Every meal is an adventure.

For the month of August, The Square is offering Perankan cuisine.

Openricers were invited to taste some of the selected dishes prior to the Peranakan launch and the restaurant International Buffet spread.

From the sea food platter, there were fresh prawns, mussels and huge oysters.The Canadian oysters were fresh, plumpy and creamy.The Middle Eastern dish "Chicken Shawarma" cooked on a rotisserie is also a dish  not to be missed. The well marinated chicken slices were very tasty.Local dish "Black Pepper Crab" was not as peppery hot as I expected. The open concept kitchen allows dinners to interact with the chefs and special request is available to sooth individual taste bud.One of the highlight was the Cheese Risotto that will be cooked in a 38kg of paramessan wheel.You can request your own delicison a-la minute Risotto.The Roast of the Day and Chef's Recommendation was the Korean Chilli Rub Roasted Lamb. The lamb is marinated with sake and Korean chilli before oven seared and slowly roasting to a golden colour yet maintaining the meat pinkish.

Cooked dishes served in warmer included Clam in white wine sauce and Chicken Lemongrass with Coconut.

The Peranakan dishes that were served to Openricers were Chicken Devil Curry, Ayam Buah Keluak, Nonya Assam Fish, Babi Pongteh, Kueh Pie Tee, Bakwan Kepiting Soup and Nonya Kueh.I was disappointed with the Buah Keluak dish, the chicken meat that I chose was tough and under cooked. Buah Keluak kernels were hard.There were two variations of Nonya Styled Assam Fish presented to us for tasting. Grouper steamed and another deep fried. Though both fishes were fresh, there was lack of the assam flavour. It should be a potent combination of all in one  - spiciness, sourishness and umami flavours.Chef Kishen presented his own version of Bakwan Kepiting replacing the crab meat with chicken.

The traditional Bakwan Kepiting has a combination of minced pork and crab meat cooked with chicken broth. Though the meatballs were palatable, the soup was too salty.The Babi Pongteh dish was served with prime pork ribs instead of pork belly without potatoes and mushrooms. This dish was tasty and the meat just slipped from the bone at first bite.

There were also a variations of Nonya kueh kueh.

The Chicken Devil Curry was too hot for my palate.

These dainty crispy Kueh Pie Tee were  indeed appetizing that we requested for a second helping.

Without hesitation, Chef immmediately prepared another plate for us.Oysters Fritters was specially prepared for Openricers by Sous Chef Jimmy.

The plumpy and juicy fresh oysters coated in battered was just yummy. A secret recipe sauce complemented the oysters very well.At the special Salad Corner , diners can choose from the array of greens and sauces to mix and match.The Square “Durian Pengat” a “must try” dessert for durian lovers. Richened with coconut milk and gula Melaka. Rich, sweet and creamy light texture will make you crave for more.For sweet indulgences, there are specially baked cakes prepared by the Chef such as Chocolate Pineapple Cake, Raspberry Earl Grey Cake, Orange Tea Cake and Chocolate Nutty Cake.  A "must try" recommendation.By the way, all those yummilicious desserts were created by La Vie magazine's Chef for the month of July 2015 Mr. Sin Siak.

The F&B team were very attentive and courteous. Their service was commendable.

Special thanks to Marketing Manager Mr. Spencer Mong for spending time with us at this Food Tasting event.

I would like to thank OpenRice for extending the invitation and looking forward to more food tasting events in the near future.

The Peranakan themed buffet is available during dinner servings only.

Prices start from $58++.

Daily Dinner

6.00pm to 10.00pm

Adult $58++

Child (5-16 years old) $40++

Senior Citizen (above 55 years old) $40++

We didn’t get to any sandy beach for seafood dinner but dine with heart’s content with such delectable seafood treat at Jin Sha Wan. This chomping fresh delicious seafood tasting experience right in the heart of Kovan 212 last Friday evening.

The boss of this “qi char” stall prefer to be known as Mr Kovan signature dish is Creamy Crab. He has been in the business for more than thirty years and Jin Sha Wan at Hougang Street 21 is currently more than a year old.As appetizer, OpenRicers were served with Dried Shrimps with French Beans.

These French beans are slim and crunchy topped with deep fried minced shrimps cooked with plenty of minced garlic and chilli was spicy and yet appetizing to kick off the dinner for that evening.

Priced at S$8 for this small portion.Stir Fried Lotus Roots with Macadamia Nuts was one of my favourite dish of the night. For this small serving at S$12.

The sumptuous flavours of a few variety of vegetables cooked with thinly sliced lotus roots together with macadamia nut is indeed a unique blend of ingredients. Lightly sauced combination without over drowning the freshness of the sliced celery, diced red capcisum, snow peas and black fungus (mok yee). I could really taste the crunchiness and sweetness of the vegetables.Though mixed with the light sauce the Macadamia Nuts was crunchy and fragrant. Salted Egg Yolk Prawns served crispy and hot was the third dish at S$16 for a small portion.

These sinful orangey balls enhanced the flavour of the king size prawns especially when the yolk are mashed and smeared and sautéed generously.

Though it’s a bit messy with the hands and served in most places with the shells, the egg yolk has enveloped each king size prawn very well. The king prawns were very fresh and succulent. The fragrant from the curry leaves added even more flavour. This dish is also one of my favourite. Fragrant Pork Ribs at S$10 for a small portion

These pieces of tempting aromatic soft bone pork ribs were tender tasty coated with the sweet and tangy sauce. The shiny brown finish pork ribs coated with dark brown sugar were deep flavoured and really whet my appetite. The pickles that came along with this dish were crisp, crunchy and refreshing.Assam Fish Head

The good quality Red Snapper Fish Head Assam served with a warmer maintaining the warm of the assam gravy. Addictively sour from the tamarind combination and really an appetite booster. Healthy with lots of vegetables ingredients such as ocras (lady’s fingers), quartered tomatoes , sliced egg plants, pineapples cubes and sliced big onions. The taste of this dish was similar to the Portuguese Style of cooking fish. Relatively low fat compared to other curry fish head dishes as it does not contain coconut milk. This was the best dish for the night. I highly recommend Fish Head lovers this is a dish not to be missed. We don’t have to live near the ocean to enjoy fresh fish.
This portion of Assam Fish Head cost $22.00Small portion of Mee Goreng or “fried Noodles” at S$4.00 was reasonably priced with fresh prawns that added seafood flavour to the noodles. I prefer this version of Mee Goreng than the Indian Muslim Mamak Mee Goreng.
The sour, spicy, sweet, and tangy flavour that came through plate of mee goreng (fried yellow noodles). Though a little hot for my palate. From our local Mee Goreng , the next dish was KL (Kuala Lumpur) style Hokkien Mee.
The flavoursome thick, gooey black sauced drained the yellow thick noodles cooked together with fresh pork lard enhancing the flavour.
The fragrance and glossiness of this noodle dish basically came from the enormous sinfully lard pieces which eventually drown in a pool of lard oil at the surface of the plate. The KL version of noodles are notably known for the darkness braised together with the so look alike udon .

The noodles are firmer, smoother, thicker and rounder. Like any Hokkien Mee, without pork lard as the key ingredient the taste would be totally different.Finally came the long waited signature dish of Jin Sha Wan, the Creamy Crab. The gooey richness of salted raw duck egg yolks combined with butter, flour and evaporated milk infused into the sweetness of the "golden" king size crabs. I like the richness of the gravy which goes so well with the dainty looking deep fried man tao (Chinese buns). The gravy was cooked just right to blend with the dungeness crabs and the man tao. The curry leaves fried together enhanced the overall fragrance of the dish. These finger licking crustaceans with their meaty princers are irresistible. Priced: S$25The second crab dish was prepared in a piquant and flavourful chilli base. Though the size of the chilli crabs were smaller than the creamy crabs, the sauce was prepared thicker with drazzled of beaten eggs. There was a blend of sweetness and the thickness of this fabulous gravy with a good chilli kick flavour that makes us want to polish every drop of gravy with the man tao. Also priced at S$25.00.A special dish prepared for OpenRicers was the claypot Crocodile Meat with thinly sliced ginger, plenty of spring onions stalks and diced big onions slices. This oyster sauce braised crocodile meat was slightly tough. I noticed this is the only dish that was not so popular. I ate a few pieces of the crocodile meat and found nothing special about this dish. Comparing to chicken and frog meat, crocodile meat is still the toughest. The seasonal price for this dish ranged between S$20 to S$30 per serving.Red Garoupa Steamboat was the last dish for the night. I wished it came earlier. As a matter of fact, these Garoupa fish slices were so fresh it should be eaten raw as “sashimi”. The delicious morsels of fish slices cooked in the rich and yet light broth. Inside the sizzling smoky flavoured stock were pieces of yam, Chinese cabbages, dried seaweeds and wolfberries. Each of us had a small portion of the soup and the sliced fish. This dish was simply tantalizing. The dried sole added which was the most important ingredient to the steamboat broth has imparted a wonderful smoky flavorful taste together with the fragrant yam slices and the sweetness of the cabbage.
Priced at S$35.00 for this small serving.Tong Garden Seafood Restaurant at Blk. 477 Tampines Street 44 is the first qi char stall setup by the same boss.

Golden Sand Bay Crabs and Seafood (Jin Sha Wan) is the subsidiary of Tong Garden Seafood Restaurant. Opened daily from 4.30 pm to 1.30 am.

OpenRicers were treated like VIPs with enticing menu specially prepared by "Mr. Kovan".

It was an OpenRice Food Tasting FEST (Foodie Experiencing Savoring Taste).

Laksania by Spice Connect Pte Ltd not only has a chain of cafes at various location in Singapore such as NEX, Bugis, East Coast Road and JEM with their drazzle array of different laksa gravy, they also operate as a social enterprise giving job opportunities to disabled people and at the same time train them for job opportunities so that they become more self reliant and financially independent.They also employ these disabled staff to work in their central kitchen such as Movement for Intellectually Disabled in Singapore (MINDS) and the Institute of Mental Health (IMH). Their job scope includes preparation of various laksa pastes and marinades to be used in Laksania cafes islandwide.Upon arrival, I requested for a glass of hot fragrant lemongrass beverage which was very refreshing and at the same time detoxifying. Priced: S$2.50

The taste was so good that I could not resist but to order another top up. This hot beverage made from fresh lemongrass, honey and palm sugar. From the colour of the drink, you can tell there were richness of palm sugar added but still not sweet. Very well blended.Being early, I had the opportunity to meet up lady boss Sin Sin to share notes on how she prepare the various types of laksa paste from scratch. To her Laksania literally means “laksa only or simply laksa”. The concept of this restaurant is to bring different flavours of Asian Laksa gravy to the world.

OpenRicers has the opportunity to flavour a teaspoon portion of the five traditional laksa gravy such as Kelantan Laksa, Sarawak Laksa, Penang Laksa, Singapore Laksa and Vegetarian Laksa. From Kelantan her hometown, there is the Kelantan Laksa with alluring flavours of tamarind, lemongrass and ginger flower with palm sugar added to the fish and coconut enriched broth that goes with the noodles accompanied with a special chilli sambal.

Sarawak the hometown of Sin Sin husband, there is the Sarawak Laksa made from herbal spices.
Though spicy yet soothing with prawn and chicken broth. Coriander leaves and lime juice are a must have to spice up the noodle flavour.

The Penang Laksa made from fish and tamarind broth with sweet and sour savoury giving the traditional Penang distinctive taste without coconut milk.

Vegetarian Laksa caters for the vegans served with assorted vegetables. No onions, garlic nor meat.

Finally, the Singapore Laksa served with thick rice noodles and sumptuous spiced broth garnished with prawns, fish cake, must have fresh cockles, taupok, boiled eggs and minced laksa leaves. The signature broth with dried shrimps and coconut milk.

The five flavour of Laksa are priced at S7.50 per bowl.

By the way, there is no service charge for all your bills.

There are also Laksa fusion dishes such as Laksa Lasagna, Laksa Hotpots, Laksa Burgers and the list goes on. Their dishes cater for all ages including kids friendly meals.We were spoilt for choices with a variety of ingredients to be cooked in simmering pot of chicken and Singapore laksa broth.

For dinner, we were served with the Chicken Broth and the Singapore Laksa broth with an array of selected dishes such as fresh prawns, fresh cockles, beancurd, fish paste, sliced beef, chicken, white cabbage, lady’s fingers stuffed with fish meat, crabsticks, corn on the cob, fish balls, half boiled eggs, various types of toufu, green and red chilli stuffed with fish meat. A variety of mushrooms such as Enoki, Shiitake and Abalone. The chicken broth was refreshing and light and the Singapore Laksa the hot favourite gravy goes well with the dishes. There were a few types of secret recipes dipping sauces such as stronger pounded chilli paste, milder chilli paste and even a taucheo paste to blend with the steamboat ingredients.

We felt like we were having Laksa Yong Tau Foo when we added all the selected vegetables and stuffing ingredients with fish paste into the steamboat. Most of us opted for tang hoon (transparent noodles) which uplighted the whole combination.

This communal gathering makes me feel like I was having a reunion dinner last night in the cosy modern concept layout café.Dessert for the night was Chendol. The palm seeds and "chendol" green worm noodles were slightly soft. There were a generous amount of red beans. Topped with sufficient rich coconut milk together with added palm sugar syrup and shaved ice. A group photo to wrap-up the food tasting session at Laksania with Sin Sin and her eldest daughter taken by their Public Relations Manager Ellie who also accompanied us throughout the food tasting session."Most people see laksa, that sinful concoction of curry noodles and cockles, as quick fix meal. But Mdm Sim Sin Sin, see the dish as a way to fix lives.” – The Sunday Times

We wish Laksania every success in their future business and charitable ventures.

We visited Penang Kitchen at Tanjong Katong Road to taste authentic Penang dishes.The location is along the main road and transportation to this place is easily accessible. This is their second outlet with the first nestled at Bukit Timah neighbourhood. Upon arrival, I was welcomed with a glass of cold Nutmeg Lime Drink. At the price of S$3.20, a great quencher. Slightly sourish and believed to improve digestion and reduce flatulence.The first dish of the night was Penang Fruit Rojak. With a combination of different types of fresh fruits and vegetables such as green and red apples, star fruit, pineapple, cucumber, turnip and in- house keropok smashed into bite pieces with a good mix of special prawn paste and generous amount of peanuts and sprinkled chopped ginger flower. Taste was good with a strong thick flavour of the special prawn paste. Priced: S$7.80Nasi Goreng Kampong Penang was next on the menu. The not too spicy fragrant fried rice served with a big piece of Papadum and small portion of Achar pickles. The flavorful pickles goes well with the fried rice. The ingredients for the fried rice includes a few pieces of medium size fresh prawns, a good mixed to Grago (small shrimps) and beaten eggs topped with a good sprinkle of deep fried shallots. Priced: S$8.90The Penang Sampler dish of Lor Bak and Belachan Chicken Wings served with sweet sauce and chilli. The skin of the Lor Bah was not crispy but the taste was delicious with a good balance of both lean and fatty pork and went well with the sweet brownish sauce. I could not taste the belachan from the chicken wing. Priced: S$13.00I was impressed with the Penang Prawn Noodle Soup. The accompanied ingredients consisting of fresh prawns, sliced of leaned pork, hard boiled egg, crunchy bean sprouts and water spinach. The not so spicy broth was flavoursome resulted from the pork stock and pulverized prawn heads and shells. Priced: S$8.30Penang Assam Laksa, the staple of Penang hawker food. The gravy supposed to be hot, spicy, sour, pungent and full of fish broth was mild and lack of richness. I was a little disappointed with this dish. There was no trace of Ikan Kembong (Mackerel). The noodles were springy with a good serving of mint leaves and shredded lettuces topping. Priced: S$8.30Another popular legendary dish was the Penang Char Kway Teow. There was a good mixture of sliced Chinese sausages, fresh prawns, eggs, ku-chai (Chinese chive) and crunchy bean sprouts. One missing ingredient was cockles. The presence of small lard pieces has added a fragrant taste to this plate of flat noodles. Priced: S$8.30Hmmh Herbal Duck Mee Sua which is Penang traditional soup with broth herbs simmered for many hours. There was a large piece of the duck drumstick combined with a good tasting soup of various ingredients including wolfberries. This soup reminded me of the Pig Kidney and Liver Mee Sua.
Priced: S$9.00We had Chendol and Almond Tang Yuan for desserts.

The Chendol definitely cool me down. The shaved-ice and thick rich flavour of the Gula Melaka and coconut milk has an extremely smooth and creamy consistency.

The black sesame Tang Yuan in almond paste was smooth and nutritious. Cooked with grinded almond into a paste together with egg white.

Indeed a wonderful dining experience with Penang cuisine in the company of friendly OpenRicers, meeting new friends, sharing food experiences and taste buds.

This is my second food tasting session with OpenRice. I had the opportunity to taste a sumptuous spread of Cantonese-style cuisine from none other than Wing Seong Fattys Restaurant at Burlington Square.

As I sat at the allotted table for our OpenRicers, the two framed photos of Qantas Airplanes caught my eye. Qantas long haul pilots often visited this restaurant during their transit in Singapore. Run by two brothers Fatty (passed away) and Skinny. We have come to the conclusion that Wing Seong Fattys has a special tie with Qantas pilots. Amongst the diners that night were locals, Aussie, Indonesian and a few off duty Qantas pilots enjoying their meal outside the restaurant.An article from Qantas about this restaurant

As there were 11 OpenRicers diners that night, all dishes were served in large portion.

IMG:1]

Three Jumbo Spring Roll at S$3 per roll.

Special Jumbo Spring roll very crispy and fragrant with ingredients such as beansprouts, shredded carrots, small pieces of char siew, lengthwise spring onions and egg omelette amongst the fillings. This spring roll reminded me of the special OG Spring Roll which was a very popular dish served at the very first OG outlet restaurant long ago.

Seafood Fried Kway Teow with Gravy - S$14

A generous amount of seafood ingredient such as fresh prawns and squids with Chye Sim was added to the Fried Kway Teow. The kway teow are not sticky and there were no charred taste to it. The gravy was palatable to go along with the seafood and the flat noodles.

Braised home-made bean curd with sauce – S$22
Soft tasty bean curd cubes deep fried and served with special sauce. Shredded mushrooms and yellow chives are part of the dish combination. This dish is off the menu.

Fried Kai Lan with minced meat – S$16
This is a unique combination of minced meat added to a vegetable dish. The minced meat is stir fry with their special ingredients including grinded flat fish and many others (secret recipe). I enjoyed this dish very much because of its unique taste.

Belachan Fried Rice -S$14.
I could not taste the belachan (shrimp paste) in the fried rice. Not oily with pieces of char siew and diced spring onions in the rice combination.

Sweet and Sour Pork – S$22
The pork is soft with a combination of colourful diced bell peppers and big onion slices. Sweet and yet sour sauce gives a kick to the dish.Black Pepper Beef – S$22
The black pepper was too much for me. I felt the burning sensation on my tongue. Lots of sliced big onions goes well with the tender beef slices.

Chicken in Prawn Paste – S$22
aka Har Cheong Gai
I did not taste the prawn paste at all. The chicken pieces are crispy and not oily. I had a second serving for this dish.
Probably the marinating for the prawn paste was minimal to cater for the tourist and not Singaporean.

Fried Prawns with Oats – S$37
The deshelled reasonably big size fresh crunchy prawns topped with oats. Since the shells are not in tact, the oats are dislodged easily from the prawns.Other than good food, I am impressed with their customer service.

The boss “goes extra mile service (GEMS) by topping our glasses with additional hot tea. I was about to take off from the restaurant with my take-away for the Spring Rolls, the waiting staff immediately stopped me and hand over two packets of sweet sauce and chilli. These are some of the factors I take into consideration when I dine.

I could see there is a continuous flow of customers filling the empty tables.

It’s a good place for family get together.

Last but not least, a photo session with the Boss from Wing Seong Fatty's.