December 19th, 2009 View Comments
Was wondering where to bring JB pig-outers for dinner after a heavy brunch at Ah Soon Bak Kut Teh and mid-afternoon dessert at La Gourmet. Want to get something that can tempt our pampered taste buds that were kept busy all day. Thus, decided to get some sweet and sour asam fish and soupy drunken chicken from Jie Sheng. This place was recommended by dad.
We were there on a Saturday evening and it was almost full house; prepare to wait if there’s a crowd. Over here, the chef take his own sweet time to prepare his goodies. But it is worth the wait. Anyway time passes quickly when we were chatting about what to eat next and if we should go for durian ice cream dessert after dinner. Gluttons!
After about 20 minutes, we could smell our first dish coming. Behold, the Chinese drunken chicken! We ordered the medium sized one that cost RM14.
As we ladled the chicken pieces and soup we were enthralled by the extremely fragrant smell of Chinese rice wine but guess what. It tasted even better. The chicken meat was tender, moist and We could taste the rice wine and a slight hint of Chinese herbs, ginger and sesame oil which really gets the taste buds going. I particularly like the sweet wolf berries.
Absolutely superb. I could have this for dinner everyday. It was rich and really delicious. Ah no wonder this dish is considered a health-building soup. We felt so ‘strong’ after slurping the soup that we can stomach anything and continue the food hunt!
Next, the Asam fish! We loved it! The fish was so soft, silky and was slathered with asam gravy that was distinctively sweet, spicy and sour. For those who can’t take spicy stuff, you’ll be pleased to know that the spiciness was not to the extent of numbing the tongue. I would say that the asam is more sourish than spicy.
Not wanting to overeat and waste food, we ordered a small serving of the asam fish at first but we finished the entire serving in less than 10 minutes because it was damn good. So to satisfy our cravings, we ordered the asam fish again. This time, we got the medium sized serving with 3-4 large piece of fish. That’s the one you see below.
It was served with eggplants, long bean and fried tofu skin. After soaking the fried crispy fried tofu skin into the tangy gravy, you’ll get a soft and rubbery crumpled sheet. The tart sourish flavor of the asam gravy really accentuated the golden fried flavor of the tofu. Another side dish that were meant to match this dish is the papadum, a thin crispy wafer that taste like a cracker. We dipped it into the asam gravy and it’s amazingly tasty. By the way, if you have no patience to pick out fish bones, no worries. It’s 90% flesh.
By the way, it cost just RM33 for a small and medium order of the asam fish.
Besides these 2 specialty dishes, we ordered a plate of stir-fry vegetables (RM6) and claypot beancurd (RM7) with mixed vegetables as sides. These 2 dishes were fine but they were still outshone by the drunken chicken and asam fish.
Surprise surprise. Just when we were about to finish off all the dishes, there was an electric cut in the area. The entire estate was pitched black. Interesting. But we did not dined in darkness. The chef and a few of his customers/workers drove their car and positioned them strategically facing the restaurant. All headlights were turned on and the warm orangy lights lit the entire place with a cosy feel.
Despite the sudden electricity cut, dinner was a cooling and relaxing affair. We spent about RM65 for here which I find reasonable, considering the quality of the fare. Can’t believe we managed to chow down all these even after eating for the entire day.
Jie Sheng Restoran
3, Jalan Permas 10/B
Permas Jaya
81750 Masai Johor
019-7989123
3pm-12am
Closed on Thursdays
October 26th, 2009 View Comments
Dai Pai Dong is where you encounter street-side eating culture in Hong Kong! You can find al-fresco food stall operating on the roadside with foldable tables and plastic chairs. Dai Pai Dong may not very hygienic but here’s where you should be heading for decent tasty local grub.
So we were feeling peckish after shopping so it’s time for supper! Found a Dai Pai Dong somewhere near Temple Street in Jordan (next MTR station to Tsim Sha Tsui). and there was a healthy local crowd there so we decided to grab some food here! First up, Roasted Pigeon with crispy golden brown skin!
It was so-so only. In fact, the one we had in Guangzhou was better. The meat has some weird bird taste! Yeah it’s a bird but it shouldn’t taste so strongly bird-ish right? Guess pigeon meat is too wild for me. I think the roasted chicken wings at Taman Pelangi hawker center is better (Will blog about it soon).
Anyway we still gobbled down the bird and shortly our plate of incredibly fresh steamed fish came. Most Dai Pai Dong which operate at night usually sell seafood.
Ah the fish steamed with ginger and onion topped with a dash of soy sauce was more delightful than the pigeon. It’s a pretty simple dish but it taste so good because of its ultra freshness and sweet yummy soy sauce. I can taste some sesame oil too.
BTW You can choose to have both dishes with steamed white rice but we decided not to. Want to leave some space for desserts before we head back to the hotel. Ah our appetite just keep growing in Hong Kong. My face is getting rounder and rounder.
:/
Spent about sgd30 for this light supper! Quite similar to hawkers in Southeast Asia but in Hong Kong, it is more extensive because they also offer live seafood that was just swimming in mini aquariums before being served on the table. It’s a good thing that cooking fresh is revered in Hong Kong.
October 10th, 2009 View Comments
This is my 2nd trip to this restaurant. The last time, we actually ordered too much spicy stuff. Then everyone couldn’t take it. AAAAA too hot to handle! BUT If you love spicy seafood/super-thai cuisine, you MUST try Long Poh if you’re in Muar. Esp their specialty, Thai Sour Lemon Seafood.
SHIOK
To get there, I have a little map. It’s located along Jalan Khalidi. Important landmarks to note is the Shell Petrol Kiosk and the blue rectangle with a yellow dot in the middle. That’s Muar MCA Building.
Turn to your left once you see a fish glittering in mid-air.
That’s Long Poh Seafood! Expect a good crowd where there’s good food.
We were sat at table 43! The deco is quite consistent with the restaurant’s specialty, FISH. The kitchen is opened to anyone who wants to peep and try to steal recipes. lol. There’s like 8 chefs whipping up dishes after dishes of Thai sweet/sour delights? Noted that the big al-fresco kitchen was as clean as a whistle.
Dinner came about 15 minutes after orders were taken. Pretty fast considering the amount of hungry people that night. Ah we didn’t get their specialty fish this time. Tried it previously already so decided to try a different dish this time.
Unlike the strong tangy taste of the Thai Sour Lemon Fish, the Teochew Steamed Fish (RM31) has less flavourings. We can taste the natural taste of the fish, which is very fresh. There’s a fine pool of wonderful sour-ish soup acquired from the process of steaming the fish which goes really well with smooth chunks of fresh fish meat. The soup is mildly sour because of the sour plum and ‘asam’ juice, the malay word for tamarind.
For 4 adults, we ordered 3 dishes because we were feeling still quite full after having some street food for tea earlier. Lol. Do order more when you’re here!
As for the Stir-fry Sambal Kang Kong (RM7), it was only fairly good. I’ve tasted better sambal. I guess we ordered the wrong stuff. Should have gotten Fried Kang Kong instead.
Rojak Chicken (RM16) was special! The chicken chunks were covered with thick goey rojak sauce. Rojak sauce basically contains palm sugar, tamarind, peanuts, and chilli. Not sure what they added besides the curry leaves but it tasted pleasantly different. Definitely a zesty and versatile way to enjoy chicken.
Well, I will be coming back for more hot stuff! Lets end the post with the beer of the day!
Long Poh Seafood
TS 26, Jalan Junid
Muar 84000
Johor, Malaysia
Phone : +606-9515095, +6019-6676080
August 29th, 2009 View Comments
Finally a decent hangout place that’s unconventional enough to be cool at the north of Singapore! Yay. Raw Kitchen Bar is hidden within the defunct firestation in Upper Bukit Timah. Mr.Ong and I drove and we missed the turn into the carpark for the “Spectra” building! We were quite blur. Gotta make a U-turn ahead. Argh.
Yeah so if you are coming from Chua Chu Kang, look out for the entrance on your right hand side. It’s at the junction where the turn into Bukit Batok is on your left.
So what’s so raw about Raw Kitchen Bar? hmm. From what we ordered, it had to be either raw tuna or raw salmon. The rest are all fairly cooked! Heh. okie it has to be the deco. The restaurant gives off a comfy and homely vibe with its chic yet minimalistic interior.
When you stepped into the ‘house’ you’re greeted with a neat living room! You’ll find your way instinctively around the place. It’s very inviting.
I love the ‘raw’ cement flooring and warm, dim lighting!
The deco is very eclectic with a mix of randomness. The chairs, tables and dining utensils are all of different shapes and sizes. But all the elements blends in really well with the environment.
I ? the super low hanging lamps and the arkward thin and scrawny tree right in the middle of the room.
Looks comfy right? But we decided to sit outside! yes, the backyard of the ‘house’! Were enticed by the garden and moonish lanterns! It’s like Mid-Autumn Festival meets kitsch. haha
Anyway the ambience was great. No over-crowding. A plus point of dining at a residential hinterland, out of the city, away from the madding crowd.
Mr.Ong sat on a green camping chair which was rather amusing. But he didn’t felt unfortunate nor did he changed his chair. It must had been quite comfy for him then. An extremely hungry engineer, he fidgets in his seat like a restless child.
Let’s move on. lol
For starters, we decided to share! Evelyn made a really good choice. She ordered Ahi mango poke with japanese cucumbers and a sesame dressing with fried wanton chips ($16).
It looks kinda Mexican doesn’t it? I loved how the savoury crunchy chips brings out the freshness of the raw tuna cubes, cucumber and mango filling. The dressing just nice and the taste of sweet tangy mango was pleasant.
We also got the Seafood Ceviche ($17). Raw salmon, tuna and squid! This dish is a gastronomical delight. The zesty sauce is very appetizing. I particularly like the tuna cubes.
Starters were scrumdiddlyumptious!
For mains, we had 2 fish and 2 meat. Lets start with the fishes.
Evelyn’s nori-wrapped salmon with wasabi mash wasn’t very spectacular. The fish was served with wasabi mash and sauteed portabellos. Hmm. Had a bite of the salmon and it wasn’t very spectacular. The fish lacks flavour but the wasabi marsh was pretty awesome. The wasabi flavour was agreeable and not too overwelming.
My seabass main ($19) was mildly garlicky and nutty. The sauce tasted lemonish and was quite appetising. but I wasn’t blown away by this dish. I think the fish fillets were not moist enough. Perhaps there were pan-fried a little too long.
GY’s marsala lamb ($24) looks mouth-watering. The meat was tender and comes with pumpkin marsh. The lamb tasted 10/10 from the little nibble I had. On the palate, there’s a strong taste of rosemary. Not sure where the marsala is but I will definately order this for myself the next visit.
Mr.Ong ordered caramelized balsamic vinegar duck ($23). It has a pleasant taste of sweet and sour in contrast.
The waitress was helpful with dessert and wine recommendation. The Innocent Bystander’s Muscato ($22) was delightful. It is pale pink in colour! It has a slight sparkling fizz and we can taste a slight hint of strawberries.
If you noticed, serving was just ok. It is smaller than Bistro One Zero Three but this leaves us enough space for our desserts!
We had Chocolate lava cake and fried cheese cake. The lava cake was so-so only. The chocolate inside was warm enough but the ice cream wasn’t frozen enough. I’m not a fan of gooey ice cream. On the other hand, the fried cheese cake did fairly better but I think that the cheese were overshadowed by the strawberry and marmalade sauce.
I must say that the service was excellent. They served iced water and it was refilled quickly. Ooh and since it’s al fresco dining, the restaurant actually prepared mosquito coil for us! You can also request for insect repellant for free.
Basically, we enjoyed Raw Kitchen Bar’s fusion cuision. Fusion cuisine is always interesting. You never really know what to expect and it’s fun to wonder what influences were fused in the dish.
The bill came up to $182.88 inclusive of 10% service charge and 7% gst. About $46/pax which was quite reasonable. However since it is located at a residential hinterland, the price may be a little high. Although the food is pretty much decent, I would recommend meat instead of fish.
On your visit, do get the ahi mango starter and a bottle of muscato.
Raw Kitchen Bar
276 Upper Bukit Timah Road
Tel: : 6467 3987
Open hours: 5:30pm to 12 midnight
(Closed Mondays)
April 23rd, 2009 View Comments
Here’s where you can get hearty lunch for just $6.50! It’s pretty easy to locate the restaurant. It’s right across Bugis Junction!
Their specialty is fish, fish and fish! I’m interning at Shaw Towers, a street away and this is one of our favourite place for lunch! But the queue can be pretty long during lunchtime! Yeah business is really good. For takeaways, we can also call up in advance then go down 30 minutes later to collect the food.
They offer a variety of fishy dishes which includes charcoal fish head steamboat, asam fish head and of couse what I usually get, the fish sliced noodles.
Oh! If you enjoy sweet-sour drinks, try Mama, a lemony-plum concoction! It’s pretty refreshing.
I got myself the fried fish sliced noodles with milk. Anyway, for the health-conscious, you can opt for a healthier unfried sliced fish bee hoon without milk. Personally, I prefer my fish sliced noodles with milk because it makes the soup sweeter and tastier! The soup base is not diluted and You can also get fish soup with a separate order of rice, fish porridge, and even fish head bee hoon soup noodle!
The soup has five big chunks of fried fish and a good serving of vegetables. Can you see the sliced ginger swimming in the soup? Haha I know some ginger-haters out there. Anyway I think the pricing is reasonable and the portion is enough for a hearty lunch. But I really don’t mind having a few more chucks of fish. Hehe.
Yup a bowl of fish sliced noodles and 1 Mamacost me $6.50 only!
*burp* I’m stuffed! Can’t get enough of the milky soup!
BTW Xin Yuan Ji Pte Ltd has 2 other branches
- Blk 163 #02-55 Bukit Merah Central Singapore 150163 (10.30am-8pm)
- Blk7 #01-01 Everton Park Singapore 080007 (10.30am-8pm)
Xin Yuan Ji Pte Ltd
31 Tan Quee OLan Street
#01-01 Singapore 188117
Tel: 6334 4086
Business Hours: 11am – 12.30am