The Silver Chef

Salmon Tartare with Enoki Mushrooms - Guest Blog

2012-05-27T18:27:00.001-07:00

Today, I have invited another prominent food blogger, Terry Wong who runs The Food Canon, to do my very first guest blog on The Silver Chef.

And the reason I have asked Terry is that like myself, he is an avid food lover and is utterly passionate about cooking, and he has some fantastic recipes up on his own blog. I do encourage you to check out his food blog.

Recently, I had a chance to help him cook for a fund raising event and it was a wonderful experience working with him. Soon after, we talked of doing guest blogs for one another hence, he has come up with a terrific salmon tartare dish which is presented below.

I have also returned the favor by guest blogging on his blog with one of my recipes as well. Just head on over there after you have finished here to read my first guest blog on another site too! Here it is, Terry's excellent salmon tartare dish.

Guest Blogger The Food Canon:

I had to plan a meal for 60 at a recent Alpha Course Intro Dinner at my church. It was a sit-down dinner and guests were to be served at the table.

I have never done a dinner at this scale and of this nature. Some planning was needed with my food team and we finally settled on a 2-course appetiser-main meal, with the desserts served as a buffet spread. For plated meals, I thought that a "Western" approach works better, perhaps with some local twist. Being a two-course meal, the appetizer had to be fairly substantial.

So, how can we serve 60 plated diners efficiently? What appetiser should we make?
I asked a professional chef friend for advice on a easy-to-do appetizer. He advised on Tuna Tartare as that which can be prepared beforehand and plated just before serving. But he thought serving 60 diners plated will be difficult.

Tartare? I can recall eating it many times before but I have not made it myself. I checked up on some cookbooks, searched the net and consulted one of my home cook friends who runs a food blog (The Silver Chef) as he is more familiar with Western cuisine. It seemed doable as I considered all the steps needed from preparation to serving.

As Salmon is easily available here and fairly cheap, I went for it. I opted to buy from my usual fish stall at the wet market as it was fresh and good value. I bought a whole fish and had it filleted and deboned.

I planned to add diced tomato and onions. Cucumber was one option but had second thoughts as the texture is harder and too much of a contrast to Salmon. I experimented with adding chopped up kaffir lime leaves for the 'local twist' but did not like the taste. I saw packets of tiny Brown Enoki Mushrooms in NTUC. They were inexpensive at about $2 per lot. I thought they should taste great if sauced with soy sauce and that may be the local twist needed. And I added my favorite leaf - arugula or rockett leaves. I made it at home, and experimented with various plating arrangements using food shapes I bought from TOTT. I like what I ate and thought the soy sauced fresh enoki mushrooms added a interesting twist in terms of texture and flavour.

Brown Enoki Mushrooms

As costs was an issue, I added more veg to the tartare, reducing the amount of salmon needed. You can adjust the proportion as you so wish and according to the meal occasion.

Here are the steps to make this refreshing appetiser.

Preparing the Salmon Tartare

Diced up the tomatoes and onions.
Diced up the boneless and skinless salmon meat.
These need to be in small pieces for a good tartare eating experience.
Mix them together and add some squeezed lemon juice and salt. Adjust according to your taste. Thsi will effectively cooked the raw salmon and pickled the tomatoes and onions. Leave it in the fridge for an hour or so to chill.

Preparing the Brown Enoki mushrooms

Cut the top of the mushrooms and discard the roots. Washing the mushroom will take away some of the flavours but as I am serving it fresh, I did not want to take risks.
After washing, add some good soy sauce (check out this post for some good options) and mix. Chill.

Plating with food shapes

Plating

Using food shapes (as in pic), plate the salmon tartare.
Spoon the enoki mushrooms into the center.
Add the arugula leaves around the tartare. Keep it dry to go with the wet Tartare.

Many of the guest gave feedback that they enjoyed the dish and I suppose Salmon Tartare is a usual crowd pleaser. The Brown Enoki Mushrooms made it a bit more special without increasing the costs significantly.

For the mains, we served oven-roasted Chicken Breast in Miso Butter Sauce with Asparagus, Sugar peas and butter rice. The Sous Vide method of cooking came in handy. I may blog that recipe on another occasion though I have blogged a slightly different version here.

There you go, my first guest blog post. Thanks Ian and your readers for this opportunity.

Sprinkle some black pepper and it is good to go

Thanks, Terry for this great post! Looking forward to exchanging more guest posts with The Food Canon in the near future.

Simple Bacon and Onion Omelette Recipe

2012-05-20T18:54:00.000-07:00

Gordon Ramsay once said that he likes to test a cook's skill by asking him or her to cook a simple egg dish for him. The reasoning is quite simple, and I tend to subscribe to it.

It is always easy to use expensive and premium ingredients to elevate a dish, but it is always quite hard to take something simple and make it special. And eggs are one of the most common ingredients out there.

Yet, like Ramsay, I always find that a lot of food places tend to do eggs very sloppily and is often very underwhelming. It is surprising that a lot of folks cannot even cook a simple omelette.

That said, I'd like to show you how to do a simple omelette dish, and cooking it just right to impress anyone you may have over for a meal.

To begin, slice a full onion and finely chop about 100g of bacon. Crack about 4 eggs and whisk it in a bowl.

Here's a little tip, take a cold pan and place it on the stove. Turn the heat to just medium or slightly lower and add in the bacon. The reason is you want to render some of the bacon fat first before it gets burned up and this will add an amazing aroma.

Once the pan starts to heat up, you will see the fat being rendered slowly. Add in a knob of butter to add some sweetness and emulsion to the mixture and add in the onions.

Always make sure you cook the onions thoroughly to extract as much sweetness from the onions as possible and also, they will soften down to more edible bites later.

Once the onions are soft and sweet, pour in the eggs in the center of the pan and let the mixture even distribute all over the pan. This is where a non stick pan comes in real handy.

Once the eggs start to cook and the edges get a bit crusty, shake the pan to make sure the omelette does not stick and you will be able to flip part of the omelette.

I prefer to flip half of the omelette so that it covers like a popiah, and let it cook awhile before flipping the entire omelette to the other side.

Season with just pepper as the bacon should provide enough salt to give it an aromatic savoriness. Once both sides are sufficiently crusted, remove from the heat and plate it.

Garnish with some spring onions and you are done. The perfect omelette should be crusty on the outside, and there is some soft moisture on the side, and combined with the sweetness of the garlic, it should taste fantastic.

So, there you have it. A simple but delicious omelette dish.

Soon Heng Rojak at Toa Payoh HDB Hub

2012-05-11T03:58:00.001-07:00

I never knew how handy the ieat hawker app was until recently, when I was at Toa Payoh HUB and thinking that there won't be any good food around, seeing there was only a basement food court.

And quite frankly, how many food courts in Singapore can boast of a fairly famous and popular hawker stall that will get queues the likes of Tian Tian Chicken Rice in Maxwell Market? Not many, I guess.

Well, guess what? Gourmet Paradise food court, which is situated in the basement of the Toa Payoh HUB has just one such stall when I was there, and thanks to the iphone app, pointed me to one of the best rojak I have had in years.

Speaking of rojak, I was never a fan of this local delicacy until I met my wife, Pauline. And that was because, I always thought it was such a messy dish, and with so many different ingredients, it would be something that would not be focused and specific.

Pauline then got me to try a few one night and, despite the fact that I still think it is messy, at least I have gotten around to the fact that it is a unique "salad" dish that tries to blend different flavors and textures together.

The Long Queues

And if you notice, you cannot find rojak so easily in most hawker centres or food courts. So, nowadays, when I do find one, I will endeavor to ta pau back for Pauline. And I must say, over time, I have gotten to like this dish more and more.

So, back to Soon Heng. As you can see from the picture above, the queue for this was just amazing. At least a dozen people were in front of me when I first reach the place, and the waiting time amounted to almost 45 minutes before I could get packet of rojak! Was it really that good? And worth the wait?

The Best Rojak

Well, I had my first plate and I was totally won over. The prawn paste was thick and sweet, and had the ability to throughly coat all the ingredients within, which was not the case with most watery rojaks that I have eaten.

The peanut shavings were generous and plentiful, and gave a nice crunch to the entire dish. The you tiao were also generous, and were very well coated, which was also above the norm. And the turnips, pineapples and cucumbers all tasted fresh and the pineapples had just enough acidity to counter the sweetness of the prawn paste.

Pauline's verdict was equally positive, and had her total seal of approval. We loved it so much we did not even leave any remnants of the sauce behind, and basically used a spoon to finish every drop of it.

Best rojak? You bet.

Soon Heng Rojak

480 Lorong 6 Toa Payoh

#B1-23 Gourmet Paradise

Outram Park Fried Kway Teow Mee

2012-05-08T21:02:00.002-07:00

For quite some time now, I have thought that the char kway teow in Meng Kee in Beo Crescent was far and away the best and my own personal favorite for CKT.

This week, I was finally brought to the famous Outram Park Fried Kway Teow Mee stall, and boy, was it superb. So much so, that I probably will tie it for first place among the best CKT in Singapore

They originated in the now demolished Outram Park block of HDB flats, where I think I remembered being there when I was very young, though I probably could not have appreciated fare like this then.

Today, they are situated on the second floor of Hong Lim Food Market, and judging from the long queue waiting for this delectable dish, it probably had lost none of its following as well.

Delicious Char Kway Teow

As for the dish itself, it was simply superb. The noodles were slippery smooth and had an amazing texture. The cockles were plenty and the sweet sauce was just delicate enough to flavor the noodles without being too overpowering.

The bits of fried pork lard gave it an intense and aromatic flavor to lift the dish sufficiently without being too greasy. In fact, for a CKT dish, it did not feel oily at all for some reason. Lastly, the garnishes of the bean sprouts just gave it enough crunchiness to bring a variety of textures to the dish.

CKT is something that you either love or hate, and if you belong to the camp of lovers, this place is right up your alley.

Nothing else more needs to be said really. Just go and find out for yourself.

Outram Park Fried Kway Teow Mee
Blk 531A Upper Cross Street
#02-17 Hong Lim Food Centre

Butter Soba with Garlic Mushroom

2012-05-06T17:29:00.000-07:00

I have always thought of replacing pasta with soba for one of my own recipes, and it is on one weekend afternoon when I decided to try this out.

Pauline has always been an advocate of healthy choices, and of late, she has been making a lot of soba for our meals, using the tried and tested way of having cold soba with Japanese soya sauce.
But I always thought of doing soba in a more Italian fashion, where you will make a sauce and coat it on the soba instead of just using soya sauce. Hence, this dish.

To begin, bring to boil a pot of water for you to cook the soba in. Soba is shorter than the usual linguine or spaghetti, so put more sticks in to compensate.

It cooks for about 5 minutes and once it gets soft, remove from the boiling water and strain quickly. Run it through cold water to stop the cooking process.

To make the sauce, take a knob of butter and brown it in a pan or pot. Chop lots of garlic and add it to the pan.

Make sure the garlic is well cooked and starts to get soft before you add some white wine to flavor the garlic further.

Add some chopped button mushrooms into the mixture, though you can substitute other types of mushrooms of your choice.

Keep stirring and cooking the mushrooms until the flavors are well extracted from the mushrooms. Add a little water if its too dry.

Add a knob of butter to emulsify the mixture and add in the soba and toss thoroughly until the soba is well coated with garlic mushroom mixture.

To serve, plate the soba and add some Japanese seaweed or tiny red caviar for some additional garnishing and color.

And there you have it, soba cooked pasta styled.

Sirloin Apple - My New Blog on All Things Apple, Mac, iPhone and iPad

2012-05-03T08:20:00.001-07:00

For quite some time now, I have thought of doing a separate blog on my passion on Apple devices, and today, I have finally decided to initiate a new blog.

I call it Sirloin Apple, for the simple reason that I want it to be simple, and also sound delicious at the same time, in conjunction with this food blog.

At this new site, I will focus primarily on talking about Apple news, app reviews, tips and tricks on Apple devices, including Macs and talk about technology in general.

It will not be just on Apple, but it will be mainly be dominated by Apple related items and information.

And the reason I am doing this is simply because I get a lot of queries on Apple related stuff and I thought I might as well just do a blog on this.

I believe that there is a lot of content I can write about, and I will greatly appreciate if you can check that site out and follow me there as well if you can. I promise you I will keep it updated with lots of iStuff and info.

So, for those who own an Apple device or machine, this might be a great site for you to follow. And even for those who do not own anything Apple, it might still be of interest too!

Here is the link - Sirloin Apple.

See you there!

Braised Oxtail

2012-05-01T18:42:00.000-07:00

My dad used to love this dish when I was young during those younger times, it was also not easy to find a good place that can serve a credible oxtail dish.

I decided to try my hand at making this dish myself, and in a way, dedicate this to those who are celebrating Father's Day next month and maybe use this recipe to whip up something for their dads.

To begin with, you can obtain oxtails these days pretty easily from places like NTUC Finest, and the Culina butchery does have a wide range of meats.

I would use about 4 cuts for a party of 2-3. Season the oxtails with salt and pepper and lightly brown them in a pan with olive oil for a minute or two just to seal the meat.

In a large pot, add some butter and saute some one onion and a third of an Australian leek until the flavors are well extracted. You want to get as much of the sweetness from the vegetables as possible.

Add in about 3 stalks of chopped celery and cook them until the flavors are also extracted. Once the vegetables start to get translucent, add in about a third of a bottle of red wine, preferably full bodied wines.

Simmering Away

Let it cook at high heat and somewhat reduced for a few minutes. Add in the oxtails into the mixture and pour in enough fresh beef stock to almost cover the mixture. I prefer to use the Campbell's beef stock as it is all natural and does not contain MSG.

You can add in potatoes and carrots to give it more texture to the stew and also the starch helps to give it a thicker consistency. Bring the entire mixture up to a boil.

Once it boils, reduce the heat to a very low temperature, and let it slowly cook for at least 2 hours until the meat is cooked and tender. If you want it to be even more tender and for the meat to fall off the bone, leave it to cook for another hour at low heat.

Once you are about to serve, add in a knob of butter to emulsify the stew and season with more pepper according to your taste.

To serve, simply plate the stew into a nice plate and there you have it. Classic Oxtail stew. It is hearty and delicious and suitable for a family meal.

Pietro - MasterChef Peter Neo's New Italian Restaurant

2012-04-26T19:12:00.002-07:00

Over the last year or so, I have had the good fortune and opportunity to know and work with Masterchef Peter Neo on a number of occasions, both tasting his great food, and conducting cooking lessons with him.

And it is without doubt that my cooking skills have improved immeasurably from watching him work and cook for his loyal fans and followers.

Despite all that, it was known to me that Chef Peter has always harbored the idea of owning his own establishment, and while the restaurant owners he worked for have profited immensely from Chef Peter's skills, I was also secretly hoping that he will have a restaurant to call his own.

Classic Italian Furnishings

Today, after months of planning, Peter has finally opened his new Italian restaurant, simply named Pietro. Pietro is, of course, Italian for Peter and it is clearly styled after him and his incredible personality.

The place is spacious and comfortable, and yet, never seem aloof or too posh. It is just the perfect place for a family dinner, and despite being in a quiet neighborhood off Yio Chu Kang, it is extremely soothing and a terrific place to chill.

Chef Peter at Work

His kitchen is also equally large in dimensions, and that allows Peter to perform his culinary magic. In the main dining area, he has also included a gas pizza oven and even a table to make fresh ciabatta and other fresh breads. He is certainly very well equipped.

As for the food, it is classic Italian. The menu comprises of classic Italian starters, pizzas, Italian styled mains and his signature pastas. There is too much to go through in one blog post, but I will attempt to summarize his best dishes.

Classic Carbonara

His classic carbonara still stands out as one of the best, rich in flavors from the bacon and egg yolk, but never too creamy and nicely balanced. The fine pieces of grated parmesan just finishes this dish off delicately.

Seafood Aglo Olio

I mentioned before, that a true pasta chef is tested solely on his aglo olio dish, and Peter's simple but effective seafood aglo olio just rises everyone else's in town.

His mastery of heat and fire can be truly extracted from the plate, and the garlic and seafood pair well together and the flavors nicely extracted from one another.

Do note that Peter tend to cook his pasta in a more traditional manner, meaning its al dente, and you will need to inform him to cook it more soft if you like it more tender like wanton noodles.

Seafood Pasta in Tomato Wrapped in Paper

His signature paper pasta dish is reproduced here in all its glory and visual splendor. The acidity of the tomato paste is just the perfect way to bring out the sweetness of the seafood, and a light touch of herbs finishes it off with a gentle perfume.

Mushroom Risotto

His mushroom risotto has got to be the absolute best in town. Beautiful to look at, and even more delicious to eat. The earthiness of four types of mushrooms he use here are truly evident in every mouthful of this dish.

The risotto is perfectly cooked, gorgeously infused with the mushroom flavors and stock that was used to cook the rice with. It is harder to find a better risotto in Singapore than this one here.

Roasted Pork Belly

One of his famous dishes from his previous places is also found here. The aromatic roasted pork belly that is great as a dish to share among group of diners.

The pork is steamed, then roasted and because of this, it is able to produce a moist and tender meat texture that is lovely and melting. Coupled with a crispy skin and a tangy apple sauce which helps to counter the rich fat, this dish is heavenly.

Breaded Pork Rack

A new dish that Peter has come up for his new place is this excellent breaded pork rack that is not removed from the bone. Nicely seasoned, the pork is still left on the bone that almost resembles a lamb rack.

The meat is perfectly fried until there is a tenderness that surprisingly remains without being too dry or tough. The seasoning is flavorful and the meat is also paired with a fresh apple sauce that Peter cooks from scratch. Beautiful.

Chocolate Fondant with Fruit Fillings

His classic chocolate fondant has been updated with a fruit filling that is interesting, but I still prefer his previous pure chocolate and rum fillings. You can still ask for those if you prefer, but Peter is clearly keen to try with different flavors even for his most famous dishes.

Orange Panna Cotta

Something new that works really well is this orange panna cotta that we both have the privilege to teach at a recent cooking demo. Instead of just pure cream, the infusion of orange flavors gives it a zing and zest that totally transforms the classic Italian dessert.

Paired with a simple but effective raspberry coulis, this dessert will bring a delightful end to a meal that will simply refresh your palate.

Masterchef Peter Neo

Seeing Peter in his element and in the kitchen again, truly is a sight to behold. His dedication to his craft and to his food is unsurpassed. And seeing him in his own establishment is equally gratifying for all the years and hard work he has put into his craft.

In his own place, he still exudes the same charm and friendliness and will often go to the diners personally to solicit feedback and have a chat or two.

While still new, crowds are already starting to come in even despite the location. It goes to show that Peter has a fantastic following that enjoys his food.

Classic Italian cooking can never be as fancy as modern cuisines that tries to be clever and gimmicky, for at the end of the day, great food is determined by great flavors, and not just great looks.

After being at World Gourmet Summit this week and seeing lemons deconstructed and reconstructed for an entire audience's entertainment, the greatest pleasure is to simply tuck into Chef Peter's food and see the magic being performed in your palate, not on your eyes.

Pietro is a great sign that classic traditions never go away, and modern culinary tricks are just fads of the culinary and gastronomy scene.

Pietro Ristorante Italiano

12 Jalan Kelulut

Zam Zam Murtabak

2012-04-22T19:37:00.000-07:00

It's been awhile since I last blogged about a prata place, and while my all time favorite will still be Sin Ming Roti Prata, I am beginning to find other very good alternative prata houses.

This one happens to be opposite the Sultan Mosque towards Bugis Junction, and is reputed to be one of the most notable prata houses in town. I decided to give it a try one evening after work.

Situated at a corner of a shophouse, the place was filled with a huge crowd, which is always a sign of a good prata place.

The aroma of the pratas and murtabaks were enough to convince me that this was worth trying, and unlike Sin Ming, it was not self service.

Egg and Onion Prata

My standard fare for prata has always been egg and onion, and I ordered this to see how it would stand up against their competition.

It was good, very good, but sadly, not as excellent as Sin Ming. I liked the fact that it was not greasy and the color looked just about right. Some places like Casuarina and Prata House Thomson tended to look too dark.

Here, it was more traditional, and hence, not as crispy as the aforementioned ones. Which happens to be the way I like it. I always think that crispy pratas were geared more towards a younger audience.

The fragrance of the egg and onion managed to shine through the prata dough, and while the dough was slightly dry, it still had a good flavor and texture.

Murtabak

The murtabak was on another level, however. Zam Zam apparently is more noted for their murtabaks than their pratas, and I could see why.

It was fried and neatled wrapped in a roll and it looked just heavenly. It still had a nice crispy crust and the meat underneath provided the necessary texture and flavors.

Unlike most other murtabaks, where you will enjoy the first few bites, but then you tend to have a hard time finishing the rest, this murtabak was just delicious from start to end.

The final conclusion is that while Zam Zam has good traditional prata, it is their murtabak that shines. Definitely a great place to go to manage your murtabak fix!

Zam Zam

697 North Bridge Road

Dove Desserts - Chendol at its Best!

2012-04-17T18:34:00.001-07:00

In the concluding part of my Toa Payoh Lorong 7 Food Centre trilogy, I want to focus on desserts. After all, I practically started with an omelette appetizer, followed by a beef noodle main.

What better way to end this trio of food delicacies than to talk about one of the best chendols you can find here in Singapore, and I am talking about Dove Desserts.

Situated just a couple of stalls from Ah Chuan's, this humble looking hawker serves up a favorite that has many people raving about it and I have only just begun to realise how good it is.

Chendol

The chendol here is homemade from pandan leaves, and it certainly showed, both in looks and in taste and texture. It did not exhibit any of the artificial coloring that permeates most local chendols.

Instead, it had a natural, almost pale green look. Texture wise, it was just about right. It had that nice bouncy crunch without being too hard and had the slightest hint of pandan fragrance.

As for the gula melaka and coconut milk combination, it also had a right balance to give it that classic chendol sweetness. The gula melaka was not as bitter as some, and compared to the ones I had in Melaka, it was not as intense.

Somehow, that lack of intensity worked and coupled with the lemakness of the coconut milk and the natural chendol, it exuded a very perfect balance of flavors that reminded me of a well made bandung drink.

I believed I have waxed enough lyrical prose on this fabulous dessert. All that is left is for you to visit this place and try it out yourself.

Dove Desserts

Toa Payoh Lorong 7 Food Centre

#01-21

Hai Nan Xing Zhou Beef Noodles at Toa Payoh Lorong 7

2012-04-16T18:16:00.000-07:00

In my second of 3 reviews at Toa Payoh Food Centre, I want to talk about this very well known beef noodle stall that a number of my friends have been raving about.

It used to hail from the famous Cuppage Centre hawker centre many eons ago, and it continues to ply its trade now at the crowded hawker centre here in Lorong 7 of Toa Payoh.

Truth be told, ever since I posted my favorite hawker food in Singapore to be Kovan's Ri Yi Beef Noodles, quite a few people have been quick to point out to me other notable beef noodles.

And so it was, that I decided to try out a few other alternatives to see if there is one that can match, or even surpass Ri Yi's beef noodles.

Beef Balls Noodles

The beef ball noodles were inviting, and despite the fact that the beef balls were outsourced, they did still give a lot of flavor when combined with the heavy beef gravy and pickled vegetables.

The sauce did taste a bit more sweeter than I would have liked, but somehow, this sweeter variant does go down well with a number of customers and younger folks.

Sliced Beef Noodles

The real test for me has always been the standard sliced beef noodles and here, it certainly did not disappoint. Whilst the stock was still sweeter, the beef slices were cooked just about well done and thus, had a good texture and bite.

Most beef noodle stalls tend to overcook the beef slices till they are really overdone and chewy, so it was a pleasant surprise to find it done well here. Still, Ri Yi still holds the crown for the best medium cooked beef slices in town.

So, the final verdict is this popular and well known beef noodle stall, for me, is rated higher than more popular ones like the 2 Hock Lams, but still a grade below Ri Yi.

It is still very good though.

Hai Nan Xing Zhou Beef Noodles

Toa Payoh Lorong 7

Blk 22, Food Centre

#01-06

Ah Chuan Oyster Omelette at Toa Payoh Lorong 7

2012-04-15T18:46:00.000-07:00

Pauline has a penchant for oyster omelette, and yet, ironically enough, she would always leave the oysters to me as she just wants the non-oyster portions of this dish.

For me, I do not always enjoy this delicacy as I find most stalls do not have the right balance of flavors, and mind you, this is not a dish that is easily mastered.

Thankfully, and thanks to Les and Greg, I managed to discover this wonderful place in Toa Payoh that finally gave me a near perfect oyster omelette plate.

It is run by an elderly couple, and I was reliably informed that they do not always open everyday. In fact, we were just trying our luck the other day, and lady luck was smiling on us as they were opened and the steady stream of customers on a week day afternoon clearly showed that they were really popular.

Ah Chuan over his stove

Ah Chuan himself was busying over his stove, continuously cooking plate after plate of this local favorite dish. The thing that impressed and amazed me was how relaxed and steady he was, no sweat, no fussing, just pure coolness.

His wife, meanwhile, was all smiles and was thrilled to see familiar faces returning to their food, and one can see how such warm service can really bring people back.

Gorgeous Oyster Omelette

As for the omelette itself, it looked temptingly beautiful. Adorned with luscious and huge fried oysters, the aroma was the first thing that hit me and boy, was it aromatic!

The textures of this egg dish was multi-layered, and the real testament was how delicious and fragrant the eggs were cooked and fried, and mixed with the batter and came together with the sweetness of the oysters.

Generously garnished with chinese parsley, the entire plate was wonderfully balanced and tasty, and pairing it with the sharpness of the chilli sauce, you simply cannot ask for a better oyster omelette.

Located in the Lorong 7 food market, this is one local hawker that is destined to be legendary. Both for its incredible dish, and their warm nature of the owners who were both chatty and friendly.

The best oyster omelette anywhere. Hands down. Just hope you are lucky when you are there.

Ah Chuan Oyster Omelette

Toa Payoh Lorong 7 Food Centre

#01-25

Sesame Ginger Chicken in Dark Soya Sauce with Black Fungus

2012-04-08T18:30:00.000-07:00

Pauline's mum has always had a range of classic recipes that she would always enjoy, and food that she has grown up eating.

One of her very favorites is this delicious sesame ginger chicken in dark soy with black fungus that never fails to delight. With that in mind, I decided to replicate it with a bit of my own touch.

For 2 persons, I would use about 4 chicken drumsticks, and a packet of black fungus which you can easily obtain from NTUC supermarkets.

To begin, just quickly seal the chicken pieces in a pot of olive oil for a few minutes and remove from fire.

Chop as much ginger slices as you would like, and usually, the more the better. Chop some white ends of spring onion as well.

Lightly fry the ginger and spring onion in the same pot of olive oil until it is fragrant, then drizzle some Chinese wine over it and let it reduce somewhat. Add in 4 to 5 cloves of garlic.

Add in the chicken drumsticks and add some chicken stock and water until the chicken and mixture almost covered.

Cut the black fungus into smaller pieces and add them into the mixture. Add enough dark soya sauce until the mixture is dark and filled with soy flavors. Finish the mixture with a drizzle of sesame oil.

Let the mixture cook in medium heat in a nice rolling boil for about 30 minutes until the chicken is fully cooked and tender, but not too long lest the chicken gets too tough.

To finish, season with some black pepper and garnish it with some green spring onion.

And there you have it, a classic dish that will please any mum-in-law, I hope.

Nespresso at ION Orchard

2012-04-01T19:22:00.002-07:00

Personally, I have never been an avid coffee drinker, and apart from the Starbucks and Coffee Bean craze in the mid to late 90s, I have rarely ventured into coffee territory.

Pauline, however, is almost coffee dependent, and needs a shot everyday to get her engine going. And every once in a while, she would brew a nice cup of Illy coffee, which is temptingly aromatic and I would steal a sip or two.

Recently, my mum acquired a Nespresso machine and she herself has been rather hooked on this expresso maker of sorts.

And when the opportunity came to attend a special bloggers' session on Nespresso held at ION a couple of weeks ago, I simply could not refuse.

Coffee Specialist, Kai

I first encountered Nespresso here in the basement of Ngee Ann City, and used to remember that George Clooney being featured in their ads. It felt classy and premium, and thought it was probably quite an expensive coffee gimmick.

Then when ION opened, I used to frequent a gelato shop there and just across, I could see a much bigger standalone Nespresso outlet filled with an assortment of their patented machines and colorful capsules.

Coffee Capsules

It was the capsules that always captivated me visually about Nespresso, and I never did know how it all worked, until I attended the special session.

It seems that that making an expresso at home could not be easier or simpler. Just take one of the capsules and pop it into one of their many Nespresso machines and all you need to do is just press a button and the expresso is instantly made.

Nespresso Machine

The machine, as you can see from the picture above, has a container for you to fill up with water to make the coffee with. On the top, is an opening for you to insert the coffee capsules, and once you close the lid, the capsule will be pierced for the coffee powder to be extracted.

Hot water is then pumped in at high pressure to make the expresso shot, and in a matter of seconds, your coffee glass will be instantly filled with enough for either an expresso short, or a lungo, for a less concentrated but larger shot of coffee.

Nespresso Coffee

The capsules themselves come in a selection of 16 different flavors, that range from the acidic and fruity variety to the mid-range balance of fruity and body, and the very intense full bodied expresso ranger.

As I am no coffee expert, I shall not endeavor to explain what each flavor tastes like, but for me personally, I especially enjoyed the Rosabaya from Colombia flavor most.

As a guide, there are basically 3 distinctive categories for Nespresso coffee:

a. Pure Origin

b. Espresso Range

c. Lungo Range

As for myself, I find myself getting hooked on Nespresso so much so that Pauline has just bought one machine home over the weekend and we have been enjoying quite a fair bit of expresso over the last couple of days.

One thing to note when you drink expresso, is to enjoy the crema, which is the froth that is on the top of the coffee first to have a taste of the coffee aroma.

I was told by Kai, the coffee specialist to slurp the coffee to enjoy the full explosion of coffee aroma in your palate, and though somewhat inelegant, it is the best way to savor good coffee.

Speaking of which, Nespresso has coffee specialists at their outlets to cater to your every enquiry and I must say that Kai was not only knowledgeable, he was also very friendly and charming in taking care of the customers at the outlet.

All in all, this experience has opened up my eyes and taste buds on coffee, and like wine, good coffee should be savored purely on its own. Which means, drinking Nespresso straight up is the best way, all black and no sugar or milk.

It sure beats Starbucks and Coffee Bean anytime!

Nespresso
ION Orchard

Shanghai Ren Jia 上海人家 - Best Shanghai Food and Xiao Long Bao in Singapore

2012-03-26T22:14:00.002-07:00

I always hear that mainland China food does not suit our local Singaporean taste buds, and having been to Beijing and Shanghai, I tend to agree.

China cooks tend to be a bit heavy handed with salt and oil, and the food comes off as overly salty and greasy, and often, Singaporeans are turned off by eateries set up by Mainland Chinese.

It was a surprise then, to find a small Chinese restaurant hidden away in one corner of Ang Mo Kio avenue 5 that not only produce authentic Shanghai fare, but also catered to our local palate too.

The restaurant roughly only sits about 30 persons, and thus, is very much different from say, Ding Tai Fung with its large open spaces and numerous staff.

I was delighted to be there for a special tasting session where the owner, Mr Zhang had a 17 dish lunch prepared for us. As I cannot possibly list down all 17 items, I would instead focus on the highlights of that lunch.

Fried Fish Slices

I am not sure of what particular fish this was, but it was sliced and deep fried until they were curled somewhat. It had a nice marinate on the outside, and there was a hint of sweetness as well.

What I liked about this dish, as well as the food overall, is how the chef tended not to be very oily or greasy with their fried stuff. This was no exception, and the perfect blend of texture and flavors really came off well.

Drunken Chicken

Shanghai drunken chick is a staple in Ding Tai Fung, but here, it was more subtle with the wine element, and came off with a more pleasant and less bitter aftertaste.

The chicken was also very finely sliced and perfectly tender and moist. My final word on this dish is that I will find it hard to consume Ding Tai Fung's drunken chicken without thinking of this superior version.

Xiao Long Bao

Xiao Long Bao is also another popular item in Ding Tai Fung, and it is very good there. Shanghai Ren Jia's version is even better, and perhaps, the best Xiao Long Bao in Singapore.

The thin almost translucent skin

The skin of the bao here was so fine here that it was almost translucent, and fragile enough that a slight tap would burst it immediately.

As for the fillings, the pork broth was again, less intense, but more subtle in its flavors, and again, a hint of sweetness. It was also less oily than the usual Xiao Long Baos, and ultimately, this was one bao that you could not stop at one.

Fried Flat Beans and Bamboo Shoots

Mr Zhang was intent on pointing out that cooking simple ingredients but bringing out the flavors was more important than using expensive and premium ingredients.

And it was exemplified in this simple vegetable dish, where the intense green of the flat beans meant that the vegetable was cooked to just right. Crunchy, and just a slight touch of salt. Simple and effective.

Shen Jian Bao

Shen Jian Bao was one of the most interesting dishes during the lunch. There are small buns that are pan fried on the bottom first before they are steamed.

Just taking one look at these buns was mouth watering indeed, and the mixture of fried and steam bun skins was actually very novel. Mr Zhang pointed out that most other eateries steam then fry the buns, which is wrong.

The fillings were packed full of pork flavors and seasoning, and this was one of my favorite dishes here as well.

Smoked Duck with Asparags

My singular favorite from this session was this beautifully presented smoked duck dish. Sitting on a base of asparagus, this dish was a beautiful dish to look at and to consume.

The smoked flavor of the duck was sumptuously aromatic, and the tenderness of the duck was perfect. Not too dry, it was just right and delicious.

Pork Rib Noodles

Mr Zhang and his wife hand make all their noodles, and it clearly shows when you take a bit out of this tasty pork rib noodle plate.

The pork ribs themselves were nicely marinated and tender, and went perfectly with the wonderfully textured noodles. Forming a nice bite, the noodles could have done with more sauce, but was otherwise another standout from this humble restaurant.

The Passionate Mr Zhang

I had a chance to visit the equally humble kitchen, where Mrs Zhang did most of the cooking and with only one helper to serve the diners, it was certainly a very compact yet efficient operation.

Mr Zhang and his wife have been in Singapore for two decades, and the zest they have for food here is very palpable. They informed us that they regularly patronize other restaurants in order to learn how to cater to local tastes, and it clearly shows in their final product.

There were some other great dishes on offer that day, including a wonderful cold tofu with century egg and pork floss, which was superb and a simple fried egg with yellow chive dish.

I did notice that some of their dishes did show a bit more sweetness than I would have liked, but otherwise, their cooking was excellent all around.

If you fancy Shanghai food and a nice eatery outside of town, Shanghai Ren Jia is just perfect for such an occasion.

Shanghai Ren Jia

Blk 151 Ang Mo Kio Ave 5

#01-3046

Nam Seng Wanton Mee at Far East Square

2012-03-21T18:43:00.000-07:00

Despite my fondness of wanton mee, it is really hard to get really excellent wanton mee these days, well, at least for me.

There is always this nagging issue that it is nearly impossible to get every element of a bowl of wanton mee just absolutely right. And add to that, it is sometimes misleading to see long queues at one particular stall, only to find out it is overhyped.

Fortunately, thanks to OMark and Soundman, I was brought to one particularly standout wanton mee just this week at China Square.

Located at a corner of a food court, it was already forming a long queue even before lunchtime, but I was still skeptical. But the moment the bowls landed on my table, I knew I was in for a treat.

Exquisite Noodles

First, and let me get this out the way first. The char siew was pedestrian, and nowhere near how good Foong Kee was when I visited it a few weeks ago. Everything else, was supreme.

The noodles was the absolute star here. I was reliably informed that they had a secret recipe for the sauce that was light and slightly sweet, but nowhere near as moist as the Kok Wee one.

The noodles had an excellent texture, and almost al dente unlike most wanton noodles which are usually too soggy and soft. Brilliant!

Generous and Delicious Wantons

As for the wantons, I ordered the large portion and was surprisingly rewarded with a huge bowl of 6 wantons. Great value for money, and the fillings were delicious and packed a ton of flavors.

As I mentioned, aside from the char siew, this was one of the best bowls of wanton mee for the Silver Chef. I hope other wanton mee stalls take note, as often, there are quite a few who focus so much on char siew and totally ignore the more important factor of the noodles themselves.

At Nam Seng, the noodles reign supreme and totally rocks.

Nam Seng Wanton Mee

25 China Street #01-01

Far East Square

The Eternal Broth - The World's First Classical and Pop Music Album Created Entirely on the iPad and GarageBand

2012-03-15T17:19:00.003-07:00

With all the excitement surrounding the release of the new iPad, it is easy to miss out some other significant updates to Apple's products, in particular, the latest update to the GarageBand app on iPad.

Apart from being able to do a live jam and recording session over 4 iPads simultaneously, the biggest addition for me was the new Smart Strings instruments.

With this, anyone can basically do anything from a chamber music and string quartet to a full cinematic string section! This is really amazing, and powerful for someone like me who is basically a one man band, and now, a one man orchestra.

I decided to rearrange my entire Father album into a classical setting, and the result is this new collection, entitled The Eternal Broth.

In some ways, the title is akin to coming full circle with this theme and story I have been working on for the last few months, and as you may recall, the original short story is also called The Eternal Broth.

Now, every track has taken a whole new dimension with a classical strings orchestra arrangement. And I was mindful not to use any modern or electronic instruments. All additional instrumentation used are either acoustic or unplugged, and in certain ways, the music has benefitted from this.

The tracks now seem more powerful, majestic or simply more intense and dramatic. Hearing the final result has been most satisfying, and the comments on the forums so far has been overwhelming positive.

One listener even commented that he has ordered a new iPad just after hearing the new arrangement of "Father", which he said "was one of the best songs he heard in a long time, and it made his hair stand."

Others on YouTube have mentioned that they want more and have expressed similar remarks on enjoying the new tracks, which is indeed very gratifying and humbling at the same time.

My goal is to give classical music a more contemporary and accessible reach, while making pop instrumental music more elegant with the addition of classical elements.

Hence, I have labelled The Eternal Broth as classical and pop music at the same time, in the hope that it is a sensible mix of the two genres. And at the same time, being a world first of sorts by doing this entirely only on the iPad.

Well, I hope you will take a listen to it as well, and as usual, I attach the links to CDBaby and iTunes respectively. Enjoy!

http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/ianlow4

http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/the-eternal-broth/id510496594

To hear "Father", click here.

Swee Guan Hokkien Mee at Geylang Lorong 29

2012-03-11T20:33:00.000-07:00

Swee Guan Hokkien Mee has a over 30 years of history, and the current generation, Mr Swee, himself still does all the cooking and frying of the noodles.

It is found in a corner of Geylang where it is quietly tucked away in one corner of a coffeeshop. But let not this simple setting detract you from trying this immensely delicious hokkien mee.

For it is simply, one of the best fried hokkien mee places that I have come across. And then some.

Fried hokkien mee has always been one of my favorite hawker dishes, and yet, it is not often you find someone that can do this dish justice.

Perhaps it has to do with the fact that it is simply not easy to do this dish. You need a great amount of control over the fire, and because this dish needs to be cooked to order, it is also takes a skilled person to make this consistently good on every plate.

Mr Swee in action

Mr Swee learnt this skill from his father, and you can see the amount of effort he puts into every serving, which he cooks for about 5-6 persons at a go.

Cooking the squids and prawns can be quite a tricky task as they can be very easily overcooked and get chewy and rubbery for both seafood. Yet, somehow, Mr Swee seemed very at ease, and despite the heat from the wok fire, he could still find time to take a few sips of beer during the night we were there.

Gorgeous Fried Hokkien Mee

As for the final plate that was served on our table, it looked gorgeous enough just from the visuals that I knew this was going to be special.

The noodles had to be infused with a superior stock to give it that somewhat wet texture and here, the noodles simply flew of the palate charts!

The flavors were so intense, you had to take few bites before you were even conscious of what just transpired in your taste buds.

The prawns were perfectly cooked to superb juicy tenderness, and there were both generous and large. The sweetness from the seafood mixed with the tasty savory stock infused noodles were just marvelous!

Nothing else needs more to say except that this is one hokkien mee that is destined for longevity. That is, if Mr Swee continues this trade, which I hope he will.

Swee Guan Hokkien Mee

Corner coffeeshop at the Geylang side of Lorong 29

Chong Pang Community Cooking Demo with Masterchef Peter Neo

2012-03-05T18:35:00.001-08:00

Just the weekend before Valentine's Day, I was asked to host a cooking demonstration with Chef Peter Neo for Chong Pang CC for the People's Association for their Culinary Interest Group.

It was to be both a cooking demo plus serving the attendees with a 3 course Italian meal, which was quite a feat indeed.

Nevertheless, it was also a delight to be able to share the stage with our charming and masterful Peter Neo, who enthralled the audience with his cooking abilities as he whipped up a selection of classic Italian fare.

It started with a recipe on cooking classic minestrone soup, which really went down well with the folks there.

It was followed by the classic spaghetti vongole and finally finished with an interesting orange panna cotta dessert.

I must say, the audience was both enthusiastic and curious as Italian fare was not something they usually do at home, and for many, it was really a first of sorts.

Peter enrapturing the audience

The occasion was also filmed by a crew from PA and in fact, the audience was actually made up of grassroots leaders from the interest group.

Their task was to learn and cull from chefs like Peter and then teach their own communities what they learn here.

On our part, we had to prepare food for about 100 persons in the audience, and that itself required quite a bit of planning days ahead of the event. I have to thank Damien Low and his guys from Ice Edge Cafe who helped out quite a bit for their effort.

It was worth it though, as the food was very warmly received by everyone and there were so many questions and interested folks who simply wanted to know more about Italian and western cooking.

If anyone reading this is keen for such demos, do contact me as Chef Peter and myself look forward to doing more of such demos in the future!

Photos courtesy of Damien Low

Foong Kee - The Best Char Siew and Roast Meat/Sio Bak in Singapore?

2012-02-29T17:50:00.001-08:00

When I was in KL over the new year, I had blogged about savoring the best char siew ever, and was lamenting that Singapore did not have an equivalent of this simple but delicious dish.

Well, fret no more. And by chance, whilst at Keong Saik road for another food purpose, I had inadvertently found the nirvana of char siew and roast meat in Singapore.

Foong Kee is, in fact, was very established and outside of Fatty Cheong, another establishment which I have yet to go to, is hands down, serving the best char siew in Singapore right now.

Situated in a simple coffeeshop and facing a row of shophouses, this quietly looking eatery will surprise those who fancy a good bowl of wanton noodles and a plate of roast meat and char siew.

Char Siew and Roast Meat

Just looking at the plate itself, you could tell this was no ordinary plate of roasted meat. The roast meat was done simply to perfection. The skin was beautifully crisp and had that pretty tinge of orange. It was also not over charred.

The meat underneath was still moist and tender and the combination of flavors and textures would put most reputable HK restaurants to shame. And this was served at a local coffeeshop no less! Heavenly.

The char siew was impressively brilliant as well. The glaze was superbly done, with the char done to perfection to give a nice balance of sweet and bitter burnt flavors.

The meat itself was from the pork shoulder, which usually renders a more fatty texture, and hence, an excellent melt in your mouth feeling. Supreme.

Roast Duck

The roast duck was also good, but perhaps not reaching the same heights as the char siew and roast meat. The skin was nicely done, but not too crispy, and the meat still had a slight chewy bite, but was otherwise palatable.

Wanton Noodles

The noodles was also nice, and whilst not exceptional, it was at least above average when you toss it with the sharp chilli sauce that came with it. Unlike some places, where they focus on the meats and totally ignore the noodles, Foong Kee at least got this aspect just right.

The irony was that for a wanton noodle place, we had not even bothered to order the wantons though I was told on good authority that they made a mean wanton as well.

Alas, I will provide an update on the wantons the next time I am here, and I will be visiting this more often to savor the char siew and sio bak. For sure, until I visit Fatty Cheong, these 2 dishs reign supreme for now.

The best char siew and sio bak in Singapore? You bet.

Foong Kee

6 Keong Saik Road

Dragon Phoenix at Liang Court - The Best Yam Pot and Yu Sheng in Singapore

2012-02-26T17:36:00.000-08:00

The Lunar New Year season may be past us, but I could not resist talking about having the best yu sheng ever at this landmark Chinese restaurant in Singapore.

Started by Hooi Kok Wai, otherwise known as one of the Four Heavenly Kings of Chinese food, they have moved from Middle Road to Maxwell and finally, now at their present premises in Liang Court.

There has been a recent debate on whether Yu Sheng or Lor Hei was started by Singapore or Malaysia, and my personal view is that it does not really matter in the end.

According to his Mr Hooi's son, and Mr Hooi himself, Yu Sheng was a New Year dish that they came up with for people to begin an evening of festivities, and eventually it became more of a tradition to stand up and toss this salad like dish as a toast to the coming new year.

Yu Sheng ingredients

Yu Sheng and Lor Hei has also certainly evolved over the years. But the core ingredients remain largely the same. The finely cut vegetables, the sweet plum sauce, the raw fish (usually salmon these days) and the crunchy crackers constitute this celebrated dish.

Dragon Phoenix Yu Sheng

For Dragon Phoenix, being the pioneer of this dish, I was pleasantly surprised to find that they did mix the ingredients in a rather different manner from most restaurants.

The sauce is actually mixed first in the plate before tossing in the rest of the ingredients. The result of this is that it looks more like rojak in a way, and yet the ingredients were much better infused with the sauce.

As for the dish itself, I must compliment it as the best yu sheng I have tasted thus far. The flavors were bursting in my mouth, and the textures were incredible. Every bite had a mouthwatering experience that it is really hard to describe.

Yam Pot

We have had yam pots almost everywhere these days, and to find good ones is also a bit rare as well. Again, I was surprised to learn that Mr Hook was also the pioneer of this dish. And the story behind this dish was even more intriguing.

You see, when Mr Hooi was courting his wife, his wife was raised by nuns and they were vegetarian. Mr Hooi thus had to concoct a vegetarian dish to serve to the nuns and in a way, to score some points. Well, he eventually came up with this yam pot dish, which originally, had no meat in it.

As for the yam pot served in Dragon Phoenix, it also looked very unusual, as the top of the yam pot had this explosion look that was both different and spectacular.

Tastewise, it was marvelous. The deep fried texture of the yam was flaky and crispy, and did not exhibit the floury flavors of other less well made yam pots. Inside, the ingredients were well cooked and seasoned and combined well with the crispy yam.

Besides these 2 dishes, Dragon Phoenix is also well known for coming up with the original chilli crab, and a host of other classic Chinese dishes that we know so well today.

Mr Hooi's son now leads the restaurant, and he is keen to continue in his dad's footsteps. He is also part of the younger generation that aims to market his dad's classic dishes to a more youthful audience as well.

Dragon Phoenix is indeed, a true Chinese classic.

Dragon Phoenix Restaurant

177A River Valley Road

#06-00 Liang Court (via Novotel Clarke Quay entrance)

Beef Meatballs With Mushroom and Onion Sauce

2012-02-20T17:55:00.000-08:00

I believe that many of us have been to Ikea cafe and enjoyed the immensely popular Swedish meatballs there. I believe that is their bestselling item there.

And quite a few would have loved it so much that they brought the frozen packs back and cooked it at home as well. Well, I was wondering if I could do a homemade version of it.

Quite simply, it is basically minced beef made into balls served with boiled potatoes and a side of cranberry sauce.

Well, the potatoes part is easy to say the least. Just diced a couple of potatoes and boil it in water for about 20 minutes until they are soft and set aside until they are ready to be served.

For the meatballs, for a serving of 2, I bought about 250gm of minced beef. Season it with salt and pepper, and if you like, add in diced spring onion or onion for some additional flavors.

Use your hands to make the meatballs out of the seasoned minced beef just about the size of golf ball or slight larger.

To cook the meatballs, simply fill a pan with olive oil and saute the balls until they are cooked all round and are slightly caramelized.

Making the beef sauce is equally easy and simple. In a saucepan or pot, add some olive oil and let the pan heat up.

Chop some diced onion, about half, and about 3 or 4 button mushrooms, though you can use any mushroom of your choice as well.

Add in the onions and mushrooms and cook for a few minutes until they are soft and the flavors are well extracted.

Add in just enough beef stock to make a sauce. Be wary not to add too much as it will be harder to reduce down.

Bring it to a full boil and let it reduce for about 5 minutes. Add in some fresh whipping cream to give it the texture and color.

A tip is to add in a bit of coffee powder to add a tinge of bitterness and acidity to the mixture.

To serve, plate the potatoes and meatballs and drizzle the delicious beef sauce on top and there you have it. Homemade meatballs that is every bit as good, if not better, than the ones you get in Ikea!

Tao Xiang Kitchen at Sixth Avenue, Bukit Timah

2012-02-13T17:54:00.000-08:00

Nestled within the eateries of Bukit Timah, is this almost hidden gem of a Cantonese roast meat stall, found in a typical looking coffeeshop.

Sixth Avenue is known for eateries like Brazil over the years, and other more Western inclined establishments, so it was quite the surprise to find this among the more famous names.

The owner used to work for popular restaurants like Crystal Jade and Imperial Treasure, and thus, you get a slice of restaurant quality fare for coffeeshop prices. A good deal indeed.

They open until 8pm every night, and serve typical Cantonese fare like roasted meats and wanton and shrimp noodles, so at first glance, you might not realise that it is anything special.

Noodles

I was advised to take the noodles instead of the rice, and while it was nothing extraordinary, it was simple and good, with a nice savory sauce for you to toss the noodles in. It comes with your typical Chinese greens and is perfect to go along with the meats.

White Steamed Chicken

Unlike your typical Hainanese chicken rice, the steamed chicken here is not served cold, but rather somewhat warm. I must say that the quality of this steamed chicken is actually better than some of the best Hainanese chicken that I have savored.

It was less seasoned than most steamed chicken, but that was fine by me as I prefer to have a more mild sesame seasoning. The chicken itself was perfectly tender and slippery, and just from the look of it, I knew it was incredibly tasty.

Succulent and moist within, this is perhaps the best non-Hainanese steamed chicken that I have come across. And then some.

Assorted Roast Meats

The meat platter was a mixed bag, however. The char siew lacked a decent glaze and char, and the meat was dry and chewy, so I would give that a miss. The roast duck had a nice crispy and flavorful skin, but was otherwise just above average and par for what you get in most Cantonese restaurants.

The roasted pork, however, was an absolute delight. The skin was beautifully crisp and aromatic, and the meat itself was tender and totally melting in your mouth quality. This pork bested even some of the finest restaurants for its sheer quality and value.

Shrimp Dumplings

We did not get to taste the wanton, but if the shrimp dumplings were anything to go by, the wantons could not have been far off as well.

The dumplings were huge and generous portion, and had a delicious fillings and was very well seasoned. This was certainly restaurant quality again, and for the price, this was very good value for money.

Personally, I do not rave about much wanton and roasted meat stalls these days, as I find that they are usually only good in one area. Usually they will serve good char siew but mediocre noodles and wanton or vice versa.

Here at Tao Xiang, they managed to provide a very high standard all around, and if nothing else, the steamed chicken, roasted pork and shrimp dumplings certainly warrant a drive there.

Tao Xiang Kitchen

10E Sixth Avenue

#10-01

Father - The New Album and The Eternal Broth

2012-02-07T04:22:00.000-08:00

I have been working on the last few months on my latest music project, and today, it is finally released! It is out now on iTunes, Amazon and CDBaby, among many other digital music stores.

The new album is called Father and it is a departure from my first two previous albums, which focused quite a bit on food and using food as titles for the tracks.

This time round, there is still some connection on food, but there is a short story which I have written that accompanies the album.

The short story is called "The Eternal Broth" and tells the story of the 2 Jin brothers and their dad, who happens to run a bak kut teh stall.

The music album comprises of 10 tracks which details the story in its different phases and events in chronological order.

The music was composed to be like a soundtrack to the story, and thus, "Brothers" is an innocent, almost harmless sounding track, whilst "Departure", which chronicles the dad's death, is sombre and melancholic.

All in all, Father is my most fulfilling effort so far, and I was looking for just doing musical tracks based on food names, and by writing both a story and a soundtrack based on the story was both challenging and satisfying at the same time.

It is also a more consistent album, where I feel that every track is there for a purpose, and yet it still has a certain degree of variety of musical styles and genres.

There is a little bit of guitar pop/rock, slight jazz, soul, blues and even orchestral strings thrown in. Some ethnic influences were also added.

As before, this was initially written and recorded entirely on the iPad and Garageband, using a mixture of instruments and mixed loops available.

This time, however, final mixing and mastering was done on the Mac Garageband as I wanted the highest quality sound and bit rate possible. Thus, the tracks will come off more vibrant than before.

It was a great pleasure doing this, and with a story to go along, I hope this album is more substantial than the previous ones and will provide enjoyment and joy for its listeners.

I hope you guys will support it and enjoy it as much as I had whilst writing and recording this album.

You can also download the iBook for free in the US store at this link.

Click here to download the album.

This album is also dedicated to my dad.

White Coq Au Vin

2012-01-31T21:20:00.000-08:00

Previously, in one of my earlier recipes, I had done a classic coq au vin, stewed for hours and has since been a favorite among family and friends.

Recently, I had a chance to cook for some friends during a dinner gathering for a bunch of food kakis, and that included the illustrious Leslie Tay from the ieatishootipost blog.

Cooking for a group is always quite challenging, and seeing that I had only about an hour or so to cook, I decided to modify a faster version of coq au vin, using white wine for a lighter, more refreshing flavor, and this proved to be a wise choice.

To begin, brown some finely diced bacon until they are fragrant and slightly crispy. In the same pan, seal the chicken drumsticks for about a minute or two, until they skin is browned.

In a pot, saute some diced onions and chopped leeks for a couple of minutes until they are also fragrant. Drizzle a little white wine and let the vegetables absorb the wine liquid.

Add in more vegetables in the form of diced potatoes and carrots and throw in the bacon.

Add in about one third bottle of white wine and bring it to a boil. Add in the chicken drumsticks and add enough chicken stock until the drumsticks and vegetables are fully covered and bring to a boil.

Instead of letting it stew at a low heat, keep boiling at medium to medium high heat until the wine reduces the chicken into a very flavorful stock and letting the vegetables' flavors fully immersed.

After about half an hour, add in a knob of butter and remove from heat. To serve, just garnish with some chopped basil for the added aroma and color.

The chicken drumsticks will not be broken down like classic coq au vin, but instead, firm but fully cooked and moist inside. This is handy if you have limited time to cook coq au vin or chicken stew.