Wo Peng with Tamarind & Thyme

When Su-Lin of Tamarind and Thyme visited Singapore, I wanted her to experience Tze Char of a distinctly higher caliber. To that end, I brought them to the restaurant where I usually bring visitors from overseas to: Wo Peng Eatery. They enjoyed dinner tremendously.

That is the tale, the rest is detail.

Posted on 3rd Jul 2010 in Cantonese, Tze Char | 5 comments

Mu Liang Zai Liang Kee on Havelock Road

The original Liang Kee restaurant opened by the father (Ng Bak Liang) was in Ellenborough Market. After a long story, documented by the local press, there are now 3 restaurants bearing the Liang Kee name. Mu Liang Zai Liang Kee restaurant is opened by Ng Bak Liang’s fifth son, Ng Hong Seng, hence Mu Liang Zai (literally “Son of Bak Liang” in Mandarin).

It was a slow Tuesday night when I text’d Tony about the possibility of dinner on Saturday and he said he was interested in trying out the new Mu Liang Zai Liang Kee on Havelock Road. And before I know it, a group was rounded up and suddenly what was supposed to be a quiet Saturday dinner became a birthday celebration at Mu Liang Zai Liang Kee.

Posted on 28th Jun 2010 in Food and Drink, Makankaki, Old School, Teochew, Tze Char | 10 comments

The Malaysia Eat List 2010

My friends and I made a short trip north of the border over the Easter weekend to Seremban and Kuala Lumpur. It’s become an annual food pilgrimage for us. And despite the traffic forecasts of alarmist pundits with a journalistic bent, the travel up at 4pm, via the North-South Highway, was smooth; even with a short stop at a roadside collection point for the Malaysian Police Daily Wage Supplement.

It was a fun trip where we observed the little differences like how Malaysians like light soy whereas Singaporeans tend towards the dark; the standardized usage of the genteel “Tandas” (as opposed to the vulgar “Jamban”) versus the Singaporean thesauric “Gents”, “Washroom”, “Toilet” and yes, in rare cases “Jamban”; the technically competent, soft sell techniques of Malaysian mobile phone salesmen compared to our take-it-or-leave-it, tidak-apa temps. And the food, oh my…

Posted on 11th Apr 2010 in Drink, Makankaki, Malaysia, Tze Char | 4 comments

Love, pork

It is written:

There was this Rabbi in a small town, and he was really curious about why so many people ate pork. He wanted to try some, but there was nowhere in town he could go and not be seen.

One weekend, he made an excuse and traveled to a distant town, went into a restaurant and ordered the first pork item on the menu. While he’s waiting for his order of pork, the president of his congregation walks in. He sees the Rabbi and asks if he could join him for dinner, and the Rabbi has no choice but to agree.

Some time later, the waiter returns with the Rabbi’s meal. He takes the cover off the large platter, and there is a whole roast pig, with an apple in its mouth.

The congregation president is more than a little shocked.

“What a fancy place!” exclaims the Rabbi quickly. “Just look at how they serve the apple I ordered.”

There are time when you crave something sweet, savory and pork.

It did not help matters when Seetoh released a video on how to make Coffee Ribs. So there was no helping it but to go out and get some pork ribs.

The question of what to do with them turned academically Victorian, but in short, I did them 3 ways.

Posted on 5th Feb 2010 in Food and Drink, Recipes, Tze Char | Post a comment

Makankaki at Jing Long

Slow shutter shot without involving waterfalls…

I’ve not been attending the Makankaki dinners for a while mainly because I’ve been traveling frequently and a lot of the places they visited last year didn’t appeal to me.

However, since it’s been a while, I thought it would be fun to say hi to everyone again. So I was looking forward to dinner at the Jing Long Seafood Restaurant in Bedok.

And even though the Chinese New Year was couple a weeks away, we had the traditional Yu Sheng which is more or less a Singaporean invention. It has become a tradition where Singaporeans will gather at the table to toss the salad.

Posted on 25th Jan 2010 in Chinese, Food and Drink, Makankaki, Tze Char | Post a comment

Yuan Wei Giant Garoupa On Serangoon Road

There were two great Tze Char finds in 2008, one was Cafe de Hong Kong which everyone is heading to now and the other is Yuan Wei Giant Garoupa on Serangoon Road.

While I’ve been there a few times, my first visit was tinged with skepticism as I am not partial to seafood. That night I left kicking myself for not bringing my camera.

Posted on 20th Mar 2009 in Cantonese, Makankaki, Singapore, Tze Char | 4 comments

Cafe de Hong Kong On Balestier Road

It is not easy to open a restaurant with a name that has come to be synonymous with mediocre food. At least that’s the reaction I get when I tell people about Cafe de Hong Kong on Balestier Road.

The owner, Francis Mak, approached one of us during one of our dinners and invited us for a tasting at the newly reopened restaurant. It turned out to be one of the best discoveries we made for this year.

Posted on 2nd Jan 2009 in Cantonese, Food and Drink, Makankaki, Tze Char | 5 comments