Ever wonder where the restaurant owners go to buy their food at wholesale prices? Well, one area is along Ubi Ave 2. Here, you can see all sorts of products which are sold to the retailers with shops in the more attractive parts of town. Along this stretch, you can find a few Roast Duck/Pork stalls which sell a whole Roast Duck for $15. Along the same stretch is also this unassuming little pastry restaurant that sells probably the cheapest Durian Puffs in town. At $3.50 for 6 durian puffs that you have to take a few bites to finish, they might be cheap, but they are certainly no less tasty .The choux pastry was a little dry and could be more tender but this was made up for by the excellent and rather generous dollop of D24 durian cream filling. 4/5
I can't speak for the rest, but last Saturday's Makan Session at Peramakan was probably my best Peranakan meal ever. The food was great and the Tok Panjang (Long Table) was very Panjang! (Long). Not only was the food excellent, but there were so many new Nonya dishes that I have never tried before! (I don't have the privilege of having a Nonya Grandma). In fact, even some of the Peranakan kakis went home determined to find out more about certain dishes from their Grandmothers and why they never cooked it for them!
The one thing I do look forward to during reservist training is the opportunity to discover food in the Northern part of Singapore. The Sembawang area is one of those places which you can still feel as if you had just made a pit stop during a road trip across Malaysia. For me, such environments always means that there would be good food around.
I heard that Sembawang Shopping Centre had just been renovated and that the Thai Cze Char restaurant that I used to eat was still there, so I went looking for it. However, I couldn't find it anywhere in the new complex, so we crossed the road to the old shop houses opposite to see if we can locate it. It was here that we chanced upon this rustic Teochew Porridge stall which I felt really got "Seh" (potential). The crowds of people slurping on their hot porridge along the sidewalk got me even more excited.
All of us know of the question: "What is the meaning of life?" But do you know what is the most common answer to that question?
Well, it's "I don't know".
When I was doing my MBA, I remember how our lecturers would drum into us the necessity of a company to have a very clear mission statement. Without a mission statement, the employees of the company may not be focused on what the company exists to do. So if you were asked why your company existed, you should know the answer immediately. Yet, if we were asked the question why we exist, the answer is often not so apparent.
The way we look at life and understand our purpose determines all the decisions we make in life. Whether we should marry Sharon or Sumathi? Whether we should quit Job A and accept Job B. Whether to spend our bonus on a new gadget or to use it to help others. If we have a clearer mission statement, we would have an easier way to make those decisions.
I have been a Christian since I was twelve and to tell you the truth, even if you ask me the question "What is the meaning of life?", I would be hard pressed to give you an answer which would score a distinction. I think it is because it is a question with an answer that looks like a newsweek article -- you can read ten pages of it, have an idea of what it is about, but still be hard-pressed to summarize it into one sentence.
The reason I am bringing this up at this time is twofold. Firstly, it is Easter next week and it is usually during this time that I ponder on these issues a little more deeply. And secondly, it is the direct result a book by Mitch Albom which was given to me by Holybro called "Have a little Faith". I found the book fascinating as it explores the subject of the meaning of life by recounting the lives of a Rabbi who wanted the author to write his eulogy when he died, and a Christian Pastor who became a pastor after nearly being killed by gang members. After reading that book, I went on to read one of his earlier books, "Tuesdays with Morrie". In this second book, Mitch wrote his thesis on the meaning of life based on what he learnt from his meetings with a dying professor of sociology as his life slowly diminishes because of Lou Gehring's disease.
These books were written not from a Christian viewpoint, but from that of an Agnostic who happened to be a lapsed Jew married to a Christian lady. However, what I gathered from his two books was his attempt at answering the ultimate question. As I mediated on what I read, I begin to realize that the answers to the meaning of life followed some common themes. These revolve around love, forgiveness, relationships, our attitude to money, our understanding of death, how we handle our emotions, how we react to the suffering of others and how we handle our own suffering, among other things.
If you have been asking such questions and are opened to learning more about what we Christians understand about such things, may I invite you to the "Thank God it's Friday" event which is being organized by one of our makan kakis, Cactuskitty. It's happening on Good Friday and it's going to be an informal time where we explore the bigger issues of life followed by a buffet lunch.
Here are the details:
Date: 2 Apr 2010 (Good Friday)
Venue: Chinese Swimming Club, Recreational Bldg level 3
Time: 10am to 12pm (followed by lunch at 12pm)
They will be showing the video in Chinese after lunch at 2pm, so you can attend the afternoon meeting if you wish.
I was going to write a longer article about my thoughts about the meaning of life, but I came across this very interesting talk that Rick Warren gave at Ted.com. Rick Warren is the author of the book "Purpose Driven Life" which sold over 30 million copies. It was, at one time, the best selling book in the world. In his talk, he spoke about how much money the book brought him and how he gave it all away, because after all, the book he wrote started with the sentence, "It's not about you". So he gave it all away because he felt all the money and fame was given to him for a purpose and it was not meant for him. It's an interesting talk and I would commend it to you as well as the two books I mentioned earlier.
So this coming Easter, have a thought about the "Meaning of Life" and we would love to meet you at our gathering on Good Friday.
If you are planning to come, please let Cactuskitty (Shirley) know by emailing her at yshirley@starhub.net.sg. You are most welcome to bring your friends and family along too!
I am very new to Korean food, but fortunately, my makan kaki, Cactuskit, is a big fan. He has been a fan of Korean food since he and his wife were still dating in Hawaii and he has eaten at many restaurants in Hawaii, Korea, as well as Singapore. So I depend on him to give a more balanced review of Korean food.
One thing that is very distinct about Korean food, apart from the use of the chilli, is the fact that Koreans like to julienne their veggies..... a lot. One of the reasons why they take so much effort to cut their veggies all into nice little strips is because they have to be nicely displayed on a plate before they cook it on your table. I was very surprised that at Your Woul, they not only grill and boil your food on the table, even the stir fried dishes are done on the table. Unlike Chinese cooking where the sauces and condiments are added into the wok during the frying process. The Koreans tend to mix all the necessary sauces together first and then add it all at one time to the food. So they can put everything onto the shallow wok and simply start up the fire when it gets to your table.
Pork Ribs Potato Stew (Kam Ja Tang) $39
One of the dishes that Cactuskit likes to order after a long and stressful day is the Pork Ribs Potato Stew. The stew contains dried radish leaves which are not readily available in Singapore. Fortunately, the restaurant owner's brother is a farmer in Korea and so he would send them over. This is the sort of hearty, fermented bean and chilli type stew which would really hit the spot when you are simply drained from work. Cactuskit absolutely loves it and would give it 4.5/5. I think it was very good and certainly I feel the taste is very authentic, however, it's not something I look forward to eating as much as he does. 4/5
Steamed Mackerel with Chilli Sauce (Go Dung Eo Jorim) $13.80
If you like the fishy odours of Mackerel, you might perhaps like this dish. I like the big Mackeral but not the Japanese Mackerel (Saba) as I find it too fishy. Cactuskit and the other kakis seem to enjoy it. For me it was only a 3/5 because I really don't like Mackerel. Cactuskit on the other hand, gave it 4.5/5. This particular dish is not on the menu. What is on the menu is the Steamed Belt Fish. If you want to try this dish, just ask for it specifically.
The one Korean style dish that I am beginning to develop a taste for is the stir fried chilli chicken/pork. I like the fact that even though the Koreans like their chilli, it is never has hot as the hot stuff that we have here. The sweet chilli marinade is very nice as is their bulgolgi marinade. Having the dish being stir fried on the table is definitely a novelty for me. 4.25/5
Conclusion
The food here certainly looks very authentic. I say authentic because they have dishes here which are quite unique and it feels as if they are really serving up something from home. The name Your Woul, in fact, is the name of their village and is probably the place where her farmer brother still lives. The prices are not the cheapest in town, but I think it is worth a try if you are after authentic Korean food. There are many other dishes which Cactuskit would recommend, but we couldn't try them all. I will leave it to him to recommend them in the comments.
Your Woul
165 Thomson Road
Goldhill Centre
Tel: +65 6251 0123
11.30am–2.30pm,5.30pm–10.30pm
It is so good to see how our Chinese Restaurant scene is evolving in Singapore. When I was a kid, we frequented places like Prince, Red Star, Sin Leong and Tai Seng restaurants for our usual Singapore style chinese food. Nowadays, places like Crystal Jade, Imperial Treasure, Lao Beijing and Paradise Inn have brought in new and exciting cuisine from other parts China.
In the past we used to have the standard Dim Sum items, but nowadays we get to enjoy an alternative set of "dim sum" items which essentially is classified under the "Shanghainese" label. So we have the Xiao Long Bao, Guo Tie, Jian Bing etc etc. And as more Chinese Restaurants open up, there is this drive to introduce more novel items into the Chinese Cuisine scene. Life for a foodie is good here in Singapore!
Crab Roe Soup in Prawn Ball ($5.20 for 2 pcs)
We happened to step into Nan Xiang one lazy Saturday afternoon for a late lunch when I discovered their deep fried prawn balls. The waitress who served them warned us that 1. They were hot and 2. There is hot soup inside. I smiled and acknowledged her warning. Then, like any guy who needs to test for himself if the paint is indeed wet when there is a "wet paint" sign, proceeded to give the prawn ball a good press to see what happens. Lo and behold, hot soup squirted out of the fried prawn ball, just like how some of my male babies would bless me when a squirt whenever I open their nappies while conducting my baby assessments. My wife just shook her head and rolled her eyes because she just couldn't understand this male compulsion to have to test things for themselves. However, I am sure the guys can empathize with me right?
Perhaps I was just ignorant, but this was the first time I had something deep fried with soup on the inside! On top of that the crab meat was actually quite tasty. I don't think you would find many people talking about Deep Fried Crab balls because, quite frankly they are just another item on the Dim Sum menu, but these ones actually stood out as something I would look forward to eating again. 4.5/5
King Size Nanxiang Crab Roe Steamed Bun Soup ($6.80 each)
As fate would have it, I received an email inviting me to sample the food at the new Nan Xiang restaurant at Central Square just a few days after that pleasant meal. So I thought this would give me the opportunity to do a proper review of their items. In case you don't know, unlike the popular Shanghainese chain restuarants here which are mostly local brands, Nan Xiang is actually a Shanghainese brand. Established in Guangxu, the 26th year of the Qing Dynasty (AD 1900), the first ever Nanxiang Steamed Bun Restaurant located in Shanghai’s Cheng Huang Temple, still pulls in the crowds today.
When they opened their first stall in Singapore, they found that Singaporeans were already accustomed to a slightly different form of the Xiao Long Bao where the skin is really thin. So when they introduced the original version with thicker skin, it wasn't well received. They since had to make the skin thinner for the Singapore market.
Their Xiao Long Baos are very good and they have a version which has crab meat inside which is more expensive but it gives you that nice crabby umami flavour which crab lovers would love. The skin is resilient and chewy, perhaps a tad too chewy, but these Xiao Long Bao won't burst until you actually bite into it. I would prefer the skin to be just a tiny bit more tender but overall they were good Xiao Long Baos. 4.25/5
For those who really enjoy the soup inside Xiao Long Baos, they have a giant version where you get to just drink the soup out of a straw. Very good for those who can't get enough of the soup in Xiao Long Baos! 4/5
Salted Egg Yolk Prawn ($12.80 to share)
There were two other dishes that I tried which were novel and surprisingly good. One was the salted egg prawns which as you can imagine is quite a tasty treat to have when your doctors advises you to take more high cholesterol foods because your cholesterol is too low. (I have never given that advise myself though). You can't really go wrong with salted eggs are they are so full of umami flavour. Deep fry some prawns and smother them in a creamy salted egg sauce. What can go wrong? 4.25/5
Salt & Pepper Cashew Nut Pastry ($3.30 for 2 pcs)
Another item which I would highly recommend is the Cashew Nut Pastry. This is very unique and I found the sweet and salty Cashew nut filling very nice. It is definitely one item which I would order everytime I visit. 4.25/5
Conclusion
Overall a very satisfying experience and another place to put on my list for those weekend family lunches. The quality of the food is very good and they have several items which are quite unique. It's too bad it only has two branches at the moment, I would be more than happy to have a meal there if I walk past one in a Shopping Centre.
Nan Xiang Steam Buns Restaurant 180 Kitchener Road #04-15/16 City Square Mall Singapore 208539 Tel: 65 6509 9134 Operation Hours: 1130am to 1000pm (Mon to Fri) 1100am to 1000pm (Sat, Sun & PH)
200 Victoria Street #02-53 Bugis Junction Singapore 188021 tel: 6835 7577 Operation Hours: Lunch 1130am to 300pm, Dinner 600pm to 1000pm (Mon to Fri) 1100am to 1000pm (Sat, Sun & PH)
Seafood Fried Kway Teow $18(prices start from $10)
Yuan Wei is one of those little hole-in-the-wall places that you would probably just walk past without blinking an eye. But it is a little secret which our makan kakis, notably Champagne have been keeping to themselves. Well, not really, they have been organizing many makan sessions there and some of our seasoned kakis really enjoy the food there. It is also one of those places where the three tables in the air con section hidethe fact that there are many more people enjoying the food out in the alley at the back. Another thing that makes this restaurant bloggable is that they are one for the night owls as they open at 5pm till 4am, so it is one place where you can go for a meal after the midnight show.
Although Yuan Wei specializes in Giant Grouper dishes, I will tell you straight off the block that the one dish which I will make the special effort to come back for is the Seafood Char Kway Teow. If you are missing your Penang Char Kway Teow, this is the place where you can get something that is quite close. Its not cheap though. The smallest plate costs $10 but they do put in fresh seafood like scallops and prawns. Despite the price, it is still worth it since I haven't found a Char Kway Teow that is reminiscent of the stuff I ate in Penang until now. 4.5/5
Fish Liver $30
The thing about the Giant Grouper is that it is really big! Duh!
What I am saying is this. It is so big that it is unlike how you would eat other fish. It is more like eating a pig or a cow. So like pork, you have giant grouper liver, lips, skin etc. If you happen to like pork liver, then you might enjoy the sauteed grouper liver. The texture is smoother than pork and indeed is somewhere between Foie Gras and Pork Liver. Tastewise, it is more delicate than pork but that liver taste is inescapable. The pork liver lovers, notably holydrummer, loved this and would give it 4.5/5. However, I don't like pork liver, so I found this acceptable and worth a try. Personally, I won't order it again, but you might. 3.5/5
Fish Skin $20
You know that the standard of most Cze Char restaurants is determined by the quality of the Shang Tang (stock) right? I was recently at Sin Huat with a group of Executive Chefs from India who were invited by the Singapore Tourism Board to learn about Singapore food. The thing about Sin Huat is that they have only a handful of dishes and most of their dishes have the taste of the Shang Tang. So after a few dishes, you begin to realize that there is that special taste that you really enjoy which comes from that closely guarded cauldron that is perpetually full.
The Shang Tang here is also very good and you can taste it in most of the dishes. So whether they are serving you fish lips or liver or skin, they all have that nice, savoury taste which blends so well with any of the other condiments that they use to cook the dishes.
Grouper skin is very much like other Chinese delicacy such as sea cucumber and fish maw. Unlike the Europeans, we Chinese like to eat slimy, gooey, collagenous stuff which soaks in all the flavours of the sauce. Grouper skin is almost like eating pork skin except that eating fish skin is healthier as it contains good fat and for the ladies, the collagen is good for your skin! 4/5
Three Flavour Mushrooms $10
The other dish that came as a very pleasant surprise was the vegetarian dish. Again, the taste of the Shang Tang is predominant, but it is a taste which I enjoy especially with a bowl of rice. The mushrooms and tofu are wonderful vehicles for soaking up all the flavours and the best thing is that this dish is good for you since it is all veg. (However, one has to consider what actually goes into the Shang Tang before we can call this a vegetarian dish. 4.25/5
Conclusion
If you are hankering for a good Char Kway Teow that is reminicent of Penang Char Kway Teow than you should definitely check out this place! You should also keep this in mind if you every find yourself hungry after watching the football match in the middle of the night.
Okto Channel aired a very interesting documentary comparing local Teochew Cuisine to the Teochew Cuisine found in Swatow. I made a brief appearance to comment about Teochew Porridge in Singapore.
I am not sure how you can catch the rest of the show since it has already been aired. I learnt a lot about Swatow where my grandfather came from and hope to visit one day. The series is still showing on Mondays at 9pm. I think they had one on Hainan island too.
I must make a pilgrimage one day to visit the village where my grandfather came from and at the same time taste real Teochew food!
The Ah Chek at Seng Kee Bak Chor Mee has been busy experimenting with Cze Char dishes ever since Seng Kee Bak Chor Mee decided to open for the evenings. In many ways, he is doing what our friend Jason at Ya Kwang was doing before he migrated to Perth. For those who have been reading since the Ya Kwang days, you would know how our kakis went to Ya Kwang almost every week to try out his new dishes. These two men are simply passionate about cooking and are sticklers about the quality of the dishes that they serve.
Good news for all aspiring bloggers. For the very first time in Singapore, Nuffnang are organizing a blogger's symposium where bloggers of different genres can get tips on how to write better blog!
The event, which is sponsored by Canon, will take place in April and there are three Canon Powershot S90 cameras to be won! The symposium will consist of 5 breakout sessions where participants can choose to attend the genre of their choice. The five categories are:
If you have been wanting to learn to take better photos of your kids, do sign up for the free workshop during the school holidays from 19 to 21 March organized by Dadsforlife.sg with the support from Canon, Singapore.
Fathers can bring the children down to one of the three locations during the holidays where you can attend the seminar and then put your new skills to work taking photos of your kids! At the same time, there will be professional photographers around where you can have a free portrait taken of you with your children!
I will be conducting the workshops on 19th and 21st so if you do come, do come over to say hi after the talk.
Details:
19th Mar at Fort Canning Park, 1.30pm (My session) 20th Mar at Marina Barage, 1.30pm 21 Mar at Singapore Discovery Centre, 1.30pm (My session) Admission: Free but seats are limited so please register early
You can register by clicking here. More information at Dadsforlife.sg website here.
I guess like many people, my interest in Korean food started as a result of watching K drama. It didn't really take off after "Stairway to Heaven" which I felt was a series to test your endurance for "Chee Kekness" (frustration). But interest begin to brew after "Sik Gek" and blossomed in "Da Chang Jing". So now I am on my Korean food hunt to find the best that the culture has to offer.
Before this, the only thing I really liked about Korean food was the table BBQ. That's not because the other stuff was bad, it's just that I don't really know what else to order. In fact, I still don't really know what to eat, but as a result of K Drama, I am more interested in exploring. And it helps when my friend Cactuskit just happens to be a K Drama addict and eats Korean food almost every week. In fact, Cactuskit is like a drug trafficker who goes around getting people addicted to K Drama.
Advertorial Pizza Hut's New Soft Shell Crabbiatta Pasta $12.90
There was a time when Pizza Hut was really Pizza "Hut". I don't know how many of you would remember this, but in the good old days, there was one particular Pizza Hut restaurant in Jurong that was in a standalone building with its own parking lot outside. In those days, having Pizza meant having Pizza at Pizza Hut. There weren't as much choices then and not many Aunties knew what a "Pissa" was.
Many thanks to everyone who logged in to support the blog!
It is indeed gratifying to know that my work has been recognized by foreign readers and that we managed to win one for Singapore!
Anyway one blogger commented that food blogs are insidiously taking over the blogosphere as the most popular subject of blogs. It is not official but I always maintain that Singapore probably has the most number of food blogs per capita in the world. There are so many food blogs now that we have lost count, don't you think?
If you are considering writing a food blog do remember to sign up for my workshop at the Blogger's Symposium. You might even win a Canon Powershot S90 camera to help you take your photos!
Registration is opened for our next Makan Session!
This time round we will be doing a Peranakan Appreciation Session. I have specially asked Bibik Kathryn from Peramakan to prepare some of their signature Nonya dishes plus a few special items which are rarely prepared by restaurants nowadays. Bibik Kathryn will also be there to teach us about Peranakan culture and dishes. As part of our Community Project, $10 per pax will go towards Van we are sponsoring for the kids!
Here are the details:
Venue: Peramakan, Keppel Club Date: 27 Mar 2010 Time: 1.30pm (Registration starts at 1pm) Price: $40 per pax (includes the $10 donation to Goducate) Details: To register, write to ieatishootipost@gmail.com. In the Title write: Peramakan Session and in the first line write: Name, Nickname, Handphone, No. of Pax
Menu:
Appetiser: Nasi Ulam (Aromatic rice served with finely sliced Asian herbs and seafood)
Soup: Nyonya Hee Peow (Cabbage, fish maw, fish, prawn & pork balls in rich fish & chicken stock)
Main Dishes: Babi Toh Hay (A traditional pork dish cooked with preserved shrimps fermented in wine) Hati Babi Bungkus with Luak Chye (Nyonya pork & liver balls served with Luak Chye – a special Nyonya pickled vegetables) Itek Sio(Peranakan style braised duck in fragrant tamarind & coriander sauce) Ayam Buah Keluak (Chicken braised in rich Indonesian black nut gravy) Udang Masak Kuah Nanas (Prawns in hot pineapple gravy) Seafood Otak Otak (Unique to PeraMakan, fish, squids & prawns in a rich spicy paste grilled on a kunyit leaf) Nyonya Cheh Hu (Home-made prawn crackers, fried taukwa, jelly fish & squids in a refreshing salad) Sayur Nangka Masak Lemak (Young jackfruit in rich spicy gravy with prawns)
Desserts Rempah Udang (Sweet & savoury prawn fillings encased in steamed glutinous rice, rolled on banana leaves & grilled) Ice Chendol (Slurpy chendol strips and kidney beans with gula melaka & freshly squeezed coconut milk) Durian Pengat (Penang-style dessert of home-made durian mousse, served chilled with sweet potatoes and yams) PeraMakan’s Signature Durian Puffs (A hot favourite with our customers – puff pastries filled with fresh D24 durian)
Everyone knows Tiong Bahru Pau right? I guess it is about time to list them on the blog since it is one of the most famous Paus around.
When I was a kid, two of the most popular Paus were Tiong Bahru Pau and Teck Kee Pau. It was because of these two stalls that I developed my affinity to Paus. I guess any kid would love Paus. You can eat it with your hands, it is tasty and best of all there are no veggies in it!
The distinctive feature of Tiong Bahru Pau is the lack of the egg in the Big Pau. This has always been my main complaint. You know how in the good old days, rather than being the ingredient that you avoid eating, the egg was always the prized bit? Yeah, believe it or not, eggs were once expensive and putting a slice of egg in a pau or curry puff was a luxury. But that was a long time ago, before the production of the modern egg.
But despite the lack of the egg, I have always liked the meat filling of the Tiong Bahru Pau. The Big Pau used to be a favourite of mine. It is still good, but nowadays the skin has gotten a bit thicker and dryer. It is not because they are trying to save cost, but I suspect it is because nowadays they have to make paus to supply so many branches that the skin needs to be resilient enough to withstand the transportation. So even though it is still good, it has really lost its edge. 4/5
Thankfully the Char Siew Pao is still very good and still one of the best ones around. The Char Siew is very tasty and still retains that distinctive smokey flavour. Again, the skin could be thinner but overall, still something you can showcase to an overseas visitor. 4.25/5
One of those things that I used to absolutely love was the Siew Mai. What is there not to like about eating pure meat? Before there were Chicken Nuggets, there were Siew Mais which are actually quite similar to the Nuggets in the sense that they are a mouthful of meaty goodness. One could argue that the amount of fats in a Siew Mai is really bad for you but it can't be worse than eating a Chicken Nugget which really is a product of food science. One can draw a parallel between eating Butter and Margarine. Which would you choose?
Again, I grew up eating Tiong Bahru Siew Mai. I always remembered how tasty they were and made even more so since I had to fight with two hungry younger brothers for them. I think they are still good but again, they were better in the past. 4.25/5
Conclusion
So is it just me or do you still remember what it was like years ago?
Tiong Bahru Pau Tiong Bahru Market and Food Centre #02-18/19 30 Seng Poh Rd S168898
Our eating adventure on the seafood paradise of Sandakan got off to a great start when our guide, Johnny, brought us to Sim Sim for breakfast. Sim Sim is a settlement which consist of housing that has been built over the sea. The reason for doing this is because there is then no need for a sewerage system as everything just gets washed out to sea. Housing like these can still be seen in Malaysia and in contrast to Singapore where having a house by the sea is the ultimate luxury, in Sandakan, they are considered cheap housing.
I get very excited by these type of rustic places. It is something that is so foreign to Singapore, yet so familiar, because somehow, you can believe that such places can and might have at one time existed in the Singapore of the past. Afterall, we are not so much different from Sandakan in terms of our culture and our peoples. So as I walk along the corridors, seeing the swirling dust particles lit by sunlight streaming through the glass louvres coupled with the familiar smell of joss sticks and the feel of wooden planks under my feet, I was naturally transported me back to my childhood days when as kids, we would often visit our grandfather's shophouse in the small fishing village of Pekan in Pahang. The shophouse is still there, very much the way Ah Gong left it, and together with it, a tangible piece of my personal history. Such a connection with the past is an luxury in fast changing Singapore.
It is very hard to categorize this particular restaurant. If I had to pick one, I would say it is closest to being a Yong Tau Foo restaurant. The signature dish is this Pei Dan Giao (century egg dumpling) which is your Sui Gao with the addition of Century Eggs. This is very nice and I think that it is something that our hawkers here can replicate easily.
Chai Tau Kway
Most of the dishes here are similar to what we have in Singapore except for slight twists here and there. In anthropological terms, this demonstrates a common origin of the food and subsequently a common ancestry between the people of Singapore and Sandakan. In other words, we did not invent the dishes, we simply transformed it to our own Singapore style.
The Chai Tau Kuay here is a good example of this. The carrot cake which is made from rice is the common denominator. However, in Sandakan, in addition to the Chye Poh (preserved radishes) they also add chopped Hae Bee (dried prawns) and tau gay (bean sprouts). The chopped Hae Bee adds the extra umami kick to the dish since it is high in natural occuring glutamates which is released when protein is broken down. Needless to say, the Chai Tau Kway is a dish you should slowly savour, save for the fact that if you do that, all your friends would have finished the dish before you can take the next bite!
The chee cheong fun here is also a little different from Singapore. It is thinner and not so easily torn as the ones we are used to. So as you can see, they are able to roll it really tight. The thick black sauce is favoured by our Malaysian cousins and indeed, you will see it again in another dish which we had for lunch.
Breakfast at Sim Sim Pier 8
This is the first time I have had the chance of eating in one of these housing estates that have been built over the sea. I am not sure if Singapore had such housing at some stage. I saw the same type of housing when I was in Penang last year. In order to get to the restaurant, we had the opportunity to walk past people's houses and saw just how the locals conduct their day to day activities. Sights like chickens being kept in coops hung outside windows as well as salted fish being dried just adds to the whole mystique of the dining experience.
As you know, Goducate is our adopted charity this year. So we will be doing a few things to try to raise money and awareness to the plight of stateless children living in Sandakan. Several of our kakis have already expressed an interest in making a trip to Sandakan this year and we are looking at organizing a trip maybe in the middle of the year. If you would like to be involved, do drop me an email at leslie.tay@gmail.com.
Jiu Ji restaurant Sim Sim settlement Pier 7 Sandakan, Sabah Malaysia
First of all, I love Hainanese Curry Rice. I think it is one of the tastiest things on earth. Secondly, I love Pork Chops. I think it is one of the tastiest ways to prepare pork. Thirdly, I experienced for the first time, what traditional Hainanese Pork Chop is like and it left me wondering why so many stall nowadays changed from the traditional recipe to the one with tomato sauce? Heavenly Pork Chops
Let's talk Pork.
We have the Austrians to thank for inventing the Pork Schnitzel. The Japanese took the idea and came up with Tonkatsu and the Hainanese transformed it into Hainanese Pork Chops. I love the latter two but seldom think about eating the original Pork Schnitzel.
Pork Chops are right up there in my top ten favourite foods. I can't tell you the rest of the nine and indeed I think that there would actually be more than that if I sat down to list them all. But it is one of those things that would make me happy on my birthday.
The Pork Chops here made me really happy. Although they are not freshly fried, they still managed to maintain the light crispy batter. When it is eaten together with the sauce, the flavors from the batter are released at the centre of your tongue and the fragrance of the marinade only hits the top of your palate after when you bit into it. Pork Chops like these are to be slowly savored with your eyes closed! 4.75/5
Pork Balls in Onion and Pea Gravy
My Hainanese mother-in-law used to fry her pork chops for us when I was still growing up as a teenager. She would use crushed Jacobs Cream Crackers to coat the pork and deep fry them. My wife tells me that she used to also make a canned green pea, onion gravy to go with the pork chop. I don't know why she never made this for me before! Maybe she did not like me enough then!
The Pork Chops are served together with this pea and onion gravy which, I was told, is the traditional gravy that existed before the tomato version. The lady boss would not say what goes into the gravy except that it is made from the marinade used for the pork chops. So in a sense, it is actually like pan sauce which is made from dissolving the brown bits on the bottom of your pan after frying the meat.
When you visit the stall, my advice is to order your pork chops without the sauce and a bowl of the pork balls (lion heads) which is simmering in the same gravy used to pour over the pork chops. That way, you get to dip the crispy pork into the gravy just before you eat it and the batter does not become soggy. The pork balls themselves are also very good, but I spent the most time trying to figure out what goes into the sauce. 4.5/5
Lor Bak is the other standard item if you are eating Hainanese Curry Rice. This is the only time when I would actually mix curry gravy with the lor (braising sauce), but that is what Hainanese Curry Rice is all about. The Lor is very good but compared to the Pork Chops, they not as outstanding. They are very tender but there are better ones around. 4.25/5
Hainanese Chap Chye is the other must eat item for this style of dining. The cabbages here are stewed till very soft and the flavour of the dried shrimp is evident. It's very good but my favourite version is Chin Chin's which come with deep fried pork skin and the all important shredded cuttlefish.
Lady Boss adding gravy to the rice
You know how they always douse your rice with Lor, Curry, and the Chap Chye gravy? I always thought that putting 3 gravies on your rice would cause a collision of flavours but they somehow seem to gel very well. Then I found out that over Tian Tian, they don't just have three but six different gravies! They are: 1. Chicken Curry, 2. Seafood Curry, 3. Special Curry, 4. Char Siew sauce, 5. Pork Chop Gravy and 6. Lor (Braising Sauce). You can, of course, tweak it to suit your liking!
Conclusion
Best Hainanese Pork Chops I have eaten so far and a very satisfying Hainanese Curry Rice meal overall!
Tian Tian Curry Rice Blk 116, Bukit Merah View S(151116) 9am to 9pm Closed alt Monday 91096732 Branch at ION foodcourt
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