Tonkotsu Kazan Ramen - Volcano Bubbling Over with Flavour

I don't know about the rest of you out there but it seems having a kid allows you to explore parts of Singapore that you have seldom ventured before and is a great opportunity of stumbling onto new eatery finds; Tonkotsu Kazan Ramen was one such adventure - I was out shopping for baby J (his fat ass had outgrown his swim nappy) and needed to refuel myself after....

Tucked away in a corner on Square 2 was this bright red shop - it was half filled when I walked in after lunch hour at 2pm.  Looked rather unpromising, to be honest, but I was feeling a bit adventurous.

The promising-looking menu

I was actually gunning for a normal ramen and usually go for Shio ramen to test how good the broth is. Plus I'm not a big fan of Shoyu and Miso ramen as I have been blessed with more misses than hits whenever I try.  But somehow the kazan ramen caught my eye and it was on virtually every table in the house so what the heck!  Since I was feeling adventurous, might as well go all the way....

There were 4 types of Kazan ramen to choose from - Kazan Shoyu, Kazan Kaisen-Shio, Kazan Karamiso and Kazan Curry.

My Choice of Kazan Shoyu

My intial choice was Kazan Kaisen-Shio but I'm a meat lover so wanted to change to Cha Siu instead of having seafood.  However, the friendly staff informed me that it was not possible so meat won over and I took the Kazan Shoyu instead.

While waiting for the food to come, I could not help but notice this sticker label on almost all the tables.  A more detailed look said that it was instructions for the "volcanic" ramen.....at this point, great expectations kicked it and I was rubbing my hands for my lunch to appear.

How To Cook Delicious "Volcano" Kazan Ramen

Ready, 

Steady,

Go!

The service staff appear with this hotpot - it was ramen, topped with cabbage and generous chunks of ramen.  He patiently waited for me to snap my pictures before pouring the soup into the hotpot and it crackled to life immediately!

The cover was speedily added and the "volcanic" effect appeared after a while.

Hour glass was turned over at the appearance of fumes from the "chimney" in the cover.

Waiting, Waiting...

More soup was added after the minute was up....

Look at the bowl boil over!

Finished product!

It was a generous portion and came with a bowl of rice for those who like more carbohydrates.  The soup was tasty and when rice was added to soup, it was superb!

After trying my gluttony best, this was the remainder of my meal....I think the portion can be shared by 2 ladies or even a couple when going out.  Just that if your other half is a 18-year old boy just out from the army, you might be at the losing end!

I'd say this is worth a second visit but probably more for novelty than absolute taste.

TONKOTSU KAZAN RAMEN

10 Sinaran Drive #02-68/69 Square2 Singapore 307506Tel :（65）6397-6636

Tonkotsu Kazan Ramen website

Picking Up the Pieces and Moving on.....HY Soldiers on Slurp's Legacy

To the people who have been following Slurp's blog, apologies for being missing in action for such a while.  Slurp has gone onto another phase of life and HY will now continue to blog in his stead, finding and sharing her food experiences via words and photos.  A note of caution though - the grammar and spelling will definitely improve but the pictures might not be as exciting - but I'm working on the visuals.....

Bear with me as I try to get better at this game.

Artisan Alfero Gelato ...New Outlet at Lorong Kilat

I first tasted Alfero's Gelato was when Marco just opened the outlet at Marina Square. Marco was peddling his gelato like a jovial ice cream man then. That was when The Baci was introduced to us which was like the Ferraro Rocher flavor. We tasted The Pistachio and were raving about it since. It was as good as the one we had at Grom in Florence, Italy. Then, I knew where to find the best Italian gelato in Singapore. Marco invited us to visit his laboratory in Macpherson where he concocted his gelato flavors. We did not visit his lab which is closer to where we live but we chose to travelled further to his newest gelato shop in Lorong Kilat.

Lorong Kilat looks so quiet on a Sunday afternoon but what lurks behind the line of parked cars are crazily popular Carpenter and Cook. Two shop spaces away is Alfero Gelato's newest shop.

The shimmering Alfero Carreto, the house gelato cart, welcomes us near the entrance. It was there serving folks in the heat of the Singapore F1 races.

The difference between Alfero Gelato and Ice Cream is all up on the chalkboard.

Premium flavors are marked with a red 'P'.

For the opening, the Lorong Kilat outlet is having a 1-for-1 promotion. We got The Pistachio, The Strawberry, The Tiramisu and Nuts About You.

My favorite flavor, The Pistachio, that I know that 'Even the godfather loves it!'

Only the best ingredients were chosen ... resulting in the best natural tasting flavors in the gelatos.

I concur that Alfero Gelato is my best in Singapore. Marco got me when he first dished out a spoonful of The Baci to me at Marina Square. Don't believe, then you got to try it to believe!

21 Lorong Kilat

Singapore 598123

Alfero Gelato Facebook

Tori King by Ramen Keisuke ... Chicken Broth Ramen from Chef Keisuke Takeda

The word 'Tori'in Tori King means chicken and Tori King is the newest Ramen shop that Chef Keisuke Takeda brought to us ramen 'xiao' (colloqial for crazy) people. Taking off from the successful Tonkotsu King in Orchid Hotel, the Tori King has the same well liked concept whereby you can choose the extent of hardness for the ramen, the greasiness of the broth and also the intensity of the broth. Instead of the pork broth from Tonkotsu King, Tori King uses the chicken broth. This ramen shop is located in the new 100am shopping mall right beside the Amara Hotel along Tanjong Pagar Road.

The decor is all set in the 60~70s theme, invoking the warm, intimate homey feel when pace in Japan was more relaxing.

My Green Spicy Tori King Ramen was served in normal tasting chicken broth, normal amount of chicken oil and normal hardness of the ramen. The green spiciness is the familiar Japanese wasabi sauce that was spread over the chicken leg. At $16.90, this bowl of ramen came with a big slice of char siew, a hard boiled egg with the yolk still runny and a huge piece of seaweed that when soaked in the broth, gave the ramen more texture and flavor. The wasabi when mixed into the broth, heightened the flavor of the chicken broth and added some perky spiciness.

I fished out the leg of chicken that made the money spent on the bowl of ramen seemed so worthwhile. The chicken leg is simmered in broth and then grilled to a nice brown just before serving.The simmering resulted in the tenderness of the chicken meat that slides off the bone.

The spicy chilli sauce is the recommended condiment to go with the chicken leg.

Here are the complimentary. All you can add bean sprouts and hard boiled eggs. An extra Normal or Low cholesterol egg for you?

#03-15 100AM
100 Tras Street
Singapore
Tel : +65 6604 6861
Ramen Keisuke Singapore Facebook

福臨門魚翅海鮮酒家 Fook Lam Moon ... for an exquisite traditional Dim Sum experience. Wanchai, Hong Kong

This  was a maiden trip overseas for little Julien and we planned to visit Lin Heung Kui 蓮香居 in the early morning. After we got little Julien changed and when we were all ready to get out of the hotel room, we saw the little one sprawled inside his baby cot in a deep sleep. Haha ... no Lin Heung Kui for us and we decided to visit Fook Lam Moon 福臨門 for dim sum later in the morning since the restaurant is only opened at 11.30am. HY chanced on the restaurant on Apple Daily when it's being termed as 富豪酒家 'Rich Man's' Restaurant. Ok then! Let's go experience a moment of being rich.

As we were waiting for the restaurant to open (we were too early), several regulars arrived at the restaurant enter in their Mercedes S500 and other cars of equal class. Hmm some hints of richness already. Food in Fook Lam Moon is exquisite and to my surprise, unpretentious. If you're expecting vapour pouring out from dried ice camoflaging the food in a huge dish with dragon and phoenix vegetable carvings, you're in for a disappointment. The exquisiteness is all in the food. On top of that, the service level seemed to up one notch from other dim sum restaurants that we've been to in Hong Kong. We were really apologetic when little Julien spilt his puree all over the floor. I really appreciate that staffs who help dealt with the situation and treat it with a pinch of salt and still smile and provide excellent service.

The Roast Pork Belly 脆皮燒腩仔 that we ate was so delicious. The choice of fat to lean meat ratio was optimal enabling a perfect crisp to the skin and a super tender belly meat. Perfect touches to the marinate rub resulted in a refined savoriness that served to tease than over indulge the palate. The Char Siew Buns 蠔皇叉燒包 were excellent their fluffy skin texture and the moist warm char siew filling. Steamed Curry Cuttlefish 咖哩蒸土魷 is my favorite. Most dim sum places would overlook that extra water from steaming would get the curry sauce diluted but not in Fook Lam Moon. I was delighted with the obvious curry flavor over the crunchy cuttlefish. Do not underestimate the Braised Egg Noodle with Conpoy and Enoki Mushroom 金菇瑤柱撈麵 even though it looks like your regular char bee hoon. The noodle was braised with the dried scallop and tasted absolutely smooth and flavorful. It's definitely more than meets the eye in Fook Lam Moon with the variety of dishes in the dim sum and a la carte menu but there were only 2 of us and we wished that the rest of the Eat Eat Eat group were here with us. Service in the restaurant was top notch however the cost for dim sum is pricier than dim sum we had at City Hall Maxim's Palace or Victoria City Restaurant Wanchai.

From my observation, Fook Lam Moon's Logo 'Fortune' 福 does speak well of the regular clienteles of the restaurant. Apart from this flagship restaurant in Wanchai, there is another branch in Kowloon. Outside Hong Kong, there are four in Japan and one newly opened in Shanghai.

35-45 Johnston Road

Wanchai, Hong Kong

Tel : (852) 2866-0663

Fook Lam Moon Website

With my Tiger Bib, I wish you a Happy Yummy New Year!

Putting on my brand new Traditional Tiger Bib motif T-shirt to welcome the first day of 2013. Wish everyone Eat Hearty, Be Healthy and with the Tiger Bib, I wish everyone would salivate with whatever food you eat in 2013! Happy Yummy New Year !

Penang Hawkers' Fare at York Hotel ... simply authentic since 1986

From the 14th December 2013 to 1 January 2013, York Hotels brings in the authentic Penang Hawkers' Fare. The Penang hawkers are flown in to cook up a storm of Penang's best street food inside the hotel's White Rose Cafe.

Lunch - 12noon to 2.30pm

Dinner - 6.30pm to 10pm

Our Eat Eat Eat Group had a gathering to buy Chris a birthday meal. Here's showing what's available. We were out on a stampede with second and third servings of each dish.

Ban Chang Kueh - This is like out peanut cake that's mostly crispy and had a sprinkle of peanut inside. The queue seems to be the slowest as the time taken to cook this dish is a bit long.

Cuttle Fish with Kang Kong - This is a simple dish but the stall's special sauce, a mix of three types made it savory and sweet at the same time.

Lor Bak - This is an assortment of items like, shrimps, beancurd, sweet potatoe, and yam, deep fried in batter and then drizzled over with braised sauce.

Prawn Noodles - This is not unlike the type we have in Singapore but delicious nevertheless.

Penang Rojak - A mix fruit salad that's mixed up in prawn paste sauce and then sprinkled with bits of ground peanuts.

Penang Char Kway Teow -  The difference with our Singaporean char kway teow is the use of thinner kway teow and the dish do not have the sweet sauce that we have in ours. This stall has one of the longest queue in the hawkers' fare.

Fish Ball Noodle Soup -  Light clear tasty soup and springy fish balls. This was simplicity at it's best. 

Penang Laksa - The minced sardines in the gravy gave it the seafood characteristic with a slight sourish taste from the asam.

Oyster Omelette - I thought this would have tasted better if it's served right out of the wok. In the hawkers' fare, this dish was served out of a food warmer which takes out the wok hei.

Cendol - This Penang iced dessert is drizzled with thick coconut milk and gula melaka. There's also the ice kacang served at the same stall which I didn't photograph.

21 Mount Elizabeth

Singapore 228516

Tel : +65 6737 0511

York Hotel Singapore Penang Hawkers' Fare

P.S. Cafe Palais Rennaisance ... Our little Christmas Chillout

P.S. Cafe ... Is that P.S. for Project Shop? I recalled Project Shop started retailing apparels and bags and cool fashion bric bracs. The cafe came later and it seems that the cafe business becomes more profitable. From one P.S. Cafe, there are now four of them. As I like basking in their chill-out among the green concept at Harding Road ...

... I also enjoy immersing into the casual ambience of the P.S. Cafe at Palais Renaissance right inside the Orchard Road shopping belt. Inside the Palais's cafe, the high ceiling evoked a feeling of spaciousness which is a rare characteristic in the Singapore real estate context these days.This spaciousness extends out into their outdoor dining area where ceiling fans coupled with the high ceiling help beat down the sweltering heat. This made outdoor dining possible and somewhat cooling on Christmas Day. I was planning for a high tea chill-out among HY, Chris, little Julien and me but guess what ... all the choice high teas were fully reserved. People do get very hungry on Christmas day huh :). The only choices were places like P.S Cafe that have a No Reservation policy.

Daily Specials written up on a chalkboard is a given at P.S. Cafe. Whichever P.S. Cafe you visit, don't ignore the chalkboards where the chef's specials are listed. These are usually something off the menu which may just make your day!

Smoked Turkey Arrabiata - Manuka Smoked Turkey with Tortiglioni, Buffalo Mozarella,, Sugar Snap and wilted spinach tossed in spicy tomato sauce. (one of the daily specials)  The use of smoked turkey and the red tomato base sauce made this one of the dish to have for Christmas. The turkey was shredded so it was tender. The arrabiata sauce was fiery hot and I liked that.

P.S. Steak Sandwich - Grainfed Steak Strips on Chargrilled Bread, Crunchy Greens, Ginger Garlic Teriyaki,, glaze with toasted sesame and Nori Seaweed Shoestring Fries. (one of the daily specials) The recommended doneness of the steak strips is medium. The chargrilled bread gave the extra smokey flavor on first whiff. As you sink your fangs deeper, the beef jus and teriyaki oozes out to line the palate. The addictive shoestring fries attracted two other outstretched arms. Fortunately, there was more than enough to go around.

P.S. Caesar with Grilled Prawns -  House Caesar salad with poached eggs, smoked crispy bacon, baby coz and baked croutons tossed in Chef's dressing with freshly shaved parmesan. Chris ordered the House Caesar which was seemingly the healthiest choice on our table. Crunchy greens, crunchy croutons, crunchy grilled prawns!

To get all sweet and sticky, you gotta have the cafe's favorite ...

Sticky Lemon and Chewy Florentine Cake served with vanilla ice cream

Sticky Date Pudding with toffee sauce topped with vanilla ice cream.

We also liked the infusions offered by the cafe ...

My Old Ginger Root to chase away the colds and sooth the stomach.

Peppermint Tea .. helps to clear the respiratory tract and even helps with indigestion.

As I observed, only the coolest of folks visit P.S.Cafe. A man with a green straw hat carrying a pink hand bag saunters in catwalk style to a neighboring table, oops sorry, that's the gf's hand bag. A few tables away a few twenty-ish young girls in their sun dress hugging each other as they meet, just like the scenes in Sex and the City when the friends meet.

Level 2 Palais Renaissance
390 Orchard Road
Singapore
P.S. Cafe Website