Master Tang 鄧師傅鳳城面家@ 233 Bukit Batok East Avenue 5

Instead of cafes, we went neighbourhood coffeeshop hopping. A small group of us (Jennifer, Kris, Ivan, Hence, Tiara and myself) ventured off into the (wild wild) west of Bukit Batok, going past Little Guilin (小桂林) and into East Avenue 5 Block 233.

We were there for former Head Chef of Crystal Jade, Master Tang Siu Nam's beef brisket noodles. A soft spoken man at a young age of 86, Master Tang was busy blanching plates after plates of noodles. His wife usually takes the order but she was busy with other things so Master Tang himself will ask the customer what he/she wants. Spoke to him in Cantonese and he smiled. Saw that the stall has congee too, so we got ourselves a bowl of century egg congee to try.

Master Tang works at his own pace but he is systematic. His wife helps to scoop the ingredients onto the noodles that he had prepared.

云吞鸡脚面 (wanton noodles with added chicken feet) @$4.50

牛腩筋面 (beef brisket tendon noodles) @$6

The portions for the beef brisket tendon noodles were generous. Maybe 3 to four chunks of stewed beef and about 3 pieces of those quivering soft tendons. The stew sauce was flavorful yet rather subtle. It was unfortunate that the beef pieces, especially the leaner ones were a tad too tough. Those that had a small later of fats worked best. Preferred the tendons over the brisket.

Liked the green chili pickles too. It gave the noodles a tangy lift. The noodles itself was on a softer side and the overall flavour was pretty rustic.

For me, the must-order from Master Tang would be this dedicated plate of chicken feet noodles. The feet were pretty deceptive-looking but it packed some heat. Would gladly have the entire plate for myself! The skin falls off easily and it was such a joy to suck off the skin and spit out the bones.

鳳爪面 / 鸡脚面(chicken feet noodles) @$4

It is quite rare to see a wanton noodles stall with congee, so we got ourselves a bowl to try. There were two flavours; the century egg version (which we got) and the meatballs with vegetable version which should be interesting.

 皮蛋艘肉粥 (century egg congee) @$4

The texture of the congee was good as I preferred it not to be too overly smooth. Generous portion of ingredients but I did not put in any soy nor sesame oil. Should've added some to lift up the flavours (体味) as Mrs Fong （方太） always said it. I liked watching 方太美食廣場 when I was in my teens.

The flavours of Master Tang's congee is just like those that we eat in Hong Kong restaurants and tasted healthy without any extra condiments except spring onions. Lovely.

Will go back for the chicken feet!

[Tasting] One Bowl Restaurant and Bar @ Sultan Hotel

One Bowl is located within Sultan Hotel and outside of the hotel, one could see the restaurant's signage. Look out for its promotion board too. Walk right into the hotel and the restaurant's entrance is at the lobby level.

One Bowl is a charming place, using wood carved out from tree trunks as its table top. Each of these wood pieces have its own characteristic lines. The restaurant has a comfortable vibe and ideal for intimate dinners for two and spacious enough to accommodate groups of 4 to 10 pax.

interior

dinner is about to be served

Helmed by Chef Tammie Loke, One Bowl Restaurant and Bar offers diners an Asian flavour and goodness of a homestyle meal. Signatures included Pork Belly Char Siew Mantou (steamed or fried), and Char Siew Noodles or Rice. Dishes are reasonably priced too.

menu

For drinks, one could try their House Special (non-alcoholic), juices, smoothies, coffee/tea, bottled beers or wine. Tried the Banana and Chocolate Smoothies, as well as House Special of Honey Lemon (hot), Apple Blossom and Shirley Temple. The Banana Smoothie was instantly recognizable when sipped. Liked the banana flavours as its ripeness was just right plus, a rather natural sweetness to it.

from left to right: Apple Blossom, Banana Smoothie, Chocolate Smoothie, Shirley Temple

If you are feeling under the weather, the hot honey lemon was soothing. House Specials are $5.50 each while smoothies are $6.50 each.

hot honey lemon @$3.50

Starters

For starters, the must-eat is pork belly char siew fried mantou served in two's or half-a-dozen. Heard that many diners will order this for their private functions as well and often times, these little golden buns would be sold out pretty fast. I've tried them and I must say, those pork belly char siew are amazing! Fats that dissolves in your mouth, yass to that! Perfect with a glass of wine.

pork belly char siew fried mantou (五花肉叉烧炸馒头) @$5 (for 2) or $12 (for 6)

If you prefer to start with something a little on the lighter side of things, opt for the cold or hot tofu. The Cold Tofu with Pork Floss and Century Egg was refreshing and enjoyable. Cut the tofu from top to bottom and get abit of that creamy century egg onto that scoop and drizzle some of those sauce on it. Simple and good.

The Hot Tofu has a light batter that fried to a nice golden hue and coated with sauce. Eaten when served, gave a warm fuzzy feeling in the tummy and heart. Just like how moms would make this dish. Or, at least Cantonese moms? Don't ask me to choose which tofu I liked better because both are equally good. I think the older folks would appreciate the warm ones as I remembered my granny used to dislike cold tofu.

Cold Tofu with Pork Floss and Century Egg (皮蛋肉松豆腐)@$10

Hot Tofu - Braised Tofu with Ginger Sauce @$10

Another appetiser that you might want to order for sharing would be the Ngoh Hiang (Five Spice Meat and Prawn Roll). Served with sweet sauce and chili sauce.

Ngoh Hiang  (Five Spice Meat and Prawn Roll) (五香) @$13

Signature Dishes

For the mains, one ought not to miss the Signatures of One Bowl. Meaning, do try their Char Siew Noodles or the Char Siew Rice. The noodles are much much thinner than expected and loved the seasoning on the sauce. Noodles are lightly tossed and sauce had hints of sesame and soy. Served with a bowl of vegetable soup. We had radish, corn and carrot soup that day.

Signature Char Siew Noodles (招牌五花肉叉烧麵) @$9.90

radish, carrot and corn soup served with both Signature Char Siew Rice/Noodles

Signature Char Siew Rice (招牌五花肉叉烧饭) @$10.90

The binding factor in its current Signature dishes, pointed back to the Char Siew. Yes, let's talk more about the delicious char siew! Again, it was the melt-in-your-mouth pork belly char siew that had its weight in gold. Noticed that the char siew in the noodles and rice had a more pronounced crispy sugary caramelization at its edges. Yes, those slightly blackened bits that my dad would've ask us to throw away. Nooo! That crunch when bitten and what followed was that savoury sugary sensation and melty fats that dissolves in your mouth. Yes, that's the awesome bits! Loved the garlic rice in the Char Siew Rice bowl.

Old School Flavours

Jumped at the opportunity to order the Pig Trotter in Vinegar with Ginger and Egg, as this dish seldom makes its appearance in restaurant menu. Drizzle a generous amount of that dark vinegary sauce onto the steamed rice and dig in. Tangy, sweetish and tasted of old ginger. Just that the sauce was a tad too sharp for my liking. The trotters were collageny good. While it doesn't fall off the bones, it was soft enough to devour. The meat were well braised and flavourful. Lovely with fats.

Pig Trotters in Vinegar with Ginger and Egg (猪脚醋) @$11.90

Rainbow Trotter Jelly (off the menu) (彩虹猪脚冻)

Chef Tammie had a surprise for us, and that was in the form of trotter jelly. This is a traditional Teochew dish, given a colourful twist by Chef Tammie. Instead of just slices of pale looking jelly, this plate has a lovely yellow and green to it, from the pumpkin and spinach puree. More collagen goodness for us. Thank you!

Dessert

To end our meal, we had the aiyu jelly and Japanese ice-cream. Was pleasantly surprised by the presentation of the aiyu jelly as it had exceeded my expectation. Truth be told, I was reluctant to choose this when first saw the menu. But now, am a convert for this version at One Bowl. This dessert bowl was a visual treat where it had a bright colour and decorated with goji but it was the taste that captivated. Tasted of preserved lime and pretty much refreshing!

Aiyu Jelly (愛玉冰)

The ice-cream was good and the yuzu flavour had real yuzu bits in it too. The goma flavour was intense!

Japanese ice-cream: Matcha, Kuro Goma and Yuzu

Thank you to Ivan (@ivanteh_runningman) for extending the invite, One Bowl Restaurant and Bar for hosting the tasting, Annie for sharing with us more about the place, cuisine and Chef Tammie for the awesome food. 

One Bowl Restaurant and Bar

Address: 101 Jalan Sultan, The Sultan Hotel Lobby (1.26 km)

199002 Singapore

Contact: 6291 9020

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/onebowlsg/

Reservation: reservations@onebowl.com.sg

Business hours:

Daily 07:30 - 15:00, 16:00 - 22:00

[Media Invite] Restaurant HOME 家 @ 27 Cosford Road

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/

Mak's Noodle 麥奀記 @ Westgate Jurong East

Had something light for late lunch, so was really going to check out the menu only. Then, was approached by the service staff and somehow, ended up trying its beef brisket and tendon noodles. Haha! Subconsciously, I had wanted to give this a try, perhaps?

view of the kitchen

chopsticks and paper napkins in the pull-out drawer of your table

Had heard from others that the noodles here is of a smaller portion. Just nice, since I wasn't very hungry.

Beef brisket and tendon noodle (牛筋牛腩捞面) @$10++

Verdict? The soup was a tad too peppery. The noodle was not well tossed, so one gotta mix it well. That bottle of spicy sauce goes well with the noodles. Sauce had hints of tangerine peel and not too salty. The meat was tender but the tendon could do with more time in the pot. And, addition of some green leafy vegetables would be good.

Szechuan Court & Kitchen 四川阁 @ Fairmont Singapore

With regards to Chinese cuisine, I grew up predominantly on Hokkien and Cantonese dishes as a kiddo, and progressively having some exposure to Hakka, Teochew, Shanghai and Beijing dishes when in adulthood. The latter was mainly due to easy availability of such cuisine in Singapore and also attributed to the opportunity to travel. If you ask me whether I've tasted szechuan cuisine before, I'd be hard pressed for an answer. The only szechuan I've eaten would be the szechuan preserved vegetable (mustard root). Doesn't count, right?

Thanks to the invitation from Hungrygowhere and hosted by Fairmont, had the opportunity to dine at Szechuan Court at Fairmont. This restaurant serves up fine Szechuan and Cantonese cuisine under the helm of Master Chef Mok Wan Lok.

interior of Szechuan Court

cosy dining

The restaurant is spacious and comfortable, with a modern Chinese interior. While waiting for the mains, one could sample the snacks already available on the table; the boiled peanuts and szechuan pickled vegetable. The pickle was delectably crunchy and tangy with a touch of chili. Quite addictive.

szechuan pickled vegetable with chili

boiled peanuts

let's have some tea, 饮茶

For tea alone, diners are spoilt for choice. Take your pick from premium leaves of Lion's Peak Dragon Well (狮峰龙井), High Mountain Dongding Oolong (冻顶乌龙), Aged Old Pu-er (陈年旧普洱) 12 years or handcrafted tea, amongst others.

Feeling ravenous, we started with the cold dishes of "Chong Qing" Poached Chicken in spicy peanut sesame sauce and the Braised Beef Tripe with Shimeji mushrooms in peanut chili sauce.

Combination of "Chong Qing" Poached Chicken, Spicy Peanut Sesame Sauce (重庆口水鸡) @$18++

Was pleasantly surprised that the spice level of the poached chicken was actually very likeable and not of the mind-numbing variant. The sauce was more of a fragrance inducer with a tingling of spice to excite the taste buds. The chicken itself was smooth and tender.

The overall texture of the beef tripe dish was enjoyably tasty, 爽口.

Braised Beef Tripe, Shimeji Mushrooms, Peanut Chili Sauce (老干妈五香牛肚伴松茸菇) @$18++

The first two dishes are strong in flavours, and if you prefer something more soothing, do try the Braised Bird's Nest with Cabbage in Chicken Broth.

A luxurious bowl of nutritious bird's nest on velvety smooth flavourful chicken broth. Very well prepared. Indeed a Chef's recommended dish.

Braised Bird's Nest, Cabbage, Chicken Broth (红烧菜胆鸡汁燕窝) @$42++

Next, we had the Steamed Cod fish with Soya Bean Crumbs.

Call me a novice but wasn't able tell what the topping was without looking at the menu. It looked pretty much like minced fried garlic. But its taste was of something more umami-ish. Really liked the soft-oily flesh of cod fish prepared simply by steaming it and doused with soy based sauce, with the fish topped with crunchy fried soya bean crumbs, minced garlic and a secret ingredient. Very good.

Steamed Cod Fish with Soya Bean Crumbs (豆酥) @$18++

Was happy to know that there are plenty of meat dishes in the menu.

The Wok-Fried Sliced Chicken dish was pleasant to taste with impeccably smooth and tender (嫩) chicken slices. The ginger tasted like pickled ginger and added to the tangy element of the dish. The Stir-Fried Duck Breast, surprisingly tasted more like tender beef/venison texture. Lovely dish, and loved the black fungus as well. Yums.

Wok-Fried Sliced Chicken, Young Ginger, Sweet and Sour Sauce @ (Small $28++, Medium $42++) 

Stir-Fried Duck Breast, Black Fungus, Pickled Wild Chilli @ (Small $32++, Medium $48++)

Next, we had the Braised Pork Belly Ribs with Crispy Rice and Sweet Vinegar Sauce. Come to think of it, Chinese cooking can be simple as well as complex. Boiled, braised, deep fried and then stir-fried. So many steps just for one dish alone! The presentation of this dish was as pretty as a painting.

Braised Pork Belly Ribs, Crispy Rice, Sweet Vinegar Sauce @ (Small $30++, Medium $45++)

Really enjoyed the crunch of the light batter, moist juicy meat and the perfect balance of sweet and sour in the sauce. Careful of the bones from the ribs though. The spice in this dish was of the peppercorn variant that provided a slight tinge of numbness (麻辣) on the lips.

In Chinese course meal, usually it will end with a carb of either rice or noodles. At Szechuan Court, we had Wok-Fried Fish Noodles, Shredded Pork and Black Pepper.

Wok-Fried Fish Noodles, Shredded Pork, Black Pepper @(Small $28++ , Medium $42++, Large $56++)

In the menu, there is an indicator of the spice level for each of the spicy dishes. But I think Chef Mok was kidding us when the menu for the Wok-Fried Fish Noodles stated an icon for 'pinch spicy'. This bowl of noodles was of the most spicy (from the black pepper) of all the dishes that we had tasted that night. It deserves an upgrade to 'Hot spicy' level! No worries, Chef  Mok has shared that if you prefer more spicy or less spicy, just let the staff know when you order the dish.

After sampling four of the spicy dishes that night, I'd dare say that the most of the spice level are acceptable to our foreign friends from the non-Asian countries.

Ended the night with a sweet cooling dessert of Pandan Ice Jelly with Honey Sea Coconut. Nice fragrance from the pandan jelly, with nice wobbly smooth texture.

Pandan Ice Jelly with Honey Sea Coconut @$8++

A big thank you goes to Medwin and Wendy for having us at Szechuan Court, Fairmont Singapore. Chef Mok for the delightful dishes and for spending time answering our queries. Many thanks to Hungrygowhere Singapore for the invite, and the foodie kakis, great company as always.

Szechuan Court & Kitchen 四川阁 

Location: 80 Bras Basah Road, Singapore 189560
Website: http://www.fairmont.com/singapore/dining/szechuancourt/
Reservation: +65 6431 6156 or email dining.singapore@fairmont.com
Business Hours:
Lunch:
Monday to Friday - 12:00pm to 2:30pm
Saturday, Sunday & Public Holiday - 12:00pm to 3:00pm

Dim Sum Buffet:
Saturday, Sunday & Public Holiday - 12:00pm to 2:15pm

Dinner:
Daily - 6:30pm to 10:30pm

Note: The information is correct at time of print. For more updated information, please visit the restaurant's website. Thank you