Bakery (Penang): Soon Hiang Tau Sar Pneah(Tambun Biscuit)

If you have been to Penang, Malaysia, you would probably be familiar with their famous Tau Sar Pneah (Hokkien for Mung Bean biscuit). These are circular balls made of layers of thin puff pastry stuffed with Mung Bean filling, a mix of dried mung beans fried together with shallots in lard oil. Some shops have substituted the lard with vegetable oil to cater to the health conscious, which kind of dumbs down the taste. The most famous brands are Him Heang and Ghee Hiang. 
In a trip to Penang last year, while surfing for more information in my hotel room, I came across this website which described a small shop that does things the traditional way and I decided to take a chance and check out this place. 
Located along a row of 2 storey shophouses. We were met at the door by a matronly auntie who spoke in Hokkien and spoke with great pride about her products. She even gave samples of the biscuit to try. Fresh from the oven, the fragrance of the shallots and lard oil was permeating the air with a wonderful aroma. Needless to say we bought a few boxes from her.  
Fast forward to this year, my friend from Penang came back with a box of her mung bean biscuit and a bag of Beh Teh Soh so we could relive the experience.
Tau Sar Pneah

	Taste Verdict: Layers of soft pastry encase the sweet and salty Mung Bean Filling which retains the distinct flavour of the shallots and lard oil. Yum! However I do find the filling a little too sweet.

Beh Teh Soh
This was supposed to be the sideline but for me, it stole the show from the Tau Sar Pneah. Beh Teh Soh is a bigger, UFO shaped biscuit with layers of crumbly pastry and with a thin layer of sweet molasses at the bottom.

	Taste Verdict: The pastry is nice and crumbly. The molasses filling is soft and sticky and you can taste a slight onion taste. Heavenly! This is unlike most of the ones we have in Singapore which have an extremely hard filling. Note to self is to try to sample the best Beh Teh Sohs from Malacca which are quite famous too.

So next time you are in Penang, you might want to drop by this home run business to try some. Just a tip that since that time last year, its popularity has grown and my friend's advice is to call up a few days in advance if you want to buy more than 1 box from them.

Where: 36 Jalan Kuantan 10150 Penang. 
Tel No: 04-229 5799


Directions: From KOMTAR shopping complex, drive along Jalan Datuk Keramat past Gama Supermarket (which should be on your left). After Gama, keep an eye out for Jalan Kuantan on your left. It is a small lane just off the main road. Turn into the lane and look for no. 36 (the house/shop should also be on your left) 

Restaurants: Villa Di Parma

Formerly the restaurant known as Ristorante de Parma, Villa Di Parma serves Italian Home-style cuisine. About a month ago, my wife brought me here for dinner on my birthday. Excuse the grainy photos, the place is quite dimly lit and posed a challenge to my trusty Samsung Galaxy S2 phone camera.
Foccacia

The complimentary Foccacia and Olive Oil and Balsamic Vinegar was a pleasant combination. The bread was nice and crisp and paired nicely with the dip.  

Deep Fried Calamari Rings

We decided on what we thought was a safe starter. The version cooked up here is one which comes lightly battered and accompanied by a tomato based sauce. It isn't the extremely crispy version that most of us expect but the freshness of the Calamari and its slightly chewy texture makes you want to have more.      
Smoked Salmon Pizza
From what my wife read up on forums and reviews, this is one of the recommended signature dishes. 

Don't be alarmed if you think they forgot to heat it up for you. We did ask the waitress just to be sure so you can be spared the blushes. They make the dough fresh and bake it on the spot. Then they actually leave the crust to cool before adding the Smoked Salmon and creamy sauce that keeps the Salmon on the thin crispy crust and top it off with onions and olives. Think of it as smoked salmon on a biscuit. Found it rather refreshing and quite tasty.

Seafood pasta

I can't remember the actual name of the dish (one year older and one year closer to Dementia) but I believe it is a variant of Seafood Marinara served with Linguine. The sauce is slightly spicy and comes with servings of scallops, prawns, mussels and squid. Not bad but not mind blowing though.
Tiramisu
Most people have high expectations whenever it comes to this dessert. While  the version served here doesn't disappoint, it also doesn't dazzle either. A overall decent attempt to round off the meal.

Verdict: Nice, cosy ambience where one can have a hearty italian meal with wine and good conversation. For Food, budget about S$50 per pax (more depending on what wine you decide to have)

Where: VILLA DI PARMA

14B KENSINGTON PARK ROAD, SERANGOON GARDENS.
TEL: 6281 3380, 6280 1096. 
CLOSED ON WED, EXCEPT ON THE EVE OF A PUBLIC HOLIDAY.


Check out their website: Villa Di Parma

Fast Food Escapades: The Bratwurst Shop @ Plaza Singapura

Tucked away in basement 2 of Plaza Singapura Shopping Centre, opposite Carl's Junior, sandwiched(pun intended) in between "Chippy" and another stall which I can't quite remember, lies this no-frills joint that serves up hot dogs and sandwiches. From what I read up on the net, this shop has Aussie roots, being somewhat linked to a famous stall in Melbourne.   

As the name of the shop proclaims, the sausages served here are mainly Bratwursts or at least the SIZE of bratwursts. Wikipedia defines a Bratwurst as a sausage usually composed of veal, pork or beef but I did notice some of the sausages sold here are stuffed with chicken. I have patronised them before in the past and did notice that in recent years, the menu has changed i.e. less variety but it's still worth trying. Just don't expect a huge sitting area, picture a few tables with red PVC upholstered seats. This time around my wife and I dropped by during dinner and ordered the following:
The Big "Brekky"  
My wife went for the Big "Brekky" which is a Breakfast platter that is offered all day.

 A hearty meal consisting of 2 sunny side-up eggs, 2 grilled tomatoes, 2 triangular slices of toast, sauteed mushrooms, a few thick slices of ham (or bacon? meat doesn't have much fat so I'm guessing it's ham) and 1 sausage. Priced reasonably at S$10.90. You get a choice of 5 sausages and have the option to upgrade it to a "Jumbo" sized sausage by topping up S$1. I chose the Black Pepper Chicken sausage from the 5, which would've been better if it was less salty. Overall, a very satisfying combo and it makes the McDonald's "Big" breakfast look like a Kid's meal.
Mushroom Swiss burger
This time around I decided to try a burger instead and opted for the Mushroom Swiss Burger.

The burger by itself costs S$8.90 and for S$2.90 you can top up to get fries and a drink. The mushrooms did not stand out but the thick beef patty(slightly pink in the centre) with a nice grilled flavour more than made up for it. The fries tasted like they were coated in batter to make them more crispy but were an adequate complement to the meat. One good thing going for it is it doesn't have the mass produced burger taste that you get from fast food joints like Burger King and Carl's Junior. 

Taste Verdict: Like what I've tried here so far. Above average fare from a no frills joint at prices that are not exactly cheap. However, with substantial servings like this, you can't really complain especially when compared with other fast food joints that raise prices and reduce the size of their burgers/servings. 


Where: Bratwurst Shop, 68 Orchard Road, #B2-39C Plaza Singapura
Tel: +65 6884 4093
Opening Hours: Daily: 8.30am – 10.00pm

Adventures in Coffee: The K Cup Saga - Part 3 - My K-Cup reusable coffee filter

I've been too busy to remember to order more K Cups and eventually ran out of bold coffee k-cups last week. For the last few days, I was surviving on the flavoured coffee k-cups (of which I have 1 last box left) which I use more to entertain guests than for my own consumption. It dawned upon me that this would be a good opportunity to try out the My K-cup reusable coffee filter which was still un-opened since I got my Keurig Brewer.
The My K-Cup filter is made of 3 parts:

(From left to right) Filter Holder, Filter Basket and the Lid
Curious as to how to use the filter properly, I did a search on the internet and came across reviews from people who found that certain modifications had to be done to the filter in order to brew a stronger cup of coffee. The method detailed in this blog entry is just one of the options recommended.
1. Get a used K-Cup, remove the foil seal completely and empty out the coffee powder into a waste bin
2. Rinse off the remaining coffee powder from the K-cup and you will have the following:

3. Cut 2 slits on the upper, wider rim of the K-Cup like below. Bend this section and cut it away with a pair of scissors (or knife)

 4. Next, start cutting along the upper rim like so:

5. Cut all the way till the upper rim is removed like below:

6. The paper filter can be removed from the cup easily as shown, you only need the white cup.

7. Place the filter basket into the white cup. (This is the geist of the mod, the reason for this if the My K-Cup filter is used as supplied, the filter basket lets out too much water at one go, making the brewed coffee diluted)

8. Next, place this into the filter holder

9. Add coffee powder up to 3/4 level of the filter basket. If you add too much powder, the powder might spill out later during brewing. I've used Starbucks Italian Blend where I have requested to have the beans ground to 1 size finer than what you would use for a french press. If the coffee powder is too coarse, water will flow through too easiy.

10. Close the lid of the My K-Cup filter

11. Before you can place the filter in the Keurig machine, you have to remove the current K-cup filter assembly, to do so, place your fingers as shown

12. The next step is to use your other hand to go below the filter assembly to where the coffee normally comes out. Need to apply pressure with your fingers as shown and press upwards to dislodge the filter assembly.

13. And with a little pressure, the filter should be released as below:

14. Now place the My K-cup coffee filter in its place like so

15. One more step before you start brewing, lower the black gasket (rubber ring) attached to the needle that you find on the top part of the brewer that comes into contact with the My K-Cup filter. The needle is normally used to puncture the Disposable K-cups.

It is important to lower it to a point just above the slanted/bevelled edge of the needle. This ensures that no excess water spills out from the top during the brewing process.

16. Finally, close the top part of the brewer, select the cup size button to start. Voila! You get a cup of coffee using your own coffee powder :)

Final Thoughts: The coffee brewed is of acceptable quality but does not match the quality you will get if you use a french press or a slow drip coffee maker as the mechanism of the Keurig is to dispense the coffee quickly so there is not a lot of time for the water to absorb the quality of the powder. There are other mods available to use your own coffee. For example, K-CAPs which are plastic caps for use on recycled disposable K-cups. Other brands have also released their own versions of filters for use in Keurig machines. Any one have experience with these? Do share with me your experiences on what is the best method you have found to brew your own coffee powder in the Keurig machine. Thanks!

Restaurants: Bistro Amigo @ Funan Digitalife Mall

I remember passing by this restaurant when I was shopping at John Little's in the Now defunct Specialist Centre in Somerset. The main thing that stuck in my memory was the large selection of wines that they had but I never did try their food. Fast forward to May 2011, My colleague and I are in Funan Mall when we notice a sign that showed a set lunch promo and a line that proclaims their famous apple pie. We located the restaurant on the 2nd level (I had not been back to Funan for a few months) and the layout is still pretty much the same with the numerous wine bottles and cosy atmosphere.
After seating us, the waiter strongly recommended us to try the Chicken Chop set lunch and we did but we just had to try the famous apple pie :))
Pumpkin Soup

 

You could taste that it was freshly prepared and the flavours did not overwhelm. Slightly sour and sweet and a very pleasant start to the meal. 

Chicken Chop 

Unlike the standard chicken chop you normally get in most western food hawker stalls or restaurants here, this was not drenched in brown sauce. The sauce instead was drizzled over certain areas of the plate. I must say that the meat was tender and tasty even without the sauce which means they have marinated the meat very well. Only gripe is I still prefer a larger portion!
Apple Pie

We had to wait a while for the apple pie as they bake it fresh too but it was definitely worth the wait. Light flaky crust supported a ring of apple slices and this was topped off with a scoop of Vanilla Ice cream. A surprisingly light dessert that was voted the best part of the meal by my colleague and I. Luckily for us, it lived up to the hype.
Will definitely be back to explore more dishes soon and more apple pie! :D
Price: Set lunch we had was priced about S$13++   (soup, main course and coffee). Apple pie was S$9.90++
Where: Bistro Amigo
#02-15 Funan Digitalife Mall
109 North Bridge Road, Singapore 179097

Cafeteria: AH Garden Cafe @ Alexandra Hospital

Contrary to popular belief, I have not fallen off the face of the earth. Rather I have been rather busy these few weeks rolling out a project in Alexandra Hospital. So what better way to marry work and food than to feature food from the Alexandra Hospital Cafeteria which is located in the bottom of the Administration block. If you are coming from the main lobby, you have to cross the carpark to get to the building.

Hospital Food courts and cafeterias have never been famous for their food so is the food as bad as they say? So here is my recommendation if you happen to be in the neighbourhood.

Chicken Cutlet Noodle

 The Chicken Cutlet Noodle is available from the Noodle stall (see above) which also sells Siao Wan Mian (literally Small bowl noodles), Bak Chor Mee (Minced Pork noodles) etc. But my favourite is still this dish. 

The noodles are blanched and mixed in well with the sauce and chilli. The noodles still exhibit a bit of springiness. This is then topped off with slices of deep fried chicken cutlet. Pieces of deep fried pork lard are also added for good measure. I like the fact that the sauce mix is not turned into gravy "soup" which a lot of stalls have the bad habit of doing lately. Once you mix in the sauces by adding excessive soup, it kind of defeats the purpose of ordering dry noodles. This is the best dish by far in the whole cafeteria. Highly Recommended!! 

Price: S$3.50 per bowl

Other Recommendations & things to note:

One hot dessert that is worth trying is the Pulot Hitam (Black Rice Porridge mixed with Coconut Milk) . When I ordered this at the dessert stall, I was expecting the small bowl you normally see at most hawker centres and food courts. Imagine my surprise when I got a bowl of this size.

This is almost a meal by itself and is only priced at S$1.20. Definitely a steal.

Other things to try: I also patronise the Muslim stall often. 3 small "epok" curry puffs (choice of potato, sardine and both) for S$1 washed down with a Kopi Gao (Thick Coffee) from the drinks stall in the morning is a good start to the day. Also tried the Lontong (Rice cakes with vegetable curry) and Mee Rebus @ S$2.50 (Yellow Noodles in thick gravy) which are safe bets too. You even have a healthier brown rice option when you order rice with dishes. 

Please note as this is a cafeteria, please do your part by clearing your trays, plates and bowls after eating and drinking. 

Where: Alexandra Hospital, 378 Alexandra Road, 159964. Admin Block Level 1

Fowl on a Budget :A whole roast duck for 15 bucks? Believe it!

Amidst the talk about the rising cost of living, there are still bargains out there if you look hard enough. The flatted factories in Ubi house wholesalers where you can get cheap food stuffs. One such wholesaler is Yan Chuan Roaster Centre where you can get a whole roast duck for only S$15. Compare this to prices outside where half a duck already costs S$17 and you know what a great bargain this is. But of course at this price, it's a no frills setup where you go to takeaway.

The duck is quite large and as you can see from the picture above, the skin is reddish.
Taste verdict: More importantly, how does it taste?  The meat is quite tender (not tough) and evenly flavoured. The skin is not crispy and cannot be compared to those from famous stalls but is pleasant to eat. The sambal chilli that they give complements the meat well. No complaints here, considering what you get for the price, it is excellent value for money! 
Where: Blk 3020 Ubi Ave 2, #01-111 Tel: +65 6747 2623 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting            +65 6747 2623      end_of_the_skype_highlighting
Opening Hours: 9am – 6pm (Closed on Mon)

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Restaurants: Loui's NY Pizza Parlor @ Universal Studios Singapore (Sentosa)

A month ago, my company held a family day event at Universal Studios Singapore (USS) which is located in Resorts World Sentosa. Never one for the being the early bird, I walked through the entrance turnstill at about 3pm with my wife, avoiding both the noon heat and (to my surprise) long waiting times for the theme rides. I'm not usually the sort to try rollercoasters, but I thought to myself "To hell with it, let's make this free ticket worth my while!!". So it is with great pride that  I conquered the Battlestar Galactica Cylon and Human roller coasters. My strategy was to tackle the most difficult rides and then everything else would be a cinch and it was. But I digress...

After all the afternoon excitement, we were hungry by about 6:45pm and decided to locate the Pizza Parlour in the New York Section of the park. My eldest sis had told me that on her last visit to USS, she liked the pizza smell that was wafting out of the joint. 

Loui's storefront

When we entered the restaurant, only 5 tables were occupied. It's styled like an american deli and cafeteria. Pick what you want at the counters and bring your tray to the cashier to pay.

We chose one set meal each: A slice of pizza, soft drink and a slice of cake for S$13.80 and added Calamari Rings and a Caesar Salad to round of the meal. Total bill came up to about S$43 if memory serves and this was offset by the S$25 voucher that came along with the ticket.
Pizza
A slice of Pizza as pictured below is priced at S$8.50 each. 

Quite a sizeable slice done with a thin crust. It may be its NY sized but I can't confirm because I've not been to the Big Apple. There weren't many flavours on the menu, if I remember there were only about 4 varieties: Hawaiian, Pepperoni (pictured above), Marguerita (Vegetarian) and I can't remember the last flavour. The Pepperoni was quite good with enough cheese and a slightly crispy crust. For the price though, they probably should give you more pepperoni. Better than average theme park fare.
Calamari Rings

Well coated with bread crumbs, these managed to be crispy and the calamari itself was done right and wasn't overcooked but you still have to chew haha. Not bad and goes well with the sauce provided.  I forgot the price though..DUH.... 
Dessert: 

The dessert came as part of the set meal. Some sort of chocolate cake, the taste was alright as far as cakes go not bad but rather forgettable. That's 2 slices pictured above.

The whole shebang

The whole meal (as pictured above) was quite filling and was made all the more enjoyable due to the cost being nicely offset by the $25 voucher that came with our entrance tickets. In the end I paid about S$17 additional. Not cheap but since when are restaurants in theme parks ever cheap? Just to add on that the Caesar salad pictured above was well done and quite appetising. 
Verdict: A good place to get a bite in USS. My Advice is (if you are thinking of having dinner there) to get a seat before the rest of the crowds come out after the last few attractions close at about 7pm. Case in point: about 15 minutes after we got to the place, the place was suddenly set upon by a large hungry hoard of people crouching over our seats like vultures waiting for us to finish. 

Restaurants: Park Palace @ Grand Park City Hall Hotel (Cantonese cuisine)

Park Palace is a Chinese Restaurant that specialises in Cantonese cuisine and is located on the mezzanine level of the Grand Park City Hall Hotel (former premises of the Grand Plaza ParkRoyal hotel on Coleman Street). This is the same kitchen that was responsible for my wedding lunch banquet that I held in Grand Park City Hall in January 2011 to which I had rave reviews from my family and friends about the quality of the food served.This time we visited the restaurant a month ago to have dinner with my in-laws. Without further ado let's go through what we ordered:

Crispy Silver Fish 

Not to be confused with the pest that you may find munching away at old books, these are actually whitebait fish that resemble baby eels. 

These are fried really crispy like Keropok (crispy deep fried crackers) and can be quite addictive. A favourite with the kids (i.e. my wife's nephew and niece) and adults alike. No wonder we ordered 2 portions. Pictured above is a single portion (priced at S$8). Nice!

Peking Duck 

Next up on the menu is Peking Duck. The whole duck is pictured below:

Peking Duck is prized for its crispy skin. Our waitresses promptly de-skinned the duck and cut the skin into smaller pieces that can be rolled up with pieces of cucumber in a crepe lathed in a sweet saunce. (see below)

Don't think it was the best I've tasted but it was pretty good nonetheless. Each duck will set you back S$60. 

In case you are wondering, the duck meat itself is not wasted. Most restaurants would ask you how you would like the duck meat prepared. Some options are to add it to Fried rice, to Eefu noodles etc. You have to pay a little extra whichever option you choose. We chose to fry it with Eefu noodles (for an additional S$10). See below:

The noodles were done just right: not too salty nor overly wet and soggy. The duck meat complemented it very well, adding an extra dimension of "bite".
Roasted Pork (Sio Bak) and Honey Pork (Char Siew)
My inner carnivore cajoled me to order the Roasted Pork (Sio Bak in Hokkien dialect) and Honey Pork. Pictured left and right respectively.

The Sio Bak was cut into 12 small pieces and each piece had wonderfully crispy, crackly skin that was lovely to bite into. The meat was tender and didn't exhibit any "porky" smell. My main complaint is that the portion was too small. The Honey Pork, Park Palace's take on Char Siew, is drenched in Honey so it is sweet and doesn't have the characteristic charcoal burnt edges normally associated with Char Siew. On the other hand, the meat was uniformly soft and tender unlike Char Siew, and is good but different from the norm. 

The portion of Sio Bak is priced at S$12 and the Honey Pork costs S$16.

Scallops with Mushroom and Asparagus

Scallops were firm and sweet. I've begun to love asparagus more and more in recent times and this was no exception. The asparagus was crunchy and exhibited a natural sweetness. Mushrooms were few and far between though. The whole mix came on top of a crispy shell (Is it made of Fried Vermicelli?). The portion pictured above is priced at S$42. One lament I have is that I still prefer the Fried Scallops and Asparagus in Spicy XO Sauce which they served at my wedding lunch but is not listed in the menu. Now that was Heavenly! BTW, for those interested, the restaurant sells small glass jars of their self-made XO sauce at S$18 a jar.
Wasabi Mayo Prawns
Next up is a dish that is fast becoming a staple in any self respecting chinese restaurant. The prawns were deep fried in batter and drizzled with a light green wasabi mayo sauce and topped off with sesame seeds.

The prawns though lightly battered, were crunchy and the wasabi mayo sauce had a nice kick to it. Worth a try! Portion above priced at S$42 so it ain't that cheap.

Dessert: Mango Pomelo

Quite commonly available in most Chinese restaurants in Singapore, the version here was more liquid (not pulpy and sticky). The sweetness and slight tang of the Mango was well balanced by the bitter sweet pomelo flesh and wasn't overly sweet.

Each bowl is priced at S$5.

Dessert: Custard Yolk Buns (Liu Sha Bao)

I've saved the best for last. This was a fortunate, unplanned discovery as it was ordered as a substitute to another dessert item that wasn't available that day. Being fans of Liu Sha Bao, my wife and I ordered some in the hope that it would be of a certain standard. 4 buns in a basket made it to the table as shown below:

They looked like little white bulbs waiting to brighten up our meal further. Although each bun is small, encased in thin dumpling skin is a generous portion of custard and salted egg yolk filling. What can I say except that it's a sweet and salty sensation that is out of this world! As you can see from the closeup below, each bun oozed with lovely molten (it's pretty hot) yellow goodness....

I daresay this was the best discovery of the evening. It ranks among one of the best (if not the best) custard yolk buns I have tried in Singapore so far. Priced at S$4.80 for 3 buns (S$1.60 per bun). 

Verdict: The Food is not cheap but the prices aren't super exhorbitant either. For the above meal, the cost per pax came up to about S$43. Overall the food is pretty good and a great place to be if you want some privacy (usually the restaurant isn't crowded). 
Update: I did return to Park Palace around 6pm last Sunday 24 Apr 2011 to see if I could get a takeaway for those lovely Custard Yolk buns. The waitress checked with the kitchen and they were willing to accommodate my request even though opening time for dinner is usually 6:30pm. What's more, she advised me to sit and wait and even brought me a glass of cold water to drink. What wonderful service! For the Custard Yolk buns, you have a choice to takeaway the unsteamed buns to DIY at home or to ask them to steam them for you if you are eating them soon after. Just to attest that standard for the the buns is maintained. Excellent Stuff!