Al Forno – Comforting Italian Fare

Posted on September 24, 2011 by K

Al Forno is a cosy Italian restaurant located along East Coast Road. The restaurant expanded across the street – there is a branch right opposite the main restaurant.  Both shops share the same menu/resources. On that particular night, we saw a cute Italian waiter bringing bread across the street from the main shop to the branch.

The place was running at full capacity on a Wednesday night! I’m glad we made a reservation. We started off our dinner with a starter (no pun intended) –

SAUTE di VONGOLE (Clams tossed with garlic, white wine, parsley & olive oil) – The clams came in a basin (Literally!). The serving size was huge for a starter – do order to share. The shellfish tasted delicately sweet but nothing too special.

SPAGHETTI CARTOCCIO (Spaghetti with mixed seafood, capers, olives and a dash of chilli in tomato sauce) – We were disappointed with the house’s best seller. The pasta was far from al dente – I know that this cooking method (first boiled, wrapped in foil and baked) might make the pasta alittle softer than usual but it should not be soggy!  The only commendable part of this dish was the generous serving of fresh seafood (Read: Clams, mussels, crayfish, prawns & squid)

PIZZA SAPORITA (Tomato, mozzarella cheese, ham, eggs & parmesan cheese) – The pizza here is VERY GOOD. The restaurant serves freshly made pizza – they have a traditional wood fire oven in the restaurant. The homemade dough was chewy and slightly crusty on the outside.

Tiramisu and Chocolate Parfait (from Back) – The tiramisu here was a very good rendition of the famous Italian dessert! The chocolate parfait was equally outstanding – we can taste a good balance of dark chocolate and cocoa liqueur. We were very satisfied with our desserts.

Overall, Al Forno has its own charm – which explains the full house on a weekday. The food here is unpretentious and of good value. Moreover, you can waiter watch too. 🙂

Al Forno
Tel: +65 6348 8781 (Reservations Recommended)
Add: 400 East Coast Road Singapore 428996
Opening Hours: Daily, Lunch 12noon – 2pm, Dinner 6.30pm – 10.30pm
Spend: $31 per pax

Posted in Italian, Paya Lebar, Restaurant | 1 Comment

[Ipoh] Street Food – The Best Way to Explore Ipoh is through the Stomach

Posted on September 22, 2011 by P

As some of you may already know – I was back in Ipoh a few weeks back on an emergency trip to visit my ailing grandmother. To those who asked – my granny pulled through 🙂 my sincere appreciation towards your concern.

Despite the fully-packed and serious nature of the trip, I managed to steal some time to curb my cravings for Ipoh’s famously good food. There’s simply too much good stuff to note down so I am just gonna share some personal favorites here —

RESTORAN TUCK KEE – Sesame Chicken & Roasted Meat

Tuck Kee’s chicken is definitely the best Sesame Chicken (pardon me, I actually forgot the real name of this dish but it seems like sesame chicken to me) I have tasted – the chicken used is not your typical farm chicken but Malaysia’s famed kampung chicken. The tough texture of the kampung chicken makes our soft/’powdery’ singapore chicken seem like an inferior sibling.

I heard the roasted meat is also worth a try there – they even have a take-away counter for roasted meat only right outside the restaurant!

Tuck Kee Restaurant
Tel: +605 – 254 1906 / 241 9071
Add: 1, Persiaran Tokong,
Pasir Pinji, 31650 Ipoh, Perak, Malaysia.
Opening Hours: lunch and dinner daily

LOU WONG – Beansprout, Meatballs & Hor Fun

Ipoh’s famous Beansprout chicken is another MUST TRY (I found Tuck Kee’s chicken is way better). According to the locals, Ipoh’s beansprouts and Hor Fun are so unique because of Ipoh’s water quality. I can’t get enough of those greasy and smooth Hor Fun which goes so well with my favorite handmade meat balls!

I am not certain that Lou Wong is the best in Ipoh as I have tried Onn Kee (next door of Lou Wong) and felt both are similarly good. I also heard from my folks that there are even better ones out there which I shall pester them to bring me to the next time round, heh.

Restoran Lou Wong Tauge Ayam Kuetiau
Address: 49, Jalan Yau Tet Shin,
30300 Ipoh, Perak,
Malaysia
Opening Hours: Opens for lunch and dinner daily (Not sure if they have rest day..but if they do, just try Onn Kee which is next door.)

GREEN TOWN CORNER – Kaya Toast

I liked the kaya toast at Green Town because of its crispy outside and soft inside all packed in one slice of beautiful toast. And while I am there, I cannot resist not picking a few pieces of those lovely handmade yong tau foo that is so fresh, generously filled and tasty!

Green Town Corner
Add:  Click on above link

SIN ENG HEONG – Kaya ‘Kok’ (Kaya Puff)

 

I was told that much patience is required if you would like to try these awesome Kaya Koks. Fortunately the queue was not overly long when I dropped by in the late morning – however, we were only limited to 5 pcs per pax.
After sinking my teeth into one of those lovely puffs – I instantly understood why this puff is so popular. For a wild moment, I was inspired to derive my own recipe and creat a kaya puff craze here in Singapore…*and then I woke up to reality*.

Sin Eng Heong Foodstuff Manufacturers
Tel: +605- 2439659, or +6012-4534596
Add: No. 64, Jalan Mustapha Al-Bakri, Jalan Clare, 30300 Ipoh, Perak.
Opening Hours: 9am – 9pm (Mon – Sat), 9am – 6pm (Sun)

FOH SAN – Dim Sum

My folks told me this is the most popular Dim Sum place in Ipoh – crowded from the moment it opens and one needs to wait & snatch for his/her own table!


The quality is not too bad given the price – their giant fishball, fried carrot cake, pan fried cheong fun and yam ball (and I heard the xiao long baos) are a few items that are worth trying! Otherwise, I thought Singapore restaurants (Wah lok, Shang Palace, Ba Xian) serve up higher quality/more exquisite looking Dim Sums.

Foh San Dim Sum Restaurant
Tel: +605 2540308
Add: 51 Jln Leong Sin Nam,
30300 Ipoh, Perak
Opening Hours: Starts at 6.30am till ? (closed on Tuesdays)

That’s all that I shall recommend in this segment of Ipoh delights.
By now, I think you understand exactly what I meant when I said – The best way to explore Ipoh is through the stomach!

Posted in Ipoh - Malaysia, Local | Leave a comment

[Ho Chi Minh City] Market 39 – Hello Saigon

Posted on September 20, 2011 by K

I will be based in HCMC for the next few months – can’t wait to explore the restaurants here. My current list includes Hoa Tuc, Pho 2000 (Mr. Clinton ate here), La Villa French, La Hostaria, Sushi bar etc. Fellow foodies – kindly leave a comment if you have any good recommendations in HCMC.

My first meal in HCMC was @ Market 39 (located in the lobby of Intercontinental Asiana Saigon – nice hotel, will review separately).

PHO BO  –  RICE NOODLES with premium grain fed Australian beef

I started my Vietnam journey with a piping hot & tasty bowl of pho – Hello Saigon!

Market 39
Tel: +84-8-35209999
Add: Corner Hai Ba Trung, St & Le Duan BL, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
Opening Hours: Daily, 6am – 10pm
Spend: 190,000++ VND or $12++

Read [Ho Chi Minh City] Up Cafe – Up Up and Away
Read [Ho Chi Minh City] L’usine – P.S. I Love You Too
Read [Ho Chi Minh City] Starbucks is going to Saigon!
Read [Ho Chi Minh City] 15 Things to do in Saigon
Read [Ho Chi Minh City] Trung Nguyen Coffee – The Saigon Starbucks
Read [Ho Chi Minh City] Intercontinental Asiana Saigon
Read [Ho Chi Minh City] Banh Cuon – Delicious Rice Rolls
Read Itacho Sushi vs. [Ho Chi Minh City] Sushi Bar – The Battle of Sushi
Read [Ho Chi Minh City] A Beautiful Vietnamese Wedding
Read [Ho Chi Minh City] Plant Canteen Food – Reasonably Tasty

Posted in Ho Chi Minh City - Vietnam, Restaurant, Vietnamese | 2 Comments

Imperial Treasure Super Peking Duck – An Extraordinary Bird

Posted on September 18, 2011 by K

This is one of my favourite lunch spots. I can still remember how excited I was when I first tasted the Peking duck here with W. He will be returning to his homeland soon – I will definitely miss my duck eating companion dearly.

The restaurant is famous for its Peking duck – I guess the name could not be more explicit. W & I crowned the duck here THE BEST in Singapore.  Paradise Pavilion’s version did not even come close (Paradise hired chefs from the famous Quan Ju De Peking duck restaurant in China) . To be honest, I was also not impressed when I tried Quan Ju De in Beijing. Well…..to each of his her own.


Onions, cucumbers, hosin sauce,  sugar & handmade crepes were served first – the critical ingredients to complement the Peking duck.


The star is finally here! The experienced server sliced our duck to perfection in less than 5 minutes. The ducks in Imperial were roasted over lychee wood to induce a sweet distinctive aroma.

We were first served the premium cut – the skin of the duck’s back. You will be advised by the server to eat it with a little sugar (Which is interesting).  It tasted heavenly as usual!

The rest of the duck was served shortly. The skin was crisp with little fats (which I like) and the meat was startlingly succulent.

Overall, Imperial Treasure serves a winning duck!  The other dishes here are competently executed but the bird is the real star here – That’s the reason why we came back over and over again.

Do pre-order the Peking duck when you make reservations otherwise you might end up very disappointed or waiting for a long time.

Imperial Treasure Super Peking Duck
Tel: +65 6732 7838 (Reservations Recommended)
Add: 290 Orchard Road, #05-42/45 The Paragon, Singapore
Opening Hours: Mon-Fri 11.30am–2.45pm, 6pm – 10.30pm, Sat 11am-3pm, 6pm-10,30pm, Sun 10.30am- 3pm, 6pm-10.30pm
Spend: $38 per pax ($68++ for Peking Duck)

Posted in Chinese, Orchard, Restaurant | 3 Comments

Gunther’s – Where there is Reason for More

Posted on September 13, 2011 by P

Its been quite awhile, folks – I am finally back from Ipoh (praise God my granny is OK despite a bad fall). Clearly, the purpose of my trip was not for leisure…but I did manage to steal some time to indulge in some Ipoh favorites (will post soon)!

Some weeks back, I visited Gunther’s upon recommendation from a fellow foodie (thanks, TheHungryMan1970!). The restaurant is located among the rows of shop houses along Purvis Street.

The interior of the restaurant is modern, simplistic and dimly-lit – with French music playing softly in the background (Ediff Piaf, according to my lunch partner, V). The dining area we were in holds around 6 tables or 20 pax – I was told by a waiter that the restaurant has a total capacity of 20 tables and can hold ~60 pax.

V and I went with the intention of trying the Set Lunch ($38++) – however, we soon succumbed to what the Degustation Menu ($128++) has to offer. Knowing that many restaurants require all patrons on the same table to opt for the Degustation Menu if one decides to go for it – V and I decided to push our luck anyway…and to our utmost delight, the Chef De Rang (Mageswaran) said it was fine for us to share one Degustation Menu and one Set Lunch between the both of us – oh, happiness!

BREAD – warm, hard crusted and soft on the inside…exactly how I like it! I ended up eating 2 of these heavenly doughs while waiting for the Amuse Bouche – which never came (At Gunther’s, they apparently do not serve Amuse Bouche…).

From the Degustation Menu, we had —

COLD ANGEL HAIR PASTA, Oscietra caviar – Served cold, it is refreshing and leaves you wanting more. Definitely signature dish-worthy and gives every reason to revisit Gunther’s just for a plate of this goodness.


GRILLED SCALLOP, Provencale style – I enjoyed the distinct smoky taste of this dish which is quite unusual given that I usually have my scallops seared. The sweetness of the tomatoes complimented the scallops very well.

EGG FONDANT, grilled seasonal mushrooms, Spanish ham – One of the more creative dishes of the day – all the flavors married well together.

GRILLED LAMB RACK, natural jus – instantly reminded me of the lamb racks I had at La Folie (BEST EVER!). These lamb racks convinced me that I should not write off lamb racks over beef steaks so quickly in future!

FINE APPLE TART “a la dragees”, Havana rum raisin ice-cream – officially my favourite apple tart in town.

From the Set Lunch, we had —

POULTRY CONSOMME, ROAST FOIE GRAS – Foie gras was OK but we found the consomme too light for our liking.


PAN FRIED THREADFIN, mash potatoes – the fish skin seems to be overdone and the fish overall failed to impress. We did enjoy how smooth and creamy the mash potato was though.

PANNA COTTA IN TEA – was never a panna cotta fan…but this one good tea-infused panna cotta definitely left an impression in me!

PETIT FOURS – nothing worth special mentioning except that the outer shell of the canele was simply too tough for me (not sure if its intended that way?)

Overall, Gunther’s exceeded my expectation – food in the degustation menu was top-notch (I would recommend to skip the Set Lunch) and of good value, too. The service was also quite remarkable – Mageswaran was attentive throughout and was patient enough to explain the details of each dish to us.

Reasons to go back to Gunther’s for more – 1) unforgettable signature dishes 2) wonderful service 3) great value.

Gunther’s
Tel: +65 6338 8955 (Reservations Recommended)
Add: 36 Purvis Street #01-03 Singapore 188613
Opening Hours: Daily, 12pm – 2.30pm, 6.30pm – 10.30pm (closed on Sundays)
Spend: $111 Per Pax (Sharing of one Set Lunch, one Degustation Menu and one wine)

Posted in Bugis, Fine Dining, French, Modern | 1 Comment