Wednesday, May 14, 2014

Ah Hoi's Kitchen @ Traders Hotel

IMG_3331ed

Fans of Ah Hoi's Kitchen will be rejoiced as Sou Chef Lam Loon Tuck and his culinary team at Traders Hotel Ah Hoi's Kitchen have added 12 new Sri Lankan crabs dishes using different ingredients and cooking methods. The promotional crab menus, each featuring four new crab dishes will be rotated every three weeks. The different cooking styles of crabs will cater to a wide range of palates and age groups.

IMG_3334ed
Crab Beehoon 3.8/5

We were given a glimpse to some of the new crab creations at Ah Hoi's Kitchen starting with the Crab Beehoon. Crab Beehoon is usually the wet version where the essence is being soaked up by the beehoon. The crab beehoon here is the dry version where it is wok fried with crab, sun dried shrimps and Tianjin cabbage in a superior stock. The result is a plate of fragrant wok hei beehoon with stir fried crab. While this is a good dish, I could not taste the crab essence in the beehoon.

IMG_3339ed
Salted Egg Crab 4.2/5

The Salted Egg Crab is definitely a winner for me and it is also gaining popularity with the local palate. Cooked in a salted egg yolk sauce with chilli padi, curry leave and kaffir lime to further lift the flavour. The beautiful play of flavours complemented the sweetness of the crab meat. An excellent execution.

IMG_3343ed
Prickly Piquant Crab 4/5

For those that is looking for a more spicy kick of the crustacean, you can take the challenge in the Prickly Piquant Crab. The crab is wok fried with sichuan pepper, pickled garlic and citrus salt kicking up a numbness on top of the sweetness from the crab meat. One word, shiok!

IMG_3330ed
Steamed Crab 4.5/5

Among the four crab dishes I tried, the Steamed Crab is my favourite. Steamed to perfection with old ginger and Hua Diao Jiu, it allows the natural sweetness of the crab to shine.

IMG_3328ed

IMG_3320ed
Satay 4.5/5

IMG_3325ed
Grilled Platter of Seafood and Meat 4.2/5

Beside the new crab dishes, Ah Hoi's Kitchen offers many other local dishes in the menu. In the evening, there is even a barbecued section where guests can savour the different barbecued seafood and meats that is accompanied with Asian dips such as sambal chilli, chinchalok with calamansi and honey mustard.

IMG_3347ed
Mango Puree with Sago and Pomelo 4/5

Wrapped up the dinner on a sweet note with a selection of delicious Asian desserts at Ah Hoi's Kitchen such as Chendol, Snow Fungus with Lotus Seed & Gingko Nut, Goreng Pisang with Ice Cream, Mango Pudding, Ice Jelly with Fruit Cocktail etc.

I applauded the 12 new crab dishes creation at Ah Hoi's Kitchen. Unfortunately I only got to try 4 of them. The other crab dishes I did not get to try are Crab Congee, Crab Noodle, Mumtaz Crab, Udang Geragau Crab, Crab Almondine, Crab Tau Cheo, Crab in Coconut Juice and Crab Kaffir Lime. I understand that the hotel has changed a new crab supplier and the quality definitely stood out in all the crab dishes I tried. The crab menus are priced accordingly to weight. For crabs weighting up to one kilogram, they are priced at $7.20 per 100 grams while more than one kilo are priced at $9,20 per 100 grams.


Ah Hoi's Kitchen
Traders Hotel
1A Cuscaden Road
Singapore 249716
Tel: +65 68314373
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tradershotelsingapore
Website: http://www.tradershotels.com/singapore
Nearest MRT: Orchard (NS Line)

Opening Hours:
Daily: 12pm - 230pm, 630pm - 1030pm

Direction:
1) Alight at Orchard MRT station. Take Exit B. Walk to bus stop along Orchard Boulevard, opposite Orchard Parksuites (Stop ID B09022). Take bus number 7, 77, 106, 111, 123 or 174. Alight 3 stops later. Cross the overhead bridge. Walk to destination. Journey time about 15 minutes. [Map]

2) Alight at Orchard MRT station. Take Exit E. Walk towards Wheelock Place via ION. Exit Wheelock Place and turn left towards Liat Tower. Continue onwards to Forum Shopping Mall. Walk further down to Orchard Parade Hotel. Turn left onto Tanglin Road. Continue walking down to the end of Tanglin Road to Tanglin Mall. Turn left on Tanglin Mall onto Grange Road and walk to destination. Journey time about 23 minutes. [Map]

Tuesday, May 13, 2014

MADO Cafe @ JEM

IMG_3178ed

Those that have been to Turkey will be familiar with MADO, a popular ice cream brand in Turkey with over 250 branches worldwide. What is so special about this Turkish ice cream? Apparently they are made from goat milk and salep using totally natural processes. The flagship outlet in Singapore is just locate right at the enterance of JEM so it is not easy to be missed. The cafe not only sells ice cream but offers a selection of desserts and food on their menu too. However we stopped by MADO cafe to try the desserts only.

IMG_3180ed
Ice Apple Tea 4/5

I have realized the benefit of apple tea since my last visit to Ottoman Kebab & Grill. It was an easy choice when I noticed MADO cafe offers apple tea on the menu. I had the Ice Apple Tea ($2.80) which was cooling and refreshing for the humid weather as well as it comes with lot of health benefit.

IMG_3181ed
Pisachio Baklava with Vanilla Ice Cream 3.8/5

We started with Pisachio Baklava with Vanilla Ice Cream ($11.90). Baklava is a sweet pastry made of layers of filo pastry filled with chopped nuts and sweetened with syrup. Unless you have a very sweet tooth, you may feel this too sweet for your liking.

IMG_3187ed
Homemade Blueberry Cheesecake Waffle 3.5/5

Next we tried the Homemade Blueberry Cheesecake Waffle ($11.50) that is topped with blueberry, pisachio and ice cream. The waffle is the fluffy and eggy type which is quite delectable on its own. The Turkish ice cream seemed to be more creamy and thicker compare to those normally served in local ice cream parlours.

IMG_3189ed
Salted Caramel Waffle and Ice Cream 4/5

Between the blueberry cheesecake waffles and the Salted Caramel Waffle and Ice Cream ($10.50), I prefer the later as I enjoyed the combination play of sweetness with salty.

After trying MADI's Turkish ice cream, I can fully appreciated why some friends who have traveled to Turkey got excited when they knew about the franchise in Singapore. The Turkish ice cream is denser and richer compared to most, no wonder it has a following for their ice cream.


Mado Cafe
JEM
50 Jurong Gateway Road
#01-04
Singappore 608549
Tel: +65 67343196
Website: http://www.mado.com.sg/
Nearest MRT: Jurong East (EW Line, NS Line)

Opening Hours:
Daily: 10am - 10pm

Direction:
1) Alight at Jurong East MRT station. Take Exit B. Walk to destination. Journey time about 3 minutes. [Map]