TheFoodPan3 – Delicious Pies [MEDIA DROP]

My first taste of a meat pie was during high school in Melbourne, Australia. That beef minced meat and gravy fillings in between the shortcrust pastry and puff pastry on top was an eye-opener and it just hits my sweet spot. Meat pie is sold everywhere in Australia, they just put it in the brown bag, and you can eat it on the go. So, it was very easy to meet my cravings.

In Singapore, beef meat pie is not easy to find previously, however, it is getting more common nowadays. The most common meat pie you encounter here is chicken pie. The fillings consist of pieces of chicken, carrot, peas, cream and lots of pepper. For the crust, they usually use one type of pasty, which is filo pastry. Since filo pastry is soft and fluffy, it usually sits on aluminium foil tin pie pans and you can’t eat it with your hands.

Meat Pies from TheFoodPan3 - The Box

Recently, I received Pies Media Drop from TheFoodPan3. There were 2 Chicken Pies ($6.50 each) and 2 Red Wine Chunky Beef Pie ($8.50 each). Since I just returned from Australia, it was just perfect timing to try it. The pies were freshly baked in the morning and I received the delivery in the afternoon.

Meat Pies from TheFoodPan3

My first impression of the pies, WOW, they are huge. One of the pies will be enough to fill me for a meal.

The red wine chunky beef pies are the ones with dry chopped herbs on top. When I cut through the pies, the fillings did not flow out easily. It shows that they packed the fillings to the brim. The chunky beef cuts are lean, yet it is tender and well cooked. The gravy cooked with carrot and red wine, penetrated well into the inner part of the meat and at the same time extract the beef essence into the delicious gravy.

Red Wine Chunky Beef Pies

Red Wine Chunky Beef Pies - The Fillings

The pastry is crisp and fully on the top. However, the bottom part is soft as the gravy soaks into the pastry. However, it is one of the nicest meat pies that I ever tried in Singapore.

Red Wine Chunky Beef Pies - Top View

Chicken Pies - Top View

The chicken pie uses the same pastry as the beef pie. The fillings consist of chicken, potatoes, carrots, peas, cooked in cream and one-half of a hard-boiled egg added during the pie-making process. The cream binds all the ingredients together, yet it was not heavy and allows the natural flavour of the ingredient to stands out. When I cut through the pies, the fillings did not flow out, instead, it just sits on each half nicely. Definitely, one of the better chicken pies I ever tried in Singapore.

Chicken Pies

Chicken Pies - The Fillings

LaLa with Chicken Pies

Storage conditions: If you order the pies fresh, you can keep them refrigerated for 3 days. Or you can order the pies frozen, then you can keep them longer. Reheat instructions will be provided on the box as well.

Storage & Reheating Instructions

CBK Verdict: The Red Wine Chucky Beef Pies and The Chicken Pies from TheFoodPan3 are delicious and they are one of the nicest pies that I ever tried in Singapore. The size is big and one pie can easily fill my tummy for one meal. A Must Try!! Cheers!!

Meat Pies + Coke Zero = Awesome

TheFoodPan3

Home Base Business
Made to order Pies & Specialities
F: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100084932408558
IG: @TheFoodPan3
E: thefoodpan3@gmail.com
WA: +65 9796 5460

Thank you very much, Kris and TheFoodPan3 for arranging the delivery.

Eat First – Great Zi Char Dishes

For our last makan session, M recommended this place. She said she has been wanting to try this place for a while. Of course, the foodie in me did a quick check on the place and found a detailed review of this restaurant by Singapore’s most popular Doctor blogger. In short, the chef is a second-generation chef, together with his brother they are trained by their father. Not sure why the father decided to split his cooking Kungfu and taught steaming skill to one son, and the wok skill to the other. Long story short, each of the brothers went their separate ways and honed their skills and open up different restaurants.

For first time diners at Eat First (“EF”) like us, please note that EF does not take reservations. It is based on a first come first sever basis and you are only allocated your table when all the diners in your group have arrived. The reason is the restaurant is small, so they need to turn over the tables and stop the inconsiderate customers from hogging the tables. They are very polite about this and once you tell them the total pax, they will take note, check on you from time to time and even ask you to place your order first, so you don’t have to wait long after seating.

Drinks Menu

While the place is small, its menu is even smaller with only 14 dishes. With the small menu, EF can focus on the execution, quality of each dish and the speed in churning out each dish.

Food Menu

Our first dish to arrive is Fried Kailan with Beef (Medium, $28). A perfectly executed dish. The Wok Hei just hits you once the dish arrived on the table. The beef is tender and juicy with that enjoyable chewiness to accompany the crispy and crunchy kai lan. It might look oily, but the flavour just hits the spot. Probably the best one that I ever tried. Yummy.

Fried Kai Lan with Beef

Fried Kai Lan with Beef

Black Chicken Soup ($28). The black chicken is cooked with Chinese herbs that include Yu Zu / Solomon’s Seal and wolfberries. The broth is sweet, light with a bit of herbal taste. Surprising, the chicken is tender, making it easy and nice to eat.

Black Chicken Soup

Steamed Fish Head ($28), the signature dish of EF. The fish is smooth, velvety and you can taste the gelatinous texture between the skin and the flesh. The black bean sauce is tasty and enhances the flavour of the fish, together with the pork lard adds the OMPH to this simple dish. Yum Yum. Do take note that some parts of the Song fish can contain a lot of bones.

Steamed Fish Head

Steamed Mince Pork w Salted Fish ($15). Don’t let the pale appearance fool you. The minced pork is fatty and flavourful. That mini slice of salted fish is enough to enhance the taste of the steamed mince pork and add the umami to this dish. Two thumbs up.

Steamed Mince Pork w Salted Fish

Fried Ginger Chicken (Medium, $26). The chicken is deep fried till crispy, then coated with dark soy sauce and pickled ginger that adds a nice sweetness and tanginess to the dish. We like this dish; however, the portion of this dish seems smaller compared to the rest.

Fried Ginger Chicken

Sweet and Sour Pork (Medium, $26). The pork pieces are super crispy, to the point that it was almost over-fried. Unlike the reddish sweet-sour version in other ci zhar, the version here looks coated with black vinegar or Worchester sauce. The sweetness level is very minimum, but I like the punchy tanginess in the dish.

Sweet & Sour Pork

Bean Curd with Prawns (Medium, $28). An old-school type of dish. The tofu comes with a smoky aroma in it, topped with solid egg gravy. LD says kway teow or hor fun will be good with the egg gravy as well.

Bean Curd with Prawns

Fried Kangkong with Sambal Belachan ($12). LD and I did not try the dish as we were recovering from Covid and the tongue is too sensitive toward spicy food.

Fried Kangkong with Sambal Belachan 

White rice is charged at $1 per bowl.

The restaurant is air-conditioned, while the décor of the place is very simple and functional. Service is friendly, with a touch of old-school flair. Almost feel like you are dining at your relative’s house. Once your table is overflowing with food, the service staff will change the older dishes to a smaller plate without fail.

Overall, we enjoy the classic Cantonese dishes. Most of the dishes are good, however, the Steamed Fish Head and Steamed Minced Pork with Salted Fish stands out above the rest. Totally enjoyed the dinner here and looking forward to our next visit. Cheers!!

Food & Drink: 8.25/10

Value: 8/10

Service: 7.5/10

Ambiance: 6.25/10

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

Eat First 食之為鮮

287 Geylang Road

Singapore 389334

T: +65 6443 8434 (No Reservation, for Take away only)

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

OH:

Wed – Sun: 11.45 – 14.30; 17.45 – 21.30

Closed Mon & Tue.

Background Story Credit: IeatIshootIpost.sg

Friends Café HK – Classic Cha Chaan Teng Comfort Food

It was our second try to visit Friends Café HK (‘FC’) at Sembawang, and it was more of an unplanned visit as we are waiting to pass time. Our 1st try was thwarted after we saw the queue to get into FC. This time around, it seems the hype has settled and we manage to get a seat easily.

Friends Café HK

From the outside, you will be welcome by the Friends Café signboard in Cantonese, brighten up by the light box with jade green colour as the background. I can’t read Chinese or Cantonese, so I need to rely on LD to confirm the place. Well, for those who do not read Chinese or Cantonese like me, the menu has English as well.

The Menu

Once you enter the shop, you will feel the familiar feel of the place. The décor, starting with mosaic tiles flooring and on the wall, together with the green chairs and steel and wooden table will totally transport you back to the Cha Chaan Teng in Hong Kong. Those who have never been to Hong Kong, think of those scenes from Young and Dangerous movies, God of Gamblers or any HK shows in the 80s or 90s. Well, the Cantopop music from the 80s and 90s definitely set the ambience of the shop.

Part of the Interior

I start my meal with Beef Balls Brisket Horfun ($7.50). I don’t think I ever tried horfun in HK, most of the time I only order the egg noodle or the instant noodle. The broth is robust and packed with MOO MOO flavour, as you can see from the layer of oil on top. The beef balls are smooth and bouncy, while the brisket is fatty, soft and fork tender. Surprisingly, the horfun is smooth and silky, plus it soaks up the essence of the broth. Totally amazed by this dish and it is a must-order here.

Beef Balls Brisket Horfun

Beef Brisket

Beef Ball

The Horfun

LD starts with the Black Pepper Chicken Chop Set ($8.50). The set is served with our choice of 1 side and toast with butter. For the side, LD choose a fried egg. In traditional HK style, the chicken chop is served on top of a big pile of rice. The black pepper sauce, infused with Worchester sauce generously drizzle on top of the chicken chop and occupied half of the plate. The chicken is well-marinated, thick, yet juicy and succulent. The egg is perfectly cooked, with the yolk oozing out in the middle. Meanwhile, the black pepper sauce just binds all the ingredients together. Yummy!

Black Pepper Chicken Chop

Black Pepper Chicken Chop

We decided to share another set dish, Satay Sliced Beef Instant Noodle Set ($8.50). I choose bacon as the side dish plus it is served with toast and butter. For those who never try satay beef HK style, there is no peanut in it. It tasted more like bbq sauce or the beef sauce you find in Hai Di Lau. The beef is tender and soaks up the flavour of the bbq sauce. The instant noodle is al-dente while the light flavour broth allows the flavour of the satay sauce to shine. I feel the bacon is too salty, it just feels alien on the dish. I should have ordered luncheon meat instead.

Satay Sliced Beef Instant Noodle 

Satay Sliced Beef Instant Noodle 

The toast is slathered with lots of butter; however, I was not sure how to enjoy it as we already have lots of carbos. The solution present itself when the Curry Fish Ball ($4.50) arrived. From the look, I can tell you the fish balls are different from HK version but the curry taste is the same. The HK fishball is about the size of a quail egg and dense, while the SG fishball is bouncy, airy and bigger. I prefer the SG fishballs. While LD and I finished the fishballs, I decided to polish the curry using the toast.

Curry Fish Ball

Toast with Butter

Toast with Curry Sauce

For the drink, I have the cold Homemade Milk Tea ($3.50) and LD ordered Cream Soda ($2). FC made their cold milk tea in big batches, bottled it and put them in the fridge. They are smooth, silky and packed with signature HK tea flavour.

HK Milk Tea

Cream Soda

Since we are waiting for time to pick someone, we decided to order desserts. Fish Meat Siew Mai ($3.50) and French Toast (Peanut Butter, $4.50). Although the size looks small, the fish meat siew mai is tasty and bouncy. The texture totally reminds me of the HK version of fish ball, but it is steam instead of deep fried.

Fish Meat Siew Mai

Of all the dishes that we tried that day, the French Toast (Peanut Butter, $4.50) was disappointing. The temperature of the oil is not hot enough, allowing the oil to sip into the middle section of the bread. The exterior is not crispy and the peanut butter was ruined by the oil in the bread. Hopefully, they can improve on the French Toast.

French Toast

Peanut Butter Fillings

Service on the day was friendly and attentive. Luckily, you will not get the Signature HK stern and bo chap (‘I don’t care’) service here.

Overall, it was one of the best HK café experiences that we have had in Singapore. LD gave the Chicken Chop Rice two thumbs up, while I enjoy the Beef Ball Brisket Horfun and Satay Beef Instant Noodle. The HK Milk tea is good and the creamy soda drink is just a nostalgic HK drink. Hopefully, we have more chances to visit them in the future and enjoy the classic HK comfort dishes. Cheers!!

PS: I saw FC posted their homemade Bolo Bao with Butter on Facebook. Looking forward to trying this in the future.

Food & Drink: 8/10

Value: 8/10

Service: 7/10

Ambiance: 8.5/10

Budget per Person: $11 - $25

Friends Café HK

60 Springside Walk

#01-18, The Brooks 1

Singapore 786020

T: +65 8621 1125

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

IG: @_friendscafehk_sg

OH:

Daily 11.30 – 20.30

[CLOSED] Nonbei Izakaya – A Gem in The Making [Media Invite]

Meet Nonbei Izakaya, a new concept by the group that runs the successful George Town Tze Char & Craft Beer. Inspired by Tokyo’s Nonbei Yokocho (drunkards alley lined with izakaya and bars). Nonbei Izakaya specialises in fresh sashimi, tantalising Japanese bites, sake and Japanese beer.

Nonbei Izakaya

The Entrance

Part of the Interior

The Sushi Bar

Located in heritage Chinatown shophouses, across Maxwell Market, Nonbei Izakaya offers indoor and outdoor dining areas. The indoor offers a cooling and air-conditioned environment, however, I think the outdoor is the best seat in the house, especially during the cooler weather. From here you can enjoy the buzz and also historical feel of Chinatown, plus the view of the Buddha Tooth Relic Temple.

Al-fresco Seating Area

Al-fresco Seating Area

We started the tasting with Ohitashi (Vegetables marinated with dashi, $6) and Tamago Yaki (Japanese omelette, $10). The vegetables are sweet and cooked with the signature dashi. It finished off with generous shavings of Shaved Katsuobushi. The tamago yaki has a nice texture, solid and tasty with a hint of dashi at the end.

Ohitashi

Tamago Yaki

Sashimi (7 kinds, $58). Hon Toro (Fatty Tuna, top up $18). Served on iced, these beautifully plated sashimi is fresh and generous in size. Totally loved the hon toro, however, the scallop is surprisingly good as well.

Sashimi, 7 kinds

Buri Kama Shio Yaki ($18). Our favourite grilled yellowtail collar. Lightly salted, with crispy skin followed by the fatty and melt-in-your-mouth flesh from the collar. A lemon just enhances the flavour of the fish. Yes, the price is very reasonable for that size of the yellowtail collar.

Buta Kama Shio Yaki

Buta Kama Shio Yaki

Buta Kakuni (Braised pork with soy, $10). Can’t say NO to this delicious pork belly. The pork belly is boiled in a blend of soy sauce, ginger, spring onion, mirin and dashi. The fats just dissipate slowly once you put it in your mouth. The best part is the broth is not as salty as other izakayas.

Buta Kakuni

Kushi yaki (skewers) include: Tebasaki (Japanese Chicken Wing, $2.50), Yakitori (Chicken Skewers, $2.50), Tori Kawa (Chicken Skin Skewers, $2.50), Asparagus Bacon ($3), Mukago (Japanese Yam, $1.50), Ko Tamanegi (Charred Onion, $1.50)

Bottom to Top: Mukago, Asparagus Bacon, Ko Tamanegi,
Tebasaki, Tori Kawa & Yakitori

One of the skewers that catch my attention is the Mukago, Japanese yam. It looks like a mini potato, but it has more depth in flavour and is crunchy compared to a potato. The Tori Kawa is my favourite. The chicken skin is well done to the point of crispy, yet it has a lovely chewiness in it as well.

Left to Right: Mukago, Asparagus Bacon, Ko Tamanegi,
Tebasaki, Tori Kawa & Yakitori

Ebi Tempura ($15) and Kani Croquette (Crab cream croquette, $10) are next. The ebi tempura has a nice crispy exterior, followed by juicy and fresh prawn flesh. Eating the kani croquette can be dangerous since the cream fillings can be extremely hot. I usually poke a hole to test out the cream temperature before I bite through it. The crispy exterior provided a perfect capsule for the creamy and umami pack crab cream. Yummy.

Ebi Tempura

Kani Croqutte

Sukiyaki Beef ($12) is a common dish you can find in an izakaya. The fatty beef sliced is pan-fried with onions and braised with dashi to give it the umami finish. The beef here is tender and juicy. Good side dish for drinking or to eat with rice.

Sukiyaki Beef

Asari butter yaki (Asari clam pan-fried with butter, $10). Fresh clams, seared in the pan briefly with mirin and butter. Soft, chewy and filled with butter and mirin.

Asari Butter Yaki

Chashu Ramen ($12). Ramen is a common dish in an izakaya to end the meal and ensure you have a filled tummy to cushion the alcohol. The portion is half of the ramen house version. The soup base is thick, creamy and robust. While the ramen is bouncy, the chashu portion is generous. The overall flavour is better than average, however not to a ramen shop standard.

Chashu Ramen

Chashu Ramen

Live Oysters (6 pieces, $3 promo price). Fresh, juicy, delicious and a steal for this price. The fresh oysters are served with soy sauce, spring onion and shaved radish. A must-order here.

Live Oysters

Live Oyster

We were served 4 sakes by Charles, the owner. Knowing his knack for serving the highly rated wine and alcohol at Georgetown at a reasonable price, his sake offerings will certainly be at that level as well. The group was served the following sakes: Sake Kiminoi Honjozo Josen ($10 for 120ml), Sake Manotsuru Junmai Ginzo ($48 for 300ml), Sake Sazen Junmai Daiginjo Omachi ($128 for 720ml) and Sake Keigetsu Junmai Daiginjo Sparkling ‘John’ ($128 for 720ml)

Sake Kiminoi Honjozo Josen

Sake Manotsuru Junmai Ginzo

Sake Sazen Junmai Daiginjo Omachi

Sake Keigetsu Junmai Daiginjo Sparkling ‘John’

Overall, this sister restaurant from Georgetown has the potential to be a winner. The food and sake are well priced and taste very good as well. Don’t forget to visit them if you are near the Chinatown area and enjoy their hospitality. Kanpai! Cheers!

The Sake Menu

Don’t forget to check the current promotions.

Choose 1: $3 for 6 Live Oysters OR $3 for 5 pieces of the freshest sashimi air-flown from Japan (choice of either king salmon, bluefin tuna or amberjack)

The Food Menu

Thank you very much Jennifer Yeo Consultancy and Nonbei Izakaya Team for hosting us.

Food & Drink: 7.25/10

Value: 7.5/10

Service: N/A (Tasting Invitation)

Ambiance: 7.5/10

Budget per Person: $51 - $80

Nonbei Izakaya

282 South Bridge Road

Singapore 058831

T/WA: +65 8112 8028

W: https://nonbei-izakaya.business.site/

F: https://www.facebook.com/Nonbeiizakaya282

IG: @Nonbeiizakaya

OH: Daily 11.30 – 14.30; 17.00 – Midnight