Tag: Support Local SG

Nanyang Chinese fusion cuisine done right at Famous Treasure

There’s an abundance of Chinese restaurants in Singapore, many of which specialise in specific regional cuisine such as Cantonese, Teochew, Hokkien, Sichuan, Hakka etc. But even though Famous Treasure is also a Chinese restaurant, they don’t quite fit the mold.

Yes, they have Cantonese roast meats on their menu and serve traditional Teochew orh nee dessert, but what makes them special are their well-executed Nanyang (南洋) dishes, many of which you’d typically find at neighbourhood tze char stalls.

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Old school Hainanese Western food at Prince Coffee House

The oxtail stew arrived next, with chunky pieces of soft and beefy meat drenched in brown sauce and accompanied by steamed potatoes and vegetables. Given the fall-off-the-(tail)bone-ness of the meat, it was obvious that it was slow-cooked for many many hours. The sides were, as expected, boiled to death but were still delicious with the slightly peppery brown sauce. Because a good brown sauce makes anything taste good.

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If they can’t go to the crabs, then the crabs will have to come to them

The Old Folks are very particular about their crabs and have strict criteria on which to choose and how they should be prepared.

First, the crabs must be alive and fresh, which is usually the case in Singapore and not a problem.

Second, the size should be around 1kg — too small and it’s not worth the effort; too large and the meat would be too stringy.

Third, whenever possible, choose pregnant female crabs for maximum roe, which unfortunately weren’t available that day.

Fourth and finally, when cooking, do not, I repeat, do not, deep fry the crabs first. Most stalls do that to speed up the process, but it affects the final texture and causes the meat to stick to the shell.

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