Showing posts with label local flavours. Show all posts
Showing posts with label local flavours. Show all posts

Wednesday, February 10, 2021

[Tasting] Eat Drink @ Yum Sing Clarke Quay

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Was invited to Yum Sing recently, courtesy of Kris (@msginginly). New place with plenty to eat, plenty to drink and no reason not to party!

Located at Clarke Quay, the exterior of Block B is recognisable in pink.

Block B and a beautiful painted signage of Yum Sing

yup, arrived at Block B

Yum Sing

food menu

After the usual Safe-Entry and temperature scanning, guests are welcomed into the hip and happening space that's Yum Sing. Immediately, guests could see towards their left, a section dedicated to showcase local brands such as Old Seng Choon, Compendium, Prima and many more.

local goods corner

lovely merchandise

Go past that section, and you might recognise an old world amusement park ticket booth.

a piece of nostalgia

After which, one would see the modern bar and if you spend some time observing the space, one might find trinkets and decorations that reminds you of familiar items.


feeling the vibe

cheers

my table

carousel up on the ceiling? why not!

lovely wall art by Ceno2

stage is set, lights action and...

If you recognise the trinkets that adorns the furniture or even by staring at the table or at the ceiling, one could find a piece of nostalgia at Yum Sing. Those who are familiar with the 60's will feel right at home with the many upcycled items that now becomes part of the place.

drinks menu

The Kaya Toast Set and Kopi-O Gao stood out from the drinks menu. Yes, you read it correct. Signature cocktail in fact. How can I not order, I know right? Hahahaa. Most will start with Yum Sling, of gin based drink with fresh juices.

Yum Sling @$18++

Do allow some time for the Kaya Toast Set to be prepared. Mine arrived after 25 minutes as the bar was rather busy that day. When it arrived, was unable to tell what's inside the mug but can instantly recognise the kaya toast.

mysterious Kaya Toast Set @$18++


crispy toast with rum infused kaya cream

The drink has a strong aroma of pandan/kaya and is on the high sweet side. Heard that this is a whiskey based drink and boy, it sure is strong. Very likeable but prefer less sweet. The aroma is on-point as with the kaya cream. I want a bottle of those!

Let's get some food in da belly, shall we? With prices that ranges from $8 to $12 for majority of the plates, it is easy to share a variety of local food with friends/loved ones.

Oh, if you want to Lo Hei everyday all day, here you can!

Rainbow Yusheng @$6.80 per pax

huat ah~ (silently)

Okay, let's get some food for sharing shall we? Also, Yusheng: Am I a joke to you?

Prawn Paste Chicken Wings @$10++

Salted Egg Prawns @$12++

Started strong with fried food. Loved the piping hot prawn paste chicken and the tasty salted egg prawns. Prawn paste is not too strong and insides were well fried and juicy. But why no special sambal belachan to go with this?

Salted egg prawns or prawn paste chicken? I'd go for the salted egg prawns!

Next, we had the fruits Rojak, carrot cake and salted egg fish skin all priced at $8++ per plate. I'd go for Carrot Cake as recently been eating alot of Salted Egg Fish Skins and this version at Yum Sing feels even more sinful (aka fully loaded with salted egg!). If I'm having alcohol, I'd like the taste of salty caipo (菜脯). Loved the strong eggy fragrance of the carrot cake but the distribution of caipo was uneven and hence, my portion got the most. Oops!

Rojak @$8++

Carrot Cake @$8++

Salted Egg Fish Skin @$8++

If you prefer finger food, the Satay here was delicious. Well marinated chicken satay that was yums. But these babies were small. Not gonna fill up any space in the tummy, unless you're having an entire plate on your own. But then, still have room for more!

Chicken Satay @$10

yummy


Tried the oyster omelette here and they were good. Huge oysters that one can't resist.

Oyster Omelette @$10++


Next, I'd strongly recommend the Kung Pao Prime Beef Cubes. For just $12++ per plate, I'd go for second round (but didn't, so next time!) So tender, so good. Meat lovers, rejoice! The sauce is a tad to the sweeter side and not spicy actually. Unless you happen to bite into those dried chilies, of course.

Kung Pao Prime Beef Cubes @$12++


Still on the meaty trail, if you love dark and strong coffee, this one's for you. The Coffee Pork Ribs. Garnished with extra crunchy almond flakes. But, the coffee was a bit tooo strong for me.

Coffee Pork Ribs @$10++


If you like hotplate, there's Sambal Sotong served on a sizzling hot plate. Really tender squid and the sauce had a touch of spice which we all liked.


Sambal Sotong @$12++

closer view



If you prefer fried version, then there's the Calamari Fritters. One can smell it from afar! Strong garlicky aroma, and with a light batter. Deep fried to an attractive golden brown.

Calamari Fritters @$12++


Comparing sotong to sotong, my preference is to the Sambal Sotong as the taste of the 'zup' (sauce) was together with the seafood but the fried version, the flavour was on its batter. But hey, whichever version they were still good and complemented the drinks well.

If accidentally inbibed too much of those yummy signature cocktails, one could order up a comforting bowl of Bak Kut Teh. This is of the Singapore favourite peppery variant. The meat was really soft and I could portion it with just the metal spoon. 

Bak Kut Teh @$10++

If you need your carbs, and misses chicken rice, the version at Yum Sing has a darker coloured rice. My intuition tingled and something tells me that I must try the rice, even though by now, da belly was frantically signalling the hypothalamus.

Chicken Rice @$10++

True enough, the rice was cooked in a special broth and hence, was pretty flavourful. The chicken was tender and is said to be of the GG Poulet variant. Hmmm, am no connoiseur of fine chicken but it tasted mild and healthy. Loved the chicken rice chili with enough kick.

For fans of hor fun or kway teow, fret not as you can order up the Moonlight Hor Fun or the Char Kway Teow. If you don't like greasy food, it means you didn't have enough to drink. Just kidding. Drink responsibly and don't drive ya. 

Char kway teow was decent but nothing to shout about. Just basic comfort food.

Char Kway Teow @$10++

Moonlight Dried Beef Hor Fun @$10++

Hmm, not sure what is the hype about for moonlight hor fun (月光河粉). Maybe because it is photogenic with the raw egg in the center? I liked the beef in this version.

mix it all in

After some drinks, I do crave for hot food like Hokkien Mee and Laksa, and Yum Sing has it! Surprisingly, the Hokkien Mee had a touch of wok-hei. 

Hokkien Mee @$10++

My favourite noodles that night was Laksa. Not only for the fact that it had cockles, but the taste was flavourful and not overly rich. Just right and served hot.

Laksa @$10++

If you are in a group, can order up the Chili Crab to share. Lots of delicious sauce, and transparent gloves is provided to keep the fingers clean.

Chili Crab @$78++

ready to be conquered

Overall, Yum Sing has much to offer and it is heartening to know of their plans for the future. Looking forward to visiting again!

My must-order list:

  • Kaya Toast Set (signature cocktail)
  • Salted Egg Prawns
  • Oyster Omelette
  • Kung Pao Prime Beef Cubes
  • Sambal Sotong
  • Laksa


Thank you Kris for extending the invite and Shu-Yi and Yum Sing for feeding us.


Yum Sing

Address: 3 River Valley Road, #01-06/07 Clarke Quay, Block B, 179021

Websitehttps://www.yumsing.com.sg/

Contact: 6261 6463

Business Hours:

Daily:  4pm – 10:30pm


Sunday, August 25, 2019

The Sampan @ 63 Boat Quay

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And so, we decided to have dinner at this place called "The Sampan". It's been a long long while since I last visited Boat Quay.

exterior
interior
Was there super early, so got myself a drink. Requested for a rum based cocktail and was presented with Cuba Libre. Rum and coke it is then. Was pretty good.

Cuba Libre

sampan
Ivan, Hence and Alvin soon arrived and we ordered some bar snacks to start. We ordered 4 types of snacks. The emping belinjo was well fried and enjoyable with the homemade green chili dip. Was disappointed with the calamari portion though. The pani puri was surprisingly good and we were confused about the nuts below the pani puri. Some of us had actually tried to bite onto those before we were informed that it was for decoration only...oops.

Emping Belinjo @$5
Calamari with Wasabi Mayo @$10
Vegetarian Fritters @$8
Pani Puri @$6

Loved the vegetarian fritters too! So tasty.

Mango Chili Smash @$17

We were in a party of 5, so we ordered 3 meats and 2 carbs to share for the mains. The portion of each main is suitable for one pax.

Crispy Thai Beef Salad @$16
After the snacks, we started with a Crispy Thai Beef Salad which was tangy and appetising. Crispy beef wasinteresting as well. Lovely.

Fresh Local Seabass @$21

Seabass (different view)

The soy glaze gave the fish a delightful flavour that everyone's familiar with and nothing beats the texture of a fresh produce. The potato puree was so good to eat as well. Likewise, the pickled salad served with the dish. Yums!

Beef Cheek Rendang @$26
Couldn't believe it when I first took a bite of the Beef Cheek Rendang. "What sorcery is this?" I thought. The rendang flavour was best! So so good. Wish we could have more of the steamed rice cake (ketupat) to mop up all the delicious sauce. The beef was tender but the magic was in the sauce.

Kampung Bali Fried Rice (Beef) @$15

Unfortunately, the fried rice was a tad too dry for my liking. Flavour was good but just not my thing.

Whole Baby Chicken @$22

The baby chicken looked innocent but it was so dangerous! That aubergine sambal, was wow! The spicy punch hits you faster than a lightning bolt and I was coughing away before I knew what was happening. It was interesting that this dish was served with lontong. Why ah?

steamed rice cake with chicken

And, by this time, if you're still hungry, there's always mee goreng. When it arrived, it looked like mee pok! Well, it tasted like fried mee pok too. The noodles were al-dente but I was already very full by then.

Indonesian Mee Goreng (Seafood) @$15

My favourites were the seabass and beef cheek rendang. Kudos to Chef Ahmed and his kitchen crew for the fine execution. Lovely flavours using local produce!

Of course, to end our meal, we'd order dessert. Turned out that two of our dessert were green! The first one was described as 'breakfast' in a glass. Think Coffee Tuille, kaya mousse and Charred Bread Ice Cream.

Local Coconut Pudding @$13
Pandan Pancakes @$13

The pandan pancakes reminds me of min jiang kueh (面煎粿). The green dessert were very likeable but the ice-cream melted way too fast!

mochi brownie with ice cream

My favourite dessert was the mochi brownie with ice-cream. This was not in the menu yet and Chef Bjorn brought it for us to try. Loved it! That layered feel when you bite into the crisp thin layer at the top of the brownie, then sink into that slightly denser texture of the brownie before encountering chewy mochi was so memorable.

The crew at The Sampan are friendly and they'd constantly be checking on their guest. Water was topped up regularly too.

We enjoyed dining at The Sampan. Thank you all!

The Sampan

Address: 63 Boat Quay, Singapore 049851
Websitehttps://www.thesampan.sg/
Contact: 6732 1698
Business Hours: 
Mon to Fri: 11.30am to 12am
Sat: 5pm to 12am
Closed on Sun
 
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