Snippets of [Shanghai]

Posted on December 7, 2012 by K

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佳家汤包 – 佳家 is a very popular choice for this local snack.  The shop was fully packed at 3pm and most of the XLBs were sold out already (including the salted egg & pork XLB that I wanted to try). 😦

We settled for the crab & pork XLB – They tasted awesome and pretty much on par with DTF. That’s a huge compliment coming from the #1 DTF fan. 🙂 I also liked the duck blood soup  – a childhood favourite to order at the yong tou foo stall.

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红宝石 – Cotton soft, fluffy cakes with really fresh cream. THUMBS UP.

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尧尧蟹王 – This is the jolly season for hairy crabs! We picked a crab of each gender so that we get the best out of both worlds. 🙂 I like the female crab better – The roe was creamy and sweet. The accompanying dip (vinegar with ginger bits and sugar) brought out the freshness of the crab very well.

The mala snails turned out to be a fantastic decision. I decided that I like anything “mala”. Maybe, a trip to Sichuan next? 😛

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Jean-Georges – Located at three on the Bund with a fantastic view of 外滩. We had the signature brunch set. Every item was exceptionally well executed – My personal fave was the smoked salmon on baked potatoes slices topped with a mini sunny side up! The brunch was served with a variety of quality bread, pastries, fresh juice & tea.

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小杨生煎 – Do you know that pan fried dumplings can be juicer than soup dumplings? 小杨 made it possible! These dumplings were so addictive that we went back nth times over the weekend. 🙂  

这次上海之旅超感动的 – 和好友品尝飙泪美食, 疯狂逛H＆M, “nth” 次泡吧矢败, 半夜聊生活, “投资” Starbucks, 陪好友疗伤, 体验当地的文化……我想我爱上上海了. 🙂

Posted in Chinese, Restaurant, Shanghai - China, Take-Away | Leave a comment

Majestic Restaurant vs. Chu Dao

Posted on November 24, 2012 by K

Majestic restaurant and Chu Dao are both known for their innovative Chinese cuisine in Singapore.  We decided to go out of our Chinese restaurant comfort zone i.e. Imperial, Paradise Group…. and try out the two well reviewed restaurants.

Majestic Restaurant                         Majestic restaurant is housed in a boutique hotel on Bukit Pasoh Road

The Must OrderStewed Mee Sua with Baby Abalone – The irresistible noodle dish contained a generous number of baby abalones! The soft mee sua absorbed the seafood goodness from the thick broth and tasted wayyy fab.

The Innovative

[LEFT] Lychee Siew Mai – I was expecting an interesting dish that would harmonize both ingredients seamlessly. However, the dish turns out to be exactly how it looked – A lychee placed on top of a siew mai. The overly sweet sauce drenched on the siew mai was unnecessary too 😦
[RIGHT] Sliced Peking Duck with Pan-seared Foie Gras and Banana topped with Black Cavier. Each item on this plate was well executed but again the binding factor was missing.

The Dessert
[LEFT] Chilled Mao Shan Wang Durian with Gula Malacca
[RIGHT] Crispy Durian Ice Cream

Chu Dao


Chu Dao is located along Joo Chiat Place (Near to the little Vietnam)

The Must Order

[LEFT] Peking Duck – The signature dish in Chu Dao and some said that it’s on par with Imperial Treasure Super Peking Duck.

Verdict – We are going back to the super peking duck. 🙂 Taste is subjective.

[RIGHT] Duck Soup with Tofu, Mushroom & Salted Vegetable – We took the recommended soup option for the second serving of the duck. This is excellent – almost comparable to our favourite salted vegetable duck soup in Ole Sayang.

The Innovative

[LEFT]  Stewed Pork Ribs & Pumpkin in Mini Pumpkin – LOVE the presentation. The pork ribs were tender and tasty.
[RIGHT] Homemade Egg Bean Curd with Shrimp Paste, Crabmeat & Roe in Pi Pa Style – A dish that goes very well with white rice. The sauce tasted rich and comforting but we agreed that it’s not salty enough. An additional pinch of salt would have work wonders.

The Dessert
Chilled Cream of Mango Sago and Taro Paste with Pumpkin and Gingko Nuts – The desserts were unimpressive. We should have moved on for better desserts.

Overall – both Majestic Restaurant and Chu Dao served above average Chinese food but nothing was really memorable that we would go out of the way for a round 2. The mainstream Chinese restaurants in Singapore are good enough to satisfy our fine Chinese food cravings.

Majestic Restaurant
Tel: +65-6511 4718
Opening Hours: 11.45 am to 3 pm & 6.30 pm to 11pm, Daily
Add: 31 Bukit Pasoh Road  089845

Chu Dao
Tel: +65 63441925
Opening Hours: 11:30am – 14:30pm & 6pm-11pm, Daily
Add:#01-01, 45 Joo Chiat Place, S427769

Posted in Chinatown, Chinese, Fine Dining, Paya Lebar, Restaurant | Leave a comment

Ding Tai Fung – Truffle Xiao Long Bao

Posted on November 18, 2012 by K

I love Ding Tai Fung.

DTF = Outstanding quality, reasonable prices and consistent standard. It is one of my favourite meal places.

Truffle Xiao Long Bao (with DTF’s signature 18 intricate folds) – This is sinfully good but after the second piece, the taste became overwhelming. I guess I prefer my truffles on fries. 😛

The truffles were air flown from France and there was a generous piece in each XLB which explained the $4 a pop price tag. These XLBs were served only to foreign dignitaries and important guests back in Taiwan. This is now offered exclusively in a few of their Singapore branches (Including Katong I12).

I like these seasonal XLB offered by DTF. I tried the chili crab, chocolate, truffle and mini XLBs till date! I had to take leave to try the mini XLBs previously because DTF served them only in the Paragon branch on weekdays. See what I would do for XLBs! 🙂

Overall, truffle XLB is good but the humble pork XLB is better.

Ding Tai Fung
Tel: +65 6636 3909
Opening Hours: Please call (Note that Katong’s DTF opens for supper too)
Add:  112 Katong, 112 East Coast Road #01-04 Singapore 428802
Spent: $40 per pax (Truffle XLB, $4 per piece and $38 for 10 pieces)

Posted in Paya Lebar, Restaurant, Taiwanese | Leave a comment

[Sydney] Double Roasters – Definitely worth the Double Visit

Posted on November 16, 2012 by P

Located in Marrickville (a place once known for its array of vietnamese eateries that has since evolved to become home of many great cafes), Double Roasters is primarily known for its awesome/aromatic freshly roasted beans.

With my rather vibrant cafe-hopping lifestyle of late, this cafe managed to impress my brunch buddy (M) and I quite abit we found ourselves returning to the same place within a span of 1 week.

Visit #1

Shopfront of this establishment which took over the venue of an old warehouse


[LEFT] Interior of the cafe – very in line with the current trends of rusticity and industrial-feel
[RIGHT] Open kitchen – coffee making and food preparation bench behind the till. Their coffee roasting area is located behind the open kitchen and accessible to anyone who is interested to take a peek.


MENU – the very cute illustration on the menu drew my attention 🙂


[LEFT] LATTE
[RIGHT] MOCHA – notice the random gold and silver spoons on each beverage…they have a massive collection of random classy vintage teaspoons that comes with every hot beverage you order – I LIKE such randomness!


[LEFT] CROQUE MONSIEUR ($10) – such a wonder that something as simple as a grilled ham and cheese sandwich can taste this good….one of those great inventions by the Parisians!
[RIGHT] DOUBLE ROASTERS HOUSE-MADE BAKED BEANS with EGGS PROSCIUTTO  & SPINACH ($12) – Poached eggs and beans were average….unlike prosciutto which can never go wrong.


Around the corner, Bourke Street Bakery – simply could NOT resist leaving this place without popping by for some sausage rolls and tarts. Self control -> FAIL.

Visit #2
Exactly 1 week later: After a hearty brunch at Cornersmith, M & I headed back to Double Roasters hoping to try their Corn & Zucchini Fritters which was sold out during our previous visit. Unfortunately, the fritters were not available on that day – apparently, they serve it on weekends and SOME weekdays ONLY…tough luck!

Since we were already there, we could not resist leaving empty-stomached (figuratively)….


[LEFT] GINGER & MINT ICED TEA – refreshing, rather mild and totally delightful! The perfect consolation drink for those who have to swear off coffee for one reason or another 🙂
[RIGHT] Caramel Slice ($3.50) – exceeded expectations

Overall, Double Roasters offers great coffee and a very attractive menu – both in variety and pricing. Capacity wise, this establishment is rather spacious with seats both indoors and out (very kid-friendly, too). Parking unlikely to pose as a problem with the ample amount of street parking available along Victoria Road.

Double Roasters on Urbanspoon

Posted in All-Day Breakfast, Australian, Café, Sydney - Australia | 2 Comments

Marutama Ramen – Still My Favourite Ramen

Posted on November 14, 2012 by K

Marutama Ramen at United Square

There is a ramen craze in Singapore with big names opening every so often.  Even one of the top restaurants in town (Iggy) jumped on the ramen bandwagon recently and opened Uma Uma ramen.

Marutama Ramen entered the Singapore market several years ago and expanded to the current 4 branches. The flagship store in Central is still attracting long queues during meal times. 🙂


[LEFT] Marutama Ramen – Ramen in chicken stock topped with melt-in-the-mouth char siu and runny egg. TWO THUMBS UP, I think I can eat this everyday.
[RIGHT] Yaki Char Siu (Grilled roast pork)  – This is ohhh-so-good! Very well flavoured tender pork with crispy skin. I love the simplistic plating too

The sides in Marutama are definitely worth a try. My recommendations are the yaki char siu, daikon and gyoza.

Overall – Marutama ramen remains as my favourite ramen place despite the highly competitive ramen scene in Singapore.

Marutama Ramen
Tel: 6352 6369
Opening Hours: Mon-Fri: 11.30am-2.30pm, 5.30pm-9.30pm & Sat-Sun: 11.30am-9.30pm
Add: 101 Thomson Road #B1-07/08 United Square, Singapore 307591
Spent: $28 per pax

Posted in Japanese, Novena, Restaurant | Leave a comment