Jai Thai Restaurant @ Clover Way

I was at Jalan Pemimpin, Tat Ann Building looking at some furniture that I remembered there is a Jai Thai restaurant just around the block at Clover Way. It was not a difficult decision since it was just around the corner and I have tried the food at Jai Thai East Coast Road before. The wallet friendly restaurant was not opened yet when I reached the place. Count myself lucky to be early. Once the clock strikes six, customers started streaming in and within minutes the restaurant was full.

Mango Salad 4/5

The Mango Salad ($6/$9/$12) is a good starter to whet up the appetite bursting with all the different flavours on a single plate. The peanuts and cashew nuts added extra crunch to the salad.

Tom Yam Seafood Clear Soup 3.5/5

The last time I dine at Jai Thai Restauant was around 2 years ago. I had the Tom Yam Seafood Clear Soup ($6/$9/$12), the same dish I ordered back then. I remembered that there was more seafood and they did not use fried fish but fresh fish instead. I was a bit disappointed and the price has also increased.

Steamed Tofu with Chicken Basil 4.5/5

I also ordered the same dish, Steamed Tofu with Chicken Basil ($7) back then. It has increased by a dollar and I am glad that the standard has not dropped. The combination of steamed tofu and delectable minced chicken infused with the basil flavour goes very well with a bowlof rice.

Olive Rice 4/5

Most customers usually will order pineapple rice at Thai restaurant but my preference is always the Olive Rice ($5/$7/$10). I find them more fragrant and flavourful compared to pineapple rice.

Red Curry Beef 3.8/5

Instead of the usual green curry chicken, I tried the Red Curry Beef ($6/$9/$12) for a change. Except that it is red in colour, similar to green curry, it is on the sweet side instead of being spicy. The beef is pretty tender although we can't expect the restaurant to be servicing premium cut.

Overall the food at Jai Thai is decent and with it wallet friendly price point. Judging from full house restaurant and long queue waiting for a seat, it remembers me that it is very subjective to judge food as long as the diners enjoyed it. It is quite similar to individual's interpretation of happiness.


Jai Thai Restaurant
7 Clove Way
Singapore 579080
Tel: +65 62580228
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JaiThaiSG
Website: http://www.jai-thai.com/
Nearest MRT: Marymount (CC Line)

Opening Hours:
Mon-Thu: 11am - 3pm, 6pm - 9pm
Fri-Sun, PH: 11am - 3pm, 6pm - 10pm

Direction:
1) Alight at Marymount MRT station. Take Exit B. Cross the road onto Jalan Pemimpin. Continue straight on Jalan Pemimpin and turn right onto Clove Way. Walk to destination. Journey time about 8 minutes. [Map]

Yahava KoffeeWorks @ Jalan Gelenggang (Upper Thomson)

I sort of chance upon this cafe if not for the ramen making session at The Eureka Cooking Lab. It was after our ramen making session and we want to go for a cup of coffee that someone in the group suggested Yahava KoffeeWorks which is just further down the corner of Jalan Kuras. I actually missed the entrance of the cafe because I mistaken it as a pub with its wooden exterior and dimly lit.

Stepping into the aroma filled cafe, it felt as if I have entered a coffee museum with the different blend of coffee for tasting. There is even a coffee roaster machine inside the cafe. It is understand that the coffee beans were sourced from around the world and one can even have a coffee tasting of these black golds from different part of the global.

We did not order any pastries at the cafe as it did not look that appetising. They were mostly sourced from suppliers.

Interestingly at Yahava KoffeeWorks be it that you order a Flat White, Long Black, Cappuccino or Latte all is a standard flat price. We have the regular size for all the coffee we ordered and they are only $5 each. We did not take note what blend of coffee we are drinking that day but it was pretty decent, a nice balance of acidity and bitterness. Maybe in my next visit, I should spend more time tasting the different blend before deciding on my cup of coffee.


Yahava KoffeeWorks
4 Jalan Gelenggang
Singapore 578188
Tel: +65 65547080
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/YahavaSG
Website: http://www.yahava.sg/
Nearest MRT: Marymount (CC Line)

Opening Hours:
Daily: 9am - 6pm

Direction:
1) Alight at Marymount MRT station. Take Exit A. Walk to Upper Thomson Road towards SPC Petrol Kiosk direction. Take bus number 163, 167, 855 or 980 across the road (Stop ID B53021). Alight 7 stops later. Walk to destination across the road. Journey time about 20 minutes. [Map]

Ramen Making @ The Eureka Cooking Lab

On a Saturday afternoon, a group of us (Martin, Tony, Ian, Philip, Nicole and me) gathered at The Eureka Cooking Lab (TECL) to learn about the art and science of ramen making from Chef Jason Lim. Chef Jason Lim is also the CEO and co-founder of TECL conducts a 2-3 days Japanese Ramen Classfor Professional for those that is interested in setting up their own ramen business. The 3 days class even includes business consultancy too. Chef Jason Lim has specially compacted the class into a 2 hours session to briefly walk us through some of the key component of making a bowl of ramen.

As you can see from the pictures, The Eureka Cooking Lab is very modern designed, spacious and has a well equipped kitchen.

The first thing we learn is to make the ramen noodle. This is the machine that will produce our final product.

The ramen noodle is made from a mixture of gluten powder, egg white powder, kansui and distilled water. Chef Jason even gave us a brief lesson in science, how the molecular structure of distilled water allows the broth and noodle to absorb the essence faster and more. There is also advantage of cooking ramen noodles in distilled water as the molecules of starch and salt exchange with that of the water, allowing noodles to cook faster and hence retaining the texture.

The mixture is made into dough sheets.

Then it is cut into the size and texture of the noodles you want.

Egg white powder or whole egg powder is added to the mixture to produce the ramen noodles. Subject to the broth that you are using, the general rule of thumb is to use egg white powder for thick broth and whole egg powder for light broth. Simply because noodles made from egg white powder is not as absorbent compared to whole egg powder. Hence the egg white powder made noodle will not absorb the thick broth and make the whole ramen experience overpowering. On the other hand, the whole egg powder noodle is more flavourful and absorb better will help to complement the light broth.

Moving on we proceed to the kitchen to learn about the broth making. Using a combination of pig trotter, thigh bone and chicken carcass to make the tonkatsu broth. It would be better to use backbone as it breakdowns faster but comes at a higher cost. Hence commercial kitchen usually will use the front part of trotter instead. The used of chicken is to mask the porky flavour.

The tonkatsu broth was only the base of the soup. The next step is to flavour the soup. Depends on the characteristic in each bowl of ramen, one may choose to add a blend of sea salt and seafood, soy sauce and seafood, miso etc. That gives the flavour of the soup that is formed into a paste.

All together there is 3 stages of the broth. The last stage is the oil. This gives the broth the aroma which can be either a single blend or a mix of them such as dried shrimp oil, garlic oil, shallot oil.
The above 3 components, soup, paste and oil are mixed together before servicing a bowl of hot piping ramen.

The beautiful pork belly is cooked at 80 degree celsius and them simmer in a braising sauce. Chilled, sliced and given a blown torch to it before servicing.

Last but not least it is cooking the ramen and putting all the ingredients together. Of course we cannot forget the tamago egg. A trick that Chef Jason Lim taught us is to use a thumbtack and poke the egg. This will let the air in while cooking the egg for about 5 minutes in boiling water and then transfer to ice water.

Finally after 2 hours, this is our bowl of piping hot ramen. I have learnt a lot from the ramen making session and gain very valuable knowledge. It makes me appreciate my bowl of ramen even more now, knowing all the hard work behind a bowl of slurping good ramen.

Like I mentioned earlier, this ramen making session was specially arranged and compact into 2 hours to just show us what one gets to learn in the 2-3 days Japanese Ramen Class for Professional conducted by Chef Jason Lim. Chef Jason has gone all the way to Japan to learn the art and he is now teaching this to those who wants to start a ramen business. Coupled by his experience in the local F&B scene when he used to run a ramen restaurant, he has incorporated business consultancy in the course to advice and assist owners to be in setting up the whole business. Besides the Japanese Ramen Class, The Eureka Cooking Lab is also available for corporate events, private events, team building events and many other classes. For more info, you can check out the facebook or website.


The Eureka Cooking Lab
8 Jalan Kuras
Singapore 577725
Tel: +65 64564322
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheEurekaCookingLab
Website: http://www.tecl.sg
Nearest MRT: Marymount (CC Line)

Opening Hours:
Mon-Sat: 9am - 6pm

Direction: 
1) Alight at Marymount MRT station. Take Exit A. Walk to Upper Thomson Road towards SPC Petrol Kiosk direction. Take bus number 163, 167, 855 or 980 across the road (Stop ID B53021). Alight 7 stops later. Walk to destination across the road. Journey time about 20 minutes. [Map]

November 8 @ Thomson V Two (Upper Thomson)

After the booming cafe scene at Tiong Bahru, Jalan Besar and Everton Park, a new cafe scene is slowly blossoming at Upper Thomson. November 8 is one of such cafes that has opened up recently in the area. Located at the Thomson V Two, the cafe unfortunately is hidden inside the building away from view outside unless you are aware of their existence. Stepping into the huge premise, the dimly lit cafe felt more like drinking hole than a cafe.

Cafe Latte 4/5

The barista at November 8 made a decent cup of Cafe Latte ($4.50) using the coffee beans from Dutch Colony.

Sweet Potato 2.8/5

Instead of the usual french fries, I ordered the Sweet Potato Fries ($8). A good change from the usual but it was missing that crispiness on top of its sweetness.

Summer Chicken 2.8/5

The Summer Chicken ($17) with baked chicken breast topped with cheese and served with broccoli and carrots on the side. The passion fruit sauce was too sweet for my liking and I left it aside. The chicken breast with the melted cheese is pretty flavourful but it was on the dry side.

It is a pity that November 8 with its huge premise does not have a proper kitchen. I felt that their weakest is the food section which there is much room for improvement.


[CLOSED]
November  8
Thomson V Two
11 Sin Ming Road
#01-30
Singapore 575629
Tel: +65 65544388
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/November8.SG
Nearest MRT: Marymount (CC Line)

Opening Hours:
Daily: 12pm - 12midnight
(Closed on Wed)

Direction:
1) Alight at Marymount MRT station. Take Exit A. Cut through Shunfu estate and walk towards Thomson Community Club. Continue walking down Upper Thomson Road until Sin Ming Road. Turn right onto Sin Ming Road. Walk to destination. Journey time about 15 minutes. [Map]

2) Alight at Marymount MRT station. Take Exit A. Walk to the Bus Stop opposite Shunfu Estate (ID 53021). Take Bus No. 52, 132, 162. 163, 165, 166, 167, 855 or 980 and alight one stop later. Cross the road and walk to destination. Journey about 10 mins. [Map]

2) Alight at Marymount MRT station. Take Exit A. Walk to Marymount MRT station (Stop ID 53121). Take bus number 410. Alight 2 stops later. Cross the road and walk to destination. Journey time about 8 minutes. [Map]

Hwa Seafood @ Tagore Lane (Upper Thomson Road)

At the quiet stretch of Upper Thomson Road where Tagore industrial is located, the former 3M building facing the road has been replaced by the new building 9@Tagore. The new building has an open air food court that housed a Zi Char stall, Hwa Seafood. If I am not wrong, this is the same Hwa Seafood Restaurant that is formerly located at Novena Ville.

Seaweed Soup 3.5/5

Dinner began with a bowl of piping hot Seaweed Soup. I wasn't expecting the soup to be loaded with many other ingredients such as fish slices, fish cake, eggs and tofu. It was more like a bowl of seafood soup than seaweed soup. Nevertheless I welcomed the generosity.

Claypot Brinjal with Salted Fish 4/5

The Claypot Brinjal with Salted Fish was pretty well executed. I enjoyed the fact that the brinjal was not overcooked and became too mushy. It still has a bit of crunch to it. Brinjal itself was quite bland but the melange of minced meat and salted fish added flavours and textures to the whole dish.

Bittergourd Beef 3.5/5

I thought the combination of Bittergourd and Beef was something different from the usual bittergourd and pork ribs. The beef which was stir fried with bittergourd in a black bean sauce was actually quite tender and delectable.

Cereal Prawns 4/5

Hwa Seafood probably served one of the best Cereal Prawns I ever had. The fresh and succulent prawns paired with the fragrant cereal was simply a match in heaven.

If this is Hwa Seafood that has moved from Novena Ville, I felt quite sad that it has relocated to a Zi Char stall in a food court from an air conditioned restaurant. The new location is also not that accessible or near to any MRT station. I can see that business has since took a hit, it was not as crowded as before. I hope they will manage to see through the bad times and the crowd will be streaming back.


Hwa Seafood
9@Tagore
9 Tagore Lane
Singapore 787472
Nearest MRT: Marymount (CC Line), Ang Mo Kio (NS Line)

Opening Hours:
TBA

Direction:
1) Alight at Marymount MRT station. Take Exit A. Walk to Upper Thomson Road towards SPC Petrol Kiosk direction. Take bus number 167 or 980 across the road (Stop ID B53021). Alight 10 stops later. Walk to destination across the road. Journey time about 25 minutes. [Map]

2) Alight at Ang Mo Kio MRT station. Take Exit C. Walk to bus interchange (Stop ID B54009). Take bus number 138 or 169. Alight 10 stops later. Walk to destination across the road. Journey time about 25 minutes. [Map]

Rubato Modern Italian Trattoria @ Clover Way

Rubato Modern Italian Trattoria is hidden in the midst of industrial buildings at Jalan Pemimpin. Tucked among the shophouses at Clover Park neighbourhood, I am surprised to discover a hidden gem. During my visit, I noticed the secret Italian restaurant already has repeated regulars. The restaurant is also favourite for local celebrities looking for a place to host private functions. I am privileged to be invited by the restaurant to try out their 4 course festive dinner menu available till end of December 2012.

Stepping into the back of Rubato, the restaurant's al fresco dining area transformed one into the street of Italy with black street lamps along the courtyards.

Chef/Owner Marcus Edwin Wu is very passionate in his food. He is probably one of the youngest chef in Singapore cooking traditioanl Italian food. In between dinner servicing, I noticed him taking time to step out of the kitchen to mingle with his customers, sharing his latest food adventures. Chef Marcus is also a trained violinist under the Singapore Symphony Orchestra (SSO) concert master Alexander Souptel. The multi talented chef even has a scholarship to study law in Australia. That is when he was plugged into food culture in Australia and working as a sous chef in an Italian restaurant.

Burratina Con Pomodorini E Basilico 4.2/5

The 4 course dinner started with freshly imported burratina from Puglia, roma tomato, organic basil and artisanal-grade parma ham. The creamy buttery burratina paired with sweet roma tomato and salty parma ham were nicely balanced without snatching the limelight from one another.

Aragosta Cappuccino 4.5/5

For soup, I had the lobster cappuccino with asparagus silvers, truffle oil and pizzetta. The lobster reduction simply blown me away with its intense and robust flavours.

Veal Ravioli with Truffle Porcini Sauce 4.8/5

The star of the night definitely is the Veal Ravioli with Truffle Porcini sauce which brought fame to the restaurant. According to Chef/Owner Marcus Edwin Wu, the dish was inspired by Joel Robuchon's Foie Gras Ravioli and he created a variation of it. The handmade veal ravioli was cooked to perfection still having a bite to the pasta dough. The deft piece of work with the flavourful truffle porcini sauce was like a match from heaven.

Torta Di Cioccolato Fondente 4.2/5

Finishing the 4 course dinner on a perfect note with the valrhona bittersweet chocolate fondant with home-made vanilla gelato. The chocolate fondant was rich and moist which hit the right note for the perfect ending.

I have enjoyed my dinner at Rubato. Besides the quality food, the ambience is relax and casual. The restaurant also has a good selection of boutique vineyard wines that is personally selected by chef Marcus in his travels. I am already looking forward to my next visit


[MOVED]
Rubato Modern Italian Trattoria
3 Clover Way
Singapore 579078
Tel: +65 62523200
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rubato.sg
Nearest MRT: Marymount (CC Line)

Opening Hours:
Daily: 1130am - 230pm, 6pm - 1030pm

Direction:
1) Alight at Marymount MRT station. Take Exit B. Cross the traffic light junction to Jalan Pemimpin. Proceed down Jalan Peminpin and left right onto Clover Way. Journey time about 8 minutes.

Irvin's Live Seafood House @ Upper Thomson Road

Irvin's Live Seafood House was formerly known as Irvin's Seafood Cze Char and was located along the stretch of shophouses at the junction of Zion Road and River Valley Road. It has been relocated and reopened at No 4, Jalan Leban, Upper Thomson Road on 1st Decemeber 2011. By the way, LeBan HK Cafe next door is owned by the same boss.

The new place is more spacious and air-conditioned now!. With the bigger space, now they have a live aquariums at the back of the restaurant to accommodate the crabs and fishes.

The new location also has 2 VIP rooms for those who prefer to have a cosy area to themselves. Reservation are preferred for VIP Rooms (8pax or more).

Salted Egg Yam Chips 4.2/5

The thinly sliced yam coated with rich salted egg sauce was so addictive. The Salted Egg Yam Chips ($9.80) has a firmer texture compared to using potato. It gave that shiok crackling crisp sound with each bite into it. For the extra punch, chilli padi and curry leaves were added.

Balachan Crab 3.8/5

I asked for the Balachan Crab ($19.90 small, $29.90 medium, $48/kg for large) as I have not seen this cooking style on the menu before. The dried style balachan crab came with lots of fried shallots and some curry leaves. It has an unique spicy and salty combination which was good but not fantastic.

Salted Egg Crab 4.5/5

This is a must try, the Salted Egg Crab ($23.90 small, $33.90 medium, $48/kg for large). This is Irvin's specialty with Chef Yap's special recipe. I liked the fact that curry leaves are added to give the sauce the extra kick and fragrant. The crab was basically swimming in the generous amount of salted egg sauce. The salted egg sauce is so well received by the customers that they are selling it at $12 per box, freshly made upon order. Maybe I should get a box for my nacho.

Damn Good Pork 4.2/5

The Butter Pork Ribs ($12.80 small, $18.80 large) is the owner's favourite dish at the restaurant. He loves it so much that he named it as Damn Good Pork on the menu. The crispy pork coated with the savoury butter sauce. Again chilli padi and curry leaves were added to give the extra punch.

Butter Chicken 4/5

If you don't like pork, you can ask for the alternative Butter Chicken ($15.80 small, $20.80 large). The crispy exterior was lovely with the same butter sauce, chilli padi and curry leaves as the butter pork ribs.

Hot Plate Tofu with Special Minced Pork 4/5

The Hot Plate Tofu with Special Minced Pork ($12.80) came with egg tofu and a special sweet and spicy sauce with minced pork. Customer can ask for non spicy tofu but it will come with chicken.

Red Tilapia with Special Sauce 4.2/5

The Red Tilapia with Special Sauce ($32) is not listed in the menu, you have to ask the waiter/waitress for it. The fresh red tilapia was cooked in the chef's special chilli bean paste sauce. The sweet and spicy flavours gave life to the delicious fish.

Claypot Pumpkin Prawns 4/5

Our palates were kind of tired and confused with all the salted egg and butter sauce dishes. When the Claypot Pumpkin Prawns ($13.80 small, $22.80 large) was served, we needed to reconfirm with the kitchen that they have not used the salted egg sauce instead. It tasted very similar to the salted egg sauce except that the texture was smoother. Same technique of using chilli padi and curry leaves to lift the flavours. Even the colour looked exactly the same. The pumpkin sauce was very good but I really could not taste the distinct pumpkin flavour.

Salted French Beans 4/5

Finally some greens after all the rich and creamy dishes. I like how the Salted French Beans ($10.80 small, $15.80 large) still had the crunchiness texture. The chilli padi, dried shrimps and fried shallots completed the flavours making it a light and delectable dish.

Irvin's will be giving out 10% discount to our blog readers from now till 31 July 2012! Simply quote "Singapore's Most Handsome Restaurant" before making payment and you will be entitle to the discount.

You may wonder why the Most Handsome Restaurant? The owner comes from Indonesia and he is a foodie. Whenever he comes across delicious food, he will describle it as "ganteng" in Bahasan which literally means handsome.

Once again I would like to thank Stephenie for having us and Cheryl for asking me along.


Irvin's Live Seafood House
No.4 Jalan Leban
Upper Thomson Road
Singapore 577548
Tel: +65 68365020
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/irvinseafood
Website: http://www.irvins.com.sg
Nearest MRT: Marymount (CC line)

Opening Hours:
Daily: 11am - 11pm

Direction:
1) Alight at Marymount MRT station. Take Exit A. Walk to Upper Thomson Road towards SPC Petrol Kiosk direction. Take bus number 163, 167, 855 or 980 across the road (Stop ID B53021). Alight 7 stops later. Walk to destination across the road. Journey time about 15 minutes.