Wednesday, January 6, 2016

Fei Xiong Huang Chao at Changi Simei Community Centre - Dinner with the In laws

The Occasion: Christmas gathering 
Had dinner with the In-Laws at Changi-Simei Community Centre Coffeeshop with the Zhi Char stall called Fei Xiong Huang Chao that specialises in Chinese & Asian Zhi Char dishes cooked by mostly Malaysian Chefs with a good selection from various categories : Seafood, Meat, Poultry, Vegetables. 

My brother-in-law had a craving for Frog's legs so we ordered the Frog's legs stir fry with ginger & onion. 




This is the staple must order dish whenever we dine here & my Mum-in-law's favorite - the Nonya Assam whole Seabass. It comes with a tangy sour sweet salty flavor. 

This is the Prawn Paste Chicken commonly known as the Har Cheong Kai served here. The chicken is rolled in flour with salt pepper & prawn paste & deep fried till cooked. The key skill is to use really hot oil to deep fry the chicken so the oil will not adhere to the chicken - the end result is chicken meat tender on the inside & yet crispy of the outer skin. 



This is the Spinach with mushroom & carrot stir fry in oyster sauce. 

This is the Butter King Prawn with head & shell. This is my top dish for the evening. I loved gthat the Chef rolled the king prawns in butter & deep fried them so that the head & shells are crispy & so edible, but a strong buttery fragrance. 


Wednesday, November 11, 2015

Poulet at Chinatown Point #02-40

Our visit to Poulet @Chinatown Point 
Bob & I happen to visit Chinatown Point to do some grocery shopping at the NTUC Fairprice & DAISO. It was soon lunchtime & we both felt so hungry we could devour a pig. Much to my delight Bob agreed to dine at Poulet www.poulet.com.sg at Chinatown. 

The Poulet Ownership 
Poulet means chicken in French, and is one of the brands owned & managed by The Minor Food Group Singapore which also owns other brands such as : ThaiExpress, Xin Wang Hong Kong Cafe, Buffet Town, Penang Street, Shokudo Concepts, Basil. 

The Beginning of Poulet
The very first Poulet www.poulet.com.sg flagship outlet started at Bugis+ in July 2012. Since then the company has opened a total of 8 other outlets in various malls in Singapore making total of 9 outlets in all to date. 

The 9 Poulet outlets 
Poulet can be found in: 

  1. Bugis+
  2. Bedok Mall, 
  3. Chinatown Point, 
  4. Great World City, 
  5. Changi Airport Terminal 3, 
  6. Kallang Wave @Sports Hub, 
  7. Raffles City Shopping Centre, 
  8. Vivocity, 
  9. Westgate.


The Poulet Concept 
Poulet www.poulet.com.sg is a casual dining restaurant serving classic French cuisine at affordable pricing to discerning diners who have a penchant for French cuisine & desserts. 

The Poulet Ambience 
The restaurants sports a modern contemporary design with homely furniture : wooden tables paired with classic modern chairs. 

The Poulet Kitchen 
Poulet www.poulet.com.sg boasts of an open kitchen concept where the diners are able to see their food being prepped & served thus providing diners a feast of the eyes before they feast on their orders. 

The Poulet Menu 
The chefs at Poulet www.poulet.com.sg serves up a good variety of French inspired dishes using authentic French ingredients, classic traditional French recipes. 

The menu at Poulet www.poulet.com.sg is comprehensive & consists of various categories ranging from : Appetizers, Soups, Salads, Sandwiches, Mains, Sides, Desserts. 

The Signature Poulet 
Here's our order for lunch -  the beautifully glazed whole Poulet basks in creamy home made fresh button mushroom Chardonnay sauce & is served elegantly in a porcelain white cocotte, & garnished with fresh spinach leaves. 
Tasting Notes - The chicken roasted till its meat is tender moist & juicy, simply perfectly done, not over cooked or under cooked. The skin is still completely enveloping the meat and retains its moisture to lend a flavorful bite. 
The creamy fresh button mushroom in Chardonnay sauce is simply delightfully tasty, the richness of the mushroom blends so perfectly well with the Chardonnay. 

The Signature Mushroom Soup
Whenever I dine at Poulet www.poulet.com.sg I must have the Countryside Mushroom Soup to go withe my main course. 
Core Ingredients - The chef uses cream, wild mushrooms, Idaho potatoes to as key ingredients to making this soup. 
Tasting Notes - The soup is very rich, creamy, lemak, savory & full of mushroom goodness. The Idaho potatoes are blended so smooth yet lends a mildly starchy texture to the soup. 



Poulet@Chinatown Point is at : 
Chinatown Point #02-40
Tel : 65383595
Opening Hours : 11.30 am to 10 pm
www.poulet.com.sg
www.facebook.com/pouletsg

Tuesday, November 10, 2015

JJ Thai Cuisine at 8 Jalan Legundi Unit #01-10 Victory 8 Building (Part 2 of 2)

JJ Thai Cuisine opens a year ago at 8 Jalan Legundi, Sembawang, at the Victory 8 Building & initially occupied just one unit #01-10 but quickly took over another unit #01-05 that was vacated by an ice cream parlour. 

The Ownership 
JJ Thai Cuisine's owner Mr Han started his flagship Thai Food stall at Blk 115 Bukit Merah View #01-01, Bukit Merah Food Centre, Singapore 151115 after returning to Singapore  & having completed his stint as a Restaurant Manager managing a Thai restaurant in Thailand. 

Because of the merchant & supplier network he had established in his capacity as Restaurant Manager in Thailand, he was able to import authentic ingredients direct from Thailand for use at his Bukit Merah Stall as well as his current JJ Thai Cuisine at 8 Jalan Legundi, Victory 8 Building at Sembawang. 

The Cuisine & The Signature Dishes 
The cuisine served here is Thai with key signatures such as Pandan Leaf chicken, Tom Yum Soup, Thai Fish cake, Thai Prawn cake, Thai Green Curry, Thai Red Curry, Fried Fish. JJ Thai cuisine serves lunch, dinner & drinks. 



5. Signature Sambal Kang Kong
If there is one vegetable I never get enough of - it must be the staple Sambal Kang Kong, usually one of the favorite among Zhi Char dishes, it is usually stir-fried with dried shrimp, sambal chili sauce and/or with Belachan chili sauce. 
I love it that the native Thai Chef managed the fire well enough to not overcook it or undercook it, so that the Sambal Kang Kong still retains its green hue. 





6. Signature Thai Fish Cakes (at S$8 per serving of 4 pieces ) 
The Thai Fish Cakes otherwise known as Tod Mun Pla served here at JJ Thai Cuisine are huge, quite a respectable size & portion & measures about 2.5 inches in diameter with a thickness of about 0.75 inch. 
How it is prepared - Basically the Chef combines all the core ingredients : fish paste, Thai red curry paste, egg, kaffer lime leaves, corn flour & blend them into a smooth paste, then add the french beans & mix the paste evenly. He then makes them into a flat circular cake, coats them in flour & deep fries them in a deep fryer at 180 degrees Celsius for about 3 - 4 minutes till them are fully cooked. 
For the dipping sauce the Chef uses core ingredients : Thai fish sauce, Thai sweet chili, roasted chopped peanuts, finely diced cucumber. 
Tasting Notes - compared to other Thai restaurants I visited, JJ Thai Cuisine serves up the biggest Thai fish cake I ever tasted. measuring 2.5 inches in diameter & 0.75 inch thick, the Thai Fish cake is chock full of, note, real fish meat mixed evenly with the Red curry paste, to grant a smooth chewy texture, reeks full of aromatic Kaffer lime flavor & red curry flavor, with the occasional crunchy bites from the French beans embedded within it. 
It is best recommended to pair it with the dipping sauce as it lends a sweet mildly spicy nutty flavor to the fish cake & makes it deliciously appetizing.



7. Signature Green Curry Prawns
To make the curry assessment & evaluation complete we ordered the Green Curry Prawn just to determine which curry tastes better here at JJ Thai Cuisine.  
The Thai Chef uses fresh large prawns for this recipe. The large prawns are butterflied & de-veined, but with heads still attached. 
The green curry paste generally used in Thai cuisine are made using core ingredients such as : cilantro roots, coriander, cumin, galangal, garlic, kaffer lime, lemongrass, peppercorns, salt, shallots, shrimp paste, chili leaf, Thai green chili peppers. 
The ingredients are pounded in a mortar & pestle till a smooth paste is found then it is ready for use in making the Thai Green Curry Prawn. 

Tasting Notes - I am impressed the Chef uses large prawns here for this dish. Generally if the prawns are fresh the meat is firm & bouncy & has a sturdy crunchy bite to it. The Thai Chef cleverly butterflies the prawns so they are better able to absorb the flavors of the green curry paste as well as to be better infused with the rich flavors. 

The green curry gravy is slightly more lemak than the red curry & bears a amalgam of aromatic flavors of the various spices & herbs uses in this recipe. 




JJ Thai Cuisine is conveniently located at : 
8 Jalan Legundi, Unit #01-10, 
Victory 8 Building, Singapore 
Tel : 64844110
www.facebook.com/JJThaiCuisine
www.jjthaicuisine.com.sg

Opening Hours : 
11.30 am to 10.30 pm ( Tuesday to Sundays )
Closed on Mondays 
Offers Delivery, Catering, Take-Outs.
Accepts Cash only.

JJ Thai Cuisine at 8 Jalan Legundi Unit #01-10 Victory 8 Building (Part 1 of 2)

JJ Thai Cuisine opens a year ago at 8 Jalan Legundi, Sembawang, at the Victory 8 Building & initially occupied just one unit #01-10 but quickly took over another unit at #01-05 that was vacated by an ice cream parlour. 

The Ownership 
JJ Thai Cuisine's owner Mr Han started his flagship Thai Food stall at Blk 115 Bukit Merah View #01-01, Bukit Merah Food Centre, Singapore 151115 after returning to Singapore  & having completed his stint as a Restaurant Manager managing a Thai restaurant in Thailand. 

Because of the merchant & supplier network he had established in his capacity as Restaurant Manager in Thailand, he was able to import authentic ingredients direct from Thailand for use at his Bukit Merah Stall as well as his current JJ Thai Cuisine at 8 Jalan Legundi, Victory 8 Building at Sembawang. 

The Cuisine & The Signature Dishes 
The cuisine served here is Thai with key signatures such as Pandan Leaf chicken, Tom Yum Soup, Thai Fish cake, Thai Prawn cake, Thai Green Curry, Thai Red Curry, Fried Fish. JJ Thai cuisine serves lunch, dinner & drinks. 



1. Signature Thai Prawn cake (donut shaped)
If you are really very hungry & have a lot of room, I suggest you try out their Thai Prawn cakes (below*) that serves 4 pieces for a reasonable price of S$10.00. 

How it is prepared - The native Thai Chef handmakes these Thai Prawn cakes by mincing the fresh prawns & squid into a paste then shaped them like a donut. 
The chef then coats the Thai Prawn cakes with Japanese bread crumbs & deep fries them in oil at high heat. 
The end result is Thai Prawn cakes that are donut shaped & measures 3 inches in diameter with a thickness of about 1.5 inch. Priced at S$2.50 per piece this Thai Prawn cake is really a steal. 
Tasting Notes - One thing to note is that the ingredients used here at JJ Thai Cuisine is really fresh. The native Chef uses fresh prawns in this recipe and mixes it with some fresh squid paste, then kneads it thoroughly to give it a springy consistency. 
Interspersed between the prawn & squid paste are tiny bite size portions of the fresh prawn. The native Thai Chef uses Japanese bread crumbs to coat the Thai Prawn cake & to seal the natural flavors of the prawn & squid within the donut shaped Thai Prawn cake. 
The end result is the inner core prawn & squid meat is juicy sweet tender springy, the outer Japanese bread crumb layer is not oily any bit but lends a crispy bite & aroma to the Prawn cake. 
It helps that the Thai native Chef serves this dish with the tangy citrus sweet spicy Thai Chili sauce that pairs so delightfully well with the Thai Prawn Cake. IMHO I am so going to order this same dish on my second, third & forever visits to JJ Thai Cuisine. Ssh....Shh.....don't tell anyone !

2. Signature Sweet & Sour Pork(at S$10 per serving)
The Thai native Chef uses core ingredients - pork sliced in thin strips, red & green & yellow capsicums sliced in thin strips, cucumber in slices, onions diced, cabbage in strips to garnish as base. 

Sweet & sour pork happens to be Bob's must try dish, those that we are so used to eating at most Zhi Char stalls are usually diced & coated with a generous dose of flour & deep fried till crisp. 
How it is prepared - Here at JJ Thai Cuisine, the Thai chef prefers to cut the pork in strips then coats them with flour & deep fried for use later. He then stir fries the capsicum strips, with the cucumber & onions & adds the fried pork strips & stirs in the ketchup & tomato sauce with a dash of sugar to lend a sweetness to the sauce. 
Tasting Notes - I must confess upfront I never crave anything cooked in ketchup as I have never loved ketchup, don't ask me why, but I simply dislike tomato & ketchup. But the Thai Chef manage to whip up a modestly passable Sweet & Sour Pork for me. The capsicums lends a fair amount of mild peppery flavor with a crunchy bite. The caramelized ketchup tomato sauce glistens in the cozy spotlight & gives the sweet & sour pork strips an appetizing glaze.

3. Signature Red Curry Chicken (priced at S$8 per seving)
As with most Thai restaurants the curry gravy are usually prepared way ahead, & the meat ordered added to the curry & then served. Here at JJ Thai Cuisine, the native Thai Chef had already prepared the red curry at the start of the day's operation. 

So when Bob & I ordered the Red Curry Chicken the Thai Chef simply added the chicken cubes into the red curry gravy, cooked the chicken pieces in the gravy till they are done, then served warm. 

Tasting Notes - If Mr Han has a chance to read this post I hope he will take IMHO in a positive light & strive to do better for this dish. IMHO I felt that the portion of chicken pieces in this dish served on the night of our visit was simply way too little - there was only like 4 to 5 pieces of chicken meat swimming in the red curry gravy. 
The chicken meat used here is likely to be fresh chicken as the meat is rather tender. The red curry gravy is flavorful, mildly spicy with a tinge of sweetness. Generally Thai curry gravy are a tad on the sweeter level unlike Nasi Padang Curry which tend to be more spicy. The Red Curry gravy is pretty lemak & goes very well with the white rice served.

4. Signature Seafood Tang Hoon Salad
This is one dish you can never feel guilty about eating because you are never gonna get fat eating it & yet it is so fulfilling, stomach-wise. I am talking about the humble Seafood Tang Hoon Salad.
So what do you get when you mix fresh large prawns, fresh large squid rings, Tang Hoon, onions, chives, onions, carrot strips, chili, dried shrimps, together with a dash of fish sauce, citrus lime juice? The result is a deliciously appetizing salad rich in Omega-3 guaranteed to tickle your palate. 
This has to be one of my must haves at any Thai restaurant & is the core dishes I use to access whether the Thai restaurant is up to standard. For this dish JJ Thai Cuisine managed to win me over with the use of fresh ingredients in large portions. The tangy citrus spicy flavors in this salad combined with the myriad textures from the Tang Hoon & seafood used in this recipe makes this dish a voluptrously enticing dish to savor. 





JJ Thai Cuisine is conveniently located at : 
8 Jalan Legundi, Unit #01-10, 
Victory 8 Building, Singapore 
Tel : 64844110
www.facebook.com/JJThaiCuisine
www.jjthaicuisine.com.sg

Opening Hours : 
11.30 am to 10.30 pm ( Tuesday to Sundays )
Closed on Mondays 
Offers Delivery, Catering, Take-Outs.
Accepts Cash only.

Friday, November 6, 2015

La Pastificio at Sembawang Shopping Centre Level 1

One of my Facebook friend Jowel Foo is the proud owner & operator of La Pastificio that serves Pasta Pizza Coffee & Cake located at Level 1 of Sembawang Shopping Centre at Sembwang Road. It used to be housed within the Level 2 Food Court at Sembawang Sopping Centre but ever since My Nasi Lemak (owned by the Paradise Group of Companies) moved out, Jowel Foo took over the unit. 



The decor is modern European rustic style with metallic chairs with back rest & metallic stools paired with wooden rectangle or square tables. 














Founder Jowel Foo put up a little tiny Tots corner equipped with tiny stove, little train with rail for the toddlers & little ones to occupy themselves whilst waiting for food to arrive. 


Just overlooking the Tiny Tots Corner is this shelf display from which hangs a bunny soft toy & a froggy soft toy that adds a playful touch to the decor. 

The Menu is simple with selection of Pasta, Pizza, Salad, Wraps, Main Course with sides, as well as a number of Vegetarian dishes to cater to those who are vegetarians. 



There is a Lunch Time Executive Special S$6.90 Set from 11 am to 3 pm weekday only.
One of my must have favorite at La Pastificio is the Creamy Pesto Pasta with Grilled Chicken priced at S$8.90 per serving. I always ask for more garlic with more cream so it is more flavorful. Then when it is served I will doused it with more paprika flakes, cheese flakes, pepper & Tabasco sauce to give it an added kick.



Bob prefers the Grilled Chicken Chop also priced at S$8.90 per serving, served with two sides. 


We usually top up an extra S$3.50 for the Soup of The Day with Hot Lemon Tea.

If you happen to visit in the north, come to :
La Pasticifio located at : 
604 Sembawang Road 
#01-26 Sembawang Shopping Centre 
Tel : 65706991
Opening Hours : 11 am to 9.30 pm Daily. 

Wednesday, November 4, 2015

Thai Festival at The Royal Thai Embassy 2015 from 3 to 6 September 2015

Every year The Royal Thai Embassy conducts Thai Festival on the grounds of The Royal Thai Embassy here in Orchard Road. This year it falls from 3 to 6 September 2015. Being the foodie that I am, I headed down to their opening on the first day. 

Thai Chili Sauce 
My first stop was this merchant who came up with 3 flavors of Thai Chili sauce that pairs very well with meat & seafood & tasted so good I bought 3 bottles. 


Thai Sauces & Condiments 
There's another merchant selling a broader selection of condiments & sauces for use in cooking Thai cuisine 

Thai Coconut Crepe 
The all time favorite Thai Coconut Crepe is also on sale at the Thai Festival.

Thai Sausages 
Here's some Thai Sausages marinated & seasoned with various commonly used Thai herbs such as Thai Basil, lemongrass, shallots, garlic, etc. 


Mini Sausages 
Besides the long sausages this booth also sells the mini sausages 

Thai Deep Fried Bacon Strips 
These are the deep fried bacon strips fried to a golden crispy texture. 

Thai Mango & Papaya Salad
This booth sells the traditional Thai Mango Salad & Thai Papaya Salad. Check out the core ingredients used in these Salad recipes : dried shrimps, mini black crabs, tomato, onions, shallots, green mango, green papaya.

Thai Mango Salad 
This is another booth that sells Thai Mango Salad using core ingredients such as peanuts, Thai Green Mango, long beans, tomato, dried shrimp, dried chili, garlic, lime. 

Papaya Salad
The papaya salad is made using key ingredients : green papaya, carrots, long beans, red chili, cabbage. 

Barbecued meats 
This booth sells meat such as pork that are marinated with spices, skewered on a stick, then barbecued over charcoal fire. 

Pad Thai
There is also a stall selling Pad Thai using key ingredients such as Thai rice noodles, prawns, eggs, tomato, bean sprouts, chives, fish sauce, cooking oil, lime, peanuts, garlic, tamarind paste. 

Barbecued Meats 
Right at this other corner of the Festival is a second booth selling meat skewered on a stick then barbecued to perfection. 

Thai Mango Salad, Papaya Salad, Seafood Salad
Another Booth selling Thai Mango & Papaya Salad. 

Thai Desserts 
This is a booth selling a good selection of mouth watering traditional Thai desserts such as Loop Sop,  Thai Sticky Tapioca, etc. 


Thai Curry 
These ladies serve 3 different types of curry at this booth : Nam Ya Ka Ti, Nam Ya Korat, Nam Ya Pak Tai 

This booth serves Fried fish with Thai rice noodles.

Thai Cuisine Cooking Demonstration 
Besides the food booths selling manly Thai cuisine, there is also Cooking Demonstration at the Thai Festival as part of the program. Below our Thai lady Chef demonstrates how to cook Thai Fried Pineapple rice.

Boat Noodle 
Free food sampling is available at this Boat Noodle booth. 

Some good stuff goes inside the Boat Noodle dish, ingredients include the dried shrimp, Thai rice noodles, coriander leaves, meatball, minced meat, soup broth. 



Bau Loy Kai Wan Stall 
Another free food sampling happens here at the Bau Loy Kai Wan stall here that serves a dessert called Kha Nom Bua Loy. 




Muay Thai Boxing Performance
After much feasting of the palate & stomach, its time for feast of the eyes. There were remarkable performances by these Muay Thai Boxers. 



Thai Cultural Dancers 
These beautiful Thai female dancers dance to the beat of traditional Thai music to the delight of all the onlooking spectators. 




I enjoyed myself so much I took some time to pose with the display panels at the Thai Festival. 


Am so thrilled with my visit I am so looking forward to next year's The Royal Thai Embassy Thai Festival Open house. 

River JOrdan and JOrdan being groovy on the disco floor !

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...