An almost kampung-styled idyllic, rustic dining environment. Located next to a long stretch of quiet road, a large signage beckoning patrons to its indoor air-conditioned dining area. "Restaurant HOME & Bar", the signboard says. Turning in, one sees 27 Cosford Road on a wooden plank resting on the tall coconut tree.
 |
| you have arrived |
 |
| entrance to Restaurant HOME compound |
 |
| HOME signage |
Walk on in, and you'll come face-to-face with the long nose of a tank bunker. Ok, now one might wonder if this is an army camp or a restaurant.
 |
| bunker |
Soldier on, and one will be greeted by cement floor, small drain, patches of grass, a shed, a swing and a garden at the back for herbs and vegetables. When we were there, its dill plants have grown pretty tall!
Stop by to admire boards of media coverage for Chef Tan Yong Hua and Restaurant HOME before one gets to the restaurant door. Friendly staff greets and welcomes the diner to their table. Celebrity Chef Tan has an armory of accolades and it included one Gold and two Silver Medals in the World Championship of Chinese Cuisine back in 2008. He is also the first Singaporean to have beaten the Iron Chef Thailand.
At Restaurant HOME, city diners could drop by and temporarily slow down their hectic lifestyle, to stop and smell the flowers (or herbs!). At HOME, Chef Tan prepares the dishes with heart and where his diners could gather for a good tasty meal with their loved ones.
 |
| HOME compound |
 |
| garden at the back |
There is a swing in the compound too! Just like some of our homes during the kampong days. How nice it is to be on the swing with your favourite person in the cooler evenings?
 |
| swing |
Indoor, there are round tables for communal and large group dining, as well as square tables for cosy, intimate dining for the couples. Private dining areas are available as well.
To usher in a Bountiful Year of the Earth Dog, Restaurant HOME has prepared auspicious tasty dishes to celebrate. New year dishes such as Braised Green Wrasse with Roast Pork, Leek and Flower Mushrooms (年年有余), Pan-Fried King Prawn with Superior Soy Sauce (喜哈大笑) and Fragrant Rice with Dried Scallop and Preserved Meat wrapped in Lotus Leaf (五谷丰收) and these are specially prepared in the 8-course CNY Prosperous Menu E (福星高照新春特备套餐).
 |
| communal dining |
Say cheers to the new year, with hot tea. Pu-er was served and if you like alcohol, one could also do sake, beer, wines or whisky. They have a good range of sake which included my favourite Junmai Daiginjyo.
 |
| treasure trove |
Of course, hot Chinese tea works for all! Hmm, I spied Chef has his own collection of Pu-er discs in the restaurant.
 |
| hot pu-er (普尔) for us, cheers! |
For Lunar New Year, of course one must have Yu Sheng. So, for first course, we had the Yu Sheng with Norwegian Salmon (遍地黄金).
 |
| Yu Sheng with Norwegian Salmon (遍地黄金) |
 |
| striking gold with the salmon slices |
The friendly staff will start with the auspicious sayings as she places each of the ingredients together. Once ready, all chopsticks on hand and everyone participates in the joy of tossing the salad as high as possible (with minimal spills too).
 |
| tossing for prosperity |
 |
| always happy to get a slice of yu sheng! |
Next course, one gets a bowl of nutritious double-boiled Amidori Abalone with Chicken and Night Blooming Cereus soup. It's a heart and tummy warming bowl of goodness.
 |
| Double-boiled Amidori Abalone with Chicken and Night Blooming Cereus Soup - 万事胜意 (霸王花鲍鱼炖鸡汤) |
 |
| Amidori Abalone |
Soup was deliciously flavourful yet light at the same time. The abalone was nicely tender. The night blooming cereus is the flower of the dragonfruit and it offers a cooling effect. For me, I thought its texture was similar to lily bulb.
Next, a signature dish of Chef Tan and Restaurant HOME, the Barbecued Duck with Lychee Wood. Thin, crisp skin and flavourful tender duck. If you are looking for strong herbal flavours, this is not it. Instead, the meat takes centerstage which the mild flavours allows the natural taste of the duck to shine through. Lovely.
 |
Barbecued Duck with Lychee Wood - 福甲天下(火炭烧荔枝木烤鸭)
handmodel: foodinsing |
 |
| delicious barbecued duck with sweet plum sauce |
New year is also a time where the best meats are offered for dining when the whole family had gathered around. Fish is a must and at Restaurant HOME, there's Braised Green Wrasse with Roast Pork, Leek and Flower Mushrooms. Robust, homely flavours suitable for the young and old. Nice to drizzle the sauce onto white steamed rice.
 |
| Braised Green Wrasse with Roast Pork, Leek and Flower Mushrooms - 年年有余 (红烧蒜子火腩扒海青依) |
By now, one would have lost count of the dishes that had arrived and been devoured by the table. Pork ribs and prawns were the fifth and sixth items. The duet of pork ribs has was sweet caramelized goodness where firm meat was lovingly encased in caramelized sweet sauce and sprinkled with tiny bits of untoasted sesame. The combo with greens is a good idea and kai lan was crunchy good.
 |
| Duet of Pork Ribs with Barbecued sauce and Stir-Fried Kai Lan with Preserved Meat - 心想事成 （烧汁排骨 拼腊肠芥兰) |
 |
| Pan-fried King Prawn with Superior Soy Sauce - 喜哈大笑 （干煎明虾皇) |
If I was at home, I would have licked the sauce off the prawn shells but alas, at HOME, it was still a public setting so settled to just coating the king prawn with those sauce as much as I could. The prawn flesh was firm and sweet. It was good. Fingers were kept clean as western cutlery (of knife and fork) was provided.
For the carbohydrate finale, which Chef Tan has a fondness of, is the Fragrant Rice with Dried Scallop and Preserved Meat wrapped in Lotus Leaf. This is an authentic Cantonese dish and it came out nicely dark and moist. The preserved meat is made in-house and unlike store bought, it had a rather fresh sweet taste as opposed to heavily seasoned ones.
 |
| Fragrant Rice with Dried Scallop and Preserved Meat wrapped in Lotus Leaf - 五谷丰收 (瑶柱腊味荷叶饭) |
For dessert, we had the Black Sesame Glutinous Rice Ball in Longan Red Dates Tea. Sweet endings, and 发 ah!
 |
| Black Sesame Glutinous Rice Ball in Longan Red Dates Tea |
Thank you Hence for the invitation to the tasting, special thanks to Chef Tan and Restaurant HOME for hosting us.
The above were from the Prosperous Menu E 福星高照新春特备套餐, priced at $558+ for 8 pax or $688+ for 10 pax. For reservations, please call 6465 1698 or email: reservations@restauranthome.com.sg
Restairant HOME website:
http://www.restauranthome.com.sg/
Posts
0 comments:
Post a Comment