Saveur

This is a great place for fine French dining at kopitiam prices!! What a great find! This new-kid-on-the-block was just set up here along the quaint shophouses at Purvis Street ! (Aka Hainanese street) about 3 weeks ago by two Shatec graduates and already it's a long long queue for a seat!! Expect to wait for about 30-45mins before you get to step in.. And now no reservations are accepted at the restaurant.

We spent about S$50 for 2 person for appetizer, soup, main course and dessert. Pretty reasonable. The appetizer we had was pan fried foie gras (35g) with lentils and pickled onion for $7.90. The goose liver simply melts in your mouth! Cleverly fried on the outside yet remain soft inside.. Simply awesome !

The soup of the day was butternut squash soup with Parmesan and roasted pumpkin seed @ $4.90. One word - Uniquely-Delicious !

The best one was the confit of duck with orange segments and saute shittake mushrooms, which costs $8.90. Smooth and tender! Understand the duck are cooked for 16 hours and that explains its soft tenderness! The mash potatoes are full of buttery flavor and the taste blends so well with the orange slices. Saveur really lives up to their name for fine French dining at reasonable price !

Top it off with a dessert - pistachio panna cotta ($6.90)!! C'est magnifique!

This place is definitely not to be missed. Do try to be there early else you will expect a long wait ! Saveur is at 5 Purvis Street, #01-04 Singapore. Tel: 6333 3121

南华昌 (阿秋) Nam Hwa Chong (Ah Chew) Fish Head Steamboat

This restaurant located opposite the Textile Centre, Jalan Sultan serves good fish head steamboat. This is the traditional charcoal-boiled fish head steamboat. The wall boasts of their accolades and they have been in business since 1927. Their steamboat is served with fresh sliced Garoupa fish, lots of cabbages, tang-o vegetables, seaweed, dried fish and fried yam. This one is the traditional teochew style fish soup that relies on the freshness of the fish. The soup tastes of charcoal boiled, is sweet even without the Chinese herbs like danggui which are common in some steamboat fish soup. Real natural goodness.

I also patronize Whampoa Keng fish head steamboat which is also very famous locally. (See June 2009 blogpost) Both costs about the same; $35 for Nam Hwa Chong and $30 for Whampoa Keng (but need to add $6 for serving of tang-o vegetable). By comparison, my verdict is the fish slice is big and fresher at Nam Hwa Chong while the soup is tastier at Whampoa Keng! Guess we can't have best of both world! See my delicious dinner below! Do also note that the shop serves delectable Tze-Char dishes (such as oyster omelette, fried pork chop etc) at reasonable prices to supplement your meal too!

Nam Hwa Chong (Ah Chew) Fish-head Steamboat Corner is at 814/816 North Bridge Road, Singapore 198779 Tel: 62979319 (opens daily).

瑞春点心 Swee Choon Tim Sum Restaurant

Are you looking to reminisce the good old dim sum days of Chinatown such as Nam Tong or Xin Dong Nam? I finally found one in Singapore!! And it's actually been here since 1962 but it slipped me till today...

Swee Choon is located along the busy street of Jalan Besar, just opposite the Jalan Berseh hawker centre. You really can't miss it! This restaurant opens to serve the crowd from evening round the clock till the next morning (6pm-10am Monday to Saturday, and from 6pm-12pm on Sunday and public holiday) so you know now where to go if you crave for midnight dim sum!! The restaurant occupies 3 shops and in one of them, lots of pictures of celebrities visiting the restaurant decorate their walls. And mind you their tables even extend into the back alley!

Their dim sum reminds you of those we used to eat during the 1960s and 70s. Even their ambience and decor. They serve a great variety of steam and fried dim sum. Also they have shanghai delicacies. We tried their dim sum and the verdict is excellent!! A-star grade for this little inconspicuous restaurant!!

See what we had:
Siew Mai (烧卖) @ $1.60, steam chicken with egg (鸡汁) @ $2.50, beancurd prawn roll (鲜虾付皮卷) @ $2.80, lo-mai kai (糯米鸡) @ $2.20, steamed salted egg yolk custard bun (奶黄流沙包) @ $3.30, chives roll @ $4.00, yam fritter (芋角) @ $ 2.00, fried tofu, etc etc ...

Prices are reasonable and food is really delectable!! Swee Choon Tim
Sum Restaurant is at 185, 187, 189, 191 Jalan Besar, Singapore 208882 Tel: 6225 7788 http://www.sweechoon.com

吃在台北 Eat at Taipei

Found a new enjoyable past-time this June school holidays! Am now enjoying a lazy afternoon watching ice skaters go by while inside this Taiwanese cafe at the newly opened shopping centre, Jcube at Jurong East. Feel a sense of freedom and happiness watching all the skaters wheezz past ..

And here I am enjoying my yummy Taiwanese blended milk tea ($2.50) and crispy chicken chop ($7.50).. Delicious ! Definitely a thumbs up for the great experience and good food!!

Eat at Taipei is at Jcube Entertainment Centre, 2 Jurong East Central 1, #03-03/18, Singapore 609731 Tel: 66843032