Swa Gardens: We meet, We eat

Swa Gardens is one of those old world restaurants that are still faithfully churning out old favourites in the good old fashion way while the rest of Singapore keeps looking for novelty. From the good old aluminium glass doors to the conference chairs which have housed generations of dust mites, this authentic little Teochew restaurant continues to preserve the Teochew culture for a future generation of Singaporeans who don't even know what it means to be a red bottomed "Kah Cherng Ang Ang" (Red Buttocks - A classic Teochew phrase) Teochew. Yes, this sort of old establishment is my kind of place and thanks to sumosumo who suggested this eatery, we all got to spend a few hours together savouring cuisine which our grandfathers used to enjoy.



Teochew Cold Crabs

There isn't a more Teochew dish than cold crabs. My father used to tell me that the only way to eat crab was simply steamed. This is especially so when the crab is full of roe. Frying such excellent crabs in pepper or even worse, chilli sauce would be a plain waste of the roe. I guess it was akin to cooking caviar in curry!

Some people might think, "So what's the big deal? I could do this at home!" Well the big deal is that these people can actually get their hands on some really good crabs and they know how to choose the best ones for steaming. And if you don't think that is a big deal, then just consider that anyone can also put a chicken into hot water to make the White Chicken and yet how many of us can actually do it properly? Still go out and eat it right?

Anyway the Crabs that night were excellent. As Teochews would say, very "Chngi (fresh)" and and "Toi" (solid), full of the crab roe which is great if your doctor has just advised you that you need to raise your cholesterol levels! 4.25/5


Braised Goose

Another Teochew classic, Braised Goose if not done right can come out tough and dry as cardboard. We were discussing about the fact that the geese in Hong Kong were so much fatter and flavoursome than those in Singapore and that it could be something to do with the colder weather up north. Anyway the Braised Goose was very good that night. The meat was tender and the loh was very "pang" (savoury) and we thorougly enjoyed it. 4.25/5


Oyster Omelette

We conducted a vote for the favourite dish that night and the Oyster Omelette was one of the top three dishes. This is in effect a very simple dish of fresh oysters fried with eggs, but it was executed perfectly. The eggs were so wonderfully fluffy and flavourful that it made me realize how taken for granted the humble egg is. 4.5/5


Liver Rolls

I used to think that the only liver I ever liked was foie gras and pate. But after that night, I am adding the liver rolls into the short list. In fact, it was so good we didn't even think it had liver in it. We were all just enjoying the savoury rolls without realizing we were eating liver. If you don't like liver and are suffering from anaemia, this might be your answer to a source of iron. 4/5


Steamed Pomfret

The other star that night was the Pomfret, a fish that the Teochews prize more than any other fish. Come to think of it, I am not sure if any of the other dialect groups like this fish as much as we do? The only way that Pomfret is to be prepared -- when you have the most "Chngiest" (freshest) fish -- is to steam it with just a little sour plum and tomato. Any more and you won't get to enjoy the freshnest of the fish. It takes a lot of skill to steam such a big Pomfret perfectly so that it doesn't get overcooked and toughen up. Steamed Pomfret doesn't get any better than this! 4.5/5


Chye Poh Kway Teow

This ugly looking dish is probably food that my peasant forefathers used to eat after a hard day's work at the farm. A simple dish made from three of the cheapest ingredients of Chye Poh (preserved radish), Kway Teow (rice pasta) and chopped greens, it was the way the chef infused the smoky flavour of the wok into the Kway Teow that was magic. 4/5


Orh Nee (Yam paste)

Orh nee (yam paste) is one of Singapore's top three desserts as shown in our recent dessert poll. However, the sad fact is that there isn't a lot of places that does a really good Orh Nee. Traditional Teochew Orh Nee comes with caramelized pumpkin, lard and NO coconut milk. I really don't know how the coconut milk idea came about, I don't like it at all. The Orh Nee here is very good and was just a relief that they still do it the traditional way here albeit they probably have substituted vegetable oil for the lard. 4.25/5

Conclusion

It was great to meet up with everyone and especially some of the new kakis that have joined our blog and forum community recently. The food was great and this time round we have even started grooming the next generation of foodies by having a table for the kids. It was also quite amazing to host three friends from Down Under who were here on holidays and have signed up for the makan session while overseas! We even had a whole table of friends from Jurong who haven't even heard about the blog! I wonder if they will start reading it after that night?

Special thanks to sumosumo and khim for organizing the evening and look forward to seeing you at the next one!

There was an excess of funds as we collected a little bit more to cover GST and tips. We gave a $50 tip to the staff and the leftover $196 was donated to the Myanmar Cyclone Fund.

Swa Garden Restaurant
540 Macpherson Road
6744 5009

Grains: Shiok and Healthy Restaurant Food at Cze Char Prices!

Grains 8 Treasure Tea Health Tea $5++

The words healthy and shiok seldom go together. Not in the context of Singapore Cuisine anyway. So when my friend, PowerAunty arranged for me to review this restaurant, I was expecting this blog to go under my "Healthier Stuff" label. But boy was I mistaken. I was unexpectedly delighted that the healthier stuff like the Fried Brown Rice was actually quite good, but even more delighted that they actually have a few less healthy stuff here that is quite shiok!

Guys, do you know what that means? It means that you can bring your pre-girlfriend, steady girlfriend, fiancee or wife here and they can enjoy the "healthier stuff" while you order some of the shiok shiok stuff!


Chicken & Ginseng Clear Broth in Yunnan Steam Pot $5++

The most surprising thing about the Chicken & Ginseng Soup is that it is only $5 which is only slightly more expensive than your food court steam soup. The Broth was excellent and the Ginseng, being a stimulant, will definitely give you a bit of pick up for a lazy afternoon. Incidentally, Ginseng can potentially raise blood pressure, so you should avoid this if you are suffer from hypertension. 4/5

I could not resist ordering the Tiger Beer Stewed Duck! (Pic right) See guys, I told you this is the place to bring your lady friends right? I never had Tiger Beer Soup before, so I just had to see what this is all about. The taste is so alien that I can't really decide if I like it or not. There is just no frame of reference. It does not taste like Tiger Beer, neither does it taste like Duck. I think this may be one of those tastes that grows on you after a while. Anyway, worth trying just so I can tell you I had it. 3.5/5



Spinach Tofu w Shimeiji Mushroom $ Dried Scallop $8++

They make their own tofu here daily from organic soy beans, so the quality and taste of this Spinach Tofu with Shimeiji Mushroom is excellent. The addition of spinach on top of the tofu gave it a bit of fibre as well as making it more attractive. The combination of the XO sauce with shredded scallop combined with the deep fried tofu skin had that extra something that resonated well with my taste buds. 4.5/5


Crispy Sea Perch $12

This has got to be my best fish discovery of the year. I am a guy who orders fish only when I feel that I need to lower my cholesterol levels. But I am raving about this one. The Sea Perch was excellent and I would go as far to say that I would trade a Sirloin Steak for it. (But not a Wagyu Ribeye!) The flesh was smooth, delicate and very tasty, very much like Black Cod but a bit lighter. For $12 you get quite a descent sized piece of fish and it is much better value for money then having the usual Cream Dory Fish and Chips at a restaurant. The reaction from everyone on the table was the typical Singaporean furrowing of the eyebrows, pursing of the lips and shaking of the head denoting "Phwa, how can something so good be so cheap?". The taste of the Sea Perch is so good, it really doesn't matter how you cook it. We also had the steamed version with Mushroom Sauce and the taste of the fish was just as distinctively delightful. Excellent and such good value that I am even bringing my in-laws here! (Joking lah! I love my in-laws) 4.75/5


Crispy Golden Prawn with Salted Egg $12

The Crispy Golden Prawn with Salted Egg was also another of those dishes that we are going to order again when we bring our families back to eat. Don't kid yourself, there is no way this can be healthy for you, but you can just imagine just how savoury, creamed salted eggs can taste with crispy battered prawns can't you? 4/5

Grains is set up more like a "Kitchen" than a full fledged restaurant. Most of the tables are arranged for 4 persons though they do have a few large round tables to cater for family dinners. The good thing about this is that you get nice portions for 2 people which is excellent for a business lunch. Most of the dishes here are costs up to $12 although they do have a handful of special items like the Shark's Fin Soup which costs $30.

Most of the Dim Sum items here cost $3.50 to $4. We tried the Fresh Scallop with Mashed Yam Dumplings here which was excellent. The yam was smooth and what really delighted us was that beneath the scallop was a filling made from pork and mushrooms. It was like a Wu Kok with scallops. 4.5/5




BBQ Duck and Soya Sauce Chicken Combination

The head chef here is a Hong Konger so you can expect the BBQ duck and Soy Sauce Chicken to be of a certain standard. I especially liked the soy sauce chicken here. They use Sakura Chicken which the manager, Terrence tells me is a "Chicken that is bred with a Japanese techniques in Malaysia". The flesh was succulent and tasty and it was heavenly with the ginger and shallot dip. 4.5/5

Now before I get your expectations too high, let me just say that there were two items that were really not quite up to standard that day. Both were deep fried items which were over-fried such that the meat was dry. The Pork Ribs with Champagne and Roast Chicken with Grains sauce were too dry although the sauces were great. Might be a case of oversight that day.

Conclusion

This is one of those restaurants that I walk away wanting to come back because there are certain items I want my family to try and it is easy on the wallet at the same time.

There is just one more gem that I need to let you know about and it is the Organic Soy Bean Milk. This is the best Soy Bean Milk I have tasted. It's thick and rich and its one Soy Bean drink with enough kick. Don't gulp it all down, sip it slowly and savor the rich nutty taste of the Soy Bean. If all the other Soy Milk are Long Blacks, this would be an Expresso!

Grains
CENTRAL
6 Eu Tong Sen Street
#02-92
65347707
http://www.grains.com.sg/

Disclosure: PowerAunty made the arrangements with the manager to review the restaurant. The food was provided free of charge.