White Rose Café @ York Hotel - Debuts Classic All-Time Favourite Cantonese Claypot Rice Specials

White Rose Café at York Hotel has recently launched its very first Claypot Rice Specials, available for a limited time only from 1 October to 30 November 2023. Four distinctly flavoured claypot rice are on the menu - Seafood Pao Fan, Wok-fried Black Pepper Angus Beef Claypot Rice, Black Olive Shrimp Claypot Rice, and Cantonese-style Chicken and Chinese Sausage Claypot Rice. Executive Chef Ho Chan Fei recreated this classic with all-time favourite Cantonese style to modern Asian flavours, with precise control of time, heat, and balance of the claypot during the cooking process to avoid burnt rice.

Wok-fried Black Pepper Angus Beef 3.8/5

Wok-fried Black Pepper Angus Beef in Claypot was a rare delight, tantalizing with tender Angus beef coated in black pepper sauce and accompanied by an onsen egg. The sautéed onion, ginger, and spring onion added sweetness and a touch of freshness to elevate the overall taste. The onsen egg gave an extra oomph to the dish.

Black Olive Shrimp Fried Rice 4.2/5

Black Olive Shrimp Fried Rice is uniquely delicious, a savoury Thai-Chinese style claypot rice featuring olive fried rice with egg as the base, topped with basil minced pork and crunchy cashew nuts. The texture of this dish was highly enjoyable, and the onsen egg beautifully bound the ingredients together.

Cantonese-style Chicken and Chinese Sausage Claypot Rice 4.2/5

The classic flavour was good. The Cantonese-style Chicken and Chinese Sausage Claypot Rice is loaded with chicken, preserved Chinese chicken sausage, Chinese mushrooms, onsen egg, bok choy, and coated in dark soy sauce. The chicken was tender and exceptionally well-flavoured from marination. The sausages added richness and a mouthwatering depth of flavour to the dish, and I particularly enjoyed the chunks of mushrooms and bok choy, which complemented the meat perfectly.

Seafood Pao Fun 3/5

Seafood Pao Fun features cooked rice soaked in a sweet and savoury broth served with sea prawns, clams, and sliced fish and topped with crispy fried garlic for a burst of flavour. While it was tasty, it was rather average.

Sarawak Kolo Mee 3.5/5

Sarawak Kolo Mee is a new addition to their à la carte menu, served with wanton on the side. The kolo mee is flavoured with scallion oil and crispy pork lard bites, a simple combination that many of us found to be moreish and delicious. Personally, I would prefer the noodles to be more al dente.

Singapore Rojak 4.5/5

Singapore Rojak is an amped-up version that delivers satisfaction. The culinary team went through more than 20 attempts to perfect the rojak recipe, even with precision in the cut of the ingredients. The result is a refreshing dish with chunky pineapples, cucumbers, and turnips, enhanced by the crunch of youtiao and an extra bite from jellyfish, making it irresistibly delicious. The prawn paste was elevated with calamansi, carrying hints of ginger flower, which paired exceptionally well with the distinct flavour of the century egg.

Claypot Rice Specials Promotion
Period: 1 October to 30 November 2023
Time: 12pm to 1030pm (available for lunch and dinner)
Price: S$25*, inclusive of a Jasmine tea.

CREDIT CARD SPECIAL UOB card members enjoy 10% off the claypot rice menu. Valid for dine-in only. Offer is not valid or in conjunction with other offers and promotions.

Photos and words by Si An. A girl who is allured by travelling, loves the feel of freedom, smell of the rain and the aroma of fine coffee and food. Note: This is an invited tasting.


White Rose Cafe
York Hotel
21 Mount Elizabeth
Singapore 228516
Tel: +65 67370511
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Nearest MRT: Orchard (NS Line, TE Line)

Opening Hours:
Daily: 11am to 1030pm

Direction:
1) Alight at Orchard MRT station. Take Exit 1. Walk down Scotts Road towards Goodwood Park Hotel. At Goodwood Park, turn right and walk to the end of the carpark. Journey time about 10 minutes. [Map]

Thanying @ Amara Singapore - Exquisite Royal Thai Cuisine Fit For Royalties

Little did I know that there is a Thai restaurant on level 2 of Amara Singapore. In fact, Thanying has been around since 1988. It has recently reopened again after a refurbishment. The interior is brighter now with a seating capacity for 128 people and 2 brand new private rooms.

Thanying Thai Style Salmon Yusheng with Chicken Curls 4.5/5

In conjunction with the upcoming Lunar New Year, Thanying has also introduced their own Thai Style Salmon Yusheng with Chicken Curls. The yusheng comprises of yam strips, green mango, a mix of fresh vegetables tossed in a special sauce that includes fish sauce, lime juice and chilli padi. It is refreshing with a hint of spiciness, with a lot of textures and flavours. This is one of the better yusheng I have eaten this year.

Miang Khum 4/5

Next, we had the Miang Khum, a light appetiser that is eaten like a wrap. Take a piece of the leaf and then wrapped it with the different condiments such as tasty bits of herbs, peanut, dried shrimp and ginger. Last but not least, add a few dollops of honeyed tamarind sauce and rolled it up. What you get is a firework of flavours with each bite.

Peek Gai Sod Sai 4/5

Whenever I have Peek Gai Sod Sai, I always tell myself it is a brilliant idea to remove the bone and stuffed it with its own minced meat. It is so convenient to eat. In Thanying's version, herbs are added into the minced chicken stuffing, giving it a subtle aroma on top of the crispy skin.

Tom Yam Goong 4.5/5

I like Thai Cuisine, but many places have reduced the spicy level to cater to those that have a low tolerant. A dish that it is a good benchmark is the Tom Yam Goong. At Thanying, the spicy prawn soup is packed with depth, that will probably make you break out in a sweat.

Goong Krabueng 4.2/5

I am not a big fan of Thai prawn cake, but the version at Thanying is very different. The Goong Krabueng is thin and crispy with delectable prawn paste. The deep-fried prawn pancake will be adored by both young and old.

Phad Pak Kanar 4.2/5

After a couple of light starters, we move on to dinner proper starting with the Phad Pak Kanar. A simple stir-fried Thai Kailan with oyster sauce to go along with the other mains. Though simple, the execution is perfect with the greens still retaining its crunch.

Pla Krapong Nuengmanao 4.5/5

One of my favourite Thai dishes is the Pla Krapong Nuengmanao. I find that the Steamed Seabass with Special Lime and Chilli Sauce, not only showcases the core flavours of Thai cuisine, it also complemented the freshness of the moist fish.

Gaeng Panang Nuer

Cooked to tender is the Gaeng Panang Nuer. The thick red curry is not as spicy as it looks. In fact, it is slightly sweet, which is very appetising with a plate of steamed white rice.  I love it so much that I drenched my rice with the savoury curry.

Khao Ohb Nam-Liaeb 4/5

Usually, most diners will order pineapple fried rice at Thai restaurants, but my preference is black olive rice. The Khao Ohb Nam-Liaeb here comes with minced chicken, and cashew nuts served in claypot. With all the mouth drooling food, this completes the meal.

Thai Dessert Set 4.2/5

End the night on a sweet note with the Thai Dessert Set. It comes with three different tiers of bite-size sweet delights. I have a difficult time picking which is my favourite, as they are all so good. Hence my advice is to save some space for this dainty sweetness.

Though I have not known about Thanying until my recent visit, it is never too late to discover another Thai restaurant that serves excellent and exquisite royal Thai cuisine. Besides the delicious dishes I had, this is just only the iceberg of the extensive menu. On top of that, it also has a vegetarian menu with close to 30 dishes.

Note: This is an invited tasting.


Amara Singapore
165 Tanjong Pagar Road
Level 2
Singapore 088539
Tel: +65 62224688
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Nearest MRT: Tanjong Pagar (EW Line)

Opening Hours:
Daily: 11am - 3pm, 630pm - 11pm

Direction: 
1) Alight at Tanjong Pagar MRT station. Take Exit A. Walk towards Gopeng Street and turn into Tras Street. Walk to Amara Hotel. Journey time about 5 minutes. [Map]

Ah Er Soup (阿2汤) @ Yuan Ching Road - The Real Master Behind Michelin Bib Gourmand Award 2017

With the announcement of the Michelin Bib Gourmand list for 2017, I was left puzzled with the new entrant Ah Er Soup (阿2汤) at ABC Brickworks Market. What is the judging criteria of the Michelin inspectors? The outlet at ABC Brickworks Food Centre is a franchise stall and not the original stall. Did Michelin even know that the original recipe comes from Mr Ma Pit San and Mr Nong Gan who started the original and main stall at Yuan Ching Road?

Buddha Jumps Over The Wall 4.5/5

Feeling injustice for the duo that come up with the recipe, I decided to visit the original stall at Yuan Ching Road. During my visit, I saw Mr Ma busy at the back of the stall, preparing the soup. I ordered my favourite Buddha Jumps Over The Wall ($7) which comes with generous ingredients such as fish maw, mushroom, abalone and chicken. The soup which has been boiled for at least 2 hours, was very intense and rich in flavour.

Peanuts with Lotus Roots & Pork Ribs Soup 4.5/5

Among the other soups on the menu, I had the Peanuts with Lotus Roots & Pork Ribs Soup ($4.50). The pork ribs were cooked until so soft that it literally fell apart with ease. The lotus roots were also sweet and crunchy. I can once again taste the effort behind each bowl of soup in the richness, and this comes with a subtle nutty finishing from the peanuts.

Pumpkin Rice 3.5/5 and Oliver Rice 4/5

Olive Rice 4/5

Ah Er Soup at Yuan Ching Road offers 4 types of rice to go with their soups. They are the normal Steamed Rice, Brown Rice, Pumpkin Rice and Olive Rice. I understand the ABC Brickworks Food Centre stall does not offer the olive rice. I would highly recommend the olive rice which is much more fragrant compared to the others. On top of that, you don't usually get to have it elsewhere.

Preserved Vegetable with Braised Meat 3.8/5

Different from the other franchise stalls across the islands, the main stall offers other braised items such as the Preserved Vegetable with Braised Meat ($6), Braised Pig Trotter, Braised Pig Skin, Braised Beancurd, Braised Egg, Salted Vegetable, Tau Kee and Handmade Fish Roll to go with the nourishing soups.

Ah Er Soup (阿2汤)
3 Yuan Ching Road
Singapore 618642
Nearest MRT: Lakeside (EW Line)

Opening Hours:
Daily: 11am - 9pm

Direction:
1) Alight at Lakeside MRT station. Cross the road. Walk to bus stop opposite Lakeside MRT station (Stop ID 28099). Take bus number 154. Alight 7 stops later. Walk to destination. Journey time about 25 minutes. [Map]