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)