10 at Claymore @ Pan Pacific Orchard Hotel - Pearl of Orient Penang Fiesta

For the month of April and May 2016, 10 at Claymore, Pan Pacific Orchard Hotel will be bringing to you the Pearl of Orient Penang Fiesta. Executive Chef Andy Oh, a Penang boy himself will be serving an ensemble of dishes which the Malaysian town is famous for.

Besides the Penang feast, the restaurant has also put together some timeless favourite beverages such as the Milo XL, Bandung and Calamansi Juice at $6 nett each.

XO Popiah 3/5

The spread at the buffet line is quite extensive. I started with some light bite in the XO Popiah. An interesting twist to the normal roll but I thought the XO sauce was a bit heavy throwing the balance off.

Penang Rojak 4/5

The light and refreshing Penang Rojak tossed in a savoury prawn paste is a delightful starter to whet up the appetite.

Penang Prawn Noodle 4/5

Moving on to the noodle section, I tried the Penang Prawn Noodle. The broth is robust and packed with flavour. It also comes with an hint of spiciness.

Assam Laksa 4.5/5

One of the real deal at the Penang Fiesta is the Assam Laksa. All the components of a good bowl of assam laksa can be found in it. Definitely one of the best I have eaten for a long while. This is as close as we can get for the authentic flavour of Chef's hometown.

Bak Kut Teh 3/5

For those that like Malaysian style Bak Kut Teh, you can savour it at the Penang Fiesta too. The claypot comes with pork belly ribs, pork intestine, pig stomach, meatball, bean curd stick, dough fritter in a rich and intense flavoured broth. However it seems the kitchen was a bit heavy on the sodium chloride.

Cuttlefish Kangkong 3/5

Another dish that can be better is the Cuttlefish Kangkong. The most important component of the dish, the sauce was too sweet and lacked the prawny pungent taste. Sorry to say that but I thought it tasted more like the yong tau foo sweet sauce.

Chicken Lor Bak with Century Egg 2.8/5

Lor Bak is another staple of Penang cuisine. The version at the buffet is made using chicken instead of pork. If not for the saltiness, this would be a very enjoyable bite.

Penang Char Kway Teow 4.5/5

An all time favourite is the Penang Char Kway Teow. The smokey wok hei is an excellent showcase of the chef's control of the fire and wok. This is a dish not to be missed if you have the chance to dine at Pan Pacific Orchard Hotel.

Besides the spread of Penang fare, the buffet line also has many delectable cooked food that will satisfy your tummy as well as your wallet. The extensive choices make every dollar worthwhile. Among the spread, the other dishes I tried are Nonya Kerabu Fried Rice, Braised Pork Trotter with Black Rice Vinegar, Chicken Kapitan Perankan Style, Braised Duck with Preserved Salted Vegetables, Inchi Kabin Fried Chicken, Braised Lamb Shank, Slow Braised Beef Cheek, Baked Norweigian Salmon,

Banana Fritter and Gula Melaka Ice Cream 4/5

By the time for dessert, I was already too stuffed. Hence I just try only a few items from the dessert section. The Banana Fritter with its crispy exterior is worth trying. Furthermore, the sweet snack is seldom served in hotel buffet. To elevate the presentation and enjoyment, I told a scoop of the Gula Melaka Ice Cream and added some condiments.

Great to have my favourite shaved ice Chendol in the dessert section too. The sweetness of the dessert, coupled with the fragrant coconut milk and gula melaka, is the perfect ending to a delicious night of Penang fare.

Chendol 4.2/5

The Pearl of Orient Penang Fiesta will be available from April to May 2016. During the same period, the lobby lounge will be offering a three-course menu featuring chicken lor bak as appetiser, a choice of assam laksa with barramundi fillet, live king prawn noodle broth or Penang char kway teow for main course, ending with the chendol for dessert.

Lobby Lounge - Penang Set Lunch
Mon-Fri
Time: 12pm - 3pm
Price: $16 nett, $19 nett (with a choice of Milo XL, Bandung and Calamansi)

Buffet Price Details
Mon-Fri Lunch: $42
Sat-Sun Lunch: $48
Mon-Sun Dinner: $68


10 at Claymore
Pan Pacific Orchard
10 Claymore Road
Singapore 229540
Tel: +65 67370811
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PanPacificOrchard
Website: http://www.panpacific.com/en/Orchard/Overview.html
Nearest MRT: Orchard (NS Line)

Opening Hours:
Daily: 6am - 1030am (breakfast), 12pm - 230pm (lunch), 6pm -1030pm (dinner)
Sunday: 12pm - 3pm (brunch)

Direction:
1) Alight at Orchard MRT station. Take Exit E. Walk towards Wheellock Place via ION. Exit Wheellock Place and turn left towards Liat Tower. Cross the road at the traffic light junction and turn left towards Royal Thai Embassy. Walk to Palais Renaissance which is right after Royal Thai Embassy. Cut through Palais Renaissance to the other side of the building. Pan Pacific Orchard is opposite the building. Journey time about 10 minutes. [Map]

2) Alight at Orchard MRT station. Take Exit A. Walk towards Shaw House via underpass. At the road level, walk along Orchard Road towards Royal Thai Embassy direction. Walk to Palais Renaissance which is right after Royal Thai Embassy. Cut through Palais Renaissance to the other side of the building. Pan Pacific Orchard is right opposite the building. Journey time about 10 minutes. [Map]

Penang Fried Kueh Teow @ Taman Sri Tebrau Hawker Centre [Johor Bahru]

One of the reasons for making our way across the causeway to Johor Bahru is to try the Duck Egg Fried Kueh Teow at Taman Sri Tebrau Hawker Centre. I always hear from the older generation that Singapore used to have duck egg fried kway teow but nowadays there is no more due to the stringent regulations for importing duck eggs.

At Penang Fried Kueh Teow. customer has a choice of either chicken egg or duck egg for their plate of fried kway teow. Upon order, the stall uncle cooks them from scratch.

Of course we chose to have the duck eggs for our plate of fried kway teow since we have made the long journey up north. Furthermore, we don't get to eat duck eggs in Singapore anymore.

Duck Egg Fried Kueh Teow 4.2/5

So what is my verdict of Duck Egg Fried Kueh Teow? The used of duck egg indeed makes a different, giving the plate of fried kway teow a lift in aroma. The combination of sweet and savoury, chilli sauce and the stall uncle's fying skill, this is a delicious plate of fried kway teow packed with wok hei and aroma that is worth the calories and journey up North.

Although we can't get duck egg fried kway teow in Singapore anymore, it is great to know that we can still savour the dish, just taking about an hour ride across the causeway. For those that not tried duck egg fried kway teow, I would recommend you to give it a try.


Penang Fried Kueh Teow 
Taman Sri Tebrau Hawker Centre
Stall 54
Jalan Keris, Taman Sri Tebrau,
80050 Johor Bahru, Johore
[Map]

Opening Hours:
Daily: 5pm - 10pm

Penang Home Made Beef Ball @ Beauty World Food Centre

Newly opened just beside my favourite Top 1 Home Made Noodle at Beauty World Food Centre is Penang Home Made Beef Ball. The owner told us that they are from Penang and the family has a restaurant (Restoran Kham Khee) in Penang. The couple has ventured down South to open the little humble stall at the food centre.

Beef Noodle Soup 3.5/5

The Beef Noodle Soup ($5) comes with with mix of beef slices, beef tendon and beef balls. The ingredients were fresh and I like that the beef slices are not over cooked, still having a little pink in colour. The beef balls were also firm and bouncy. Unfortunately, we find the soup lacking in depth. It felt like we were having Vietnamese Pho.

Beef Brisket Noodle 3/5

The Beef Brisket Noodle ($5) comes with springy noodles but I thought the beef brisket was not tender enough. This did not seem to bring justice to the beef.

Overall I find the beef noodle stall is only average. If you want something light, then you can consider having this. I would recommend going for the soup version over the dry version. Saying that, the home made beef ball is good.


Penang Home Made Beef Ball
Beauty World Food Centre
144 Upper Bukit Timah Road
Level 4, #04-43
Singapore 588177
Nearest MRT: Beauty World (DT Line)

Opening Hours:
Mon-Wed, Fri-Sun: 10am - 7pm
(Closed on Thu)

Direction:
1) Alight at Beauty World MRT station. Take Exit A. Walk to destination. Journey time about 3 minutes. [Map]

D'Laksa @ KSL City [Johor Bahru]

Recently I went to Johor Bahru with a group of friends to hunt for the delicious food across the causeway. After visiting You Kee XO Restaurant at KSL City, we proceeded into the mall to check out an assam laksa stall called D'Laksa.

Assam Laksa 3.8/5

I don't remember seeing D'Laksa when I last visited KSL City. After checking online, I realized they are dated back to 2012 and recently re-located to a bigger space at KSL City in May 2015. In fact, I have heard about the assam laksa even before this trip. Hence I am quite looking forward to check it out.

Assam Laksa 3.8/5

The first thing I noticed about the Assam Laksa is the rather generous servicing of shredded cucumber, onions, pineapple and mints. Second is the type of noodle used. This is not the normal thick beehoon that is commonly used in Singapore. It uses the thick rice noodle known as Lai Fun which has a more chewy bite to it.

Assam Laksa 3.8/5

For a good Assam Laksa, the most important is the soup that holds all the components. The soup does packed a punch with its sourish and tanginess, further lifted with the cut red chilli. My only request is to have more of the shredded fish.

You may have noticed that my bowl of assam laksa is served in takeaway bowl. The concept of D'Laksa is operate like a takeaway kisok. There is actually seating area beside the kiosk, like a food court. If you plan to bring some back to Singapore, they can pack the soup and noodle separately too.


D'Laksa
KSL City
LG-64
33, Jalan Seladang, Taman Abad,
80250 Johor Bahru,
Johor, Malaysia
Facebook
[Map]

You Kee XO Restaurant (有记XO烧腊之家) @ KSL City [Johor Bahru]

I get to know about You Kee XO Restaurant (有记XO烧腊之家) when I went on a Johor Bahru Food Trail with Johor Kaki and Miss Tam Chiak back in December 2013. Back then we went to their outlet at Taman Ungku Tun Aminah. As we were on a food trail, there was still many stops to go so we only stop by to have their tonic soup. Today I am back at You Kee XO Restaurant latest outlet at KSL City.

A signature at You Kee XO Restaurant is the two giant size earthen urns outside the restaurant used to boil the Tonic Soup (RM$18.60/$34.80). They are the first in Johor Bahru to introduce this method in 2004 to boil the soup under constant charcoal fire for a good 15 to 18 hours. Everyday there is 1 to 2 different types of soup on the menu.

Boiled Soup 4.5/5

As you can see the soup is packed with different types of herbs and the long hours of boiling under constant heat from the charcoal fire has extracted the essence of the ingredients. The comforting and nutritious soup is the ideal tonic for the human body just as per the restaurant's slogan, 男人的加油站， 女人的美容院.

Roasted Meat Platter 4/5

What brought You Kee XO Restaurant to popularity is their roasted meat. Since we have made all the way across the shore, might as well have the platter of their roasted meats that consists of Crystal BBQ Pork Belly Char Siu, Crispy Roasted Goose, Roasted Pig, XO Roasted Duck, Roasted Chicken and Roasted Pork Belly. My favourite among them is the Crystal BBQ Pork Belly Char Siu with the glittering exterior sweetness and the crystal fat meat. This is a must try. You hardly get this standard in Singapore. Noteworthy is also their Roasted Pork Belly and XO Roasted Duck.

Noodle 4.2/5

For those that do not want a heavy meal. you can also go for the one dish meal that comes with a choice of roasted meat to go with the rice or noodle. As we already had the roasted meat platter, we just had the noodle alone to try. The highlight is the dark sauce that coats the springy noodles, holding the dish together for a slurping good time.

Steamed Fish Tail with Green Ginger Paste 4.5/5

Besides the boiled soup and roasted meats, You Kee also offers some cooked dishes on the menu. The Steamed Fish with Green Ginger Paste (RM$40.60) is a delectable choice to complete a satisfying meal. The fish tail is cooked perfect to an enjoyment moist texture. The special green ginger paste together with the soy sauce complements the fish meat excellently.

Volcano Beancurd 3.8/5

The Volcano Beancurd (RM$11.60) is served in a hotpot with sizzling sauce. The homemade beancurd is smooth and silky with additional textures from the greens and pork floss. The weak link was the soy sauce which was on the salty side.

With the new outlet at KSL City, You Kee has made it even more accessible for Singaporean like us that periodically go over to Johor Bahru for grocery shopping or weekend break. Do drop by to check out the restaurant when you are at KSL City.


You Kee XO Restaurant (有记XO烧腊之家)
KSL City
33, Jalan Seladang, Taman Abad,
80250 Johor Bahru,
Johor, Malaysia
Facebook
[Map]

Shan Cheng (山城) Ipoh Horfun @ Bukit Panjang Plaza

I have known of Ipoh Horfun but I have never known there are so many ways of enjoying the rice noodle until my visit to Shan Cheng (山城) Ipoh Horfun at Bukit Panjang Plaza. A brief history of how the Ipoh sisters founded the restaurant can be found on their website. What interests me is the variety of Ipoh Horfun prepared using the founders' mother recipes.

Minced Pork Horfun Dry 4/5

After browsing through the different options, I decided to try the Minced Pork HorFun Dry ($6.50). It also comes in the soup version. The bowl of rice noodles come with minced pork, ikan bilis and spring onions in a dark sauce.The rice noodle is thinner but thicker in texture compare to the usual zichar type of horfun. It is also quite smooth and slurping good, especially coated with the savoury dark sauce.

Shao Xing Wine Chicken Horfun Soup 3.5/5

The other dish I tried is the Shao Xing Wine Chicken Horfun Soup ($7.80). The rice noodle and shao xing wine chicken is served separately.

As you can see from the the picture, the Ipoh horfun is thin and smooth. My partner did not quite like the natural flavour of the rice noodle, having some sort of a acquire taste to her. However I find it acceptable.

The shao xing wine chicken comes with a nice aroma but the chicken was a bit on the tough side for me. This is the perfect dish for the cold weather.

Other dishes that can be found in the menu are Homemade Charsiew Horfun, Shredded Chicken Horfun, Homemade Ginger Duck Horfun, Ipoh Liew Fun, Ipoh Lum Mee, Ipoh Dry Curry Noodle and many more. I hardly seen many of the noodle dishes on their menu being offer elsewhere. If you looking for a taste of Ipoh,, this can be an option to consider.


Shan Cheng Ipoh Horfun
Bukit Panjang Plaza
1 Jelebu Road
#01-56/57
Singapore 677743
Facebook
Website
Nearest MRT: Bukit Panjang (DT Line)

Opening Hours:
Daily: 830am - 1030pm

Direction:
1) Alight at Bukit Panjang MRT station. Take Exit A1 or A2. Cut across the block of HDB flats to Jelebu Road. Cross the road and walk to destination. Journey time about 8 minutes. [Map]

Fried Porridge (炒粥) @ Macpherson Road

The great tongues of the members of Food Intelligence Network Singapore (FINS) have unearthed another discovery in a coffeeshop along Macpherson Road. Fried Porridge (炒粥) is a little humble stall inside Delicious Coffeeshop specialized in cooking different types of porridge. I managed to have a brief chat with the chef and understand that he is from Ipoh, Malaysia.

As mentioned earlier, Fried Porridge (炒粥) specializes in cooking different types of porridge. The stall sells Seafood Porridge, Promfret Porridge, Red Grouper Porridge, Prawn Porridge, Minced Meat Porridge and the Signature Fried Porridge. The reason why I travelled all the way to Macpherson is to try the Signature Fried Porridge ($6/$10/$20). The first time I tried fried porridge was back in 2012 in a Penang Hawker Fare event. Hence I was looking forward to try the dish again when I heard it is available in Singapore.

The chef started with frying some ingredients such as the yam, cuttlefish, dried shrimp, pork etc first in the wok before adding in the porridge and then the dark sauce. The chef did not reveal much about the dark sauce but just told me he mixed it himself using local sauces and manage to get exactly the same flavour as in Ipoh. However he did say that he is still trying to fine-tune it to suit the local palate.

Before serving to the table, the fried porridge is transferred to a claypot and topped with pork lard, fried shallots, sesame and spring onions.

The pot of fried porridge still comes with the grainy bite. The dark sauce definitely elevated the flavour of the plain porridge while the cuttlefish, yam, dried shrimps, pork lard and sesame further accentuated the flavour and textures . There are also crab meat and lean pork in the porridge but just a little bit of it only.

Overall the fried porridge is very comforting and hearty. I do hope that there are more generous ingredients in the porridge but I do understand they have to watch their cost. The fact that they are probably the only place in Singapore cooking the Malaysian dish, it is a reason by itself for you to make your way down to try it.


[MOVED]
Fried Porridge (炒粥)
Delicious Coffee Shop
456 Macpherson Road
Singapore 368174
Nearest MRT: Tai Seng (CC Line), Macpherson (CC Line)

Opening Hours:
Daily: 1030am - 8pm

Direction: 
1) Alight at Tai Seng MRT station. Take Exit B. Walk to Macpherson Road. Turn right onto Macpherson Road. Continue on Macpherson Road. Walk to destination. Journey time about 16 minutes. [Map]

2) Alight at Macpherson MRT station. Take Exit B. Walk straight towards the temple. Turn left onto the walk path beside the temple. Walk to bus stop at Ubi Ave 2, Aztech Building (Stop ID 71169). Take bus number 8. Alight 4 stop later. Walk to destination. Journey time about 16 minutes. [Map]