Hung Wan Restaurant is a Cha Can Ting I frequent when I was staying in Shenzhen, China. The best thing about this place is, it is just below the regular spa I frequent too. So can order their food up and eat while I was watching TV program or having a foot massage! Awesome lifestyle back then and missing it definitely.
Hung Wan I believe are owned by Hong Kongers and they have gone through renovation recently and the interior designing was done by Millwork Interiors based in HK too. Very excellent work done, with a vibrant and energetic design giving the restaurant a younger and fresher look. Check out the pics below:
Store frontInteriorsLovely Milk TeaCha Can Ting fried drumsticks are usually quite yummyMy fav fried maggie with pork chops!
Rating: 4/5.
Taste: Not bad. Tasted better but nice enough to curb my cravings. A bit on the oily side though.
Portion: Average.
Service: Slow… Cos 24hrs… lesser staff?
Ambience: Smoking now disallowed inside aircon areas but still you get some assholes smoking inside.
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
I’ve been patronising this place for the longest time… maybe almost 2 decades… but since I’ve started eatwithroy.com, I have not written about this place at all! Maybe because they have been doing so well for so many years that I thought they do not need any more publicity. But then again, the other side of me is telling me that their food is so good, more people should know about it… hence this blog post! ;P
I’ve been to Whampoa Keng again recently and the food standards are still there. Really impressed with the way they have kept up the standards for such a long time since they started in Whampoa market! And they have since opened up at Rangoon Road as well as in Batam Island, Indonesia… which I will share some of the pics below. Check out the foods that I would order at this lovely restaurant.
Restaurant frontage. See the queue…Main unit where the main door isThey took over the next door unit also where there are more seating.The chilli sauce goes damn well with the fresh fish slices which we ordered.Our order of Batang fish slices steam boat ($40.00). Lovely thick slices of boneless fish. Something I cannot get in China haha. The charcoal for steamboat is just what makes it so good. Love it!Yummy yummy fish slices closed up. This soup is the typical teochew style where they use sour plum inside and loads of bones to boil the soup for hours.Oyster Omelette ($10.00) – Yummy with loads of medium sized oysters.Sauteed Spinach in Assorted Eggs ($13.00) – Cooked in lovely stock which makes this soupy veg dish so good.See they use deep fried fish baits for making the veg more tasty.Fried Clams with Spring Onion ($10.00) – Pretty good as the sauce thickens and coated all over the clams.Deep Fried Prawn Paste Chicken ($10.00) – A must order. They have perfected this dish over so many years. Crispy and damn juicy inside.Me and lady boss Doris. We’ve known each other for so long and this is our first time taking pic together.
Rating: 5/5
Taste: Been eating here more than a decade, always good and love the fish and soup!
Portion: Good size.
Service: Pretty good.
Ambience: Crowded. Be prepared to go out smelling like charcoal cos that’s what make the soup so blardy good!
Price: Total was $92.66 after discount. Reasonable fit for 4 pax.
RTE: Always!
Location and contact:
MAIN OUTLET : 554/556 Balestier Road Singapore 329872 (Next to Caltex Petrol Kiosk, Parking Available along Ah Hood Road). Tel: 6356 7371 or 9127 6550.
BRANCH OUTLET: 116/118 Rangoon Road Singapore 218396 (Farrer Park Mrt, Parking Available along Rangoon Rd). Tel: 6296 8843 or 9023 2854.
BATAM OUTLET: Komplek Paradise Center Blok J No. 14-15 Nagoya, Batam, Riau, Indonesia. Tel: 0778425557.
Batam Pics:
View from roadsideWah got alfresco seating and also band playing on weekends!Love the decor!Inside the restaurant.They can’t use charcoal there hence these avante garde table stoves!The legendary Ah Keng! Also haven’t taken any photos with him after knowing him for so long!
Day 5 is the day I leave Chiangrai for home. Sad to leave such a nice city, the people are awesome. So warm and welcoming! Shall be planning another trip soon!
Setting off to the airportBut first, visit my fav coffee house firstSitting inside this timeSo nice…LovelySelfie!But first, coffeeAirportTrying some of the cakes at Chiangrai airportThis is actually quite nice but why Thai airways packaging? Hmmmm….At Bangkok airport waiting for flight backLunch! Love itChoc cake was alright.Latte was so so only.
Alright that’s all for Chiangrai, definitely a must revisit place! Maybe I will organise one foodtrail tour! Anyways, stay tune for more blogposts locally in Singapore before I write about my trip to Medan. Stay tuned guys!
I was here for a lunch meeting on one Sunday not too long ago and was also invited for food tasting again a week after. This restaurant has been around since 1985 and apparently, not many people know about this place… at least for my network of my friends after I’ve posted on my instagram as I was having my meal. Yes, I’m food porning instantaneously now. LOL! Anyways, check out the pics below and the glorious food!
FrontageBibik Koh Nya Chit, the lady who inspired the boss, Bob Seah to start this restaurant.Very homely ambience which is very appropriate to what the owner is set out to do. To make home cooked Peranakan dishes available to their customers.Nonya Ngoh Hiang – This prawn and meat roll is so good, I ate quite a lot of pieces. A must order!Otak Otak – This fish paste dish is said to contain 20 different ingredients which obviously I didn’t get my hands on. Very nice!Itek Sio (Nonya Braised Duck) – I dunno how long has it been since I’ve had this dish. Hence tasting this reminded me of the taste I had long ago… Really yummy and the sourish taste from the assam (tamarind) makes it more tasty!Ayam Buah Keluak – A true authentic Peranakan dish of chicken with keluak which is a black nut with hard shell and has piquant liquid inside that oozes out. This dish is a super troublesome dish to prepare as the frying of the spices (rempah) alone may take half a day. Taste a little robust for some but once you’ve tried it, you’ll yearn for it.Prawns Sauted in Dried Chilli. Slightly spicy and very appetizing dish.Beef Rendang – Another yummy dish which is popular not just the Peranakans but also with the Malays and Indonesians.Curry Fish Meat – Very fresh fish meat used in this dish and a preview of what would have taste like Curry Fish Head. Not too spicy and not too lemak.Sambal Sotong – Looks spicy but actually it’s alright. The squid was cooked to nice and soft, Yums.Nonya Chap Chye – Nonya fried mixed vegetables. Lighter on the palette, a great way to balance out the array of meatiness.Nonya Flower Crabs With Chilli & Salted Soy Beans. Ok this one is not on the menu but if you want to try this dish, maybe a pre-order of 1-2 days is required. Please check with them while making your reservations.Sambal Lady’s Fingers (Okra) – This is a wow dish for okra lovers. Fried in their kitchen made sambal and shrimps, this is unlike any sambal lady’s fingers you find elsewhere.Yet another not in the menu dish. Stewed Pork Buns with special chilli sauce drizzled over it. The drizzling of the sauce on the buns made it difficult to hold it but nothing was gonna stop or hinder me from whacking the whole bun within 2 mins! Pretty yummy, but I prefer my braised pork a little softer. You can try pre-ordering but no promises. ;PThis is also not in the menu… Specially made by the owners for me to try. It’s tapioca with banana dessert, a peranakan favourite usually home made. Not too sweet, a good dessert to wind up the dinner.On Saturday nights, you may be entertained by passionate musician customers!
Overall Review:
I must say the dishes evoked memories of my last time trying some of those authentic Peranakan dishes! Yummy, definitely, love the way they are keeping their traditions alive and make their home-cooked dishes available to their patrons! So how would I rate this place? Put it this way, I am planning to bring my mother to dine here one of these nights! Keep up the good work guys! Peace!
Seriously if not for my buddy that I will never find a place like this to chill over some cakes and coffee. Tucked in a row of shop houses within the neighborhood of Jalan Riang, this bistro is gaining a lot of popularity even though it’s quite a distance away from the main road of Upper Serangoon. The difference about this place is, the location is totally inaccessible and yet they can get really crowded. So we headed there for some coffee and managed to find a parking lot just in front of the place!
FrontageOn the floor in front of entrance.We were greeted by an array of chocolates, truffles and tarts.Wow nice and bright.Some seating inside.Small corner to entertain the hyper onesLove this concept of showing off the food preparation!Their signature Root Beer Float Cake on displayView from where I sit….Sky roof!Menu under the glass table top.So I ordered. Came with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. The cake tasted like a root beer brownie. Very interesting and goes well with the ice cream.My latte $5. Pretty well extracted. Technique is pretty good for milk steaming.Wow they have Little Creatures dark and pale ales here! Little Creatures is from Perth, Australia and very very popular in Australia.
Rating: 4.5/5.
Taste: Overall pretty good. Didn’t try the mains but should be good. The cakes and coffees are pretty good.
Portion: Average.
Service: Very good.
Ambience: Cosy, well air-conditioned, a little crampy but still manageable.
Recently, I was invited by PR Communications to this newly established 94-seater contemporary cuisine restaurant which commenced operations on National Day (9th August 2014) this year! This restaurant is operated by some ex-Tao employees and is located at the same mall where Tao was. Tao was at the basement of PoMo at Selegie when it started some 6-7 years ago and apparently it closed down before I got back from China this year. Nevertheless, SET (probably the shortest name for a restaurant I’ve ever written!) is here with a brand new swanky decorated premise with a touch of class, located at the same PoMo mall. The restaurant’s menu are all in sets (that’s where the restaurant name derives from) and customers have the options to choose from a 5-course lunch at $28.80++ or 6-course dinner at $38.80++. Kids can also enjoy at the price of $18.80++ with a lighter menu with the choice of Baked Flounder with Cheese or Roasted Golden Spring Chicken, which I didn’t get to try. But I reckon should be good.
The Executive Chef, Chef Erick Chun, has a strong background in creative culinary and the passion in bringing the best array of tantalizing contemporary cuisine to his customers.
AMBIENCE
Front entrance
Seating lay outPrivate seatingRestaurant lay outAlfresco for those who prefer natural air and chill over a drink. Their beers are really cheap. Do check them out..CutleryThe restaurant’s menu with your choice in each course. However, I got to try everything here!
COLD/SIDE DISHES
My latte was served first. It’s ok for no latte art, extraction is ok as you can tell from the rich crema. Very nice blend from down under. Milk steaming needs some improvement but overall the espresso covers up the flaws.Bacon & Mushroom Gratin – I always love cheesy dishes, so I definitely love this. A great start but I dunno why it’s not on the menu? Hmmm…Toasts from a local bakery to go with your gratin.Lovely combination, almost like soup with the toast except for the thick cheesy cream of the gratin. Love this.Tomato Caprese – A twist from the usual slab of mozzarella cheese, this starter had cream cheese mousse on the top of the slice of tomato which was actually quite light and refreshing!Smoked Duck Breast – Not a big fan of smoked duck breast but serving as a salad is a great appetizing choice, especially with tangy dressing!Salmon Gravlax – Quite a yummy starter, served with a dollop of sour cream (I reckon) on the side.Huai San Carpaccio – A very unique way of presenting a carpaccio using huai san (known as 山药 Shan Yao in China.) Drizzled in olive oil and pickles made in house, this starter is a light but refreshing dish.Grilled King Oyster Mushroom – Comes with 6-Course Set only, this king mushroom is served with a secret sauce which tasted like a tinge of hoi sin sauce and also white truffle cream. Very nice dish.The white truffle cream melts over the mushroom to give a nice aromatic finish to this fungi.
SOUPS
Mushroom Veloute with Peanut Butter – This mushroom veloute is actually mushroom soup with thick cream served with some peanut butter at the bottom of the bowl. The soup itself is already very nice… the peanut butter gives a different finish to the taste. A little more aromatic and creamy finish to it. Interesting.Roaste Pumpkin with Truffle – Very well round soup and usually pumpkin soups are quite hard to go wrong if you follow the basics. I believe the white truffle is what’s floating on top, with some drizzles of olive oil. It is very tasty, but could be better if the pumpkins were roasted with fresh thyme to give the soup an extra oomph!Double Boiled Herbal Chicken – Pretty hard to snap a non-creamy soup like this in the warm lighting, but you get the idea of herbal chicken soups. You don’t get an overpowering herbal taste in this soup, served with chicken chunks inside. The soup tasted like the stock was boiled over hours with bones (chicken and perhaps pork bones too). Great for families with older folks.Miso Soup With Sake – This soup didn’t really appeal to me maybe because I don’t drink sake in the first place. Nevertheless it was alright and you can tell the chef has gone through efforts to come up with creative dishes.
MAIN COURSES
Grilled Snapper With Salsa – I didn’t like this dish very much ‘cos there is a degree of fishiness which I cannot accept and the fish was a under-seasoned and a little over cooked. I believe the guys in the kitchen are already looking into this and make it better the next time you visit.Roasted Chicken Pullet – Interestingly wrapped, I’m guessing steamed to form the shape then roast. Lovely presentation.Inside the Chicken Pullet. Chestnut, mushrooms, herbs, etc. Uniquely done, and very well received by fellow foodies that day.Baby Pork Back Ribs – Deceivingly looks like it’s charred and hard. It’s not. It’s surprisingly tender and tasty cos of the tangy sauce spread over while grilling. If you’re a ribs person, this is for you.Chunk of meat from the ribs. Succulent to the core! Love it!Roasted Beef Tenderloin – In black pepper sauce, Cooked a little over medium so those who are afraid of too much blood would love this.The tenderloin was a little over medium but was alright, still tender and tasty.Marinated Rack of Lamb – Using the same black pepper sauce as the beef tenderloin. But the meat is cooked to perfection, tender, no gamey smell, suspect they are from New Zealand as lamb there is usually milder in smell. But I love this dish the best.So tempted to just eat the lamb racks like that!
DESSERT
Huai San Jello – This jello tasted a little like our local dessert cheng tng in the jelly form. Refreshing and I believe this was created for the older patrons of the restaurant.Huai San Jello up closePistachio Panna Cotta – The cup that the dessert was served in was a little too deep. Different from the regular panna cottas, served on a small plate to display the texture and decorations on the side. Nevertheless it tasted good.Pistachio Panna Cotta up closeEspresso Creme Brulee – Again the serving cup was a little different from the norm. The creme brulee was good, creamy and not so sweet.Espresso Creme Brulee up closePoached Pear With Gelato – The pear and gelato are made totally in house. The pear is a little strong in taste so some patrons may not like it but the gelato is nice and creamy.Chef Erick Chun and me.
OVERALL REVIEW
I must say the food is really creative and is set to trickle your taste buds! Not to mention affordability for classy crafted cuisine! Chef Erick has painstakingly put together a great array of courses to make this SET restaurant unique in its own way! The awesome settings and ambience of the restaurant coupled with excellent attentive service from the servers and manager, will definitely give diners a great dining experience! I was told by some friends while making reservations for a gathering recently, that SET’s staff actually asked her if there is a special occasion and viola! They prepared a cake for the birthday girls! I am definitely coming back to this place for dinner with my family and friends! Come check it out!
