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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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Categories : Western Variety | Hotel | Restaurant | Steaks and Grills | Fine Dining

had another wonderful degustation par excellence at jaan on 16.6.2014. 
regretfully jaan is fully booked or the rest of the year for feed-at-raffles (FAR) discounts. looks like only mikuni & occasionally equinox & prego to go to.
the new amuse bouche of beetroot macaron, an eel mousse, (can’t remember the last) plus the rye cracker was good, pleasant & quite fine, though no better than previous.
the second amuse bouche, a ceps mushroom tea, was the best soup ever, so intense & flavourful & lingering. 
#1 the ocean seafood composition was simply delicious! every item was excellent & there were so many – langoustine, oyster (yummy!), scallop, ikura (salmon roe), eel, caviar, another prawn. i could have this again! 
not quite sure what the toast do? anyway a good toast.
#2 the zucchini trumbetta was nice, pleasant, refreshing, not quite a standout among so many excellent dishes.
#3 the 64degC 55mins sous vide egg with iberico chorizo was quite a complete dining experience with the dry ice foam flowing down. the silky egg yolk added texture combination to the crispy iberico chorizo.
#4 the foie gras preparation/presentation had changed several times but texture wise quite the change. the inside is soft tender tasty. the outside though was different from the more caramelised preparation which we preferred.
#5 monk fish was pretty good – firm, bouncy. meat was slightly sweet. somehow all the monkfish i tried in singapore (& this was a better one) could not match the excellent sweet tasting monkfish ala plancha i had in barcelona’s bouqueria market & tapas restaurants. white asparagus was very good, very tasty & tender. 
#6 the hay roasted pigeon was as usual, nothing less than superb. the medium rare sous vide breast was the best. i couldn’t quite decide if amsterdam beulings’ quail was better or this. 
#7 choconuts was supposed to offer different temperature, texture & taste. i supposed it did & its a good dessert, but i thought some of the previous choconuts editions were distinctly better.
petit fours
petit fours
the petit four were good or competent for this level of restaurant, not a standout.
well, looks like i have to try the waiting list & see my luck play out.

 
cepe mushroom tea

cepe mushroom tea

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
 
Recommended Dish(es):  64degC 55mins sous vide egg,monkfish & white asparagus,hua roasted sous vide pigeon,ocean
 
Table Wait Time: 0 minute(s)


Date of Visit: Jun 16, 2014 

Spending per head: Approximately $140(Dinner)

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

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Categories : French | Restaurant | Seafood | Steaks and Grills | Fine Dining

See my full reviews & photos at = http://chefquak.com/2014/04/04/top-quality-lunch-lesa-amis-on-1apr2014/

a good friend bought lunch at les amis on 1.4.2014. no april fool haha. smile
i must have not stepped into les amis for 5, maybe 10 years? though i did have excellent meals at au jardin (it’s now closed) couple times a year. always thought it was very ex…some months back they introduced this 4-course set lunch. having taken the food, i think it is excellent value-for-money at S$45pax, one of the nest lunches i had. smile

we started with a bread basket of baguette, sour dough & a very good walnut bread PLUS a truly superb bread (brioche texture) with olive, sundried tomatoes? etc. just fabulous! smile
#1 & the tomato confit was incredible! chopstickchopstick it was on a bed of grilled aubergine on filo pastry. there are tomato confit & there are tomato confit, but this was just excellent!
#2 green pea soup not my favourite, but this was again very good indeed! very smooth & nicely creamy. i may get to like green pea soup a bit more. chopstick
#3 there was a choice of patagonia toothfish (chilean seabass, my favourite fish, over cod) OR roast pigeon. both of us took the chilean sea bas. it was as good as chilean seabass usually were. chopstickchopstickthe sweet red cabbage was ok but not quite my type – i finished about 40% of it.
while this fish never fails to meet expectations as you need a bad chef to screw this up, the tomato confit way surpassed expectations – most places would get it bad or mediocre.
#4 the dessert of the day a walnut apple pie? was likewise not my favourite, but again it was superbly done. chopstickfillings not sickeningly sweet & very good pastry. the chilled chocolate mousse was very good too.
the S$60 lunch menu came with line caught seabass & choice of lobster pasta & australian wagyu etc. i had some doubts on the line-caught thingy being any different from usual & seabass like low down c/w the chilean seabass but the cooking standards here really good i will probably try it.
i was also curious about the 6-course S$120 menu. it said grilled dry aged beef so i asked the waiter (he was very knowledgeable) why this was better than the australian wagyu in the S$60 menu. he said it was OHMI WAGYU! i told him omg! ohmi (a top 3 japanese wagyu) & you don’t write that in your menu? my, my!
i had an excellent degustation at jaan on 20.1.2014 with some friends recently, and we were lucky to trade our pigeon (which was good too) for miyazaki dry-aged wagyu, but this was ohmi, not miyazaki!
i told the waiter this the second time i came across dry-aged japanese wagyu (first was jaan). dry ageing intensifies the flavours & results in substantial weight lost. japanese wagyu is so ex & already very marbled & very intense in flavours i don’t see them served dry aged in japan.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
 
Recommended Dish(es):  bread basket=baguette sour dough walnut bread,some brioche with olive & sundried tomatoes,tomato confit,green pea veloute,patagonia toothfish (chilean seabass),walnut apple pie?,chocolate mousse to go with apple pie
 
Table Wait Time: 0 minute(s)


Date of Visit: Apr 01, 2014 

Spending per head: Approximately $53(Lunch)

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

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Best Lobster 6-course Dinner  Smile Oct 22, 2013   
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Categories : Singaporean Chinese

See my full reviews & photos at = http://chefquak.com/2013/10/22/best-lobster-6-course-dinner-tunglok-signature-orchard-parade-on-19oct2013/

had a best value dinner & among the best lobster dinner at tunglok signature at orchard parade hotel on 19.10.2013. :-) tunglok has a rather unusual arrangement with palate/amex where you get the usual 1 person off ie 50% discount for 2pax but then only for alacarte during weekdays and only for set meals during weekends. the latter is odd (surely if you give discounts for sets you should also give discounts for alacarte?) but quite fine with me as long as i get my discounts….haha.

we chose the S$98 lobster & seafood set. it was of exceptional quality, both in terms of quality of ingredients & quality of cooking.

the first course was a foie gras, smoked duck & crispy beancurd skin in pancake wrap (top 2 photos). this was excellent. fusion stuff are novel but frequently fail in taste (and/or matching) departments, but this was excellent! the texture & flavours of the foie gras & smoked duck & beancurd skin combined with the thick pancake wrap was unique & wonderful.

the crabmeat & roe soup was chokeful of ingredients – sharksfin, crabmeat & lots of roe (the photos tell it all). it was sweet & tasty enough but still lacking c/w the very flavourful braised crabmeat sharksfin soup (or the fishmaw soup) at majestic. we added vinegar & it tasted better (we don’t add vinegar when savouring the soup at majestic). still it was a rather good soup.

the steamed soon hock in light soya sauce was likewise super. flavour-wise almost as good as a chilean seabass done the same way, though soon hock would be inferior in taste & texture c/w chilean seabass.

the kurobuta was for me the least competent among the very good dishes. it was quite “well done” & little dry & did not taste much different from an ordinary pork chop, and not as good as the kurobuta steak served at the lobster set at chao yue xuan.

the lobster noodle though was par excellence. the lobster & superior sauce flavours were much better than chao yue xuan & as good or better than that offered at the lobster & abalaone set at xin cuisine. the lobster at the recent set we had at ah yat would be far down the list.

& the dessert 杨枝甘露 with ice cream was super as well. in other joints like ah yat & chao yue xuan, they often give you red bean soup etc for dessert just to pass off the course numbers. here we had very good tasty dessert, as we did also at xin cuisine. & they offered a refreshing lime/watermelon tube drink to finish off.

the cost for the scrumptious meal was just S$98++ for 2pax PLUS S$3++ for 2 tea covers (ah yat charges S$2.40pax tea covers). this is one excellent deal which i will certainly do again, & i would also try the other S$78pax set.
lobster noodles

lobster noodles

 
杨枝甘露 with ice cream

杨枝甘露 with ice cream

 
sharksfin with crabmeat & roe

sharksfin with crabmeat & roe

 
steamed soon hock fillet in light soya sauce

steamed soon hock fillet in light soya sauce

 
6-course lobster menu

6-course lobster menu

 
lime/watermelon drink

lime/watermelon drink

 
foie gras, smoked duck & crispy beancurd skin in pancake wrap

foie gras, smoked duck & crispy beancurd skin in pancake wrap

 
kurobuta with asparagus

kurobuta with asparagus

 
 
Date of Visit: Oct 19, 2013 

Spending per head: Approximately $60

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

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Categories : French | European | Hotel | Fine Dining

See my full reviews & photos at = http://chefquak.com/2015/11/01/delightful-delicious-100gourmet-dinner-disgruntled-chef-ang-siang-hill-on-29oct2015/
had a most delightful dinner with wife @ disgruntled chef ang siang hill on 29.10.2015. ^^
we both liked the duck breast best but other dishes (except for the lollipop & dessert) were just as delicious & marvelous.
this was a 100gourmet dinner citibank promotion
for this evening it was chef daniel sia of disgruntled chef & chef joris bijdendijk of restaurant RIJKS®we started with a charcoal bread. the bread was excellent, crusty yet fluffy inside.
the lobster & chicken in a yellow wine sauce was really delicious. chicken had a very crispy skin. something i cannot make. & such a wonderful sauce.
& the scallops were excellent. colour & presentation was beautiful of course, and Chef Joris Bijdendijk, Executive Chef at the restaurant RIJKS® in the world renowned Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam, personally drizzled the oil over the dish at our table.
scallops were sashimi grade & the inside were still raw. one of the tastiest scallops i have take! bite, taste, everything! ^^
wife thought the flounder lollipop was poor. i thought it was ok, tasty enough. but it’s like glorified fast food?
the cod was a return of another wonderful dish.
server warned us that some diners feedback that the nori butter made the dish quite salty & they were still adjusting the taste.
for us, the seaweed butter did give a distinctive salty taste but nothing overpowering & in fact flavoured the dish rather well, & the shellfish bits (cockles??) added great bite to a delicious sauce. the cod tasted a bit firmer, like a monkfish texture, anyway it was good.
& what a beautifully plated dish!
& wa..the duck..it was the best duck i had.
so tender & sweet. just enjoying this duck, i am thinking i gonna try my sous vide duck breast again.
i did that for my duck l’orange some time back.
it reminded me of the excellent jaan’s hay roasted pigeon. that was quite long ago though, so this duck actually felt better.
the dessert was too ordinary to complement the excellent dishes, but still the mars mar thingy had a really nice chocolate & great texture. i am so so with the cream just took a little.
we have never been to disgruntled chef at dempsey or here at ang siang hill. i must say the service was excellent-polite, friendly, quite knowledgeable & attentive.
this was 1 of the best dinners i had for a while, except for the excellent japanese omakase at hachi. hachi is different cuisine, which we would prefer by comparison but it also cost a lot more.
it reminded me of the really sumptuous dinners & dining experience at jaan, which we do not go any more because it’s no longer offering feed at raffles discounts. presentation was delight & food was exquisite. jaan had 2 amuse bouche which were excellent PLUS a palate cleanser item, so total like 10-course.
for the price, i think this dinner at disgruntled chef was next to perfect.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
 
Table Wait Time: 0 minute(s)


Date of Visit: Nov 29, 2015 

Spending per head: Approximately $118

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

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Best Omakase Dinner  Smile Sep 24, 2015   
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Categories : Japanese | Seafood | Sushi/Sashimi | Omakase

See my full review & photos at = http://chefquak.com/2015/09/24/best-omakase-dinner-hachi-restaurant-on-18sep2015/
wife bought omakase dinner at hachi 0n 18.9.2015. ^^
this evening there were only 3 tables including ours. the servers said it is often quite full though.
it’s omakase. still, quite useful to have a kaiseki menu.
#1 we had pork wine infused foie gras terrine.
a good start. very tasty, and putting on all the right expectations. ^^
#2 the uni & botan ebi in japanese corn veloute was simply fabulous.
don’t know if it is fusion, this was a superb combination of taste, the very sweet uni & botan ebi, in a wonderful japanese corn broth with all the flower decorations.
#3 the hokkaido kani (crab) chawanmushi was the tastiest chawanmushi i had.
so sweet, so beautiful!
quite a memorable dish. motivated me to go back & make a chawanmushi myself.
#4 the oyster was large & plump & sweet.
looked pretty too. i slurped it in with most of the jelly.
#5 sashimi moriawase were top quality – chutoro, sawara (spanish mackerel), kinmedai 金目鯛(golden eye snapper), katsuo (tuna), sanma. ^^
chutoro was very good, but i must say the chutoro in mikuni’s matsutake special bento set some days later was one of the best i had.
the sawara (spanish mackerel), kinmedai 金目鯛(golden eye snapper) were all very good.
the katsuo (tuna) & sanma were pretty ok.
#6 the braised awabi was really tender, superb abalone dish!^^
i took it with the liver dip & the sea salt separately, all very good.
they really braised it very well, as well as the very good chinese braised abalones.
#7 the ikura don with toasted sesami was a very small serving of rice with quite a bit of ikura.
all together really excellent!
#8 the best dish (among every best dish) though was the hamo (conger pike eel) shabu shabu, together with the A5 ohmi wagyu that was served next.the soup was just so tasty.
there were chinese cabbage & pine mushrooms.
the hamo (conger pike eel) shabu shabu.
hamo was so sweet & tasty.& the soup was like the very best of dobinmushi i ever tasted! ^^
#9 next we had a palate cleanser – pineapple & ginger sauce.
pineapple was sweet. the sauce was sourish & very appetising.
#10 the ohmi A5 wagyu in the yakimono was just incredible, so marbled, melt-in-the-mouth!^^
superb A5 ohmi wagyu.
the bamboo sheet & the rolled sanma & eggplant were very good also i guess.
but they were quite heavy going & lost in the process of so much excellent food!
#11 nigiri sushi was again tops!
chutoro, and especially shiro ebi & uni were fantastic.
just incredible sushi.
the akamatsu was supposed to be more fatty & marbled. maybe i still not used to the taste & it was marbled, but somehow did not feel wowed by it.
#12 dessert were black beans yuzu jelly, japanese pear, red beans ice cream.
pear was pretty ok, sweet, not sweet like japanese rock melon i guess, haha!
i always liked japanese black beans, the yuzu jelly was pretty refreshing too.
this one of the few dinners that i felt really wowed!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
 
Table Wait Time: 0 minute(s)


Date of Visit: Sep 18, 2015 

Spending per head: Approximately $233

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

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