alexis blogs: August 2013

Please, no more hipster cafe food

August 26, 2013

Food Review: Red House Seafood at 68 Prinsep Street, Singapore 188661

August 25, 2013

This is going to be a short and quick post about Red House Seafood at their third branch at Prinsep Street, after the first at East Coast and second at Robertson Quay. Doing well, aren't they? I am fortunate to be invited to their newest establishment for a taste of the famous and latest.

This is going to be short and sweet because I think everyone would have a good idea of what the food will taste like from the pictures.

The only thing I need to caveat is that prices are a bit high at Red House - which is fine because at least the quality delivers. You are also paying for many other overheads from a clean and well-serviced restaurant. In this case, relatively new as well!

Here's the Chef’s signature squid trio ($30/58). I liked the calamari on the right a lot!

The Sambal Kang Kong ($12/18/24) was simple and not too watery. It seems deceptively easy to make, but a good one needs to have fresh kang kong (usually overlooked) and not drenched in sambal oil.

Black pepper crab. Not too peppery, but fine by me!

One of the favorite of the night - the Spicy Seafood Combination in 3 sizes - (S) $28 (M) $42 (L) $56. Actually not that spicy, but really delicious!

Then there was Tiger Prawns with Signature Creamy Custard Sauce ($7 per 100grams) which made everyone exclaim. What is that sauce, we wonder. Well, our tastebuds know it as delicious. Prawns were not the freshest, but no complains to how they were prepared.

Chili crab. Need I say more? Definitely better than the other restaurant whose name starts with a J.

My favorite. The "gong", or what you would call the pincer.

Lastly, a nice bowl of carbs to settle everything down. This is their famous Red House Mee Goreng ($24) which is actually great on its own if you just feel like having something simple.

If you are in town near Dhoby Ghaut and feel like having some seafood, Red House at Prinsep is a convenient location that you can bring tourist friends to for a sampling of our local best.

Red House Seafood
68 Prinsep Street, Singapore 63366080
+65 63366080
Mondays to Fridays: 11:30am-2:30pm, 5pm-11pm; Sat/Sun/PH: 11am-3pm, 5pm-11pm

brunch

Brunch Hangout: Halia at Botanic Gardens, 1 Cluny Road, Singapore 259569

August 25, 2013

T'was always a lovely day when one gets to go for brunch. This time round it was even lovelier because it was set in the green and beautiful Singapore Botanic Gardens with Halia in the spotlight for their new brunch menu. I really do think this is one of those locations where the setting is as complementary as the food. (Prive comes to mind as the other!)

Here's the simple one-page menu for brunch, which is available for weekends and public holidays 10am to 4pm. As you can see, prices range from $14 to $30, averaging around $25. That is pretty fair considering the location and establishment. Probably a good place for special brunches once in a while.

With the ladies!

So, we embarked on our brunch journey with my favorite from Halia, the ginger (halia) tea ($10). This time round I got the warm one as we were sitting indoors. Can't get enough of that warm spicy kick.

For appetizers, we had the King prawn cocktail with spicy tomato sauce, avocado, wasabi & coriander ($22). It was like the anti-thesis of what cocktails normally do to you because this is refreshing and nourishing. I really liked the tang from the fresh tomatoes and the juicy bouncy prawns. Coriander, not so much.

Next up, perhaps one of the group's favorite for the day (and something I would order again when I go back) - the Cinnamon French toast ($18++) with fresh seasonal berries, white chocolate & Iranian pistachios. It was so good! I suspect it had to do with the fluffy bread beneath all the berry goodness, as well as the white chocolate sauce. A super cheery breakfast on the plate, that's what it is!

Next up, one of the default items that one MUST order to gauge a brunch's ability to satisfy - the Eggs Benedict ($22). Don't you agree? It's like fried rice from a Chinese restaurant. Easy to make, difficult to master.

There was a couple of poached eggs on brioche, dill hollandaise, Swiss brown mushrooms, spinach & tomato. And Halia definitely passed the test with their eggs ben. Look at the hollandaise! The brioche was also soft and yet solid enough to soak up all the murdered egg juice (yolk). Overall a solid representation of the chef.

At this point we called for a half-time. It was already past noon and we have sampled the best of their breakfasts so it's time for more heavyweight items. First, switch drinks! I ordered an iced cardamom milk tea ($10), which was very agreeable.

Out of curiosity we ordered a bowl of truffle fries ($8) to try, because really, who can resist truffle fries? To my delight they were fat fries, which I absolutely adore. I don't really like crispy skinny fries (like Long John's) - I prefer them MOS burger style, fat soft and full of potato flavour. These fit the criteria and comes with truffle. Yum!

Last but not least, in the savoury mains category we have the perennial star of Halia - the Chilli Crab Spaghettini ($28) with sweet and tangy crabmeat sauce tossed in pasta. The always generous chunks of sweet crabmeat was heavenly. This might just be one of the best ways to eat crab, for someone who is too lazy to feel from the shells!

We are left with desserts. The first was sticky Valrhona chocolate brownie ($12) with salted caramel sauce & vanilla ice cream. I did not expect the brownie to come in that flat compact form, which was great for someone who's already quite stuffed. Not overly indulgent by sight, but big on quality chocolate taste!

Last but not least - one of the best desserts I have tried this year. No really, I am serious. I was so blown away by thie caramelised banana walnut bread ($24) with vanilla mascarpone cream, kumquat compote & macadamia nuts. You guys. need. to. go. try. Sleeper hit. Crept up behind me and gave me a blow. To my tastebuds. Exclaim! It was that warm banana walnut bread with the crunchy caramelized nuts and bananas. The cream lifted it up. The bread envelops you like your grandma's embrace. The kumquat compote was a bit extra, to be honest. The rest was amazing enough.

Here are my lovely dining companions. Esther, Dawn, Calvin and Edsmond.

Great brunch place you need to bookmark for future reference. Go for their french toast, eggs ben and banana walnut bread. Of course, don't forget to take a leisurely stroll around the Botanic Gardens to get to Halia, or after brunch to digest.

Halia
1 Cluny Road, Ginger Garden (enter via Tyersall Avenue)
Singapore Botanic Gardens, Singapore 259569
Call +65 84441148 (Reservations not accepted for brunch and tea)

Lunch – Mondays to Fridays, 12 noon to 4pm
Brunch – Saturdays, Sundays & PHs, 10am to 4pm
Tea – Saturdays, Sundays and PHs, 3pm to 5pm
Dinner – Daily, 630pm to 11pm (last seating at 10pm)

From 5pm to 630pm daily, only drinks will be available.

Thanks to FoodNews PR and Halia for the delicious brunch invite!

chinese

Food Review: Cuisine Master Hot Pot at 68 Boat Quay, Singapore 049856

August 22, 2013

Another kind invite by the folks from Food News and Cuisine Master Hot Pot at Boat Quay to try out a steamboat experience that is one of a kind. I am so fortunate to be able to know and try out these exotic places, and I hope to share with you guys about it so you can decide whether it is worth checking out or not!

Firstly, the restaurant's situated at a shophouse facing the Singapore River -- the main dining is on 2nd and 3rd floor, so we got to see the river as dusk approaches.

Most of the dining tables are good for four, though they have special rooms you can book for bigger groups or functions. This is actually an ideal place for business meetings over lunch or dinner with clients!

We were welcomed with their special Welcome Drink, concocted by the bar downstairs and served in a very long flute. Good idea, makes you wanna down it in a few sips. It was made with soda water and a faint syrup flavour that was rather pleasant.

Here's MissTamChiak with her welcome drink!

So on to the meal -- we were served with fruits and appetizer first as this helps the nutrients from the fruits to be absorbed first, and as a way to "open your gut" (Chinese expression). The baby tomatoes were yummy!

We also had premium Pu'Er tea. All their cutlery were well-made and exquisite.

An interesting anecdote was this "Ding" container, meant to contain Chinese wine. Funny bit of trivia - see the two vertical spokes poking up from the rim of the container? They were meant to prop aside the long beards of the drinkers in ancient China so they don't get in the way. Also to stop you from gulping down the drink. Isn't it ingenious?

So here's the menu for the night. This is the mid-range one as prices start from $78++ for the basic menu onwards. If you look at all the ingredients you can understand why it costs $118 per head! The special offering of Cuisine Master Hot Pot is their table-side service. Unlike most steamboats where its very much a do-it-yourself affair complete with splashing soup and unripe yong tao fu items, CMHP will have a knowledgeable and friendly waitress to help cook the food and serve them to you individually.

Another cool thing is the fact that CMHP is very well-ventilated so you don't smell like what you ate after. This is VERY important for me. There's actually ventilation from the sides of the pot, and the aircon refreshes the air every 20 minutes.

Speaking of pot, it is SUPER epic. Have a look at this InstaVid - http://instagram.com/p/cbaQ4zlFP-/

It rises up from the table like magic. Everybody say woahhhh!

Our first serving was actually the clear soups from the pot, one of which is the special Golden Soup that is made from boiling old hens and old ducks over 10 hours. The other was the mushroom soup. I really liked the latter, though the former is very "chicken soup for the soul" - comforting and enriching.

The next dish was an upgrade -- to Buddha Jump Over the Wall! WOAH!! It's my first time having this famous dish. As you can see, all the good stuff laid out on the plate.

Here's the finished cooked product. I slurped up every last bit of the sweet seafood chicken broth.

Here's another angle of the soup which elicited some responses when I posted it on social media. I purposely made that sea cucumber bit look like it was crawling out from the bowl, heh. Apparently the sea cucumber with spikes is more expensive. Tasted quite bouncy to me, unlike the usual sea cucumber goo (don't like).

Next, this awesome Garouper fish dish. It was one of my favorites for the night, simply because the fish is so fresh. I was completely surprised by it.

Yum! Get in my tummy!

The next one was a mystery to me. They are both mushrooms. The one on the right is called 毛肚菌, or simply put, hairy stomach fungi. Haha! Looks like brain. It shrank when cooked.

We also had some veggies. Quite enjoyable actually.

And this, which I thought was plated really nicely. Shrimp and fish balls. Proper fish balls, not the processed factory type.

The protein highlight of the evening is probably the kangeroo meat. I HAD KANGEROO MEAT.

When the waitress asked if we've tried it before, I said no, and she said oh then be prepared that it is a little tough. I then replied, "Yea it's tough. Kangeroos know boxing. Hur hur."

Nobody laughed. But I thought it was funny. HAHA.

More veggies. Give this as a bouquet to someone! I don't really like veggies in general, so I wasn't excited to eat it. Looks pretty though.

Finally, as all Chinese dinners go, there's the carb dish at the end to make sure you are REALLY stuffed and not just filled up with soup and protein. These are handmade noodles colored with spinach, egg, purple cabbage and carrot.

For visuals only - the noodles just tasted really smooth and fragrant, which I really liked. It wasn't too starchy nor plain.

Last but not least, the dessert. It was a surprise as I was expecting the usual, but out came the light and 'cleansing' white fungus rock sugar drink. I really enjoyed how they are so thoughtful in pairing all the dishes together to make you feel good after the meal.

Excellent place for quality hotpot with esteemed friends, family or colleagues. Since it is rather pricey I would reserve it for special occasions only, but you can be sure it will be good.

Cuisine Master Hot Pot
68 Boat Quay, Singapore 049856
64389979
Mon - Fri: 11am - 2pm, 6pm - 11pm
Sat: 6pm - 11pm

Please, no more hipster cafe food

Food Review: Red House Seafood at 68 Prinsep Street, Singapore 188661

Brunch Hangout: Halia at Botanic Gardens, 1 Cluny Road, Singapore 259569

Food Review: Cuisine Master Hot Pot at 68 Boat Quay, Singapore 049856

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