Nakhon Kitchen

We had gone to this Thai food place many times and I finally got to blog it here. "Serving you authentic Thai cuisine." is as close as it gets. With the kitchen and many of the food servers from the Land of the Smiles, this is the least you can expect. And what's more, the ingredients and drinks are imported direct from Thailand.

Four condiments are available on each table with the sweet Thai chilli sauce especially outstanding. Almost a perfect bland of sweet, sour and savoury it packs a good kick and goes extremely well with the fried items.

Thai Iced Tea

One of the traditional drinks served here is the Thai iced tea ($3). Brewed in house, it is very.. Thai obviously. The distinct mixture of black tea with asian spice like star anise, cardamom, tamarind amongst others is very seductive. The milk version is served here (also known as cha yen). The lemongrass drink is also worth a mention. It is infused in strong lemongrass and doused with honey. A delightful and refreshing drink that goes well with the spicy thai food.

Stir Fried Kai Lan

We often opt for the stir fried kai lan ($6) for our veggies option as all the other dishes are more often than not spicy. They do serve kangkong and other veggies too. Nice and crunchy, we have no complains.

Thai Mango Salad

The last time I was in Bangkok, I was so surprised that the green mangoes are more expensive than the ripe (yellow) ones. And this is why. The green mango (and papaya) is often used in salads, and Nakhon serves a great rendition of it here. The mixture of sugar, vinegar, lime and fish sauce is perfectly on the spot. The sprinkling of chilli padi gives the dish the kick and the cashew nuts a great compliment. One of the better green mango salad ($5) we ever have had in Singapore.

Prawn Cakes

I fell in love with Thai prawn cakes ($12)  in the same trip to Bangkok. And trust me, it is not easy to find good ones here. The servings come in standard sizes of 4 pieces and a serving of the sweet thai chilli sauce dip with diced shallots and crushed peanuts. Juicy and crunchy prawns packed together with a nicely fried skin, this is Thailand in Singapore. Always a must-order whenever we visit.

Thai Stuffed Chicken Wings

I am always fascinated by stuffed chicken wings ($4 - 2pcs). But it may be because of the fish sauce used, the wings tasted a tad fishy and less chicken-y. Still a great treat, especially with the thai chilli sauce, but I will pick the prawns cakes over the chicken wings anytime.

Tom Yam Seafood (Clear)

The tom yam soup ($6) here comes in clear or thick soup with chicken, prawns and seafood options. Because of the prawn cakes, we usually go for the tom yam seafood. Packed with a nice chilli punch and sour combination, this is one good authentic Thai signature. The fishes pieces used may not always be the freshest but the overall package of things make up for it.

Green Curry (Chicken)

One of our favourite thai green curry ($8) is served here. The chicken version is our choice all the time. Thick, sweet and incredibly fragrant it goes super well with the rice. One down point is the frozen peas used. The brinjal cubes and long beans are quite delightful to bite into.

Thai Pineapple Rice

Nakhon do serve white rice ($1) but how can you avoid pineapple rice ($6)? Nicely flavoured and comes together with a generous serving of pork floss, prawns and cashew nuts, this is a decent version. Even though we had better, but this is good enough.

Black Olive Rice

Another notable rice dish served here is the black olive fried rice ($6). Very fragrant with nice little pieces of marinated meat, olives and shallots. A great alternative if you don't like pineapple rice (!??!). However, the quality of the black olive rice can be inconsistent. We had great servings and not so good ones from the numerous times we were there.

Red Ruby

Desserts are limited with the usual trio of red rubies, mango with glutinous rice and steamed tapioca. The red rubies ($3) is served in shaved ice and sweet coconut milk and shreds of jackfruit (the yellow strips in the photo). Decent, but it didn't blow me away.

Mango with Glutinous Rice

I would say the mango with glutinous rice ($4) is the best dessert here. The mangoes is sweet. The rice is steamed nicely with enough bite still remaining. Mixed well with thick coconut cream, this is a sinful but worth every divine bite. Share it. It will be too much for one person to finish a serving of this after going through the meal.

 One downside may be the waiting time. Both the kovan and bedok outlets are relatively small. Be prepared to queue for up to 1 hour if you go at busy times. Go early, it's worth it. Or go late and risk having your favourite dishes sold out.

Another dish worth a mention is the grouper in thai chilli sauce ($22). Most expensive item on the menu but a good deal as compared to dining in a restaurant. Good size fish fried to perfection with crispy skin and moist meat served with a good dose of thai chilli sauce with diced mango and shallot.

It is notable that the Bedok branch serves food that is less spicy as opposed to the ones we are used to in Kovan. Maybe a one off thing. Not sure.

Nakhon Kitchen

212 Hougang St 21

#01-341

+65 6286 8785

Blk 136 Bedok North Ave 3

#01-166

+65 6245 5548

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Jumbo Seafood @ Waterfront

Farewell dinner for a good friend from the platform we all call home. And what great news he brought us! He is finally getting married. hurhurhur.

We settled for the 6-pax set meal to make things easy and some changes to the menu to suit our taste.

First up was the Braised Seafood Conpoy Pumpkin Broth with Shark's Fin. Very interesting texture and taste I must say. The seafood was fresh and the pumpkin broth brings a different kind of sweetness to it. Some stranded strands of shark's fin can be found but they won't be missed.

Menu for the set meal. At $288++. Total bill came up to $317.49 with beer and other side orders and a $50 discount voucher. Decent price for the food that we had.

Fried Cereal Live Prawns were next. No idea why they need to use Live prawns. I hope they were killed humanely and not thrown directly into the hot oil. Nothing special, just cereal prawns. Sweet, buttery and fresh. All at one go.

Stir-fried brocolli with scallops in XO sauce. Masterfully done. The brocolli was cooked through and still retain the crunchiness. Scallops were fresh and cooked to perfection. Undercook and it will be limp, and overcooked scallops is just tough. Kudos to the chef. And the XO sauce is the perfect agent to bind this dish together.

Steamed Live Soon Hock with Soya Sauce. Soon Hock is one of the more expensive fish you can get here. Prized for its 'smooth' texture and tender meat, this fish is best eaten steamed. Hongkong style with soya sauce and garnish of finely sliced ginger and spring onions. This fish dish did not disappoint. Fresh, springy to the bite and adequately seasoned by the light soya sauce. Superb.

Signature Chilli Crabs. This has to be one of my favourite chilli crabs. The renditions at other crab places don't come close. Not overly spicy and still packs a good kick of chilli and tangy tomato sauce, the sauce is best lapped up by fried man tous (buns).

The only change we made to the menu. Seafood Mee Goreng (Seafood Fried Noodles). Recently we discovered the mee goreng served at these seafood restaurants are very very good. I would say it is a combination of the chinese zi char technique inspired by the malay style mee goreng. And we LOVE it. Wet and full of flavours from the seafood and tomato based sauce, with the right kick from the sambal chilli and onions, mee goreng is a staple for me when we visit seafood restaurants from now on. Simply sedap.

And the favourite chinese traditional dessert. Sweet Yam Paste with Pumpkin and Gingko nuts. I am never a fan of yam paste with pumpkin. Just give me a good yam paste anytime. Not really the best I had, but good enough. The yam paste was smooth and a good level of sweetness.

We opted to sit indoors as it was quite a warm evening. Outdoor seating is great for the good alfresco dining experience.

Jumbo Seafood Waterfront

2 Stadium Walk #01-05

Kallang Indoor Stadium

Tel: 6440-3435

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Professor Brawn Cafe

Professor Brawn Cafe is also known as a social enterprise. They provide jobs, showcase talents and raise awareness for the special needs community. And this is where I ended up for a meet up with a long-time friend who is what else but a social worker. :)

The mushroom soup came with a set meal consisting of soup, mains and a drink. We ordered the black miso cod set ($22.90). The soup was substantial with enough bits of mushrooms still visible. It was a bit too peppery for me though, but still a hearty treat nevertheless.

  

We shared a portion of  Chicken Caesar's Salad ($8.90) which my friend kept raving about. I have to admit it is one of the more affordable ones in the market, served with generous cuts of grilled chicken breast. And it taste good too! Not the super duper rich kind you will get elsewhere but great value for its price.

The friend have a spaghetti bolognaise ($11.90) which I didn't taste. According to her, it was just... normal. Something which she will not re-order as there are other better dishes in the menu. The sauce was bland and the beef... bland.

The main dish of black miso cod came with a serving of blanched aparagus and mashed sweet potatoes. The sweet potatoes are surprising nice and moist. The cod, is slight burnt on the surface but still holds the distinctive natural layers of (good) fats in between the layers of meat. The charred sections actually cuts through the fatty fish quite well! 

What you shouldn't miss is the array of ice cream that they serve. Both scoops came courtesy of a UOB card promotion. Can't remember the flavours that we ordered but they were VERY good.

And according to my friend, whom eat at this joint quite often, do not miss out on the fish and chips (which comes in huge portions) and their home-made tea. There are also affordable lunch sets on weekdays to indulge into. So head on down there now!

Professor Brawn Cafe

Velocity (Novena MRT)

238 Thomson Road

#02-78/79

Tel: 6253 4650

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Oriole Cafe & Bar

Piccolo Latte

We have heard great things about Oriole Cafe & Bar and so decided to drop by. Wanted to have brunch, but the place was packed to the brim and the only available seats were outside. As the weather was scorching hot, we decided to give it a pass and come back later for afternoon tea.

The other drink we ordered, the Piccolo Latte ($5.50) had received rave reviews. Very delicately balanced, we could taste some vanilla and cinnamon infused lightly in the java beans. We liked it very much indeed.


 

Chilli Mocha

The chilli mocha pictured above ($6) is one of the signature drinks, having won in a competition. We had long heard of the amazing combination of chilli and chocolate (there is this korean snack of chilli and chocolate. quite nice.) but never had we drank that before. Served with a cinnamon stick as a stirrer, it adds fun and taste to the drink. The initial sip brings the normal mocha taste, with a little heavy on the chocolate side and then thereafter the chilli kicks in. Not too hefty, but it did attack my throat a little. Nevertheless, interesting drink. But I will stick to my regular mocha.

Grilled Lemon Cake

IT IS teatime. So we couldn't resist a serving or two of cakes! The lemon cake ($8.50) came with glazed apricot and a sprinkling of pistachio nuts. Rich lemon-y flavour and a good level of sweetness. This is one wholesome treat! The apricot gave a tangy taste and the pistachios added a nice crunch to it. Maybe, because the wife can do a good lemon cake at home, we didn't think we would order this again on our next visit.

Tiramisu

And yes, tiramisu ($8.50) is something we would usually order if it's on the menu. One of our favourite desserts which we had also mastered our favourite home-made version. The cheese mix was nicely dense and pack a punch. The lady fingers were generously soaked in espresso. Would had liked it to be a little bit lighter though but this is good enough. Didn't really blow us away but definitely one of the better ones we had.

Oriole Cafe & Bar

96 Somerset Road

#01-01 S(238163)

Tel: +65 62388348

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Mooncakes Singapore 2010

It's Mid Autumn Festival! Or... mooncakes time!!! Today we managed to find time to visit the Mooncake Fair at Takashimaya B2. And of course took the chance to sample as many mooncakes as we can. :) 

So here we bring to you the highlights of the various vendors for Mooncakes Singapore 2010!

Royal China, Raffles Hotel

The clear winner gotta be the mini snow skin with bird's nest, almond and macadamia nuts. Very strong almond taste with is creamy and the macadamia nuts provides the crunch.

Also worth a mention is the mini snow skin with Griotte Cherry Truffle & Lotus paste. Nice liquor center with cherry. The mango truffle & lotus paste is not too bad too! (8pcs - $46) You forsake the 10% discount if you include the bird nest's mooncakes in the assorted box. Very worth it if you ask me.

Royal China has one of the best snow skin. It turns soft very fast at room temperature though. But I don't think it will last so long once you bite into it.

Evidently, this is one of the three mooncake packs that we bought.

Jewels Artisan

Two stand outs for us from Jewels. The mini snow skin mooncake with champagne ganache truffle and mini snow skin with espresso truffle.

They have the best champagne ganache truffle is the best we tasted in the mooncake fair. Maybe because of their background in chocolate making. 

The espresso truffle accentuates the chocolate. Delightful. 

The salty caramel was interesting too. (8pcs - $48.15) 

Shang Palace - Shangri La Hotel

The kumquat lemon paste is quite special. The rest of the mooncakes tasted decent but did not wow us. ($50 per box)

TWG

Yes. You did not see wrong. TWG actually offers mooncakes. They incorporated tea elements into 4 baked versions and 4 snow skin versions.

We tasted the Constellation - infused with Singapore Breakfast Tea and Grand Empire - Napoleon Tea. And we were not impressed by either. ($60 for 4 mooncakes, $68 (2 mooncakes with Tea and Cotton Tea filter)

Side note: The staff were all non-Chinese. 

Fullerton Hotel

The Hibiscus Strawberry snowskin and Lavender Macadamia Green Bean in Snowskin were both outstanding.

Very much like the Hibiscus Cheese Filo we had at Eden Sanctuary Floral Cafe. Slight tart taste well balanced by the strawberries. A delight.

The lavender was just... special. The green bean did spoil it a little bit though. ($55 per box)

Swissotel Merchant Court

Had the durian truffle. Did not impress. And the staff weren't too friendly. So did not ask for the vodka orange snowskin mooncake. Hope you get better luck. (Box of 8 - $54)

Ocazzion

The mango & passionfruit was a hit for us. Well balanced sweetness from the mango and sourness from the passionfruit. Creamy filling and good texture of the snowskin.

Their signature Soursop with Pulp snowskin is very nice. Somehow there is a fuzzy taste that comes along with the sweet and sour filling. ($45-48 for a box of 4)

Pioneer Seafood

Only tasted the Mao Shan Wang Durian Mooncake. Nice but did not blow us away. It is supposedly their signature, so did not ask to taste the rest. ($46 per box of 4)

Canele

Very interesting concept. All the snowskin versions had regional names. We tasted the Kyoto (green tea) and Asiana (natural purple sweet potato).

Both were decent. But we weren't sold enough to get the assorted box. 

They do offer savoury versions of scallop and abalone.

(Prices not available)

Peony-Jade Restaurant

The durian mooncake was excellent. We had the mao shan wang version. A pity that the golden phoenix durian was sold out.

Do check this outlet out. They have many special flavours like Japanese Yuzu and Chempedak. And yes, the Teochew Yam Paste Mooncake. (~$50 per box, ~$60 per box for durian and yuzu)

Goodwood Park Hotel

No sampling available. But I suppose the durian ones should be good for a place well known for it's range of durian products. (~$46 per box) UOB & Citibank15% discount only available at Goodwood Park.

Ritz Carlton

The lychee-tini was sold out and we only managed a taste of the Jujube paste snowskin. It is basically a red-date paste with walnut mooncake. It has a real intense taste. It is like eating a red date straight. Get it if you love red-dates.

(~$40 per box)

Victoria Peak Mooncake

From Hongkong. We were impressed by the snow skin series. The white lotus with custard is nice and creamy, the red bean paste with plum is perky and the green tea paste with raspberry is a surprise. 

Have to admit not all will take to the special flavours, but they are really worth tasting. ($30 per box). Durian snowskin not too bad, with the discount it is the cheapest durian mooncake available at the fair. (usual $48 selling at $35 per box at the fair.) 

Summer Palace, The Regent

Rare taste of the baked version for us. We were focusing on the snowskins. The Parma ham and Pork Floss is special. And so is the Ginseng and Ginger Paste with pine nuts is very intensed in taste and flavours. ($49+ per box)

Dragon Phoenix Restaurant

The single yolk pandan tasted like kaya. Very fragrant and tasty. ($42 per box)

Fairmont Singapore

Only tasted the champagne truffle & chocolate ganache. Not too bad but you know our favourite. ($52 per box)

Park Palace, Park Hotel Group

The lychee & lychee is outstanding. Strong lychee flavours and not too sweet. Tasty! Also outstanding was the baileys truffle & mint snowskin. Subtle baileys taste and the mint was a master stroke that cuts through the dense lotus paste. We almost bought a box of this, but the champagne ganache from Jewels edged this out. ($43 per box)

Garden Pastry & Cake

Crispy Skin Yam mooncake. One of the two that we really liked. But they don't keep long, so we did not buy any. ($34 per box)

Home's Favourite

The Black Gold Top Grade Mao Shan Wang was excellent. But I still like my durian from a shell. And again the Golden Phoenix Durian Mooncake is sold out. ($68 per box)

Hilton Singapore

They are better known for their cheesecakes. The mini cheese mooncakes series are new. Didn't leave an impression on us.

Four Seasons Durian

Good durian filling. Exactly what you would expect from a place that specialises in durians. They do have other snowskin varieties like yam and lychee. (Durian ~$40 for D24, $88 for mao shan wang, Other flavours $42 per box)

Zhen Wei Mooncakes

Only had the crispy yam. One of the better ones we tasted. (~$40 per box)

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