Attended the first day of Wine Fiesta 2016 today held at Clifford Square and this year’s theme “Rising Roots” focuses on eco-conscious wine makers producing wines naturally. The event also features more than 70 winemakers worldwide with more than 350 wine labels.
I was also invited for the special wine pairing segment featuring 4 labels from the exhibitors and awesome bites from Chef Dave of Burnt Ends.
First up was the Scallop and Zest pairing with CRFT Gruner Veltliner Longview Vineyard 2015. The scallops were definitely a great way to start the pairing being tangy and savoury at the same time. The white brought out the lovely flavours on it’s own, a fruity explosion.Kingfish and Miso in a sort of like taco wrap, definitely blew me off. The fish was so well done and so flavourful, I wished I had another serving of it! Paired with the Rose 2016 from BK Wines, gave a sweet note to wrap up the wrap-full of goodness.Jamaican Chicken next and it was SO FREAKIN’ GOOD! Love this chicken totally with a lovely lime tangy finish. Wine’s from Lucy M Noire de Florette 2016. A little more character which is prolly why paired with such a heavy flavoured dish.Burnt Onion and Bresaola Tart next and the tart was bursting with onion fragrance and flavours! The wine on the other hand from brought out the onion flavours so much more! Very yummy combo! Love how they name the wine for this one. Ochota Barrels Texture like the Sun 2016. However I reckon the Bresaola should be eaten first so as not to be overwhelmed by strong onion flavours. 😁
I would to thank The Straits Wine Company for their invite, totally enjoyed myself!
Event Dates: 21-23 Oct 2016
Venue: Clifford Square (Beside One Fullerton and Fullerton Bay Hotel)
Dress Code: Come in really thin and cooling clothes. Trust me I was swimming in my own sweat!
Parking: One Fullerton. Beware it’s $1.07 every 10mins. My parking came up to $22+!!
Haha how can I miss that out right? Food leh! Haha! Other than foods by Burnt Ends which I’ve featured in my previous blog entry, here are some of the feature foods from some of the awesome local restaurants that is at Wine Fiesta 2016! Go check them out!
Beef Mamasan Curry ($15) from Tamarind Hill. Love the flavours of the curry with so much going on and I tasted some tamarind juices, palm sugar, cinnamon and maybe lemongrass. Yummy with the brown rice. Would love the beef a little more tender though, brisket style. That would be even more lovelier!Tempura Slipper Lobster with Smoked Miso dip ($12) from Cheek by Jowl is really good! The tempura alone is already tasty, with the miso dip, yums!Iberico Pork Jowl ($15) from Morsels, resting on a bed of glutinous rice cooked with fermented mushrooms, dressed with shaved cured egg yolk and some spring onion kosho on the side. From the description you already know how much efforts were put into developing this dish. Fermented mushrooms with the rice is definitely a stunner for me. The pork jowl, oh my tian, was so well grilled, flavours and juices locked in between the grilled sides, it’s just tantalising every bite! My only complain is the piece of pork is too small, NOT ENOUGH!!! 😆😆😆Even the pork jowl was shy when I strip it apart. Yums!Hay & Cherrywood Smoked Locally Farmed Pulled Duck Burger topped with Foie Gras Espuma ($14) from Tin Hill Social Kitchen & Bar. Very interesting using espuma as dressing instead of the usual sauces. You guys should try it! Sweet potato fries are awesome!Salted Egg Crab Popiah ($12) from Good Chance Popiah. Running since 1977 and already into their 4th generation, definitely something Singaporeans can be proud of. Every ingredient is hand cut to ensure the quality of taste and even the crab meat was hand pulled. A great combo with the salted egg yolk sauce and definitely a great dish to pair with your wines. Ah Boy recommends highly Ministry of Clouds’s ones hahaWhen Ah Boy meets Ah Roy 😁😁😁 Dates: 21-23 Oct 2016
Venue: Clifford Square
Time: 12pm to 10pm
Dress Code: As cooling as possible!
Parking: Damn ex at One Fullerton. $1.07 per 10mins!!! Uber there! 😉
I apologise for not writing much lately as I was pretty swarmed with work as I do not have any part-timers helping me since school reopened. At the same time, I was planning for my upcoming coffee pilgrimage and food trail in Medan and Sumatra. Updates will be more frequent on my Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/eatwithroy/) so if you guys like, can follow me there.
Recently I was invited for a hosted dinner at Samsara Gourmet, a hidden gem serving excellent authentic Canton cuisine at reasonable prices, with a head chef formerly from Tunglok Group. This humble 50-seater restaurant with a private room is owned by Ms Violet Lee, who was Miss Singapore in the 1980s, came back to Singapore after spending more than 2 decades in China building an empire.
After much checking out online, Samsara Gourmet is seriously out of the radar in the social media circle although fellow bloggers like Maureen (www.misstamchiak.com) and Derrick (www.sgfoodonfoot.com) have written on them some time ago. Location could be a factor and also lack of publicity, which is why I am writing this blog entry. The food here is so awesome that I really need to share it here.
Frontage. Simple reno.Vegetarian Abalone Lou Hei. As mentioned in my instagram post, the veg are cut daily and really fresh and refreshing. An alternative to the regular sugar coated ones. The sauce is also made in house, a very nice rendition to the Lou Hei.Vegetarian Platter. The mock char siew in front was really good, the middle mock goose with shrooms fillings was delicious and the top mock kidney was really crunchy and tasty. Great starter dish!Fish Maw Soup. Served in individual bowls of $8 if I am not wrong. Full of ingredients, fish maw and chinese mushrooms sourced from HK and hand carried back. I didn’t even put any vinegar and white pepper which I usually do.Samsara Gui Fei Chicken. Meat was very tender and skin was so smooth, it was pretty hard to kiap with my chopsticks. A must-order!Pumpkin Prawn Ball is also another winning dish. Love how the sweetness of the pumpkin coated the large de-shelled prawns. Lovely!Pork Knuckle Mee Sua was so good, I wish there were more. The mee sua is not clumpy and really delicious. Pork knuckle was really tender with the skin jellyfying in your mouth! Another must-order!Claypot Chicken Rice. Wow this really wraps up the night. Rice was cooked to al dente, chicken was boneless thigh meat and very tender. Chinese sausage (Wing Wah) and mushroom were hand carried back from Hong Kong. Missing this quite a bit!
Rating: 5/5.
Taste: Truly authentic Canton food. They can also cater for vegetarian options. Really good.
Portion: Good.
Service: Very attentive. I hope it’s not because the boss was there.
Ambience: Nice and pretty chill.
Price: Considering the quality, very reasonable. At least much better than my reunion dinner at another restaurant.
RTE: Definitely!
Location & Hours:
Add: 38 Irrawaddy Road, #01-05, Singapore 329563 (On the right side of the lobby of Mount Elizabeth Medical Centre @ Novena) Tel: +65 67343138 Hours: Mon-Fri: 9am – 9pm, Sat: 9am – 6pm, Closed on Sun & PH
Recently I was invited to this restaurant for a media tasting and was a surprising gem on Bukit Timah indeed. Torikin is established in Singapore in November 2014 as a casual dining restaurant serving up collagen-enriched chicken hotpots to both locals as well as Japanese expatriates.
Torikin is part of a chain of restaurants by the Ishida Kikaku Group, originating from Fukuoka in Kyushu, Japan. It is the first overseas venture by the Group and embodies its founder, Mr Kyota Ishida’s philosophy of allowing all customers to discover the authentic taste of Kyushu, without compromising on quality. Check out the pics with comments below:
Outside seatingMedia friends and me waiting for tasting to startInside the restaurantPrivate rooms which is not suitable for big guys like me!Cooks are helping on prepping the other ordersFirst up, Bagna Cauda. Veg sticks with a very interesting anchovies dip. Quite yummy and refreshing!PR manager explaining to us on how Oden is made and the contents.Yummy Oden. Reminds me of Japan. These items inside needs to be cooked and soak overnight. That’s how wonderful the flavour would get.An assortment of different sorts of Oden.Oden ready to be served.Wow look at how the mochi inside the beancurd bag flows out! Super yummy!Oh they have flavoured beers too! Apparently the Matcha one was more popular with everyone!Miyazaki Chicken Nanban – Tender chicken chunks deep fried then doused with their in house sauce and dipped in tartar sauce before eating. Quite yummy this one.Hakata Tonpei Yaki – Love this dish a lot. It has layers of thinly sliced pork and veg. A little like Okonomiyaki but it’s not. Very very yummy.Pretty service crew showing us how it was done.See the yummy fillings insideIn comes the Tomato Okonomiyaki. Sizzling and cooked in front of us by the head chef.Head chef cookingLooking good!Yummy! Loads of natural tomato puree, very different from the street style ones we normally get.Kyushu Hakata Specialty Chicken Mizutaki – A specialty of Hakata in Kyushu, Mizutaki is a hotpot chicken dish that is healthy, rich in collagen and fibre. At Torikin, the stock is made daily from Sakura chickens and boiled for more than 6 hours, with no additives at all. What you get is a pale, white stock of natural collagen and a lighter, more refined taste, compared to other collagen-enhanced hot pots.
Tasting the broth… O.M.G… Super rich in flavour! Gives a nice milky finish.As part of the Mizutaki experience, the server will skillfully roll minced chicken into balls to be dropped into the soup, together with cabbage, mushroom and tofu.Adding in the vegPouring some more brothAfter adding all the ingredients in.Ready for indulgence.Towards the end, the broth is thickened with egg and rice is added for a rich concoction of nutritious porridge.Yummy porridge that soaks up all the lovely rich broth.Karinto Manju – Dessert time! Basically it’s mantou with red bean fillings inside. Very nice and the fillings were filled to the brim!
Rating: 5/5.
Taste: Everything taste really good. Love the way they use natural ingredients to bring out the flavours in the food.
Loads of backlogs to catch up on as work has been really tiring. Was at Spicy Thai a few weeks back and was really surprise with the food quality at a neighbourhood area. I have revisited since and food quality was still there. Check out the pics below.
Restaurant FrontInside the restaurantBBQ Chicken Wings – 4pcs $6, 6pcs $9. Reasonably price and taste really good.ChaOm (Dill) Omelette ($8.00) – Dill is good for detox and so I had a lot of this hahaBasil Black Pepper Crab (Seasonal Price) – Crabs were meaty ad fresh. Interesting method of cooking.Basil Mussels ($15.00) – Fresh mussels in a lot of basil leaves. I love basil leaves!Red Emperor Snapper (Seasonal Price) – If you like fish like I do, this one is a winner. Chilli and garlic flavour and freshness in the fish you can taste. Lovely.Thai Walking Cat Fish in Spicy Lemon Soup ($28.00) – This is a dish full of collagen, so all ladies please note! Don’t care about the walking part which sounds spooky but the spicy lemon soup is just awesome!Deep Fried Pork Belly with Garlic ($12.00) – If you like fat exploding in your mouth, this is it. Very tasty and non-stop addiction.Lala Beehoon ($18.00) – Served on a hot wok, this beehoon is just so tasty with all the juices from the clams soaked inside. I must say the amount of clams used was really A LOT!Tom Yum Soup Red ($7.00/$14.00) – Rich, spicy, loads of ingredients. An appetite opener!Deep Fried Kang Kong with Special Thai Sauce ($10.00) – An innovative dish which I’ve never tried before. The dip sauce is the key here similar to a thickened tom yum soup but very nice.Hommok (Thai Otak) $16.00 – Crowd favourite. Very interestingly served in a coconut. Finished every bit of it.Desserts for us to share. Love the steamed tapioca!Foodie friends lending their support for the tasting eventFoodie in actionFoodies with the boss of Spicy Thai.
Rating: 5/5.
Taste: Very good and very generous in using ingredients! Really good.
Portion: Above average.
Service: Pretty ok.
Ambience: No aircon. Outside may be cooler.
Price: Reasonable.
RTE: Already did!
Location: Blk 115 Aljunied Avenue 2, #01-35, Singapore 380115. Tel : +65 6747 8558. Opens Daily from 11 a.m. to 12 a.m.
Was invited for a media tasting recently at this place which I believe many people have not heard of. I was however curious to find out how different it is from the Pulau Ubin cuisine from the ones I grew up with. Nah, I wasn’t from Pulau Ubin, just that my nanny’s brother lives there, and I stay with them during the school holidays. Yes he still lives there. ;P
When I arrived at Gumajia after closing the coffee bar, I was greeted with the group of bloggers there. Very family style, with kids some more, definitely my first time encountering this mix. The table was not big enough to accommodate everyone (we had more than 10 pax on a big round table), wasn’t really comfy but tried to blend in lah.
Check out some of the food that I’ve tried while some were wiped out and I don’t have the opportunity to savour them.
Frontage.Ubin La La Beehoon ($18). You must be wondering not another white beehoon… But this one has an awesome stock to begin with and tasted really good. Highly recommended,Crispy Been Jal ($12/$18). Totally caught us by surprise was this dish of crispy brinjal. Lightly seasoned and tossed fried with garlic and french beans. Another must order dish.Salted Egg Yolk Crab (Seasonal Price) – Crabs are fresh and juicy. Taste is really good on the sauce.Yuan Yang Kai Lan ($12/$18/$24). Taste like the usual kailan but a lot efforts. Applaud the chef going through so many procedures.Gu Ma Traditional Beancurd Soup ($28). $28 for soup… you must be wondering why so expensve, wait till you see the amount of ingredients inside in the pic below.Check out the amount of ingredients use! Soup is really rich and bursting with flavours!Assam Fish Head – $28. Freshness from the fish head was tasted. Very well balance of flavours!
XO Sauce Prawn Noodles ($36). Probably one of the best prawn noodle soups I’ve tasted! Rich broth served with fresh prawns. Yummy to the max.Fruity Enzyme Drink ($4.80) – Detoxify with this refreshing drink!Fruity Enzyme Jelly ($5.80). Taste like sour plum. 🙂Me and Gu Ma (Aunty)Rating: 5/5.
Taste: Love the taste and originality in flavours.
Portion: Large
Service: One particular staff was very friendly and helpful. The rest are pretty ok.
Ambience: Nothing avant garde. Typical tse char style.
Price: Listed on pics. No GST and srv
RTE: Mum will love this!
Location: 45 Tai Thong Crescent.
Hours: Daily 11am to 10,30pm (Mon-Fri 2.30pm to 5.30pm break)
Recently I was invited to this G House Restaurant located at Dempsey Road, which I have not been for the longest time. I was quite fortunate my dining partner was driving so we made our way there in comfort. The restaurant wasn’t difficult to find, just behind Jones the Grocer and it’s facing the carpark.
EntranceLovely ambience
A good selection of wine, not a wide range but sufficient.They have a space at the back which holds easily 40 pax for private functions.A Pattiserie chef from their dessert partner, Little House of Dreams, at work.Cakes at the background, cupcakes at the front from the display shelve at Little House of DreamsSours for sale at Little House of DreamsFirst up, Lychee Ice Blended ($6.90) and Peach Ice Blended ($6.90). Just what we needed, something refreshing to help cool us down before the tasting.Satay Angus Burger ($28.90). Topped with onion rings, cucumber and an egg. Taste really good, love the satay sauce, patty is definitely hard-grounded and made as per order. Recommended medium rare to medium for the beef.Grilled Spicy Squid ($26.90). Yummy squid grilled oriental style and accompanied by sambal jam (see next pic). Squid was left on purpose for about 10-15 mins to see how chewy it will become but damn, it was still tender! Highly recommended dish and totally love this.Sambal jam was really nice and spicy. Spicy enough to make some sweat.Asian Slow Cook Pork Belly ($26.90). One of my favourites for the night. Crackling skin and melting meat. Definitely a must-order!Tom Kha Gai ($16.90). Coconut based tom yum thick soup with chicken is really good. I felt it should spice up a little more, so if you’re ordering this, you can request to spice up the level. Good to share with another pax.Tender chicken chunks inside with the rich creamy coconut soup.Pork Ribs ($29.90) – Bones fall off. Well marinated. Enough said.Dark Chocolate Salted Caramel ($8.50). Rich, dense and very nice! Quite a large piece too!Head chef wasn’t around so Sous chef Lionel on the right steps in with chef Gabriel. They are part of a small but dynamic team which whips up all the awesome food at G House!
Rating: 5/5
Taste: Totally enjoyed everything that was served. Great job!
Portion: Above average.
Service: Excellent.
Ambience: Great for romantic dates, groups and parties. The high ceiling will keep noise levels lower than usual.
