See my full reviews & photos at = http://chefquak.com/2015/01/12/nice-light-lunch-crystaljade-lamian-xiaolongbao-hollandv-on-11jan2015/
went for a light lunch with wife & daughter @ crystal jade lamian xiaolongbao at hollandv yesterday on 11.1.2015.
we ordered the usual xiaolongbao 小笼包. it was good as usual – great soup & tasty fillings, skin that held together & not thick. we added a second order later. ^^
ordered the other favourite spicy dumplings 抄手 too. today this was not too good. the sauce seemed dilute, overall not flavourful enough & not as attractive as canton paradise.
spicy chicken 口水鸡 was good as always. i enjoy this dish everytime. ^^
soemthing new for me was the beef brisket ramen 牛腩拉面. happy to note that this was much better than i expected. the beef brisket 牛腩 was really good. there was a bit of beef tendon as well.
this my daughter’s favourite. i didn’t think it was better than that served in sicc though. i used the spicy sauce from the spicy chicken 口水鸡 & the noodles were really nice & flavourful with the sauce.
a relax lunch on a quiet sunday.

see my full reviews & photos at = http://chefquak.com/2015/01/11/best-bakchormee-changi-airport-t3-b2-kopitiam-on-2jan2015/

sent son to airport on 2.1.2015. he was back for 2 weeks short winter leave. 
after checking in, i had also parked my car, there was a short time before immigration & boarding.
we went down to T3 basement 2 kopitiam food court & ordered a bakchormee at the lai heng fishball noodle stall.
for me, this is 1 of the best bakchormee. we had this many times before & it had always been good, no exception this time.
this the tai hwa crawford-style with mushroom sauce & lots of vinegar. it was very good, like as good as tai haw’s. tasty, vinegar just right, good ingredients – liver & all. very satisfied.
it is different form the jalan tua kong meepok tar at 6th avenue, jalan tua kong lau lim @ bedok simpang, 132 marine terrace fishball noodles, but similar to ming fa @ upper thomson though that one has less vinegar.

See my full reviews & photos at = http://chefquak.com/2015/01/09/our-favourite-hai-kee-char-kuay-teow-at-telok-blangah-crescent-on-8jan2015/
went with wife to hai kee char kuay teow at telok blangah crescent on 8.1.2015.

last time we were here was 1+years ago on 13.9.2013. waited just 25mins this time..there goes my diet plan! ^^

we still like it very much.

price was S$3, no adding of “hum” cockles. lots of cockles and very tasty. very sinful of course, lots of oil & lar pok aka deep-fried fat pieces. the cockles were quite a bit smaller this time. i had raw cockles for my plate. ^^

there was a continuous, “never-short-of” queue. not something i should have often, but most enjoyable when i had it.

See my full reviews & photos at = http://chefquak.com/2015/01/08/good-ter-kar-pig-trotters-lunch-han-jia-east-coast-lagoon-food-village-on-7jan2015/
i didn’t have great ter kar (pig trotters) the last time at han jia bakuteh & pork leg, easy coast lagoon food village.

2 good friends took it upon themselves to convince me otherwise, so we had a 4pax lunch there on 7.1.2014. they felt that the trotters were overcooked & too soft at dinner time, and lunch time was the right time to try the trotters.

there was a short queue, my friend bought lunch & ordered 1 trotter each. there goes my 10km jog! ^^

was it good? well, i couldn’t say it wasn’t. it was good.

but was it any special? i didn’t think it was. i think the ones at ng ah sio bakuteh, song fa bakuteh were just as good, and same for lao ah tee, rong cheng etc.

& the ones at 幸福潮州小食 pig trotter at whampoa market probably better in look & texture. the one i like most was at zion road hawker centre quite a while back, probably not there now.

one friend who generally has a better palate than i said it was very “pang”, and indeed it was. i put it down to personal taste.

for pork trotters, i like it to be “kar kar” where the meat texture, the bite is gelatinous. this was indeed less soft than the last & overall pretty ok, but not near the perfect gelatinous texture i like. if anything i prefer my own braised pig trotters – the colour, texture & taste, and here. anyway, it is a matter of personal preference. ^^

kidney & liver soup was good, not special also.

taupok was average.

i didn’t like the buay chai much, prefer the chai buay at teochew muay stalls better.

overall it was a good lunch, good friends, cool weather, nice food. i always like ter kar though don’t eat that often, and 1 ter kar is a big large portion for 1pax.

See my full reviews & photos at = http://chefquak.com/2015/01/05/very-good-6pax-suckling-pig-set-ah-yat-grandstand-on-4jan2015/
today my very close friend’s birthday. last evening i arranged a birthday dinner for him at ah yat seafood @ grandstand turf club road on 4.1.2015.

happens that my god-sis & her husband’s birthday were also just past, so we had a 6pax dinner together with my other 2 close friends.

i ordered the 6pax lobster sharkskin abalone 9-course dinner. it was very good, quite expected. the place was crowded & noisy like a fish market, with 2 tables next to us having endless drinking challenge & making a din. we used to say that the place did not matter since we would be the table making the most noise. this time though we were not. ^^

anyway, the birthday boys & girl were all happy with the trade-off – good food for fish market noises.

#1 lobster salad. canned fruit salad was refreshing, and a friend cleared off everything. as a lobster dish, lobster salad always suspect to me, few lobster pieces & lots of fruit salad, could never really compared with a proper lobster dish.

#2 sharksfin soup was sweet & tastier than i expected, but not quite the standard of ah yat abalones forum restaurant.

the #3 suckling pig was really par excellence. it was so good, crispy & tasty, equal or better than the suckling pig at hung kang or at summer garden SAFRA mt faber.

#4 fish maw with leeks was good too. not the expensive 花胶. still a tasty dish.

#5 abalones, mushrooms & chinese cabbage another great dish. abalones were smaller & no comparison with the abalones in brown sauce at ah yat abalones forum restaurant. of course. still it was great dish. i liked the mushrooms & chinese cabbage too.

#6 hk steamed 港蒸tiger garoupa was tops. better than tau heung restaurant in HK.

i enjoyed the #7 fried suckling pig meat too, but really i thought just chopping up the meat & head would be just as good.

#8 yee meen – passable i guess.

#9 bird’s nest was kind of forgettable dish for me, zero impact. we had excellent company, good food & great memories..a most enjoyable evening