A Deep-fried Peranakan Meal

Just realised I haven't blogged about this yet and the next weekend is here already!

Last Saturday we went for dinner in Jurong Point, which was so crowded we couldn't get seats in our preferred restaurants at 6:30pm. So we decided to try this Peranakan restaurant, Red Lacquer, which we weren't really keen on since hubby's friend had said the Penang Fried Kway Teow there was nothing like the ones in Penang (the friend was from Penang).

The restaurant was only half-full when we arrived, so we managed to get a corner table, where Sam could scramble up & down the sofa bench. Though halfway through the meal I had regretted not restraining him in the baby chair! ;P

The waiter who took our orders was quite attentive, informing us the lack of plastic forks but readily supplied a suitable plastic bowl & spoon. He even asked if Sam needed warm plain water, even though we had ordered drinks. But unfortunately the promised H2O never materialised. We had to ask for it later, and also a straw.

Only after all the dishes arrived did I realised that everything I ordered was deep-fried. I guess I had unconsciously gotten all my favourites. ;P Still, I didn't have much choices since I don't eat spicy stuff, so what could I have ordered in a Penang Peranakan restaurant???

Well, we had Loh Bak ($7.90), Inche Kabin ($13.90) and hubby wanted Otak-Otak ($4.90). The otah was very, very good!! Basically it's what I would have expected from a Peranakan eating place. I had to swallow 2 mouthfuls of white rice ($1 a bowl) for every bite of the otah, but the burning sensation was worth enduring!

The Loh Bak tasted almost exactly like the ones we had during our holiday in Penang, with solid pieces of meat wrapped up like our 'ngoh hiong' (五香). I had the pieces cut back for Sam to eat with his rice, which he quite enjoyed, though he steadfastly refused the accompanying 'tau kwa' (豆干).

The Inche Kabin was basically deep-fried chicken, flavoured with spices. The meat was tender enough for Sam & not dry at all, the delicate spices making the dish more flavourful than the usual fried chicken dishes. I had ordered the hot Longan & Red Date tea ($3), which came in a pot (I had expected only a tall glass) and tasted not bad, though a trifle on the sweet side. Fortunately Sam didn't drop the ceramic cup when he sipped a whole cupful of the tea.

Hubby had the worst deal: the soup of his Penang Prawn Noodle ($6.90) wasn't strong at all, doesn't taste of prawns, despite the physical presence of the seafood. We concluded jokingly that the chef must have been from a 'zi cha tua' background instead of from Penang, that would explain why none of the famous Penang hawker dishes tasted genuine but the individual dishes were good. ;P

We had a good deal last weekend, as the promotion then was a 10% discount and no GST, so basically we saved on the usual 17% taxes (10% service charge + 7% GST). I understood from the waitress that in December there would be 10% discount for Shiok! card members, so I guess the restaurant changes its promotions every month.



Red Lacquer Penang Peranakan
#03-96/101 Jurong Point Shopping Centre
Tel: 6794-5427

Crabs, Crabs, Crabs!

With the large crowd at Jurong Point on Saturday nights, we had to make do with the less popular eating places even at 6:30pm. Thus hubby finally got a chance to try the advertised Crab QQ Noodles in the Chinese restaurant at the basement of Jurong Point's new wing.

I myself wasn't quite sure of Pioneer Wharf. Though it's the chain's 3rd outlet, its less-than-full capacity on a weekend night didn't inspire much confidence.

Well, the 1st impression of the place was certainly good. The service staff were helpful. A high chair (those plastic foldable ones) was brought out the moment we requested for one, and when Sam refused to get in it, a waitress quickly stacked up 2 adult dining chairs so that Sam could reach the table.

The experienced staff constantly reminded the new (& obviously young) waiter to serve the dishes away from Sam. The plastic bowl, plate & small metallic fork & spoon were given without me having to request for any, though it was halfway through our meal before anyone thought of offering Sam a plastic cup of water. By that time Sam was already enjoying his warm homecooked barley ($3.50), which was pretty good.

Sam was in those moods where the plate of appetiser peanuts ($2 on the bill, so better reject if you don't want it) with a bowl of white rice ($1) would keep him satisfied while we ponder over the menu. We didn't order too much, in case the restaurant wasn't up to our standard, but fortunately the food turned out pretty good!

The HK Kai Lan with minced garlic ($12) was average, and so was the Chicken Soup ($8). But hubby was full of praise for the beancurd in the Claypot Beancurd ($12), which came with 3 large prawns and the gravy delicious with rice. The Crab with QQ Noodles took some time coming, but it was worth the wait.

Our crab (@ $3.30 per 100g) was fresh & very meaty, and the noodles were totally full of the essence of crab! Sam polished off his own bowl of noodles even though he refused any of the crab meat. Hubby found the noodles a trifle too plain, then discovered the XO sauce on the table ($2 on the bill) which transformed the noodles from good to great! The dish costs us $31.40 before discount ($5 for the noodles, $26.40 for the crab), and fortunately there was a wash basin the restaurant itself for us to wash up thoroughly after the very satisfying meaty crab.

I guess the next time we would try one of their many speciality dishes, which leans heavily on prawns, so most likely to taste good. Most likely we would end up eating crabs again though, quite a good deal after the 15% discount with DBS/POSB credit cards.


Pioneer Wharf
#B1-45/46 Jurong Point Shopping Centre
Tel: 6861-6833

Return to Seah Street Deli

It had been years since I went to Seah Street Deli. I still remember my 1st visit there >10 years ago: I had ordered some kind of salad which included blue cheese, and because of the pungent cheese, I wasted the entire salad. *no kidding*

So, returning after so many years, I decided to order the NY Cobb Salad ($20.50) with its blue cheese again. And this time, I've already learnt to enjoy the pungent cheese, even if I had to drown the taste in lettuce. ;P

Still, it was nice to find the place basically unchanged, complete with the old jukebox & friendly service. And as hubby said, the clientele of the Deli had became parents by now, so I shouldn't have been surprised to find the fully adjustable Graco high chair we have at home in the restaurant. Or perhaps I simply hadn't noticed such items when I was a young single adult.

Sam didn't need the high chair though, he fitted just nicely on the wooden dining chair. The kids' menu was a white sheet for the children to colour in with crayons, but Sam got bored with the colouring before we even made our orders, so I had to whip out his fav cars. Again.

The waitress had thoughtfully given Sam his water in a plastic cup & straw, complete with cover to reduce chance of spilling. What confused me was that while the restaurant was so obviously child-friendly (from the menu to the chair to the service staff's attitude), they did not have plastic cutlery!!!!!!

So while they brought a separate small bowl & spoon for Sam to eat from, the bowl was ceramic (I don't mind the metal spoon). Fortunately Sam didn't topple anything during the meal to mar our pleasure.

I was very pleased to find the kids' menu included Macaroni & Cheese with Sausage ($8). At least it seems to be healthier than the usual chicken or fish nuggets with fries on the same menu. The Linguini with Ratatouille sauce & vegetables seemed interesting too, would try that on the next visit.

Anyway, turned out Sam loved the Macaroni, which wasn't too cheesy. He couldn't sit still enough to finish half the bowl, or perhaps he had filled up on the Mozzarella Cheese Sticks ($11.50 for 8pcs), which came with a very good salsa dip that Sam hasn't learnt to appreciate. I guess even if he ate only the ends of the Cheese Sticks - where there's more of the crispy breaded coating - he would also be full after polishing off the ends of 5 sticks.

Fortunately we remembered to take away the leftovers of the macaroni, cos Sam finished off everything after he got up from his afternoon nap. I'm so glad to find an alternative to french fries for him in an American restaurant!

Oh, 15% discount with Citibank credit cards, so the overall cost didn't turn out too bad after all.


Seah Street Deli
Raffles Hotel Singapore
1 Beach Road
Tel: 64121816

Singapore Kid's Dining Guide

Earlier this month I had spent S$8 to buy the 1st issue of this new magazine, Singapore Kids' Dining Guide, simply because one of the articles interested me greatly: Best Family Restaurants. I was curious to know how many restaurants in the list I've visited, and if the reviews were really accurate.

Well, turns out I've brought Sam to almost half the eating places listed. Restaurants like Ikea, PastaMania, Swensen's and Go Go Bambini are definitely child-friendly, the reviews are short but true. 2 others, California Pizza Kitchen and Fish & Co., I enjoyed eating there, though have yet to try the kids' meals.

It was interesting to read about places such as The Tanglin Tree and Sol Playground Cafe. Neither hubby nor I knew about these restaurants, and we're now looking forward to try these gems when we have the chance. For this reason I would hang on to the magazine for the next few months.

Cos while I enjoyed reading the articles about Gourmet Food for Kids and Healthy Snacks, I didn't think it warrants the relatively high price of the magazine. Maybe I'm just being stingy. ;P

Still, there's a chance of redeeming back the cost of the magazine. Looking forward to using the discount coupons, which are valid till at least the end of this year. Restaurants like NYDC & PastaMania are definitely a must-return-to for a hassle-free meal with young children.

Lovely Jumbo Executive Lunch

Got blogging here again, thanks to the great lunch we had just now at Jumbo Seafood @ Dempsey. We went to Dempsey Hill cos hubby wanted to eat at the Ben & Jerry's, but because Sam wanted noodles for lunch, we ended up at the 1st Chinese restaurant we saw.

Turns out to a great choice. The outlet there was renovated in a very 'fusion' style with corresponding utensils. Wouldn't have guessed the restaurant would be serving typical Chinese seafood restaurant fare. We were seated in a corner table facing a ceiling-high fish tank wall, which Sam consented to pose for with purposely-closed eyes.

We opted for the Executive Set Lunch B (Chilli Crab Celebration), at S$36++/pax (cost incl. tea& towel). The Appetizer Trio (Scallop in Yam Ring, Chilled Mango Duck, Seafood Bacon Roll with Mayo) was nothing special, but tasted good.

The best dishes that fully justified the cost of the set lunch were the Scallop Dumpling in Seafood Broth, and the De-Shelled Chilli Crab Claw with 'Man Tou'. Crab, prawn & dried scallop were wrapped in scallop, served in a thickened broth that's not too salty, good enough to clean off the whole bowl. I was so terribly reluctant to share the dish with Sam!!! Hubby loved it too, and specially - since this dish isn't on the regular menu - 'tabao' another 2 servings home (@S$12 each) for his parents to try!

The chilli crab was great! It's lovely to eat crab without having to remove the shells messily, and since I don't really enjoy eating spicy food, the small portion was ideal for me. I wished there was more buns to mop up the gravy, but hubby & I shared a bowl of rice to do justice to the lovely gravy.

The Jumbo Prawn Noodles was supposed to be cooked with XO sauce, but because of Sam, we requested for it to be cooked differently, so that it would be non-spicy. The result was nothing spectacular, but still delicious.

Sam loved eating it on his grey Rubbermaid high chair, though the plastic spoon provided is obviously getting a trifle too small for him. The restaurant had also provided a plastic cup for Sam to drink from, though we had to request for the cold water before they remembered to fill up the cup.

Dessert was supposed to be Dragon Fruit Champagne Jelly. Well, without the menu, we thought it was simply 'wen tou xue' and aloe vera cubes with strawberries & mango. Still, it was a cool way to end the meal, and Sam loved the lime-flavoured dessert so much he actually drank off the cup.



Service was good, especially since we started our meal at 11:30am, when the place was literally empty. Felt even better when informed that there's 10% discount when paying with Citibank credit card, so the meal was quite, quite worth it! ;)


http://www.jumboseafood.com.sg/
Blk 11 Dempsey Rd, #01-16
Tel: 64793435
Opening hours: Weekdays - 12pm~3pm, 6pm~12am.
Sat & Eve of P.H. - 12pm~12am
Sun & P.H. - 11:30am~11:30pm

Not Updating This For A While......

Sorry have not been updating this blog.

Had been busy learning to cope with my new job. Also, Sam just started full day childcare last week. And we've spent half the time last month being sick with flu. In fact, Sam (and me & hubby) are down with flu again.

Anyway, Sam has now grown tall enough to reach most of the tables when sitting on adult chairs in the restaurants. So my enthusiasm on checking out baby chairs has dampen somewhat.

Thus, I'll not be blogging here for quite a long while. Those interested in me or my son's antics in general are welcome to my other blog, http://tanhui2.blogspot.com.

Wish all of you happy dining!