast meat is dry. The Padang Green Chilli is very spicy and LD describes it as SHIOK!!. (Next time I need to remember to write down Chicken Thigh).

Ayam Ijo

Ikan Joget ($12.50). Fried Sundanese Dancing Fish. A uniquely Indonesian dish. The flesh of the tilapia fish is sliced in such a way, making the fish stand up after it is deep-fried. It has a crisp exterior with juicy flesh. While it is delicious, this dish can be better if it is crispier, so you can enjoy the crispy fins and tail like keropok.

Ikan Joget

Ikan Joget

The fried chicken and fish are served with fried crispy tofu and boiled cabbage. The staple does not come with your protein order. So, remember to order it separately. Nasi Putih ($1) - White rice.

Nasi Putih

The décor of the place is a typical fast-food setup. It is simple and functional. The service staff is friendly; however, you need to place your order at the counter, collect your drink and wait for the beeper to page you to collect your food. Everything is self-service, except for cleaning your table afterwards.

Water, Lime Juice & Lime Juice with Sour Plum

Overall, Dapur Penyet serves Indonesian style of comfort food. It is delicious and it will satisfy your Indonesian food cravings. Cheers!

Menu 1

Menu 2

Food & Drinks: 7.25/10

Value: 7.75/10

Service: N/A (Fast food concept)

Ambiance: 6.5/10

Budget per Person: $0 - $10; $11 - $25

Dapur Penyet

176 Orchard Road

#01-59/62, The Centrepoint

Singapore 238843

T: +65 6734 2840

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

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

IG: @Dapurpenyetsingapore

OH: Daily 10.00 – 21.00 (LO 20.30)

Other Location

810 Geylang Road

#01-43, City Plaza

Singapore 409286

T: +65 6842 5034

Pi Food – The Good, OK ONLY and Die Die Must Improve

Steamed Kwei Fei Chicken - One Serving 

It all started when a photo of Steamed Kwei Fei Chicken （贵妃鸡）pop up on LD’s IG, making it an open invitation to visit Pi Food. I first tried it in Hong Kong and it become a must order dish when I am there. So, when a new place opens up in Singapore serving Kwei Fei Chicken, I must give it a try. This led to our 1st visit to Pi Food in August.

Pi Food

The Good

The Steamed Kwei Fei Chicken is served in three sizes; one serving, half and whole ($13.80 / $18.80 / $35). Our first impression was WOW, the version here is one of the closest versions compare to those that we ate in Hong Kong.

Steamed Kwei Fei Chicken - One Serving 

The chicken has a bouncy skin, marinated with turmeric and ginger powder, followed by succulent flesh. The thigh meat is juicy and even the breast meat is very tender. You will also notice the layer of chicken fats jelly in between the cuts. Yummy!

The Jelly Fats

The ginger and scallion dipping sauce is very powerful here. It complements the chicken nicely, or you can mix it with white rice or noodle. For us, the chicken is cooked to perfection. Meaning, you can see a bit of blood near or in the bones.

Steamed Kwei Fei Chicken - Half Chicken (return visit)  

The positive impression on the first visit led to a return visit in September. This time around, we notice the quality drop in this dish. It was served colder than the last time and it is missing the layer of the jelly fats on the chicken. What happen? Something wrong with the SOP? Hopefully, the team take notice of this and improve on its consistency.

Cold and No Fats (return visit)

Scallop and Egg White Fried Rice ($13.80). The fried rice impresses us with the generosity of the ingredients and the perfectly executed wok skills. The rice is al-dente, light, fragrant and tasty. You can taste the egg white, shredded conpoy and scallops in each bite.

Scallop and Egg White Fried Rice

Steam Rice Pork Ribs with Black Bean ($10.80). This huge bowl of steam rice can easily satisfy 2 pax. The pork ribs are tender and succulent, while the black bean sauce comes with a bit of spicy kick. Steamed together, they infused the aroma and flavours into the rice.

Steam Rice Pork Ribs with Black Bean 

The Rice

The OK Only

HK Fresh Shrimp Wanton Noodle ($10.80). It has a similar look and feels to the one served in Crystal Jade Kitchen and Imperial Treasure Kitchen. The broth is made from prawn stock, light in flavour. While the egg noodle is thin and slim, but it is on the softer side instead of springy. Luckily the solid and crunchy shrimp wantons carry this dish crossing the acceptable line.

HK Fresh Shrimp Wanton Noodle

The Egg Noodle

Kailan in Oyster Sauce ($4.80). It is thick and crunchy. Not much can go wrong with this dish, except this time around it is excessively bitter plus missing the OMPH from the oyster sauce.

Kailan in Oyster Sauce

Milk Tea. I tried both the hot and the cold versions of the milk tea. For the hot version, the portion of the tea and milk is almost right, although I feel the tea can be stronger. Since they also use the same measurement for the cold milk tea, it does not take into account the water content from the ice, resulting in weak and watery iced milk tea. Better to order the hot version on the safe side. I won’t be happy paying $3 / $3.50 for watery iced milk tea.

Milk Tea - Cold

Milk Tea - Hot

The Bad (Die Die Must Improve)

Any 3 Combination Platter ($25.80), we choose Char Siew, Crispy Pork Belly & Roast Duck. It is one of the worst meat platters we ever had. The roast pork is so gamy / porky, we left half of it untouched. We know that restaurants sometimes reheat the meat with microwave, however, this time the heat on the roast pork is inconsistent. Some part hot, some part cold.

Any 3 Combination Platter ($25.80)
Char Siew, Crispy Pork Belly & Roast Duck

The roast duck and Iberico char siew (supposed to be signature) barely passed. The char siew is lacked of flavour and characters; it is just disappointing. I think they need to get a better-quality supplier for their roast meat. Seriously, I tried a better “Ready to Eat” char siew, than the one served here.

PI French Toast ($5.80). Their attempt to create an up-market version of the French Toast, feels like a secondary school kids home economic final project. The bread is sliced too thin and the heat control is just amateurish. Instead of a crispy exterior, the toast soaks up the frying oil like a sponge. Tasted like eating a peanut butter sandwich that passed its expiry date. Yucks!! They need to get back to basic on this, use a “THICK TOAST”, be generous with the eggs and use a thermometer and timer to ensure the correct temperature and cooking time.

PI French Toast

PI French Toast - Soggy 

The service staff at Pi Food is hospitable. Do take note that this is not a full-service restaurant. You need to place your order at the counter and make payment first. Unlike most Cha Chan Teng in Singapore paying tribute to nostalgic Hong Kong in the 80s and 90s, PI Food décor is modern, simplistic and fun. I like the full-length windows, allowing abundance of natural lights to brighten the restaurant. Also, a plus point for the train making its rounds at the ceiling of the restaurant.

Menu 1

Menu 2

Overall, we find the gap between the best and the worst food here is just too wide. A lot of work needs to be done to improve their overall food standard and consistency. Luckily, Pi Food is still in the infancy stage, hopefully, they can learn and improve. Just observe and learn from the more popular Hong Kong brands that are doing well and expanding in Singapore recently. Cheers!!

Food & Drinks: 6/10

Value: 6/10

Service: 6.5/10

Ambiance: 7.25/10

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

Pi Food

9 Penang Road

#01-18

Singapore 238459

T:+65 9239 0686

W: https://pi-food.business.site/ (in Chinese Only)

F: https://www.facebook.com/pifood.sg

IG: @Pifood.sg

OH: Daily 11.00 – 22.00

Where To Look When Shopping For Your Iphone 12 In Singapore

It has been ten months now after the launch of the iPhone 12 and the first sale in Singapore, and this series of iPhones still reigns. Not sure whether it is the anticipation, the quality, or the technical sophistication of this new series, but its reception in Singapore and worldwide is nothing we have ever seen before.

Unlike other iPhone series, the iPhone 12 release was unique. In its advancement, Apple launched the iPhone 12 series in four models or at once. iPhone 12 mini, iPhone 12, iPhone 12 Pro, and iPhone 12 pro max each exceeded the other in storage, size, and price. Here are the qualities that make the iPhone 12 series superior over other series and phones of its age

• 5 G network connectivity
  
  

• Stereo speakers
  
  

• Dual main and selfie cameras of 12 MP each
  
  

• IOS 14.1 up-gradable to 14.7
  
  

• 5.4 to 6.7 inches size depending on the model with at least 86% screen to body ratio
  
  

• Li-Ion 2815 mAh non-removable battery

Where to buy your iPhone 12 in Singapore

With such praise and qualities, it is understandable why you would like to own an iPhone 12. Well, when it comes to making such a tremendous value in the purchase, it is essential to consider a few things. First of all, it is necessary to understand your financial plan. Then, most importantly, know where to buy iPhone 12.

A brand new iPhone 12 ranges between $1,149 to $2,299, depending on the category. Matter less, you don't have to have or the amount in hand to buy the iPhone 12 of your choice in some stores. Some iPhone stores have some impressive purchasing plans, some as low as $0 initial installment. Besides that, some stores have great discounts and goodies too.

Knowing where to buy your iPhone 12, therefore, is an essential consideration before making that move. Take your time to research, look around in the e-market and compare. Different stores have different prices too, which is a thing to look for to spare some change.

Singapore is a huge market for luxury and western high-end products like iPhones and designer products. Even then, knowing where to make your purchase for the iPhone 12 can be daunting. To narrow down your effort of places to look when shopping for your iPhone 12, a small list of the best stores might help. Here are the most trusted stores with great deals.

• M1 Singapore iPhone
  
  

• Singtel iPhone
  
  

• Starhub iPhone
  
  

• Circles. life

These stores are not only known to have the best deals for iPhone 12, but they also have the best iPhone bundle deals. While there are more stores to shop from, it is confusing when you have lots of choices for the same thing. Even then, these stores are not your ordinary stores because of their experience, customer relation, and great deals.

Now that you know where to look, and with even a list made easy for you, it is time to make your purchase.

This post is brought to you by Beth West

Aburiya – Japanese Wagyu Yakiniku

Wagyu Akami Foie Gras 

Aburiya is a Japanese Yakiniku restaurant that prides itself in sourcing the best Wagyu all around Japan for the pleasure of your palate. In Singapore, they are located at Boat Quay and Robertson Quay. This time around we visited their Boat Quay outlet.

Aburiya @ Boat Quay

Aburiya at Boat Quay occupied 2 shophouses. One unit is for indoor yakiniku and the other is set up like a bar / izakaya-style with al-fresco seating.

While waiting for the charcoal grill to heat up and the meat to be sliced, we munched on Namuru Mori ($10) & Kimchi Mori ($10). Since it is Japanese yakiniku instead of not a Korean bbq, you need to pay for side dishes. Namuru Mori is a mixture of non-spicy Japanese side dishes include Beansprout, seasoned burdock, seasoned spinach and seaweed. While the Kimchi Mori consists of Chinese cabbage kimchi, radish kimchi, okra kimchi and cucumber kimchi.

Namuru Mori

Kimchi Mori

One of our makan kaki ordered Large Asahi Dry Beer, which comes with a mini side dish of pickled wagyu trimmings. It is fatty, juicy, soaked in tangy juice. It helps to open up your appetite.

Sidedish for Beer

Wagyu Akami Foie Gras ($18). For this wagyu and foie gras combination, we were not told how to cook it. However, after a bit of trial and error, I suggest you do the following. Grill the wagyu directly on the fire and the foie gras cooked on the aluminium tin. Once the beef is charred, cooked to rare take it out and let them rest. Once the foie gras is almost cooked, tossed the beef back into the tin, to absorb the butter and fats from the foie gras. Once the foie gras are cooked, take them out and eat the beef together with the foie gras. Although the combo is delicious, I find the foie gras here has a very strong gamy flavour.

Wagyu Akami Foie Gras 

Wagyu Akami Foie Gras - Cooked

Wagyu Roast Beef Yukke ($16) or known as Wagyu tartare. The raw beef is coated with fresh egg yolk and spring onion. Aburiya uses a leaner cut for the yukke, delivering a slightly chewy texture. I would prefer if they use a fattier cut, for that melt in your mouth sensation.

Wagyu Roast Beef Yukke

Tokusen Kazoku Mori ($88). This platter consists of 3 premium wagyu, outside skirt, wagyu finger ribs, pork belly, chicken, pork sausage, corn, mushroom and onions. We take this as a tasting platter. We grilled the outside skirt and wagyu finger ribs first, as they are the lean cuts plus vegetables on the sides Followed by chicken, sausage and pork belly. The idea is to start with average meat and finish off with the fattiest / best cuts.

Tokusen Kazoku Mori

The chicken is juicy and succulent, while the sausage is firm and full of flavours. The pork belly is sliced too thin, it does not leave a lasting impression. The outside skirt and ribs have less marbling and come with a bit of muscle. Therefore, it is chewy and meaty, preparing us for the best cuts to come.

For the 3-premium wagyu, you start cooking from the less marbled cuts to the most marbled cuts. You can’t go wrong with the premium wagyu. They are juicy, buttery, delicate and slowly dissolve in your mouth with each bite. Yummy!.

Beef Tongue

We followed it with 2 servings of Tokusen Wagyu Sirloin ($34 for 1st plate, $17 for 2nd plate) on promotion. Sirloin is probably is most balance cut for the wagyu. You don’t want your wagyu overly fat, because it will be too overwhelming for the palate. The proportion of the marbling and meat in the sirloin is just perfect, delivering a juicy buttery texture of wagyu beef. #beefgasm.

Tokusen Wagyu Sirloin

For the finale, we tried three different seasonings for the beef tongue. Tongue ($20), Negi Shio Tongue (Marinated with Japanese Leek Sauce, $22) and Atsugiri Tongue (Premium Cut of the beef tongue, $24).

Negi Shio Tongue

The regular tongue has a thick cut, delivering a crisp, bouncy and meaty texture of the tongue The leek negi shio has a thinner slice, yet the distinct sweetness from the leek marination enhanced the flavour of the tongue. Meanwhile, Atsugiri taste like a premium wagyu cut, it simply melts in your mouth. It is indeed an exquisite experience.

Atsugiri Tongue

Atsugiri Tongue

The décor in Aburiya is distinctively Japanese with light colour cedar wood dominate the seats, dining table and even the booth area. Service is friendly and efficient.

Part of the Dining Area

Overall, Aburiya delivers a wonderful yakiniku experience. The price is very reasonable and the wagyu cuts are excellent. We’ll return to try the rest of their menu. Kanpai!! Cheers!!

Food & Drinks: 7.5/10

Value: 7.25/10

Service: 7/10

Ambiance: 7.5/10

Budget per Person: $51 - $80; $81 and above.

Aburiya

78 & 79 Boat Quay

Singapore 049866

T: +65 6532 0365 / 8499 6064

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

F: https://www.facebook.com/aburiya.singapore

IG:@Aburiyasg

OH: Daily 18.00 – 23.00

The Robertson Quay Outlet

60 Robertson Quay

#01-03 The Quayside

Singapore 238252

T: +65 6735 4862 / 9129 7242

OH:

Mon – Sat: 18.00 – 23.30 (LO 22.30)

Sun: 18.00 – 22.30 (LO 22.00)

Li Ji Chuan Chuan Xiang – Jalan Besar [MEDIA INVITE]

Chong Qing Style Skewer Hotpot @ Li Ji Chuan Chuan Xiang

Li Ji Chuan Chuan Xiang (“LJCCX”), a renowned Chinese hotpot restaurant serving Chong Qing style skewer hotpot. The LJCCX brand in China already has over 500 outlets in China and its 1st Singapore outlet opened its doors in 2017.

Li Ji Chuan Chuan Xiang @ Jalan Besar

LJCCX Singapore has just launched its second outlet in Jalan Besar. In this outlet, LJCCX will also serve signature private dining dishes by the distinguished Chef Ng Sen Tio. Chef Ng has more than 30 years of Chinese culinary experience, including his last stint at Yàn, National Gallery.

1st Floor, dining area

We started the tasting session with Chef Ng signature Lobster Noodle (龙虾伊面, $120 for 1kg). The lobster is fresh and perfectly cooked. The flesh is bouncy and packed with flavour. The best part is the ee-fu noodles, smooth, silky and infused with the essence of the lobster and seafood broth. Yumz! A great start to the meal.

Lobster Noodle

Lobster Noodle

While we were enjoying the lobster noodles, our hotpot broth slowly simmers and reach the boiling point. We have 4 flavour soup base ($18); Mala 麻辣锅底 (清油), Green Pepper Chilli Mala (李记独特青一色锅底, plus $2), Chicken Broth (三鲜鸡汤锅底) and Tomato Broth(番茄锅底).

The Hotpot Broth (Clockwise from top left):
Tomato, Green Pepper Chilli Mala,  Mala, Chicken

The soup bases have been fine-tuned to suit the Singaporeans’ lighter palate; if needed, they can also be adjusted to suit your taste. For example, the version of the mala here is less salty and less “mala” compared to those in China. However, they can bring up the “Power” like those in China upon request. On top of the normal mala, the popular Green Pepper Chilli add a unique touch of sourness that will open up your appetite. Like Mala X Tom Yum. Frankly, LD and I are not a fan of mala, so we are glad the flavour is less spicy.

Cooking the Skewers

In most of the hotpot restaurants that we have been to, we notice that the broth is usually very flavourful at the start, then it will become diluted after a few top-ups. The surprising part about the chicken and tomato soup base at LJCCX is that the flavour becomes more intense and robust after a few top-ups. We really enjoy the flavours at the end. Plus, we notice we did not get any MSG attack after the meal. This is a plus point here.

Pork With Corriander Skewer

Into the pot are the skewers (50 cents each). This kind of reminds me of lok lok, the stick hot pot that is famous in Melaka. We have Beef with Coriander Skewer (香菜牛肉), Pork with Coriander Skewer (香菜猪肉), Special Recipe Beef (秘制鸡肉) and Special Recipe Chicken. The beef and pork on the skewers are tender, spicy with a strong hint of cumin. To my surprise, the Special Recipe Chicken are juicy and succulent, although it uses breast meat.

Special Recipe Chicken Skewers

Special Recipe Chicken Skewer

Not limited to meat, vegetables also come in skewers, such as winter melon, broccoli, lotus root, potato, pumpkin and mushrooms.

Vegetable Skewers

For the plate ingredients, we tried Signature Beef Slices ($8), Chinese Yam ($6), Pork Belly ($8), Fresh Prawn Paste / ball ($10), Sweet Potato Noodle ($5), Fatty Beef Slices ($8), Ring Roll ($4), Pork Collar ($8) and Tang Oh ($5). Don’t expect the super high-end ingredients, considering the price, but the quality of the ingredients that they used are very good.

Part of their Wine / Spirit Menu

We ended the meal with 3 Treasure Dessert Plate (三宝金典甜品, $8) from Chef Ng. It is a red bean and banana paste wrapped in pastry, accompanied with watermelon and refreshing ice jelly topped with diced hawthorn flakes. It is a nicely plated Chinese dessert that showcases the skill of Chef Ng and also hoses down the heat from the hot pot. LD is not a fan of red bean but she is pleasantly surprised that the banana in the pastry actually covered the taste of red bean so well.

3 Treasure Dessert Plate 

The Banana Red Bean Pastry

The décor is spacious, bright and Oriental setting. There are two-level seating areas and private rooms located on the 2nd floor.

2nd floor dining area

Overall, Li Ji Chuan Chuan Xiang at Jalan Besar showcased the perfect reunion between private dining and hot pot. The culinary experience of Chef Ng plays a big part in serving up exquisites private dining menu and we also find the LJCCX hot pot has a diverse range of offerings for mala and non-mala lovers as well. Looks like LD and I will return to try out their other dishes. Cheers!!

Note: Li Ji Chuan Chuan Xiang also offer a delivery service for the steamboat. We find the price is very reasonable and the offerings are extensive. Check out their menu and order online from www.lijichuanchuan.sg

Thank you very much Jennifer Yeo Consultancy and Li Ji Chuan Chuan Xiang Team for hosting us.

Food & Drink: 8/10

Value: 8/10

Service: N/A (Media Invite)

Ambiance: 7.75/10

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

Li Ji Chuan Chuan Xiang 李记串串香

206 Jalan Besar

Singapore 208892

T: +65 6291 2289

W: https://lijichuanchuan.sg/

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

IG: @lijichuanchuanxiang

OH: Daily 12.00 – Midnight

Full Menu for Dine-In and Delivery are available online

Flagship Restaurant

295 South Bridge Road

Singapore 058838

T: +65 6221 9629

OH: Daily 12.00 – Midnight