Crystal Jade Golden Palace

Chinese New Year tastings have begun...Crystal Jade Golden Palace invited me to a tasting of their very innovative menu for the Year of the Horse.

Chinese New Year celebrations start with the now famous Yu Sheng...a tradition these days and a must have. And to differentiate, chefs have been innovating on the ingredients.

Here we have pine nuts, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, white sesame and peanuts are added to a salad of fresh vegetables and slices of sweet mango.

Fresh salmon and amberjack fish slices, topped with gold leaf flakes are drizzled with Crystal Jade's special plum sauce and hazelnut oil. The mix is then tossed by the diners, and as each of the ingredients symbolice abundence, wealth and health, the participants get to enjoy the blessing for a great start to the new year.

A very interesting, and special fish is next

The Amadai fish is specially imported from Japan, deep fried to a golden brown and covered all over with crispy shimmering scales. The first time I ate fish scales was in Guy Savoy, a 3 star Michelin restaurant at their main restaurant in Rue Troyon in Paris. Amazingly, Crystal Jade's chefs have recreated a very similar dish...though the French dish was not deep fried and this was, the scales looked and tasted very similar. Very light, crispy, very delicately flavoured. The fish itself is elegant, mild and with shichimi powder...a harmonous blend of chillies, orange peel, peppercorns, sesame seeds, dried ginger and seaweed...the taste is sublime. Very nice. Wonderful mouth feel.

A lobster was next

The Chinese name for lobster is Dragon prawns, and dragons are auspicious to the Chinese. Canadian lobster, which I had once in Vancouver, and explained to me by the restaurant owner as superior to Boston as it is more flavourful, more tender meat, is used. The shellfish is seared with hot oil, and gently simmered in superior stock containing halibut. The chef describes this style as yin yang cooking, and explained that it ensures sweet flavours of luscious, firm, white flesh of the lobster sealed by the scalding, and then infused with the goodness and mildly sweet taste of halibut. Eating the lobster, I would declare he was very successful. Reminiscent of the one I had in Vancouver.

A pork dish was next

Wouldn't be much fun if its just plain old pork served, pan fried, right? And of course that won't be a case for the inspired team at Crystal Jade. Strips of kurobuta pork from Japan, sauteed with 2 different varietals of mushrooms, a tricolor of capsicums, and cordycep flowers. The dish is light, yet bursting and overflowing with flavours. The pork was very tender, and suitably mild, allowing the palate of the mushrooms, capsicum and flowers to highlight the dish. A light, organic raw extra virgin coconut oil permeates with a light, fragrant, and yet very creamy foundation. Very nice.

Having been delighted with the first 3 dishes, the fourth brings the meal to a crescendo

Scallops, seared and braised with sea cucumbers in a superior stock. With two sprigs of sauteed asparagus to provide a bit of colour and extra flavour. The combination rests on a bed of sweet corn, wheat and barley as a substitute for traditional rice as a starch. Beautiful flavours meld together in a very nice symphony.

And finally the sweets...a trio of the familiar, the traditional with a twist and the innovative.

First the innovative, black eyed pea cake, steamed

The traditional with a twist, steamed carrot cake

And the familiar with a twist...CNY glutinous rice cake, steamed

A truly superb meal. Worthy of a consideration for the upcoming Chinese New Year.

Many thanks to Samantha of Crystal Jade and JJ of Pinstripes for hosting and the invitation.

Crystal Jade Golden Palace
5th floor Paragon Shopping Center
singapore

Red House Seafood

Red House Seafood is an old establishment in the seafood scene in Singapore. Established in 1976, it is family run, and opened their third outlet in Princep Street in June. I was invited for a tasting, and here is my view of the food.

We began the tasting with a Trio combination of the Chef's Signature squid.

Three different kinds of squid...a baby squid deep fried till crunchy in the background, a large squid, marinated and barbecued, and in the foreground squid with salted egg yolk.

I found the salted egg yolk squid the best. Absolutely fragrant, very nicely done. The crispy baby squid passed the mark, but was unremarkable. The barbecued squid was surprisingly tender...as I had expected the size of the squid may prehaps caused it to be a bit tougher.

Next up Tiger Prawns with Signature Creamy Custard Sauce

Very nice. The prawns were large, succulent. Very fresh. The creamy sauce was beautiful. Slightly sweet, very rich. Excellent dish.

Then, what was for me the piece de resistance, the Spicy Seafood combination

Magnificent, magnificent sauce. A bit reminiscent of some of the dry yellow curries I have eaten in Bangkok...a rich coconut cream laden luxurious mouthfeel, lifted by the bite of the chilli, and the wonderful aroma of the sauce. The seafood provided the base to build the dish...very fresh fish, scallops, prawns, squid. Really superb and a must try dish. Eaten with either steamed or fried mantou...or of course, steamed rice.

Next Sambal Kang Kong

Good too...but more regular tasting rather than out of this world good like the Spicy Seafood Combination. The kangkong was young, lightly stir fried...still crunchy, and the sambal was rather fragrant. The other journalists on my table remarked that they loved the dish, and why Americans don't really like to eat vegetables is because it is always so bland in the US...steamed, poached, grilled.

We next had a huge crab - the Red House Special Chilli Stewed Crab

This was really good too. Unlike many other chilli crabs in town, the sauce is thick, rich, and also perhaps more tomato based...I can catch the whiff of the tomato fragrance when the dish was put on the table. The crab, being live...is of course fresh, but the chef had good control of the wok, and the crab was perfectly cooked. Marvellous.

We also had black pepper crab

A somewhat smaller crab, but still as perfectly cooked. The sauce was a bit heavy for me, but it was very tasty.

And the Red House Mee Goreng

Very good. Reminded of the mee goreng served at the small hut by Punggol End. The noodles were very well cooked, good blend of spices. Very nice.

Thanks to Cheryl Ho and Amanda Tan at ATE Consulting for the invitation and to Red House for hosting.

Red House Seafood
68 Prinsep Street
63366080
Mon to Fri 11:30am-2:30pm; 5pm-11pm
Sat, Sun, PH 11am-3pm; 5pm-11pm

Jade Garden in Sungei Ringgit: Lobster Capital of Malaysia

Lobsters...this crustacean conjures up certain images in one's mind when it comes to cuisine. Luxury, tasty, high end. This is one such adventure to taste this elixir of life.

My cycling group made a trip there one day...take a ferry from Changi Point Ferry Terminal to Pengerrang, Johor. And a short ride to Sungei Ringgit, a fishing town by the coast, also known as Lobster Town. They even have a giant stainless steel lobster in the middle of the town.

We also had several very fresh seafood items for lunch, here is the tale

Started with the topshell

Some call topshell a poor man's abalone...though it is more a snail than abalone...this creature lives within a shell looking like a top...conical shaped. The meat is chewy, but as one chews releases some rather nice flavours and sweet notes. A bit more flavourful than abalone on its own. But not special enough.

Next up herbal chicken

Great herbal flavours...from the aromatic whiffs, to the rather strong taste of the soup. The chicken is rendered very tender, fall off the bone on a prodding of the chopsticks. But still rather tasty and not dry.

We also had a fishmaw braised with vegetables

A bit fishy in aroma...but tasty...the fish maw a bit resilient in texture, but giving way to the a crunchy like mouthfeel. The braising liquid is rather tasty. I rather enjoyed this dish.

We also had some lala, stir fried with spring onions and ginger

This dish is rather tasty, but I would have preferred larger lala (clams), which are perhaps more meaty.

As there was an ostrich farm nearby, we tried the stir fried ostrich

This was a bit of a disappointment. The meat was sinewy, quite tough, though nice deep flavours with only a hint of game. We tried some ostrich steaks later that afternoon at the ostrich farm, but that experience was totally different...much more tender, almost wagyu like without the marbling. Perhaps different quality of ostrich.

Another slightly disappointing dish was the squid

The squid was supposed to be crispy and tasty, but it was neither. A bit too chewy.

A bit of tofu, which I found to be quite good

Regular readers would know I have a soft spot for tofu...this one is rather enjoyable. The tofu is fragrant, and very smooth, creamy inside the slightly springy, deep fried exterior.

And finally what we came there for...the lobsters

Technically not a real lobster, as a lobster by definition needs to have claws. This is more correctly called spiny lobster or crayfish (though crayfish sometimes confuses with another crustacean.

The lobster is offered in various cooking methods...we opted for the house special sauce. One whole lobster per person, and costed according to the size...we had large ones.

The taste was excellent. The meat had a consistency and texture more springy and firmer than prawn, but the flavours were deeper and more pronounced. The crustacean sweetness was very nice. The sauce compliments the meat. Very good. Definitely will come back for more...watch this space, sometime in 2013, I will do a lobster vertical tasting...a whole meal, perhaps 2 full lobsters, halfed, each half done in a different style. That would be a meal to look out for!!

The seafood is generally fresher than most of the stuff we get in Singapore, and the lobster was outstanding. Prices were kinder to the wallet than in Singapore, but the entire meal, fed 10 hungry cyclists cost about MYR750 (about S$300). The prices have obviously been adjusted to cater for the mainly Singaporean crowd...banners of Mediacorp artises endorsing the food is all over the restaurant.

Jade Garden Seafood Corner
54, Jalan Kerisi, Sungai Rengit, Pengerang, Johor
http://goo.gl/maps/mUkH
GPS: 1.350967,104.224076
11:00am to 10:30pm

Majestic Bay Seafood

Magestic restaurant is the long time helm of Chef Yong. Having cut his teeth in Pan Pacific Hotel, he ventured out on his own, establishing the standards by which many are measured. Jing in Fullerton Hotel, Majestic at the Majestic Hotel and now fulfilling his dream to own and run a seafood restaurant...the Majestic Bay at Gardens by the Bay.

Located right in the new-ish Gardens by the Bay, a bank of tanks with divers fishes and live seafood greets the visitor as one enters. The decor is elegant, but still remainding quite casual.

We began with 4 selections of dim sum

First pic: steamed, shanghai dumpling, pork...aka Xiao Loong Pau

The tim sum is made by a specialist chef...I find the xlp skin to be a bit tougher than I would have preferred, but the filling and the soup within was quite nice.

Next up seared, chili crab meat bun

The pastry was quite fine...the filling being chilli crab meat was rather tasty. Nice dish.

The classical Baked BBQ pork bun, with a slight twist

Quite regular, methinks. But the next dish, spicy, minced pork dumpling was quite interesting.

The sauce is a vinegar-ish, sour, salty concoction with a deep savoury base, probably from the stock. The dumplings were quite interesting...very similar to the those found in Northern China. Quite nice balance between the rich pork filling and the tartness of the sauce.

We had the soup of the day which was - Old Cucumber with Pork Ribs Soup

This was a favourite of ours when Chef Yong was at the helm of Pan Pacific's chinese restaurant...the name escapes me for now...the soup was clear, refreshing and tasty. But what surprised me was the pork ribs used in the soup was still very nice, tender, tasty rather than being reduced to muscle fibres, the pork ribs retain the full flavour and was very nice.

Next steamed, live leopard garoupa, Light soya sauce

This fish was superb. The steaming of the fish, done 80% so that the bits of meat by the bone is still pink, but the rest of the meat is gloriously done. The fish was a live leopard graoupa...very nice, silky smooth flesh, almost creamy and luxurious on the palate.

The next dish was also rather special...with an innocuous name like wok-fried, radish cake, XO chili sauce belies its excellence

The radish cake was nicely done...the flour based cake part was savoury and rather nice consistency. But the highlight was the house made XO sauce...superb. With bits of dried shrimp, dried scallops in a rich spicy base. Superb.

Then an invention by Chef Yong...Live crabs, Bay’s signature “Kopi” sauce

A very large Sri Lankan meat crab, cooked in a special kopi sauce...invented by Chef Yong...comprising of 3 different kinds of coffee beans. The sauce is a bit like the coffee pork rib sauce we encounter rather often these days. But then the crab with sauce is doused in chinese rice wine and set ablaze...quite a spectacle.

But for me, the taste was less than the beauty of the dish and the spectacle of the serving. The sauce is rather sweet to the extent of being coy, and perhaps overpowering. The essence and flavour of the crab was lost in the complexity of the sauce. I can see how some people may be enamoured by this dish, but for me, it does not do the trick.

We next had a rice dish which was very popular...their baked rice, assorted seafood, chef’s recipe sauce

The tasting party agreed with nods of approval on this dish....as did I. Much like paella that the Spanish is famous for...this was quite a nice dish for me. The rice was covered with the sauce which was rich, tasty. The seafood fresh and verynice.

And finally the sweet’s temptation

Comprising (from back to front) the Glutinous Rice Dumpling with Yam Paste Stuffing, Shredded Coconut; Glutinous Rice Dumpling with Fresh Cream Stuffing; Steamed Custard Bun, Salted Egg Yolk; Bay’s Chinese Pancake, Red Bean Paste

Overall, a nice high end cze char style seafood eatery. Cooking was excellent, and the quality and freshness of the ingredients outstanding. Congrats to Chef Yong for achieving his seafood restaurant dream

This is an invited media tasting, thanks to Janice of FoodNews and Chef Yong for the invitation and entertaining evening.

Majestic Bay Seafood Restaurant
Flower Dome, Gardens By The Bay.
18 Marina Gardens Drive #01-10

Big Fish Bistro at East Coast

We are blessed in Singapore to have so many wonderful eateries to satisfy our tastebuds. And new ones pop up all the time. It is even more rewarding that some of the owners not only take the time and trouble with presenting great tasting food, but also fuss about the ambiencet and the service. But Big Fish takes this even one step further. It adds social responsibility of only serving sustainable food sources.

While I am not known to be an environmentalist, it is heartwarming to hear Patrick Terence Lim, co-owner of the Big Fish Bistro talk about consulting WWF to select sources of their seafood. About his staunch insistance on freshness, on service and of course great tasting food. It is not always that I see such passion in a restaurant owner. Most are dragged down by the chore and grind of running a restaurant. But Patrick was cheerful, informative and exudes passion.

Big Fish co-owner Patrick...expounding his passion for food, service and the environment.

I attended this session as the restaurant's guest, with my friend Melvyn.

Patrick and his partner bought over the restaurant earlier this year...the place has been in business for 7 years under the name Big Fish Seafood Grill Restaurant. They redecorated the place, it now has a bright, cheery and airy feel

We started with the ice tea...a very interesting concoction of tea: an ice blended tea with lemon juice and with bits of rind. Despite the milky look, it is milk free...and was very refreshing. The bits of lime provided some bite, though I hardly tasted the tea.

We first tried the house special fish and chips

Fairly large serving of two big battered fish on a bed of french fries. Patrick revealed that instead of the regular dory used in fish and chips, he uses red snapper.

So why not dory? Well, I hear from the grapevine (not from Patrick) that what is passed on as dory or sutchi which is sold frozen in supermarkets around the island is actually catfish from fish farms in Vietnam. Why catfish? Well they eat anything and everything, and grow very fast...equating to a very good yield. Any give a second thought to the fact that these fish slices are so large when you buy them frozen and when cooked yield only a small fillet?

Red snapper is, by far a superior fish. Sourced from a sustainable supplier, and fresh...the meat was tender, with a rich flavour which reminded me of the sea. The batter was very crisp. Very good fish and chips. Oh, the chips were excellent too.

We also had the spicy seafood ciopino

Ciopino is a kind of Italian fish/seafood stew. But Big Fish introduces an Asian twist. They add sambal to the tomato based broth. Thsi packs a bit of punch...I would have preferred a bit more...but I guess most patrons to a bistro would not be expecting firey fare, so its a good call by the chef. Having said that, the broth does have a kick. The ingredients are fresh. Prawns were large. Fish nicely cooked, and half a crayfish.

The piece de resistance was the day's Chef's Special. Grilled Parrot Fish served with smashed boiled potatoes and sautéed greens.

This is a beautiful specimen. Very fresh, with the characteristic blue and orange lower jaw.

The dish is only available when the chef can find fresh parrot fish that morning, and is cooked with its scales on. The scales and skin act as a natural pressure cooker. The skin and scales are removed on service by the waiter, but in this case the owner.

I found the fish a tad overcooked, but only a tad and this coming from one who preferred fish which is only cooked just so...just so that the edges of the bones are still almost rare. But this was not so far over that it was beyond redemption. Indeed, it was still very good. The flesh was mild, but very smooth, and had a mild hint of the sea, indicating freshness. The sauce was particularly interesting...like the kichap manis with chilli my mother used to make for dipping her barbecued stingray, this was similar.

Overall, I would rate this dish very highly indeed. The fish was excellent, the sides were nicely done as well. Melvyn thought highly of the dish too, and he preferred to eat it without the sauce.

For desserts we had creme brule

Nice, but rather de rigueur.

And tiramisu without rum. The restaurant, while not halal, does take its meat from halal certified sources, and do not serve pork or alcohol in the food...though they offer alcohol as drinks. So this tiramisu is made without the aid of the punch provided by the booze.

So how does it taste? Very good. I would still have preferred some alcohol, but the tiramisu was mild though flavourful. One can taste the chocolate and espresso within. Melvyn thought it to be very good.

Big Fish also prides itself in a wide selection of interesting teas. We had this one clear, very light, cleansing tea...White Ginger Pomegranate from T-Salon in New York.

To be drunk sans milk or sugar, it provided a wonderful, very aromatic end to the meal.

Thanks to Partick Terence Lim for being the perfect host, and introducing a very interesting restaurant.

Big Fish Bistro
85 Upper East Coast Road