What I ate, shot and posted in 2009

Well it's the last day of the year and I want to take the opportunity to wish everyone a very Happy and Bountifully Blessed New Year ahead. 2009 has been a great year for the blog and I want to try to summarize the highlights of the year and re-live some of the most significant blog posts.

The Find of the Year would no doubt have to be the story of retired Hong Kong Masterchef, Gen Shu, who felt that retirement was just too boring and so he decided to continue to share his passion for Hong Kong cuisine with Singaporeans by opening a stall in a hawker centre. That means that you can partake of years of culinary prowess for less than $2. We have our kaki, Cactuskit to thank for this wonderful discovery.

Another eatery that really got our kakis all excited was Bismillah Biryani, which I stumbled upon while waiting for a couple of friends in Little India. Subsequently, our kakis (you guys) swarmed the restaurant which motivated the owner Arif to write:

"What I think I have been trying to achieve together with you guys in this past six weeks have been most gratifying. I feel now that past six years haven't been a waste as a result of this. It is quite subjective to say that what I have achieved is the holy grail but I sure have got on the right track and the pursuit now is 'the perfect Singaporean biryani'. I want to emphasize that it would not be possible without you being an accidental tourist to my restaurant and the faith you guys have placed in my passion."

If you are surprised that these words were written by a hawker, I don't blame you. It might help if you knew that he is a retired journalist from Pakistan who migrated to Singapore years ago.

The post that got the most comment last year was one about the super soft buns from Barcook Bakery. It was quite unexpected because from my point of view, it was quite an ordinary post with a photo which I wasn't really all that excited about. I guess Singaporeans really love their buns. Another post which really got people excited was Arnold's Fried Chicken which shows how much we Singaporeans love our crispy fried chicken even though the standard of fried chicken at our biggest chain, KFC, is appalling when compared to neighbouring countries. Fried chicken is unhealthy enough even when it is fried correctly, how much more if it was drenched in oil?

This is the year of the Crab and we have Malaysia's Tourism Minister to thank for sparking my interest to blog about the crustacean which is dear to many a Singaporean tummy. The Malaysian claim on Chilli Crab sparked off my own discovery of Roland Restaurant's original Chilli Crab recipe as well as getting the ieat Global Crab fest going which was probably the most sought after makan session of the year. We had to close the registration within 6 hours of posting the invitation. The Singaporean passion for Crabs is never in doubt. What was in doubt is whether Chilli Crabs are still the National Crab Dish. But our polls show that we Singaporeans still love our Chilli Crabs. So hands off our National Dish Minister Ng!

Actually, if you ask me, Singapore should be considered the Crab capital of the world. Seriously. I think we got the most variety of crabs and the most number of ways to cook them in the world! Next year, I will continue to search out the best places to eat the other crab dishes. So do write in and tell us where the best Salted Egg Crab, Crab Bee Hoon and Black Pepper Crabs are.

The other Singaporean passion is undoubtedly for the spiky green food which the Ang Mohs feel smell like the puke after one had just ingested month old smelly socks worned by rugby players. Durian Degustation IV attracted over 200 people within 12 hours. Yes, yes I hear you. We will get to work on Durian Degustation V next year!

Our regular readers will know very well that I am most interested in eccentric little places which are owned and run by passionate chefs. With the blossoming of Japanese food in Singapore, I was pleased to find a little Japanese lady who still insists on making everything herself at Chako restaurant. The only complaint that I ever hear of this restaurant is the fact that you have to wait a long time to eat. I think we Singaporeans are often too rushed to be able to just sit down and enjoy the pitter patter of a little Japanese lady making her own tempura batter in the kitchen. In terms of foreign cuisine, I am planning to do more Japanese and Italian posts next year since our polls are quite clear that these two cuisines are very popular amongst Singaporeans.

I have also started to do video blogs this year. This all came about when I met my videographer, Melvyn, while we were shooting for an episode of Planet Food. We thought it would be interesting to see how well Video clips can complement the blog. By far, the most popular Video Blog to date has been the one where Chef Nogawa taught us how to enjoy sushi in ieat learns to eat sushi. Many readers have also written in to tell me how much they enjoy the series on basic Japanese recipes with Chef Tom. The first episode of the ieat learns to cook an egg series shows you how to peel an egg without using your fingers and there are many more tips in the upcoming episodes. So if you are keen to start learning how to cook, the egg is a good ingredient to start with. If you have suggestions on what topics you would like to see, do write in and let me know.

Besides Japanese food, I have also been having fun in my kitchen. The most satisfying recipe that I have posted was my dissertation on how to make Tau Huay after one month of researching. The reason to embark on this seemingly useless exercise (since you can easily buy a bowl of tau huay for less than $1, why bother?) is the fact that I just love the challenge of doing something that everyone else seems to think is too difficult. The results are extremely gratifying and for the $2 you spend on buying the ingredients to make Tau Huay for your dinner party of 10, I guarantee that you would generate more oooohs and aaaahhhs than if you were to buy an expensive chocolate cake from some fancy bakery.

The most unusual food that I had this year had to be Balut which I got to eat when I visited Manila. Don't worry, I am not about to start blogging more about earthworms and bugs. I don't seek to eat these things, but if I come across something exotic which everyone seems to like, I wouldn't mind just taking a bite.

Talking about foreign posts, the most popular in terms of comments I got was also from the Philippines and that just happened to be a wonderful Steak which we can only dream about in Singapore. Unfortunately, I couldn't interest them in opening an outlet here, but the owner of Mamou informed me that my post is now hanging on the wall in their restaurant. So, if you happen to visit Mamou, do me a favour and point to the post on the wall and ask them again to open their restaurant here.

Many people tend to forget that the blog name is ieat, ishoot and ipost. So, even though most of the posts are about what I EAT, a lot of my passion also lies in what I SHOOT. This year I upgraded my trusty Canon EOS 450D to the awesome Canon EOS 5D Mk II. At first I was a little apprehensive about lugging around an even bigger camera since most people already thought that bringing around a EOS 450D with the big 17-55mm f2.8 lens was bad enough. But it was a switch that I never regretted. The EOS 5D MkII is an excellent camera which made the whole experience of capturing the excitement of a plate of Hokkien Mee even more enjoyable. Having a good photo to post is often teh biggest motivation to sit down and write a review. It is my belief that a good photo should be one that would make you stop scrolling and admire for more than 2 seconds. This is not easy to do since the lighting conditions at hawker centres and dimly lit restaurants can be challenging. So it helps to have a camera which can handle low light conditions.

This year, the one series of photos that got many people to stop and stare for more than 2 seconds started with a leftover pau after a dim sum lunch. We were going to leave it behind when I suddenly remembered a David Blaine levitation trick and applied it to the pau. The floating pau photo got quite a good response from our readers and the interest that was generated then gave way to a photo competition which saw many people applying the same technique to levitate their favourite food. I am planning more photography workshops next year for our readers. The first one is happening in January and is already fully booked by readers who have bought the Powershot S90 camera through the group buy. If you are interested in photography workshops, be it for general photography or food photography, do write in and let me know.

October was a significant month for the blog. Ieatishootipost turned three this year and in October, the blog underwent a professional makeover to give the blog a cleaner look. In the same month, the blog was also featured in the pilot episode of "Food Specialists" which was a significant milestone for me personally. Then at the same time, the blog was voted Best Food Blog in the Asia Pacific Blog Awards. As I said, October was a good month for the blog.

The most significant post for me personally was the one on Bee Garden. It was the one which I felt most satisfaction for having started blogging in the first place. I was privileged to have been able to follow the story of Chris from the time he was struggling with insurmountable debts to the time when his stall won the Gold Medal in the Channel 8 series "Buzzing Cashier". To share in his struggles and then to celebrate his victory is the one aspect of blogging which I am most grateful for.



I am often asked why I blog. Well, there are many reasons, but looking back at 2009, I can say that the most valuable thing that I have gained from blogging are the many friends that I have made through the blog. These are the kakis who volunteer their time to organize makan sessions and continue to provide the support I need to continue blogging. Thanks very much guys for making the blog a part of your lives!

Finally, I have to thank you, dear reader for continuing to read this blog. A blog without readers is a like applause that no one is around to hear or hitting a hole-in-one when there is no one around to see. But don't just sit there and read, write a comment, join the facebook, forum and twitter, come join the makan sessions and get involved! We are always looking for new kakis to go out makaning together!

Work is already underway to publish ieatishootipost into bookform. I will be using the book as a means to raise support for planting literacy centres around the region. It is a real privilege to be able to use the blog to contribute something back to society and based on the generosity of our readers in the past, I know that I can count on your support for the cause.

That is about it for this year! I wish everyone a Happy New Year and let's get on with the next exciting food discovery!

Video Blog: ieat learns to make an Omelette

In the 2nd episode of the "ieat learns to cook an egg series", Chef Tim, tells me how to tell if an egg is fresh without having to crack it open. (Actually do you know how to tell if it is fresh even after you crack it open?). We also explore how to make a French style Omelette.

You might think you know how to fry an Omelette, but if you were ever asked to make one by a Western Chef, most of us would probably fail miserably. It is said that a lot of Head Chefs use the Omelette test to see if their new cooks actually know how to cook.

Hope you have fun making Omelettes for breakfast over the new year break. My favourite way of eating it is to add freshly grated Gruyere Cheese onto the Omelette before you fold it and then putting it into a freshly toasted Croissant with a slice of lightly fried smoked ham and slices of Avacado then slowly enjoy it with a roasted vine ripened tomato and a cup of Teh Tarik.... ooooohhh.

Garmin Asus Live Navigation Challenge: Report

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You know, Singapore is so small that most of us probably think that we have been to every part of the island already. Well, last Saturday I discovered a few more places that I have never been to before. Like the park right on top of Telok Blangah hill. I was amazed that this was the very first time that I have seen the place. The architecture there is probably forty or fifty years old, but I don't ever remember being there as a kid.

Thanks to the Garmin Asus Live Navigation challenge, I had the opportunity to discover a few more places in Singapore. It wasn't as physically challenging as "The Amazing Race", but some of the clues were quite sneaky. For example, one of the clues were about this place which was previously known as "Forbidden Hill". In the past, I would probably have called one of my friends to find out the answer, but nowadays, you can simply google it with your smartphone.

It really was too bad that it rained, or else the kids would have a whole lot more fun running around Telok Blangah Hill and Fort Canning park. I didn't come in the top five, but I think we if they had a family category, we would have been first (and last)! The last time I was at Fort Canning park was 15 years ago when Rockett Girl and I were taking our Wedding photos there. Now my son is already ten! How time flies. He managed to recognize the lamp post where Rockett Girl and I posed for the photo that is sitting in our living room. (Yes the "run around the lamp post" thing was so nineties)

If you missed the Live Navigation challenge, not to worry, just become a fan of Garmin-Asus facebook page and stand to win prizes from the upcoming campaigns and activities.

Christmas: A Father's Role and a Father's Love

Video by little red ants

As I reflect on this past year, the one dominant theme in my personal development has been to focus on my role as a father. Like most people, I became a father without going through a degree course. So fatherhood was like housemanship, it was on-the-job training from day one.

At the beginning of this year, my friend Cactuskit, who is a "course addict", insisted that I join him for a parenting course. (Cactuskit attends a course for everything. I heard lately he is doing ballroom dancing). I thought I was already doing okay as a dad, but you know, if you ask any guy if he is a good driver, the majority will say they are. So if you are part of the majority then you are, by definition, average. Or, to put it in another way, fatherhood is like Microsoft Windows. You sort of think you know how to use it, but when someone shows you some of the other features, you begin to realise that there really is a lot more to it.

The course did me a lot of good and got me to re-focus my efforts on being a better father. Being men, we are by nature very goal orientated. I think for most of us, the focus on our careers take top priority. Most men justify it, not unreasonably, by saying that a good career is of paramount importance since we are bringing home the bacon. And the more bacon we bring home, the happier the family will be. But sometimes the problem is that the fridge is already full of bacon but what the family needs is the father to sit down to enjoy it with them.

The reason I am bringing this up is that I have lately come across some families which are not doing very well. As a doctor, I often have to provide counsel for patients who are undergoing divorce or are having problems with their marriages. I feel very sorry for the children, (some of whom I have seen as babies) when the family breaks up, because it is the kids who suffer the most as they have to choose between following dad or mum.

A father's role is not to be taken lightly. When one decides to become a father, that decision comes with a commitment to be responsible for the lives that we are bringing into this world. A child's world revolves around their parents and it is heart wrenching to see that kids nowadays have the word "divorce" in their vocabulary even at an early age. This is a sad reflection of what our society has become. Every child has a need for both a father and a mother and there is an innate fear that they would lose one or both.

So the first and most important role of the father is to keep the family together. And the very first step in being a good father is to be a good husband. I don't know if you realise it, but the love of a boyfriend and the love of a husband is very different. When you are a boyfriend, you get to choose which girl to love because she is highly loveable. Once you say "I do" and "Till death do us part", than it changes from a boyfriend's love to a husband's love. A husband's love is a commitment to love in spite of the unlovely bits rather than a choice to love the lovely bits. (I am very blessed that Rockett girl only has a very small, miniscule, nanoscopic number of unlovely bits -- {Shhh... she reads this blog too})

In my practice I get to see quite a few Indian couples who have met each other through matchmaking. The divorce rate in India is much lower than in Singapore and I think it is because with the matchmaking process, there is no transition from boyfriend love to husband love. You basically go straight to husband love which is a commitment to a person for life. I am very encouraged whenever I see the Indian couples' devotion for each other. The husband-wife bond is often much closer than what I see in our local population.

I know this is not easy for some couples who are currently having problems, and there are no quick and easy solutions. But I think we can learn something from the couple from Taiwan who have been married for 85 years and were recently listed in the Guiness Book of World Records as being the world's longest married couple. When asked what is the secret of their success, the husband said:

"We are still very much in love and always will be. As to the secret of a long marriage, avoid arguments like the plague and remember the golden rule - she's always right."

His philosophy is very much in line with something I picked up from Richard Carlson's book, "Don't Sweat over Small Stuff". In it is this phrase which I find particularly helpful whenever Rockett Girl and I have our tiffs. "It is better to be happy than to be right" (paraphrased). Yes, at the end of the day, I would rather be happy and just let the wife have her way than to insist on being right and spoil my day.

The Christmas season is a time for reflection and reconciliation. At the core of Christmas is the gift of love and an offer of reconciliation which is why the popular Christmas carol goes:

Hark the herald angels sing
"Glory to the newborn King!
Peace on earth and mercy mild
God and sinners reconciled"

Christmas is about God offering the gift of his son as a gesture of reconciliation. Apart from the gifts that we give to one another, can I encourage fathers to reflect on the best gift that you can give to your kids, and that is to gift of a family. The child needs more than a nice big present, they need both a father and a mother, and they need to be secure in the fact that their parents love each other.

To offer reconciliation, God had to make the ultimate sacrifice by giving us the gift of his Son. This is the reason we celebrate Christmas. Love often means giving up on things that are important to ourselves in order to give to someone else.

Is there something that you have to give up today for the sake of your kids?

Have a blessed Christmas everyone!

The New Ieatishootipost Facebook Page!

We are getting too big for our facebook group so we have to move our group to a fan page instead!

Once our Facebook group hits 5000 members, I will not be able to send out personal messages to inform members of upcoming events anymore. We are currently 4757 strong, so we will probably outgrow our facebook group very soon. Before that happens, I am asking everyone to move over to the new facebook page instead.

We will continue to organize our workshops and makan sessions through the facebook fan page.

To join the ieatishootipost facebook fan page, please click here.

So do drop in and wish everyone a Merry Xmas! More importantly, let us know what you wish to see in the ieatishootipost fan page!

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Best of the Best: Hokkien Mee - The Nomination round

Hokkien Mee on Opeh leaf from Geylang Lor 29 Hokkien Mee

Ok, so we are looking for the one Hokkien Mee stall that would best represent Singapore in the Cultural Food Olympics (I just made it up, it doesn't exist ok?). Now, when it comes to Hokkien Mee, several names always get mentioned. Nam Sing, Geylang Lor 29 and Hainan Hokkien Mee would be a few, but I am sure you can nominate some more.

Once we can get the top 5 nominees, we will run a poll where everyone here can vote for the Best of the Best Hokkien Mee in Singapore. So do write in and nominate your favourite Hokkien mee stall!

The ieat AGM: The Annual Report

Photos by Ijeff and Cactuskit

A big thank you to everyone who were involved in the ieat AGM!

Ieatishootipost is 3 years old and we celebrated our anniversary with a night of food, carolling, magic shows, music and lots of fun!

2009 is a great year for the blog. This year we were officially crowned Best Food Blog in the Nuffnang Asia Pacific Blog awards and was also featured in the pilot episode of the Channel U series "food specialists". This is also the year that I posted my 1000th post and the blog exceeded 8 million hits.

All of that is very exciting for me as a blogger but these milestones will very quickly be forgotten. What will remain however is the friendships that have been forged through the blog. This event would not have been possible without the makan kakis who have volunteered to organize and support the blog and I am thankful for all the friends that I have met through my blogging.

A big thank you to Holydrummer for organizing the event and being our MC for the night. Good job! Of course he has the support of his Holybunny and Holybro who was the most logical choice to play the role of Santa that night. No pillows were required for the job. Thanks also to Cactuskit and Cactuskitty who were instrumental for coordinating the events for the night. The finance was handled by Derrick and Paulette as well as Rockett Girl who also happens to be the CFO for the ieatfamily. Thanks also to Champagne and the usher team for getting everyone to their seats and ijeff for being the official photographer.

This event was made possible by the generous donations from our sponsors and I would like to acknowledge them now.


For sponsoring two tables
For donating $1000 to the prisons ministry
For donating the Selphy printer and Ixus camera
For donating the crystal wine glasses and stainless steel pots.
For donating the dining vouchers
For donating the door gifts

Our very own makan kaki Liverpool has also offered to host the families of the prison ministry to a makan at Good Morning Nanyang Cafe over at Chinatown point. Way to go Liverpool!

There are going to be more makan sessions next year, workshops on photography and cooking and even overseas makan trips. So if you love to eat, come join the fun! More importantly, get involved by joining our forum or facebook!

Have a Blessed Christmas and a very Happy New Year!

Its official! Chilli Crab is still Singapore's National Crab Dish!

At first I really thought that the Chilli Crab had lost its place in the stomach of Singaporeans whose tastebuds might have been swayed towards Salted Egg Crab or Crab Bee Hoon. But lo and behold, our poll of 2077 people showed that Chilli Crabs are still King with 49.6% of the votes followed by Black Pepper Crabs at 30.2% with Salted Egg Crabs in third place at 20.2%.

Long live Chilli Crabs!

Talking about Chilli Crabs, our AGM is being held at none other than the home of the Chilli Crab, viz Roland Restaurant. We are all looking forward to eating the original Chilli Crabs which were invented by them way back in the 1950's.

We are putting in the final preparations for the event. There are so many things happening, from table magic to carollers, to the auction for several items including a do-it-yourself Tau Huay kit. Of course, our VVIP has been preparing the goodie bags to give out to everyone. Ho Ho Ho.... See you all this Friday!

For more information about the ieat AGM, please click here.

Thanks for voting!

Hajjah Mona Nasi Padang: Sedap lah Mak Chik!

Nasi Padang

Nothing hits the spot quite like a good plate of rice drenched in a coconut laden gravy. And it doesn't get better than Nasi Padang except, maybe, very good Nasi Padang.

Finding Hajjah Mona was qutie easy. Our kakis were just sitting at the newly refurbished Geylang Serai Food Centre and for the good hour that we were there, we noticed a perpetual queue outside of this stall.

So out of curiosity, I ordered a few dishes just to see why there is such a long queue all the time.

Then I understood.

The first mouthful of the Ayam Opor was like a "Boomz" moment. Yeah, there's no better word to describe it. The gravy was so full of lemon grass that the fragrance wafts out of your nostrils like the flames of a fire breathing dragon.

But seriously, from the Ayam Opor to the Beef Rendang to the Sayur Lodeh, you can taste the passion and quality in each mouthful. 4.5/5


Nasi Rawon

When I went back to the stall to tell them just how much I enjoyed the Nasi Padang, I realized that they also sell something that I have been wanting to try for a very long time.

I have heard about the Nasi Rawon before but never had the chance to try it. If you like the Peranakan Dish Ayam Buah Keluak, then you might also like Nasi Rawon because it is a soup made from Fatty Beef and Buah Keluak. Sounds like a killer dish right? Nasi Rawon is typically served with Tempeh and a fried coconut garnish.

I think the dish would have tasted better if I had not eaten the very savoury Nasi Padang first. Compared to Nasi Padang, the flavours in Nasi Rawon is not as floral and sweet. The Rawon has a more earthy, woody flavour which you expect from Buah Keluak. This is the first time I am tasting Rawon so I can't really tell you how it is compared to others. But in terms of shiok factor, I would give it only a 4/5. I feel that something which has beef fat and buah keluak in it should be able to taste much better.


Hajjah Mona herself

Conclusion

There are two Nasi Padang stalls within Geylang Serai Food Centre which attracts long queues during lunch. Sinar Pagi which I blogged before is one of them and the other one is Haji Mona. That really says a lot about both stalls since they are situated in the only food centre in the heart of the Malay community in Singapore.

Hajjah Mona Nasi Padang
Geylang Serai Food Centre
Stall No. #02-166
Open 8am to 7pm
Closed on Wed
82826902

ieat Pizza Making Workshop

Photos by ijeff - many thanks!

Remember I was telling you about the 1 minute pizza dough?

Well, our kakis managed to get to try it out at the Mayer Live Kitchen at Orchard Central last Saturday. Once you learn how to make your own pizza base, the sky is really the limit on what you can put on the pizza. Some of the very creative pizzas that came out that afternoon were Cactuskit's Kaya and Avocado pizza, Muah Otah pizza and Holydrummer's Unagi pizza. There was also a Bacon and Egg with Brie cheese pizza which was pretty good. I think we did get carried away with our last pizza when we put a whole block of Brie Cheese on the pizza and the whole thing became a calorie bomb!

Besides the pizza, Champagne also demonstrated how easy it was to make Cookies and Cream Ice Cream with the Cuisinart Ice Cream maker. It's all a matter of putting everything into the machine and turning it on.

Many thanks to Champagne for helping to organize the session and to everyone who so enthusiastically brought the toppings for the pizza! Thanks also to Mayer Live Kitchen at Orchard Central for allowing us to use their premises for our session!

Oh BTW, we will be auctioning a Pizza Peel at our ieat AGM this Friday! So if you are keen to make your own pizza, get your wallet ready on Friday to bid for it! (All proceeds are donated to Charity)

Live Navigation Challenge - A Treasure Hunt with Prizes to be won!

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Do you like Treasure Hunts? I do. I love orienteering and used to do it a lot when I was in the NCC. Nowadays, the only times that I have to do orienteering is with a Map, in a car, hopelessly lost in Malaysia.

Map reading and finding directions can be downright frustrating if you are in a rush to get somewhere urgently and are hopelessly lost and your vehicle commander is holding the map upside down. However, it can be very fun if you are playing "Amazing Race" where you go around looking for clues and doing the challenges.

Anyway, if you enjoy treasure hunts, there is one happening on the 19th of December organized by Garmin Asus. They call it the Live Navigation Challenge and there are attractive prizes to be won including a pair of air tickets to the Maldives, cruises, hotel stays and Garmin Asus G60 and M20, GPS enable smartphones.

All you have to do is to register at www.livenavigation.com.sg and the first clue will be sent to you on 19th December at 1pm. You will of course have to do some sort of challenge at each pit stop to get clues for your next pit stop (just like Amazing Race). First one home wins!

Now here's a little tip. You don't need to have a Garmin Asus handphone to join the competition, but you will need to familiarize yourself with the functions of the handphone by watching the demo on their website.

See you at the finishing line!

Join the Garmin-Asus facebook community here.

Cacio e Pepe: Ulu ulu Italian Dining

Spaghetti Alle Vongole $18

A few months ago I noticed this simple black and white banner along the side of the road in my neighbourhood while driving to work. It had the words "Cacio e Pepe" on it and it was obviously a new Italian restaurant that has just opened up. I didn't really pay much notice to it since I lived in an area where there were no cafes, no nightlife and certainly no half decent restaurants. No one would ever expect a respectable restaurant to open up here. Heck, we don't even have a quarter decent coffeeshop where the people number more than the empty bottles of Tiger on the tables.

So I imagined Cacio e Pepe to be one of these food court Italian places where a pasta simply meant two vats of tomato and cream sauce with a selection of different processed proteins that you can mix and match to get a full pasta menu. Not wasting my calories on that!

Ravioli with Truffle Sauce $22 (not on menu)

However, I heard over the grapevine that the chef helming the restaurant was the one who had left Buono recently. Buono had already built up quite a reputation for Italian food around the Serangoon Gardens area and so I thought it was worth checking out. The final push came about when SCS Butter, my long time trusted makan kaki revealed to me that one of the owners is none other than his sister, Flora Margarine. Coming from the same family, I thought the food must be of a certain standard.

So, since we were looking for a venue to hold our ieat AGM committee meeting, we thought we might drop in for some pasta and pizza. (Yes, our meetings are always held at a restaurant, where else?).

I speak for the rest of our committee members that the place and the food did take us by surprise. Situated beside one of those quarter decent coffeeshops I mentioned before, Cacio e Pepe really looked like the phone booth in the Dr Who series. I seriously respect the courage of the owners to actually open a restaurant here.


A Gas and Brick Pizza Oven

One of the things I immediately spotted on the way in was the wood fired oven. Or so I thought. I turns out that it wasn't a wood fired oven, but a gas-brick oven. Whatever the case, a purpose built pizza oven is a strong visual cue that these guys are serious about making a good pizza.

By the time the pasta came, we have already passed from being quite skeptical to being quite impatient to find out how good the food was going to be. According to our Holybrothers (Holydrummer and Holybro), the Vongole was in their opinion, one of the best they have ever tasted. The pasta was cooked Al Dente and it was sauced perfectly. The secret to a good Vongole, according the Chef Peter Neo, was a two pan cooking method which enables him to form an emulsion from the olive oil and the stock, thus giving the Vongole sauce a creamy texture without the addition of cream. The sauce was also full of that clam shell flavour with a good tinge of bitterness. 4.5/5

The Ravioli in Truffle sauce is highly recommended by myself and especially Cactuskit, who like a pig in heat has a very strong penchant for truffles. (truffles has the scent of pheromones which is what female pigs exude to attract the males) This particular dish is not on the menu because it is seasonal. The sauce is very good and you will smell it before it actually hits the table. It is the kind of sauce that would make you lick your plate clean. However, it would have scored better if the ravioli were homemade. 4.25/5



Pietro Pizza $22

The pizzas were pretty decent. I mean if you are going to invest money to building a gas brick oven, you should think that you would put in effort to make a good pizza right? The one I would recommend is the Pietro Pizza which simply means Peter's Pizza which is topped with Chef Peter's homemade spicy pork sausage and rockett salad. 4/5. The toppings are good but the base still lacks a certain oomph factor that I am looking for. I like my base thin and chewy in the middle with a light and crispy crust with a nice airy crumb (big air bubbles in the crust) that is topped with a cheese that requires a fair bit of chewing.

Lava Cake

The final surprise came in the form of a lava cake. Cut open the cake and the air is suddenly filled with a bouquet of chocolate and rum. The molten "lava" is delightful and is well worth a few calories. 4.5/5

Conclusion

Cacio e Pepe is quite an unexpected find. The food is very good overall and there are some that are real hits. If you are after a decent Italian meal, this is one place you might want to visit. I felt that the prices could be more competitive in view of the remoteness of the place. $22 for a pizza isn't all that expensive, but if it were in the sub $20 range, I think word will get around even faster. They do have a $12.80 set lunch which comes with a soup, a pasta and coffee which is quite good value.

So what do you all think about restaurants located in Ulu (remote) places?

Special for ieatishootipost readers

Mention ieatishootipost when you order and get 10% off the ala carte menu. Offer valid till the end of the December.



Cacio e Pepe
3 Chu Lin Road
Singapore 669890.
Lunch: 11.30am to 2.30pm,
Dinner 6.00pm to 10.30pm.
Close on Mondays.
6760-3534 www.cacioepepe.com.sg

Video Blogs: Ieat learns to cook an egg

When you first started to learn the English language you began with the ABC. When you first start to learn to cook, you probably began by learning to cook an egg. At least I did. But those were the days before instant noodles were invented. Nowadays, I think that there would be many more who start by cooking instant noodles rather than learning how to cook an egg. Unless of course you consider cracking an egg into your instant noodles a specific form of cooking eggs as well.

In this Video Blog series, I embark on my own personal journey of learning to cook an egg. Many of us might assume that we know how to cook an egg, but if I were to ask 10 people to cook an omelette, I think you might get 10 very different looking omelettes. You would think that boiling an egg would be the easiest thing in the world to do. But how often do we still see that ugly grey ring around the yolks when we eat hard boiled eggs at the hawker stalls?

The humble egg is underrated and often taken for granted. But when bird flu struck a few years back, we were all lamenting that we could not order a Roti Telor and that our Char Kway Teow is just not the same. The fact is that the egg is one of the most tasty food around. On top of that, it's a great source of protein and it is very cheap. We all love the taste of eggs, be it Cavier (Sturgeon), Bottarga (Mullet), Ikura (Salmon) or even Hairy Crab roe. But we pay a bomb for these eggs compared to the humble chicken egg. If you were ever in the middle of Neo Tiew Village in the middle of the night with a bunch of guys in army green badly in need of a bath, the smell of fried eggs cooking in a mess tin is every bit as heavenly as any of the other eggs.

So let's start at the very beginning and learn to boil an egg. A simple thing you say, but yet there are so many people who marvel at the seasoned eggs that they serve with your Charshu Ramen. I guess we Chinese are more used to having our Lor Nerng hard boiled, so the sight of a seasoned egg with runny yolk is a bit of a conundrum. Actually the recipe is very simple and the key is to know how long to boil your egg.

The following video will highlight some tips on boiling and peeling an egg. Don't miss the bit at the end where I demonstrate a very interesting way to peel and egg which I hope will get you to say "Hey! I got to try that today!" I think it is an ieat original as I did came up with the idea and could not find it demonstrated anywhere else on the internet.



In order to get perfectly boiled eggs, there are several things to take note:

1. Boiling times will depend on several factors. Whether you put your eggs in and wait for the water to boil put your eggs directly into the boiling water will alter the cooking time. The boiling time will also differ if you use eggs straight out of the fridge as opposed to eggs at room temperature. I have found that the most practical way of standardizing the cooking time is to use eggs at room temperature placed into boiling water and start the timing when the eggs are placed into the water.

2. Fresh eggs are harder to peel than eggs which are a few days old because with the passage of time, the amount of air within the egg increases. So a few days old egg has bigger air bubble at the rounded end of the egg which makes peeling the egg easier. This is very important to note because if you are cooking the 5 minute egg for your Chashu Ramen egg, the egg is very soft and a super fresh egg is going to make the peeling process very difficult.

3. To prevent eggs from cracking when placed into the hot boiling water, you might want to use a needle to poke a hole at the rounded end of the egg to allow the air to escape.

4. To get the yolk to be in the centre of the egg white, stir the eggs around the pot when you place them into the boiling water.

5. In the video we demonstrated some really creative ways of peeling the hard boiled egg. But practically, I found that the most efficient way of peeling an egg is to quickly decant all the water from the pot and shake the eggs in the pot so that the shell gets cracked. Then immediatly soak them in cold water for 5 minutes. Soaking the eggs stops the cooking process immediately and prevents the ugly grey ring from forming. The grey ring forms because of the interaction between sulfur and iron in the yolk and white when the egg is cooked too long. The soaking also allows water to get underneath the membrane, lifting the shell off the egg white which will make it much easier to peel.

6. The method of blowing the egg out of its shell as shown in the video should only be done on Medium or Hard boiled eggs. As one of our readers have found, if you try it on soft boiled eggs, they might just break open when you blow the egg out.



Oh yes, as promised, let me share with you the method of cooking the Charshu Ramen egg. First you need to boil your soft-medium 5-6 minute egg like the one shown in the photo. Once you have your eggs peeled, simply put them in a plastic bag and add 1/3 soysauce, 1/3 sake and 1/3 mirin. You just need enough to cover the eggs. Leave them in a fridge overnight and you can sell your 20 cent egg for $1!


Special thanks to Sia Huat for sponsoring the videos! Sia Huat is Singapore's biggest retailer of professional kitchen equipment. I get my stuff there because you can find almost everything you need all under one roof. And best of all, their prices are very competitive and their service staff are excellent. I got my pizza peel, pizza stone and Tau Huay bucket from there. I also recently managed to buy my rotating vegetable shredder there. (You know, the type that makes nice long strips of carrots for Yu Sheng)

Thanks also to Mayer for allowing us to film at their live Kitchen at Orchard Central.

PS:

Please let us know if you managed to peel the egg like how we did in the video!

Big Ben's Place: Wagyu inside!

I went down to Big Ben's Pies last month with my son only to find that there were a whole lot of contractors at the shop who told me that the shop had changed owners! My son was devastated because Big Ben's pies were his favourite. So, I updated on the blog that the shop had closed.

However, a few weeks later, someone wrote in to say that Big Ben's was still alive and well! So, I quickly brought my son down to investigate and lo and behold, not only was Big Ben's alive and well, it had undergone a makeover and was now a cosy little place that looked very much like a pie shop you would find in Britain!



The owners told me that not only was the place renovated, but they have added improvements to their pies. Instead of the normal beef, they have started using Wagyu beef shank. However, they are still charging $4 a pie and unless you ask them, there was nothing on their menu that even mention that this was a Wagyu beef pie.

Now, most places would use the word "Wagyu" as an excuse to increase their prices, so I was amazed that these guys were using Wagyu but not calling their pies Wagyu beef pies.

I can tell you that the pies now taste better than what they were before. The crust is now more buttery and the steak filling is flavourful and cooked till it is meltingly tender. But you know, Wagyu is best enjoyed in shabu shabu or as a steak, but when you stew it, it is not easy to appreciate that the cut of meat comes from a cow that has been given the good life. Oh, it is tasty, but I don't think you would pay $8 for a Wagyu pie because the difference isn't that stark unless you had the Wagyu and the normal beef pie side by side to compare. 4.5/5

Conclusion

I like Big Ben's because they are the closest I can get to a good old Aussie Pie which was a staple for me when I lived in Australia. Using Wagyu is great as the flavour is very good. But they really should just learn from Intel and label their pies "Wagyu inside" but just stick to the $4 price tag. Then it would be compelling enough for people to want to drive to an Ulu part of Siglap to partake of the pie.

Big Ben's
Place 15 Swan Lake Avenue (Opera Estate)
68760737
Mon-Sat 12pm-10pm
www.bigbensplace.com.sg

The ieat AGM: Registration closes this Wedesday!

Thanks to everyone who have already reserve their seats and sent their cheques! The registration closes this Wed, so please write in if you have not already done so.

We have feedback from some readers who would really like to come but prefer not to have to send a cheque. If this is the case for you, just register your name and indicate that you don't wish to pay by cheque and we will make the necessary arrangements for you. We will not be doing the ticket sales at Nanyang Cafe on 12th Dec anymore.

Our organizing committee has been working hard to plan an interesting program for the evening. We have even invited a VVIP to come grace the occasion. He is busy preparing for the big day on 24th as he will be travelling around the globe and squeezing down people's chimneys but he has agreed to come grace our AGM with his presents (sic). There's going to be an auction for some very interesting and useful items as well as bands playing, carolling and magicians performing table magic.

To register, please write to: ieatishootipost@gmail.com. On the subject line write: Ieat AGM. In the main body, write your Name, Nickname, Hp No. and No. of Pax. Please also indicate if you prefer not to pay by cheque.

The details of the event can be found here:

See you all at the event!

Rosraihanna Soto and Satay: At last, a good Satay!

It's been a long while since I was really thrilled by a Malay style satay.

Just last month, I was in KL and I had the opportunity to try the famous Sate Kajang. I came away feeling that it hardly lived up to its reputation even though the stall sold 40,000 sticks a day. Back in Singapore, the Malay satay has become too much of a food that is catered to the mass market. Go to Lau Pa Sat or East Coast Lagoon Village Food Centre and you be spoilt for choice of a large number or Satay stalls. Unfortunately, the choice is between the bad and the so-so as there is hardly any that can be remembered as very very good.

Standard Chartered Credit/Debit Cards: 15% cashback at any restaurant

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Dining with Fin and Barry - Standard Chartered's Dining Mascots

I am sure you would have seen the Standard Chartered Ads featuring two fish in a restaurant tank. What you might not know is that the fish have names. The small, neurotic one which reminds me of Billy Crystal is called Fin and the big hypothyroxic one is named Barry.

It is one of those ads which you remember quite easily because it is actually very cute. And of course you get the message that with Standard Chartered credit cards, you get 15% off the restaurant bill. What you might not realize is that it is not 15% off the restaurants in their list but 15% cashback at any restaurant that you wish to dine at.

Four Seas Sugarcane: Good Sugarcane, Bad Sugarcane, how do you tell?

I haven't been writing much about drinks stall because there really isn't any one drink stall in Singapore which is truly famous. I mean, no one has ever said to me that there is this really die die must try Sugercane stall at the tip of Changi Point which I MUST go and try! So drink stalls seldom get featured.

Garmin-Asus Nuvifone: Location based life

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If you are in the market for a GPS, then the new Garmin-Asus Nuvifone might be something you would want to consider.