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Todays recommendation is the Wagyu Tenderloin at Astons Prime!

Astons Prime: Wagyu Tenderloin!

Wagyu Tenderloin 250gm $79.95

When it comes to steak, I usually order Ribeye, T-bone or Sirloin. I avoid Tenderloin because it lacks the robust beefy flavour due to the lack of fat. Because of this, lots of places serve tenderloin wrapped with a piece of bacon to give it a bit more flavour. Furthermore, the serving of tenderloin is usually quite small so it never really satisfies a Beefeater. It would be safe to say that a lot of ladies go for tenderloin because of its tenderness, lack of fat and the smaller servings. Right ladies?

Anyway, when Astons told me that he just got hold of this Grade 7 Wagyu Tenderloin at "Fell off the back of a truck" prices, I just could not resist. The truth was that I was a bit skeptical. A Tenderloin is a Tenderloin even if it was a Wagyu Tenderloin..... or so I thought.

It is quite amazing to see the extent of marbling on a Wagyu Steak, but even more amazing to see it on a Tenderloin which is usually very lean. The marbling on the Tenderloin is more intricate and reticular (net like) then that of Ribeye, so pound for pound there is still less fat on the Tenderloin.



A delicate piece of meat like this needs to be treated royally and Astons got it just right for me. Conventional wisdom says that Wagyu should be cut thinner and quickly seared on the outside so that the fats won't all melt during the cooking process, leaving a piece of cardboard-like steak. But have a look for yourself.... this is a thick steak that is beautifully charred on the outside but still juicy pink on the inside.

Taste wise, this is the BEST Tenderloin I have ever tasted. The meat is tender and the wonderful beefy juices are released with every bite. Truly a wondrous piece of meat which will satisfy the most fastidious of carnivores. 4.6/5

Conclusion

You have got to see it and taste it to believe it!

Link to previous Wagyu Article

Astons Prime
467 Joo Chiat Road
Open 11.30 to 11pm
Closed on Tuesdays
Call 63442447 for reservations
astonsspecialties.blogspot.com

Happy Valentine's Day!

I still remember when my Amagada and I were still dating more than 20 years ago. We had the heart shaped pizza at Milano's. That was real treat back then. I think it cost like $16 for the heart shaped pizza and came with drinks as well. Pretty romantic for JC students who don't really have much pocket money to spare. Too bad Milano's is no longer around. I wouldn't mind having a heart shaped pizza just for the sake of nostalgia.

So what is your most memorable Valentine's Day dinner?

Xin Mei Xiang Lor Mee: Taste IS subjective

There are several phrases which I think are overused when it comes to discussion about food. One is "Overated" and the other is "Taste is subjective". I have always prided myself to be a bit of a rebel (ok a soft core rebel) so I steer clear from using those phrases.

However, today I seem to have no other recourse. You see, everyone says this place has got a fantastic Lor Mee and the last time I was here, it was sold out. What's more they were even featured in the 2007 Makansutra Street Food Masters. So my level of expectation was very high.

I guess the gold standThe gravy was good but was not the kind of "Holy Grail" experience that I was led to believe. The ingredients was also good but not tongue tingling great. The fried snapper that they put on top was generous but tasted a bit fishy that day. Also they ran out of Ngoh Hiang which did not help. One thing that was good though was the black vinegar which was really smooth and piquant. So, much as I hate to say it, this stall is "overated" but then again "taste is subjective". 3.75/5

Conclusion

Any fans out there who would beg to differ?

Xin Mei Xiang
Blk 51 #01-116
Old Airport Road Hawker Centre
7am to 2.30pm
Closed on Thursdays

Cheok Kee Duck Rice: How good can Braised Duck get?

Did you know that a duck is called a duck because of the way it ducks underwater to feed? I just thought that that was an interesting piece of trivia.

Talking about ducks, it seems to be the poor (or should I say fortunate) cousin of the chicken. I mean, you eat chicken at least a few times per week and its cooked in so many different ways. When it comes to duck, you basically have the roast version or the braised version and a sprinkling of dishes here and there. I remember as a kid, mom only ever cooked braised duck and it is eaten only during festive occasions.

Since braised duck is a supposed to be a Teochew dish, I should really love it since I am 100% unadulterated Teochew. Then again, I have already confessed to my lack of Teochewness as is apparent in my lack of appreciation of the Peh Toh Her. So braised duck does not evoke as much saliva as say Char Siew for me. In fact, I think that braised duck can only attain a certain level of shiokness which will never surpass the shiokability of something like say, a bowl of laksa. I don't remember eating one that I can really go "Shiokadoooledoooo!".

So when it comes to this 40 year old Duck Rice in Macpherson, I was not too disappointed since I was not expecting too much. The thing about this stretch of stalls along Macpherson Road is that it really is a model of Darwin's theory of survival of the fittest. There are only a few shops there that have been around for more then a couple of years. The rest of the stalls just keep changing hands because the location is just not conducive. So if this stall has been around for so long, it means that the food must be good enough such that it has got a critical mass of regular customers to keep it going.

As I said, I did not expect too much. So it wasn't too bad. The duck was a little dry and the braising sauce was nothing to brag about. But hey, I am sure that there are fans out there who would disagree with me. The other thing I found out is that this is a Cantonese version of braised duck. Interesting since you would not expect people in the past to do cross cultural dishes as much as they do today. I was told that Cantonese Braised Duck has a thick gooey sauce and uses more herbs then Teochew Braised Duck. Perhaps our Braised Duck experts can confirm this to be true? 3.5/5

Conclusion

Has anyone ever eaten a braised duck that can be rated near a five or can braised duck only ever get so good?

Cheok Kee Duck Rice
520 Macpherson Road
9.30am to 7pm
Closed on Tuesdays
67439755

Happy New Year! Commercially Available Homemade Pineapple Tarts

Happy New Year Everyone!

Pineapple tarts have been my favourite CNY tidbit since I was a kid. I remember how mom used to make her very own Pineapple Tarts every New Year. But soon commercially made ones became available and she stopped making her own. In fact, it would seem that lots of other mothers also stopped making their own since it was so much easier just to buy them ready made.

After a while people realized that the commercial ones are not that great, so the cottage industry emerged with Aunties making their own pineapple tarts for sale. Soon everyone had "homemade" pineapple tarts that were made by their Aunty to serve during CNY. As their orders got bigger, the Aunties started getting their maids to make the tarts while they inspect their manicures.

When they first started, the Aunties made their pineapple tarts from scratch. Each pineapple was carefully selected, the flesh was chopped up and caramalized into the pineapple paste. Soon, some enterprising Thai businessman saw the opportunity to provide ready made pineapple paste for the Aunties which would save them a lot of trouble having to do it themselves. This freed the Aunties from having to soak their hands into the acidic pineapple puree and so ruin their manicures.

Another CNY went by and another enterprising businessman whose Aunty is making the pineapple tarts thought that his Aunty's pastry was so good that every other Aunty should actually use his Aunty's dough. So, he set up a factory to produce his Aunty's pineapple tart dough and made it available to all the other Aunties.

So now, our Aunties don't have to make their pineapple paste or the dough. All they have to do is to sit down, inspect their manicures and direct their Indonesian maids, to put the Thai pineapple paste onto the commercial dough base and bake the tarts.

Guess what? The next thing that will happen is that someone will make commercially available pre-baked pineapple tarts so that all the Aunty needs to do is to direct the maid to put it in the oven to bake. Soon, this Aunty might start a small factory to do this and start to market her "Aunty's very own, commercially homemade pineapple tarts".

Well, happy New Year to all our Aunties out there, but please keep our pineapple tarts homemade and do continue to use SCS butter as it really does make it taste better!

Gong Xi Fa Cai everyone!

PS: So what is everyone's favourite CNY tidbit? Mine is Pineapple Tarts and Bak Kwa!

Simpang Yong Tau Foo: Not Ampang......Simpang

With smart and PK


One of the good things about retirement is that you get to go around looking for good things to eat without the pressure of exams, loans, bills, kids and other stuff that add stress to your life. Not that I am speaking from personal experience of course, (still a long way from retirement) but more from the point of view of my two esteemed makankakis that afternoon who also happen to be old boys from my alma mater.

Anyway, both smart and PK have been friends since school days and it would seem to me that the baby boomers tend to keep their schoolday friendships better then us Gen Xers. Smart, PK and a whole bunch of their school friends still get together at least every month to makan together. Perhaps it was the days of playing catching, marbles and pretending to be Tarzan with the Banyan Tree rather then playing gameboys and computer games that made the big difference? Or maybe it is just me.

Anyway, this Yong Tau Foo place was recommended to me by smart who, being semi retired, makes it his hobby to walk around food centres scouring for good (and interesting) things to eat. He chanced upon this stall on one of his recce trips and it is just the kind of stall that makes one go "Phwa, must at least go and try leh!"

Yes, this is our very own SIMPANG Yong Tau Foo. You heard it right, not AMPANG but SIMPANG. The difference might not be as stark as the difference between Phua Chu Kang and Chua Chu Kang, but there is a difference.

The homemade Yong Tau Foo is fried first and then doused with the soy based sauce. But the similarity ends there. The sauce here is quite unique. It is sweet, a little tangy and mildly punchillie hot. Perhaps the right adjective is "piquant". Quite shiok actually and definitely unique. 4.25/5


Crispy Pork Knuckle $16

And if you feel that eating deep fried Yong Tau Foo doesn't do enough to clog up your arteries, you might opt for the Deep Fried Crispy Skin Pork Leg. Oh yes, Pork Knuckle or Ter Kah definitely ranks up there as one of those sinfully bad food that you would only eat if you wanted to reward yourself for scoring well on your latest cholesterol report.

The Ter Kah here is stewed first then deep fried just before serving. The skin is super duper crispy and went well with the Thai style chilli sauce. The flesh was however, a little on the dry side. Actually if you ask me, this seems to be more like the German version of the Pork Knuckle rather than the Chinese version. Not bad, but this really is a Gu Gu Jip Pai (once in a long while) type of dish for me. 3.75/5

Conclusion

Our very own Simpang Yong Tau Foo! It is the sauce that makes this particular Yong Tau Foo stand out from the rest. Casual and cheaper alternative to your German Restaurant if you wish to get your Crispy Fried Ter Kah fix.


Simpang Yong Tau Foo
Bedok Market Place
348 Bedok Road
#02-05/06
64449986
9.30am to 7pm
Recommended by smart