Food Lah! Independent Food Reviews » Singapore - Food Lah! Independent food reviews

Dinner @ The White Rabbit

superfinefeline — Sun, 07 Sep 2008 08:45:00 +0000

A bunch of us celebrated a friend's birthday at The White Rabbit, a fairly new restaurant in the hip and happening Dempsey Road area. The place is whimsically named after the cute character with a pocket watch in "Alice in Wonderland".

I had heard mixed reviews (mostly bad feedback about the service and food) about this place so I had very low expectations. I was pleasantly surprised that the staff were pretty attentive despite packing a full house.

I was held up by a prior appointment and was thus pretty late. I couldn't help but note the irony that like The White Rabbit in Alice in Wonderland, I was indeed running late and scurrying around. Shortly after I arrived (and walked from the back door to my table), the menu was presented and I was served bread and water without having to call for attention. Not too bad.

Thankfully, there was not need to sing the little ditty a la The White Rabbit : "I'm late! I'm late! For a very important date! No time to say hello, goodbye! I'm late, I'm late, I'm late!" to get my glass of water. :)

Scallop Linguine Aglio Olio @ abt S$18

I was not very hungry so I ordered a main course of Scallop Linguine Aglio Olio, skipping both appetizers and desserts. The linguine was pretty well-executed as the pasta strands were al dente and lightly seasoned. I wished it had just a little more salt to add some kick to my pasta. The browned, succulent chunks of scallops were adequately seasoned and seared such that the flavour was sweet, slightly savoury and smoky.

We shared a portion of the signature Mac & Cheese. I didn't snap a shot as the setting was too dark and I was too lazy to reach into the middle of the table to steal the plate for a picture. It was lightly seasoned (seems to be the order of the day here) and I could barely taste the truffles in this dish.

I ended my meal with a cup of Earl Grey Tea (again no shot taken due to the very dim lighting). My poor little point & shoot camera was struggling to take decent shots in the dark environment. I wondered if they were trying to make a case in point about the restaurant's name as white rabbits are albinos which tend to be sensitive to bright lights. Perhaps, the place might get brighter if we actually held a Mad Hatter's party so we can all admire each other's hats. Yep, I'm getting whimsical and am contemplating watching the Disney cartoon for the umpteenth time. *grinning a la Cheshire Cat*

The restored Ebenezer Chapel, in which this restaurant is located, was beautiful but I think it could have been better lit to allow for greater appreciation of the Gothic architecture. This wrought iron window stood above the main doorway, I snapped a picture of it (pardon the dark picture due to the dim lights) because I was drawn by the 3 Latin words: "Ego Te Baptizo" meaning "I baptise you". I didn't have the opportunity to check the other windows to see if the words combine to form the sentence: "Ego te baptizo in nomine Patris, et Filii, et Spiritus Sancti." meaning I baptize thee in the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit/Ghost."

When my tea was served, I saw what was printed on the cup and saucer set : "Coffee is my life". I thought it was cool and took a picture of the saucer with a chocolate chip cookie, great with coffee. Apparently they serve Giancarlo coffee. I've never tried this brand before. Looks like a return visit to try the coffee should be in the cards for me. :)

The White Rabbit
39C Harding Road
Singapore
Tel: +65 6473 9965

Operating Hours:
Tuesdays to Sundays: 11am - 2.30pm & 6pm - 10.30pm
Closed on Mondays

Nirai Kanai Okinawan Restaurant

camemberu — Sat, 06 Sep 2008 16:22:00 +0000

At the elegant mooncake-testing at St Regis, our little group discovered we were closer knit than we knew - we had not six degrees of separation but just one! It was an evening of amazing discoveries! Thus united, with high spirits (or more likely a sugar high) and teas sloshing about in our stomachs, we adjourned elsewhere for some "light bites" and further conversation. The lure of chicken wings was close by but Jerry's Barbeque & Grill at Tanglin Shopping Centre was closed. So we headed up to Nirai Kanai for some Okinawan grub.

To be frank, I had initial reservations about Nirai Kanai, having heard that it was closer to Chinese food than Japanese, and that a lot of dishes are bland. Which is why until that evening, I have not been tempted to step in. My, I have been missing out on some good stuff! Yes, the Chinese influence is somewhat there. Even the chopsticks are painted in Chinese temple hues. But the food is not bad, some of it. Of course, the company helped elevate things. Food always tastes better when you're having a blast - laughter is the best sauce after hunger!

Anyway, the name Nirai Kanai itself is quite interesting. In Okinawan mythology, it refers to a magical land across the sea where the gods live, and where all things originate. The gods are thought to come to bless the Okinawan islands once a year. The people still welcome the gods through rituals and festivals.

But yes, back to the "light bites"...we ended up ordering and eating quite a bit, as you will soon see. The menu is quite extensive. I took some shots to take home and pore over at leisure to see what else I might like to come back for.

They are quite well-known for their peanut tofu in sweet soy sauce. The texture is firm and dense, more like that of mango pudding than tofu. But the peanut fragrance is unmistakable. It was surreal.

Pork reigns supreme at Nirai Kanai. Their signature braised pork belly looks good but I was told it's not that great. We had the grilled pork belly with salt instead - in fact, three servings of this! Lightly crisp on the edges but as you can see, there's more fat than meat! Delicious but a little too rich for me.

Ah, the pork rib noodles in soup. Where do I begin? Chunky, fall-away soft pieces of sweet, flavourful meat along with soft bones stewed until really soft (proof of hours of stewing or braising). The soup is a rich dashi and chicken stock. You can really taste the katsuobushi (bonito flakes) that went into the production of this. Plus Japanese style mee-pok to soak up all the tasty goodness.

Grilled ox tongue. By the time all of us finished taking photos of this dish, I think it turned cold a bit. But later we ordered another and it was still a bit cold. Odd. But the marinade is tasty and the tongue, well, naturally chewy. To some, bovine tongue on (your) tongue action is unsettling. But MilkMilk lapped it all up!

That platter behind the ox tongue is the Okinawan pancake. Pretty much the disappointment of the evening. It was a thick, rubbery sheet with unyielding whole scallions within. None of the toppings could save this.

Ah the fried rice with unagi and egg. My favourite of the evening! FLAVA! Umami! It's like garlic rice that got upgraded to first class! I forgot to take a photo of the whole dish, so I only have this tiny tasting portion to show. Next time I am having one whole bowl to myself!

Deep-fried river shrimp with salt. Although pretty much stuffed, we still had room for one last "light bite" - it looked really good on a waitress' tray going to another customer. We had to try this. Very crunchy way to get all your calcium needs. On their own, they are a little bland, but the flavour really blossoms when you eat it with the salt and lemon.

There was a Japanese lady manager who exhaled a "Sugoi!" at all five of our cameras capturing the food. A big part of the clientele seem to be Japanese too. In fact, I think locals were outnumbered. I always take that as a good sign. Their website is also quintessentially Japanese. I should like to come back and try the other eats.

NIRAI KANAI
19 Tanglin Road #04-05
Tanglin Shopping Centre (NOT Tanglin Mall, OK?)
Singapore 247909
Tel :6737-5811
Lunch : noon to 3pm (Mon-Sat); no lunch on Sundays
Dinner : 6pm to midnight (Mon-Thu); 6pm - 2am (Fri-Sat); 5pm to midnight (Sun)

Diner branch at #B1-01 Liang Court, 177 River Valley Road
Tel: 6339-4811

Homemade Mid-Autumn Piglet Biscuits

keropok man — Sat, 06 Sep 2008 15:15:00 +0000

This is one of the many homemade mid-autumn piglet biscuits mum makes every year. Sis helped mum made it, while I helped mum eat it.

Now.... whose is the real piglet? Me!

We have a whole box, and we will be giving them to our nephews and nieces.
These have red bean paste as the fillings.

Yet Con Hainanese Chicken Rice

kensongs — Sat, 06 Sep 2008 02:51:00 +0000

Located at Purvis Street near Raffles Hotel are two famous chicken rice eateries directly facing each other. Yet Con versus Chin Chin. It must be here that the chicken rice war began. I decided to try Yet Con first.

When I entered the air-conditioned restaurant on a Sunday evening, it was already full of people having chicken rice and steamboat. The nostalgic atmosphere was somewhat similar to that of Thien Kee Steamboat at Golden Mile Tower.

I ordered the chicken rice set for one which comes with a plate of steamed white chicken, a bowl of rice and a bowl of soup. Coated with a layer of chicken broth, every grain of rice is delightfully fragrant and tasty. Gently topped with light soya sauce, the steamed white chicken appears plain and mediocre but tastes flavorful and delicious. The savory chilli sauce tastes more salty than spicy, lacking in the scorching aftertaste that is characteristic of other famous chicken rice chilli.

For a meal that costs around $5, Yet Con Hainanese chicken rice may not be the best but certainly worthwhile trying. Besides chicken rice, you can try its sumptuous steamboat too.

7.5/10

Yet Con Hainanese Chicken Rice
25 Purvis St
Singapore 188602

Dinner @ Tetsu, Tanglin Mall

superfinefeline — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 18:22:00 +0000

Tetsu invited Skinny Epicurean, Nibble & Scribble and I for a food tasting session. Tetsu prides itself as being the first Japanese restaurant to offer Kushi-style (skewered) Tempura as well as Tonkatsu dishes, prepared before your eyes. We didn't get to watch the preparation process as we were seated with our hosts at a table away from the chef's counter.

The set meals are reasonably priced (ranging from S$22 to S$55). I was advised to try Kaiseki Course B @ S$45, which consists of an assortment of 4 appetizers, vegetable crudites, Kani-Suki (Crab Sukiyaki), Kushi-Age / Kushi-Tem, Inaniwa Udon (Warm/Cold) or Rice with Pickles & Soup and Dessert.

Kami Tofu

We started our meal with a duo of appetizers : Kami Tofu and Ohitashi (blanched spinach with soy sauce & topped with bonito strips). As Ohitashi is commonly found in just about every Japanese restaurant, I focused on the Kami Tofu which I enjoyed immensely.

Chef Ken made the tofu with a base of julienned kani (imitation crabmeat) sticks, coated with a richly flavoured sauce made with pureed century egg yolks and stock (probably dashi) and topped with chopped preserved egg whites (actually, brown is a more accurate description of the colour), chopped spring onions and crunchy Ebiko (prawn roe). I generally hate kani sticks and was apprehensive when I saw that the tofu on a bed of kani strips. However, I love century eggs, tofu and Ebiko/Tobiko (flying fish roe) so I ate it anyway. The richness of the century egg sauce and the delicately flavoured smoothness of the tofu made the sweetish flavour of the kani stick less obvious.

Vegetable Crudites - part of Kaiseki Course B

The vegetable crudites here were served with sweet miso sauce (regular dip) and mayonnaise.

Assortment of 4 Appetizers - Part of Kaiseki Course B

The appetizers comprised (clockwise from bottom right): Ohitashi, Stewed Vegetables, Fried Salmon in Sauce & a Matcha Tofu. The Matcha Tofu is interesting. It was like a green tea panna cotta and had been made with soy milk. It was a tad too creamy for my liking but worth a try for the novelty.

Assorted Kushi-Age - Part of Kaiseki Course B
From left: Prawn, Beef,

Then came the Kushi-Age. They were fried skewers of meat/seafood/vegetables coated with specially imported bread-crumbs. I like the rough texture of the bread crumbs that were crisp and not soaking in oil. I also like the clean taste of the crust which was a sign that the oil was used too many times. I loved the scallop and zucchini best as it was a pleasure biting into the crisp exterior which yielded to a juicy interior. The beef was just a little overdone for me but the pork and prawn were delicious.

The Kushi-Age was served with a selection of dips which comprised (from top of the picture): a Curry Salt dip, Chili Sauce, Mayonnaise and Tonkatsu Sauce. I loved the Curry Salt dip best as it was an interesting variation from the regular dips. It added a fragrant and salty dimension to the dishes.

A word of advice: Don't be too gung ho and coat your food with this dip, as salt...well, is salt thus adding too much can result in excessively salty food.

Kani-Suki - Part of Kaiseki Course B
(Snow crab legs served in a paper steamboat aka Kaminabe)

The snow crab legs were sweet and I enjoyed the tofu and golden mushrooms but I generally prefer a more savoury soup to the sukiyaki base offered.

Rosu Katsu (pork loin tonkatsu) - a la carte

Apparently, one of their most popular dishes is the Rosu Katsu. We had a portion to try. I generally do not like to eat pork but I must say that this is one of the best tonkatsus I've had in Singapore! It was crisp on the outside (like the Kushi-age) but the meat was succulent, which I attributed to the layer of fat on one end of the cutlet. It was served with the curry salt dip and Tonkatsu sauce. I ate my slices with the curry salt dip. Nibble & Scribble had ordered the Rosu Katsu-ni set (tonkatsu lightly simmered with sauce). I preferred the version without the sauce as the piece I tried had been simmering for a while and was a little tougher. The Rosu Katsu here is a MUST-TRY!

Inaniwa Udon (served cold) - Part of Kaiseki Course B

Skinny Epicurean told me that she had heard so much about the udon here so I should try it instead of opting for rice and miso soup (the alternative to udon). I generally hate udon even though I'm a major noodle/pasta lover. Why do I hate udon? Its because most of the versions I had are too heavy and starchy. Our hosts assured us that the udon here is not starchy unlike the regular ones. At the behest of my companions, I agreed to give it a try.

Boy, was I glad I did. When the dish arrived, I couldn't help but note how the glistening strands were significantly thinner and looked lighter in texture than regular ole udon. When I bit into the smooth strands, I was amazed at the springy texture and the delicate flavour that was enhanced by the light dip that accompanied it. I was an instant convert and finished my entire portion of udon. This is definitely a MUST-TRY!

Garlic Fried Rice - a la carte

We were already feeling very stuffed when the garlic fried rice arrived. We were shocked at the size of the plate of rice. The aroma that wafted over was tempting so we ate some despite how full we felt. I thought the rice could do with a little more garlic (yep, I love to drive away vampires especially at night).

Dessert: Warabimochi Monaka

We were told to try the Matcha Mochi which is apparently another specialty. It was interesting but I felt that the mochi was a little too hard and the Matcha (green tea) flavour was a little too overpowering. Perhaps this is an acquired taste.

Thank you, Racheal, Pris & Chef Ken for taking the time to host us and to explain the dishes. I had a great time.

Tetsu
163 Tanglin Road,
#03-18 Tanglin Mall,
Singapore 247933
Tel: +65 6836-3112
Email : tetsu@fnc.com.sg

Operating Hours:
Daily: 11.30 am to 3pm & 6pm to 10pm

The SGBlog Awards…..And the Winner is…..

ieat — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 16:27:00 +0000

Well guys, bad news, I am afraid that we did not manage to win the "Most Insightful Blog" Award.

But, as William Hung said, "I have done my best, I have no regrets!"

Just want to thank once again everyone who has voted for me and especially those of you who have religiously voted everyday. My biggest supporter is probably my Dad who at the age of 70 has been logging in everyday to vote! Thanks Pa!

Praise God who makes everything beautiful in His time! It might not be my turn this time, but I'll continue to put in my best effort to keep improving the blog so that we can do better the next time round!

To my regular makan kakis I have this to say: "Sorry guys, I had to cancel the reservation at Golden Peony." ;)

Ricciotti Italian Deli & Pastry @ The Riverwalk

keropok man — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 07:50:00 +0000

Continuation from yesterday's post, it's going to be a long post!

The 20 over of us sat in an L shape formation. We were doing the "passing around ritual", ie. we were passing desserts all around, take a bit, pass to the next person, take another bit, pass to the next person, if you really like that particular one, take a few more bits. (so much fun! but for some people, so gross!)

Some might say it's unfair to those sitting at opposite ends right? Anyway, the desserts were served randomly all along the L shape formation. So everyone has a change to get it. The desserts can go one one direction and then decide to go back too. "Can Gostan One". LOL..

But that will mean the poor photographer has to run everywhere and quickly snap each photo in like 5 seconds. Cafe nowadays are mostly 'dim', so pardon the not so clear photos for some.

The Profiteroles. It's chocolate all over. Cream puff covered with chocolate, in a chocolate vessel, with chocolate dusting on the plate and chocolate swirl.

This is named after the shop, Ricciotti. We can see it melting! "Luscious and creamy cheese cakes made from sweet cheese covered with saffron passito jelly. " description from their website.

I did not even got to touch this! Its pretty existence must have ended before it even reach our side of the table!

Did I try this? I think little bits of remnants when it reached my side. Think it is called Cannoli.

Tube pastry with stuffings? Looks green, must be pistachios.

This is the tiramisu, the one that many people come here to try. For lovers of mascarpone cheese, lady fingers, cocoa and coffee. Heard that it's award winning too!

This looks pretty too eh? The Panna Cotta, I remember this name because it appeared on yesterday's post. Vanilla pudding in chocolate shell with sabayon and chocolate jelly.

Oh, this is a must try. Apple struddle with ice cream!

This is called Morbida. Did it reach our side too? Looks nice though...
Their website describe it as "mouth watering chocolates mousse on base of supple chocolate sponge".

I remember eating this. It was one that people beside me said, must try must try. It was warm chocolate cake with cold ice cream. Yumz..

This looks so pretty with the star anise on top. Called Duomo. It's mascarpone and spicy cream with olive oil sugar dough.

Ah.. Guess the flavour of this one. It's Curry Dolce. Their website describe it as "finest white chocolate mousse with ricotta cheese and chocolate olive oil sugar dough".

Ms Dividend's birthday cake.

Keropokman's birthday cake.
On the website is described it as "italian rice cream with dark chocolate mousses and edible flowers".

That's all the photos I took. But I kinda remember we had like 20 kinds on display, guess some escaped the camera, or some did not reach the other side of the table. :-)

The bill came up to $200 over, but with Amex or UOB cards, you get 15% off. When it's divided by 20 over people, it's around $10 per person. ;-)

Ricciotti Italian Deli & Pastry
20 Upper Circular Road
B1-49/50 The Riverwalk
Singapore 058416
Tel: (65) 6533 9060

Bangkok III - Thaksin’s Beef Noodles

hisfoodblog — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 16:42:00 +0000

Resided at Hotel Ibis Siam Bangkok along Rajaprarop Road, HFB needed to travel 10 minutes via Soi Rang Nam everyday to get to Victory Monument BTS Skytrain station for transportation. And it was along that stretch of road, opposite King Power Complex, Thailand’s largest duty free shop, that he spotted a dingy coffee shop that was packed full with people.

Since curiosity always gets the better of HFB, especially when it comes to food, he proceeded forward and was elated to discover a Beef Noodle Stall. And standing right in front of me was the boss, and none other than Mr Thaksin himself, chopping up the meat and cooking the noodles (Ok, and so I lied, but at first glance, I swore he did resembled the ex-prime minister)!!!

And that was when the fun began – all the sign language and hand signals indicated I wanted two big bowls of Beef Kway Teow Soup consisting of whatever ingredients that were available for consumption – Raw Meat, Cooked Meat, Meatball, Liver, Stomach, Tendon, etc. Ingredients were bountiful and HFB was bowled over by the tenderness of the cooked meat.

It was so malleable that it disintegrated the moment one chews on it. What was also fantastic was the soup base – it was intense with flavours, yet very light on the aftertaste, such that one can down a whole bowl of it easily without feeling woozy. The beef balls though were disappointing. The “beefy” taste was lost and the texture revealed the balls were most likely machine-made rather than hand-made.

I had problems ordering my favourite Cha Yen, or Thai Iced Milk Tea, and made do with old school bottled of Marinda Orange and & 7-Up instead - RETRO!

Total bill for 2 pax, a ridiculous THB110~SGD$4.50!!!

Rating

Food:4/5 (A robust bowl of beef noodles)
Service: 4/5 (Mr Thaksin and workers were very friendly and helpful despite the language barrier)
Ambience: 4/5 (Old-school Kopitiam - LOVE IT!)
Price: 5/5 (Laughably cheap - it's a steal)
Total: 17/20
Soi Rang Nam,
directly opposite King Power Complex

You might also be interested in these posts:

Big D’s Grill: Coffeeshop Kurobuta, Wagyu and Kobe

ieat — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 16:01:00 +0000

With Food Guru

Kurobuta Pork Chops $36

Oh yes, we are seeing more of the good stuff hitting the coffeeshops!

My latest find is this coffeeshop stall which has started selling US Kobe Beef Ribs, US Kurobuta Pork Chops and Wagyu beef done mediterranean style. Now, there are many Western food stalls which are opening up in coffeeshops so I usually have to look out for signs that a particular stall is offering more than just your run-of-the-mill Dory fish and chips, NZ steaks, chicken chops etc.

Preparing the grill with beef fat

You know how a lot of times you just get a gut feel about things? In fact, a lot of decisions in life are made based on gut feel. When it comes to people, women tend to have that special ability to size a person up in just a blink of a second. It's the same thing when men look at a BMW and know that they are looking at quality. In fact, it only takes one glance to see quality but it takes time to try to describe what actually makes a BMW look more "solid" than a Geely. (Yeah the Geely has taken over from Hyundai as the budget car)

So it is with Big D's Grill. I had a good gut feel about the stall just within the first few seconds of looking at the place. Then I started listing out the visual cues. Big Eurasian Man wearing a biker T and jeans behind the grill - TICK. Array of different restaurant style pans hanging above the stove - TICK. Big sticker declaring "Angus Beef" - TICK. The words Kobe, Wagyu and Kurobuta, TICK, TICK and TICK. Big D (Damien) oiling the grill by rubbing a piece of beef fat on it, TICK times ten plus an A*! It is quite obvious that Big D is really serious about providing good food!

Another obvious cue is the standard of the side dishes. Coleslaw and French Fries are dead giveaways for the run-of-the-mill "Hawker" western food. Thankfully, Big D Grill provides a wonderful selection of sides with a heavy Mediterranean influence. The Pinto beans and Spiced Sweet Potato and Pumpkin Mash were excellent and really got my tastebuds tingling. And the Kurobuta Pork Chops did not dissappoint either. They were wonderfully tender and had that charred mediterranean spice taste. The pork was flavoursome without that "porky" smell that pork can sometimes have. Now, $36 might be a little pricey for a Pork Chop but it is cheap for "Kurobuta" which are usually more than $40 in restaurants. 4.5/5

Pasta with Anchovies $17

Big D's pastas are also well worth a try. His Pasta with Anchovies is a relatively simple dish but very well executed. The pasta was perfectly Al Dente and the freshly chopped herbs are again a pleasant departure from the usual "McCormick" dried italian herb mixes that most Western Food Stalls (and even some restaurants) would use. I am not a big fan of Anchovies, so I did not appreciate this dish as much as someone who is. But judging from the way it was presented, I would be coming back to try the other pastas that they are offering. 4/5

There is a good reason why Big D's is called Big D's. That's because owner and chef, Damien DeSilva looks like the kind of Cowboy you wouldn't want to mess around with. An Ex-Aeronautical Engineer, he flew off on a whim (at age 42) to spend 2 years working in kitchens around Southern Europe in order to pursue his interest in cooking before coming back to Singapore to work at several European restaurants before he opened the now defunct Soul Kitchen at Purvis St.

I am telling you all this because it is not easy to find a chef-owner who is passionate about food that is willing to open a stall in a coffeeshop. And the best thing is that since he is in a coffeeshop, he can keep rental cost down and serve quality food at great prices. He is quite fussy about using only chilled meats and freshly chopped herbs and doing stuff from scratch, such as his steak fries which double fries himself. This is a man who really cooks rather than just another person hired to grill a piece of meat and serve it with re-heated veggies.

The only thing I am concerned about is whether he is able to churn out the food quick enough for a crowd and controlling escalating food costs since he is insistent of only using imported stuff like Spanish Anchovies. Apart from that, I think you can be assured of getting something quite special out of his kitchen.

Bonet $4

Don't miss out on Big D's homemade desserts. Bonet may be a simple homestyle Italian Chocolate Pudding with Caramel Sauce poured over it, but simple things executed well can be marvellous, just like a perfectly cooked omelette. For someone who isn't really that big on desserts, I actually enjoyed this very much. It's almost like a Chocolate version of Creme Caramel and is so smooth that it slides easily down the throat leaving a wonderful chocolate aftertaste at the back of the palate. 4.25/5

Conclusion

Big D's has that maverick Roadhouse Pub kinda of character and my first impression is that it could easily have been set up in an old shophouse somewhere in Siglap. We did not managed to try a lot of their other stuff like the Beer Battered Fish and Chips made from Snapper fillets ($8.90) or the US Kobe Cross Rib ($40 for 200gm) but judging from what I had, I'd say that Big D's Grill is well worth checking out if you are hungry for some excellent European Food cooked with character and passion without the +++.

Special Promo for ieatishootipost readers:

Mention the blog and get a free dessert (Bonet) for every $30 spent!

Big D's Grill
Blk 18 Bedok South Road
#01-87
11.30am to 9.30pm daily
Thurs 5.30pm to 9.30pm
Damien 96627040

St Regis Pairs Mooncakes with Gourmet Teas

camemberu — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 13:25:00 +0000

Mooncakes have become like Japanese oseibo, those expensive year-end gifts to relatives, business associates. The high price tag, ingredients and packaging is generally taken to be commensurate with your expression of appreciation. Every year, hotels and bakeries in Singapore vie for a slice of this lucrative pie with innovative creations. It can get mind-boggling, especially when you want to place your dollars on the brands that will impress best.

Luxury hotel St Regis held a mooncake-tasting session yesterday at Yan Ting, its Cantonese restaurant. I was in marvellous company - DimSumDolly, Superfinefeline, DSLR Queen MilkMilk, and Ivan of Recentrunes fame. All of us use Flickr for our food photos, and that's how we got invited - via Flickr's product manager in Singapore (who turned out to be a long lost friend of mine!). Oh, Mr.Brown was supposed to have come too, but he couldn't make it in the end. Just as well, I would have been too awed to eat, if he did arrive.

The hotel paired each of its mooncakes with specialty teas from Dammann Frères, a Parisian teahouse. The teas are available for consumption at Yan Ting but the tea products aren't not sold at the restaurant. However, two tins of loose leaf tea come in the limited edition premium gift box (with six mini snow skin mooncakes, S$98).

We started the taste test with the six different snow skin mooncakes, going from mildest to strongest in flavour.

Almond Snow Skin With Premium Bird's Nest and Custard Paste (S$228 for box of 8 minis): This mooncake is the ultimate one here. Apart from the edible gold foil decoration, it boasts a complete strand of bird's nest embedded within the custard paste. Most restaurants use gelatine to bind loose shreds, but here they have managed to hold the structure of the entire strand. You can really taste the bird's nest texture. The custard paste is light, not too sweet. Real almond milk is used for the snow skin, giving it that strong nutty aroma.
Suggested tea: chrysanthemum with wolfberries (this was really fragrant and tasty!)

Almond Snow Skin with Advocaat Egg Liqueur Truffle and Black Sesame Paste (S$43 for 8 minis): Clearly the evening's winner. Everyone liked this ensemble of unusual egg liquer truffle with muted black sesame paste. The truffle's made of egg custard, egg yolk and Advocaat - a symphony of sweet and savoury. The liquer gave a delightful buzz on the tongue like a finishing crescendo.
Suggested tea: Paul & Virgine (a gorgeous vanilla scented tea with hints of caramel, cherry, strawberry and raspberry), although the chef himself prefers coffee with this mooncake!

Seven Perfumes Snow Skin with Single Yolk and White Lotus Paste (S$48 for 8 minis): At first glance, this looks like a baked mooncake, but the light brown exterior is actually snow skin tinged brown with Dammann's Seven Perfumes tea. Here's the tea description:

Blend of China and Ceylon teas. Flowery and fruity, improved with flavours of lemon, bergamot, fresh fig, lotus flowers, pitanga and peel of orange. Sprinkled with petals of red and white roses.

The scent of the tea is subtle but distinct. Perhaps they deliberately toned down the sugar in the lotus paste to allow the fragrance to stand out. Yes, this is a "sugar-free" mooncake but diabetics shouldn't take this as licence to freely indulge. There is still sugar in the snow skin.
Suggested tea: sau mei (white tea)

Seven Perfumes Snow Skin with Martell Cordon Bleu Cognac Truffle and White Lotus paste (S$68 for 8 minis): The Seven Perfumes snow skin do an encore but this time their subtle fragrance is no match for the cognac-laden truffle which overwhelmed everything. Fans of Martell Cordon Bleu however, may vote this their favourite.
Suggested tea: Earl Grey Yin Zhen, it helps neutralise the alcohol a bit

Almond Snow Skin with Martell Cordon Bleu Cognac Truffle and Custard Paste (S$64 for 8 minis): Cognac truffles again, but this time dressed in custard paste and almond skin. Apparently the cognac can be even more overwhelming in this version, as lotus paste is more dense and harder to penetrate.
Suggested tea: hmm, obviously I got too drunk at this stage to jot down the right tea. Oh, is this the Soleil Vert, that blood orange infused sencha?

Bloody Mary Snow Skin with Custard Paste (S$42 for 8 minis): supposed star of the show, since the St Regis in New York is known to have invented the Bloody Mary. Journalists love it (what is it with press and booze?). But very few of us liked this. The redness of the skin is from tomatoes. Tabasco adds a smoky tartness and mild spicy aftertaste, both of which I did not relish. I love spicy foods, but I think here it only served to confuse the palate. Chili in mooncakes? No, thanks.
Suggested tea: L'Oriental, a citrusy rhubarb tea

Some of the tea leaves are gorgeous. Here are some quality Jasmine Pearls - tea leaves rolled up into balls that will unfurl when steeped in hot water. There were some others I didn't take photos of, regretfully.

And now we come to the traditional baked mooncakes. These are slightly larger, and are sold 4 in a box. For all these, Pu Erh tea is recommended. The Pu Erh served seemed well-aged enough. It carried a strong, woodsy fragrance of fermented bark.

Double Yolk And Black Sesame Paste (S$52): I was quite intrigued by this one. The paste is a mixture of black sesame and black beans, which gave it a complex but pleasing flavour.

Single Yolk and White Lotus Seed Paste (S$48 for 4): normally I prefer white lotus, but found the red or golden lotus paste here more tasty. I learned at the session that white lotus paste is made using the same ingredients as red lotus. It's just that the latter is much more caramelized when roasted, thus giving it that darker colour and more intense flavour.

Jin Hua Ham and Assorted Nuts and Seeds (S$64 for 4): I have to say that these are not bad. I usually do not like this variety of mooncake but the St Regis one is much more clean-tasting. Not cloyingly sweet at all. They certainly use quality ingredients.

So there you have it. It was amazing, that at the end of the session, I could identify every mooncake type. When we first started, I wasn't sure which was which, and whether I had taken photos of it already or not!

The teas nearly threatened to steal the show, actually. Each with their own distinct bouquet and taste. One tea for each mooncake also meant cups all over the table! This is only part of the picture.

Big thanks to St Regis for hosting this educational mooncake tasting session. Yan Ting Manager and Sommelier Danny Chan (centre), was most affable, and entertaining with his treasure-house of knowledge. Executive Chef Chan Siu Kong (right) and Dim Sum Chef Lee Yung Fai (left) too, came in for introductions. Also thanks to the St Regis marketing communications team, Flickr and Yahoo Singapore who invited us.

YAN TING, ST REGIS
29 Tanglin Road, Singapore 247911
Tel: 6506-6866
Open daily 11:45 AM - 3:00 PM;
6:00 PM - 11:00 PM (last order at 10:30 PM)

Mooncakes available from:
Yan Ting restaurant: daily during opening hours (until Sept 14)
St Regis lobby: daily 11am - 9pm (until Sept 14)
Retail booth at Change Alley: Mon-Fri, 11am - 7pm (until Sept 12)