Tag Archives: dessert

Cantonese, Media Invite, Singapore, Vegetarian

[FOOD TASTING] Samsara Gourmet – Novena, Singapore

February 9, 2016 Big Roy Leave a comment

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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.

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

Map: https://goo.gl/maps/cDvZw1JtNRS2

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Samsara-Gourmet-1519293228391002/info?tab=overview

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*** CNY PROMOTION ***

Show this blogpost to enjoy a 30% discount off all a la carte dishes with min $50 spending for dinner only from 6-9pm. Valid till 29th Feb 2016!

Indonesia, Medan

Foodtrail in Medan Day 2 – Indonesia

October 19, 2015 Big Roy 2 Comments

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Ok it’s Day 2 in Medan when I went around with the driver and trust me, this day I ate nothing less of that of Day 1! Let’s get started!

Woke up to a nice buffet brekkie. Simple foods make me happy… as long as they have an egg station to make my omelette! With more cheese please!

Ok this egg plant sambal is BLARDY GOOD! I went back for 2 rounds of just egg plant!

Left the hotel, spotted this and I was told this is actually a landmark in Medan… It’s a water tank and will light up at night.

Railway tracks run through the back of some housing… Reminds me of a lot of places… Thailand, India, etc…

Chinatown… full of business activities… just like our Hong Kong Street in the morning.

Cybercafe… Singapore kids don’t know how lucky they are….

My first stop… Thirty Six Cafe. Came earlier but not opened, so went to get my SIM card first.

Love the ambience. One of the bosses at the machine.

Behind is a stage where local bands will perform on weekends.

Wow chillax seats and watch the performance! I need to lie on this the next time I’m there!

Wanted to check out this curry noodles but I have another place in mind

First you find this thing then turn left!

Bihun Bebek Akien (Duck Beehoon… Akien is the name of the owner) Wonder nice or not

These fatty pork belly just melts in the mouth. Remind me to order the whole bowl next time!

So good I emptied the bowl… #worldcleanplate

Coffee here is not bad. Aunty made this specially for me.

Aunty owner ask me to call her mama! I have a mother in Medan! Very very hospitable and I felt really at home with her!

Came here to buy the Kueh Lapis for home. End up only the lapis is nice, Kueh Ambon is bad. Can skip. Attitude of staff also need a little fine tuning.

Kueh Lapis sampling… I must say it’s really good.

Bought one lapis and one ambon. Ambon is sucky.

The street of kueh lapis, Jalan Moejopahit

Cheese with banana fritters and loads of chocolate! #fatdieme

This jar of Gila Sambal is damn spicy! Love it!

5th stop. Macehat Cafe. Pronounced as Mah-Cha-Hut. Highly recommended by friend.

Inside is compact man…Many tables and crampy.

Outside equally crowded and lots of smokers

Ordered the Avocado Choc with ice cream and espresso shot. Pretty good.

Ordered a latte takeaway. Typical dark roasted, same ol’ taste profile.

6th Stop. Kwetiau Ong. Spelt as Kway Teow in Singapore and Malaysia. Since 1914! Father passed to the daughter and old aunty is frying this darn good!

I shall conquer Jalan Selat Panjang! Famous food street in Medan! SPARTA!!!

Mie Tiong Sim’s Mie Pangsit. which is actually our Wanton Mee. Pretty good actually. Must eat.

This glutinous rice chicken is damn good. Next trip must tapao this!

Pandan kuehs will be dressed with grated coconut

Medan chee cheong fun… yeah spreaded over a pan.

This Medan style chee cheong fun is damn blardy good. There are 2 stalls at Selat Panjang, go for the one who is same size as me… if not bigger…

This is known as Murtabak in Medan… yeah I also scratch head… but apparently this pancake is very common snack among the locals. Common toppings are chocolate, cheese, peanut and coconut. Same same.

This is the bamboo version of our Kueh Tutu… Didn’t buy this cos you eat one, you’ll be full… then cannot eat anything else!

This glutinous rice thingy has got coconut peanut fillings inside. It’s alright can skip though.

This purple glutinous rice cake with kaya is blardy good. another must try!

Can’t remember what this is but the sauce isn’t that tasty. The prawn crackers were crispy though.

Something like kumquat (honeyed lime) drink

Badak drink is like Sarsi… only available in Medan.

Sate padang looks good but had it the day before so didn’t order.

After dinner we headed to the night market

Meet Bob, the civet cat! No I didn’t look for his poop for kopi luwak!

Me with the owner of Bob. Cute right? ;P

Behind every big guy is a small civet cat.

The mother of the stall owner offered us nonya kueh while we were waiting for the rain to stop… So nice and warm the people here!

The makan gang… Thanks for the hospitality guys!

That ended my second day in Medan. Yes I did ate that much. Everyone had food coma after that…. haha… Day 3 was pretty much rushing to the airport and head back to SG. So that ended my whole short Medan trip. I promise I’ll be back for more good food! Till then Medan, I’ll see you guys soon!

Yours gastronomically,

Big Roy

Japanese Food, Media Invite, Singapore

[MEDIA TASTING] 鶏金 Torikin – Bukit Timah, Singapore

September 30, 2015 Big Roy Leave a comment

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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:

Media friends and me waiting for tasting to start

Private rooms which is not suitable for big guys like me!

Cooks are helping on prepping the other orders

First 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.

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.

In comes the Tomato Okonomiyaki. Sizzling and cooked in front of us by the head chef.

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.

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.

Portion: Slightly above average portioning.

Service: Very good.

Ambience: Cosy, family, feel the warmth.

Price: $$

RTE: Yeah for gatherings would be great!

Location:

Address:

557 Bukit Timah Road #01-14/16

Crown Centre

Singapore 269694

Hours:

Mon-Fri: 6:00pm – 11:00pm

Sat-Sun: 12:00pm – 3:00pm, 6:00pm – 11:00pm

Singapore, Tse Char Stall

Sembawang White Beehoon (You Huak Restaurant) – Sembawang, Singapore

September 24, 2015 Big Roy Leave a comment

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You know, as usual, when all the hype was going on, I will not join the hype. So here I am after so many years, then I finally got the chance to check this place out. But it was during one of the days when I have transport and a fellow foodie @hiamjio to show me where this is.

We went there around 10pm so no more crazy crowd and we got seats easily. Ordered a couple of their famous dishes and started whacking!

Restaurant front, no aircon but a lot of fans.

Sambal Petai ($7) – Pretty yummy and love the fact they have fried white baits on top to enhance the flavour, Wok hei for this dish is definitely good!

I Lava You… Not the brand of the chilli sauce but more of the brand of the dispenser.

Seafood White Beehoon ($4.50) – Nice degree of wetness, wok hei and taste. Not too salty and really yummy.

Meat & Seafood Roll ($10) – She says it’s a little salty for her but to me is ok. Very meaty and worth the money.

Seafood Hokkien Mee ($4.50). love this a lot as it is quite close to the ones I had in Kuala Lumpur.

Rating: 5/5.

Taste: Totally enjoyed the dinner/supper.

Portion: Average.

Service: Ok

Ambience: No aircon. Good enough.

Price: Total bill came up to $26.00.

RTE: Hell yeah!

Location : 22 Jalan Tampang. Tel:9843 4699

Batam, Indonesia

One Day Foodtrail In Batam – Batam, Indonesia

September 17, 2015 Big Roy Leave a comment

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Was wondering what to do one of my off days so I decided to head to Batam cos it has been a long time since I’ve last visited. So I called up my food buddy Chandra (@batamliciouz) and just so nice Charlene was also off that day, and off we went!

So early in the morning in the train and so many people

Spotted wreaths for opening ceremonies or funerals, are all on boards like these.

Arrived at this place called Kedai Kopi Sudi Manpir, only known to locals. This sloppy looking stall you must wondering what the old couple is selling right? Make a guess?

A closer look… they can sell a few hundred plates a day!

Yes, it’s Mee Rebus! And it’s only 10000rupiah (S$1!) One of the best in Batam already!

Wanted to order the Fried Maggi Mee but came this instead. Still, this is pretty darn good cos of the wok hei. This Mie Goreng Tg Pinang costed only 20000 rupiah ($2)

Wanton Mee otherwise known as Mie Pangsit in Indonesia. This one is ok at 16000 ($1.60)

After that headed to Caffein at Nagoya Mall area, met up with my friend Joe who owns the place.

All bakes are done in house. Caffein is prolly the first cafe in Batam to do specialty coffee, macarons and artisan cakes.

Rochester 32000Rp ($3.20). Pretty awesome with a wafer base and layers of choc and hazelnut mousse. Yums!

Latte 23800Rp ($2.38). Beans are from Liberty Roasters in Singapore.

Awesome hospitality from Caffein! You guys should visit when you’re at Nagoya Mall. They are opposite Matahari exit only.

Interesting way to rent out advertising space.

Es Jeruk Manis 10000Rp ($1). Some fruit juice cordial thing. Forgot what this is… hehe

Bak Kut Teh 32727Rp ($3.20). They have versions like this in minced pork and pork slices. Soup is herbal but not too strong. Not bad.

Ayam Rojak 54545Rp ($5.50). Imagine boneless fried chicken mixed in a rojak salad. Quite yummy!

Their version of hor fun 15000Rp. Not as tasty as SG ones.

Fried Kway Teow 17272 ($1.72) Soso only, not as good as the morning one.

After that we went to visit this old friend of mine, Singapore’s famous Fish Head Steamboat, Whampoa Keng!

Wah got alfresco seating and also band playing on weekends!

They can’t use charcoal there hence these avante garde table stoves!

The legendary Ah Keng! Haven’t taken any photos with him after knowing him for so long!

See this pano shot of the whole row of Indomie instant noodles.

Wanted to try this only. Salted Egg Yolk Chicken.

Ikan Lebam 31000 ($3.10) Notice the sauce they use is different from ours. Minced ginger with tumeric, Yums!

BBQ Stingray 17000 ($1.70) – Fresh and yummy!

Sate Pandang – Damn shiok! Love the peanut sauce over the top and spinkled with fried onions.

Was a great day of fun, thanks to Chandra and Joe for bringing us around! Didn’t try many things, so will definitely be back again and try more local foods!

Yours gastronomically,

Big Roy ;P

Chiang Rai, Thailand

Foodtrail In Chiangrai Day 5 – Chiangrai, Thailand

September 5, 2015 Big Roy Leave a comment

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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!

But first, visit my fav coffee house first

Trying some of the cakes at Chiangrai airport

This is actually quite nice but why Thai airways packaging? Hmmmm….

At Bangkok airport waiting for flight back

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!

Yours gastronomically,

Big Roy

Chiang Rai, Thailand

Foodtrail in Chiangrai Day 3 – Chiangrai, Thailand

September 3, 2015 Big Roy Leave a comment

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Day 3 began with me visiting a couple of places before heading up to Doi Chang Mountain. I just love not just checking out unique coffee houses but also less known street food! I will let the pics do the talking!