Hua Ting Restaurant: The Dim Sum Tutorial
We are all very familiar with the basic dim sum items like har gao, siew mai and char siu bao, but how many of us really know what to look for in a good har gao or what makes one siew mai better than the next? We sat down with Hua Ting's Chef Lap Fai to discuss these questions!
Tea Smoked Chicken: So Simple, So Shiok
The best recipes are those that are simple yet satisfying. There should be a phrase that captures this idea in a more sexy way. Something like "Bang for the Buck" except that it refers to recipes that are relatively simple to do and yet gets oohs and ahhhs all around the table. Perhaps I should call such recipes "So Simple, So Shiok" recipes. So far that is what I can come up with. If you can think of an even sexier phrase, please let me know.
Syed Mohammad Drinks Stall: Teh Tarik with kick!
A good teh tarik is not easy to make. First you have to start with good ingredients — that goes without saying. You will never produce a good cup of teh tarik with lousy tea dust. But, that is only half of the equation. Even if you have the right blend of tea and condensed […]
Michelin Guide Singapore 2018: Opinion: Should we be bothered?
I have to say that I am quite DISAPPOINTED with this year's Michelin Guide results. In the first year, we cheered the fact that two hawkers were awarded Michelin Stars and some of our local chefs like Candlenut and Cornerhouse managed to get stars.
Ah Seng Hai Nam Coffee: Old Old School Kopi
Ah Seng Hai Nam coffee is nothing short of a living museum which we can be proud of. The passion that drives the family's insistence of doing everything the old school way in the face of modernization is a true inspiration for us all.
Mei Mei Roasted Duck: The Charsiu is good too!
I am on the hunt for good charsiu again. In the past, I have always focused mainly on the quality of the charsiu. But this time round, I am looking not just for good charsiu, but I am also focusing on the sauce and the rice. The reason I am thinking about charsiu rice this way is because of unagi don. In the past year, I have written quite a bit about unagi don and to me charsiu rice is very similar to unagi don. Both are grilled meats on rice with a sweet sauce. The big difference, aside from the fact that one is a fish and the other, a pork, is the quality of the sauce that goes with it.
Tsui Wah Singapore: Authentic Hong Kong Cafe
Hong Kong's iconic cafe chain, Tsui Wah has finally made its debut in Singapore! Located at Clarke Quay, this first Tsui Wah outlet in South East Asia is a collaboration between Jumbo Group Ltd and Tsui Wah Hong Kong and coincides with their 50th anniversary.
Greenwood Fish Market: The Idiot’s Guide to Oysters!
I had my oyster epiphany in Oct 2011 during an OSU trip to Boston to speak to the Singapore students there. When we were planning what to eat for lunch, my friend Jason suggested the Neptune Oyster Bar. My first reaction wasn't one of unbridled joy.
EatsMeetsWest: Creative dips with Hellmann’s Mayonnaise
I had the privilege of meeting Chef Luke Thomas who burst into the limelight when he became Britain’s youngest head chef at the tender age of 18. He was in Asia to promote Hellmann’s Mayonnaise and I was asked to introduce him to the unique flavours of Singapore. Hellmann’s had issued a challenge to Luke […]
Restaurant Labyrinth: Michelin Star Singapore Cuisine
Modern Singaporean cuisine is no longer considered "new". It really started more than a decade ago with Chef Willin Low's Wild Rocket. Nowadays, a "laksa" this and a "chilli crab" that can be found everywhere, even at fast food chains, which begs the question:
Dim Sum Haus: Good and reasonably priced dim sum
Have you ever tasted a siew mai or har gow that is so good that it just blows all the others out of the steaming basket? I haven’t. In my experience, there is good siew mai and there is bad siew mai. There is good and very good siew mai, but I have never, ever […]
Penang Place: Buffet with Character
I generally eschew buffets. I find most of them to be pretty generic and nowadays I usually only have them when it is part of the hotel breakfast package. Oh, there was a time when I used to love buffets. But that was a long time ago when my appetite was much bigger and my palate, less discriminating. Buffets were a great idea then. You starve yourself for the whole day, then pay one price and try to eat more than your money’s worth of food. It used to be a profitable venture for me, but not anymore since I can’t eat as much and the prices of buffets have gone up significantly in the last decade.