visual diarrhea (of food)

Hello~ How's your January so far? Mine has been filled with exploring eateries, catching up with friends, learning how to skateboard, falling sick (haha typical me) and of course, shopping! This post will be filled with photos I found in my phone... Brace yourselves for a visual diarrhea (of food).


I went for a food tasting session for my sister's wedding lunch banquet at the Hilton. Hmm it was pretty good! The chef was very open to our comments and suggestions in terms of taste, combination of flavours and also changes to some of the dishes. Apparently they specialise in herbal marinades... We had herbal prawns and herbal chicken in one seating. Too much? I personally liked it! :)

Forgot to take a snap of the last course - dessert! It was yam paste with ginko nut! Everything was so fresh - especially the bouncy prawns, oh my. I also loved the generous chunks of crab meat in the Four Treasures Soup!

Okay! Next up...

Nantsuttei is a ramen joint. Did I have their ramen? No. But I had their rice bowl. Why? Because I didn't feel like having ramen!

One of the stellar eats this month... Nantsuttei's Butamabushi ($7++)! Fragrant and garlicky seasoned charshu chunks (mixture of fatty and lean) topped on fresh hot rice lightly drizzled with sweet and salty sauce. Topped with negi, nori and an onsen tamago. BAM. Awesomeness in your face. It's deliciousness caught me by surprise, if you will. The runny yolk added a richness to this dish and made each spoonful of the separate components harmonious. I wished they put more sauce on the rice though. MORE!!

Oh btw, the gyoza wasn't spectacular. Skip that and eat this!

Nantsuttei

Orchard Central

#07-12/13

(Barbequed pork noodles, 叉烧面)

Imperial Treasure Congee and Noodle House! Need I say more?! My favourite place for roast meats and noodles! Their dim sum is really good as well. This time I went to their branch at 100AM. A new branch is opening in March 2015 at Raffles City. Don't say I never share. Hehe.

(Deep fried prawn dumplings, 明虾饺)

(Hong Kong style rice rolls, 香港街边肠粉)

(Baked coconut tart)

If I had to pick one must-try item from the items I posted, it has got to be the baked coconut tart. This deceivingly normal-looking tart is just divine. Baked to order, it is buttery and packed with sweet coconut flavour and enveloped in an ultra flaky pastry. The coconut on the top of the tart is baked till toasty and slightly caramelised for that extra fragrance before you shove it into your mouth. Mmm.

The last time I went, I ordered 3 servings to takeaway...  I went to the Ion branch last week but didn't see this on their dim sum menu - not sure if it's exclusively at the 100AM branch. Their egg tarts are very good too. Custardy and wobbly. Always served hot!

Imperial Treasure Noodle & Congee House

100AM (Tras St)

#02-10/11

Ciao! May your 2015 be filled with more good eats! Maybe I should make this a regular column on my blog. LOL.

{review} Imperial Treasure Noodle & Congee House

I think I need help. I have an addiction.

For consecutively three weeks - about six times no less - I've succumbed to my noodle cravings. BUT NOT JUST ANY ORDINARY NOODLES!!! Only the noodles from Imperial Treasure Noodle & Congee House... 

I'm helplessly and hopelessly in love with their noodles. No other wanton mee can satisfy me anymore. Just thinking about it makes my mouth water.

Plain noodles with seasonal veg // 干捞面

Its unassuming appearance may not turn heads but do not belittle it. Toss the noodles to coat it with the sauce! Not overtly salty, it has an intense prawny flavour that packs a punch and delivers a burst of flavour with every bite. It it followed by a pleasant, slightly sweet aftertaste.

Close up

The thin noodles are never soggy and always cooked to perfection. My teeth chomp with vigour in response to the springiness of the noodles. I like my plain noodles dry, but they do offer a soup option too! It is BY FAR, the best noodles I've had in Singapore - closest to what you'll get in Hong Kong. The noodles are in a league of its own.

A selection of three roasted meats // Char siew, roast duck and roast pork

My favourite is the roast pork! The skin was insanely crunchy but not too salty and the meat had the right amount of fat. On par with the roast pork was the char siew! Honey glazed, with the right balance of sweet and salty. The char siew was tender and moist and sliced at a perfect thickness. 

I'm not a fan of duck as I find it too oily most of the times. True enough, it was. Even though the skin was crispy, I felt that it was a little bland. Perhaps the strong flavours of the other meats overshadowed the flavour of the duck.

HK style steamed rice rolls

HK style usually refers to plain rice rolls - no fillings - doused in generous lashings of peanut and sweet sauce. It was served with a spicy and tangy sauce which I had no idea what it was! If you know, please enlighten me!

The rice rolls were not too thick nor mushy. It had a nice, soft but chewy texture. They don't taste much on their own so coat them with the fragrant peanut sauce before delivering it into your mouth :D

Deep fried prawn paste chicken

Crispy. Juicy. Flavourful. Piping hot. OMG. I'd describe it as a golden-brown perfection.

Even better than my grandma's recipe. HAHAHA. What surprised me was that... Despite the crunchiness and crispiness of the batter, the meat was sooo juicy and tender! Just the right amount of funk and saltiness from the prawn paste. You can actually see the marinade penetrate the meat when you bite into it... It was heavenly. I will definitely order this again.

Red bean paste pancake

Um, hello. I love red bean paste pancake. It's a must-order for me when I see it on restaurant menus. Trying to contain my excitement here with full stops.

Crispy, sweet, chewy but not too oily. However, I would like to complain about its size and price. $8 for a Samsung Note 3-sized pancake... Uh, HOW BOUT NO! Although it's nice and I do like it, its size doesn't justify the price. Skip this and have the mango pudding (no pics, sorry) instead at $5 if you must have dessert. 

If noodles and congee ain't your thing, they serve pretty good dim sum during lunch! I had 烧卖, 水煎包 and 明虾饺 the other time and everything was super fresh and served piping hot. Food is affordable, service is prompt but be prepared to queue!

As you can already tell, the food here kinda lean towards the salty side - well, its HK cuisine after all!
So... if you're monitoring your sodium intake you might want to eat somewhere else! Or you could just #YOLO and eat it. Your taste buds will thank you.

Imperial Treasure Noodle & Congee House

ION Orchard

B3-17

{review} Peperoni Pizzeria / musings over pizza

Last Saturday I met up with a bunch of secondary school friends for dinner at Peperoni Pizzeria. A dinner filled with embarrassing topics and juicy discussions. There was also a lot of bickering... As usual! Some things never change.

Anyway, it was my first time dining at Peperoni Pizzeria because the queue is always mad long. Also because I usually can't wait too long for my food or I'll get angry (haha). Unless it's Hai Di Lao! Because they stuff you with fruit and snacks while you wait.

For some unknown reason I was super super hungry when we were seated. For our table of five, we ordered an entrée and a XXL pizza.

Entrée // Funghi Portobello con Pollo, $20

Deep fried whole portobello with sautéed chicken fillets in red wine sauce 

What you're looking at now is a single giant deep fried breaded portobello mushroom buried in tender chicken fillet strips and drowned in a zingy tomato-red wine sauce. Served piping hot, the breaded exterior of the portobello was super crunchy despite being drenched in sauce. It was soft, tender and juicy inside. Caramelised onions added a punch of sweetness that contrasted well with the tangy and slightly bitter red wine sauce. The portobello had a meaty satisfaction in terms of texture - it was basically like a vegetarian steak. Except deep fried.

Pizza // XXL (21 inch), $50

Half Prosciutto Crudo di Parma and half Pancetta

(Parma ham and rocket salad/ Cured bacon, sliced tomatoes and eggs)

The largest pizza I've ever laid my eyes on. Seriously. It was ginormous. However I had no doubt that there would be any leftovers because... I was hungry. We opted for a custom 50/50 pizza because with a pizza this big, you deserve to enjoy the best of both worlds! :D

After I devoured my first slice, it finally dawned upon me. I understood why people were willing to brave the long queues. Thanks to their wood-fired oven, the pizza was perfectly cooked. The crust was delightfully crisped (but still tender on the bottom) and slightly charred for that extra smoky flavour. How many pizza chains in Singapore can boast that they own a wood-fired oven?! FEW.

Parma ham and rocket, classic combination. Personally I do not fancy rocket aka arugula because I choked on it once at a dinner party and began tearing very badly while coughing up that damned piece of vegetable. Ah memories... Also, rocket has a pungent and bitter flavour - what foodies refer to as peppery - and has a firm, slightly fibrous texture that I dislike. However I am not picky so I ate it. Salty Parma ham with bitter greens and nutty Parmesan to top = great!

However the Pancetta side was less impressive. I felt that the pancetta was slightly saltier than the Parma ham. The runny yolks were very enticing though, and it helped to cut through the saltiness of the pancetta. Probably not a good idea to have cured meats on both halves as the saltiness can be overpowering. The boys liked this side better whereas the girls preferred the other side! Interesting.



Overall we had a good dining experience there! I'll definitely try the Frutti di Mare (fruits of the sea aka seafood) during my next visit. Sorry for the bad photos! The lighting was very unforgiving.

For the record, I only write about the food I enjoy. I do not praise every morsel of food I taste. Bad food is not worth commenting on or to even dedicate a post on it. Unless it was really bad - bad service + bad food is the worse combination ever in my books.

Peperoni Pizzeria

Suntec City

 3 Temasek Boulevard #B1-130

{review} G7 Kungbao Frog in Claypot + Porridge

(taking a photo of the kungbao frog in claypot)

"Hey the lens is all fogged up..."
"Did you just swear?!"
"NOOOO!"

Why do people think eating frog is gross? The thought of a cooked amphibian in a pot often send shudders down the spines of unadventurous diners. The French were one of the first people to regard frog as a delicacy. Meanwhile the Chinese... Eat everything. Hence the frog porridge was born! Just kidding.

Although its appearance is not appealing - you can still see the ribcages and thigh structure of the frog still hanging on to its little bones - in my opinion it has a better texture than chicken. Well... Think postively! Free frog anatomy classes while eating LOL

Anyway, the kungbao frog porridge I had was really good. I've been a regular ever since some friends brought me there for supper. For the record, I love anything spicy! It was still bubbling from the residual heat of the claypot when served to our table. The meat was fresh, tender and fragrant from the aromatics added (ginger, spring onion and dried chilli). The slightly salty but spicy sauce was perfect for porridge. Needless to say... Everything was polished off the bowls.

If you're intending to eat there soon, get the set meal for two for $22 (5 frogs and a pot of porridge). Enough for two hungry souls! There's also a non-spicy option too - for chilli wimps (sorry).

I'm suffering in the aftermath of devouring a McSpicy, Japanese curry rice and the bubblin' kungbao frog porridge... Nursing a sore throat and fever.

Have a good weekend! xx

G7 Sinma Live Bull Frog Claypot Porridge

267 New Bridge Road

{review} Santouka / Toroniku Ramen

If this photo doesn't whet your appetite... I don't know what will. Either you're on a strict diet or you're a robot.

What you're looking at now is Santouka's signature Iberico Pork Toroniku Ramen. Lucky us got to eat it at $11++ with a free flavoured tamago because they won #1 in a poll for best ramen in Singapore. I ordered my favourite shio (salt) flavour.

Glistening, glowing, glorious toroniku (pork cheek) slices. I'm serious - it really does glow. You've got to see the fat marbling on the pork cheek slices in real life. Buttery oozy fat melting by the heat of your tongue. So so so tender and tasty. It was absolutely DELICIOUS!! Let's not forget about the tamago. A marinated lava egg is always good with ramen. Did I mention that I can make 'em too? :D

By the end of the meal I was literally savouring every bit of flavour left on my palate. I don't know if I will ever order the normal charshu ramen again... *my poor wallet*

When I crave for ramen, I either head to Santouka or Ippudo. I've heard many fail/horror stories of purportedly authentic ramen in Singapore... If you have any good ramen places in Singapore you'd like to recommend, please share!

Santouka

6 Eu Tong Sen Street, #02-76, The Central