Crazie Chef: Room for Improvement

I was there with a friend in the evening on a weekday slightly after 5 pm. The Chef was all alone at the stall this time. My initial order was steak but he said it is not available and he did not have ribs at that time too. He said it is better to pre-order as he only restock it once a week or based on his orders. I could not help but wonder how good is his business as he is not even confident enough to fully stock up on his beef to meet the needs.

I decided to go with his signature TexMex (Texmas Mexican) Chicken Chop at $8.90 and Napolean Sauce Lamb shank at $26.90. We waited for slightly more than 30 minutes for both orders to be served. There was just another order by other table to be served at the same time. That might be the reason why did not he want to serve us when we were there on the other occasion when he claimed he was on the stand up for booking.

The TexMex Chicken Chop came first. It was served with Baked Potato with Cheese Sauce and a portion of grilled vegetable consists of Broccoli, Bottom Mushroom and Tomato. 

The Chicken Chop was nicely grilled to give it a slight crisp and charred texture but the the BBQ sauce did not taste too special. Apparently it tasted just like those ready made bottled BBQ sauce that are easily available in supermarket. I am a huge fan of Chicken Chop but i did not like what i have tasted and not likely to come back.

Chef informed that the Lamb Shank is quite a big portion and he asked whether it is meant to be shared as it might be a bit too big for just 1 person to finish.

The Lame Shank served after a good 15 minutes after the Chicken Chop. The chef was apologetic though. He explained that what made his Lamb Shank special is the desired softness of the meat that would came off the bone effortlessly. The Lamb Shank was not as big as told by the chef. The pool of sauce tasted just like any pasta sauce but it was overwhelmed with sweetness and i did not like it. Chef claimed that most locals like it sweet so it is not possible for him to tone down the level of sweetness.

The mashed potato was nice but not quite memorable, definitely not the best that i have ever tasted. The Lamb Shank was nicely done to give it just the right texture but it was not seasoned enough to be flavorful. I felt the quality and taste did not justify the $26.90 for the dish. I could not quite understand the need of serving it with such a massive portion of sauce if the food is really that good. 

CRAZIE CHEF

465 Crawford Lane #01-5401 SINGAPORE 190465

Operating Hours: 12.00 pm to 2.30 pm / 5.00 pm to 9.00 pm (Tuesday to Friday)

1.00 pm to 9.00 pm (Saturday, Sunday & Public Holiday) (Closed on Mondays)

Coffee & Toast : Traditional Breakfast Set

Read my article on MAKANSUTRA on where to find good Coffee & Toast.

KENG WAH SUNG

783 Geylang Road SINGAPORE 389672

Operating Hours: 6.00 am to midnight (Daily)

GOOD MORNING NANYANG

14 Scotts Road #02-23 Far East Plaza SINGAPORE 228313

Operating Hours: 8.30 am to 8.30 pm (Daily)

CHIN MEI CHIN CONFECTIONERY

204E East Coast Road SINGAPORE 428903

Operating Hours: 8.30 am to 4.00 pm (Closed on Mondays)

YA KUN KAYA TOAST

18 China Street #01-01 SINGAPORE 049560

Operating Hours: 7.30 am to 6.30 pm (Mon to Fri) / 8.30 am to 5.00 pm (Sat & Sun)

HEAP SENG LEONG

Block 10 North Bridge Road #01-5109 SINGAPORE 190010

Operating Hours: 4.00 am to 8.00 pm (Daily)

TONG AH EATING HOUSE

36 Keong Siak Road SINGAPORE 089143

Operating Hours: 11.00 am to 2.30 pm / 5.30 pm to 10.00 pm

(Alternate Wednesdays Off)

Where to Get Your Durian Desserts?

Check out my article on MAKANSUTRA to find out the recommendations for Durian Desserts.

DESSERT BOWL

80A Serangoon Garden Way SINGAPORE 555976

Operating Hours: 1.00 pm to 10.30 pm (Tue to Thu) / 1.00 pm to 12.00 am (Fri to Sun)

(Closed on Mondays)

UDDERS ICE CREAM

1 Maju Avenue #01-11 MyVillage SINGAPORE 556679

Operating Hours: 12.00 pm to 11.00 pm (Sun to Thu) / 12.00 pm to 12.00 am (Fri to Sat)

ONCE UPON A MILKSHAKE

13 Stamford Road #02-31 Capitol Piazza SINGAPORE 178905

Operating Hours: 12.00 pm to 8.00 pm (Daily)

DESSERT FIRST

8 Liang Seah Street SINGAPORE 189029

Operating Hours: 4.00 pm to 1.00 am (Mon to Thu) / 4.00 pm to 2.00 am (Fri)

1.00 pm to 2.00 am (Sat) / 1.00 pm to 1.00 am (Sun)

Favourite Choices of Bak Kut Teh

Which is your favourite choice for Bak Kut Teh? Read my article on MAKANSUTRA on some of those popular choices.

FOUNDER @ RANGOON ROAD

154 Rangoon Road SINGAPORE 218341

Operating Hours: 9.00 am to 11.00 pm (Closed on Wednesdays)

OUTRAM YA HUA ROU GU CHA RESTAURANT

7 Keppel Road SINGAPORE 089053

Operating Hours: 7.00 am to 4.00 am (Tue to Sun) (Closed on Mondays)

JOO SIAH BAK KOOT TEH

Block 349 Jurong East Avenue 1 #01-1215 SINGAPORE 600349

Operating Hours: 8.30 am to 7.00 pm (Tue - Fri) / 8.00 am to 4 pm (Sat, Sun & PH)

(Closed on Mondays)

LAU AH TEE BAK KUT TEH

34 Whampoa West #01-67 SINGAPORE 330034

Operating Hours: 7.00 am to 3.00 pm (Daily)

The Wanton Mee in Joo Chiat

Which is your favourite amongst the few well-known Wanton Mee in Joo Chiat? Read my article on MAKANSUTRA about them.

What and Where to Eat in Hong Kong

Going to Hong Kong? Read my article on MAKANSUTRA on what and where to eat in Hong Kong Island along the tramway of the historic 'Ding Ding' trams. 

Happy Vesak Day!

Read my article on MAKANSUTRA on what to eat on Vesak Day.

Lai Kee Homemade Pau . Dim Sum : Chicken Nest Pau (鸡窝包)

Their Chicken Nest Pau (鸡窝包) is the reason why i took notice of this dim sum stall in a coffee shop nestled in the neighborhood estate of Bukit Batok, within walking distance from Bukit Batok MRT station. The last time when i eaten Chicken Nest Pau was in Johor Bahru and i liked it so much that i even took away a few from there to have it at home. Though this was not my first time eating this unique dim sum dish in Singapore but i have yet to find a good one so far. 

Ah Lai, the owner, he used to be helping his relative in Malaysia before started his own stall in Clementi and eventually expanded to 4 outlets now. He is not making all of these dim sim by himself but hired dim sum chefs to do it in the central kitchen. There is quite an extensive choices for different types of dim sum on their menu but i was there just for their Chicken Nest Pau this time. 

It is quite reasonably priced at $3. If i remember correctly, the size was not as big as the one that i used to eat in Johor Bahru.

The skin though fluffy was a slightly too thick.

When pulled part of the skin slightly, ingredients like slices of canned mushroom with pieces of meat fallen off.

If you look at it carefully, you could see bits of salted egg amongst the other ingredients. 

All these ingredients seated on a lump of glutinous rice. All in all, i enjoyed it but i could not say this is the best that i ever tasted. I felt it would be better if they are not using the canned mushroom as part of the ingredients. It might not be quite economical for them to do so if taken the difference in cost into consideration unless the customers are willing to pay a higher price. 

I am definitely interested to come back for their Kong Bak Pau and Amy Yip Big Pau next time. 

LAI KEE HOMEMADE PAU . DIM SUM

来记自制包點 . 點心

Block 207 Bukit Batok Street 21 #01-118 Food Park Coffee Shop Singapore 650207.

Operating Hours: 6.30 am to 9.30 pm

Jia Le Hong Kong Roasted Food : It's So Good!

The only time when i ever ordered from them was when they had an outlet at AMK Hub a long time ago. I remember ordering Roasted Duck Drumstick rice at that time. That used to be my favourite. They moved to Marina area for a bit and then to this location. Their current location is not too far from where i am staying.

Mr Charles Tan, the chef cum owner, trained under masters from Hong Kong, has decades of experience in roasted meats. All their roasted meats are done using charcoal fire.

I was there on a Sunday for lunch. It is rather easy to spot their stall, they are located in a coffee shop along Upper Aljunied. If you are coming by bus, they are directly behind the bus stop. There was a short queue of a few people when i was there with most of the tables taken up in the shop. The queue moved rather quickly though. It is self-service here, the order is made at the counter followed by payment then collect your orders. 

I ordered the smallest portion of their Suckling Pig for $12 and a platter of their roasted meat with char siew for $8. I was told these are the prices they charged when they were at Marina area and they did not change it even after moved into the heartland. Though a bit steep but it is acceptable given the quality and standard of their roasted meats.

I particularly enjoyed their Suckling Pig. They do serve Suckling Pig rice for $6 but i could not help but wonder what is the portion like for that price? Again, Suckling Pig is not easily available in a coffee shop environment so it is still worth paying $12 even for such a small portion. This was my favourite amongst all the roasted meats tasted nonetheless.

The level of saltiness was slightly lighter but equally robust in flavor. It was perfectly roasted to give the skin a delightful crispiness. You could clearly hear the cracking sound when you have in your mouth. This was definitely one of the better ones that i had eaten and i totally enjoyed it. 

Char Siew was amongst the best that i ever tasted, it has got the perfect proportional of fat and lean meat to give it the desired texture with just the right tenderness, juiciness and succulent. The meat was slightly charred and nicely caramelised to give its the shiny coating and sweetness. This would definitely be the reason that would get me to keep coming back.

I ordered Wanton Soup ($4) but i was served the Dumpling Soup ($4) instead. Those dumplings tasted just fine with not much surprises. 

I will definitely go back for their Roasted Duck and Japanese Kurobuta Char Siew which is not usually available. Customers are expected to call in advance to make an order for their special Char Siew.

JIA LE HONG KONG ROASTED FOOD

383 Upper Aljunied Road Teck Huat Eating House SINGAPORE 367868.

Operating Hours: 10.30 am to 9.00 pm