Hot Chili - Sweet ending

Had a bit of a surprise with this dessert being not a fan of deep fried sweet fritters. The difficulty I have is most are heavy with oil and sweetness.  XiaoLaJiao's Pumpkin Pancake is made with whole piece pumpkin filled with lotus paste. There is no doughy armor around the pumpkin, just a sesame coat, and the lotus paste is smooth but not too sweet. The problem with that is it might not be sweet enough for some.

Alfero Gelato

There is Gelato and then there is Alfero Gelato

Anyone can claim they use the freshest ingredients, but only some you can really taste it.
The chef is one Marco Alfero, Italian obviously who trained at The Gelato University of Carpigiani.
Now that is passion! Stupid as it may sound to pragmatic Singaporeans, that is really pride in what you love to do.

To quote his website:

"As a kid, he has always love eating gelato and would even eat gelato like a regular meal. He still loves eating gelato and has always dreamed of becoming a gelato chef."

That is someone you know can make good gelato!

I have only recently visited his website for "ahem" research, but I have been enjoying his gelato at Marina Square since he started.

For an Italian, he does a mean Durian Gelato with a seriously rich flavour that last to the final scoop but is not overpowering that makes you a little sick.

Chocolate lovers will love their version, a deceptively pale looking dark chocolate gelato. It is pure indulgence.

Coffee lovers I recommend pairing their basic Coffee with Vanilla, it's like a cold fluffy Affogato.

I don't have much pictures to share as I am more eager to eat it than snap it. Plus a word of warning, if ordering for kids, don't let them run off first. It melts very fast, especially with a cone.

One of my favourite is Limone and I could not figure out what to pair it with for a long time, until I tried the Mango flavour. That hit the spot.

Go taste the Gelato. They are very generous with sampling, but seriously, you need to part with some money and appreciate the complex taste slowly. It is almost a religious experience.

HCM Fried Rice

Ah, the privilege  of good home cook meals.

And yes, that was all mine. How do you think I have the ring around my middle earth?

Canton Paradise

This is a new offering from the ever expanding Paradise Group, concentrating on Cantonese / Hong Kong flavours. As with most Chinese restaurants here, the culinary distinction is however not so clear cut, bits of other regions slip in, but the Cantonese style of cooking and flavouring is prominent. It is also located at one of the latest shopping malls 112 Katong.

The star of the meal is the Char Siew with Honey Glaze. This is made with Pork Belly and is tender without being overly fatty. The Chinese name for the dish literally translates as Fat Lady Char Siew, but the smallish portions is not likely to make you one, if you share!

Char Siew with Honey Glaze

Eggs and Oysters

蚝煎

This is just one of the many variations of fried egg with oysters. The egg is undiluted, pure in egg-y goodness, a little crispy in parts, tender in others. Providing heat is not the usual sambal chilli, but chinese style chilli with a hint of sze-chuan pepper. The oysters are just a touch  before being overdone, so it is still soft with the flavour of the sea, but purist would probably scream murder.

Xi Men Ding Taiwan Cuisine. 

Coffee Art

Well this is hot chocolate rather than coffee, but the effort is commendable. Little details can make big difference.

Rolling

Rice flour. Water. Roll it.

That the basic premise of Chee Cheong Fun. This is the Ipoh interpretation. Mr Makansutra likes it and talked about it. I revisited this forgotten (by me) area of the Katong-Geylang Gastronomic District recently and "discovered" this.

Unpretentious street snacks are the offerings, Chee Cheong Fun the star, but they have things like Yam Cake, Ngo Hiong (5 spice rolls) actually in 2 versions. To wash it all down, Soya Bean drinks are the main choice.

I had the Yam cake which is tender and not mushy, no danger of your jaws being stuck. But once the first dishes arrive and eating started, I totally forgot the camera. So what you see is the Anson Special Chee Chong Fun and the Curry Pig Skin Chee Cheong Fun. Feel your arteries clogging yet?

Peranakan Food

I simply love this snack/appetiser. Calling it a snack, doesn't do justice to the amount of work needed to prepare this. Perhaps that is why it is difficult to find a pretty decent version that is not going to empty your wallet as fast as you can eat it.

This latest offering I found is at the "Integrated Cafe" at the Le Peranakan Hotel, yes the one with the terribly addictive and sinful Lorong 29 Hokkien Prawn Mee. The owner looks and sounds like a Katong boy (we know who we are) and wields the wok as well as his iPad.

Kueh Pie Tee by Makan@Peranakan

They serve a portion of 4 for $3 in a plastic bowl. The bowl is definitely useful when assembling and frankly it's really not easy to carry this without toppling in a crowded food court.
I usually eat this in a single mouthful. Now before you start screaming, this is really the only way I know how to eat this delicate art work. Nibbling it I end up dripping all over my face, a really horrible sight.
I enjoyed this version, the shell is still crunchy, filling is not too salty topped off with the chili sauce that gives a hint of fire without overpowering the rest.
Definitely looking forward to savour their Nonya Mee Siam and Laksa, Nasi Ulam and Nasi Kunyit the next time.

Food Court offerings

The Kopitiam food court at Plaza Singapura has this very popular stall that sells Indonesian style barbecue chicken, come lunch time there is always a long queue. But I much prefer a newer stall, which I think gives a better Indonesian flavour.

They serve also the fried version, Ayam Penyet or literally flatten chicken. The barbecue version Ayam Bakar comes with fragrant spice coating, a piece of fried Tofu and Tempe and also a bowl of spicy sour vegetable soup, Sayur Assam.
Far more interesting than their competitor in terms of flavour.
However, one has to be patient when ordering, there can sometimes be only one person at the counter doing almost everything, and the barbecue chicken takes a little longer to prepare.
Please don't think this is anything to wow your palate though, it is still food court food!

More Ricoh GXR A12 28mm

Isn't it annoying when you have a new toy and you don't have the time to play? Thank goodness for the holiday.

I think the GXR system is beginning to take shape with the 2 APS-C camera units. While the S10 and P10 units are very well made machines, they have a certain limitation due to their sensor size. I have practically abandoned my P10 unit as I am just bad at trying to milk out decent images with it.

One difference between the 50mm and the 28mm is the missing macro function from the wide angle unit. The 28 can only focus on things not less than 20 cm from the front of the lens. A little strange as all previous Ricohs I have used, can basically kiss the subject and still focus. So how does it fare as a food porn tool? I think it is pretty decent as seen from the following images. Can't blame the tool every time, can I?



Incidentally, this is from Old Hong Kong Cafe. Pretty decent cooking, but not too economical if you go overboard with the ordering. One highlight in the Dim Sum array is the plain looking white bun, it has custard filling made with Salted Egg yolk. It has just a little oily ooze that is sweet and savoury, something I have not seen around much.
Next is with the A12 50mm, with macro. The very shallow depth of field makes it difficult to get sharp images, especially with my annoyingly unstable hands.

This is their Macau style Roast Pork, you get a very crunchy crackling with just enough saltiness and not too fatty. Presentation wise however, Tung Lok's version is miles ahead with very even colour and cut.

Rolling it

Take some root vegetable, shred it, stew it and roll it up in a thin wrap basically describes popiah. Nonya style popiah is different in the bankwang stew, which lightly spices the chinese flavoured foundation and prawns replaces dried sausage slices cutting back on any heaviness. The other aspect is the wrap, instead of the usual wheat based form, here it is eggy tenderness, a bit harder to handle but yummy.

Everyday Eats

Mince meat noodles is almost a dietician's nightmare mostly due to the sauce, yet without the right sauce, the whole dish falls apart. Most of the time people choose the "dry" sinful version which should be a little more salty, a little more fire with chili, perhaps a little tart with vinegar and bound together with a perfect balance of oil, preferably lard.
Of course you can have it dunk in soup, which sounds simple, but actually a lot harder to make it tasty. Most of the time I find the soup so lifeless it is like atoning for lifelong gluttony.

Here is our version of the all day breakfast dish.

Bak Chor Mee Ta

Durian and Chempedak Dessert

Everyone knows durian but the chempedak is less known, even compared to its close cousin the jackfruit. Chempedak is more restrained in flavour and aroma, but I feel it is more complex and interesting. Hard to find dessert done with this particular fruit as it is rarer and more expensive. Two places that I know is Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf and Toby's Dessert Asylum.

Here is the Durian and Chocolate fudge concoction aptly named Spike D at Toby's. Unfortunately I do not have a shot of the Chim-A-Duck fudge, which is filled with chunky chempedak mousse. Another day to fatten the tummy.


Ricoh GXR A12

After lunch dessert

A little treat after lunch at Coffee Club.


Having stayed away for more than a month, stuff and staff have changed, new sweets are on offer but our old favourite was a disappointment. Quality was off today. Sad.

Sundanese

For lovers of Indonesian food, something new at Parkway Parade Banquet. It is simply called Sundanese. On offering is a variation on Ayam penyet, instead of  fried chicken you can have barbecue chicken, or a dry curry chicken. It is assembled in a wicker basket along with Tempe Goreng, Tauhu Goreng, stir fried cabbage and lined with lettuce. There is a wickedly spicy chilli sauce that you can dip or dunk depending on your tolerance.

If you do find chicken boring (gasp horrors!), you can also have grilled beef ribs, something more unusual. Need your veggies? They have Karedok. Yearning for fried snack? There is Perkedel Kentang and Perkedel Jagung, potato or corn fritter. 

For now a little appetizer, Perkedel Jagung

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Breakfast for everyone

Breakfast is the most important meal of the day, so they say, but sometimes it is a luxury to even sit down to eat, much less to enjoy the moment.
Toasted bread, slather on Kaya and butter, lubricated with milk tea or coffee, is simple luxury. The kind doctor on ieatishootipost can tell you where to find the best and cheapest, food hunters head on there.

Back to luxury, this was at Ya Kun. Instead of tea, I opted for their Silkyz (No, I am not having a Ris Low moment) Barley drink. It is jazzed up with tofu skin, which is the reason for the silkiness.



A little something extra, buttery Kaya Butter cookies. Melt in your mouth goodness.

HCM Red Yeast Rice

Red Yeast Rice is very good for helping people with high blood cholesterol, also good eats. Foods take on a beautiful crimson tint, in this case Chicken Soup. A little spirit, brandy, red wine or here glutinous rice wine gives it a little sweet punch. A comfort food that is light on the stomach.

Ricoh GXR A12 1/90s f/2.8 iso 400

Danish Ice Cream

What is there to say? Just dig in.




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Food Court Food

Most of the time, shopping mall food court food is basically functional, you fill your tummy and get out, on occasion you get gems. Today is not quite that day.


Straits Times' Foodie expert Ong Sor Fen gushed about this particular eats in 2009, mainly about their barbecue pork or Char Siew. It is really tender, without being overly greasy, the result of using pork belly, rather than shoulder butt or tenderloin.
But sometimes a big star cannot save a movie if the rest are sub-par.

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This is a typical Wanton Mee served in Singapore and Malaysia, noodles are prepared dry, bathed in a sauce, accompanied with vegetables and dumplings. The saving grace in today's dish is the Char Siew and noodles, Pontian noodles to be precise. If you like noodles al dente, Pontian noodles are that a bit more "toothy" or "q". I love "q".
What disappoints is the undercooked vegetables and worse the Wanton.
I general dislike the local version of wanton, the meat dumpling has stuffing measured with a micro pipette and wrapped in thick flour blanket, dunked in soup it is like eating weird tasting mushy marshmallow. They were "generous" by giving the fried version together with the soup version, but more of something blah just reinforces how disappointing it is.

Char Siew and Pontian noodles are just fine with the sauce. Dump the dumplings.

Breakfast and Lunch

Dome Club sandwich, good for breakfast or lunch.

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Lunch at The Asian Kitchen Teahouse.
Recommended is their Roast Duck, which also can be partnered with a herbal sauce, plum sauce or a fiery Sichuan 麻辣 sauce. Today was with a sweet tangy plum sauce.

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