(Part 1 of 2)
While their kaya jam was nothing to rave about, the crunchy, highly flavourful, salted egg yolk crumbs paired surprisingly well with the sweet kaya jam. Each bite was rich, sweet and saltish and just when it may feel too 'jelat' (rich), you can wash it all down with the hot coffee / tea. To combat the toast's dryness, I highly recommend dipping it in the creamy egg yolk.
Taste: 7/10
More information at: https://www.instagram.com/p/B7yH4bhnHOy/?igshid=58vu5bx1wjns
Came back here again for tuan yuan fan (Reunion Dinner). Ordering their CNY Menu for 7-10 pax @ $468 nett, we were served a total of 8 dishes.
1) Famous JB 101 Combination (Smoked Duck, Prawn Fritters, Salad Lonster, Salted Egg Fish Skin)
2) Golden Pumpkin with Crab Meat
3) Braised Chicken with Sliced Abalone
4) Bailing Mushroom with Nai Bai
5) Steamed Grouper in Superior Sauce (HK Style, Preserved Radish, Nonya)
6) Shimmering Golden Butter Lobster
7) Imperial XO Golden Fried Rice with Conpoy
8) Fried Ice Cream (Durian & Vanilla flavour)
Generally, I found their food decent as per my previous visit. The difference being that all sorts of seafood were added this time round to justify the price. I'm not too sure if I'm supposed to taste any pumpkin in the 'Golden Pumpkin with Crab Meat' soup though as it tasted just like a typical Chinese fish maw soup.
Highlights that day would probably go to their fried rice and the sauce of the butter lobster. With crunchy bits embedded in the rice, it tasted much better than it looks despite not having that legendary 'wok hei' taste. Paired with their chili and the lobster's butter sauce and I could probably devour (at least) 3 bowls of it. :)
See them blowtorch the lobster and more information about the service that day at: https://www.instagram.com/p/B7v1eCVnLg5/?igshid=1w13et1uynqda
(Part 2 of 2)
Out of all their dishes, I found their signature Crispy Deep Fried Chicken ($18 for Half) which is essentially crispy roast chicken to be far too dry. While it was not too oily and its skin lived up to its name, I would go for more affordable, tender and juicy ones found at hawker centres instead. I really like this stall! https://www.burpple.com/f/eCk9jDH9
Overall, my first visit was spectacular enough to warrant a second visit. With outstanding service, divine food and reasonable prices for the quality offered, apart from having a nicer dining environment and being able to enjoy their food for free, I can’t see how it can get any better. Unfortunately, I saw how it got worse. Experiencing a price hike and tasting their more mediocre dishes on my second visit, I can’t say that there will be a third visit anytime soon.
Price: 5/10
Food: 8.5/10 (Huge variety of dishes done right)
Ambience: 5/10 (This is for the location situated basically on a sidewalk)
Service: 8/10
Overall: 6/10 (Worth a try for first-timers)
More pictures at: https://www.instagram.com/p/B7i1OuqnoHq/?igshid=96ha0uajxoaz
Full review at: https://liveeatbless.wordpress.com/2020/01/20/por-kee-eating-house-1996-tiong-bahru-excellent-zi-char-at-not-so-excellent-prices/
(Part 1 of 2)
If I had to pick 1 dish, it would be their Champagne Long Ribs ($11 per piece) for its uniqueness and of course, taste. Their glaze was thick, sweet, gooey and just all around delicious though my tastebuds were not refined enough to pick up any hint of Champagne. There’s also something about biting into a huge chunk of meat that brings a bout of sheer euphoria and satisfaction. The consistency of the dish may vary slightly though as the piece I had on my first visit was much tougher than my second.
Still, 100% satisfaction guaranteed.
More pictures at: https://www.instagram.com/p/B7i1OuqnoHq/?igshid=96ha0uajxoaz
Full review at: https://liveeatbless.wordpress.com/2020/01/20/por-kee-eating-house-1996-tiong-bahru-excellent-zi-char-at-not-so-excellent-prices/
(Part 3 of 3)
‘Boiled and simmered beef meat and vegetables in special seasoning thickened with peanut sauce’
The peanut sauce taste like the Chinese peanut ‘tang yuan’ soup (Glutinous rice ball soup). This was a great contrast to all the other saltier dishes and it came with french beans, beef meat and gelatinous beef stomach. Though all the dishes that day were great and needed one another to become even better, if I could only choose 1 dish, this would be it. The beef found in our stew was FORK TENDER while the beef stomach were thick and rich. Seriously a must-try dish just be prepared for a sweet dish. An extremely saltish Anchovy paste (Bagoong) was provided along with this – Its not sambal unfortunately.
Full review at: https://liveeatbless.wordpress.com/2020/01/06/restaurant-review-gerrys-grill-starhub-centre-somerset-authentic-filipino-cuisine-in-singapore/
(Part 2 of 3)
Vinegar is (apparently) often added into this dish, giving it a slight tinge of tanginess. Flavourful without being too saltish, the rice was a pleasant change to typical Chinese style fried rice. I liked their use of short grain rice which reminded me of the Taiwan Pearl Rice. This was a great pairing to all the other dishes ordered as well.
Full review at: https://liveeatbless.wordpress.com/2020/01/06/restaurant-review-gerrys-grill-starhub-centre-somerset-authentic-filipino-cuisine-in-singapore/
(Part 1 of 3)
The restaurant's signature ‘Sizzling minced pork’
This is the dish that I do not recall adding an egg or being asked if we would like to add an egg but nevertheless, it was a great savoury dish with an added creaminess from the egg yolk. Do note that the minced pork is made using the meat from a pork’s face. Crispy bits were present throughout the dish as well and I think they were pork rinds again
Full review at: https://liveeatbless.wordpress.com/2020/01/06/restaurant-review-gerrys-grill-starhub-centre-somerset-authentic-filipino-cuisine-in-singapore/
(Part 2 of 2)
Both my friend and I were amazed at the portion of this as 3 different plates were used just for this dish. I am particularly thankful that all the ingredients were segregated, including the mutton which allowed me to customise the dish to my liking - amount of sauce to put, whether to mix in the ingredients and etc. The spice level in the dish felt toned down to suit more customer's palate and the rice could have been much more aromatic. Nevertheless, I thoroughly enjoyed their mutton which was fork tender and had strong flavours. Comparing this to the biryani I had at Springleaf aeons ago, this definitely felt like a better rendition.
Overall: 8/10 (Will come back for this)
Full review and more pictures at: https://www.instagram.com/p/B67gkZNn4Pn/?igshid=dhv5dn1uzno6
(Part 1 of 2)
To start, I have definitely not eaten this enough to identify what makes a thosai great, but this was decent as it had a myriad of textures due to its crisp underside and edges. It was also huge - Hand placed for comparison. All the 3 sauces/curries provided were unique in their own ways and from left to right, they tasted predominantly refreshing, spicy and somewhat creamy/buttery like a highly diluted version of ghee mixed with spices. While they gave contrasting flavours to the otherwise plain tasting thosai, I felt that they were a tad too mild but still decent in their own ways. Also, the egg did not contribute to the thosai at all and would recommend one to simply get the plain version.
Overall: 7/10
Full review and more pictures at: https://www.instagram.com/p/B67gkZNn4Pn/?igshid=dhv5dn1uzno6
Though I did not try the crab, I have been told that this was a disappointment as it was dry which I can concur at least with regards to the skimpy amount of sauce covering the crab.
Nevertheless, their Crispy Hor Fun with Seafood and Egg Sauce ($18++) was a light and refreshing take on the typical Hor Fun served in Singapore. And apart from the crab, for an elevated Chinese restaurant, the price turned out to be reasonable as the portions were generous. Again, all the service staff were highly proactive and earnest in service as well. However, with numerous other well-known Chinese restaurants at such a price point, it is unlikely that I’ll patronise the eatery for dinner again unless more innovative dishes are introduced.
Price: 6/10
Food: 7.5/10
Ambience: 7/10
Service: 8/10
Overall: 7/10
More pictures at: https://www.instagram.com/p/B6vDiu_nT7T/?igshid=189k856mxq2jr
Full review at: https://liveeatbless.wordpress.com/2019/12/31/restaurant-review-jia-he-chinese-restaurant-first-ever-crispy-hor-fun/
(Part 2 of 2)
Out of all the dishes I had that day, this would probably be the highlight of the meal. It came with seaweed, yam, lettuce, tomatoes, golden mushrooms, parsley and chunks of fish all immersed in a thick flavourful broth (of which I drank 3 bowls). Simply delicious.
More pictures at: https://www.instagram.com/p/B6iUCp7Hp1h/?igshid=o8qgwg6mx3w7
Full review at: https://liveeatbless.wordpress.com/2019/12/26/hawker-review-famous-jb-101-firewokz-wcega-tower-21-bukit-batok-crescent-25-12-19/
(Part 1 of 2)
This was my first time encountering such a dish and it tasted both tangy and sweet somewhat like a sweet and sour pork but with discernible notes of orange to provide the tangy flavour to the dish. It's quite innovative and a refreshing take on typical 'zi char' dishes but while I will recommend one to try it out, I'll probably stick with the classics in future.
More pictures at: https://www.instagram.com/p/B6iUCp7Hp1h/?igshid=o8qgwg6mx3w7
Full review at: https://liveeatbless.wordpress.com/2019/12/26/hawker-review-famous-jb-101-firewokz-wcega-tower-21-bukit-batok-crescent-25-12-19/
