I have craving for curry fish head on this cold rainy day... Just cook it! 😋

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My late father and grandparents came to Singapore from the Fujian province in China after World War II. When I was young, one of the very traditional and unique heritage dishes that Grandma always cooked for us was fried Orh Yee (Steamed Yam Cake).

To avoid food wastage, grandma mixed leftover rice with shredded yam, sweet potato flour and water to form a sticky mixture and steamed over high heat. The steamed yam cake could be stored in the fridge for days and weeks. When needed, just slice the yam cake into thin slices and fry with any meat and vegetables available. So yummy and comforting.

I have never seen this dish in any of the local Hokkien restaurants before until last week when I saw a FB post on a similar dish here at Quan Xin Yuan. I immediately have the urge to try it and so here I am.

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Olivia Restaurant & Lounge is a warm and home-style Spanish restaurant and cocktail bar by acclaimed Chef Alain Devahive. The concept here is to use traditional cooking methods with contemporary touches to give home-style Spanish dishes a modern twist.

Having worked at the legendary El Bulli, Chef Devahiva has added El Bulli's iconic Spherical Olives to Olivia's aperitif menu. Served on wooden spoons, the molecular gastronomical spheres look very much like real olives and taste exactly like olives too but they actually contain only liquid held together by a thin membrane. Slurped and the spheres would burst with olive flavour in the mouth.

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The stall name appeals to me as my grandma was a Lor Mee hawker too.

The uncle only sliced the lor Bak (Braised pork belly) upon my order, ensuring the meat was fresh and moist when served. I like the way he took pride in his work, putting in effort to arrange the ingredients neatly and beautifully, creating a visual element that captured my eyes. (Usually I am the "art director" who arrange the food before I take pictures! 😅 )

The bowl was topped with generously-thick slices of lor bak, Ngoh Hiang, half a braised egg, one deep fried fish nugget and some crispy batter bits. The Lor (thickened gravy) tasted good and I could make out the spices used before mixing everything up but the gravy turned runny too quickly.

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I love seafood as starters especially when my mains are heavy like beef and other red meats. Very importantly, they go well with champagnes or white wines. The chilled and refreshing wines set the mood and get everyone going if you plan to drink throughout the evening.

We had these lovely baked slipper lobsters with garlic, butter, and parmesan cheese to start our weekend dinner.

The taste still lingers...

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Presa Iberico "steak" for our dinner tonight.

Presa is a thicker cut and has less fat marbling than the Secreto Iberico. It is, however, more tender and juicy and therefore feels more like a steak.

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They can be quite inconsistent these days especially if the grumpy old man is not the one cooking.

This time the old man was in good mood! Although slightly wetter than his usual, the plate of CKT was nicely fried with huge prawns and lots of other ingredients! I like! 😋

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Went all the way to Old Airport Road for Xin Mei Xiang Lor Mee but they were closed today! Fortunately, there were other pretty decent alternatives in the food centre. This one we had was from Tiong Bahru Lor Mee, #01-124. $5 portion comes with fried fish, braised hard-boiled egg, fried fish skin, braised pork belly and Ngoh Hiang. Nice!👍🏻👍🏻

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This new stall at Beach Road Army market specialises in Indonesia-style bakmi noodle which literally means "meat noodle" in Hokkien.

We had their classic soy pork stew noodle which comes with their homemade noodle tossed in some fragrant oil and seasoning topped with braised pork with mushroom, an egg and a slice of pumpkin.

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My birthday dinner special delivery - the family's favourite chirashi!

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We enjoyed this grilled Secreto Iberico, which is a hidden cut behind the shoulder joint and near the fat belly of the prized Iberian pigs, a few times during our last Spain trip and I am glad to find the cut available locally.

The secreto, also known as the Wagyu of pork, is a very well marbled and rich cut that is best grilled with simple seasoning to enjoy the natural sweetness and buttery texture of the meat.

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Love,
Laugh,
Kitchen,
Army Stew.