Saturday, July 9, 2016

[Media Invite] Kay Lee Roast Meat 琪利珠江燒臘 @ Tanjong Katong Road

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Kay Lee made the headlines two years back in 2014, when it was sold to Aztech Group for a cool sum of $4 million Singapore dollars. Fast forward two years later in 2016, Kay Lee's outlets have grown to 7 in total. Located at various parts of Singapore, these outlets aim to bring Kay Lee roast meats closer to the people. There's one at Upper Paya Lebar, Suntec City, Ubi, Tanjong Katong, Singtel Comcentre, Bedok North and the latest at Bukit Batok WCEGA Tower. Expect difference in ambiance, price points and promotions at these different outlets.

Was invited for a tasting and rounded up a few others to try Kay Lee's famous roast meat at its Tanjong Katong outlet. If not wrong, this outlet was launched in 2015, and nestled amongst the many other restaurants along the stretch of Tanjong Katong food street.

Kay Lee Roast Meat @ 283 Tanjong Katong Road
This is a self-service outlet, so just go ahead and place your order at the counter located at its entrance. The menu is shown prominently at the counter as well.

hmm, char siew, roast pork or duck, or triple combo?

The place is airconditioned and has plenty of seats for diners. Whether you're a single diner or in groups of 8 pax, this outlet could accommodate.

spacious and clean
wall of fame (spot Gordon)

Since I've not tried Kay Lee before, was pretty curious to know how it'll taste like. The primary focus is still the dark char siew, roast duck and roast pork but its parent company has also invested in R&D to add variety to its F&B line-ups.

We tried the Kay Lee savoury meat roll, or otherwise also known as wu xiang. Small compact and well-fried. Suitable as light bites. The meat was soft, strongly flavoured and slightly moist. Best eaten while its hot.

Kay Lee savoury meat roll  潮州五香 @$6.90

For drinks, one could choose from its $1.50 range that has Ice Citrus (which tasted like plum), the healthy red Roselle Tea, homemade barley or a favourite of mine, the Honey Plum. Honey Plum (桔子梅) is priced at $2. Stir well before drinking. The Roselle Tea was nicely sweet with an attractive dark red hue.

(left to right) Roselle Tea, Ice Citrus, Homemade Barley and Honey Plum

If you don't feel like eating too much meat, one could opt for the wanton or shrimp dumpling noodles instead. As usual, we left the noodles out for far too long and by the time we wanted to eat it, it was clumped up. Not to worry, as a few spoonfuls of soup and liberal tossing around, the noodles became nicely separated and as good as new. I liked mine with some chili. The shrimp dumpling was rather good. Firm, crunchy and sweet.

wanton noodles 云吞面 @$5
shrimp dumpling noodles 水饺面 @$5
housemade chili
Next, of course was the 3 Combi Meat Platter. This combi platter comes in Small, Medium or Large and priced at $24, $36 and $44 respectively. Tanjong Katong's outlet current promotion include free rice for each of these platter with the 2 free rice for small, 4 rice for medium and 6 rice for large.

3 Combi Meat Platter 烧味三拼 (Large) @$44
important step

One of the important step to elevate the enjoyment of roast meats, is to drizzle those deliciously dark savoury sauce over the steamed white rice grains. Kay Lee's dark sauce was not overly sweet nor too salty. The dark char siew was well caramelized and the only lament that we had, was that the meat was overly lean! Unfortunately, the fattier cuts were all sold out. Do come early, if you want to try the fattier cuts.

The roasted pork was pretty good too. Would've preferred a thicker cut to maximize the taste. Its skin was crackling and the ratio of fats was good too. Those who had tried original Kay Lee mentioned that the roast duck looked very different now. The current version has meat that's more moist and the duck skin colour is no longer black but restored to a shining sheen of brownish hue (like peking duck skin).

If you're dining alone, I'd recommend getting a dark char siew rice with double boiled soup. That's because this outlet is having a Super Deal promo and you could get those for just $6.90. Rather good deal as the savings is about $2.10. One could add a drink for just $1 when you get this deal. Hence, total savings is potentially $2.60.

We tried the Salted Vegetable and Duck Soup. Portion was just right for 1 pax. This heat reducing soup was slightly sweeter than other places and pleasant to drink.

Tanjong Katong outlet promo
salted vegetables and duck soup (ala-carte) $4.50

As this was a food tasting, we had the privilege of trying Kay Lee's desserts that are only available at its Suntec City Mall outlet.

Tried the Red Bean Cream, Ginger Tea (both with glutinous rice balls) and the Yam Paste. My favourite was the Ginger Tea. Strong ginger taste. Can be less sweet though. The Yam Paste has no lard, and suitable for vegetarian. It was smooth and sweet.

Available at Suntec City Mall: Red bean cream with glutinous rice ball @$4.50
Available at Suntec City Mall: Ginger tea with glutinous rice ball @$4.50
Available at Suntec City Mall: Yam paste (orh nee) @$5.90

Thank you to Haysen, Noelle, Christine and Kay Lee for the invite and hosting the tasting. It was great to explore the Tanjong Katong Road area with my fellow foodies.

view from across Kay Lee

Kay Lee Roast Meat @ Tanjong Katong Outlet

Address: 283, Tanjong Katong Road, Singapore 437066
Website: http://www.kayleeroastmeatjoint.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kayleeroastmeatjoint/
Business Hours:
Monday to Friday: 12:00pm - 9:00pm
Weekends / Public Holidays: 11:00am - 9:00pm



Tuesday, July 5, 2016

[Media Invite] Nassim Hill Bakery Bistro Bar @ Tanglin Post Office | GSS 2016 Food Trail

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In conjunction with GSS 2016, Nassim Hill Bakery Bistro Bar offers the 4th main free with every 3 paid main courses. The offer is valid after 4pm and till 14 August. While you are there and if you are thirsty, Nassim Hill does have a few drinks on offer. How about 1-for-1 draught beer? Happy Hour till 9pm. Or, how about Ladies Night with free flow Prosecco with a minimum of $25 spend. Do take advantage of all these goodies!

take a look


As part of our last stop in this GSS 2016 Orchard Dining Delights food trail, we landed on Nassim Hill for a drink and shared some more food. Previously, I had the Raspberry Lychee drink. That night, I opted for Yuzu Breeze. It was a good choice. Refreshing taste of sweet yuzu, soda water, Prosecco and Triple Sec. The alcohol level seemed to be slightly higher than previous visit. Now, that's improvement.

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Yuzu Breeze @$19++
Cheddar Cheese Bacon Waffles @$19++

For food, we revisited the items as tried previously; cheese bacon waffles, chili crab pasta and poutine. The chili crab pasta now comes with large chunks of jumbo lump crab meat sitting atop of the pasta, doused with fiery sauce. Spicy but nothing that the Yuzu Breeze can't douse.

chili crab pasta @$16++/$25++ (half/full portion)

The poutine tasted better than the ones that we had previously. The fries managed to maintain some crispness to it while the minced beef, entrecote sauce (with red wine) seemed tastier than previous too. Good with a drink on hand.

Poutine @$13++
Next up, we tried something new, the Baked Bone Marrow. The bones came with crispy toasted baguette, parsley and shallots. Scoop some marrow and spread it onto the bread, then topped with shallots and parsley. Rather nice, I must say.

Baked Bone Marrow @$12++

For desserts, there's a new addition of banana and chocolate waffles but we were too full to have that. Opted for a slice of Triple X.  Our new friend on her first visit to Nassim Hill, found this dessert to her liking.

Triple X with Triple Sec @$9++

All in all, expect to spend about $40 per pax for a shared appetiser, main course, shared dessert and a drink.


Good news for ladies. With a minimum spend of $25++, you'll get to enjoy free-flowing Prosecco. Wow!
Click here to view Nassim Hill's July Specials (to Nassim Hill FB page).

View and book HGW GSS deals here. Or, call reservation hotline (68846884). GSS offers ends on 14 August 2016.


Monday, July 4, 2016

[Media Invite] The House of Robert Timms @ Wheelock Place | GSS 2016 Food Trail

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From 3 June to 14 August, The House of Robert Timms is offering 50% second main (ala-carte menu only) that's valid daily, all day. Hence, do grab a friend to enjoy this offer. We traipsed down to Wheelock Place for the second stop in the food trail. Read about our first stop here. Traipsed is a misnomer, we actually drove down to Wheelock Place. =P

counter
sweets, cakes and pastries
bottled drinks

It's been a few years since my last visit to The House of Robert Timms and the decor still looked the same. And, have yet to try any Lamingtons! But I do remember the hearty portions of main course at Robert Timms.

ready for our mains

Ordered up 3 mains to try. We had the Ultimate Fry Up (breakfast food), Fish & Chips and the Pork Ribs.
 
Robert Timm's Ultimate Fry Up @$25++

The Ultimate Fry Up is essentially a create-your-own-breakfast kind of thing. Choose a choice of egg, two choices of proteins and choice of three veggies. As simple as 1-2-3. Literally. (pun intended, sorry can't resist)

Grilled tomato, mushrooms and arugula salad formed the vege components. Other vege components include baked beans, buttered vegetables and garlic roasted baby potatoes. For proteins, we chose crispy bacon and smoked salmon. Other available choicese are honey glazed ham, chicken cheese sausages and grilled chicken. For eggs, scrambled was our choice. The other styles of eggs are sunny side up, poached and overeasy.

Ultimate Fry Up - may feed two or one really ravenous person

Lovely scrambled egg that was seasoned just right and that crispy bacon was by far, one of the few that retained its crispiness. First impression of this dish, was its presentation was a tad too 'compartmentalized'. The picture of this in its menu looked more 'inviting' in its presentation. Personal thoughts only.

menu - Ultimate Fry Up


Next up, Fish & Chips. One large snapper fillet battered with Victoria Bitters beer and deep fried, and served with coleslaw and fries.

Robert Timm's Fish & Chips @$25.50++

Victoria Bitters beer battered snapper

Lastly, we sampled the Aussie Baby Ribs. The marinade was seasoned rather strongly, so these ribs would work pretty well with cider or beer. The meat was tender but not mushy. Would gladly eat one plate of these on my own.

Aussie Baby Ribs @$28++
tender flavourful ribs

Friendly service from the staff, and complimentary tap water is available. Otherwise, coffee, tea, soda, cider and beer are all available as well.

organic hot chocolate @$7.50++

Expect to spend about $33 per pax for a main course and a drink.


View and book HGW GSS deals here. Or, call reservation hotline (68846884). GSS offers ends on 14 August 2016.

Sunday, July 3, 2016

[Media Invite] Indocafe - the white house @ Scotts Road | GSS 2016 Food Trail

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In conjunction with GSS 2016, Indocafe is offering ala-carte weekday buffet @$29++ and weekend buffet @ $33++ (valid on PH as well) via HGW HungryDeals from 3 June till 14 August 2016. Minimum two to dine for the ala-carte buffet.

Was invited by the kind folks of HGW to sample the ala-carte buffet at Indocafe. Have always passed by this exclusive looking dining place and this was the first visit with fellow foodies; littledevil_98, chubbybotakkoala, ivan_teh_runningman, thehungrycow, madamechewy and o_oican.

step right in
interior

Indocafe's interior is steeped in Peranakan style, and exuded an air of old-world elegance. No little nonya's around though.

screen panel decor
ala-carte buffet menu
A quick glance of its ala-carte buffet menu revealed about 20 items including desserts. Each order would be in a 2-pax portion. It was purposefully portioned in such a way so that diners could try more items in the menu, comfortably.

pretty looking pot of chili
let's snack on keropok while waiting
Have I mentioned that the dishes in the ala-carte buffet comprises of Penang-styled food? What do you think of, when Penang food is mentioned? Char kway teow? Char kway kak? Passembur? Assam Laksa? Hae Mee (prawn noodles)? Bingo! All correct and can be found here, at Indocafe for this GSS 2016.

let's dig in
Otak Klasik
O'Jian

One could order up a few plates of O'Jian (oyster egg omelette) as the egg batter was rather thin and with a few small sized ocean oysters. Not enough! But, I will insist that you order one Otak Klasik for yourself. No need to share. Not an ordinary otah as it was fashioned after 'chawanmushi' and made with Barramundi fish fillet. An upgraded version of otah, that has all the requisite flavours. Yums!

The two chars (char kway teow and char kway kak) were pretty likeable. Just don't expect the wok-hei flavours as that's not found in these plates. Nevertheless, it was still enjoyable especially the char kway teow with the lap cheong and good sized prawns. It's a pity that it wasn't spicy. The Char Kway Kak here, tasted more like our local chai tau kway (dark sauce fried carrot cake).

Char Kway Teow
Char Kway Kak

Of course, not forgetting the assam laksa and prawn noodles. Hmm, how shall I put this. It was a good try but these were just not robust enough. Preferred the assam laksa over the hae mee.

assam laksa with prawn paste (hae gor)
prawn noodles

Oh, do order the kueh pie tee. Just need to get your hands dirty, as it was presented ala-diy mode. These cups were tasty. A nice snack or interlude.

kueh pie tee deconstructed
there, ready to be eaten

For meats, one could get the har cheong gai (prawn paste chicken) or the grilled stingray/sotong. The sotong has stronger flavours as it was marinated with sambal. The fried chicken was nice but too light in flavour. Wished it had more prawn paste flavours.

prawn paste chicken
sotong panggang (grilled squid with housemade sambal)

Next, on to the desserts. There were 3 choices and we sampled two. The bubur cha cha and chendol. Ooh, good choice! Bubur cha cha was served hot and cold chendol was so delicious.

The bubur cha cha was interesting as it had banana in it. A bit different but quite nice.

bubur cha cha
definitely must try chendol!

The chendol was pretty similar to the ones in Penang. Recommended. Plus, it tasted so good in our hot weather. Remember to stir it though as the gula melaka is all the way right at the bottom.

In overall, Indocafe offers nice ambiance for your dining pleasure.


View and book HGW GSS deals here. Or, call reservation hotline (68846884). GSS offers ends on 14 August 2016.

Saturday, July 2, 2016

[Promotion] Buttertrade - Online Marketplace Connecting Boutique Bakeries and One-Stop Solution for Cake Buying

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Once in a while, we will see an online post or instagram pictures of non-mainstream bakers and their bakes. Kind of intriguing as there will be custom designs or unique flavours that might not be so readily available at the larger mainstream bakeries. Most of these boutique bakers will have their own media portal for customers to access and order their bakes. However, consumers will still need to search for these individually. Wouldn't it be nice if these are consolidated and accessible by a single portal?

Now we can, with Buttertrade (http://www.buttertrade.com.sg/). Just got to know of this site and found it interesting and useful. Consumers can access to about 11 boutique bakers through this website and place their order for the cakes offered by these unique bakeries. Shop from Ugly Cake Shop (mentioned by Alvinology), Bloomsbury Bakers (mentioned by Miss Tam Chiak), My Fat Lady Cakes and Bakes (mentioned by Daniel Food Diary), and A Han Bakes amongst others.



A Han Bakes specializes in custom cakes, and desserts table for weddings or parties. Have not tried their bakes yet, but if you would like to, here is what readers of Purple Taste could enjoy (courtesy of Buttertrade):

30% off all cakes (including bespoke miniature cake)  from A Han Bakes on weekdays.

Promotion code:  30%offwithpurpletaste
 
Terms and conditions

  • Expiry date: 30th July 2016
  • Buttertrade reserves the right of final decision

Here are some screenshots on how to enter the promo code in Buttertrade:
how to redeem
30%offwithpurpletaste promo code applied

To learn more about Buttertrade's delivery charges, here is the link: http://www.buttertrade.com.sg/faq.php

Happy Shopping!

Special thanks to Buttertrade for extending the promo code to Purple Taste readers.
 
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