Review: Lavender Food Square Kok Kee Wanton Mee - Expensive or worth it?

Dry Wanton Mee, $5

I love hawker food. Laksa, char kway teow, fishball noodles, hokkien mee, chicken rice, nasi lemak, bak chor mee... Today, I'm going to introduce to you my favorite wanton mee in Singapore (or perhaps in the world?) - Kok Kee Wanton Mee!!! The picture above is for the $5 portion. The auntie who portioned the noodles seemed to be in a good mood because she gave me A LOT of noodles, char siew and vegetables. The portions are usually smaller and that's why some people say it's overpriced. 

Nonetheless, I always have a good experience at Kok Kee and the aunties and uncles there are always super friendly to me. They only appear to be fierce but the uncle always jokes with me. Now, onto the main topic - WANTON MEE.

The main reason why this wanton mee is so popular is because its noodles are cooked al dente. The noodles are firm, giving them a nice texture to bite into just like how al dente pasta is like. Moreover, the noodles are drenched in this "secret recipe" sauce that made them so tasty and smooth I could eat them without any other ingredients. Don't worry about having it with chilli as the chilli is not spicy at all but simply adds flavor to the dish. 

However, my only gripe is that the char siew is at most average, leaning towards the dry side. They also lacked the charred taste and I usually just give them to my boyfriend who doesn't mind eating them. The only char siews I like are those with 30% fats, 70% meat and charred to perfection.

The wantons are nice though I think I can make better ones ahahahhahah. It's a personal preference but I think wantons taste better when spring onions are added in them. Nevertheless, these wantons have nice thin skins so thumbs up for that!

Lavender Food Square will be closed down in September 2014 and most of the stalls will be relocating, including Kok Kee Wanton Mee. However, Kok Kee Wanton Mee has yet to find a suitable venue so go eat it now while it's still there!!! Decide for yourself whether you like this controversial plate of noodles! It is definitely my fave in Singapore!

Summary

Cost:$5/person 

Food: WANTON MEE!!!

Service: Differs from people to people lol

Ambience: Hawker center

Dress code: Anything you want lol

Will I recommend it? Yes!

*There's usually a long queue but you will probably get your food within 15 - 20 minutes :)

Kok Kee Wanton Mee

Address: Lavender Food Square

 380 Jalan Besar

#01-06

Opening Hours: 

12pm - 2am

Closes as and when they like lol. Try to avoid Wednesdays and Thursdays as they tend to close on those days. 

Restaurant Review: Dancing Crab Singapore

While Singapore is known for our chilli crabs, we do have other styles of seafood as well. Recently, seafood boil in Cajun style has been hitting our shores, with restaurants such as Crab in Da Bag, The Cajun Kings and Full of Crab being a few of the pioneers. However, a new kid on the block, Dancing Crab, is emerging as a strong competitor. Dancing Crab, backed by Tung Lok Group, is definitely here to stay and also determined to knock down all competition. Here's why:

Crab Cakes, $13 for 2

These crab cakes were AMAZING. Chunks of succulent crab meat were used to make these crab cakes and deep fried to perfection. Crispy and yet not oily, these were the perfect light snacks to placate our rumbling tummies while waiting for our main courses.

Chunks of succulent crab meat!

Seafood Gumbo, $11

While this dish did not amaze us like the crab cakes did, we have to commend the use of extremely fresh seafood in this dish. The prawns were firm and sweet while the shellfish were plump and fresh. However, the rice was too soft for my liking and the tomato sauce was just a tinge too thick. Nonetheless, this would be great to fill up the tummy if some carbs were what you were looking for in addition to the seafood.

Combo Bag #01, $80

And this is the star of meal: Combo Bag #01, consisting of a huge Sri Lankan crab, 300g Prawns, 250g Mussels, Potatoes, Corn and Sausages. As mentioned, the seafood was super fresh, with the meat being succulent and sweet. We were told that only live seafood was used in order to maintain the freshness. At Dancing Crab, you also get to choose the type of sauce that you want your seafood to be cooked in. This was served in Dancing Crab Signature sauce (Mild) and I loved it. I also tried the Signature sauce in Spicy and Extra Spicy but preferred Mild out of the 3 as Mild was mostly tomato based. The spiciness, unlike Chilli Crab sauce, tasted like hot sauce (i.e. Tabasco sauce). So be warned, it's not the local type of chilli padi spiciness but Tabasco-like spiciness. So if you like tabasco, you may want to opt for the spicy sauce.

Gigantic pincer from the Combo #01!

Cornbread, $5

We were told that this is Dancing Crab's equivalent of fried mantous (fried buns). So while fried mantous are dipped in the chilli crab gravy, cornbread is used at Dancing Crab instead. These cornbread tasted pretty good on their own as well and can be ordered as an appetiser too!

Alaskan King Crab Legs, $13/100g

We also had the Alaskan King Crab Legs, this time round in Herb Butter. The Herb Butter was delicious and slightly reminiscent of the spread on garlic bread. Once again, the crab meat was fresh and sweet and we really enjoyed the meat.

The crab leg was as huge as a regular Heinz bottle!!!!

My mess :P

This was the mess that I left behind after the meal. So this is definitely not a classy sight but it is fun to just let loose and eat with your hands once in awhile. Go ahead, be messy, no one will judge. If you're the prim and proper kind who refuses to eat with your hands, then stay away. Otherwise, do go to Dancing Crab for the seafood!!!!

Summary

Cost: ~$55/person 

Food: Fresh seafood! 

Service: Polite

Ambience: Fun and casual, ideal for families or gatherings!

Dress code: Casual

Will I recommend it? Yes!

Takes Reservations

Dancing Crab

Address: The Grandstand

 200 Turf Club Road

#01-20/21

Singapore 287994

Opening Hours: 

Tues - Fri: 17:00 - 22:30

Sat - Sun: 11:30 - 15:00, 17:00 - 22:30

Contact: 6466 3306

Restaurant Review: Fat Cow

I love steaks. I am always on the look out for a nice slab of marbled meat. So far, Fat Cow's steak is the best I've ever tried. Being a big fan of steaks, I ordered the A5* wagyu steak, seared to medium rare.

*A5 is the highest grade being awarded to wagyu beef. It is determined based on its marbling score, meat colour and brightness, firmness and texture of meat, and color/quality of fats. 

300g A5 Wagyu, medium rare ($298)

The steak was 300g and cost $298++. That comes up to more than $1/g and every mouthful that I took was probably worth $10 but it was so worth it! The divine taste of beef, fats that melted away without giving a greasy feeling, coupled with the grainy yet tender texture of the meat created the perfect steak ever. Every bite that I took, I went straight into heaven, lingered there for awhile, before coming back down for another bite. It was really that good. Of course, this was also the most expensive steak I've ever eaten so I was glad it measured up to expectations. 

The steak was served with a shoyu dip with grated ginger and sesame. Initially, I was skeptical about dipping such a marblellous piece of steak into shoyu but wow, the shoyu brought out the sweetness of the beef!!! We also asked for some freshly grated wasabi to pair with the beef because we liked that combination.

We also ordered a few other dishes to share before the steak arrived. 

Traditional 'onsen-egg' served warm with a hunk of crispy fried beef bone marrow in a citrus dashi

The bone marrow was crispy and light with a tinge of sweetness while the citrus dashi added a refreshing taste. Break apart the yolk and you have a creamy balance of sweet and saltiness. A perfect appetiser!

Snow crab stuffed zucchini blossom tempura

The zucchini stuffed with snow crab was amazing! The tempura was light and crispy yet not oily and there was a large amount of crab meat inside. The crab meat was fresh and sweet. We also had the choice of dipping it into mustard which excited our tastebuds. Overall, this was a unique dish and we loved it.

Barbecued eggplant glazed with honey miso

I am not a fan of eggplants but this was pretty good. After scraping off some of the miso (as it was too salty for my liking), the eggplant was actually palatable! It was so soft it almost melted in the mouth and I loved the slight chargrilled taste. The honey miso made it a really appetising dish indeed.

Grilled gamba carabineros

I was really excited to see gamba carabineros on the menu. Gamba carabineros are a type of Spanish red prawn and ever since I ate them in Barcelona, I could not stop thinking about them. Like the ones I had in Barcelona, these were simply grilled with sea salt. The prawn was sweet and fresh but not as fresh as the ones in Barcelona as the meat was not as firm. Still one of the better prawns in Singapore though! For gamba carabineros, you MUST eat the brain juice! According to the chef in Barcelona, that is the best part of the prawn and the reason why gamba carabineros are so highly prized. Do not worry though, for the juice is really sweet.

Handmade mochi with peanut and green tea powder

The mochi was extremely soft and chewy, sweet but not cloying. I preferred dipping it into the green tea powder for a slight bitterness.

Milk pudding with red beans

This dessert was disappointing. While the pudding was smooth, it lacked taste and the red beans were too dry to help. This left an unpleasant taste and texture in our mouth.

Summary

Cost: ~$580 for 2 people, with 4 alcoholic drinks

Food: Excellent steak! You have to order the A5!!!

Service: Polite but slightly slow

Ambience: Romantic, counter seating recommended

Dress code: Smart casual

Will I recommend it? Definitely!

Fat Cow

Address: 1 Orchard Boulevard

#01-01/02

Camden Medical Centre

Singapore 248649

Contact: +65 6735 0308

Restaurant review: Shinji by Kanesaka

Singapore is known to be a food paradise. However, when it comes to fresh sashimi and authentic sushi, it is often hard to measure up to Japan’s standard. Nevertheless, Shinji by Kanesaka was recently ranked No.35 in Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants, surpassing many top sushi restaurants in Japan and effectively making it the top Japanese restaurant in Singapore. Now, we can have a taste of Japan’s superior quality food without leaving the island.

Shinji serves only sushi sets for lunch and omakase sets for dinner. Omakase, meaning “I’ll leave the choice up to you”, is a menuless dining experience whereby diners will eat whatever the chef prepares for them. Apart from an element of surprise, omakase also ensures that only the freshest ingredients are used for the dishes. Of course, one can specify beforehand what one does not eat and the chef will take care not to include that in the meal.

The omakase menu includes an assortment of dishes, typically including sashimi, nigiri and maki sushi, soup and perhaps some cooked dishes. As promised, all ingredients were of superb quality and were extremely fresh. The chef revealed to us that this was attributed to the fact that the owner, chef Shinji Kanesaka, personally goes down to Tsukiji Market daily to choose the freshest ingredients before having them air flown into Singapore.

While all the dishes were exemplary, a few stood out from the rest.

The sea urchin with squid, topped with freshly grated wasabi (below) was a real treat to the tastebuds. The sea urchin was velvety smooth and luscious while the squid added texture to the dish. Topped with freshly grated wasabi, this dish titillated our tastebuds.

Sea Urchin with Squid, Topped with Freshly Grated Wasabi

Another hot favourite was the raw prawn nigiri (below). The live prawns were brought before us and the chef deftly took care of them with a slight twist of their heads. Indeed, the prawns were so fresh that any fresher, we would have had to eat them alive.  The prawns were then neatly butterflied before making into nigiris. The prawn was sweet and crunchy and the grains of rice were distinct and yet held together. Undoubtedly, Shinji has the best sushi in Singapore.

Raw Prawn Nigiri

Omakase Wa, $300++

 Summary

Cost: $388/person, including 2 beers each

Food: Superb quality, possibly the best sushi in Singapore

Service: Impeccable

Ambience: Traditional sushi bar with mostly counter seating

Dress code: Smart casual

Will I recommend it? Definitely!

Remember to make a reservation as they are always full!

Shinji by Kanesaka

Address: Raffles Hotel

#02-20

1 Beach Road

(via Seah Street lobby)

Singapore 189673

Lunch: 12pm to 3pm

Dinner: 6pm to 10.30pm

Closed on Sundays

Contact: +65 6338 6131

Restaurant Review: boCHINche

There has been a sprouting of new restaurants in Singapore over the past year and I’ve been dying to try all of them!!! Having heard rave reviews about boCHINche, I decided to try it out. boCHINche labels itself as “An Argentinian Dining Concept” and serves most dishes in a tapas style. Tapas has always been my favourite because that means I can try a lot more dishes than if I were to just order one main dish. Now, I’m sure some of you may be thinking, “Argentinian food? What’s that? Slabs of meat?” But I (or rather, boCHINche) am here to banish this myth. So let’s go!

First off, I LOVE the restaurant’s interior!!! Its dark woody accents and warm lights are just so inviting and I knew I could sit there all night to chill. I was given a choice of either the bar seats or a table seating and I jumped at the bar seats immediately because I love watching the chefs work behind the counter. 

The bar seating at boCHINche, which is dimmer in reality (Photo Credit: Bochinche's Facebook Page)

We ordered a few cocktails and aperitifs since we heard they had a pretty impressive list. But since I only took a picture of my cocktail and not my friends', I will not talk much about them. I tried a sip of everyone's drinks and I must say they were pretty average and forgettable. However, I must also admit that I'm not a fan of cocktails and would choose a beer or wine over cocktails any day.

My Chamame cocktail which comprises of Santa Teresa Claro Rum, pressed limes, Chambord, mint leaves and sweetened mate tea. 

Provoleta, almonds & honey

Our first dish was the highly raved about provoleta with almonds & honey. Provoleta is an Argentinean variant of Provolone cheese and is typically eaten as an appetiser in Argentina. As recommended, we ordered a basket of house baked bread to go along with the cheese. The house bread was ordinary, in fact a little stale and I didn't think it was worth a picture (oops!). But the provoleta was pretty delicious, with a perfect balance of sweetness and saltiness. The almonds provided a nice crunch to the entire dish, adding to its chewy texture. However, the heat while grilling the cheese seems to have produced some oil, making it slightly oily. Also, I would have liked it more if the cheese was creamier, giving it a smoother texture. Another thing to note is to eat this dish fast as the cheese tends to harden when cooled and becomes less appetising.

"Queso de chancho" (Braised pig head croquettes & quince)

This dish was fantastic! I know pig head sounds disgusting to most of us but really, this was made from the pig's cheeks, which is one of the tastiest and most tender part of the pig. The croquettes were crispy and light on the outside, tender and juicy on the inside. Coupled with the quince dip, your tastebuds will be in for a treat! I absolutely love this dish! Also, if you come in a group of 4 like I did, you can always request for the chef to prepare 4 pieces instead of 3! The chef kindly delivered an extra piece after this photo was taken. Thumbs up for going the extra mile!

Scallops, sweet potato, soy-honey roasted pork belly & chorizo

This dish was both a hit and a miss. The scallops were perfectly seared, golden brown on the outside, slightly translucent on the inside. It was firm and sweet, definitely very fresh. The sweet potato puree was velvety smooth and went really well with the scallops. The rest of the dish however, seemed like a separate dish altogether as they just simply did not complement the scallops. The pork belly was also overly sweet and slightly too tough for my liking.

Grilled rump of lamb, white quinoa, Romanesco, golden raisins & anchovies

The lamb was perfectly done. It was tender and juicy and went really well with the quinoa and raisins. However, I found the anchovies too overpowering and would have preferred it without the anchovies.

Roasted and pickled beetroot with goat's curd and garrapinada.

This was my favourite dish of the night. It is such a simple salad but yet so delicious. The goat's curd was deep fried to golden brown perfection, having a crispy and light exterior but a soft, warm and creamy interior. Break it apart and eat it with the rest of the salad, with the garrapinada giving it extra crunch and the pickled beetroot bringing a refreshing taste to your palette. This dish was simply a joy for my tastebuds.

Blow torched prawns, avocado, shallots & capers

This was another nicely done dish. The main factor contributing to the success of this dish was the freshness of the prawns. The prawns were firm and sweet and would have tasted amazing even without the garnishing.

Grilled octopus, smoked leeks, purple potatoes & tuna mayo

This was an average dish. Nothing much to find fault with but nothing much to praise about either. The octopus was tender but lacked flavour although this was compensated by the tuna mayonnaise.

Beef “chimichurry” burger

With provolone cheese, grilled tomato, caramelized onions & aioli.

The beef was alright, but the buns, just like their house breads, were pretty stale. However, the caramelised onions and aioli were the saving grace of the dish, making it more palatable.

Veal sweetbreads, onions, preserved lemon & hazelnut crumble

While this dish was highly raved about by many, I was disappointed by it. The composition of the entire dish itself was good, with the preserved lemon and onions going really well with the veal sweetbreads. However, the sweetbreads were pretty ordinary. Instead of being soft and tender like how quality sweetbreads should be, these tasted just like your average chicken fillets. 

House chips Provenzal

These chips smelt heavenly, but the taste did not measure up. Starchy and under-seasoned, it was difficult to eat more than one piece each. Definitely do not order this.

After the House chips, we were too full to order any desserts and so we decided to leave. 

Summary

Cost: $85/person, including one alcoholic drink each (There were 4 of us)

Food: Hits and misses

Service: Slightly slow but polite

Ambience: FANTASTIC. LOVE IT!!!! Perfect for dates or just to hang out over decent food.

Will I recommend it? Definitely worth a try but it's not one I will frequent considering the number of new restaurants I've yet to try!!!!

Remember to make a reservation as they can get pretty crowded on weekends!

boCHINche

Address: #02-01, 22 Martin Road

Hours: Tue - Thu: 12:00 - 15:00, 17:30 - 00:00

                       Fri: 12:00 - 15:00, 17:30 - 01:00

Sat: 11:00 - 01:00

Sun:11:00 - 00:00

Closed: Mon

Contact: 62354990