Peach Garden @ 33- The Executive's Club

I would have never expected to get into a dim sum frenzy on a Sunday morning. Crystal Jade Palace at Takashimaya was a notoriously long queue, Intercontinental's chinese restaurant was running full and with one still home and another running about to check out the dining options, this was too much to deal with on a lazy Sunday morning. Oh where could we go now? 

And just before I wanted to abandon all dim sum plans, I get a text to say 'Peach Garden. Chulia Street. Got a table. Going down now. See you.'

With a strained muscle, I was more than just glad to finally get to the front entrance of OCBC Centre. Except. Where do we go from there? I paced up and down and decided to walk to the left to see if there was a side entrance. Suffice to say, there was definitely no access from the garbage disposal. Of which by this time, my terrible dining companion texted to enquire if i was lost. Which he obviously knew because he had SEEN me pacing up and down. With friends like this, who needs enemies. 

So if you do go, save yourself the embarrassment, walk towards the society bar and behind that you'd see the carpark where you can access the lifts. Remember this.

The chok was a CHOCK full of ingredients in a tiny bowl. Not complaining about the generosity of ingredients but hey, why not that bit more boiled rice?

The three layered crispy pork was just because he got back from a land where pork was not sold freely in the markets. Only because of deprivation. It lacked that crackling crisp I was hoping for when I took a piece.

The XO carrot cake was their only version of carrot cake and well, it tasted charred. There was no taste of XO sauce. And I liked the crunchy beansprouts the most.

Tragic.

Why you no flow? :( It was too sweet and creamy. Now where's my salted egg yolk?

BBQ pork buns had more skin that filling. The filling was a good savoury sweet though :)

These dumplings would hit the spot with prawn lovers. A pretty prawn atop a dumpling that encased more prawns and topped with a thin layer of minced pork.

And we made a dessert order just because we were asked in passing. Haha.

Such obliging customers. And that's why macdonald's upsize totally works.

Black glutinous rice, grass jelly cubes, a scoop of vanilla ice cream and ohmy. coconut milk.

Decadence.

This is just.

A perfect way to end a Sunday morning dim sum :)

Peach Garden @ 33 桃苑 (OCBC Centre)

65 Chulia Street, #33-01 OCBC Centre, Singapore

Tel: +65 6535 7833 | Website

It's a simple act but #CookForFamily - simply overlooked?

 Herbal Chicken soup for relief of tiredness and to improve vitality.

Ingredients

- 1 fresh spring chicken

- Běi Qí (北芪) 5g

-Dǎng shēn (当参) 15g

-Huái Shān (淮山) 10g or more if it's fresh!

-Wolfberries (枸杞子) 25g or more if you'd like

-Yù Zhú (玉竹) 25g

-Nán Xìng  (南杏) a sprinkle (optional)

-dried baby scallops (optional)

- 1.5 litres of water or just enough to cover the chicken

-salt to taste and a dash of light soya sauce for color

*The ingredients were taken from a combination of different prepacked herbal mixes.

I've tried Chwee Song and Claypot brands before and they are similar in taste.

 These quantities that I've listed above can be adjusted accordingly. :)

Directions

1. Clean the chicken, cut into parts and blanch in hot water to remove excess dirt, broken bone pieces and unwanted fat. This improves texture and taste of the soup by leaps and bounds! You don't want cloudy soup, do you?
2. Place chicken parts and the rest of ingredients into a pot (or pressure cooker) and ensure that it is covered with water.
3. Bring to a boil to make sure chicken parts are cooked.
4. Simmer on low heat for about an hour for the taste of the herbs to come through. Your sense of smell will tell you when it's ready!
5. Season to taste with salt and soya sauce and bring to a quick boil by turning up the heat.
6. Serve with white rice. Or simply drink up! :)

sandwich day at work :)

knife skills pass?

he says not bad not bad.

division of labour.

one for the veggies, one for the six baguettes and another for the tuna.

no wait, make that two for the -two-na.

i couldn't resist.

feel free to just swim over that.

option of toasting? :)

we're just missing the cheese.

mmm yum!

that was lunch and this is tea.

for the auntie at the dessert/ light bites stall entertains my cravings. :)

ajisen @ bishan junction 8

running on three hours of sleep.

it was a meeting that couldn't afford to be postponed.

travel plans for the next 10 mths locked in and ready to fly in a couple of days.

it's been almost a year of friendship and i'm glad we randomly met at wakeboard! :)

it started with a drizzle and ended up being a torrential downpour.

i didn't have to do anything but sit at home and wait till you got here on the bike.

just so we could take a cab over to junction 8.

and what's better than soup on a cold rainy day!

white bait

on the waitress' recommendations.

not my idea of immature fry at all.

these tasted more like chunks of dory fillet.

in a very well seasoned batter.

chicken karaage

juicy morsels of meat deep fried.

this was a good side to order!

spicy cha shu ramen

at $13.90 for a choice of ramen, a side and a drink.

and just because I always wondered how each bowl of soup could taste consistent throughout the outlets and even in different countries (china!)

I read up about this online

so apparently,

they've been accused of using artificial seasonings and making false claims about the nutritional value of their soups and this was a media reply on their part to the allegations.

 The short of it-

Their broth is authentic pork based soup stock made into a concentrate in "Ajisen Ramen" Japan 

and vacuumed packed for export to its restaurants and franchisees

which explains its consistency across outlets.

And their claims on the nutritional values of the soups?

Directly from their ideas of the nutritional values of pork bones

which cannot be refuted since it's a main ingredient of the soup concentrate.

Problems?

If none, then

Eat on. :)

Was a good time catching up before you fly.

You're totally prepared for this.

Travel safe!

chums steakhouse @ toa payoh lorong 6

Fish and chips.

Batter was slightly heavy on the salt content.

Generous serving.

The chicken was juicy.

The panko breadcrumb crust was an oil sponge.

While I liked the melted mushroom cheese, it made everything a lot more salty than it already was.

All mains come with the complimentary salad bar.

Sounds familiar?

Sizzler style.

I don't know how true the news is- just a change of management for Sizzler?

I took a salad bar option and it does seem that it's exactly the same.

I had my favourites of tuna mayo potato salad, mushroom soup, nachos and soft serve ice cream.

Mmm. :)

and how befitting that it would be a dinner date with the chums and our favourite kids.

age is but a number.

:)

BBQ Chicken @ Broadway Plaza

Second time around at BBQ chicken at Broadway Plaza

and these guys are still running the one for one promotion.

Now doesn't this look appetizing?

And.

It was!

Flame grilled to perfection.

It was tender, juicy and everything that you could want from a charbroiled chicken order.

The free order of a fish and chips though,

was uninspiring.

The batter on the fish was thick and fried to a hard crisp.

Too much for fragile teeth. 

my first smiggle anything.

:)

thanks!

dinner post zumba @ east coast lagoon food village

chicken and beef satay.

meat's too tough.

peanut sauce was a finely grounded watery mixture that went well with the barbecued meat sticks.

and i sound nothing less than a tourist when i describe satay in an awkward way like this.

rojak with chilli on the side.

my very thoughtful girlfriend :)

I thought I might have bitten into a slice of apple!

But i'm not quite sure about that one ingredient.

The toasted fried doughsticks, beancurd puffs, slices of turnip and fresh pineapple were generously coated in a sticky sweet rojak sauce topped with peanuts that made for a very appetizing...

appetizer.

i liked it so much that

words fail me.

now this was not my idea of hokkien mee.

braised. not fried.

actually, no. just bathed in some prawn stock.

the noodles were overcooked but yet failed to absorb the flavour of the stock.

as a main carb in our meal,

this was disappointing. :(

odd mish mash of cultures as the alternative to a fusion menu.

a rose by any other name.

first public review :)

shades baby. :)

lunch at school. healthier choice.

a girlfriend whose generosity knows no bounds.

thank you for the extra portion of brown rice and scrambled eggs.

and a serving of fried beancurd with vegetables.

healthier choice.

and i loved it more than the usual fare. :) 

killiney's early morning breakfast @ changi airport T3

breakfast before 8am at the airport.

tcc or killiney?

he chose killiney.

12 years my senior.

every bit the family we never really were.

it's been awhile since i missed you this new year's at grandma's.

catching up at a time and place that couldn't be more perfect.

in the east.

early morning so that ah kim could sleep in.

and sharing of a new addition to the family by years' end. :)

the horfun was mediocre.

plain boiled flat rice noodles.

covered with a sauce that had bare whiffs of a savoury seasoning.

the chicken slices were adequate

and the chilli was a lifesaver.

no dishsaver.

thanks for the time.

and the ride home. :)

much love to the wifey and baby boy! <3

hai kee seafood @ toa payoh lorong 8

i wouldn't do this on a normal day.

but i really wanted fish soup.

no regrets.

one of the last few orders at 830pm.

everyone else was already done with dinner by the time i got back with my order.

fresh fish slices.

thick soup.

opted for the addition of evaporated milk.

a bowl of comfort.

family dinners on sunday. :)

Sebastian Mix Fusion Cuisine

You've got to give credit to a chef who has a stall sign of his own namesake.

Psychedelic lines inspired by the colored parallels from paul smith,

flanked by a logo of his own caricature.

Wasabi prawns.

The sauce could be tweaked.

Taste of wasabi was not evident.

Perhaps wasabi powder/ paste instead of what's currently used?

And i even know what goes into the batter.

A tad salty but still a good choice while waiting for the mains to arrive. ;)

Now this, was a culinary genius in fusion cuisine.

Prawn and lala vongole.

Who needs mussels.

Honestly.

These clams were small yet plentiful.

A couple of prawns.

 But the best was yet to be.

-The broth-

It was simply lipsmackingly delicious.

Thick with clam juice.

The taste of the sea never was so satisfying.

Spiced with the addition of chilli flakes,

This was a dangerous appetite opener.

Tread with caution.

But heck,

It's a selfish dish.

Don't bother sharing.

Slurp it all up anyway.

Beef and mushroom stroganoff with japanese rice.

The addition of white and black roasted sesame seeds was subtle yet spoke volumes of a fusion menu.

The sauce was a good balance of savoury thickened with cream.

Additions of capsicums and mixed mushrooms

countered the heaviness of red meat with cream.

Ample strips of striploin were used for this dish.

(pun totally intended :))

And i could finish up the entire portion of rice.

Thanks or no thanks, really, to the sauce.

And just on a side note,

He had an experimental day of wagyu beef (marbling score of 4/5) with rice.

6 slabs of meat all sold out in a day.

That's an affirmative definitely to be tested on the repeat.

And I'm sure he'd oblige if you made an advanced request. :)

The steady stream of customers till closing was heartening.

And pretty impressive especially since there was a western stall just a couple of stores away.

Then again, if the food was good.

Competition is always welcome. :)

Don't mistake this for pride.

It's Confidence.

Tucked away in a coffeeshop on everton park.

Drop in on the boss.

He's quietly humble.

And loves his food.

If he says that the lala broth tastes like prawn soup, feel free to disagree.

Tell him it tastes like clam broth!

Or buy him prawn noodles.

I'm doing that next time round.

Try it for yourself.

And if I hadn't said so,

I'll definitely be back for more. :)

Coming home to this baby put a smile on my face.

I love playing with you.

but not after my bath please?

7 years old, 49 in dog years.

You're a ripe old age but still every bit of that energetic sweetheart i've grown accustomed to.

:)

[when in hongkong] wonton noodles

when lunch has been overshadowed by mission: shopping.

we finally stop for a tea break.

and randomly walk into a cafe with a teatime special on their signature noodles.

what a treat! :)

checking in with the brother on his wishlist.

what an awesome sister.

the signature shrimp dumpling noodles.

and a beef option that i chose.

with no regrets.

thinly sliced.

and ohsotender.

chewy.

and the chilli was an awesome accompaniment.

almost like an xo sauce.

was it?

a superbly thick barley brew.

boiled with red date.

there's a certain je nais sais quoi about this barley drink that left such an impression.

mmm :)

omySG and panasonic @ the singapore flyer food trail

feeling a little undressed without the sauce.

tasty.

but watered down.

drowned in rojak sauce.

too sweet.

i'll <3 all hokkien mees.

but these were hokkien braised noodles.

where's my wok hei?

never enough of this.

sambal was sedapnya!

and this?

ohmyyum.

and for everything else.

there's ORHLUAK.

;)