Showing posts with label Noodles. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Noodles. Show all posts

Monday 11 June 2012

Crystal Jade Jiang Nan @ Vivo City

Recently Crystal Jade Jiang Nan (翡翠江南) has returned as a casual eatery in VivoCity (facing Tung Lok Signatures - 同乐经典) at Level 1, #01-52 featuring simple Shanghai, Sichuan, Wu Xi and Guangdong dishes such as homemade noodles, xiao long bao and etc.

And since Aunt's Birthday is approaching in mid-June, I suggest to have an early celebration for her over at Crystal Jade Jiang Nan as well to try out their new menu.


APPETIZERS
餐前小吃


For appetizers Mum and Aunty both suggested to order this "Deep-fried White Bait "Wu Xi" Style (无锡小鱼儿)" where the crispy white baits are tossed with fried garlic, salt and pepper together with a layer of caramelized sugar coating. Indeed this is a wonderful snack to start off while waiting for the main dish to be served.
Price: S$9.80/plate(small)

For something adventure, I decided to try their "Marinated Pig’s Ear with Cucumber (湘江红油顺风)" which is a common appetizer in Zhejiang. These slices of crunchy pig’s ears are spiced with chilli oil, together with fresh cucumbers and sesame oil which helps to further enhance its flavour and texture.
Price: S$8.50/plate (small)

Just a note this "Steamed Beancurd with Egg Yolk, French Bean, Carrot, Black Fungus Served in a Cup (五彩拌豆腐)" is kind of a cold appetizer which is tasteless on it's own. So in order to flavour this dish, you have to adjust the taste using the provided condiments such as chilli oil, shallot oil, extra virgin olive oil and black vinegar.

As you can see from the above, it is such a vibrant appetizer with tofu, egg yolk, carrots and etc added to achieve the colour, fibre and nutrition. Although I have tried to add a bit here and there of the provided condiments but we still find this appetizer not very suitable for my liking but mum said it taste great together with the Deep-fried White Bait.
Price: S$8.00/cup



MAIN DISH
主菜


All along, the traditional Xiao Long Bao from Crystal Jade taste quiet decent with it's juicy filling of minced pork and soft dumpling skin so without hesitate I decided to order their new "Crystal Jade Multi-flavoured Xiao Long Bao (翡翠水晶八式小笼包)" for Aunt's Birthday to create some atmosphere.

Each tray comes with Crystal Jade’s Original Xiao Long Bao, Prawn Xiao Long Bao, Vegetable And Dried Beancurd Xiao Long Bao, Spicy Beef and Spicy Chicken Xiao Long Bao for an authentic Sichuan experience or western flavour such as Foie Gras, Cheese and Black Truffle Xiao Long Bao. To start with try those with a lighter taste(original) before moving on to the stronger flavour such as spicy beef and remember to eat them immediately or else the outer skin will be harden.
Price: S$14.50/serving tray

Another "must try" dish is their "La Mian with Spicy Chicken, Preserved Egg And Cucumber in “Sichuan” Style (重庆口水鸡拉面)" where the springy handmade noodle is served together with cold spicy chicken which makes it a refreshing dish for a change.

Although the "ma la" spicy sauce was a bit too strong(spicy) rather than numbing(ma la) to our taste but overall it still blends well with the cold noodles and tender chicken that leaves us crave for more helpings.
Price: S$11.80/plate(small)

Since their "Not Fried Rice (不是炒饭)" is sold out by the time we arrived (around 1.00pm), we have to sort for another alternative. So from the service staff recommendation, we ordered the "Fried Five Grain Rice With Anchovies" which served in a Korean style stone pot.

The 4 of us simple love this fried rice which is full of nutritious and vibrant colours from the ingredients used such as brown rice, preserved pickles, pumpkin seeds, pine nuts, sweetcorn kernel and etc served together with some crispy anchovies on top. 
Price: S$13.00/serving



BEVERAGE AND DESSERT
饮料与甜品


We are amazed by the presentation of this "Hong Kong Style Cold Milk Tea" as it is served in a tall glass flask together with some dry ice flowing from the center of the flask. The overall taste of the milk tea is quiet smooth and fragrant but it could be better if it slightly colder.
Price: S$4.50/serving

To end the lunch, we ordered 3 different types of dessert such as "Pumpkin Cake with Red Bean Paste And Salted Egg Yolk (南瓜饼)" (i made something similar before, HERE) and "Japanese Glutinous Rice Dumpling with Fruit And Cream (白雪红梅)". So if you can't decide on which one to choice, you can order what I did with the combination plate of 2 items each.
Price: S$5.40/plate


They have a few choices on their shaved ice dessert but Aunt prefer this "Green Tea Snow Ice" with toppings such as colourful jelly, kidney beans and etc.
Price: S$4.50/serving


At the end of our meal, we are given a complimentary voucher of "8 pieces of Original Xiao Long Bao" for next return visit. (voucher is given with purchase from any basket of Crystal Jade Xiao Long Bao). Shall return again to try their "Not Fried Rice (不是炒饭)" since we didn't get to try it this round plus to enjoy our complimentary Xiao Long Bao.

CRYSTAL JADE JIANG NAN
1 Harbour Front Walk
#01-52 VivoCity
Reservation: +65 6221 1830

Opening Hours:-
Monday to Friday: 11.30am - 10.30pm
Saturday, Sundays and Public Holidays: 11.00am - 10.30pm


Thursday 8 December 2011

Prima Taste Kitchen At Centrepoint, Ochard

Prima Taste Kitchen is a quick-service restaurant which located in Centrepoint Mall, Orchard. They serves a selection of authentic Singapore favourites such as Bak Kut Teh, Laksa, Hainanese Chicken Rice and Singapore Curry Chicken. The restaurant features a modern ambiance accented and diners can also enjoy 'live' cooking demonstrations through their showcase kitchen.

For beverage we are recommended to try their Calamansi Juice and Lychee Sensation where they used preserved sour plum in the drinks to create a unique flavour. Love their Lychee Sensation which is fizzy 7-up drinks with a few seeds of canned syrup lychee and preserved sour plum.


SIDE ORDER


First to serve is this all-time favourite local snack known as Vegetable Popiah which is richly stuffed with egg slices, turnip, vegetables, shrimp, minced pork, mushroom and etc. The crisp and refreshing sensation of the juicy fillings and intense flavour definitely leaves you longing for more. We simply love the taste of this Popiah as the ingredients are well combined without overpower taste of this dish.

Price: S$4.80 per roll

Rojak is a common local dish/appetiser which could be easily found at most hawker centres or coffee shop stalls. Prima Taste's Rojak is very flavorsome with toasted youtiao, cucumber and fresh fruits without being overpowering by it's prawn paste sauce. On top of the tasty coating sauce, we also love the generous amount of crashed peanut which they used to garish the rojak as it definitely add bonus points to this dish.

Price: S$5.90 per plate


RICE DISHES


Chicken Rice is one of the all-time local favourite which you could have it anytime of the day. I still remember vividly during my 3 years overseas stay I would always bring back at least 1/2 a dozen of these Prima Taste, Hainanese Chicken Rice sauce kit to easy our preparation on this dish.

Here at Prima Taste Kitchen, their poached chicken is very tender and juicy with a thin layer of jelly-like skin which makes you always wanted to top up for extra portion of meat. The chicken rice is very fragrant and the texture of the rice is just cooked to perfection where is it not too hard or soft too. For the chicken rice set, you could choose from either Hainanese Chicken, Soya Chicken and Crispy Chicken.

Price: S$6.50 per plate

The chicken curry for that day was a bit too thick on the gravy which makes it taste a bit powdery rather than those smooth and flowing texture.  Personally this is not my preference of curry but for those who perfect this type of Hainanese style perhaps you could give it a try. This curry set comes with a bowl of steamed rice but you could also request to change it to chicken rice instead.

Price: S$9.40 per bowl

With Prima Taste Bak Kut Teh Sauce Kit you could also cook a pot of this tasty Teochew Style peppery soup at your own convenience at home. And moreover what you required is just minimum fresh ingredients such prime/pork ribs together with their prepacked stock mix. Love the taste of the soup but it would be even better if more peppercorns are added.The texture of the prime ribs are just nice for our liking as it is not over/under cooked.

Price: S$10.70 per bowl


NOODLES


When we first taste the soup broth from this prawn mee we were kind of surprised that these actually was prepared from their Prawn Mee Sauce Kit (detail HERE). From a glance above you could see the decent amount of ingredients such as sliced pork, fresh prawns, bean sprouts, veggies and flat yellow noodles which is pretty reasonable for it's price.

Price: S$6.50 per bowl

Out of all the main dishes that we have tried, their Fried Hokkien Prawn Noodle has definitely out shine the rest  of the dishes and won our heart. I love the wok taste and texture of the noodles which is just nicely cooked and fully adsorb the taste from the prawn broth. According to Vangelynn, the chef actually fried individual order plate by plate in order to maintain the standard of this dish. For your information you could use the Prawn Mee Sauce Kit to cook either Prawn Mee Soup or Fried Hokkien Prawn Noodle.

And since I am in love with their Fried Hokkien Prawn Noodle, I have bought a packet of the Sauce Kit from supermarket which I am going to try cooking it at home soon.

Price: S$6.50 per plate

The gravy of Prima Taste Laksa is smooth and rich which is prepared from its pre-packed laksa spice. In this way you could easily prepared your favourite laksa without much trouble on grinding your own laksa paste and enjoy a bowl of decent laksa anytime of the day.

Price: S$5.50 per bowl

Apart from the above Authentic Laksa Spice Kit, Prima Taste also has another "Singapore Laksa La Mian" which you could easily purchase from their outlet or local supermarkets. You could read more about my review on this product HERE at my recipe blog. 


DESSERTS


Vangelynn mentioned that this Glass Jelly with Longan in Gula Melaka is a new dessert on their menu. And for a light and refreshing dessert with hint of gula melaka syrup to sweeten the taste, I am sure this would come in perfect as dessert after a hearty meal.

Their Chendol dessert consist of rich coconut milk, a worm-like green jelly made from rice flour, red beans and etc served together with shaved ice and fragrance Gula Melaka(palm sugar). Although the taste is great but however we find that the shaved ice was rather rough which could have being better if it is much smoother and fine texture.

Price: S$3.50 per cup

For a lighter and smaller portion of dessert, you could order this Longan with Almond Beancurd. The beancurd is very smooth and silky with hint of almond flavour that does not overpower the taste of the whole dessert.

Price: S$2.90 per bowl


TEA-TIME PROMOTION


If you are looking for some tea-time snack during your festive shopping trip around Orchard area on weekday, perhaps Prima Taste Kitchen tea-time special would have something "local" that you prefer.

For twin sharing you might consider to get their "2 dishes + 1 drink" @ S$4.50 which I think it's just nice to fill up your tummy before the next meal.


SPICE AND SAUCE RACK


Apart from serving array of local dishes at Prima Taste Kitchen, they also have a corner selling different varieties of their cooking sauce ranging from:- Singapore favourites Sauce Kit whereby you could whip up local dishes such as prawn mee, char kway teow, mee sim and etc to Authentic Asian Sauce such as garlic chilli sauce, Sambal Belachan Paste, Premium Black Pepper Sauce and etc to prepare authentic Asian dishes at home.

For your conveniences, you could also order these sauce kits via their website HERE or through any supermarkets in Singapore. And for those regular or big users you might wish to save considerably through their party packs which only available in certain popular products such as Bak Chor Mee and Lor Mee. Cooking instructions can be easily found on the packaging and online plus they also have cooking classes for those who intend to pick up some cooking skill using their ready paste and products. You could register for their Cooking Workshops at a reasonable fees(S$20.00) via their  website HERE.   


PRIMA TASTE KITCHEN
176 Orchard Road
#01-63/64 The Centrepoint Mall
Singapore 238843
Telephone: +65 6887 3786
Website: http://primataste.com.sg/kitchen.aspx
Facebook Page HERE

Lastly I would like to thank Vangelynn and Prima Taste for the invited tasting.

Wednesday 10 November 2010

Eastern Restaurant @ Centrepoint

A few of us were invited to a food tasting session last Friday at “The Eastern Restaurant” which is located on the 1st level near the back entrance of Centrepoint Mall, Orchard. We were all very excited about this event because of some highlights on their “New” dishes and their famous "Eastern Yi Ping Steamed Pork Dumpling (东方一品小笼包)” that is freshly made by their Dim Sum Chef.

From their menu you could easily scan through each categories before making your order from the range of Cold Dish, La Mian, Main Dishes, Tim Sum and Desserts. And as usually while waiting for the dishes to be served you could also try out their complimentary sides such as mixed vegetables pickles and braised peanuts which is quite different from the usual braised dark soy sauce type.

First to arrive on the table was this basket of "Eastern Yi Ping Steamed Pork Dumpling (东方一品小笼包)” which is the main item that lures us to this tasting gathering. In Singapore it is not difficult to get Steamed Pork Dumplings (Xiao Long Bao) as you can find them easily in most Chinese Dim Sum Restaurants or even food court and hawker centres. But if you are looking for some with thin wrapper, well seasoned filing and lot of soup broth I guess you might have to spend slight more.

But here at Eastern with a reasonable pricing, their "Eastern Yi Ping Steamed Pork Dumpling (东方一品小笼包)” has a fragrance scent from the “Chinese cabbage” that is used as a base on the bamboo basket for the pork dumplings. So before you nip the top off to taste the soup broth you could already smell the lovely scent circulating around your nose which makes it a great combination for both sense and taste.
Price: S$4.00 per basket (4 pieces)

"Wanton with Hot Chilli Sauce (红油抄手)" is one of the famous Chengdu snacks in Sichuan, China. It is a delicious meat dumpling that is cooked with soup broth, chilli oil and spices that makes it taste a little spicy and sourish. Although the filling of these dumplings served at Eastern are well seasoned and moist but we find the accompany chilli sauce was rather a bit too spicy that it actually covers the taste of the dumplings and leaves our mouth with a slight numb feeling.
Price: S$6.00 per plate (6 pieces)

Usually most of the similar "Century Egg with Tofu (皮蛋豆腐)" dish is pair with pork floss or just century eggs iteself but at Eastern restaurant the chef actually drizzle some crunchy peanuts bits on it to contrast with the soft texture of the tofu. Overall we agreed that this is a very tasty cold dish that blends well with the ingredients used as well as their special soy sauce that comes with the tofu.
Price: S$5.00 per plate (New!)

For me I am very particular with chicken dishes especially those ‘cold” chicken such as Hainanese Chicken as I would be totally turn off and lost my appetite if the chicken contain those frozen/strong “smells”. So before I tried this “Chicken Marinated with Shao Shing Wine (绍兴醉鸡)” I was kind of hesitate till I confirmed with Lobs and Maureen that this is worth trying. To my surprised the chicken taste great even without any dipping sauce and it is infused with a very nice shao shing wine aroma that tingle in your taste buds.
Price: S$6.00 per plate

From some read up at the local forum, most people recommend on their "Stewed Beef Noodle (清汤牛腩面)" which is a must try item in from the noodles category. The soup broth is filled with a light and sweet fragrance when taste and it goes well with the spongy hand pulled noodles that makes it a great lunch treat especially on rainy day.
Price: S$8.80 per plate

I have tried a few version of this "Noodle with minced meat & mushroom in spicy sauce (炸酱面)" in different Chinese restaurants. And I find most of the noodles taste quite similar except for the taste of the minced meat sauce which might be either too sweet, salty or sour due to the ingredients used. And since I don’t really fancy dry version of Lai Mian and when I get to try this it is already cold (as we are busy with the photo taking and other dishes) so I could not comment more on this.
Price: S$7.80 per bowl

If you like Sichuan type of sourish food, this "Noodle in Hot & Soup Soup (酸辣汤面)" would definitely be your choice. But remember you have to eat it while hot or else the texture and taste of the noodles would be different.
Price: S$8.00 per bowl

This "Sautéed Green Bean with Minced Pork in Chilli Sauce (干煸四季豆)" is one of my favourite dish among all the dishes that we tried that day. This dish has a lovely fragrant that makes you keep popping those crunchy green bean into your mouth. These green beans have been blanched in hot oil before frying with the minced pork and etc to give that extra wok taste and most importantly this dish is not oily at all.
Price: S$9.80 per plate

"Braised Tofu with Scallop (瑶柱豆腐)" is another good option for Tofu lover where these homemade tofu are deep-fried till golden brown and braised with shredded dried scallop and superior broth.
Price: S$16.00 per plate (New!)

For regular readers of my blog you would notice that our family loves fish dishes so when this "Pickled Fish Soup (酸菜鱼)" is served I was very excited to try it out. But since I am not a person who likes sour dishes I was kind of pull back by the spicy and sour taste of the soup and we also find that the fish is kind of salty too. Perhaps for those who like stronger taste in their food, this would be a great choice to go with steam white rice.
Price: S$15.00 per pot (New!)

When comes to “Braised Pork Belly with Mui Choy (梅菜扣肉)” what is the first thing you would look for, the soft and fatty pork that taste good and not greasy or the rich aroma from the pickled mustard? For me a good pork belly with mui choy dish should be something like when you bite a piece of the meat it should be soft like tofu and the oil from it will burst in your mouth leaving a light fragrance from the mui choy. But this dish at Eastern Restaurant taste rather a bit sweet and I find the pork belly is still not soft enough.
Price: S$12.00 per plate (New!)

Fu Rong Special Scramble Egg (芙蓉赛螃蟹)” is one of their “New” dishes, which use egg white as the main ingredients. The whites are stir-fried together with crabmeat, green beans and broth/fresh milk till cooked then top with a raw egg yolk. Indeed this is a very special and delicious dish that we all love and before you start eating you have to mix the raw egg yolk into the dish so that the texture of this dish would be even more smooth and fragrant.
Price: S$10.80 per plate (New!)

Although this is not the best "Shanghai Pan Fried Pork Bun (上海生煎包)" that I had ever eat before but the taste is still ok for those who prefer pork bun. For me I find the skin is rather too thick and the filling is not as moist and juicy compared to those that I have tried.
Price: S$4.00 per plate (3 pieces)

We were so excited about this "Steamed Custard Bun (蒸奶黄包)" the moment it was placed on the table. When Maureen (Miss Tam Chiak) starts to break open one of the bun we were all very eager to see the yummy custard oozing out from it. But when she breaks it open, we were quite disappointed as the custard was kind of dry compared to what we look forward to. If you don’t mind having paste like custard, these custard buns are still soft and fragrant to taste.
Price: S$4.50 per basket (3 pieces) (New!)

Deep-fried Red Bean Balls (高丽豆沙) is a very popular dessert in Yunnan, China that always attracts people of all ages. The red bean balls have a crispy outer skin that is infused with a light “egg scent” together with its smooth and fragrant mixture of red bean paste and banana fillings which I am sure you would set aside your diet plan just for that moment.
Price: S$4.50 per plate (3 pieces)

I would like to thank Dennis from Flaunt PR & Communications and Eastern Restaurant (Centrepoint) for having us on this tasting. From more reviews about this tasting you could also refer to the following blogs of those who attended the outing too:- Daniel Food Diary(BanBan), Keropokman, Lobsterpaints and Miss Tam Chiak(Maureen).

There are so many dishes availables during this tasting and out of those, I recommend "Chicken Marinated with Shao Shing Wine (绍兴醉鸡)", "Century Egg with Tofu (皮蛋豆腐)", "Fu Rong Special Scramble Egg (芙蓉赛螃蟹)", "Sautéed Green Bean with Minced Pork in Chilli Sauce (干煸四季豆)" and "Deep-fried Red Bean Balls (高丽豆沙)".



The Eastern Restaurant(Centrepoint) Pte Ltd
(东方|上海拉面,小笼包)
176 Orchard Road
#01-57 Centrepoint
Singapore 238843
Telephone: 6736 2638
Website: http://www.easternrestaurant.com/

Operating Hours:
Monday - Sunday: 11.00am - 10.00pm




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