From now to 30 April, The Black Hole Group celebrates the efforts and innovativeness of the chefs with the Chef’s Lab series. Over at Tipo Strada at 1KS, Chef Joey has launched a dinner-only 3-course set menu starting with the smoked salmon waldorf salad that has a lemon aioli dressing before the main of Tuscan chicken pasta. I chose the mafaldine, a ribbon-shaped pasta that is able to latch onto the rose sauce well. The dessert is a chocolate panna cotta with a berry compote.
Artichoke will be moving into a new home soon, and the last day of operations in the current Middle Road restaurant will be on 22 March. If you have a reservation from now till then, good on you! If not, shame on you but they will continue slaying with the New Bahru community from May. Till then, peace out and see you on the other side of Singapore!
Opened a few months back, Berlin65 is one of the newest restaurant openings offering German classics, Asian street food and Middle-Eastern dishes. Each of the dishes aim to bring a piece of Berlin to Singapore such as the Bahn Mi in a döner kebab and the iconic Currywurst, pork sausages with German-style curry powder, tomato paste and ketchup. It is finished with mayo and a dusting of cumin and parsley.
Many years back, everyone was talking about salted egg as it was one of the trendiest flavours to have been introduced into our diet. Will it go away? Probably not. The trend now might not hit the highest of highs as compared to the past but how I see it is that salted egg has become a staple in many of our dishes be it in zichar or western fusion, and many of us will subconsciously order it for a flavour that is familiar and comforting.
One of the best pairings of soup and rice is the salted vegetables soup with a bowl of braised yam rice. The version at Hon Kei Food Corner is done very well with the soup having a refreshing tangy flavour with the addition of minced pork and pork balls. The tomatoes also added a nice sweetness, all pairing well with the accompanying yam rice. The best kind of foods that you will want to eat when the weather turns cold.
Located along a side alley is a nondescript stall selling the most comforting kway teow thng in the morning. Add their ginger-infused meatballs and this will set you right for the rest of the day. The silky smooth kway teow paired with the savoury clear broth is the combination that warms the heart and soul.
Popular among the locals, Nasi Kandar Pelita is one of the largest nasi kandar restaurant chains and operates around the clock. It is especially comforting to eat nasi kandar for supper before heading to bed, with my standard order of ayam goreng, sayur kobis and telur masin, finishing with kuah campur over the rice. Bonus picture and additional order of a type of roti canai order that is not commonly seen elsewhere. There might be various ways to order it, but I usually call it the prata tsunami.
The master of the wok wears a pair of googles while frying up plates of char kway teow. Not fried over charcoal but he still manages to conjure up some cookery magic in this plate with the key highlight being the huge crunchy prawns that he added into it.
When in Penang, the one thing that you have to eat before leaving is the charcoal fried duck eggs char koay teow. If there is an opportunity to go a place that only the locals patronised then you have to get off the beaten track and take the chance with it. Over at 阿兴鸭蛋炒果条, the addition of the fried duck egg is the crowning jewel to an excellent plate of wok hei, slow burn spicy fried koay teow.
Thai food seems to be a trend in Penang, with many places selling some form of tom yum dish. Though the restaurant is located at a touristy area, Ka Bee Cafe is mainly patronised by the locals for their tom yum cintan mee with fried fish and minced meat. The tom yum is on the sweeter side with a tangy spicy flavour, making it very appetising and comforting to eat.
The char koay teow in Penang just hits differently from the ones in Singapore as the version here is savoury and spicy, and there is an option to use duck eggs instead of the regular chicken eggs. The creamier texture and wok hei makes it a must-try when you are here.
Available from now to 24 February, one of my favourite Singapore heritage cuisine restaurants, Rempapa, has a lineup of 5 CNY-exclusive dinner dishes and we ordered 3 of them to try. Being a Teochew kia, the steamed red grouper is my favourite which comes with a tangy broth of salted vegetables cooked with chicken stock, and as the CNY greeting of 年年有鱼, this is a must order. The vegetable dish of stir-fried king is a Cantonese inspired classic of garlic chives, pickled celtuce and jumbo dried shrimp among the other ingredients. This dish is all about the wok hei and flavour. Lastly the mandarin orange steamed kueh comes in cute bite sized pieces for you to huat in the new year.