Category: Chinese

One of the most common food in the world, but it can be ultra perfect. Chinese can also be considered one of the cheapest restaurants you can get in a suburb.

Segar Restaurant, Singapore

This is quite a late post from my trip to Singapore. Segar Seafood restaurant is sitting at the heart of Chinatown in Singapore.

They had quite a simple menu of assorted seafood and non-seafood dishes at quite an affordable price. If you feel a bit adventurous, you should try their special: Curry Fish Head!

Hotplate Chicken with Dried Chilli – $12

This is for your friends who don’t eat seafood…

Long Beans with Prawns – $10.80

Long bean with shrimp paste and prawns? This is the only way I know how to eat my veggies!

Salted Egg Prawns – $14

Anything salted egg is why I eat so much every time I go to Singapore. So, when I saw this dish at Segar restaurant, I couldn’t help but order.

I love the combination of crunchy deep-fried prawn and the salty/savory taste of the salted egg. I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Assam Curry Fish Head – $20

I know most people in Australia wouldn’t even consider eating fish heads. However, the curry fish head could be considered a delicacy in South East Asian countries.

I love the challenge of going through each part of the fish head. The best thing about it was that the part was always so juicy!

One of the key factors that we chose this restaurant was that the halal certification that they had.

The final verdict for Segar Restaurant:

Segar Restaurant is a quick and affordable restaurant that served pretty nice food.

Do you think I should go?

Getting a halal restaurant in Singapore can be quite challenging. Segar is one of them.

Rating:

Segar Restaurant

7.0 / 10

Taste: 7.0 / 10

Price: $12 – $20 per main dish

Place: 6.5 / 10

Details:

B2-39/40/41, 133 New Bridge Road, Chinatown Point, Singapore 059413

+65 6444 1778

Segar Restaurant on facebook

Nov 6, 2019
Restaurant Nouri – Crossroads Cooking

When I was working in Singapore last week, I managed to have dinner at one of the Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants. Sitting at #39, Restaurant Nouri has only been opened for a couple of years. However, they have already had a Michelin star under their belt.

Chef Ivan Brehm and his team gave us this very interesting dining concept called ‘crossroads cooking’. The dining room is also where the chef prepared all of our meals.

They served four pre-dining dishes. They also advised that we could re-order sourdough bread as many times as we want. This is a very good idea as you would want to soak up all of those nice sauce!

The first two that came with the bread was their rendition of silken tofu and vegetable broth. The tofu was more like a dipping sauce for the bread!

The next two was cold kimchi made from abalone with daikon and nashi pear and Chinese bitter gourd salad. I can understand why the two had to be consumed side-by-side as the bitter gourd was really bitter. It accentuated the kimchi cold and sour taste.

The 7-course ‘Omakase’ from Restaurant Nouri

They had an option of 5- or 7- course menu as well as set or omakase. I could see some of the omakase menu was pretty similar to the set menu.

The first course was Hamachi sashimi with caviar and chilled onion consomme. It was a nice and fresh sashimi with very nice vinaigrette… the reason why you should keep asking for bread!

The second course was their rendition of prawn bouillabaisse with saffron jelly. They used the reduction from the prawn head to make the thick soup.

Their rendition of cheong fun (or rice noodles) was one of my favourites on the night. Not only they used black truffle, underneath that green cheong fun there was Alaskan snow crab! Even the foamy bit was very nice!

The second last main dish was kimedai fish with scales and black pepper sauce. Yes, they prepared the fish with its scaled. The scales were very crunchy and almost like crackers The fish was perfectly cooked and went really well with slightly hot black pepper sauce.

I wouldn’t blame you if you think this next dish as a chocolate cake with truffle. They did incorporate chocolate but only as the powder around the plate.

This dish was actually wagyu rib eye with Mexican’s mole sauce. However, they used the traditional ingredients called ‘keluwak’ to darken the colour.

Desserts at Restaurant Nouri

Before we started with the desserts, there was a bowl of Gooseberry granita with peach and champagne. It was very nice and refreshing!

The first dessert looked quite simple but it was actually pretty sophisticated. The dish was Japanese ichigo with azuki beans, sansho pepper and kinome leaf with strawberry sorbet.

The dish was sweet, sour, cold, crunchy… and hot! Every now and then there was this kick from the sansho pepper that made the dish very lively.

The last dish was 48-hour baked orange with assam tea ice cream, cream and some jelly that tasted quite bitter.

I have never tasted something quite like this before.

The final verdict for Restaurant Nouri

Restaurant Nouri clearly deserved its Michelin star and the #39 spot in the Asia’s Best 50 restaurants. They have a unique table arrangement and impeccable service.

Do you think I should go?

Definitely! Chef Ivan will surely treat you well!

Rating:

Nouri

9.5 / 10

Taste: 9.5 / 10

Price: $225 pp for 7-course Omakase

Place: 10.0 / 10

Details:

72 Amoy Street, Singapore 069891

+65 6221 4148

http://nouri.com.sg/

Aug 1, 2019
Ellenborough Market Cafe

Ellenborough Market Cafe Review:

When I went to Singapore last month, we went to a buffet restaurant called Ellenborough Market Cafe in Swissotel Merchant Court. The dining area was nicely decorated with a little pool of water in the middle. We also could see a couple of chefs hand-rolling our dumplings. It was a very nice first impression to the restaurant.

Before I start talking about the food, I just want to say that the review below did not include every available menu on offer at the restaurant. There were just too many of them!

Bain-Marie

The list was quite extensive in the bain-marie section as it tries to cater to almost every demographics in Singapore. The ones in the slide below are: lobster (however it looked more of a Balmain bug in Sydney), otak-otak ( a traditional dish from the region), and babi pongteh (slow braised pork).

Seafood

The seafood options were very extensive. It is probably even more than some Japanese restaurants in Sydney. You can find 2 different sashimi, 4 sushi, baby octopus, seaweed. There are also cold seafood dishes like prawn, crab, mussels and escargot. In addition to the fresh seafood area, they also provided hot and cooked versions.

Others

There is a dish that I’m not familiar about but sit at a very prominent location. The dish is called Kueh Pie Tee. It was more of a DIY station than a complete set. They also have the roast meat section, cheese and salad.

Desserts

One of the most amazing things about this restaurant is the availability of (not just one, but) two durian dishes! I always thought you could not bring durian into the hotel. But then again, the durian in the restaurant wasn’t exuding that lovely (or horrible, depending on whether you are team durian or not) smell.

One was more on a creamy side and the other, deep fried!

If durian is not your thing, they also have a whole display full of desserts.

The Final Verdict for Ellenborough Market Cafe:

All you can eat lobster and durian? and did you also see that sashimi and fresh snails? I’m sure you know what my verdict is.

Do you think I should go?

When you are ever in Singapore and are in needs of a buffet, Ellenborough Market Cafe will be a good fit for you!

Rating:

8.5 / 10

Taste: 8.5 / 10

Price: S$68 dinner buffet

Place: 8.5 / 10

Details:

20 Merchant Road, Level 1 Swissotel Merchant Court 058281

+65 6239 1847

Ellenborough Market Cafe at Swissotel

Jun 3, 2019
Chinese Dumpling Master

Chinese Dumpling Master Review:

If you think you have seen a deja vu with this post, you can be forgiven. We reviewed a very similar Chinese restaurant that championed dumpling and also located in Newtown last month.

Chinese Dumpling Master is located more on the Enmore side. The restaurant itself was quite small. You usually won’t miss it because there is always a queue to dine in at the restaurant.

If you look at some of the menu items below, you will understand why.

Chicken, Onion & Coriander – $12.8 – Pan-fried Dumpling

When you named your restaurant ‘Chinese Dumpling Master’, the odds won’t be too high for people to order dumplings. They have quite a few options for the dumpling. We chose the chicken, onion and coriander on that day. You could also have the dumpling boiled, steamed or pan-fried.

The pan-fried dumpling was a tad too oily. However, the taste was spot on.

If you order a dozen of the dumplings, it would only cost just a little over $1. Even at $7.80 for a half portion, it works out to only be $1.30 a piece… a bargain!

Xinjiang Fried Noodle with Beef – $13.8

Just like the dumpling, the noodle was also pretty oily. The portion was pretty generous, considering it costs less than $15.

Shallot Pancake – $8.8 – 8 pieces

Strangely enough, the one that I would expect to be super oily, turned out to be the least of the dishes that we ordered on the night. The pancake was very nice and crunchy. However, I think I would rather get more dumplings than having these pancakes as the dumpling was actually cheaper than the pancakes.

The final verdict for Chinese Dumpling Master

Chinese Dumpling Master offered good dumplings with very reasonable price. However, you will most likely be forced to wait for a table unless you are eating an early dinner there.

Do you think I should go?
If you can afford to wait, then yes. However, there are a few Chinese options around the area that has a similar offering.

Rating for Chinese Dumpling Master:

7.0 / 10

Taste: 7.0 / 10

Price: $11 – $16 per main dish

Place: 7.0 / 10

Details:

Shop 2 /63-71 Enmore Road, Newtown 2042

+61 2 8959 5725

Dec 13, 2018
Holy Duck

Holy Duck Review:

Personally, I have never been a big fan of going to Kensington Street. Finding a parking can be quite challenging. Public transport is probably the best option. So, when a friend suggested us to have dinner at Holy Duck, I was actually quite intrigued at the prospect of coming to Kensington Street. It was the end of winter and it was raining that day.

The menu had quite a few ducks on but they also served some of the usual Chinese dishes with a twist.

Crispy Rice Balls – $12 – with seasonal salad & Shanghainese sweet & sour sauce (4 pcs)

The crispy rice balls were a decent dish to start the night. They put a generous serving of salad. The rice balls were crunchy and soft at the same time. It was delightful.

Signature Crispy Duck – $68 – whole duck served with steamed pancakes, hoisin sauce, cucumber & shallots

Signature crispy duck is probably the dish you would want to try in a restaurant called Holy Duck. The duck came with the usual sides: steam pancakes, hoisin sauce, cucumber and shallots. However, unlike your usual Chinese restaurant, the crispy duck was very crispy with very tender meat.

If you are not in a big group, you might want to try the quarter or half a duck instead.

Seafood Ee-fu Noodles – $29 – cooked in lobster bisque garnished with butter, ginger & shallots

The seafood ee-fu noodles was meant to be ordered for our little one. However, after reading the ingredients and looking at the actual plate on the table, I think we also want to try it!

It was quite a big plate of noodles with quite a lot of seafood on it… and did I mention it was cooked in lobster bisque?

Steamed Chinese Greens – $17 – with oyster sauce.

Steamed Chinese greens is a dish that we always tried to order for our ‘green’ plate. Just like the other plates, the portion was quite generous.

Handmade Pink Salt & Black Sesame Egg & Spinach Tofu – $19

The egg and spinach tofu came up last and by that time we were already quite full. I think we ordered a tad too much. The dish itself was pretty good.

The final verdict for Holy Duck

Holy Duck’s signature crispy duck is the thing that made our trip to Kensington Street worthwhile.

Do you think I should go?

If you like duck, I’m sure you are going to enjoy their Signature Crispy Duck.

Rating for Holy Duck:

7.5 / 10

Taste: 8.0 / 10

Price: $40 – $50 per person

Place: 7.5 / 10

Details:

The Old Rum Store, 2-10 Kensington Street, Chippendale

+61 2 9281 0080

http://www.holyduck.com.au/

Nov 29, 2018
Dumpling King

Dumpling King Review:

Dumpling King is a Chinese restaurant located in Newtown, Sydney. The restaurant is quite unassuming and look pretty ordinary from the outside.

Shallot Pancake – $10.90

We always ordered shallot pancake in a Chinese restaurant because it has always been my little one’s favourite. The shallot pancake in the restaurant was pretty huge.

Pan Fried Chicken and Cabbage Dumplings – $12.50 – 12 pieces

I guess when you are in a place called ‘Dumpling King’, the only thing that mattered was the dumplings. They have a few different options for the dumplings and our choice went to the chicken and cabbage, pan fried. 12 dumplings for $12 is not a bad deal at all!

Shandong Chicken – $19.90 – Crispy Skinned Chicken in a delicious brown vinegar and shallot sauce

Shandong chicken is my staples when eating at a Chinese restaurant. We received quite a decent portion. However, the chicken was still sub-par compared to their dumplings.

Stir Fried Handmade noodles with lamb – $14.90

The other menu that we felt we had to try was the handmade noodles. Their noodles are actually pretty good and not too oily.

You could also have beef and chicken for the noodles.

The final verdict for Dumpling King

$12 for 12 dumplings is a good value, regardless of its taste. However, the dumplings at Dumpling King were pretty big and tasty.

I would be pretty happy if we were only ordering the noodles and dumplings the next time we visited the restaurant. Those two stood out above the rest.

Do you think I should go?
If you are around the area and are in need of a good dumpling, then by all means!

Rating for Dumpling King:

7.0 / 10

Taste: 7.0 / 10

Price: $11 – $20 per dish

Place: 7.0 / 10

Details:

194 King Street, Newtown 2042

+61 2 9557 2188

Dumpling King on facebook

Nov 5, 2018