You Kee XO Restaurant (有记XO烧腊之家) @ Joo Chiat Place - Lip Smacking Crystal BBQ Pork Belly Char Siu From Johor Bahru Opens First Outlet In Singapore

For foodie that frequent Johor Bahru, you will probably heard of You Kee XO Restaurant (有记XO烧腊之家) known for its tonic soup and roasted meats. I have visited You Kee XO twice during my trip across the causeway. I am glad to announce that they have recently opened a new outlet and their first outside Johor Bahru in Singapore, Joo Chiat Place.

The first thing you will notice when you step into the restaurant is the two giant earthen urns. This is their signature earthen urns that is used to boil the tonic soup under constant charcoal fire for more than 10 hours.

Tonic Soup 4.5/5

Everyday there is 1 to 2 type of Tonic Soup ($12) on the menu and limited to around 100 portions. One can taste the depth of the soup from the extraction of the ingredients through the long hours of slow cooking the soup. I can still remember the slogan of their tonic soup - 男人的加油站， 女人的美容院.

XO Signature Roasted Duck 3.8/5

Traditional Roasted Pork Belly 4/5

Crystal BBQ Pork Belly Char Siu 4.2/5

Another signature at You Kee XO is their roasted meats. We tried the XO Signature Roasted Duck ($8/$13.80/$15.80), Traditional Roasted Pork Belly ($6.80) and Crystal BBQ Pork Belly Char Siu ($9.80). My favourite is still their char siu for the glittering exterior sweetness and the crystal fatness. You can't hardly find this type of standard in Singapore. For the roasted duck and roasted pork belly, they are noteworthy but better ones elsewhere. Other roasted items available at the restaurant are suckling pig, roasted chicken, Pei Pa duck, as well as pork sausage Hong Kong style.

Ginger Onion with Slice Fish 3/5

Besides the tonic soup and roasted meat, You Kee XO also offers a selection of cooked dishes. We managed to try a couple of them such as the Ginger Onion with Slice Fish ($6.80) and Handmade Signature Bean Curd ($8.80).

Handmade Signature Bean Curd 4/5

I remembered having the Handmade Signature Bean Curd back in my trip across the causeway. Great to see that the dish is available on the menu. The dish is also known as volcano beancurd because it is served sizzling hot with the sauce bubbling like volcano eruption. The homemade beancurd is smooth and silky with additional textures from the greens and pork floss.

Steamed Fish Tail with Green Ginger Paste

You Kee XO also offers steamed fish on the menu. I didn't try it this time but I have a look at the menu and the same dish I tried last time, Steamed Fish Tail with Green Ginger Paste ($21.80) is available on the menu too. The remember the special green ginger paste together with the soy sauce complements the fish meat excellently.

In fact, the menu at the Singapore branch is exactly the same as in Malaysia. I secretly hope that they can sell their almond bak kwa next Chinese New Year. Finger crossed.


You Kee XO Restaurant (有记XO烧腊之家)
43 Joo Chiat Place
Singapore 427767
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Nearest MRT: Dakota (CC Line)

Opening Hours:
Mon-Fri: 1030am - 3pm, 5pm - 9pm
Sat-Sun & PH: 1030am - 9pm

Direction:
1) Alight at Dakota MRT station. Take Exit A. Walk to bus stop at block 99 (Stop ID 81181). Take bus number 33. Alight 5 stops later. Walk to destination. Journey time about 15 minutes. [Map]

2) Alight at Bedok MRT station. Take Exit B or C. Walk to Bedok Bus Interchange (Stop ID 84009). Take bus number 33. Alight 11 stops later. Walk to destination. Journey time about 20 minutes. [Map]

Dearborn Supper Club @ Chai Chee Street - Private Dining Focusing On Greens, Grains And Seafood

Our private dining adventure brought us to Dearborn Supper Club in the East which has like 5 months of waiting list. We are quite lucky to score a session at the start of the year in January if not we will have to wait until June. Dearborn Supper Club is hosted by Chef Christopher Kong who has worked at Waku Chin and Guy Savoy, offering fine-modern American cuisine in a casual setting that focus on grains, greens and seafood at his cosy five room flat.

A selections of Gin and Tonic welcome us before we proceeded to our dinner. It is definitely a warm reception from the host.

Chickpeas with Lemon 4/5 and Carrot Tartare 4.2/5

Local Snapper Riclette 4/5

Edamame Hummus 4.2/5

With started with some bite-size amuse bouche. We have the Chickpea with Lemon, Carrot Tartare, Local Snapper Riclette and Edamame Hummus. I like the zest with the chickpea which is kind of a surprise combination to elevate the flavour. The edamame hummus is also a unique take of combining middle east and Japanese flavours that is well received by the dining group.

Hokkaido Scallops 4/5

Our first course is the Hokkaido Scallops that is paired with green apple, horse radish, celery and apple vinaigrette. The refreshing pairings allows the sweetness of the scallop to stand out in the dish. A clean and pleasing dish to kick start the dinner.

Agnolotti Pasta 4.2/5

Chef Christopher's dad used to run an Italian restaurant in Washington. Hence the Agnolotti Pasta is like remembering his root. The vegetarian pasta consists of elements like sunflower seeds, pea and pecorino cheese. These parcels of delight probably just got me converted to be a vegetarian. Well maybe just for the night.

Eggplant 3.8/5

The Eggplant is char-grilled and topped with tomato relish, jalapeno relish, quinoa and dressed in a chicken mayo jus. Eggplant can be quite one dimensional in taste but dearborn has smartly created firework in the dish with the pairings.

Squid Ink Fried Rice 4.5/5

The Squid Ink Fried Rice is done paella style, giving the short brown organic rice a crispy texture at the edges. One can find seafood such as squid and prawns in the fried rice, as well as anchovy for that lift in flavour. A very delicious and comforting dish that has more Asian and Spanish influences.

Sourdough 4.5/5

For the next course, we are called upon the kitchen table where Chef Christopher brought out 2 loaves of Sourdough. A weird flow of serving as bread is usually served at the beginning of dinner but once Chef Christopher cut into the sourdough, everyone just could not stop spreading the homemade butter onto their slices of bread. The time also allows us to have more interaction with the chef who has been busy cooking all night, which I really appreciate to complete the whole private dining experience.

Grilled Cauliflower Steak 4.5/5

For our main course, we have the Grilled Cauliflower Steak topped with pickled cauliflower and olives. Noteworthy is the eggyolk and sherry sauce that complements the cauliflower steak excellently. Even though there was no meat through out the dinner, at this point I was already feeling full. Some of us could not even finish the dish.

Seaweed Madeleine 5/5

The beautiful aroma of the Seaweed Madeleine was already making me drool when it is being baked in the oven. Served fresh and hot, these moist and fluffy seaweed madeleine had us asking for more but there is only one piece per person. I was told that Chef Christopher has made yuzu madeleine and pepper madeleine. We actually challenged him to make uni madeleine.

Coconut Ice Cream 4/5

Our dessert is all about coconut. The Coconut Ice Cream has a coconut meringue roof with edible white pandan flowers. On the base of plate is coconut crumbles for texture. There is also a bit of lime zest to balance the sweetness. A refreshing dessert that is not overly sweet, well balanced and of course coconuty.

Fortune Cookies 3.5/5

Last but not least, instead of the petite fours to go along with our coffee or tea, we are offered homemade Fortune Cookies in Chinese noodle takeaway box. We even get to take home a bottle of homemade granola. The private dining dinner cost us $128 per pax for 6-course but actually we have more than 6 courses. Also I noted that the have increased the price to $138 now. Private dinner is really getting more and more expensive.


Dearborn Supper Club
Blk 51 Chai Chee Street
Singapore 460051
Website
Nearest MRT: Kembangan (EW Line), Bedok (EW Line)

Direction:
1) Alight at Bedok MRT station. Take Exit B. Walk to Bedok Bus Interchange (Stop ID 84009). Take bus number 26. Alight 2 stops later. Cross the road. Walk to destination. Journey time about 8 minutes. [Map]

2) Alight at Bedok MRT station. Take Exit A. Walk to bus stop at Bedok MRT Station (Stop ID 84039). Take bus number 222. Alight 3 stops later. Cross the road. Walk to destination. Journey time about 10 minutes. [Map]

3) Alight at Kembangan MRT station. Take Exit A. Walk to bus stop at Kembangan MRT station (Stop ID 83062). Take bus number 26. Alight 6 stops later. Walk to destination. Journey time about 15 minutes. [Map]

Bai Nian Niang Dou Fu (百年酿豆腐) @ Viva Business Park - Handmade Yong Tau Foo That Always Has A Long Queue

Bai Nian Niang Dou Fu (百年酿豆腐) which has its flagship stall at Albert Centre Food Centre has extended its business and opened branches at People's Park Food Centre and Viva Business Park in Chai Chee. The queue at their flagship stall has always been long, hence it is good that they have expanded their business allowing many patrons to try their handmade Niang Dou Fu. During my visit to the Viva Business Park branch, there was already a queue when I reached there.

Niang Dou Fu Soup 4.2/5

A bowl of the Niang Dou Fu Soup ($5.50) comes with 7 different pieces of bite size Niang Dou Fu and noodles. In it, you can find prawn ball, pork ball, bitter gourd, beancurd, white, black and gold beancurd rolls stuffed with pork, fish, prawn and squid filling. All these are freshly made and cooked on the spot. The highlight among the various ingredients is actually the prawn roll that is made from tiger prawn flesh. It has an enjoyable bouncy texture. The soup itself is light and tasty.

Niang Dou Fu Dry 4/5

Besides the soup version, the stall also offers the dry version. Similar to the soup version, the dry version comes with the 7 different handmade niang dou fu. Replacing the soup, is the sweet sauce and chilli sauce. Personally I prefer the soup version as the sweetness of the sauce kind of masked the appreciation of the ingredients.

Chicken Wing 3.5/5

You can complete your meal with the Chicken Wing ($6 for 4pc). I like the honesty that I get 4 drumette and 4 wingette. Some stalls probably only get you 2 of each, which is actually only 2 chicken wings. Over here, you get the 4 whole chicken wings for $6. The wings are big and juicy too. I can taste five spices in the crispy batter, which is quite flavourful. However the crust from the batter is a bit too tough.

Bai Nian (百年) Niang Dou Fu
Viva Business Park
750 Chai Chee Road
#01-25
Singapore 469000
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Nearest MRT: Bedok (EW Line), Kembangan (EW Line)

Opening Hours:
Daily: 730am - 9pm

Direction:
1) Alight at Bedok MRT station. Take Exit A. Walk to bus stop at Bedok MRT station (Stop ID 84039). Take bus number 222. Alight 2 stops later. Walk to destination. Journey time about 6 minutes [Map]

2) Alight at Kembangan MRT station. Take Exit A. Walk to bus stop at Kembangan MRT station (Stop ID 83062). Take bus number 2, 7, 24, 25, 26, 28, 30, 33, 67 and 854. Alight 3 stops later. Walk to destination. Journey time about 10 minutes. [Map]

FatFuku @ Upper East Coast Road - Private Dining By Singapore-based Food Writer, Annette Tan

Private dining has been one of the latest trends in Singapore. After my visit to Lucky House Cantonese Private Kitchen, together with a couple of foodies, we made a booking at FatFuku which we waited for about a month for our reservation. For $95 per pax, you get about 7/8 dishes.

Keropok with Green Chilli Ikar

While we wait for the rest of the group to turn up, Annette from FatFuku offer us some Keropok with Green Chilli Ikar to snack on.

Devil Curry Pie 4/5

I have to say I was not expected to be served the Devil Curry Pie as it is an Eurasian dish and not a Peranakan dish. Nevertheless, the recipe comes with generous filling (chicken, sausages, mushrooms and carrots) in a buttery pastry.

FatFuku Mee Siam 4.2/5

The signature dish at FatFuku which almost everyone is talking about has to be her Dry Mee Siam. As we have the full view of the kitchen, I can see her pan fried the mee siam to get that crispiness. It is then topped with prawns and quail eggs. I like the idea that she has more of the tangy sauce at the side, allowing the mee siam to remain crispy while those that prefer to have it more saucy can help themselves to it.

Pork Belly Buah Keluak 4.5/5

We all went wow when the Pork Belly Buah Keluak is served. On top of the fragrant buah keluak fried rice is huge pieces of wobbly and tender pork belly cooked in buah keluak. I usually have ayam buah keluak and it usually turned out rather dry. This is a good change from the usual.

Ayam Tempra 4.5/5

A simple and hearty Peranakan dish cooked to perfection is the Ayam Tempra. Besides the tender chicken, the highlight foris the braised onions with their sweetness complementing the poultry.

Beef Cheek Rendang 5/5

This is probably the best Beef Cheek Rendang I have ever eaten. The aroma of the rempah and the melted in the mouth beef cheek, just come together like a beautiful note in a song, that just keeping sounding over and over in my head.

Nanka Lemak 4/5

Do you know that the whole jackfruit can be eaten? Using unripe jackfruit, this is made into the Nanka Lemak. The texture of the nanka is quite similar to artichoke. The whole experience is like have a bowl of vegetable curry.

Kueh Bingka Ubi 4.8/5

Not to be missed is the Kueh Bingka Ubi. a favourite nyonya tea time treat. The baked tapioca cake so soft and delicious. We even asked for second serving.

Dulce de Leche Ice Cream 4.5/5

Wrapping up the dinner, Annette made us some Dulce de Leche Ice Cream and Cookies. She even offered us coffee and tea.

Cookies 4.5/5

Reservation at FatFuku takes about a month. If I am not wrong, Annette is not doing this full time, she only hosts dinner up to 3 times a week. Annette is a well known food writers and she is still contributing to many publications as well as conducting cooking classes. If you ever getting a seating at her private dining, you will be assure that you will be in for a tummy good time.


FatFuku
451 Upper East Coast Road
Singapore 466499
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Website
Nearest MRT: Bedok (EW Line)

Direction: 
1) Alight at Bedok MRT station. Take Exit A. Walk to Bus Stop at Bedok MRT station (Stop ID 84039). Take bus number 137. Alight 6 stops later. Walk to destination. Journey time about 15 minutes. [Map]

Lucky House Cantonese Private Kitchen (陶然居) @ Upper East Coast Road - A Wonderful 8-Course Private Dining By Self Taught Chef

Together with 10 other foodie friends and after waiting for a good 2 months, we finally get to check out Lucky House Cantonese Private Kitchen (陶然居) at Upper East Coast Road. The venue of the private dining is actually at Chef Sam Wong's home. It opens on weekday and every night he can only accept two table of guests. We paid $80 per pax for a 8-course meal.

There are 2 rooms at Chef Sam Wong's home. We are seated at the bigger room which can sit up to 16 guests. The small room sits around 8-10 pax. Don't worry, it is air-conditioned, so you can dine in comfort.

Chef Wong does welcome his guests to step into his kitchen. This is probably the kitchen where one's grandmother used to cook in. At Lucky House, this is where Chef Wong works his magic.

Charcoal Boiled Pork Shoulder, Arrow Root and Peanut Soup 3.5/5

Our first dish is the Charcoal Boiled Pork Shoulder, Arrow Root and Peanut Soup. This has been slow cooked over charcoal fire for hours. Accordingly to Chef Wong, he used 3 batches of charcoal to cook this pot of soup. No salt is used either. For some, this may taste a little bland but I actually enjoyed the natural flavours extracted from the different ingredients and herbs.

Steamed Wild Caught Red Garoupa 4.2/5

I noticed Chef Wong was frying the shallots before drizzling them over the the Steamed Wild Caught Red Garoupa. It gives the fish a beautiful aroma, complementing the freshness of the wild caught fish.

Concubine Chicken 4.5/5

I not sure why the dish is called Concubine Chicken but the sight of it just makes me want to sink my teeth into them. The flavoursome chicken was tender and juicy. One of my favourite dishes of the night.

Fried Prawn with Rose Liqueur 4/5

The Fried Prawn with Rose Liqueur was plump, huge and crunchy. I find the seasoning a bit heavy for this dish but it goes well with a bowl of plain rice.

Lucky House Roasted Duck 4.5/5

A signature is the Lucky House Roasted Duck. The duck is marinated in fish sauce and soy sauce for 2 days and air dried. It is then charcoal grilled in his hand-built oven. The result is smokiness, crispy skin and tender meat.

Fried Organic Vegetable 4.8/5

Chef Wong doesn't like to use salt and garlic in his cooking. Hence we are surprised how sweet the Fried Organic Vegetable tasted. He shared that he uses fish sauce in placed of salt. On top of that, these vegetables are freshly harvested from a local farm.

Crayfish Omelette 5/5

The dining group's favourite dish has to be the Crayfish Omelette. I think we all have the initial thought that it is just a simple egg omelette dish. Never did we expect that the fluffy egg cooked to golden brown with chunky crayfish meat is such a perfect match. It has brought my love of egg omelette to a whole new level.

Shandong Peanuts and Kidney Beans Soup 4/5

Wrapping up our dining is the Shandong Peanuts and Kidney Beans Soup. Mildly sweetened with the used of rock sugar, I enjoyed the nutty soup which is quite refreshing after all the richness from the previous dishes. It is like have a cup of tea after a great meal.

For those that is hoping to dine at Lucky House Cantonese Private Kitchen, you have to be patient as the reservation is up to a good 2-3 months now. For those driving, parking is very limited. You have to park around Evergeen Gardens private estate. You are also welcome to bring your own wine as there are no corkage here.


Lucky House Cantonese Private Kitchen (陶然居)
267 Upper East Coast Road
Singapore 466413
Tel: +65 98237268
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Nearest MRT: Bedok (EW Line)

Opening Hours:
Mon-Fri: 630pm - 10pm

Direction: 
1) Alight at Bedok MRT station. Take Exit A. Walk to Bus Stop at Bedok MRT station (Stop ID 84039). Take bus number 137. Alight 4 stops later. Walk to destination. Journey time about 15 minutes. [Map]