Seoul Yummy at Causeway Point

Seoul Yummy is a restaurant at Causeway Point level 5, specialized in Korean Budae Jjigae, which means army stew.  The interior deco is quite hip, the patrons are mostly young people, many of them are students, I think.

We were there on a Friday night, where all the restaurants spotted a queue, some very long, some short, but almost all had a queue.  There was one at Seoul Yummy too, but somehow their turn over is quite fast, the queue was very efficiently reduced.

Side Dishes

We ordered their signatures combo for $48.90++, which is good for two persons.  It consists of an appetizer, a signature dish,  a dessert and an assortment of side dishes.

The side dishes were just so so.  There wasn't much taste to it save being salty.  The bean sprout was not fermented long enough, the bean part was still quite hard.

Potato Pancake

For appetizer, we chose potato pancake.  I must say it was not bad.  Potato slices completelu immersed in egg pasture, and deep fried till crispy.  They pre-cut the pancake into 4 equal portions before serving.  It was quite nice of them.

Black Stew Pot, raw

The main dish was the black stew pot.  Here is a picture when it was served.  You can see all the ingredients, almost.  Black pork, pork stew (underneath the pork), instant noodle, sausage, luncheon meat, tofu, slices of carrot, vegetables, and some mushrooms.  What is not shown here is the rice cake, which was buried deep underneath.

Turn your stove to the maximum, and let the soup boil, and all the food cooked together.  This is supposed to be the Korean army stew.  It is meant to be cheap eat, but enough for the army boys to fill their stomaches to the full.  Well, you don't have to guess, it originated from South Korea, where all boys have to go through national service, and become a soldier some time in their life.  It could be heart-warming when you have this, especially in a cold winter night in the army camp.

Black Stew Pot, cooked

Ok, this is how it looked when everything was cooked.  The sauce that they gave us was probably a bit too much, rendering the soup very salty.  The black pork was good, even after it was cooked.  Firm yet tender.  That was the crown jewel of this pot.  Other than that, the rest of the ingredients were just so so.  The luncheon meat and the sausage added additional saltiness to the taste, which was not really very pleasant.

Sweet Hulk

Last but not least, our dessert, sweet hulk.  We waited for quite a long time for out dessert.  The two tables beside us came in later than us, they finished their mains later than us, but they got their desserts earlier.  The strange thing was the last table that came in became the first table to finish everything.  The green tea ice cream tasted a bit bitter, probably that's why they coupled it with the more sweet red bean.

Their service was ok, the staff are mostly very young people, teens probably.

Overall, I think Seoul Yummy is not bad in terms of atmosphere, staff friendliness, but the food, especially the much touted Korean army stew (Budae Jjigae) is grossly over-rated.  I am unlikely to patronize anything related to Korean army stew.

E Hua Shi Guangzhou 鹅 话 事 Guangzhou

E Hua Shi (鹅话事) literally means "Goose is in charge".  It sounds odd, isn't it?  But if you say it in Cantonese, then it makes perfect sense.  In Cantonese, the sound for Goose and the sound for I are similar, so "Goose is in charge" becomes "I am in charge".  Language is fun, isn't it?

E Hua Shi is a food joint which was only launched late last year in Guangzhou, it specializes in Cantonese roast food, in particular, roast goose.  I like roast goose, it is just not resistible, however, I seldom ate roast goose in the past.  It is one of those dishes that are prone to the use of harmful ingredients to your health.  Stories are rampant of sellers using industrial material, not approved for use in food, on roast geese just to make the taste better.  At E Hua Shi, I have no such worries.  This food joint was founded by 3 partners.  One partner takes care of the roasting himself.  All three partners do eat their own roast geese, together with their staff, on regular basis.  I think this is the best possible advertisement, and best possible guarantee for the quality of their roast geese.

1/4 Roast Goose, ¥88.00

My friend wanted to have a roast goose drumstick, but it was sold out, so we could only order 1/4 of a roast goose.  The skin was crispy!  Then there was a thin layer of goose fat right below the skin, greasing up the skin and the meat below.  The meat was juicy, but firm, yet it was still tender.  The aroma of its roast meat stimulated your sensor of smell.  It was a feast to the taste buds, and your smell buds :-)  I liked it so much that I kept eating and eating and eventually finished this quarter goose.  My friend originally thought the portion was too big for the two of us, we might have to packet the left-over, now there was nothing to pack!

We had a casual chat with one of the partners.  He told us that currently they have two branches, one is at Zhongxin Square (中信广场), the other one is the branch we visited at Huacheng Square (花城广场).  Both are catering mostly to office workers, so there is a bigger crowd for lunch, much less for dinner.  In our case, we went there for dinner, so the choice is a bit more limited.

He also said that roast goose is better eat while hot.  The best is when it is fresh from the oven.  The longer it is since the time it was taken out of the oven, the less tasty it is.  For take away, as it is covered in the container, whose moisture will make the skin less crispy, so it will affect its taste too.

The geese here are marinated by the master chef in the central kitchen, then they will be sent out to the branches, raw.  The raw geese have to be kept in a fridge, with some strict temperature control.  I have to be discreet here, as it is part of their trade secret of producing delicious roast geese.  Only when there is an expected demand, they will start the actual roasting in-store.  That's why you can see an oven in their store.

Oven for Roasting

This food joint, noticed I didn't use the word "restaurant", has quite a small shop space.  There are only 2 or 3 tables, with another 2 or 3 counter seats, so strictly speaking, it is not really a restaurant.  It is more like a Chinese fast food shop, but with good quality food.

The branch at Huacheng Square is actually quite difficult to find, as it is hidden at one corner.  The way to find it is:  First, locate Da Long Feng restaurant, which is another popular restaurant with long queues even on a weekday, then you have to walk out the building, go through a long stretch of shop under renovation, then at the end of it, you will find this food joint.

Last but not least, I must declare that one of the partners of E Hua Shi and my friend graduated from the same high school in the same year, although they didn't know each other at that time.  However, we did pay for our own food, and this review is neutral and objective.

If you are visiting Guangzhou next time, I do recommend you give them a try.  It is recommended to give them a call first so that they can reserve for you, to avoid disappointment, like my friend.


Update on 30 May 2018:
This place has closed down since.  Too bad. 

Four Seasons Restaurant at Capitol Piazza

Four Seasons Restaurant (文兴酒家） at Capitol Piazza is the Singapore branch of its famous original Four Seasons Restaurant at Bayswater, London.  I visited their original restaurant in London in May this year.  Greatly impressed by their roast duck, fat, juicy and delicious!  You can read my review here.  So when I heard that they already opened a branch here in Singapore, I was delighted and decided to pay them a visit immediately!

The restaurant at Capitol Piazza is a steep contrast to its humble London origin.  A polished restaurant front, with glittering interior.

When you come to Four Seasons, you can't not to order their signature roast duck.

Four Seasons Signature Roast Duck portion, $22.00

Any difference between the Singapore version and London version of the roast duck?  London version uses English ducks which have a lot more fat, hence more juicy and fragrant.  Singapore version uses Holland ducks which have less fat, more lean meat. It is supposed to be a healthier version catering to the health-conscious Singaporeans.  London version has the duck deeply soaked in the herbal sauce, the skin becomes completely soft, acting like a sponge absorbing all the herbal sauce, Singapore version the skin still retains a sense of crispiness, the meat is more firm, and has a wooden fragrance.  

I find both versions are good for me, although personal preference is their London version.  That fat is just too mouth-watering.

Other than the roast duck, we also ordered a plate of purple potato buns, and steamed sea bass.  I found both are of acceptable standard, but nothing to rave about.

Purple Potato Buns, $4.80

Steamed Sea Bass, $38.00

If you are thinking of visiting this restaurant, I recommend you just order their signature roast duck, and dim sum.  These two are quite reasonably priced, while the rest of the dishes are very much priced on the high end.  For example, a plate of vegetables will set you back by $22.00.  Just your normal vegetables, not something fancy.

Yeh Ting Hainan Cuisine at Woodlands Civic Centre

Yeh Ting is a newly opened restaurant specialized in Hainanese cuisine.  When you think of Hainan, what would come to your mind?  Coconut?  Wenchang chicken?  That's right.  And Yeh Ting's signature dish is coconut chicken pot.

We arrived there at around 7.40pm on a Thursday evening.  The restaurant was crowded but still got a few vacant tables.  The staff informed us that tables were available, but the wait time for our food to come might take up to 30 minutes.

The restaurant was only opened on 26 August 2017, I think.  Everything was new, including the crew. Everybody was quite busy.  We quickly ordered our food, and indeed waited for around half an hour before our first dish came.

Coconut, Bamboo Fungus, Mushroom Chicken Pot, $33.00

We ordered one of their signature dishes, which is the coconut, bamboo fungus and mushroom chicken pot.   What is worth mentioning here is the bamboo fungus.  It is quite a new and popular ingredient on the dining scene in China.  Benefits of bamboo fungus include helping to reduce the bad cholesterol (LDL), increase the good cholesterol (HDL) and reduce excessive acid in the body fluid.  It is also an expensive ingredient.  In the past, it was only possible to collect bamboo fungus in the wild, which was very rare.  During Qing Dynasty, this was something only for the Emperors.  In recent years, the experts figured out a way of cultivating this rare fungus, that is why we ordinary people can also have a taste of this delicacy.

You will need to first boil the soup base, which consists of onion, water chestnut and coconut, then pour all the ingredients in, then boil for another 5 minutes.

A timer preset to 5 minutes was available at every table for you to get the perfect timing.

First impression of the soup:  It was very fresh, sweet and fragrant.  Coconut brings the fragrance, water chest for the sweetness, and the chicken, mushroom and bamboo fungus for the freshness.  In Chinese, it is 鲜甜.  It was a chicken soup with a fruity flavor, a feast to the palates.  By the way, if you are ordering the coconut chicken pot, you may not need to order drinks.  The soup is more than enough and it is healthier, fresher than the drinks.  The essence of all the ingredients go into the soup!

Glass Noodle with Mixed Vegetables, $10.00

Signature Pork Collar, $12.00

We also ordered glass noodle with mixed vegetable and their signature pork collar.  The glass noodle was average, but the pork collar was not bad.  Somehow I have a soft spot for pork collars.  It was tender, at the same time firm.  Your teeth had to exercise a bit, yet not so much that you will hate it. And pork collar is mostly lean meat, no worry about the unhealthy fat.

Besides all these dishes, we also ordered a pot of chrysanthemum tea, and two bowls of rice.  For two persons, I think it was a bit too much.  We could have just ordered the chicken pot, plus one of the two dishes and rice.  No tea or other drinks.

The staff there were friendly, but as the restaurant was just opened for two weeks, they still had quite a bit to fine tune and to improve their efficiency.

Overall, I greatly enjoyed the food.  The dining environment was comfortable too.  In grand total, I spent $66.00 for two persons.  The price is reasonably in my opinion.

Four Seasons Restaurant London

Before I went to London, I had heard that London is famous for roast ducks.  Four Seasons Restaurant, a Chinese restaurant located at Bayswater, London, is one of the most famous for its roast ducks.

First thing first, this Four Seasons is not THAT Four Seasons chain of luxury hotels.  It is an ordinary-looking Chinese restaurant, with a Chinese name of Wenxing 文兴酒家.  When I first saw the Four Seasons name, I thought it would be very expensive, but luckily it is not the case at all.

If you take the tube in London, get off at Bayswater metro station.  Once you come out of the station, you will be on Queensway.  Turn left and walk along Queensway for about 50 meters, you will see the restaurant.

Four Seasons Restaurant at Bayswater, London

We arrived there early, at around 5.30-6.00pm.  The place was already buzzing with business.  The patrons are varied.  Chinese British, Chinese-speaking Chinese, Chinese from South East Asia, and some Caucasians.  Quite a mixed crowd.

Fat Fat Roast Duck

We ordered their famous roast duck.  When it came, it was a bit unexpected.  When we talk about roast duck, we will think of Beijing Roast Duck, with that signature crispy skin.  The roast duck here is very different.  The skin is not crispy, and the meat is not dry.  Instead, it is immersed in a special herbal sauce which gives it additional fragrance, and the skin and meat juicy.  Unlike Beijing Duck, which you mostly only consume the skin, you can eat both the skin and the meat for London Roast Duck.

The duck they use is a local breed.  As England's weather can be quite harsh and cold, the ducks tend to accumulate a thick layer of fat, as a storage of energy as well as a layer of protection from the cold weather.

My friend picked up a piece of duck meat with chopsticks, and you could see that fat trembling. Wow... you can imagine when you put that piece of duck meat in your mouth...Good heavens!  It melt in your mouth, the fragrance lingering around.  This is THE BEST roast duck that I have ever had. Ok, it is not very healthy, with so much fat, but I must give the thumbs up to the master who produced such a nice dish.

Give it a try when you are in London next time!

Kent Thong Turtle Soup at Chinatown Complex

Kent Thong Turtle Soup stall 

Kent Thong Turtle Soup is a stall at Chinatown Complex hawker center.  To locate it, look at the color of the tables, first go to the blue zone, then look for its unit number, #02-188, a very auspicious number in Chinese custom.  

I ordered the $12.00 turtle soup.  First impression, the smell of Chinese herbs was minimal.  The only scent came from the aroma of Chinese parsley.   It will be more acceptable to people who don't like strong herbal smells.  

The portion of meat and soft-shell was reasonably generous.  The turtle meat here is different from those from Ser Seng Turtle Soup.  Ser Seng's turtle meat has no bones, but here there were quite a bit of bones, which was quite a nuisance sometimes.  The section of meat of the turtle probably was also different.  The meat here was dryer, harder to chew.  It will suit those who like to chew beef junkies.  I must also point out that one piece of the turtle meat actually had some unpleasant smell.  Probably it was not properly cleaned.  The soft-shell part was good, soft yet crunchy, sounds very self-contradicting, but it happens.  

On the day of my visit, only one old lady was tending the stall.  She handled everything, from taking orders, receiving payments, to delivering food to your table.  I seriously think she should just ask the customers to self-service instead.  She was in good spirits and agile, but then when she was out to deliver food, nobody was at the stall.  

How I came to know this stall is worth mentioning.  After I put up a post in instagram of Ser Seng Turtle Soup, kent.thong_turtle.soup, an instagram user, actually liked my post.  That's how I first heard of this stall, and decided to give it try.  

My verdict?  I most probably will choose Ser Seng over Kent Thong.  I think they should have more man power so that the older generation can focus more on the food preparation, while the younger generation can handle the duties of cashier and serving food.  Just my 2 cents.

J65 at Hotel Jen

J65 is located at Hotel Jen, which was previously known as Trader Hotel.  Since the re-branding, the hotel had been completed renovated.  J65 has a very cosy and elegant ambiance.  The place is spacious, plenty of room between tables for you to feel comfortable.

Their weekday lunch buffet is $31.00++/pax.  At this kind of price, I think the expectation should not be too high. Lobsters, crabs, and oysters are for sure out of the question.

Seafood Counter

Let's first see what they have at the seafood counter, mussels and prawns.  I didn't try the mussels, as somehow it always gets me sick.  The prawns were good.  They were fresh, and large.  The refill was timely.  Always plenty to satisfy your cravings if you like prawns.  Good!

Sushi Counter

Next to seafood, it is the sushi counter.  No sashimi, but they have the normal prawn sushi, cuttlefish sushi and the cheap cheap ones.

Salad and Fruits

Desserts

Salad, fruits, and dessert counters are all decent.  I tried some of the desserts, they were good.

Indian Food Section

In addition, they also have Indian, western, and Chinese food sections.  My Indian colleague liked the Indian food there, for me, I only tried their crackers, which was good.

Laksa

When it comes to my favorite, for sure it is the local delights.  I ordered a bowl of laksa.  The soup was thick with the fragrance of coconut milk.  It was spicy yet still acceptable to me.  It is different from Katong Laksa for sure, but it is good in its own way.  Thumbs up!  My only problem was I ate too much laksa, didn't have any room to try other dishes.  What a pity.

Service was prompt and friendly.  They removed our plates promptly, and they always asked for your permission first.  When they did that, they even bowed slightly to you, showing respect.

Overall, I found it an enjoyable experience.  With $31.00++, you have a cosy place to sit down, chitchat with your friends, enjoy a sumptuous lunch, what else can you ask for?