Au Revoir - Jin Hang Sichuan

This is my 3rd and final post on Jin Hang Restaurant on North Canal Road. Well, the time has come for "Goodbye" and the owner, Yang Liang, told me that they will cease operations on Sunday, 3 February 08. :(

I had dinner last evening at Jin Hang with DH, DL & MW. We ordered our usual dishes: Ma Po Tofu, Shui Zhu Yu & Si Ji Dou. We also ordered a plate of Fried Mutton with Cumin & Chili. DH said she's tried it before and liked it. It was a tad too salty but otherwise very fragrant, and the mutton slices were tender. We enjoyed digging into this dish. This is a Must-Try (before 3 Feb 08)!

Yang Liang served us a dessert of White Fungus and Red Dates. It was delicious but as I'm not big on sweet food, this was just a little too sweet for me.

If you love Szechuan food and happen to be in the area within the next few days, do pop by before the shutters come down for good on 3 February 08.

Here are my previous 2 entries:

1) http://superfinefeline.blogspot.com/2007/10/szechuan-food-coffeeshop-style.html
2) http://superfinefeline.blogspot.com/2008/01/jin-hang-sichuan-food-north-canal-rd.html

Jin Hang Restaurant Pte Ltd
16 North Canal Road,
#01-01,
Singapore 048828
Tel: 6534-1622

Tampopo's Kyushu Jyangara Ramen

Nibble & Scribble and I made last-minute plans for dinner after work last week. Having had a hectic time at work, we were both too hassled to think about where to eat at. We decided to revisit Tampopo.

We started with a plate of Fried Salmon Skin. When it arrived, we gave each other strange glances. The Salmon Skin bits had been over-fried (actually, it felt like it had been fried at least twice), to the extent that it was tough and hard. * Ew!!!

I wanted to try the Kyushu Jyangara Ramen out of curiosity. Bad mistake! It was terrible! The broth was watered down and had a synthetic flavour. The Char Siew was tough and tasteless. The only saving grace was the little dollop of Mentaiko in the soup. When I tried to bite into the Ajitama, my face turned green so naturally I didn't finish the egg. Yes, if you've read my previous post on ramen, you'd know that this meant that the yolk flavour was pretty strong. To make it worse, the egg didn't taste fresh. * Double ew!!!

My suggestion: Don't bother with the Kyushu Jyangara Ramen here but the Spicy Kurobuta Shabu Shabu Ramen is worth a try.

Tampopo
177 River Valley Road
#B1-50 Liang Court Shopping
Singapore 179030
Tel: 6338-3186

Operating Hours
Daily: 11.30 am to 10.00 pm

Ken's Ramen

After hearing Nibble & Scribble rave so much about Ken's Ramen, I finally had dinner there with Nibble & Scribble and The Skinny Epicurean some weeks back. The place is a hole in the wall with very few tables indoors but there are tables outside where one can enjoy the Ramen in typically warm and humid Singapore weather. :P

Both of my dinner companions are regulars at Ken's. I ordered the house special, Tamago Ramen. After savouring the rich broth that has been simmered for hours and enjoying the al dente ramen, I understood what the fuss was all about. The char siew slices were tender and tasty yet not exceedingly salty (unlike some places that I've tried).

I'm usually not a fan of soft-boiled eggs but I must say that good Ajitamas (stewed eggs) served at places like Ken's is fast making a convert out of me! I do not like the flavour of raw egg yolk as it makes me turn green in the face. However, the sauce used to stew the eggs has imparted such a wondrously salty-ish flavour that it made the yolk more palatable. I am finally able to enjoy a soft-boiled egg without a desire to hurl. Ok, I know this isn't the most opportune time to talk about food getting me queasy but people who suffer from the same problem as I do, can certainly understand what I mean. I'm the type of person that drives the chef at the omelette station bananas by telling him that I want my omelette totally cooked to death...preferably till it turns semi-rubbery from over-cooking. :P

The gyozas here were done to perfection. The gyoza skin was thin, crispy at the browned spots and the filling was adequately seasoned. Although the traditional way to enjoy gyoza is with a dipping sauce of vinegar, soya sauce & chili oil, I couldn't help but wish I had some of the chili sauce that Gyoza no Ohsho serves (no offence to the gyoza purists out there).

To sum it up, the Tamago Ramen and Gyoza here is a MUST-TRY!

Noodle House Ken
150 Orchard Road
#01-17/18 Orchard Plaza
Singapore 238841
Tel: 6235-5540

Operating Hours
Weekdays: 12 pm to 2 pm & 6 pm to 2 am
Saturdays: 12 pm to 2 am
Sundays: 12 pm to 10 pm
Closed every 3rd Sunday of the month

Supper @ McCafé

Its the New Year, I've been trying to keep to my resolution of exercising more & losing weight. Actually, I kinda mentioned that I wanted to exercise more & lose weight to my gym buddy, L. He took my word for it and hauled my lazy posterior to the gym after I also confessed to not having worked out at all for about 2 months or so. Sheesh! for a couch potato like me, it was sheer torture having to toil on the treadmill @ Speed 5.5 for 20 minutes...L says its a pathetic speed as I barely perspired and was more engrossed in what was happening on TV. Considering how bad my stamina is and how I hardly exercise, I thought I was doing pretty ok till another gal climbed onto the machine next to mine & started running at Speed 10...wow! that's really fast.

After the "torture session", I was looking forward to supper. Unfortunately, it was raining cats & dogs so it was too much of a hassle to go to my favourite supper location, C Nai Hong Kong Café.

We wound up in McCafé instead. Here's a picture of the Large Cappuccino that L ordered. I was so impressed with the foam art that I had to snap a picture of it.

I ordered a cup of Steamed Milk and was also rather impressed with the foam art (done with cocoa powder) on my drink.

I ordered a Caesar Salad with additional topping of roast chicken. Thankfully, they served the dressing separately without us having to ask. I dipped a few pieces of lettuce into the dressing and found that the flavour of the dressing was not to my liking (tasted like lousy bottled caesar salad dressing) so I ate the salad sans dressing. I also picked out all the artificial bacon strips as I prefer fresh lardons instead. The chicken bits were a little too salty but were fine when taken with the vegetables. I think I should try their sandwiches instead next time I visit.

McCafé
@ McDonald's East Coast Parkway
1000 East Coast Parkway,
Marine Cove,
Singapore 449876
Tel: 6443-1467

Jin Hang - Sichuan Food @ North Canal Rd

During a recent visit to Jin Hang (a Szechuan/Sichuan food outlet that I've been frequenting for the last few months), the owner told me that he is considering giving up his business. One of the reasons was higher rental costs. My regular Sichuan lunch buddies and I were sad to hear such news as we've grown so accustomed to getting our Sichuan fix at least once a month (ie. I get my fix once a fortnight).

When TSH and I went on a recent visit, they weren't serving Shui Zhu Yu as they didn't have any fish that day. We ordered Shui Zhu Niu Rou (the beef version) instead. It arrived topped with a spoonful of chopped raw garlic.

It's quite different from the fish dish as instead of a soupy base, it had a thick and starchy gravy base. The accompanying vegetable in this dish was sliced cabbage instead of soy bean sprouts. The gravy base also had some vinegar in it which made the dish spicy, salty, sourish and starchy. That said, it was delicious as the sourish gravy helped to cut the heavy feeling of the starchy gravy and whetted the appetite. We got pretty addicted to this dish. The only thing we didn't like so much was that the beef slices were a little over-tenderized, we could taste a little of the tenderizer though its flavour was largely masked by the spiciness and tanginess of the gravy. In spite of the tenderizer issue, this is still a Must-Try!

During another visit with Joyce, they'd sold all the Tofu for the day and so we ordered Lao Gan Ma Chicken [Lao Gan Ma is the brand of Chili Paste that is popularly used in Sichuan food] instead. The chicken pieces were coated with the spicy paste and were succulent and tasty. It was a great complement to a bowl of steamed rice. If you had to choose only one chicken dish, you should give the Chong Qing Spicy Fried Chicken (aka La Zi Ji) a try instead.

Jin Hang Restaurant Pte Ltd
16 North Canal Road,
#01-01,
Singapore 048828
Tel: 6534-1622

Founder Rou Gu Cha (Bak Kut Teh)

Founder Rou Gu Cha is one of my favourite Bak Kut Teh (Chinese-style spicy pork rib soup) places in Singapore. I like the soup here as it is reasonably tasty though I am generally biased towards the super-peppery version at Outram's Ya Hua or the super-herbal tasting versions sold in KL. I like strong flavours but nonetheless, the Bak Kut Teh here is pretty decent stuff. It's also a little closer to my home than Ya Hua though I still drop in at Outram sometimes for my Bak Kut Teh fix and to say "Hi" to the glam lady at the stove (and ask her about her cats).

Bak Kut Teh

No visit to a Bak Kut Teh stall is ever complete without a bowl of hearty, spicy pork-rib soup. The best part of it all? You get to ask for soup refills [a la Oliver Twist - "Please Sir, I want some more."] Boy, do I love to drink soup! It's the ultimate comfort food! Talk about chicken soup for the soul? I find any steaming hot bowl of soup most comforting especially after a couple of drinks. I must clarify that the pictures taken here were after a gym workout...replenishing my expended energy and apparently doing more for expanding sideways than anything else. :P On to happier thoughts, this is a Must-Try! :)

Yew Char Kway (Dough Fritters)

Now, any Bak Kut Teh aficionado will tell you that a Bak Kut Teh experience is incomplete sans Yew Char Kway. Unfortunately, these pieces of Yew Char Kway are actually bits of rubber tyre in disguise. Its exceedingly heavy and a chore to bite on. The only way to eat it is to dunk it into the hot soup and let it soak for at least 5 minutes. If only I could bring my favourite Yew Char Kway from Vivocity with me...hmm...well, I guess I should settle for taking away both items and having them at home.

Tang Oh (Garland Chrysanthemum)

This is one of my favourite vegetables and I will usually order this dish at any Bak Kut Teh shop (if available). Its rather pungent and mildly bitter-tasting but not exceedingly so and is a very popular vegetable in steamboat dishes. Traditionally, the price of this vegetable sky rockets during the Chinese New Year season because many families tend to have steamboat dinners.

Mee Swa (Wheat Vermicelli aka Longevity Noodles)

I love Mee Swa because it absorbs the flavours of the soup. It's a comforting dish like how porridge warms your stomach on a cold day.

Stewed "Tau Pok" (Fried Tofu Puff)

I like the Tau Pok here because its just the right amount of saltiness and perks up my Mee Swa dish. I love how the rich soya sauce based gravy oozes out of the Tau Pok when bitten into.

Stewed Salted Vegetables (Preserved Chinese Mustard)

I love savoury food and so I generally like the stewed salted vegetables sold in Bak Kut Teh shops, Teochew Porridge shops or Kway Chap stalls. However, the salted vegetable dish here was a little on the sweet side...which isn't to my liking. I think they must have bought the sweeter version. During my visit to the wet markets, the auntie will usually ask if you want to buy the salty or the sweet version of the preserved vegetable.

Braised Pig's Trotters

So much for exercising, my gym buddy - L, and I couldn't resist ordering the Pig's Trotters. It's a good thing we did because this is the star of the evening! The meat was succulent and melted in our mouths. Tearing the morsels of tender flesh away from the bone was easy peasy with our chopsticks. It was of course a major contributor to the robust flavour in the soya sauce gravy that it was braised in (the same sauce was used to stew the Tau Pok). This is definitely a MUST-TRY!

Founder Rou Gu Cha
347 Balestier Road
Tel: 6352-6192

Operating Hours
Daily (except for Tuesdays) : 12 pm - 2pm & 6pm - 3am

My Favourite HK Café - Hong Kong Café

I'm sure that the mere mention of "Hong Kong Café" to many Singaporeans would evoke thoughts of French Toast, Milk Coffee, Milk Tea, Coffee & Tea Mix, Boiled Coke with Lemon and various other Noodle dishes. The story I've heard is that many Singaporeans who have visited Hong Kong raved about THE Cha Chan Teng [loosely translated as Café] in Central called Tsui Wah [located opposite the famous Roast Goose restaurant, Yung Kee]. I remember squeezing into a booth at Tsui Wah in the wee hours of the morning with my girlfriends after a night of bar-hopping. It was most comforting to have a steaming hot bowl of "hor fun" (rice noodles) soup.

Whatever the case, I'm glad that the Cha Chan Teng concept was introduced to Singapore. In recent years, Singaporeans have seen the establishment of many Hong Kong-style cafés all over the island. I've tried quite a few but my all-time favourite is still "C.Nai Hong Kong Café". The first outlet is located at East Coast Road, which is very close to my home and thus served as one of my favourite supper spots. [NB: C.Nai is a Cantonese slang for "housewife". It generally refers to the stereotypical HK housewife who ceased to pay attention to her appearances after marriage]

My favourite snack here is French Toast with Peanut Butter. I like the French Toast here because it is less oily than the other versions that I've had in some other Hong Kong Cafés. This is definitely a MUST-TRY!

Here is a Cross-Section of the French Toast. The French toast is very fluffy and light, the mere act of cutting it causes it to deflate. Thus the cross-section above shows a significantly flattened version of the dish.

My favourite drink here is the "Si Mud" Tea, which is essentially a Hong Kong version of "Teh C" in Singapore. The drink is made of black tea and evaporated milk. "Si Mud" is Cantonese for "Silk Stocking" but fret not, the tea is not made using real stockings but is usually made using a cloth brewing bag. This is also a MUST-TRY!

C.Nai Hong Kong Café

East Coast Road Branch
378 East Coast Road
(Opposite the Caltex Station. Close to the junction of East Coast Road & Telok Kurau Road)
Tel: 6440-3808 & 6440-0083

Operating Hours:
Mondays to Fridays: 6pm to 3am
Saturday, Sundays & Public Holidays: 5pm to 3am

Novena Branch
275 Thomson Road #01-08 Novena Ville
(opposite Church of St. Alphonsus aka Novena Church)
Tel: 6256-5655 & 6256-5855

Operating Hours: Daily 11.30am to 11.30pm

C.Nai Hong Kong Café Xpress @ East Coast Park
1000 East Coast Park, Marine Cove.
(Next to McDonalds)
Tel: 6444-0123

Operating Hours: Daily 12pm to 12am

A La Carte Lunch @ Le Papillon

I had lunch at Le Papillon a few weeks ago. As most of the best dishes were only available on the a la carte menu, my lunch buddies and I decided to go a la carte instead.

Starter



Jasmine Tea Perfumed Chicken Consommé with Foie Gras Tortellini - $18

This is an interesting variation of the Jasmine Tea Perfumed Duck Consommé with Foie Gras Tortellini that I had on a previous visit. I prefer the chicken variation as it has a lighter taste which allows for the gentle flavour of the Jasmine Tea to permeate. As usual, I LOVED the Foie Gras Tortellini for its explosive rich taste! This is a Must-Try!

Side Dish - Served as a 2nd Starter

Sautéed Button Mushrooms with Chopped Parsley - $6

We were hungry so we ordered a side of Sautéed Button Mushrooms with Chopped Parsley to be served as a 2nd starter. Most of us at the table loved mushrooms thus the portion of Button Mushrooms was finished within minutes.

Main



Rigatoni Pasta Tossed in Crustacean Oil, Shaved Bottarga, Tiger Prawns, Seaweed and Arugula Salad - $34.00

After hearing me rave so much about the pasta dish, all but one of my lunch companions ordered the Rigatoni Pasta (which was available as a main course). The rigatoni pasta was al dente. The difference between this version and the one that I had previously was the addition of crunchy shrimp roe (a very popular ingredient in noodle restaurants in Hong Kong). My lunch buddies loved the pasta dish! In fact, one of the girls, LK, was so hooked onto it that she returned shortly after our lunch to have it. I've also been back a few times since to indulge in the pasta dish. This is definitely a MUST-TRY!!!

Pan Roasted Rack of Lamb with Spiced-Eggplant Caviar & Zucchini,
Rosemary Lamb Jus - $40.00

One of the girls had the rack of lamb. She was sweet enough to cut a piece for me, I reciprocated with some of my pasta. It was done perfectly and was succulent! Hmm...this is a dish worth giving up my carbs for...though it is hard to ignore the pasta dish once you've had it.

Desserts

Manchego Cheese Cake with Vanilla & Thyme-Pineapple Compote,
Pedro Ximenez Steeped Figs Ice-cream - $16.00

We ordered 2 desserts to share amongst the 5 gals (all of whom are trying to watch what they eat). The first was a Manchego Cheese Cake. It was an interesting variation of the New York-style Cheesecake as Manchego is a Spanish cheese which is made of sheep's milk and has a pretty savoury flavour. I like savoury stuff! The ice-cream was flavoured with figs that had been steeped in Pedro Ximenez, a Spanish dessert wine. It was a delicious variation to rum & raisin ice-cream! A Must-Try, especially if you like cheese!

Banana, Walnut & Dark Chocolate Soufflé, Candied Walnut
with Rum & Raisin Ice Cream - $16.00
(Preparation time-30 minutes)

That was followed by an awesome Dark Chocolate Soufflé that had chunks of Banana and Walnut embedded in it. It was not too sweet and was delightfully fluffy. The rum and raisin ice cream was divine and tasted like it was home-made. I must ask Chef Anderson if he sells the ice cream! The candied walnut is like the type that we typically get in Chinese restaurants. Though we sometimes get bitter walnuts, I'm glad to say that the ones here are not bitter nor do they have the rancid odour that is present in walnuts that have been kept for too long. In other words, the walnuts are fresh and had a nice smoky flavour of caramelized sugar. This is definitely a Must-Try!

Le Papillon
28 Maxwell Road,
#01-02 Red Dot Traffic Building
Singapore 069120
Tel: +65 6327-4177

Operating Hours:

Monday to Friday : noon to 2.30 pm & 6.30 to 10.30pm
Saturday : 6.30 pm till late (last order @ 10.30pm)

Closed on Sundays & Public Holidays
BYO : Mondays only