Tuesday, December 30, 2014

Susan Chan Food at Far East Plaza

Susan Chan Food is actually a shop within Far East Plaza specialising in Cze Char dishes and one of their most talked about dish has to be their signature Salted Egg Pork Ribs. I was there on a Sunday for a late lunch, it was quite packed then with just only a small table available right at the corner. I was there for the first time and did not quite know how to go about in ordering. I waited at the table then walked towards the counter but was told to wait at the table when checked with their service staff. 

I took notice that quite a few tables ordered their Salted Egg Pork Ribs, i guess it must be of a certain standard. The dish is available at $12 for a small plate or $18 for a bigger plate, they also serve it as a set that consists of a small portion of Salted Egg Pork Ribs with rice for $6.


It tasted decent with a well-balanced salted-egg flavor and a slight hint of curry leaves with no level of spiciness detected though bits of chilli buddy were used to add flavor. 





Portion was decent though but not too filling. A convenience choice, particularly amongst the better choices at this buzzing part of Orchard Road that did not leave you with plenty of options. 


SUSAN CHAN FOOD
14 Scotts Road #05-100/101 Singapore 228213
Operating Hours: 10.30 am to 8.30 pm

Monday, December 29, 2014

Happy Birthday, Grandma!

We celebrated our Grandma's birthday early on 27 December 2014, it was her 86th Birthday. It was a quiet affair at home as we postponed our initial plan to celebrate at Gim Tim Restaurant. My wish for her is to stay healthy and happiness always. 


Saturday, December 27, 2014

IKEA Tampines : Buffet on Christmas Eve

I went down a week or so before the event to purchase a ticket, the ticket is priced at $25 for member and a $10 voucher was given along. They announced a few days later on their facebook that all tickets have been fully sold out. A table number has been allocated upon purchase to monitor the number of person attending the Buffet. There were a total of 3 sessions on that day to choose. First session was for lunch from 11.30 pm to 2.00 pm, the second session was from 5.30 pm to 7.30 pm and the third session was from 8.00 pm to 9.30 pm. 

We gotten there slightly after 5 pm, the queue was already formed right at the entry and we joined in. They allowed entrance at about 5.10 pm, we presented our tickets to exchange for a banner to be worn on our wrist while dining there. This is definitely a good way to allow their diners to leave for a toilet break and come back. That service staff that supposed to lead us to our table ended up took us for a merry-go-around as she couldn't locate the 17A. The table was the end of a long table right at the corner. We were told to start the buffet right after. 


The buffet spread consists of Turkey, Ham, Bacon wrapped Sausage, Baked Salmon with Potato & Onion as well and not forgetting their signature meatballs. The appetisers were pretty extensive, it consists of chilled prawns, potato salad, spicy salmon salad and more. The dessert selection were cream puffs, log cakes, fruits cocktail and different types of fruits.








The queue started to get really long when more diners joined in, the waiting time was really long as per diner usually went for multiple plates of food as they did not want to wasting time to be in the queue again. Part of the reason that contributed to it was the buffet line is to be closed 30 minutes before the ending time at 7.30 pm. 

Another disturbing scene was most of these diners ended up with too much unfinished food and contributed to food wastage. I guess this is something for them to work on if there is next such event. They could also work on the replenishment rate a bit, certain items like the popular log cakes did not replenish fast enough as they only supplied 2 rolls each time. It was snapped up almost immediately every time when it served.

It was somewhat an enjoyable Christmas Eve nevertheless.

IKEA TAMPINES
60 Tampines North Drive 2 SINGAPORE 528764

Wednesday, December 24, 2014

Big Bern's American Grill : Christmas Menu

If you wonder, Big Bern's American Grill is started by Bernie Utchenik, 62, the former boss of Botak Jones after he opted out of the partnership. 

We were there for a late lunch, it was not as crowded as expected, we went through the menu quickly and placed our orders right at the counter. We decided to go with the Louisana Turkey Plate ($16.50) that is part of their Christmas menu. I was asked to select an extra side to go with it. The other order was half of Cajun Chicken ($5.90) that came with 2 sides of our choice. 

The Louisana Turkey Plate consists of their special Louisiana Peanut Oil Fried Turkey, Bread Dressing, Double Baked Cheese Potato and Cranberry Sauce. The presentation was a typical American style, a little messy but homely. I added Coleslaw as an additional side. The texture of turkey was alright, not too fantastic and not much taste as expected of a typical turkey dish. It is all in a good fun though and to soak up a bit of the festive mood.




I particularly enjoyed the Double Baked Cheese Potato, i could taste quite a few pieces of chunky potatoes in it with slices of onions then baked well with cheese. I would think the taste was just right, not overwhelmed and with a good amount of cheese to give it a comforting feel. It is quite an unique side dish amongst the usual selections. 




The Cajun Chicken is always one of their signature dishes since those days when i used to patronise Botak Jones. It still tasted good if it's not better. I did not quite like their Pasta Salad though, the texture was a bit too soggy and taste, not too distinctive. I have eaten a much better one and i could make a much better one, too. 





Overall experience was quite a pleasant one. I would like to go back for their steak. I heard their standard is pretty good, supposedly much better than those that i have eaten at Botak Jones. 


BIG BERN'S AMERICAN GRILL
978 Toa Payoh North #02-01 SINGAPORE 319001
Operating Hours: 11.30 am to 9.00 pm (Tuesday to Sunday)

Monday, December 22, 2014

Immanuel French Kitchen : Christmas Menu

If you are still in the midst of deciding where to eat during this Chrismtas season then you might want to give Immanuel French Kitchen a thought. They are serving a simple yet affordable Christmas menu that includes Roasted Pumpkin Soup ($4.90) and Sous Vide Turkey Breast ($16.90) which i happened to try and enjoyed it totally. 

The Roasted Pumpkin Soup is a must-order, it was amongst one of the better that i ever tasted. It has always been my comfort food and this one, is just exactly how i would liked it. It was done perfectly to give it a just right texture, nicely thick and rich but not overly creamy then served with bits of rice crackers to give it the nice bite. 


The Sous Vide Turkey Breast tasted just fine, pleasantly nice but it did not manage to amaze me. The texture was moist and tender though the taste was rather light and a little plain but it was a nice traditional dish to have during the Christmas. It was served along with a delightful pile of mashed potato in a pool of caramelized onion gravy.




IMMANUEL FRENCH KITCHEN
Block 119 Bukit Merah Lane 1 #01-40 SINGAPORE 151119

Thursday, December 18, 2014

NASI LEMAK KUKUS.COM : Relocating to Selegie Road by end Dec 2014

They have already closed down their shop along Upper Thomson Road and will be relocated to 229 Selegie Road Singapore 188344 at the end of December 2014. Check out my article on MAKANSUTRA to read about them. 


Wednesday, December 17, 2014

Tuesday, December 16, 2014

Bak Kee Teochew Satay Bee Hoon

I have heard about this Satay Bee Hoon, some even claimed that this is one of the better ones if it is not the best Satay Bee Hoon. It was closed during my first visit and i came back this time purposely and hoping to taste it. I was there for an early dinner, there were just another 2 customers right in front of me, the waiting time was a short one. The Satay Bee Hoon is available at $3 per portion. I heard their Cuttle Fish Kang Kong is another popular dish at $3, $4 and the largest portion at $4. I decided to go with just the Satay Bee Hoon and that leaves me something to look forward to come back the next time.


It has clearly stated on their signboard that they serve the Teochew style Satay Bee Hoon, though i could not quite differentiate the clear difference but this is one of the few that included pork's liver as part of their ingredients. 


The bee hoon and ingredients were cooked just right to give it the perfect texture and i particularly liked the pork's liver. The fresh tasting ingredients used were slices of lean meat, pork's liver and tau pok together with cuttle fish and cockles with a few leafy greens added. 


The peanut sauce has got a noticeable nutty fragrance with bits of chunky peanuts to give it a rather rich and thick texture. It tasted particularly good when mixed it well with the bee hoon. 


This is a must-try stall if you happen to be here, it is worth waiting even if you have to queue for it. 


BAK KEE TEOCHEW SATAY BEE HOON
85 Redhill Lane Redhill Food Centre SINGAPORE 150085
Operating Hours: 11:30 pm to 7:30 pm (Closed on Wednesday)

Saturday, December 13, 2014

EIGHTEEN CHEFS at AMK Hub

This was my first visit on a rainy Saturday for a late lunch. I expected queue though as there is always a consistent queue since their opening but there were only another couple right in front. The likely reason could be the rainy weather or perhaps it was just my lucky day. We were ushered to a table for 2 rather quickly. The space in between tables was rather crampy and it left with little privacy to talk about. I guess most eateries would try to minimise whatever space they could to cater to a larger crowd.


An order chit was presented together with the menu but no specific instruction has given on the process to place an order. An observation was made while browsing through the menu, their other customers held on to their order chits and went to queue at the counter. The waiting time was a bit too long as there was only an order taker cum cashier right there and it happened that the few customers in front were a bit indecisive. I understand that no service charge is applicable but it was a bit too time consuming. 

We decided on the Japanese Curry Baked Rice ($12.80) and their signature Heart Attack Fried Rice with 200 grams of New York strips ($15.80), an $3.80 was added to include an Iced Lemon Tea with their Soup of the Day. 



The Japanese Curry Baked Rice came first. The taste though decent but it did not remind me a bit of Japanese Curry with zero level of spiciness, the amount of cheese was rather generous with a handful of minced beef in it. A good way to enjoy it is to have it with the parmesan cheese powder together with the dried chilli flakes.



The Heart Attack Fried Rice came next. I got to remind the waiting staff that i did not get my Iced Lemon Tea and Soup yet. It was served right after, together. 


The first mouthful of the most talked about Heart Attack Fried Rice did not amaze me, the texture was a bit too hard with a bit taste of dark soya sauce, it tasted utterly ordinary actually. The texture of the New York strips was equally disappointing, it was a bit too tough though i wanted it to be done at medium. I felt the accompanied sauce did not go too well with both the fried rice and the beef strips. If i guessed it correctly, the sauce is a mixture of chilli and tomato sauce then topped with bits of minced garlic and pieces of chilli buddy. 



I wish i could say otherwise but the overall experience was quite a disappointing one that left me with no intention to go back once more. I could not help but wonder what could be the possible reason behind that constant long queue since i did not particularly enjoyed it after tasting it and it is not particularly cheap as well though still affordable. I guess it is a matter of preference and expectation, it is definitely subjective as well.

EIGHTEEN CHEFS
53 Ang Mo Kio Avenue 3 #04-02 AMK Hub SINGAPORE 569933
Operating Hours: 11 am to 10.30 pm (Sun to Thu) / 11 am to 2.30 am (Fri, Sat & PH)

Friday, December 12, 2014

Lai Heng Mushroom Minced Meat Noodle : What is Good?

This stall has been featured in one of the recent episodes of 'Makan Lost & Found' thus i expected them to be of certain standard. This stall is solely operated by an elderly Uncle. I remember it was the same Uncle that appeared in the TV show. 

I went with Mushroom Minced Meat Noodle ($3.30) and Fishball Noodle ($3.30). As i was the only customer then for an early dinner, the waiting time was a short one. 


I requested for an extra amount of chilli to be added to Mushroom Minced Meat Noodle, the level of spiciness was still rather mild but a little oily. A substantial portion of mee pok was served along with minced meat, slices of lean meat and liver with braised mushroom. The liver was in thick and big pieces and cooked pretty nicely to give it a just right texture with a desired softness, just exactly how i liked it. For that alone, i am likely to eat it again if i happen to be in the vicinity. 


The Fishball Noodle tasted quite ordinary. A same equally good portion of mee pok served with minced meat, slices of fishcake and a few pieces of fishball. Seemingly, the fishcake and fishball did not taste like handmade as it has little elasticity. 


If i have to choose between both, i would think that the Mushroom Minced Meat Noodle is of a better choice and value. 


LAI HENG MUSHROOM MINCED MEAT NOODLE
165 Bukit Merah Central #01-3683 SINGAPORE 150165
Operating Hours: 9 am to 9 pm (Monday to Friday) / 9 am to 3 pm (Sunday)

Saturday, December 6, 2014

Wednesday, December 3, 2014

HAMBAOBAO : Burgers with a Twist

Fancy a Crispy Pork Belly Burger and Ayam Buah Keluak Burger? Read my article on MAKANSUTRA.






HAMBAOBAO
Block 144 Upper Bukit Timah Road #04-49 Beauty World Centre SINGAPORE 588177
Operating Hours: 12 pm to 8 pm (Closed on Monday)