29 August, 2007

Unforgettable Grilled Chicken

Boldly claimed to be the Most Authentic Indonesian Grilled Chicken you can find in Singapore, Ayam Bakar in the Malay language simply means “Grilled Chicken”, while Ojolali when translated from Javanese to English means “Do Not Forget”.

In short, once u tried their chicken, it will leave you with an unforgettable experience – and dare I audaciously say a reverberating YES! In fact it was so good that I was kinda reluctant and hesitant to share this place with you guys, as the place is already so crowded with customers every time I frequent there. For starter, we tried the Pempek, or the Traditional Palembang Fried Fish Cake.

Unlike the normal fish cake that we, Chinese, are familiar with – salty and full of bite, their version was slightly bland and funnily chewy. This was the only dish so far that I have tried in the restaurant that failed to win me over. Of course, when the main arrived it was a totally different story. Original Chef Specialty, the Ayam Bakar was succulent and deeply enriched by the special spices.

Accompanied by the Sambal Ulek (Oelek) and Sambal Kecap, or Dark Sauce with Chili Padi and Onions, the combination is simply godsend. Paired it up with my favourite sugar-high Happy Soda, a Rose Syruped Drink Downed with Excess Condense Milk. It is so sweet that you are literally happy, or high with sugar rush.

Other recommendations to go for are their Ikan Bawal Bakar or Grilled Pomfret, their Rawon, or the Indonesian Beef Stew, and their Sup Buntut, or the Oxtail Soup. Sedup!!!

Rating

Food: 4.5/5
Service: 4.5/5
Ambience: 3/5
Price: 4/5
Total: 16/20

304 Orchard Road,
Lucky Plaza #03-39 & #03-43
Singapore 238863




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21 August, 2007

Tonkatsu with a Hint of Sesame

A farewell dinner for a fellow colleague brought us to her much-loved dining place before her departure – known as the only Tonkatsu Specialty chain restaurant in Singapore that serves authentic Tonkatsu Tonkichi has 3 outlets in Singapore, Ngee Ann City, Suntec City and Isetan Scotts. We were at the Ngee Ann City outlet.

The interesting thing at Tonkichi is that while waiting for the food to come, they made you work for your food.

Each of us is given a bowl of sesame seeds to grind and pound, until it is fine enough to mix it with the thick Japanese Worcestershire Sauce called Tonkatsu Sauce.

While waiting, we also ordered the Chawanmushi, which was pretty delicious I must say.

The ingredients were generous, unlike many others who often take their customer for a ride, and the egg was soft and silky – easy for the throat. The Hire Katsu, or Deep Fried Pork Fillet along with the Ebi Furai, or the Fried Breaded Prawns, were the first to arrive.

Highly recommended by my colleague, the prawns were fresh and crunchy, being firm and yet providing contrast to the texture of the Panko, or Japanese Bread Crumbs. However, I was not impressed by the Hire Katsu, preferring the one I had at Tampopo. I felt that the meat though tender, lacked the texture and taste of pork. For a dollar lesser, I actually preferred the Rosu Kastu, or the Deep Fried Pork Loin.

Though the texture being slightly tougher, I like the bite of the meat – what a real piece of pork should taste like! What’s more they also give you unlimited refills of a finely shredded lettuce to lessen the guilt in your conscience after eating all that fried stuff.

Rating

Food: 4/5
Service: 4/5
Ambience: 4/5
Price: 3/5
Total: 15/20

Tonkichi - Ngee Ann City
391 Orchard Road, #04-24
Tower A, Ngee Ann City
Singapore 238872




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13 August, 2007

Ipoh Day 2 Part 3

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We rounded our gratifying food trip with our final meal at the befitting Anika Selera, or better known as Gourmet Square.

The food centre is packed with people even as early as 6pm for dinner, and I enjoy the whole buzzing atmosphere of the place.

Large signboards hang out of each store fighting hard to capture the crowd’s attention, but inevitably, we headed straight for the seafood.

According to my sources, the Marmite Crab is a must try – and it did not disappoint.

The gravy packed a punch, but the only downside was that the crabs could have been much bigger.

We also sampled the praying mantis shrimps, which were good. But not as great as the ones we had at the supper the night before – I really should have capture a few shots that night.

Lastly, we order the cockles, and they were big and juicy.

However, I could easily settled for one that was cooked under boiling water as the gravy simply overwhelmed the original flavour of the cockles – where is the bloody taste?!?

Rating

Food: 3.5/5
Service: 3/5
Ambience: 4.5/5
Price: 4/5
Total: 15/20

Anika Selera (Gourmet Square)
Canning Garden, Ipoh



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07 August, 2007

Ipoh Day 2 Part 2

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After such a fantastic breakfast, you cannot help but wonder what other gastronomic experience can you possibly experience in Ipoh. As one of my fellow colleagues wanted to sample some authentic Muslim-Indian food in Malaysia, we were brought to Kalai Curry House located at Ipoh Old Town for an authentic meal of Banana Leaf Curry Rice.

Rice and dishes were served at the table but the daunting part remains having to eat lunch with my fingers!

However despite the mess I made, I finally understood why people said that only by eating food with your hands do you truly taste the original flavour of the food.


We had the Curry Chicken and the Deep Fried Fish, which was delicious, but the icing of the cake was definitely the Mutton Tulang, or the Bone Marrow of the Mutton.

Awfully sinful with high cholesterol – sucking at the jelly-like marrow of life however leaves you in a delightful delirium.

Rating

Food: 4/5
Service: 4/5
Ambience: 3.5/5
Price: 3.5/5
Total: 15/20

Kalai Curry House
Ipoh Old Town

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After such a wicked lunch, we stopped by Yee Thye Biscuit Shop to purchase some famous local biscuits and pastry. After a bountiful harvest at the seemingly commercialise shop, we stopped by at a corner stall opposite the road for our dessert – Tau Foo Fa, or Soya Beancurd.

For RM0.70 a bowl, I tasted the usual Soya Beancurd with Pandan Flavoured Sugar Syrup,

as well as the unique Ginger Syrup version.

If I was to compare this to our Singapore Rochor Beancurd, I have to admit that it was not even a close fight – their Soya Beancurd was so smooth and silky like a baby’s ass that each slurp just melts in your mouth without you knowing what hits you! The dessert is definitely my silver medallist for the trip.

Rating

Food: 5/5
Service: 4/5
Ambience: 2.5/5
Price: 5/5
Total: 16.5/20

Kacang Soya Lai Kee
Ipoh Old Town


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