Curry Times

 

 

Curry Times opened in 2013. Decor is quite old school resembling like one is seated in a kopitiam setting.

 

 

 

 

Sambal petai (S$7.90)

These are bitter beans and best eaten fried with sambal. Not many will take to the bitterness but this I liked. Simply because it is packed with antioxidants.

 

Seaweed sauce fish fillet (S$8.90)
Batang fish (Spanish mackerel) was used. Garnished with okra and carrots. The sauce is thick and sweet rather than spicy. I find this dish alittle sweet for my palate but for those who do not like spicy, this would be up their alley.

Nasi Lemak with sambal sotong (S$10.90)

New dish just recently on the menu. Fluffy coconut rice. Squids are battered before being smothered with the spicy sambal. Fish cakes were good. My dinner foodies liked the battered squids but as for me, I still prefer without the batter for the sweet flavour of the luscious squid flesh. It is still a good dish.

Dry Laksa Goreng (S$8.50)
Tasted exactly like original laksa with gravy. This is dry version. Still moist. A tad spicy. Quite flavorful. Word of advice, this is best eaten when it is still warm.

Fish Maw Soup (S$11.90)
The broth tasted of pork bones and perhaps ikan bilis brewed together resulting a rich and sweet finish. I personally do not like fish maw so I only went for the meat balls which were juicy. Broth was particularly good.

Rendang Beef (S$11.90)
An addictive spicy heat enveloped the tender beef. Goes very well with rice. This was my favourite of all the dishes I had. Recommended to try.

Curry Prawn Fritters (S$12.90 for 8 pieces)
If you love prawns, especially deep fried, these you have to order. Crispy shell. Prawn inside was sweet and juicy. Curry flavour was not overpowering.

Curry Fish Fillet (S$9.90)
Their take on the ever popular fish head curry but this time fish fillet was used. Coconutty gravy. Garnished with okra, eggplants, tofu and cabbage. Thick and had enough heat to perhaps break a sweat. This was quite good and great accompaniment with rice.

Steamed Tofu ($7.50)
I love tofu especially when steamed. Tofu is naturally a bit bland. Topped with chye poh or preserved radish bits and light soya sauce. A wonderful combi of soft wobbly and crunch from the chye poh. Eating tofu is not boring anymore.

Sambal Ikan Bilis Beehoon (S$2.50)
This is available only during breakfast. Sambal had the right amount of heat. Ikan bilis added the crisp finish and tofu puffs for that added soft texture. Reminded me of fried meesiam. Makes a wonderful breakfast anytime.

Bubur Chacha (S$5)
Flavorful coconutty broth with all my favourite ingredients comprising of yam, sweet potatoes, sago and tapioca. There is always space for old school dessert.

 

 

 

Coffee Chendol (S$4)
A deconstructed chendol. Robust flavor of coffee beans. Sweetness of red beans, attap chee (palm seeds) and pandan jelly. Unique and quite enjoyable to slurp.

 

Buah long long, bandung and ice lemon tea. Among the three, buah long long was the weakest. Diluted and bland.

There were some hits and misses. But overall, it is a place to go to for reasonable local eats.

Curry Times has quite a few outlets around Singapore. Please do check their website at www.currytimes.com.sg for more details.

Daegweol - Taste of Korean comfort food

When I walked in, the place looked rather familiar like I have been here before. And then it hit me that Daegweol took over the space vacated by the previous tenant, May May. This is a beautiful space with natural lighting coming out from the see through ceiling up above. Cozy ambience.

I was offered a hot drink called Hong-cho. A pomegranate vinegar drink that is very popular among the Korean ladies. Known to cleanse the palate and keep the body trim after all the eating. It is sourish with a strong vinegar aftertone.

Before the mains, the small bites or rather starters. The common kimchi, anchovies and eggs.

Their signature Bibimbab. Fluffy rice with julienned cucumbers, carrots, bean sprouts, eggs, seaweed and minced pork. Slightly on a tangy side with a tinge of heat. When tossed all components together, the taste is sweet, savory, crunchy and twangy. It is enjoyable. Highly recommended.

 

DweaJi-GukBap ($26).

Broth made with pork bones. Garnished with slices of pork, chives and Korean chilli. This was the least favourite amongst us all. It was salty and soup lacked the body of a pork broth.

Galbi-Tang ($26)

Beef short ribs with radish, leeks and strips of fried eggs. Tender beef on the bone. This fared much better than the pork broth. Nice, light and beefy broth. Quite a comforting broth paired with rice. Recommended.

Haemui Sundubu ($26)
Okay,,, this seafood tofu soup was my favourite. Lots of firm wobbly tofu. Squids, prawns, mussels and clams gave the soup much body. It was tangy and a little umami. Excellent for cold rainy days or when one has not much of an appetite. This was comforting. Best eaten when it is piping hot. Recommended.

Birds eye view of what we tasted

 

 

Never leave a Korean restaurant without having their bingsu. And we had two!

InJeolmi Bingu ($12)
Iced flakes with Korean rice cakes, red bean paste and almond slices. Drenched with condensed milk. Tasted slightly earthy. Not my kind of flavour.

Mixed Melon Bingsu ($12)
Rock melon and watermelons with a dollop of vanilla ice cream and condensed milk. Sweet and refreshing. Recommended.

The foods are all prepared by a female chef who hails from Busan.

If you like a quiet place to lunch and away from the office crowd, this might be a good fit for you. Service is good and attentive.

This was an invited tasting.

Daegweol
65 Tras Street, Singapore 079004
Tel : 65 62221828
Opening hours : Monday to Saturday
1130 hrs to 1500 hrs (lunch)
1800 hrs to 2230 hrs (dinner)

Lo Hei at Din Tai Fung

Din Tai Fung has its roots in Taiwan more than 40 years ago. It  made its debut on Singapore shores in 2003 and has wowed many with its signature Xiao Long Baos (steamed pork dumplings).

Ringing in the New Year and Lo Hei is certainly a must for everyone.

The signature Prosperity Smoked Salmon YuSheng. Served with white radish, carrots, crispy yam strips, pomelo pulp and Tianjin roasted chestnuts. Drizzled with their own concoction of sweet and tangy plum sauce. There are no crispy crackers in their version. Instead crispy salmon skin are broken into small pieces and thrown all over. The needed bit of sodium to balance off the twangyness of the plum sauce. The finishing is light and refreshing. Besides the smoked salmon, one can order a portion of grilled unagi slices and mixed into the yusheng. A slight difference from the usual yusheng found elsewhere. 

 

 

Standard (serves 2 to 3) : $32.80

Deluxe (serves 4 to 6) : $48.80

Available islandwide from 22 Jan to 4 March

After tossing, lunch proper begins with small bite size appetizers. Black fungus with ginger strips and vinegar dressing. If you like vinegar, this would be up your alley. The texture is gelatinous-like and quite a strong vinegar finish. Pickled cucumbers was sour and gives the palate a perk up.

Simple but tasty stirfried doumiao with garlic.

This is my favourite. Yam paste wrapped in crispy spring roll. Very ordinary in appearance but the skin was thin and had a most wonderful crispy crunch. Yam paste smooth and alittle creamy.

The signature Truffle and Pork Xiao Long Bao. Never disappoints. But it is no ordinary dumpling. This Xiao long bao is seasoned with black truffles. The aromatic smell of truffles was very evident even before it was bitten. Truffles not too overwhelming and broth was just delectable.

Fried rice with shrimps and eggs. Aromatic, well fried. Every grain speaks for itself. Just too good. One of the dishes I would order everytime I visit DTF.

Finally dessert. This is Steamed Layered Red Date Cake which is exclusive only at the Paragon outlet. Texture is similar to the nian gao. No sugar added as the red dates provided the natural sweetness to the cake. No additives. This is very good. Recommend to try. Whole cake is available during from Jan 29 to Feb 28 for takeaway only at Paragon, Junction 8 and Northpoint City.

Lunar New Year festive price : $13.80 nett (U.P. $16.80 net) 

 

Steamed Custard buns or Liu Sha Bao. I am not a fan of liu sha bao but this I liked. It is pillowy soft with a beautiful lava ooze. The ooze was a tinge grainy but that defined the important ingredient which was the salted egg yolk. Sweet salty and absolutely savory. Each bun is branded with the golden "fu" character which represents prosperity.

 

Costs $2 per bun. Exclusively available at Paragon and Northpoint City.

 

 

 

This was an invited tasting.

 

Thank you @blessinc.asia for the invite and @dintaifung.sg for hosting.

 

For more details, please check out www.dintaifung.com.sg

An Evening of East meets West ... CAST IRON

 

Cast Iron, just a month old, is a Japanese inspired restaurant with influences from the west. Still in soft launch since October 2017 with official launch scheduled for January 2018. Think the likes of omakase, fire grilled meats. Located in a very new building, Duo Galleria, a very convenient locale which is accessible by bus and MRT (Bugis).

 

 

Alfresco area

 

 

 

 

 

The men in black. Head Chef Anson(middle)

From left to right : Chef Luke, Chef Nigel, Chef Ming, Chef June 

 

Below, cute chopsticks stands

 

 

 

Commencement of Dinner

 

Fried tofu. ($7)

This dish is plain. If only there was a dip to go with it.

 

 

Grilled Stingray Fin ($13)

 

 

 

What a starter! A chewy texture with a semi salty flavour. One piece is not enough. You find yourself reaching for more. It is really addictive and goes so well with beer.

 

 

Dried Overnight Sea Eel ($10)

 

 

Superbly good to eat. Seasoned in mirin. Smoky mouthfeel. None of that fishy smell.

 

 

Grilled Iberian Pork Platter ($72)

  

Thinly sliced and grilled. 5 cuts of pork, namely, belly, jowl, galbi, collar and loin. Belly was marinated in miso so the taste is slightly saltier. Jowl topped with leek, for its natural sweetness to tone down the richness. Galbi was sprinkled with salt and pepper. Garnished with apple chutney for a tinge of tanginess. Collar was grilled and served as is.

 

 

Chef"s Selection of Sashimi ($380 for 6 pax)

 

 

A platter of Aji (horse mackerel), Kanpachi (blackthroat sea pearch), Otoro (greater amberjack), Akamutsu (seabass), Tai (seabream), fatty bluefin tuna, Iwashi (sardine) and Uni (sea urchin). A fresh selection when eaten felt like it just came out from the sea. My favourite was the Bluefin tuna, fatty and naturally sweet. Clearly a favourite of most, Uni with a mix of sweet and salty, its melty and creamy texture, that made my dinner kakis go oooh and ahhh. This platter is customed made according to your request and how big your group is. 

 

 

 

 

USDA Prime Beef Tomahawak Ribeye Bobne-in Double Cut ($130)

 

Fire fire, my steak is on fire. Chef Ming firing up a humongous cut of ribeye.

 

 

Grilled to medium with pinkness. Tender and juicy. Done two ways; grilled and charred on the exterior that was served straight up. The other half was served with chimichurri sauce comprising of parsley, garlic, oregano, veg oil and white vinegar ... all blended to form a smooth twangy paste and draped over the meats. It was moist, a little salty and juicy with wonderful aromatics aftertone. Bone marrow butter provided by the side was a perfect dip for the meat.

If you are a beef lover, I recommend you try this.

  

 

 

Grilled Vegetables ($18)

 Now, we should have our greens. I love this simple plate of vegetables that were grilled till a little charred. Eggplants, sweet potatoes, corn, zucchini, broccoli, shitake mushroom, yellow squash and watermelon radish. A tad sprinkling of feta cheese. A most delish way of eating your greens. Just droolworthy.

 

 

 

Sweet Endings

Matcha and Yuzu Sorbet

The Yuzu was my love as it was refreshing, tangy and provided a welcome relief from the richness of the mains. Matcha was alittle weak in terms of the green tea flavour.

The End
 A most wonderful dinner tasting I have had. Every course was just so well done. It might be a little pricey for the Omakase , but this is well worth the $$$$. Service was excellent and attentive.

Thank you, Jee Foong for the invite and CastIron for hosting us to an amazing dining experience.

Restaurant Name : Cast Iron
Address : 7 Fraser Street #01-32 Duo Galleria

Opening hours :
Mon-Fri 1145hrs to 1430hrs; 1730 to 2230hrs
Sat 1730 to 2230hrs
Closed on Sundays

Nearest MRT : Bugis (walkable from MRT  through the underground walkway)

http://www.facebook.com/castironsg