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

5 Little Bears : Authentic Taiwanese Street Foods

We were there for a quick dinner before the movie premiere of 'Non-Stop' at Shaw Lido at about 6 pm. The place was rather packed then but there were quite a few of empty tables available.  We proceed to the first counter to place our orders, paid up and given a number tag. I was told to look out for the number on the LED display panel for collection. 

We decided on Set A and Set B. Set A consists of the famous Taichung Braised Pork Rice （台中滷肉饭） and a drink for $5.90 and Set B consists of X Large Chicken Chop （超大鸡排）, Sour Plum Sweet Potato （甘梅薯條） and a drink for $8.80. We wanted a Wintermelon Tea （古早味东瓜茶） and Coffee Black Tea （咖啡红茶） to serve along with the sets. 

The number was flashed in a few minutes to pick up the Braised Pork Rice together with the 2 drinks. The Braised Pork Rice was served in quite a big bowl topped with a generous portion of braised pork, salted vegetable, stalks of vegetable and half of a braised egg. Such a bowl of Braised Pork Rice is reasonably priced at $4.80 by itself.

The braised meat though slightly fatty but it did not taste too oily with just the right texture at desired softness. The perfect way to enjoy it is to eat it with the salted vegetable in every mouthful. Though it might not be as nice as the one by Shin Yeh but this is amongst one of the nicest that i ever eaten in Singapore. I do hope such a standard is to be maintained.

The X Large Chicken Chop and the Sour Plum Sweet Potato were served together to our table by a friendly Auntie.

The chicken chop was nicely deep-fried to give it the delightful crispiness and not overly greasy as well. Though it is likely to pre-fried and re-do it again just before served but it has done well to not compromising its texture. It was served with a pile of chilli powder aside to complement and further enhance the taste of the chicken chop. The level of spiciness was just right for me but was a bit too spicy for my dinner companion.

I would think the Sour Plum Sweet Potato was a good choice too. The chunky pieces of sweet potato were coated lightly with the batter and deep-fried well to give it the crispiness then placed it on the pile of sour plum powder to serve. The sweetness of the sweet potato went along perfectly with the sour plum powder.

The overall experience was quite a pleasant surprise. I am already looking forward to coming back to try the others on their menu.

5 LITTLE BEARS 五隻小熊

14 Scotts Road #01-07 Far East Plaza SINGAPORE 228213.

Happy 1st Anniversary, The Burger Bar

It was definitely exciting to be there joining the crowd to enjoy the great offer of $1 burger in conjunction of their celebration of the first anniversary. I expected to see a long queue but was rather surprised to see just a couple of people there.

It took just a bit to order our burgers using their ordering system. First is to select the $1 Hamburger listed in the system then the ingredients to go with it. It clearly stated the free and the chargeable ingredients for selection.

The first burger consists of beef patty, shredded lettuce with slices of tomato and pickles in sesame seed bun with mayonnaise added.

I did not quite expect it but it tasted pretty nice. I'd think much nicer as compared to the other ones i had at their Pasir Panjang outlet. The lightly seasoned patty was firmed, juicy and done just right to give it the desired texture.

The second burger consists of grilled chicken with shredded lettuce, pickles and tomato in Honey Oat Bun.

It was pretty much another surprise. I don't usually like grilled chicken burger as most are pretty much tasteless. This one was an impressive one. The texture has got a likeable juiciness and rather flavorsome, too. The extra softness of the Honey Oat Bun complemented it perfectly.

We enjoyed the burgers pretty much.

THE BURGER BAR

14 Scotts Road #01-16A/B Far East Plaza SINGAPORE 228213.

Saveur at Far East Plaza

Apparently, the standard was not as good as compared to their other outlet at Purvis Street. I went on a Saturday for lunch. It was not as crowded as expected but it gotten longer much later. The space is not as spacious as other outlet too. While we were waiting for our foods, there were quite a few people waiting for tables.

I decided to try the supposedly popular Saveur's Pasta ($4.90) for the first time. It came as quite a surprise. I'd think it tasted much nicer than expected. The pasta was cooked to achieve the delightful texture. It was al dente though not as hard as compared to some served in the Italian restaurants. Though it was supposedly to be tossed with Chilli's Oil but the level of spiciness was rather mild. It tasted so mild and you might not even noticed it if you left out the description when ordered from the menu. It served with a generous bit of finely chopped Japanese Konbu and Sakura Ebi rested on the Minced Pork Sauce. When tossed it well, the taste was amazing and it exceeded my expectation of this simple looking appetiser. I would definitely order this again when i am back. 

We ordered 2 portions of Duck Confit ($12.90) this time. The waiting time was unexpectedly short. When served, the presentation did not look as good as the one we had over at Purvis Street. I'd expect the skin to have a thorough brownish color but the edge seemed to be still a slightly yellowish. When cut it, it was rather soft and not crispy at all. Luckily, the central area was done just right. 

The mashed potato was comparably good though. I particularly enjoyed smoothness and softness of the texture. It just melted away effortlessly in the mouth. It tasted especially good when eaten together with the sauteed Shitake Mushroom. The orange infused jus did not have a distinctive orange taste but rather a pleasant savoury taste.

We ordered the Chocolate and Hazelnut ($7.90) for the first time, too. It is a pile of chocolate mousse served with crushed hazelnut, broken raspberries, roasted rice pugffs, chocolate tuile and praline. As i am not quite a fan of chocolate mousse, i did not quite appreciate it but my lunch companion enjoyed it quite a bit. I guess it should be good. 

The Pistachio Panna Cotta ($6.90) is still my all time favourite. 

SAVEUR

14 Scotts Road #01-07B Far East Plaza

SINGAPORE 228213.