Baba Steven's Private Dining - Our Cheapest Private Dining Experience

Our next private dining adventure brought us to the humble home of Baba Steven's Private Dining at Bukit Batok. The chef is Mr Steven Quak who is in his 70s and used to work in a Peranakan Restaurant. We are hosted by his wife while he sweated it out in the kitchen preparing our Peranakan feast. We paid $480 for a table of 8 pax which works out to be $60 per pax.

Pineapple Tarts 3.5/5

While we waited for the rest of the group to turn up, we were offered some home-baked Pineapple Tarts to snack on. They also made these for sales too. The pineapple jam is not too sweet and it is complemented by the buttery pastry.

Bakwan Kepiting Soup 3.8/5

Having tried a number of Bakwan Kepiting Soup, I find the version here is much cleaner and lighter in taste. While the meatball was a bit firm, it stood out for the addition of the bamboo shoot for that extra crunch.

Sambal Lady Finger 4/5

The Sambal Lady Finger is simple but it shone through that simplicity with the beautifully blanched and crunchy lady fingers paired excellently with the homemade sambal. Though the sambal can be more spicy.

Chilli Sotong 4/5

Another homely and simple dish is the Chilli Sotong. Fresh bouncy sotong cooked with chilli, allowing the ingredients to speak of themselves.

Tulang Babi Sio 4.2/5

Well braised prime rib with fall of the bone meat is the Tulang Babi Sio. Besides the tender meat, I really enjoyed the tanginess in the sauce, so much that I was drenching my plate of rice with them.

Ayam Buah Keluak 3.8/5

Most of time when I have Ayam Buah Keluak, the chicken turned out rather dry. I am glad that uncle Steven manage to keep them juicy and tender, with the nuttiness of the acquire fruit shining through.

Nonya Chap Chye 3.8/5

I like the Nonya Chap Chye for the fact that it is cooked to a delectable crunchy bite. I only wish that the fermented beancurd flavour can come across stronger.

Beef Rendang 3.5/5

Unlike the saucy version which I usually have, the Beef Rendang is like a dry version with a thick coat of rempah blanketing the tender beef.

Ikam Kuah Lada 4.5/5

Last but not least we have the Ikam Kuah Lada. This is a dish that I have not eaten before. In the orangey curry-like gravy it comes with chunky stingray and eggplant. The gravy is quite unique with a peppery kick to it. I am glad to discover a new dish for my food journal.

Besides opening his house for private dining, Uncle Steven also do a bit of takeaway catering too. All you need to contact him. Psst...besides Peranakan food, he can cook Thai food too.


Baba Steven Private Dining
Blk 204 Bukit Batok Street 21
Singapore 650204
Tel: +65 97506564
Nearest MRT: Bukit Batok

Konjiki Hototogisu Ramen @ Great World City - Exclusive Oyster Broth Ramen By Michelin-Starred Ramen From Tokyo

Just been awarded 2019 Tokyo Michelin Star, 4-time Tokyo Michelin Bib Gourmand listed Konjiki Hototogisu is on a roll with the opening of its 2nd shop at Great World City, Singapore. While its first outlet at Chijmes offers its award winning clam-based broth, Chef Yamamoto has decided to do something different for his second shop in Singapore, which is to create another soup base that is exclusive to it.

Oyster Shio Ramen 3/5

So what we have here is a ramen with the exclusive broth - Oyster Consomme, a consistency and flavour achieved by hours of slow cooking. With a few elements played out within a bowl of ramen, there is a way to enjoy Chef Yamamoto's ramen, as indicated in the menu of both outlets. Of course starting off would be tasting the pure oyster consomme first before you move on to the oyster oil, followed by the oyster paste and finally the garlic lemon butter. Both the oyster oil and paste were quite subtle in flavour and not as bold as I thought they would be. The unadulterated version Oyster Shio Ramen ($15.90) is sealed with a bright red roasted paprika which I thought was really the highlight of this ramen. Every now and then as I bit into it, it released a sweet smokiness that intrigued the taste buds over and over again.

Oyster Paitan Ramen 4.2/5

Oyster Paitan Ramen ($15.90) on the other hand, won me over with its heavenly creamy broth. At first taste, I was wowed by its depth of flavours - a little savoury, sweet, mixed with the mild fermented flavour from the miso from Nagano prefecture and most importantly, an underlining deep citrusy flavour that teased the taste buds.

According to Chef Yamamoto, the tricky part of getting the recipe right is balancing the intensity of the oyster. Dropping the unassuming aburi lemon slice into the ramen is indeed an instant lift to the flavours of the soup, and how well this acidic lemon slice harmonize with the creamy miso broth amazed me. Again, the ramen has Chef's signature on it - the dark red housemade sundried tomato, that imparts an intense tart sweetness into the soup in every bite.

Low temperature Char Shu is used. Although it was lean, the meat was tender.

Thick Belly Cha Shu & Soft boil Egg 4/5

I very much prefer the Thick Belly Cha Shu served with Soft Boil Egg ($4.90). The charred fats was delicious, as always. The egg may not look marinated but the sweetness and texture were definitely there.

Haru-yo-koi Whole Grain Noodles

Konjiki Hototogisu has one of the lightest ramen noodles, made with Haru-yo-koi Whole Grain Flour. That keeps your belly light even after a meal.

Chanwanmushi with Oyster Paste 3.8/5

Another way to appreciate the special Oyster Paste is through the Chanwanmushi ($5.90/$4.90 with Ramen purchase). The paste is concocted differently from that of the ramen. The oyster paste again was not too intense which is ideal for the delicate flavour of the chawanmushi. Creamy and smooth, it simply spread very lightly across every spoonful of the egg, and its flavours seemed to develop with each mouthful of it.

Fried Tofu 2.8/5

Gyoza 3/5

We had 2 other side dishes as well, Fried Tofu with Bonito Flakes ($4.90) and Gyoza ($4.90). The Tofu would have been tastier if the sauce was stickier to coat around the tofu. The filling of the Gyoza had a balanced mixture of chopped greens and meat but was a tad too saltish.

With so many ramen joints in Singapore, Konjiki Hototogisu's concept is probably one of the more prominent ones, especially so when each bowl seems to have Chef Yamamoto's unique touches on it.

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.


Konjiki Hototogisu
Great World City
1 Kim Seng Promenade
#01-143
Singapore 237994
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Website
Nearest MRT: Orchard (NS Line), Outram Park (EW Line, NE Line), Tiong Bahru (EW Line)

Opening Hours:
Daily: 1230pm - 3pm, 530pm - 9pm

Direction:
1) Alight at Orchard MRT station. Take Exit B. Walk to bus stop opposite Orchard MRT station (Stop ID B09022). Take bus number 16 or 175. Alight 4 bus stops later. Journey time about 12 minutes. [Map]

2) Alight at Outram Park MRT station. Take Exit A. Walk to bus stop opposite Outram MRT station. (Stop ID B06011). Take bus number 75 or 970. Alight 5 stops later. Walk to Great World City. Journey time about 12 minutes. [Map]

3) Alight at Tiong Bahru MRT station. Take Exit B. Walk to bus stop at Tiong Bahru MRT station (Stop ID 10169). Take bus number 5, 16 or 195. Alight 4 stops later. Walk to destination. Journey time about 15 minutes. [Map]