Dinner with Rice (:

Here are some of the home dishes that mum whips up to go with plain white rice. (:

Pork Ribs Marinated in Red Yeast



Steamed Pomfret (Teochew Style)



Crispy Tempura Prawns


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Lunch at Wahiro

Year 2009 has started, so it also means that school will be starting very, very soon. As a start-of-school-year treat, my parents brought me to Wahiro at Goldhill Plaza (Katong is pretty far, and Dad might find it a little squeezy) for their kushiyaki. (grilled skewered items)

They have pretty good set lunches, so Mum got this Wahiro Set that comes with a little of everything.



I had the Tempura Set(shown above), while Dad had the Yanagawa-nabe set. Of course I also ordered ala-carte kushiyaki!



From left: Chicken Skin (Kawa), Beef Tongue (Gyu Tan), Chicken (Tori)
I really enjoyed the beef tongue, because it's been a really long time since I last had such a thick meaty cut of it. Some parts were too well done, but the rest with pink centres were really delicious! Kawa was chewy and crisp at the edges.

Goodbye 2008, Hello 2009! (and school!)

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New Year: "Hae Zhor" Prawn Rolls

These are a family specialty: "Hae Zhor", or Hokkien Prawn Rolls.

My grand-aunt does it the traditional way: wrapping prawn meat, water chestnut and minced pork in membrane derived from pigs' organs. It may sound gruesome, but some sausages also utilise the same natural membrane as a casing. First, it has to be steamed to ensure the ingredients are cooked. It is then coated in batter and deep fried to a crispy golden brown!


Hae Zhor in batter ready for deep-frying!

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Mum's Tigerskin Omelette!!

Awesome stripey "tigerskin" pattern on this omelette, huh? This is another one of Mum's groovy experiments. There are prawns, cai poh and long beans inside!

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Mum's Experiments: Crispy Seafood Noodle (Sheng Mian)

I love Crispy Hong Kong Noodle with Gravy (Sheng Mian 生面)! The crispy bits are the best, but the noodles with the gravy are tasty! The noodle is crowned with a treasure trove of goodies: Sotong, Prawns, Mushrooms, Sliced Pork and Veggies! Delicious!!

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DIY: Surf 'n Turf Kushiyaki

I love all things grilled, especially flame-grilled or charcoal-grilled meats and carbs. Kushiyaki is the Japanese rendition of our Singaporean Satay, which is charcoal-grilled meats and other food on skewers or bamboo sticks.

At Japanese restaurants you can sometimes get awesome cuts and grades of meat. My favourites are the beef karubi and tongue (gyu tan). Every kushiyaki chef also takes pride in his "Tare" (タレ) marinade. For premium marbled beef, just a sprinkle of sea salt is sufficient! The only thing we can't emulate at home is the charcoal grill so we had to use a hot pan instead.

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Dining Out: Disappointing Dim Sum at Orchard

At first I wanted to eat dim sum at Junction 8's Crystal Jade, since it was just a MRT stop away. Instead, Dad wanted to eat somewhere with the traditional dim sum "push-cart", so we ended up at Xin Fu Yin Cha Fortunate Restaurant joint in the Orchard area. Sadly, the food was very disappointing, and there wasn't even any push cart.

The sauces and gravy (especially for the Sheng Mian we ordered) were too starchy and had lumps of starch. Mum told this to the waitress but she didn't seem to respond at all.



The Har Gao was probably one of the better dim sum, though the skin could be improved.



Oh well, but we discovered a little small place selling handmade Xiao Long Bao and Jiao Zi. The lady actually makes the Xiao Long Bao at the window for passers-by to see. They looked really good, and meat filling was generous! Too bad I didn't get to try it. It's loated near the Dim Sum Restaurant at International Building.

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Jamie: Tomato Seafood Bisque

Just when I said I was going to make seafood bisque, my cousin beat me to it!

This is Jamie's Tomato Seafood Bisque! It tastes as delicious as it looks! (:

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Mum's Recipe: Seafood Platter!

We had a Seafood Platter of Prawn Fritters and Calamari today! Went well with Kwepie Mayonnaise, Tartar Sauce, Ketchup and even Ranch Dressing!

Prawn Fritters

Not your usual Ebi Tempura, Mum used another kind of batter which makes it ever lighter than the Tempura batter. This batter creates a thin but crispy layer which envelops the flesh within.. Awesome!!


Calamari

Delicious Fried Squid Rings using Panko as the batter! They were crispy on the outside, and chewy-licious inside! Definitely one of my favourite fried finger snacks! :)

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Dim Sum at Wah Lok Cantonese Restaurant

One of those special occasions where we went to eat dim sum at a grand Chinese restaurant. My favourite dim sum restaurant has always been Ah Yat Abalone Forum restaurant at Allson Hotel, and my family always go there during special occasions since young. Their standards are still good, and being a regular, we are known by the warm and friendly staff there. I am known as the "Goose Web Girl" for setting record high of downing 8 goose webs in a row when I was a kid.

Anyway, we decided to try out the other dim sum restaurants and decided on Wah Lok Cantonese Restaurant at Carlton Hotel for lunch. We had lots of dim sum, cold dishes and a couple of heavenly double-boiled soups plus sago dessert.

Cold Pig's Trotter with Jellyfish is a must-order cold appetizer dish. It's slippery, QQ texture is delicious! I also love cold jellyfish! As you can see, I really enjoy food with a good bite to them.



Har Gao, a prawn dumpling dim sum, is a must-order for us. The prawns are really "crunchy" and plump, and the skin translucent.



Crystal Vegetable Dumpling, just the way Mum likes it: Lots of veggies and little meat!



Another favourite order: Steamed Chicken Feet!! Yes, I love feet of all kinds, be it chicken, duck, goose or pig! Meat with bones in them really do bring out the carnivore within! :D



This is something new we ordered; if I remember correctly, it is Abalone Pastry. A very unique dim sum which my Mum loved at first bite!



Shown above is some sweet pastry dim sum...



The soup Mum had (and I stole quite a bit of) is Double-boiled Winter Melon Soup. This was really fantastic. I've always appreciated Cantonese cuisine for their amazingly good double-boiled soup and superior stocks. Rich in flavour yet not overwhelming or too heavy. (:

Wah Lok Cantonese Restaurant
Address:
76 Bras Basah Road
2F Carlton Hotel

Tel: 6311 8188 / 6311 8189

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Food Court: Fried Hokkien Prawn Mee

My Mum had this at a Food Court, but she said that it didn't taste very good. The person just handed her a plate of pre-fried noodles that already lost its Wok Hei. Fried noodles like Char Kway Teow and Fried Prawn Mee are best eaten straight from the wok, just after frying to get that aromatic Wok Hei.

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