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chefquak
This is chefquak . French, Japanese, Teochew are my favorite cuisines..
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chefquak  Level 4
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Shiok! Zi Char Dinner Smile Jun 03, 2016   
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Categories : Coffeeshop | Zi Char

See my full reviews & photos at = https://chefquak.com/2016/06/03/shiok-zi-char-dinner-hup-choon-zi-char-on-2jun2016/
had a very nice zi char dinner at hup choon with some new friends on 2.6.2016. ^^
i had been to hup choon many times in the past but mostly for coffee & bakuteh at the time eons ago, never really around dinner time for zi char.
the hostess ordered several very good dishes. this one of those zi char dinner that i really enjoyed. ^^
fish head curry (with added vegetables) was very good.
it’s different (maybe more chinese version) from my own fish head curry, just as lemak, very enjoyable for me. i guess i ate the most la… lol!
prawn paste chicken mid-wings were tasty.
i not particularly fond of prawn paste chicken, but this i count as a very good fried chicken wing.
seafood treasures pot was good.
this mainly got to do with fresh seafood.
not sure how much it was here, at uncle leong jurong east which was very good it would be S$30 for this serving size.
i think uncle leong used a good stock base, maybe this one no stock, but still a good dish.
cuttlefish kang kong“jill her eng chai” was good too, very competent.
it’s the kind of taste i am more used to than that at forture at old holland road across the other side of dunearn.
hae chor was competent too, crispy, not too oily, good filling. i guess quite good though not my favourite dish.
hor fun was also quite tasty. didn’t feel so much wok hae, maybe it was a large plate & i did not take it immediately. but it was good anyway, competent.
don’t know how much the dinner for 9pax cost. will come back again soon to try it la!

 

 

 

 

 

 
 
Table Wait Time: 0 minute(s)


Date of Visit: Jun 02, 2016 

Other Ratings:
Taste
 4  |  
Environment
 3  |  
Service
 3  |  
Clean
 4  |  
Price
 4

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Fabulous Degustation Dinner  Smile Jun 03, 2016   
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Categories : Multi-Cuisine | Restaurant | Fine Dining

see my full reviews & photos at = https://chefquak.com/2016/06/03/fabulous-degustation-dinner-cornerhouse-in-1jun2016/
my first time to cornerhouse. i had been to au jardin & taken the degustation several times previously but not since cornerhouse took over.
looking at my previous post, the last time we were here was for the new year eve dinner on 12.31.2016.
for this evening we had a 5-course degustation menu at S$188++
i asked for one of the 2 verandah tables seating looking out at the gardens.
it was really nice. the amuse bouche comprises 3 items.
couldn’t really remember…they were all good la! this one quite unique taste.
this a salty fish cracker with tobiko. great!
last a amuse bouche – bitter cucumber terrine. we enjoyed all of the them.
the first course, carabinero prawn, scarlett prawn from mediterranean, was simply awesome!
the variations of seasonal tomatoes, with basil, olive oil & another falvour were sublime.
the prawn was steamed & chilled, very sweet, tasty & firm. told wife the texture felt like lobster. & there was a tomato sorbet, basically a very flavourful gazpacho, at the top, 12 o’clock! ^^
later i saw on naked fins a nice pic.
it was a very large prawn, and in some sites they mentioned it tasted like lobster.
second course was white asparagus with a 24mths comte cheese & ikura.
such an artistic presentation! ^^
the white asparagus (confit maybe?) was par excellence, very tender & sweet. overall while the dish was very tasty & enjoyable, it made less impression than the tomatoes (& prawns).
the 3rd course, maine lobster, was quite sublime, out of this world! ^^
lobster was firm, sweet, tasty, riso (a risotto like pasta) was great & the sauce was just fantastic! (from bottarga the salted fish roe i think?).
the 4th course, japanese toriyama wagyu was like any top jap wagyu, simply fabulous, so much better than australian or USA, & horseradish mash was excellent with the beef.
the last course, chocolate earl grey dessert, was good.
i mean the chocolates were great really, the sorbet too, among the best i guess, not exactly my favourite dessert. wife & i not particularly hot on chocolates & if chocolate i prefer the really dark intense chocolate type rather than just smooth with earl grey flavour etc….
petit four was pretty good.
they charged for coffee. i always felt coffee should be just included in a degustation & green tea too in a japanese kaiseki, a touch of class not to charge extra…anyway just my persona views..
we skipped the coffee.
dinner 2xS$188pax + 2 glasses of wine came to S$513.
it was an excellent dinner very enjoyable so money well spent. looking back at the 2013 au jardin NYE degustation, i think that offerred a bit better value not this time we had lobster. hard to compare i guess.
i still miss jaan, since that they withdrew feed @ raffles benefits, we were unwilling to pay the full fare & also the menu still looked the same after 2 rounds, andre chiang & julien royers having left…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
 
Table Wait Time: 0 minute(s)


Date of Visit: Jun 01, 2016 

Spending per head: Approximately $255

Other Ratings:
Taste
 5  |  
Environment
 5  |  
Service
 4  |  
Clean
 5  |  
Price
 5

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Good Peranakan Buffet Smile May 31, 2016   
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Categories : Multi-Cuisine | Hotel | Kids-Friendly

See my full reviews & photos at = https://chefquak.com/2016/05/31/good-peranakan-buffet-suns-cafe-on-30may2016/
a very good friend bought 10pax lunch at sun's cafe oon 30.5.2016. ^^
i quite enjoyed it. i think the food is quite good.
for me the roast duck was the best, maybe because i had a 1/2 drumstick portion each time for my 2 helpings.
duck was flavourful & the plum sauce enhanced the taste. texture of meat & skin were great.
curry chicken was probably second for me, and i made a good curry chicken myself.
curry was intense & tasty, perfect on the rice & chicken was tender. the breast meat looked slightly overcooked (usually the case & especially in buffet) prawns & sotong
the curry & sotong looked pretty, but sotong texture felt artificial & not right. later i spied another friend having a heap of sotong on his plate. he must have liked it.
i decided to take the prawns for my second helping. it was quite competent actually. prawns were fresh, done well, slightly spicy, good competent la..
chap chai was usual.
kuay teow was good, got wok hae.
din try the prawn fritters.
the kembong fish looked good but was in fact the worst dish for me. tasteless, not sweet. i added some sambal etc but still bland.
the ngoh hiang was pretty fine, especially with sambal chilli added.
i did not take a photo of the kueh pie tee. a friend brought a plate to share. i took one. it was good, especially with the chilli.
the braised belly pork did not look great, looked overcooked & the lean meat looked dried up.
i took a piece with lots of skin & fat. actually it tasted good! & the lean meat was ok.
i tried a second piece on my second helping. ok not so great. a friend thought the meat was too dry not tender.
my buffet plate – second helping
for second helping i heaped some chicken curry on my rice. a friend found it odd i was adding rice (even though it was just 1 tbsp each time). & i tried the sambal (very good) & sambal balacan (ok).
before my second helping, i took a laksa. forgot to take photo.
it was good. not out of this world, limited ingredients, no hum (cockles), shredded chicken etc. the lemak curry was intense & tasty. not as good as weiyi laksa etc, but still quite good.
also tried the pig stomach soup. everyone said very good, and i think it as very good too, very sweet. i took just small amount maybe 3 tbsp, with quite a bit if pig stomach, enjoyed it but did not want to add more.
enjoyed my ice kachang as always.
the cream stuff was coconut cream (wrongly labeled). anyway then i realised i could make chendol too.
so i went back to make chendol la!
thick coconut cream, flavoruful gula melaka, but no kidney beans.
rojak missing the best ingredients like yutiao & taupok. still quite tasty, i think i mixed it well haha, the unripe magoes, guava etc all quite nice la…
the groupon voucher was S$19.90 (i made a check, sold-out currently). anyway the hotel offers S$38 1 for 1, so if you have even numbers, it is not a lot more ex than the S$19.90 groupon.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
 
Table Wait Time: 0 minute(s)


Date of Visit: May 30, 2016 

Spending per head: Approximately $20

Other Ratings:
Taste
 4  |  
Environment
 4  |  
Service
 3  |  
Clean
 4  |  
Price
 5

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Categories : Teochew | Chinese | Restaurant | Dim Sum

See my full reviews & photos at = https://chefquak.com/2016/05/30/much-below-par-food-tunglok-teahouse-square-2-on-26may2016/
3 of us went to tunglok teahouse at square 2 for lunch.
i was a bit surprised actually the food at tunglok teahouse is really quite below par!
the xiaolongbao 小笼包 broke off when i tried to lift it gingerly onto my spoon, i don’t have that at impreial treasure or canton paradise. the soup was sweet ok, the meat fillings less so.
the har gao was quite poor. the skin looked & was thick & doughy, the prawns were ok.
couldn’t remember the name of this dumpling. looked like the 潮州粉果. i was quite sure the name was not.
more importantly it was good, the skin, the texture, the taste.:-)
this looked like any other crispy char siew pao.
but the fillings were not so tasty, the skin was a bit harder than most.
i had this at red house with my sis & bil the day before & again on sunday when my wife invited friends there. red house’s crispy char siew pao was very good, so no comparison la.
the steamed pork ribs were actualy ok, tasted good, but c/w red house photo, presentation was messy lacked the same class, and did not have yam.
chicken feet was also quite good.
this spinach beancurd三层楼 i cannot understand.
i think it was really bad by tunglok & 三层楼 standard. the first 三层楼 i have taken was at tunglok’s zhou kitchen i think at alexandra point (which is now the tunglok teahouse brand) maybe 15-20years back. it has always been good, & still good at tunglok signatures.
but this tofu was hard & chewy not crispy & soft inside. downright bad!
the 1/2 roast london duck was S$28. it is S$32 at tunglok signatures.
taste was still ok though i think still quite a gulf…presentation & texture was totally off. it’s like reheat or leftover parts instead of 1/2 duck.
tunglok signature’s 1/2 roast London duck – S$32
xin cuisine’s tea infused duck
canton paradise star vista’s 1/2 roast duck
see the roast duck at the other places!
can tell the difference???
i find that quite difficult to understand? don’t they use central kitchen & just differential pricing?
or it was just very bad quality control in terms of food storage, presentation etc?
the salted egg custard bun流沙包 was also poor. both the salted egg custard & the skin were poor.
lunch for 3pax came to S$79 after 35% amex palate discounts. not too costly.
but before price, the food must meet some minimum standard, so for me this was not value for money not a place i would return to.
there's one last thing still to be said.
the attitude of the lady captain was very bad!
she walked off with a black face after unsuccesful on getting us to order some expensive recommendations. fortunately the service was at least redeemed by some chinese waitress who was quite polite & ok service with a smile..

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
 
Table Wait Time: 0 minute(s)


Date of Visit: May 26, 2016 

Spending per head: Approximately $26(Lunch)

Other Ratings:
Taste
 2  |  
Environment
 4  |  
Service
 3  |  
Clean
 4  |  
Price
 2

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Categories : Hainanese | Coffeeshop | Curries | Rice

See my full reviews & photos at = https://chefquak.com/2016/05/28/really-shiok-4pax-curry-rice-lunch-loos-curry-on-27may2016/
my OPS friend bought lunch at loo’s curry on 27.5.2016. ^^
he bought up whole stall, 6 dishes for 4pax!
& we had prawns, chicken, sotong, pork chop, fish head & veg!
i am recently with my RO friends on 22.3.2016.
we had 8pax & ordered about the same food (which was enuf la)…lol!
pork chop is a must signature food for hainanese curry rice (next to the curry itself i guess…lol).
i not particularly keen on tonkatsu but this went very well with the curry.
the curry prawns was a surprise for me.
usual in these chai pun 菜贩 type stalls, or even in zi char stalls, don’t expect very fresh prawns.
this one was very good, very fresh!
curry sotong always good. we ordered that last time also.
(just read on straits times today 28.5.2016 that the word sotong is now officially included in oxford dictionary!)
chicken curry was very so so, in fact one of the poorer ones i have taken eg the hoower food court cheap curry rice’s curry chicken a lot better
& of course the geyland serai stalls like sinar pagi nasi padang better than both.
the curry itself though always good!
black beans fish head was ok, but these kind of dish have to take at zi char stalls like kok sen at keong saik street la.
curry veg was good but usual.
friend went to order vegetarian ngoh hiang some more. all items very tasty especially the one with mushrooms stuffed inside.
i had to finish almost all the rice & not eat dinner, and after lunch we went for durian some more.
the curry rice was just S$40 for 6 dishes include prawns, we think only because the stallholder “ah” with my friend.

 

 

 

 

 

 
 
Table Wait Time: 0 minute(s)


Date of Visit: May 27, 2016 

Spending per head: Approximately $10

Other Ratings:
Taste
 4  |  
Environment
 3  |  
Service
 5  |  
Clean
 4  |  
Price
 5

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