Tiong Bahru Heritage Tour @ "Live Like A Local" with Grand Copthorne Waterfront Hotel

Starting from 1 December 2018, guests at Grand Copthorne Waterfront Hotel will get to participate in complimentary half-day tour that happens on every Saturday, and other fun activity lined up on the first Saturday of the month, which had been thoughtfully curated by team Grand Copthorne Waterfront. This is the "Live Like A Local" initiative by Grand Copthorne Waterfront Hotel.

The half-day "Tiong Bahru Heritage Tour" will bring guests to Tiong Bahru,which is one of Singapore's oldest housing estate and probably one of the hippest in town. Eh, so what do locals do in these tour? We get a chance to explore on nooks and corners that we may not notice in our day-to-day lives. With professional tour guide from Tour East Singapore, one could obtain nuggets of interesting information about the area as well as brief history on the place, plus it was a comfortable shuttle ride to get to Tiong Bahru from the hotel. Rain or shine, let's go explore!

On the morning of the tour, guests would congregate at Tour East Lounge at Level 3. At the appointed time, together with the tour guide, everyone would then board the shuttle towards Tiong Bahru.

Upon arrival, we spent the first few minutes listening to our guide regaling us about the tales of Tiong Bahru Bird Corner, one of the oldest in Singapore. In the past, we would have noticed elderly men taking their beloved singing birds in cages to such an area. The bird cage would be hung onto the available hooks and naturally, the birds would start to compete against one another.

Tiong Bahru Bird Corner

to Tiong Bahru Market

built in 1950 as Seng Poh Market, revamped in 1993 and renamed as Tiong Bahru Market

Tiong Bahru Market is well-known to the locals. I have fond memories of my aunt, who fetched us from the Tanjong Pagar Railway Station after an overnight journey and we headed straight to Tiong Bahru Market for breakfast. Our usual choice? The porridge and the fishballs. The Tiong Bahru Fishball stall has been there since forever (at least for me!) and is one of the originals.

Tiong Bahru Fishball Stall

Assorted fishballs and fishcakes from Tiong Bahru Fishball Stall

Of course, one of the iconic eats at Tiong Bahru Market would be Jian Bo Shui Kueh which has been featured in Michelin Guide 2017. Shui Kueh (水粿) or in local colloquial; chwee kueh literally means water cake. It is steamed rice cake topped with deliciously fried preserved radish and if you like spice, take the sambal chili which is usually served on the side. This is one oily dish but one that is worth trying. You could finish one in two-bites but it does fills you up pretty quickly. Good to share.

Jian Bo Shui Kueh stall

楗柏水粿 (Jian Bo Shui Kueh)

I like the steamed char siew bao from Tiong Bahru Pau. Fluffy, and of a traditional taste, the fillings were generous and flavourful. Not too sweet nor too heavy.

Tiong Bahru Pau

small pau and big pau

叉燒包 (char siew bao)

Tiong Bahru Market has lift, escalator and stairs to its eating place at Level 2. As the tour allows free time of about an hour for breakfast, do take some time to explore the ground level as there's plenty of things to see. As it is a wet market, one could get flowers, dry goods, fruits, vegetables, eggs and fresh meats. Many expats and locals come to this market for their weekend groceries.

flower shop

party shop

fruits stall

chicken stall

While waiting for the rest to regroup, I had a fun time watching Teddy, the friendly poodle who was brought out for a walk but got tired and was resting with his owner. Teddy was such a darling with kids.

Teddy, the poodle

After breakfast, we continued with the Heritage Walk and was rewarded with interesting sights and nuggets of knowledge. Bumped into a group of artists on their outing and they were painting the sights of the vicinity.

an artist and her painting

Sights encountered along the way.

nice colour, vespa

iconic spiral stairs

We also visited the Qi Tian Gong Temple, founded in 1920 and dedicated to the Monkey God (Sun Wu Kong  孫悟空). There are many statues of the monkey god in the temple with the oldest one believed to be nearly a hundred years old.

Qi Tian Gong Temple

Have you heard of the "Dancing Girl" sculpture in Seng Poh Garden? Most likely not, but fret not since this guided tour will bring guests deep into the neighbourhood to visit this interesting sight.

Dancing Girl Sculpture in Seng Poh Garden

"My Home" mural by Singapore artist, Mr Yip Yew Chong (photographed here is our friendly tour guide, Ms Faridah)

"Pasar & the Fortune Teller"

lookout for the poem

The wall murals and its corresponding poems were lovely as it depicts the actual scenes of  yesteryears and if you would like to know more about its other locations, here is the link.

After all the walking, we ventured into the hipster stretch of the cafes.

Tiong Bahru Bakery

Galicier Pastry

Guests were then treated to some pastries from Galicier, a well-known establishment that spans generations and is beloved for its nonya kueh, retro cakes, traditional cookies and pastries. We tried the kueh dadar and putu ayu and both were good. Loved the refreshing natural sweetness taste from the freshly grated coconut fillings of the kueh dadar.

kueh dadar

putu ayu

After the light snack, guests will then be ferried back to the hotel via the shuttle bus and the tour ends on a sweet note. Many thanks to Grand Copthorne Waterfront team and Tour East for the experience.

For more information and enquiries of the Live Like a Local experience, please visit the hotel link directly.

ps: any readers who type 'LOCAL' under the discount code when booking rooms through Grand Copthorne Waterfront Hotel, gets to enjoy 3% discount!

Le Bon Funk @ 29 Club Street

It was that time of the month again. May not be what you were thinking but instead, am referring to wine nights. The chosen place for this round, was Le Bon Funk. What was that again? The Good Funk? A fun sounding name, yes? With a rather curious mind, proceeded with anticipation.

Drinking on a Tuesday? Why not. Le Bon Funk is a bar that serves natural wine and has a plethora of fine casual foods. Ivan and Elle had been sipping on wine beers when I arrived. Canned beers?

drinking (on) a Tuesday (wine beer)

open kitchen view

For starters, we had the Cedar Jam & Foie Gras. Usually, it's two on a plate so we ordered double for the 4 of us. First thought when it arrived was, "Where's the foie gras?!"

Truth be told, it looked like a dessert. White snowy top on toast. Shaved foie gras, they said. Oh, I see. On first bite, it tasted melty, creamy and sweet with a savoury aftertaste. Only a mild hint of the foie gras. Innovative, but I still liked my chunky, wobbly, creamy liver.

Cedar Jam & Foie Gras @$36

Was happy when the next dish of chips landed on our table. Thick, crispy handcut chips with a bowl of onion dip with caviar. Loved the bright green colour of the chopped onions. This was simply addictive. So good.

Chips @$35

With chips all gone and half a bowl of the delicious dip left, was contemplating on whether to order bread. Meanwhile, Chef Keirin came over and wanted to remove the dip but we stopped him. "Would you like more chips?" He asked. Why, yes of course. When the second batch of chips came, it was freshly made and still warm to touch! Enjoyed to its max. Thank you Chef Keirin!

Domaine Danjou Barnessy SuperNova @$115 per bottle

We drank the SuperNova made from muscat grape. Aromatic, slightly fruity and of a mellow yellow colour. Easy to drink and a tad milder than expected. Paired well with the chips.

Epoisses in Kataifi @$24

Epoisses is a type of raw cow cheese. Never heard of it prior and first time eating it. First observation of the Epoisses in Katafi dish, was that the ball was drenched in something sticky sweet. Was that honey? After the sweetness, and as one bites into the ball, a very strong fragrance overwhelmed the mouth. At this point in time, it was either to spit it out or to chew on. Not so bad, as the smell seemed pungent (like blue cheese) but the texture was of a likeable creaminess. The Kataifi pastry strips was of a perfect crunch to contrast against the creamy texture. Would I eat this again? Errr...no, thank you.

Next up, was a dish of sardine, served with yuzu kosho (柚子胡椒). The kosho is a type of Japanese seasoning, with paste made from chili peppers, yuzu peel and salt. Spicy indeed but refreshing taste.

Sardine @$25

Am ready for something more substantial. The Beef Tongue came in a form of a sandwich, much like a Reuben. A quarter for each of us. I felt alive after taking a bite of this! Layers of super tender tongue, and superbly toasted bread with crisp edges. Yums.

Beef Tongue @$26

tender tongue

The last main dish to arrive was the Heritage Chicken. Chicken, served whole. With legs and claws. There was a sudden urge to clip away at the sharp ends of the chicken feet. Noticed that the chicken was first baked in the oven before it was later grilled on the charcoal top. Served on top a bed of greens. Nice. We get to eat our veggies too!

Heritage Chicken @$68

Am very happy with the chicken dish. The meat was so tender and flavourful. Marinade/seasoning was on point. Lovely crunch from the vegetables too. By this time, we were feeling rather full. Nonetheless, let's order a dessert.

It was either between Ricotta Ice-Cream or Banana Oats. Glad we chose the Banana Oats. Crunchy, salty oats goes so well with the rest of the components.

Banana Oats @$10

Expect to spend about $100 per pax for food and drinks.

Thank you Elle, Ivan and Hoong An for the wonderful evening. Always a pleasure to enjoy wine with you.

Le Bon Funk

Address: 29 Club St, Singapore 069414

Website: https://www.lebonfunk.com

Contact: 6224 1490
Business Hours:

Tuesdays to Saturdays: 530pm to 12am. Closed on Sundays and Mondays.

Wine and Chef @ Keong Saik Road

This was the third visit to Wine & Chef but realized that I have not posted on it before. Hmm. Well, there was that one time when all photos were lost. Nevertheless, this would be my go-to place for reasonably priced wine by the glass and tasty food with a local twist.

reservation is recommended

menu on board

First time there, the foie gras and beef cheeks were impressive. Until the price had gone up by quite a bit. Previous menu had curry pork knuckles and hokkien mee which all of us liked. Most recent visit was in Oct 2018, and ordered the recommended dish of Salmon Risotto. Also ordered the 'Bak Chor Mee' for a taste test. The rest were appetisers such as the Chicken Little, foie gras and a Charchuterie platter.

Chicken Little @$10

Was expecting a somewhat har-jeong gai flavoured (prawn paste chicken) for the Chicken Little but the flavour was too subtle. Was a good fried chicken and the soy glazed tasted a tad marmite-ish.

a bottle of red to start

The red wine was of the sangiovese varietal. Ruby red hues, ripe and tasted of cherries and spices. Soft tannin and paired well with stronger flavours. The hams were just alright but the cheeses we enjoyed quite a bit. Loved the truffle gouda and the aged comte. So good. This platter came with some olives (unpitted), pickled onions and tiny gherkins. Served with a side of crispy toast.

Coppa Ham, Speck, Truffle Gouda and Aged Comte @$39

Foie gras price had gone up. What used to be $14 per piece, is now $16. Did we order this for old times sake?

Seared Foie Gras @$16

We were rather hungry and the appetisers did not do much to alleviate that. So happy when the salmon risotto and bak chor mee were served. The salmon risotto dish was rather pretty. The mascarpone barley risotto was so good. Loved the poppings from the ikura and the scattered pomegranate. Best eaten when it is hot!

Salmon Risotto @$20

Next carb dish was the "Bak Chor Mee", an essentially linguine with minced spicy chicken, shitake mushrooms, stir-fried zucchini ribbons, and topped with crispy lard bits. Similar to the previous "Hokkien Mee" where spaghetti was used. The flavour was strong for this one and very tasty. Definitely needed some sips of wine.

"Bak Chor Mee" @$24

To end, we have our Happy Sweet but this time round, was recommended a sparkling white version. This was similar to Moscato. Lovely ending to our meal.

FIOR D’ARANCIO 

Wine and Chef

Address: 7 Keong Saik Rd, Singapore 089115
Website: http://sgwinecellar.com/wine-chef-2/
Contact: 6221 9279
Business Hours:
Mondays to Saturdays: 12PM to 11PM
Closed on Sundays

Yi Dian Xin Hong Kong Dim Sum ( 一点心港式点心 ) @ Kovan

I love having dim sums. Dainty in bite-sized morsels (usually), easy to share plus there's variety. Ranging from steamed to deep fried and sometimes baked. A group of my friends wanted to meet up and someone suggested dim sum, so we Googled for one that is of a reasonable price. Yi Dian Xin was suggested and readily agreed.

We met on a weekend at about 11am and the coffeeshop was rather packed. Teo Seng Eating House (潮成餐室) is a smallish coffeeshop within walking distance from Kovan MRT. About 8 minutes walk.

stall front

various photos with artists / newspaper clippings

Yi Dian Xin is nearer towards the drinks stall. To order, one just need to fill up the order form and indicate if you'd be dining-in or to take-out.

order form

wait for it to buzz

As the food may not be ready at the same time, we took what we could and the rest was delivered to our table by the friendly staff. We tried carrot cake, chee cheong fun, steamed pork ribs, chicken claws, siew mai, lo mai gai (x2), porridge, fried beancurd fritters, fried you tiao with mango, fried prawn dumplings, and lava buns (x2). Lots of food for four pax for brunch.

dim sum spread

porridge (house special)

The porridge that we ordered was indicated as Chef's choice. Basically, it is somewhat like a 艇仔粥 (ting zai porridge) with the inclusion of squid strips, fish strips, pig skin strips, and peanuts. Natural tasting, so put a few drops of soy sauce if you'd like. As expected, porridge was thick, smooth and gooey.

lo mai gai 糯米雞

My favourite of the lot, was the 糯米雞 (steamed glutinous rice with chicken, char siew, and mushrooms). Perfectly dark, tasty and chockful of ingredients. Each grain of the glutinous rice was good and none of the 生米 (uncooked rice) nonsense.

The biggest surprise was in the form of the carrot cake. The version here is soft, round and steamed. The usual Hong Kong dim sum versions are those square, pan-fried versions with diced dried shrimps and chinese sausage bits.

Another must-order would be the 流沙包 (liu sha bao or lava buns). I wasn't careful the first time and it 'exploded' onto my palm. Goodness! The fragrance of the salted egg lingered on to the fingers until it was washed off. Very good lava buns.

salted egg custard lava buns 流沙包

For Kovanites, it is good to have stalls selling quality dim sums instead of the kopitiams run-of-the-mill kind, in the neighbourhood area. Just waiting for ex-Chefs of restaurants to open up more hawker stalls in neighbourhood areas. Come to West, ok?

We observed that there is another stall in the coffeeshop that seemed very popular and with long queue. The queue for First Street Teochew Fish Soup stall was never-ending from 11am to 1pm. Let me know your feedback for those that have tried!

Yi Dian Xin Hong Kong Dim Sum

Address: 012 Upper Serangoon Rd, Teo Seng Eating House, Singapore 534750
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/yidianxin1kovan/
Contact: 9168 5587
Business Hours: 
Daily 7:00AM to 3:00PM. Closes on Tuesdays.

Salted and Hung @ 12 Purvis Street

Was in the area looking for a place to dine on a Friday evening. Went around a few before settling on Salted and Hung at 12 Purvis Street. The place was spacious, dark and cosy. Without reservation, one could only dine in a hurried manner before the next seating arrives. Fortunately, we were given an option for counter seats where we could enjoy our dinner in a more leisurely manner, maybe strike up a conversation or two with the Chef Drew and watch the bustling activities of the kitchen.

interior

okay

No worries for first timers. The friendly staff offered recommendations and asked if we had any dietary requirements. We heard that the popular dishes are the Charchuterie, Fremantle Octopus, Scallops, Wagyu Tri-Tip, Lamb Neck Char Siew, the Black Mash and Roasted Cabbage.

We made our choice based on our preferences and since it was just for two pax, we opted for two Small Plates, a main from the Josper and another from the Farm section. We were going for the Scallops, Octopus, Hamachi Collar and Roasted Cabbage. Oooh, didn't realize we ordered mostly seafood!

Chef Drew Nocente assembling the scallops

Scallops with Handcut Noodles and Prawn Floss @$28

There was a tiny hint of spice in that pile of prawn floss and handcut noodles. This scallop dish seemed to be a favourite amongst the staff!

decided on Mi Terruño Reserve Malbec 2014 (Mendoza, Argentina)

At Salted and Hung, even for an order of wine by the glass, I was pleasantly surprised when a first taste was offered to the guest. The pour continues if one likes it, otherwise, they are happy to change it to the next option. Must say that am liking the people of Salted and Hung for their service and warm hospitality.

Thus far, the first taste by the guest was usually practiced if the guest had ordered a bottle. Initially, it crossed my mind that perhaps the staff might have misunderstood that I was getting a bottle! Ooops! Found an interesting read on whether restaurants should offer guests that first taste of wine.

Mi Terruño Reserve Malbec 2014 (@$22 per glass)

Tried the Pitchfork Cabernet Merlot 2015 from Margaret River and this may be the one for you if you prefer a youthful drink with a soft profile. Tried the Mi Terruño Reserve Malbec 2014 and thought that this too tasted pretty young. Nevertheless, a bit paiseh to revert and continued with the Malbec. The taste improved after some time. Balanced, and with aromas of plums and cherries with a hint of spice. Lovely violet hues and goes well with the food that we ordered that night.

The next item was the Fremantle Octopus. One of the benefits of counter seats, was that Chef would be personally explaining the components of your dish. My attention was all on the delicious looking octopus tentacle. Anything from the Josper would be magic. That is the belief.

Fremantle Octopus - squid ink and charcoal @$28

Happy faces on first bite of the tender octopus. Enjoyable meaty chew, exceptional softness and a heavy dose of smokeyness. Yums. The red blob was salami paste and we were cautioned that it would be slightly spicy. Turned out to be rather mild. I'd smeared it generously along with the butter.

Liked that the food was served in accordance to the pace of the diner. Marlee, our lovely service staff for the night, came by every now and then to check on us on how we are doing. Chef too, would come by and asked about the food.

Our final two dishes came together. I never had my cabbages slow-roasted before so this would be a first for me. The leaves turned out to be soft as though it was boiled but with much more intense flavours. Very buttery and rich.

Roasted Cabbage  with Bonito Butter @$12

The Hamachi Collar looked very much blackened. If I could rate a maximum char, this would be it. Peel away the top to reveal sweet luscious meat with good mouthfeel. That's Hamachi, ladies and gentlemen.

Hamachi Collar

Hamachi Collar with soy, dashi and greens @$36

Took the last sip of wine and was ready to go when we were presented with a wooden box that contained housemade cookies with salted caramel. Love the texture and the familiar taste of the cookies. Very good and satisfying sweet end to our meal at Salted and Hung.

finale of cookies

Thank you for the good company and kudos to the lovely crew at Salted and Hung. An enjoyable experience.

Salted and Hung

Address: 2 Purvis St, Singapore 188591
Website: https://saltedandhung.com.sg
Contact: 6358 3130
Business Hours:
Tuesdays to Fridays - 11:30am to 2:30pm, 5:00pm to 10:30pm
Saturdays - 11:30am to 4:00pm. 6:00pm to 10:30pm
Sundays - 11:30am to 4:00pm
Closed on Mondays