Orchid Live Seafood @ 1 Bah Soon Pah Rd

"Miss, the place that you're going...sounds quite ulu-hor?"

That was what the taxi uncle said after the address to the destination was given. Yes, GPS was switched on and we arrived at the destination but it looked more like a nursery (plants) from the outside so we overshot and went further up. Had to make a u-turn since the unit numbers were getting larger.

Turns out, it was right at the entrance to this road. First impression of this place? It felt like an out-of-town place somewhere in Malaysia.

alfresco otherwise turn towards the right for the air-conditioned restaurant entrance

live seafood tanks

Pretty old-school eatery and chef's recommendation are plastered all over the air-conditioned restaurant for easy reference.

old school feels

Dinner was gathered by Justin and everyone had common motive; which was to try the lobster porridge. Of course, since there were 6 of us, we ordered some other zichar (煮炒) dishes to share as well.

coconut water

For the lobster porridge, one could choose whether it's for 2, 3, 4, 6 or 8 pax. The difference is on the weight of the lobsters combined that'll feed those numbers of pax. Smallest would be 600g while largest would be 2kg. Price of live seafood will commensurate with weight.

Besides lobster porridge, we ordered dishes such as sambal kangkung (morning glory), stevens chicken, chili mussels, crispy tofu with topshell and a plate of hokkien noodles to try.

sambal kangkung

crispy tofu with topshell

chili mussels

The mussels were so plump but the sauce a tad too watery for me. Spice level was very mild. The crispy tofu was pretty ordinary...can skip. Perhaps a hotplate tofu would be better in terms of taste.

Our favourite dish? The stevens chicken. It was so good that we did a second order for this. Think we did medium x 2. Perhaps next time, a large portion from the start?!

Why we loved it? Served piping hot with crisp skin and moist inside. Adequate seasoning and mildly sweet on its skin. Not too oily.

stevens chicken

The porridge for 6 pax, was incredibly huge. A heavy pot was brought to tableside and the staff will help to dish out lobsters and to set it aside to prevent it from cooking any further. Porridge is then portioned into individual bowls. There were copious amount of porridge and broth available for thirds and fourths!

lobsters removed

lobster porridge is served

The essence was all in the broth. Comforting on a wet rainy day. A man who had finished his dinner with his family, walked past ours as we were about to start and he commented that both our tables ordered the same things. Hahaa! Guess so since most of the stuffs that we ordered were stated as chef's recommendation.

communal dining

Parking is available at this place. Otherwise need to grab since this is nowhere near any MRT.

Expect to spend about $50 to $60 per pax, if getting any live seafood.

Thank you Justin for initiating and Bel for getting the reservation. Communal dining with Justin, Bel, Kai, Cae, Tiara and Jen.

Long Ji 龙记 @ 253 Outram Road

Mention Long Ji and almost automatically, one would associate it with wok hei crab bee hoon (龙记螃蟹米粉). A group of us foodies decided to trudge to this place to try out this popular dish. Reservations is necessary. The restaurant seemed to be favoured by tourists and there were many tables of foreign friends enjoying their meal day on our day of visit. Why, we too brought our foreign friends to try the famed dishes together!

menu

For a table of 11 pax, we ordered two plates of Long Ji Bee Hoon Crab with estimated price for each plate of crab bee hoon to be $70++ per plate, with the crab weighing in at 1kg each. Other dishes include deep fried tofu with cereal and pumpkin sauce, salted egg yolk fried pumpkin strips, green dragon vegetables, prawn paste chicken and fermented pork belly.

cover charge

The noise level in this restaurant was so high till normal conversation with your table mates were almost impossible. We could either shout till our voice gone hoarse, or just eat our meal in silence. The restaurant staff seemed harried as well and at times, could be quite difficult to get their attention.

Plates after plates of bee hoon crab were seen at each of the tables. It's almost certain that everyone who's here at Long Ji would be ordering this. Similarly, our cameras started working once the star dish arrived.

Long Ji Bee Hoon Crab 龙记螃蟹米粉 @ $70++

The first time that I had dry version of crab bee hoon was at De Classic Golden Spoon at Seng Poh Lane. The sauce was of a darker colour and minimal excess as most would have been soaked up by the bee hoon and the wok hei was the best then. That was the epitome of dry bee hoon crab for me. With that gold standard, I was eager to try the Long Ji version. Not sure if the kitchen was in a hurry that day, but while the broth was sweet it just didn't packed that umami punch. The bee hoon could have been braised a tad longer too. Thought the chili sauce provided along with this dish was really good and did its job to elevate the taste of the bee hoon with its spicy-kick and tangy-ness.

Shrimp Paste Chicken 虾酱鸡 @$18++

Shrimp paste chicken was well-fried with juicy moist meat but the shrimp paste taste was a tad lacking. This would be rather suitable for friends who dislike the strong pungent smell of shrimp paste.

The Green Dragon Vegetables is from the chives family. Reminds me of char kway teow, ee-fu noodles, kuchai kueh and the likes. Fried with bean sprouts and offered a refreshing change from the meat-heavy dishes.

Green Dragon Vegetable 青龙菜@$18++

Fermented Pork Belly @$20++

The appetiser somehow managed to appear along with all the main courses. Nevertheless, the Salted Egg Pumpkin was rather enjoyable. Golden brown, thick cut slices of deep fried pumpkin, well coated with that grainy tasty salted egg yolk sauce. Another well loved dish was the deep fried tofu with cereal and pumpkin sauce. There's something about golden deep fried that they did very well here.

Salted Egg Pumpkin 咸蛋金瓜 @$18++

Deep Fried Tofu with Cereal and Pumpkin Sauce 麦香豆腐 @$16++

All in all, it was great dining with fellow foodies. Great to have met @batamliciouz and @singaporeliciouz
and it was a pleasure to have gathered with Damien, Jennifer, Justin, Kris, Ivan, Shermaine and Tiara.

Expect to spend about $30 per pax for a group of 10 pax.

Long Ji 龙记

Address: 253 Outram Rd, 169049
Contact: 9790 5682
Opening Hours: 
Daily 5pm to 10.30pm

JB Ah Meng Kitchen 新山亚明小厨 @ 2 Lorong 23 Geylang

It was ripe time again for a zhichar gathering. All it took was for one party to suggest and the rest of us to come to an agreed date and time. Gotta love my foodie pals!

This time round, we explored the foodie haven of Geylang. Ok. The word 'explored' was probably exaggerated as all we did was to convene at this one place; JB Ah Meng.

Took a cab there and discovered that Lorong 23 has 2 stretch of road and hence, was unceremoniously dropped off by taxi uncle as he said he doesn't know where it is. Sure, I just needed to choose one side and walk ahead. Headed towards where the bright lights were (away from the industrial buildings) and soon enough, found the place at the end of Lorong 23.

Imagine dingy backlane, warm stuffy air, hot tasty food and sometimes someone running away from something. Yeah, this is the place to experience all those.

glimpse into the kitchen

I was the last one to arrive and at a good timing too as food was just served and ready to eat. Let's see what we had. Here's our menu for that night:

• J.B San Lou Meehoon (L)
• Salted Egg Prawn Ball (M)
• Crab Roll Fritter (S)
• Snake Beans with Lotus Roots (M)
• Fried Black Hokkien Noodles (M)
• White Pepper Crabs (2 pieces)
• Kurobuta Boneless Pork Collar (S)
• Fermented Bean with Belly Pork (S)

Amazing selection, and am even more amazed as all the above were consumed by just the 6 of us. Two guys and 4 gals. Wow!

Let the feast begin. The plate of beehoon was nondescript. Not as charred nor 'chaotar' as initially thought. There were some greens that was hidden in the mid-section of the dish. Otherwise, it was just charred rice vermicelli with sprouts, eggs and leafy greens.

JB San Lou Meehoon (新山三楼米粉) @$14  (Large)

Crab Roll Friter (蟹冬双拼) @$12 (Small)

The crab roll fritter was quite interesting, especially the crispy stuff. Tapioca? Nah. It was actually deep fried kway teow sheets. Sweet, spicy and the texture of the crab roll was actually soft.

Fermented Bean with Belly Pork (南乳炸花肉) @$12 small)

The deep fried pork belly in fermented bean curd paste was rather light. Pleasant and enjoyable but wished its taste could be stronger.

The deep fried salted egg prawn ball was a pretty huge plate for a medium. The prawns were plump but overly firm. Tasted like pork! So bouncy. Haha! Interesting corn kernels in there but was probably there for crispy texture.

Salted Egg Prawn Ball (咸蛋虾球) @$30 (Medium)

Hokkien Black Noodles @$9 (Medium)

I think we made a mistake in ordering two carbs. But the fried hokkien noodles was rather value for money with a medium sized plate going for just $9! Medium for this is similar to a large plate. It has some pork slices, vege and small prawns in it. If only the sauce was darker, its noodles rounder and perhaps some chicken liver and gizzard in there, plus a bit of lard or two...then it would be even more similar to KL style fried hokkien mee. Well, a girl can only wish...

And for our customary vegetable dish, thought we ordered something interesting as I never had 'snake beans' before. However, it turned out to be....french beans. Oh, alright.... (did you sense the disappointment?)
That aside, I kind of liked this dish. There was french beans, some celery and deep fried lotus roots crisp.
But it was kind of a small plate for $18, so probably not value for money.

Snake Beans with Lotus Roots (蛇豆炒莲藕) @$18 (Medium)

Next up, if you're having white rice, then this next dish would be the perfect combi. The stir-fried kurobuta pork collar in black pepper sauce. Tender slices of pork, in rich strongly flavoured sauce and capsicums. 给我多一碗饭吧！But then, we still have the noodles...oops!

Kurobuta Boneless Pork Collar @$20

Weather was so warm and humid that it demands for some cooling drink. I had the oldenlandia (白花蛇草). An old school favourite with a sprinkling of salt.

drinks, COD

And did you think we were done? Am saving the best for last. My favourite dish of the night, goes to....
Yes, you are right. The white pepper crabs! WooOOhOOo!

White Pepper Crabs @$48

back view

Good sauce, not overpowering, plenty of spring onions and fresh, sweet meaty crab. Not that big in size but it was fresh and sweet. So yummy.

Tummies full, and plates emptied. Backlane eats, our zhichar story. Special thanks goes to foodie gang; Shermaine, Kris, Jennifer, Ivan and Hence. Shared calories, shared memories. Thank you guys!

Char Casual Dining @ Jalan Besar

When you go looking for their signboard, don't go looking for Char. Look for CH叉R instead. Lesson learnt. The restaurant is actually at the same building as Singapore Lee Clan General Association (新加坡李氏总会). The restaurant is opposite across the road from the bright yellow Lavender Food Hub coffeeshop.

shop front

Visited on a Friday evening and about half the restaurant was occupied. Mostly in groups of about 4 to 6 pax. Service staff are relatively young and the shop has both upstairs and downstairs seatings. If you are coming with your family, best to make reservation for the round tables (downstairs).

dining area at Level 2

We were seated at Level 2 and I'd rate the noise level a 4 out of 5. The sound gets trapped and basically just ping'ed around in the dining space. Not all tables are occupied but intimate conversations are impossible. The furniture are all heavy duty type and when the staff tries to rearrange the chairs, wahh...it grates the ears.

menu

We came for the char siew, so got ourselves 400grams of those. Added side orders of stir-fried french beans, salted egg pork ribs and prawn paste chicken. Food was prepared relatively fast and served out within 10 minutes.

For drinks, one could choose from beers, ciders, wine, coffee, tea and juices. Happy hour till 7pm on weekdays. Got myself a Hobgoblin Gold (on tap) to go with the meats.

Hobgoblin Gold (half pint) @$8++ (HH $6++)

Soon, our 400 grams of dark glossy fatty goodness arrived. There is a minimum order of 300gms for the char siew. Initially, it sounded a tad intimidating to have 400 gms but it meant each of us got 100 grams each. Yay!

Special Char Siew @$24++ (400gms)

sambal chili and belachan sauces

The fatty ratio of the meat was good and all, but...why does it taste more like braised meat rather than a good charred char siew? Can't say am not dissappointed after all the hype and expectations.

Spicy 4 Seasons Beans @$10++

Prawn Paste Chicken Wings @$12++

The Four Seasons beans is definitely recommended. So yummy with the white rice. Don't worry about the 'spicy' part. It wasn't at all. The prawn paste chicken wings were lacking the prawn paste taste. Just treat it like regular fried chicken will do.

Salted Egg Pork @$14++

I like the salted egg pork. Thought it was going to be pork ribs but it turned out to be popcorn bite-sized pork. Don't expect too much of the salted egg yolk sauce as it was suffering the same fate as the prawn paste. Would be better if the taste was stronger. Nonetheless, I still enjoyed this dish alongside with the beans. So yummy! Ah, and the pork had soft bones in it so don't bite too hard unless your teeth are very strong!

head on downstairs to make payment but take note of your table number

Expect to spend about $21 per pax. The above fed four ladies during dinner time.

Travel | Bangkok 15 to 17 May 2016 | Daeng Seafood

We did our touristy stuff on a Monday by going to the Damnoen Saduak Floating Market. Since the floating market is around Mae Klong area, decided to vist Daeng Seafood as Tracy and Hence, have had this before and they liked it quite a bit. Our driver was not familiar with the area so it took some time before we found this hidden gem. Actually, we thought it was hidden, but there's plenty of reviews on Tripadvisor!

outside of the restaurant

walk right in, turn right

The place feels pretty old school but thankfully, there's airconditioned dining area. We reached before 12pm and a large group of diners had just finished their meal.

interior

drinks, self-service

order chit - all written in Thai

None of us could converse in Thai, and none of the staff could converse in English. But they tried. A younger staff got roped in or rather got sabo'ed by his colleagues (he looked like a university student) to talk to us in English. It was still pretty much point and sign language but luckily, they brought out a dual-language menu with pictures!

with this, we shall order!

Our table ordered up a storm, or rather, we didn't practice any restraint. It was a feast, a buffet of seafood! Not in an actual sense, but we ate to our hearts' content. So shioks!

To start, we had the Tom Yum Goong to whet our appetites. A big steel pot with charcoal fire. The soup was spicy, tangy and sharp. Just the way we liked it. Be careful that as it kept bubbling, the water evaporates and the flavours intensified to a level that's just a bit too salty for us. Best to drink it before it boils too much.

tom yum goong ต้มยำกุ้ง @ ฿300

huge huge prawns

Then, dishes after dishes started to arrive. 

The fried rice with shrimp looked more like tomato prawns with a bit of rice. The plate that we ordered was supposed to be small, but it looked more like a medium sized plate to me! Amazingly packed with many 'shrimps' that were quite a good size, attractive reddish hue and good flavours. Would have eaten more of this, if weren't for the fact that there were many more dishes on the table.

fried rice with shrimp @ ฿150 (small)

Another popular dish to eat in Thailand, the fried crab meat with curry. It was heavenly and so convenient to eat! Again, the 'small' plate looks kind of huge! Was getting my mind blown by every 'small' sized dish that appeared.

fried crab meat with curry @ ฿450 (small)

The crab meat in curry was not very curry-like and was somewhat sweet and thoroughly enjoyable. The sweet fresh taste of the crab meat was quite apparent. It was just spoonfuls after spoonfuls of crab meat and sauce into the mouth. Yums.

Got crabs, got prawns and now squid came along. Accompanied by garlic 'puffs'. Cooked whole garlic cloves maketh the puff? Looks like a simple dish and tasted fresh and good. The cooked garlic was not pungent and actually more chestnut-ty than garlicky.

garlic puff squid @ ฿200

fried snapper garlic @ ฿350 (small)

Here's another picture to put into perspective of how small is defined at Daeng Seafood. Size aside, the fish is meaty and firm. Preferred it with sauce, as it was abit too dry for me. But a good price for one whole fish, at just SGD14.

good size, good price

steamed crabs (1kg @ ฿1,400)

enjoying our seafood together

It was a very good meal for 4 adults. It could have easily fed up to 6 pax.Thankful to have the opportunity to be able to experience and to enjoy fresh seafood at a fraction of the cost as compared to in SG.

Thank you Tracy (and your local friend) for recommending this place and the dishes to order.

Daeng Seafood

Address: Mae Klong, Mueang Samut Songkhram District, Samut Songkhram, Thailand

Phone: +66 89 918 6836

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Dang-Seafood-Maeklong/795334313928229