Train2eat with Danny Chen

Ever since, Imperial Herbal Soup restaurant shifted to Vivocity from its previous location at the 3rd floor of the Metropole Hotel on Seah Street, my dining experience has been deteriorating. Maybe it is the larger restaurant. So, it feels more commercialized compared to the previous quaint little restaurant.  I think it still offers best herbal soup in town. I guess the menu has been evolving but the trademark dishes were maintained. Somehow, I feel something is missing but can't quite put a finger to it. Anyway, the egg white with conpoy is still good. I had the wild brazilian mushroom soup which was quite alright. It was a bit sweet because of the dried longan. The herbal chicken was great. It had generous stuffing of herbs. The chicken could be bigger because there wasn't really enough meat to go by. The herb infused gravy was great with rice.  What was a disappointing for me was the stir fry eel. I think the eel was stir fried separately and it was too dry. The "kow k...

One of my all time favorite place for lunch... traditional hainanese cooking at its best. Where else can you have your chicken rice and steamboat at the same time. Add on to your order the other delights like the pork chop, satay, prawn fritters and others. Thean Kee is located at the basement of the Golden Mile Tower. Normally I will park in Golden Mile Complex at the far end of the car park closest to Golden Mile Tower because both the buildings are connected. So, there is a shortcut from the car park to Thein Kee. What brings me back each time is not only the fragrant chicken rice with the perfect chilli sauce but the delight of having steamboat with it. Basic chicken broth with a modest selection of ingredient. If you have no dietary constraints, make sure you ask for the beef. The tender beef cooked in the steamboat is great with the chilli sauce. The other must try is the pork chop. Hainanese style of course, topped with tomato sauce with green beans and onion. I also like the pr...

I will write more when I have the time but for now, here are some food shots from the trip... Day 1 (19 Oct) Singapore to Tokyo - Japan Airlines breakfast... fruits, porridge, stew bamboo shoot, poached salmon...   Day 2 (20 Oct) Breakfast no. 2 at the Narita Airport Sakura lounge....     Ume (plum) seaweed rice, cappucino, sugar bun...     Day 2 - Lunch onboard Japan Airlines to Guam...             Day 3 (21 Oct) - Lunch at Ruby's Tuesday - Crab cakes, steak and cheeseburger...     Dinner at Roy's (Hilton Hotel - Caesar salad, grill butter fish, chocolate souffle...       Day 4 (23 oct 2008) - Lunch at Capriossa.... seafood pasta, penne, lasagna...     Dinner at President (Sheraton Hotel) - teppanyaki       Scallop, sween corn soup, boiled squash, wagyu beef and salad...      

Not difficult to find... if you are coming from the CTE and as you pass United Square, keep left after the traffic lights. The turn into the car park is immediately after the Revenue house. The soup was average. I like the taste of bamboo shoots in the pork balls but the soup itself was just normal. The ngor hiang roll is of a generous size. very nice with the sweet sauce and sambal. This is a must order.     Then came the ayam buah keluak, sambal squid and sambal brinjal. These three dishes were really good but the sambal squid stood out for me. Sweet, spicy and goes really well with the rice.     This meal tasted like a homecooked peranakan meal. I don't think I have had a truly homecooked peranakan meal to compare with, even though my mum can dish out some really feisty sambal dishes to rival these. Somehow, it just feels or taste like it. Maybe the no frills, no fuss ambience?  Anyway, this is a great place for a simple peranakan food dinner. If you are a fan of curry fish head...

It was after gym but i couldn't resist. There was a long queue. As I waited patiently in line, my guilt build and build. Never mind, I seldom have laksa. The last time I had it was probably 2 months ago. So good... the curry is a bit sweet, creamy and the chilly oil is just right. Not too overwhelming. Generous slices of steamed chicken. Soft and spongy tau pok oozing with the tasty curry and always a few pieces of the boiled potato. I like mine with mee and mee hoon. For $5.50 (big bowl) though a bit pricey, it is definitely worth the sin...

Simply delicious. The pork was marinated for at least 12 hours. 2 days before would be even better. Ask the pork seller to cut the pork belly strips in to 8in x 4in slabs with the thickness of about half an inch (at least depending on your preference. The meat was marinated with salt and korean pepper (which you should be able to buy from Korean grocery shops).  To go into the grill with the pork, we had slices of shitake mushrooms, sweet potato and onion. You can also have slices of garlic as well. Eat the meat with rice or lettuce with "Saemjang sauce"(Korean chilli sauce) and sesame oil (mixed with korean pepper and oil) as the dip for the meat. Of course, you should not forget the kimchi. Try grilling the kimchi, it totally changes the  flavour. Interesting addition to your lettuce wrap... We had a few bottles of soju. According to Chul, a bottle of soju cost about S$1.50 in Korea, in Singapore it is about S$15 per bottle and in restaurants S$25. The grill and stove cost ...

Some days, the carnivore in you awakens and you just crave for meat, meat and more meat. The bloodier the better and where best to go to satisfy your appetite but Brazil. Especially packed on Fridays and weekends. Reservation definitely required. I called on Saturday during lunch time to make a reservation for dinner and I can only get a slot after 8:45pm. For those who are new to a churascco... Normally, you will be served salad or you can help your self to the salad bar. Brazil's spread is by far the best buffet spread you can get. You will find not only a good selection of greens, they also serve fried noodle, banana fritters, battered mushrooms, grilled egg plant, pasta, mutton briyani and more. Just be careful you don't go too crazy and filled yourself up too early. After the starter, the waiters will send out the skewers of meat to your table and carve onto your plate as many slices as you can eat. Well, it is not all beef... they have grilled chicken, spicy pork sausage...