28 September, 2008

What's Coming Up Next...

1. *NEW* Tagging System

Updated 30 Sept: HFB has finally finished tagging all his posts. If you feel that any post is not correctly tagged, or tags missing from it, please feel free to leave your comments, email hisfoodblog@gmail.com or shoutbox it to let HFB know. Let's strive to make this blog more informative and comprehensive for the benefit of everyone.

Oh, and if you come across any past reviews that the food outlet is closed down or shifted, do let HFB know as well.

Below are just some symbols that HFB have employed for his tags.
  • #indicates the area where the food outlet is located
  • *indicates the cuisine, or type of food reviewed
  • +indicates the setting of the food outlet
  • ^indicates food reviews from the different countries HFB visited
This blog started with just a simple tagging system for the different cuisines, or types of food. But lately, many readers have been requesting for a more comprehensive tagging system on my blog e.g. location. Thus since "customers are KING", or in this case readers, HFB has decided to heed your advice and will be revamping the tagging system - no more "What good food can I find in Holland V area" questions, or "What nice food is there in the East" enquiries - it will all be there in HFB's new tagging system. BUT WAIT, all I ask is a little patience cos it ain't easy going through all the 200+ posts to retag them, but I promise it will be up reaaaaaal soon!!

2. *NEW* Widget - Be a Part of HFB

Not sure whether you all have notice this little widget right between "Subscribe to HisFoodBlog" and "Social Bookmarking". What this little widget does is it essentially updates a Blogger user, HFB's latest post, everytime he/she logged into their Blogger Dashboard when he/she signs up. And if one choose to follow publicly, one can have their profile photo displayed right there on the widget. This is also another avenue for HFB to know you better. So what are you waiting for?!?! Sign up NOW.

Only 3 followers? Geez, that is pretty pathetic. Anymore takers?

3. The BEEFY series of posts

Beef has always been one of my favourite meat, and as such, I will be introducing some of the beef places I have visited over the past weeks. Wanna know what HFB feels are some of the hits and misses in these places? Interested to find out which place is value for money? Discover which restaurant serves what HFB deemed is the best steak in Singapore? It will all be coming right up in the coming weeks - So don't you switch channel (unless its for the 2008 F1 Singapore Grand Prix of course - GO LEWIS!!!). Meanwhile, here's a slab of beef to smack you silly Ferrari's fans - I hope Massa crash and burn in the Finals! WooHoo!!!

I had fun watching the Ferraris in dishevelled state. I am sure some of you did too!

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25 September, 2008

Wordless Wednesday - Ladurée Macaron


"Two Macaron shells, joining them with a delicious Ganache filling"
"Napoleon III" purple box of 4 assorted Macarons - £6.30 (One went missing before I could snap the photo)

Check out the new Wordless Wednesday HQ!!

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23 September, 2008

大吃の喜 - The Bamboo Noodle's Specialist

Its origins dated back to the nineteenth century of Qing Dynasty – affectionately known as Bamboo Noodles, or 竹升面, it is highly regarded for its smooth and tangy texture. The secret to its delectable taste and texture lies in the rigorous production process.

Traditionally hand-made, it is rubbed, kneaded and mixed into dough before being pressed with a long and thick bamboo pole. Using his whole body weight, the master chef will skillfully maneuver the pole back and forth to achieve the springy bite of the noodles.

However, at 大吃の喜, thanks to the ingenious engineering brain of
Mr John See and the support from his wife, Amy, one no longer needs to travel all the way to Guangzhou, China (where John first discovered the dish) to sample this appetising noodles – he spent 18 months to invent his very own bamboo noodles production machine! What used to painstakingly take 2 hours to produce this wonderful chow is now reduced to a mere 45 minutes!!! Located in one of the refurbished shophouses along Joo Chiat, at the corner of Koon Send Road, 大吃の喜, or Tai Shek Hei, is a noodle specialist that produces their own palatable noodles with the freshest ingredients.

The first step is to load a block of lumpy dough onto the machine.

With a press of buttons and turning of knobs, the bamboo pole begins to pound on the dough.

After 7-8 rounds of pounding process, the chef proceeds to cut the much smoother dough into 3 thick portions.

The second step is to load onto the next machine that seeks to turn the dough into a thin sheet.

Every time the dough goes through this machine, it gets thinner. This monotonous process goes on for a good 7-8 rounds until the dough gets really flatten.

The whole roll of dough is then transfer to the final machine that shreds the thin sheets into strands of noodles.

The chef will sprinkle flour at various intervals to prevent the noodles from getting sticky.

Final end product are heaps of thinly strands noodles good enough for 200 servings that will be kept in a temperature-controlled room for 2 days before vacuumed packed for future consumption.

The verdict: This was probably one of most “
Q” or springy noodles HFB has ever tried in his life (The trick is to slurp the noodles, as quickly as Japanese eating ramen, when served, and not wait too long, especially the soup version, as the texture will start to turn soggy).

And unlike the typical noodles one finds in
Singapore, there’s none of the lye water taste or “Kee”, in dialect, presented in the noodles. Like how the old Gardenia Bread Ad that goes “It is so good that you can eat it’s on its own”.

Price ranges from $6.50 to $6.80 and comes with choices of
Dumplings, Roast Duck, Soy Chicken, Char Siew and even Mushroom and Curry Pork! And that is not to say there’s nothing else good to eat at this restaurant – the appetiser dish of Deep-fried Enoki Mushrooms with Mayonaise (off-menu item) was simple but delightful. It was well fried without the greasy aftertaste and every bite produces an enjoyable crunch.

Another off-menu item of
Marinated Chilled Chicken Wings was said to be Amy’s favourite dish in China. Marinated and slightly coloured yellow, it was served chilled for consumption. Slightly salty on it’s own, this would probably go along better with the noodles – however, HFB’s intolerance for cold food means he didn’t appreciate it fully.

The
Fried Tobiko Dumpling ($4.00 for 4 pcs) was excellent in its own right. The skin, also home-produced by John’s machine, came with an excellent taste and texture that gave one a perfect crunch. Bountiful with ingredients, the dumplings were full with meat and prawn, and the extra dash of Tobiko, or Flying Fish Roe, freshly imported from Japan gave one an extra dimension to the dish.

However, the same astonishingly couldn’t be said about their soup version ($8.00 for 8pcs). Perhaps soaked in the soup for quite awhile, the skin just wasn’t as enjoyable as the deep-fried ones, and HFB found them a tad salty. Initially HFB thought it was the tobiko, but
John confirmed that it was the meat instead that was intentionally marinated saltier to compensate for the clear soup.

The
Roast Combination dish of Roast Duck and Char Siew ($10.00 for small serving) was another hit and misses. Everyone knows it is the skin that rates the duck, and 大吃の喜’s version is pretty good. Health conscious eaters would be happy to discover that the duck didn't come with much fat at the bottom of the skin, but yet the thinly strips of skin was so scrumptious and crispy. However, the char siew didn’t exactly wow HFB. He felt the char siew was under-flavoured and could be roasted slightly longer and make do with stronger marinates. Also, the lacked of fats also means it was slightly on the tougher side.

The
Chives & Egg Pancake ($3.50 for small serving), shaped like mini curry-puffs, was another healthy option. However, HFB believed that the strong flavour of chives would probably turn many people off from it, although he himself thought the dish was not too bad.

Lunch was rounded off with a dessert of Fungus with Red Dates ($3.00) served chilled. Double-boiled with plenty of ingredients, the pleasant surprise was the inclusion of thinly strips of orange peel that gave a lovely zesty vigor to this otherwise straight forward dessert. On the other hand, HFB thought that the chef was pretty generous with the rock sugar.

283/285 Joo Chiat Road
Singapore 427539
Telephone: 6345 5095

Disclaimer: No ratings would be given, as this is an invited taste test. I would also like to take this opportunity to thank John and Amy for their generous hospitality.

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19 September, 2008

Poll: Which is your favourite Ben & Jerry's flavour?

HFB's favourite is Cherry Garcia followed closely by Chunky Monkey.
What about YOU? Drop me a comment NOW and let yours truly know!
Alternatively, one can cast their vote on the sidebar too --->

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17 September, 2008

BonGoût - Japanese Café & Bookstore

BonGoût, which means “Good Taste” in French, is surprisingly a Japanese second-hand bookstore and a café located at the cosy and tranquil corner of Robertson Quay since 2000.

First started out in UE Square, one can enjoy their freshly brewed coffee or daily special menu and indulge in Japanese publications like books, magazines and Manga (Japanese comic books) at your own leisure.

This is an absolute haven for all “Otakus” wannabe!!! And fret not if you do not read the Japanese language, for there are tons of Japanese fashion magazines to refer for the latest trend and style.

With rows and rows of publications, along with simplistic décor, what HFB like about this place is the unpretentious character it oozed.

Did HFB also mention that Robertson Quay is one of the perfect spot for a peaceful and quiet lunch?

As always, one of the speciality home-styled Japanese cuisines would be their curry rice. As such, HFB ordered a small portion of Beef Curry Rice ($9.00) – and leave to regret it somehow.

Serving wise, it was definitely diminutive – HFB counted a total of 3 bite-sized pieces of beef plus a few tiny bits on his plate along with heaps of Japanese sweet curry and rice. Taste wise it was above average but price wise, HFB thought it was over-the-top for the amount of meat one gets.

If HFB had known, he would be paying an additional dollar for the big portion (but then again, he wonders how many more insignificant pieces of meat he might get for that?).


Rating

Food: 3.5/5 (Japanese Curry was satisfactory)

Service: 3.5/5 (Waitress sounded impatient while taking order, but otherwise it was ok)
Ambience: 4.5/5 (Simplistic, unpretentious, tranquil, peaceful)
Price: 2.5/5 (Serving portion of the beef is pathetic)
Total: 14/20
60, Robertson Quay
#01-01, The Quayside
Singapore 238252

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14 September, 2008

Bangkok III - Nam Sing Restaurant

Yaowarat, is the Chinatown in Bangkok, Thailand. The best part about this place is one is able to enjoy high-end seafood at affordable prices. Littered throughout the main street are hawker stalls and Chinese restaurants, which more or less offered the same seafood fare – Grilled Prawns, Shark’s Fin, Bird’s Nest, Abalone, etc. But without a doubt, being the same old boring HFB, you will find him back at Nam Sing Restaurant to satisfy his seafood craving. Stepped in the restaurant, and you will be greeted by nicely packed ready-to-go bird’s nest and shark fin lined up nicely atop of shelves.

On the other half of the space, is a simple yet spacious dining area that estimated seats over hundred pax. First up, was Shark’s Fin (Red Soup) priced at THB600~SGD25.00 per bowl (Yes, go ahead and flame me all you environmentalist, but I am sorry that I cannot help indulging in this delicacy, especially if it is so affordable). This was essentially just the 2nd grade – the top grade was going at THB1,000~SGD42.00 per bowl. The Red Soup, as coined by the restaurant, or the broth was very intense with flavours. Though a tad starchy, I would highly recommend everyone to order a bowl of steam rice and mixed it with the broth. The combination itself is excellent enough a meal on its own. Serving wise, a bowl is pretty sufficient to share between two people, but quality wise, I remembered the texture of the shark’s fin to be of much better quality (Or did I had the top grade version the last time round?).

Sambal Kang Kong was still much preferred as compared to the Chilli Padi version from Siam House. However, I believed the vegetables was left in the kitchen for awhile before it was served – it started to turn a shade darker and there was residue of water, which is common, when Kang Kong is left to rest after frying.

Phrased as the Casseroled Prawn Jelly Noodles (THB300~SGD12.50), or essentially Prawns with Glass Noodles served in a Mini-wok, this is the cheaper version that came with the prawns instead of mud crab. Similar to those fresh water grilled prawns I had at Suam Lum Night Bazaar, what I like was the kitchen actually taking the trouble to trim away the feelers, tiny pincers and the legs of the prawns. However, I thought that could also been the downside since the essence of the dish (Garlic, Bacon, Coriander Roots, Peppercorn, etc.) wasn’t trapped in the prawns’ head and as such the roe residing from the prawns’ head was lacklustre. The springy glass noodles though a bit dry were nothing short of excellent – simply delectable – the full quintessence of the dish is captured within it. However, be warned not to eat too much of it as it fills your stomach pretty fast!

And as if one dish of glass noodles isn’t enough, another dish of Steamed Scallops topped with Garlic and Glass Noodles
(THB300~SGD12.50) was ordered for good measure. This scallops dish was definitely the STAR for that evening. Execution wise, it was brilliant – the eight scallops were thick and juicy, and combination of the trio was just right – garlic was fragrant and wasn’t too overpowering and the glass noodles was moist from the steaming process. And the HFB recommended way to savour this is to pop the whole scallop along with the toppings right in the mouth and chomp – a kaleidoscope of flavours!

The dessert for the night was White Bird’s Nest with Gingko Nuts and Rock Sugar (THB500~SGD21.00 per bowl). Again, this was the 2nd tier as compared to the superior grade that is priced twice the value. Serving wise it was pretty generous, but quality wise, again it wasn’t as good as I remembered it to be. Nevertheless, it was still pretty enjoyable as an after-meal.

Overall, what I like was their immaculate service of this place. The staffs are attentive and kept topping up the complimentary, what tasted like canned bird's nest drink from 7-11 stores (without the bird's nest of course!). Besides, being in Chinatown, the Thai-Chinese staffs were fluent in Mandarin and thus HFB had no problems communicating his orders or wishes.

However, somehow HFB feels that this place is getting “touristy” as he easily spotted a few tables of Singaporeans (their T-shirt and slippers attire, plus the undeniable Singlish gave them away). Perhaps, it’s time HFB scouts for new places to indulge in his seafood and other delicacy in Bangkok.

Rating

Food: 3.5/5 (Only the scallops managed to WOW)
Service: 4.5/5 (Very attentive and efficient)
Ambience: 3/5 (Simplistic with minimum decor)
Price: 3.5/5 (THB2,340~SGD100 for premium seafood isn't really that expensive, but quality could be better)
Total: 14/20
39-47 Soi Texas,
Th Phadung Dao,
off Yaowarat Road,
Bangkok, Thailand

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10 September, 2008

Wordless Wednesday - Suan Lum Night Bazaar, Bangkok


A Plate of Oyster Omelette THB80~SGD3.50


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09 September, 2008

Bangkok III - Siam House

Some people like to have varieties in life, while others think if you eat the same thing all the time you become bored. But there are some just stalls that one can’t wait to visit when they are in a foreign land – Siam House happens to be one of them whenever HFB visits Bangkok.

Located just across a small lane from Asia Hotel Bangkok, in front of Ratchathewi SkyTrain Station, this small homey eatery dishes out local spicy cuisine that seeks to tingle your taste bud.

Cha Yen, or Thai Iced Tea, is of course the preferred drink to start off with – sad to say, Siam House’s version came slightly too milky for me as seen from the photo – as most local version comes more orangey red with tea.

One of the dishes I never fail to order is their Olive Rice. What one gets is an aromatic sniff of the olives, but yet a not too overpowering taste when eaten (and you can trust HFB on that, as he is not an olive lover, especially on salads and pizzas). Coupled with Roasted Cashew Nuts that give the dish an extra crunch, this dish is highly recommended as opposed to boring plain rice.

Kang Kong Fried with Chilli Padi deviates from the usual sambal styled, but definitely packed the same punch, if not more – simply delightful! HFB finds it slightly too salty on its own but with the rice it is still acceptable.

The Thai Prawn Cake was the first time HFB is sampling at this eatery and he was very pleased he tried it. These prawn cakes were homemade and freshly fried to a crisp without any oily residue on the outside. And on the inside, it was full of crustacean flavour – absolutely wonderful and this undemanding piece of art is highly recommended too.

Besides Cha Yen, another thing HFB simply cannot miss in Bangkok is Tom Yum Goong. A tint of spicy, sour, bitter, sweet and salty all combined into one, this soup is analogous to woman species – totally confusing, and don’t know which taste it will leave behind first, but yet, man can’t help but fall in love with them. I feel that their version is slightly bastardised for the tourists, as it isn’t as spicy as other authentic ones I tried in Thailand. Nevertheless, it still taste as good and the generous servings of seafood and shrooms are very much welcomed.

Something everyone must try over at this eatery is their Deep Fried Fish. This time round, HFB opted for the Deep Fried Garoupa in Three Flavours. By ‘three flavours’, it simply means Sweet, Sour and Spicy. No major complains on the fish itself, as the flesh is firm with just a slight muddy taste – but it being well deep-fried with tangy gravy more than made up for it.

Overall, the meal costs THB660~SGD28, expensive for local standards but you bet HFB will be back for more the next time he visits Bangkok.

Rating

Food:4/5 (Quality simple fare)
Service: 3.5/5 (Efficient but otherwise normal)
Ambience: 3/5 (Retro - but slight stench lingers in the air)
Price: 3.5/5 (Expensive in local standards)
Total: 14/20
Across from Asia Hotel Bangkok,
296 Phayathai Road
Bangkok 10400, Thailand

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