This takeaway concept had recently attained their Halal certification, which means that they had extended their reach to a larger customer base.

From S$5.00, one could get a box of Egg Fried Rice that was cooked “a la minute”. The chefs stood behind a glass window, showing the whole process of cooking the fried rice in front of customers. As the short-grain Japanese rice was tossed in the wok with hot oil and egg, I could not help but marvel at how these chefs could stand there all day, frying rice and noodles non-stop.

Apparently, their fried rice was quite an impressive product, with television viewers voting Wok Hey as the best among hawkers in conjunction with the premiere of Fried Rice Paradise serial drama. While I must admit that the fried rice was not as consistently cooked over my few orders, the flavours of their Egg Fried Rice was on point and outstanding from most hawker stalls. To mark the double celebration with their certifiation, Wok Hey offered a free Tobiko (flying fish roe) topping for every pack of fried rice purchased on 6, 13 and 20 Sep. Very premium, I must say, but somehow I still preferred my fried rice as-is — it’s good enough!

This takeaway concept had recently attained their Halal certification, which means that they had extended their reach to a larger customer base.

From S$5.00, one could get a box of Egg Fried Rice that was cooked “a la minute”. The chefs stood behind a glass window, showing the whole process of cooking the fried rice in front of customers. As the short-grain Japanese rice was tossed in the wok with hot oil and egg, I could not help but marvel at how these chefs could stand there all day, frying rice and noodles non-stop.

Apparently, their fried rice was quite an impressive product, with television viewers voting Wok Hey as the best among hawkers in conjunction with the premiere of Fried Rice Paradise serial drama. While I must admit that the fried rice was not as consistently cooked over my few orders, the flavours of their Egg Fried Rice was on point and outstanding from most hawker stalls. To mark the double celebration with their certifiation, Wok Hey offered a free Tobiko (flying fish roe) topping for every pack of fried rice purchased on 6, 13 and 20 Sep. Very premium, I must say, but somehow I still preferred my fried rice as-is — it’s good enough!

#BurppleTakeaways

The 3-Meat Pizza (S$24.00) was one of the latest additions to the menu of The Coffee Academics, and I must say that it was great. Comprising a combination of spicy chicken sausage, pork sausage and bacon, the pizza was not too “gelak” thanks to the right proportion of mozzarella and parmigiano cheeses and tomato paste that made it up.

What truly amazed me was the pizza crust. It was thin, dry and super crispy, as though I was eating some sort of baked crackers. That was a good thing for me because I hated it when the crusts were too greasy.

For the record, the kitchen crew sliced the pizza into 8 portions. In case if you decided to go for sharing, this pizza was just nice for someone with an average appetite.

#BurppleBeyond

Tsujirihei Honten made its return to Takashimaya Food Hall with their range of Japanese sweets, but many foodies raved about their rich and delicious soft serve ice cream. Both the Matcha and Hojicha flavours were very “gao siew dai”, the kind of taste tea lovers would approve.

To put some sweetness into the dessert, I opted for the soft serve to go with their Uji Matcha Yamari Jelly. Costing S$14.00, the parfait came with the Yamari jelly, Azuki and two Shiratama. If this was not considered as decadence, nothing would be.

The photo in the menu seemed more impressive than what was presented in front of me: a large lattice coating that was double the size of the actual Japanese pan-fried dumplings.

However, the six-piece Wagyu Gyoza (S$15.00) was different from the usual. Other than the thin Gyoza skin, the filling was made of nothing but minced beef (wagyu or not, was hard to determine). And with that Hanetsuki finish that was very crispy, it added a little fancy texture to the yummy dumplings, alongside the dark vinegar and sesame oil blend.

For the best experience, this dish should be eaten immediately when served, to taste it at its crispiest state.

The main course of the tasting menu was their AusKobe F1 Wagyu Tri-tip with a marble score of 4~5, served with smooth mashed potatoes (pomme puree in fancy terms), burnt shallots and smoked Eryngii mushrooms by the side.

The beef was done medium-rare, and had salt sprinkled over it. Enjoyed with the sauce which had some notes of berries within, the steak tasted delicious to me, with the right amount of fat inside. I was only short of a glass of red wine to pair with this cut.

On the whole, I would not say that the steak was exceptional. Neither would I want to lie that the serving portion was substantial. However, what I wanted to acknowledge was that this was a tasting menu which allowed diners to try out the cuisine here that mainly comprised beef, and on the whole Fat Belly had done well. Diners ought to try their revamped tasting menu at least once to be convinced.

#BurppleEatup
#BurppleBeyond

Nope, not pork or chicken Char Siew, but flame-grilled beef rib fingers (the meat between the ribs) that were sufficiently charred and sliced before laying them on kale.

Apparently, this was the only returning favourite from the previous tasting menu. I guessed it had something to do with the fact that the dish was well-executed with a smoky finish, so each slice carried a nice proportion of lean meat and fat, so there were many dimensions to this dish. The kale was more than just a decorative touch, as consuming it together with the char siew helped to bring out the complexities of the flavours even more.

#BurppleEatup
#BurppleBeyond

I was quite excited to try out Fat Belly’s newly-revamped seven-course set dinner (S$80.00), after my last visit about a year ago. While most items in the tasting menu were swapped out (including the most impressionable Foie Gras Creme Brûlée), I was really pleased with the first wave of food that was served.

The consommé was clarified beef bone broth with a few drops of the scallion oil. It was clear and light, and most importantly tasted free from other forms of seasoning. I liked the presentation too, with the broth served in a double wall glass cup and accompanied by the two bite-size starters, which seemingly leveled up the sense of elegance to this meal.

The savoury tart was filled with truffle mascarpone and topped with a thin piece of 24-month aged air-dried beef. Despite its thinness, the flavours of the beef was still able to stand out from the dense truffle and creamy mascarpone tastes.

The financier, in my opinion, paled in comparison, as the sweetness of the bake did not exactly go in harmony with the combination of duck fat, foie gras mousse and Fleur de Sel, which carried a slightly more intense punch. However, as a starter dish, it was probably there for an overall balance of taste profiles to start the dinner proper. Did anyone notice that this was actually considered as two separate numbers of the seven actually?

#BurppleEatup
#BurppleBeyond

Ideal as a set dinner for a slightly little portion size but a full-course meal, their Burpple Beyond Set was pegged at S$25.90 for 2, yet complete with Donburi, salad, soup and four pieces of Mentaiyaki Tamago. This deal had justified that the meal was indeed value for money.

While I would not say that the ingredients in the Kei Kaisendon Signature were exactly premium, given that I was not counting the number of pieces of each ingredient would probably mean that the portion was still considered decent. The other way to prove this was that the rice was completely buried under the seafood and such.

#BurppleBeyond

Mid-autumn Festival is round the corner, and having some mooncakes is part of the festive custom for this special occasion.

This year, my money goes to Crowne Plaza Hotel’s snowskin mooncakes (S$59.50). Personally, I think that snowskin mooncakes have more room for creativity than the traditional baked mooncakes, and Crowne Plaza Hotel has actually managed to incorporate tea recipes into them.

Among the four flavours in the assortment, the Matcha Adzuki is perhaps the most common around, with the perfect Matcha and red bean duo in action. The Chrysanthemum Wintermelon flavour is a little too heavy on the wintermelon candy taste. Their Red Date Wolfberry mooncake is my favourite in this box, with distinct notes of red date tea and a touch of wolfberries. Last but not the least, the Earl Grey with Pearl flavour is like a tribute to bubble tea lovers, but it is somehow too off to be considered as an authentic flavour.

Each purchase also comes along with a S$20.00 voucher, redeemable at Lobby Lounge or Bar ‘75. It just added more happiness to make this box of mooncakes worth having.

#food #foodphotography #foodstagram #mentaikobread #wupaochunsg #burpple #burpplesg #foreverhungry

It was a shame that Zhong Yu Yuan Wei was closed on Mondays and Fridays, but Lee Hong Kee had put up a worthy competition with their roast meats. How popular it was was simply reflected by the long queue in front of the stall, even before the lunch crowd could swarm in.

Their Char Siew with Roast Pork Rice (S$4.00) came with an option of sauce or no sauce. Obviously, the sauce could add some flavours and moisture to the meats and rice, since it would not come with soup by default. I liked the Char Siew for having a decent proportion of fat and lean meat (not as perfect as the 不见天 cut but still good enough), but the roast pork was a little disappointing for having a very thin layer of skin, and as a result the crunch was not as “shiok” (I preferred Roast Pork with the crackling effect).

The flavours were nice, but I wished I could feel fuller after the meal.