Brown Sugar: Wagyu Burger with Foie Gras!

With iwatch_ueat, Big MOG, PowerMOG and introducing UK Chef MiniMOG

Wagyu Burger with Truffled Mushroom Sauce $28

The Big MOG has found himself a cosy little cafe bistro which serves really nice food and wanted to let you all know about it. This time round, he is joined by his wife and son who have just arrived from the UK. Incidentally, MiniMOG is a chef who had spent some time in Gordon Ramsey's kitchen as well as some of the poshest restaurants in the UK and it was a real eye opener to listen to him comment on the food.

The thing that captured my attention at first was the mention of a Wagyu Burger. Do you all remember the $101 Wagyu burger from Uberburger that made headlines not so long ago? Well, compared to that, this $28 Wagyu Burger sounded like a real bargain. Plus, you could even add Foie Gras onto your burger for an extra $7.

Brown Sugar's owner, fondly known as Sugar Daddy, tells us that the Wagyu Pattie is made from Wagyu Beef which is chopped by hand. The whole pattie is only lightly seasoned with chopped onions, salt and pepper so that you get the full flavour of the Wagyu. Instead of the usual burger bun, it is served with homemade Ciabatta and laced with a Truffle Mushroom sauce to add that extra kick. OK, so you've got "Wagyu", "Foie Gras" and "Truffle", three of the most enticing words in the culinary vocabulary all combined in one burger! Does it sound enticing or what?

I really liked the chunky, tender pieces of Wagyu which had excellent texture and nicely flavoured. Whilest US beef is characteristically more robust and beefy, the flavour of Wagyu is more delicate. If US beef is a Karate chop, Wagyu would be more like a firm massage. Chef MiniMog felt that the onions overpowered the flavour of the beef and would have preferred the beef without. I, on the other hand, quite enjoyed it.

However, the Ciabatta was a little dense for me and I would have preferred a softer bread. The truffle mushroom sauce, as you can expect, was quite shiok. I would have liked a little bit of relish to balance off the otherwise very savoury flavours of the burger. 4.25/5


Pan Fried Foie Gras, Caramelised Pineapples and Croutons $25

If you like Foie Gras, then you should make a beeline down to this Bistro because this is one of the most generous portions of Foie Gras I have come across for $25. There were altogether five chunks of delectable Duck Liver beautifully seared and dressed in veal jus with caramelised pineapple. The pineapple was a little too tart for me. A little more sweeter would have been good for me. MiniMog, on the other hand, felt that the tartness was alright. 4.25/5


Spaghetti with Organic Mushrooms in Cream Sauce with Sliced Parma Ham $18

Sugar Daddy aka Yuan, is yet another young entrepreneur who left a lucrative banking job in pursuit of a passion. The self taught chef started his career by being a "chef for hire", cooking for private functions before settling down run his own restaurant. That being the case, the menu is basically made up of all the stuff that he loves to eat. If you have been following the blog from the start, you would remember how I would add Sio Bak onto my Hokkien Mee to give it that extra oooomph! Well Yuan is of kindred spirits except maybe in a Ang Mo fashion. Just look at what he did to the basic Spaghetti Al Funghi (Mushroom Sauce). Oh yes, a generous handful of Shaved Parma Ham. A man after my own heart (and stomach) indeed! 4.25/5

The mushroom dishes here are all very very good. The mushrooms are sourced from Mycofarm which are grown right here in Singapore and they had that excellent earthy flavour. Even the super fastidious MiniMOG gave his stamp of approval. The mushroom soup is a must try. Made from button, oyster, abalone and shitake mushrooms and drizzled with Truffle oil, it is one of the best mushroom soups I have come across. 4.5/5


Sticky Date Pudding with Brown Sugar Butterscotch $10

Brown Sugar wouldn't live up to its name if it didn't serve up a few tantalizing desserts would it? And I am glad to report that they did not disappoint. The the Sticky Date pudding got the stamp of approval from both our Dessert Desperados viz Big MOG and iwatch_ueat. If you have a sweet tooth, this one is guaranteed to hit the spot! 4.5/5


Tarte Tatin of Pears with Honey and Fig Ice Cream $12

The other item that was really impressive was the Tarte Tatin of Pears. This is the personal favourite of Sugar Daddy who first ate it in the UK and felt that he just had to have it in the restaurant. The pastry is delightfully light and puffy and provided a good contrast to the beautifully caramelised pears and ice cream. 4.25/5

Conclusion

Delightful little cafe bistro to drop in for a casual bite. The food is prepared with passion and some of the items are really good value. Just make sure you leave some room for desserts!







Brown Sugar Cafe Bistro
277 River Valley Road
#01-04 Stardus Clubhouse
63336612
www.brownsugar.com.sg

ieat on 938live

Tune in to 938live today at 12.15pm where I will be recommending one of my regular Char Siew haunt -- Fatty Cheong's

Poh Cheu: Ang Gu Kueh Sio Sio

With liverpool and iwatch_ueat


Ah Mah Tng (Ah Mah Long)
Ah Mah Teh (Ah Mah Short)
Ah Mah Tau Chia Ang Gu Kueh
(Ah Mah ate Ang Gu Kueh without permission)
Ang Gu Kueh Sio Sio (Ang Gu Kueh Hot Hot)
Jia Liao Tio Beh Pio (After eating sure win the lottery)

I could never understand why people make such a big fuss about Ang Gu Kueh. Just what is so nice about this Kueh that Ah Mah needs permission to eat it? And the other thing I don't understand is, why does the rhyme say that Ang Gu Kueh must be eaten hot? I have never eaten a hot Ang Gu Kueh, have you?

And then I found out what a Sua Gu (Mountain Tortoise) I was. I only just realised that Ang Gu Kueh literally meant "Red Tortoise" Kueh. Yes, the Red Tortoise finally revealed its true meaning to this Mountain Tortoise. Indeed it does look like a tortoise shell! Why Red? Well, the Kuehs are traditionally given out during baby's first month celebrations, so Red denotes prosperity and Tortoise is a symbol of long life. Like I said, I am a big Sua Gu. Am I the only one or is this a revelation to you too?

Anyway, I am the latest Ang Gu Kueh convert after having tasted this one. OOoooh, they are really generous with the peanut filling and it was really very shiok. The skin is thin, soft and chewy and was a nice contrast to the gritty peanuts. Although the traditional Ang Gu Kueh is made from mung bean paste, I prefer the peanut version. Maybe its just because I am nuts about peanuts. 4.5/5



The Soon Kuehs here are pretty famous too. The skin is soft and slippery and the filling has enough of the Hae Bee (dried prawns) flavour. Liverpool, our chilli masochist, specially mentioned that the chilli sauce was especially hot and shiok. 4.25/5

Conclusion

Looks like I have just started my Ang Gu Kueh trail! Any particular stalls to recommend?

Poh Cheu Blk 127 #01-230
Bukit Merah Lane 1
8am to 6pm
Closed on Sun and Pub Hols
Recommended by Liverpool

Hong Kong Wanton Mee: The Anderson JC Alumni Pilgrimage

Wanton Mee $2

I was at ABC Brickworks eating at Fatty Cheong's when I happen to bump into one of our blog readers, Tarzan (cos he's married to Jane) who also happened to be eating at Fatty's. However, I noticed that he had a plate of Wanton Mee which was from another stall, so I asked him if he thought it was good enough to be featured on the Blog. Not willing to put his Tarzan underpants on the line, he merely said it was the 2nd time he was eating there in a fortnight. OK Tarzan, let's see if this Wanton Mee has got that "Orh Yi Orh Yi Orh" or not.

The stall was operated by this friendly elderly couple (which I have a soft spot for) who have been operating the stall for over 20 years. They proudly showed off their trophy which they won for "Best Food Stall - Henderson Junior College". Since when was there a "Henderson" Junior College? After chatting with them for a while, I found out that they were at Anderson Junior College from 1985 to 1999, selling their wanton mee and also rice dishes. I think that AJC alumni should be quite glad to find your long lost Aunty and Uncle eh? Time to go back and pay them a visit, and tell them about how you all have progressed and how many kids you have!

Now, I remember that RJC used to have a killer Nasi Padang stall way back in the 80's. Anyone know where they went? The one Hawker that I would desperately like to find is that Char Kway Teow man from St Andrew's School in the 70s and 80s. That would really bring back fond memories!

So, if you all know about any of your favourite hawkers who have subsequently left your school canteen to set up their own stall, do write in to let us know!



This old couple still take pride in serving up quality noodles at School Canteen prices. No kidding, at $2 per plate, this has got to be one of the cheapest Wanton Mee in town. And they don't skimp on the quality or quantity either. They use a full egg noodle which are thinner than usual. It is the type that "Hong Kong" wanton mee is supposed to be. The Home-made charsiew is tender and quite generous and you get three good sized Wantons. Being "Hong Kong" style, they don't add tomato sauce, but instead have a specially brewed anchovy based sauce. The texture of the noodles were excellent, and although the Char Siew still cannot compare with Fatty Cheong's, they were still quite competent. 4/5

Conclusion

Great value for money Wanton Mee and a "Must Visit" for AJC alumni, I should think!

Hong Kong Wanton Mee
ABC Brickworks Food Centre
#01-41
97276492
5am to 2pm
Recommended by Tarzan

Green Sky Dessert: The Disco Dancing Dessert Man!

As dusk sets in, the disco music starts up and Finding Nemo starts playing on the LCD screen in front of the stall. The audience start lining up as this Ice Kachang Man starts his nightly breakdancing routine. Oh yes, some stalls have got good food, some stalls have good service, but this stall has all the above plus entertainment at no extra charge.

Looking at the queue of people lining up behind him, I can see why this guy is dancing. It sort of reminds me of the dancing traffic policemen that direct traffic in Thailand. It is heartening to see that some people simply do enjoy their work!

So is this dessert stall really worth all the lights and music?

Being really full already, I only managed to try the Tau Suan which the man himself said was the best selling item in the stall.

And the Tau Suan was good! I especially liked the strong pandan fragrance of the soup and it was not overly thick and sweet. The mung beans were of the right texture and firm to the bite. Only one small complain that perhaps they could be just a little more generous with the mung beans. 4.25/5

Conclusion

It is just one of those stalls that you have to visit to catch the action for yourself. The Tau Suan was very good and judging from the queue, the other stuff should be quite good as well.

Green Sky Dessert
Redhill Food Centre
Blk 85, #01-60 Red Hill Lane
3pm to 11pm
Closed on Mondays and Tuesdays

Redhill Curry Rice: Everything is good!

With iwatch_ueat, liverpool and SCS Butter


I am so glad that SCS Butter recommended this Curry Rice stall to me. When I eat at an economic rice stall, I usually order the same old dishes, namely Egg Tofu, Sweet and Sour Pork, Vegetables and maybe the curry chicken. Humans are such creatures of habit, or is it that we simply prefer to stick with what we know rather then venture into untested territory?

Anyway, I am so enamored with this particular Curry Rice stall because their selection of dishes are a little different from the rest and almost every dish here is really shiok! Seriously, if you arrange just a bit of each dish on a single plate and decorated it nicely, you could have a 10 course degustation menu!

The first thing that got my eyes wide open was the sambal which you scoop for yourself. My first taste of it was that "What the heck did they put in this" holy grail experience. After that, I was sold on the rest of the dishes. The sambal was sweet and tasted like its got chye poh inside, but the stall owner assured me that there isn't any in it. I could simply have the rice and the sambal and be really happy. 4.75/5 (Because it is not spicy, may people may not even consider this sambal and may disagree with this rating. But for me, it was sweet, savoury and super shiok)

Then there was the crispy pork which are almost like eating chewy Keropok (Fish Crackers). The contrast between the crispy pork and the soft rice drenched in savoury curry must be one of those "ahhh, I needed that" experience when you are really hungry. 4.25/5



This might look like Tau Pok (Fried Bean Curd) but it is not. It is their homemade fish paste wrapped in Tau Kee (Dried Bean Sheets) braised in a soy based sauce. The homemade fish paste is made from Batang fish and has excellent flavour and texture. I just loved the way the Deep Fried Tau Kee soaks up that tasty gravy! 4.5/5



Although this Curry Rice stall reminded me somewhat of the Hainanese Style Curry Rice, the owners are Teochew, not Hainanese and the food is not typically Teochew either. Except for maybe this Braised Pork which was one of the best I ever tasted. The texture was "melt in your mouth" perfect and the "Kiam Pang" flavour of the Pork really lingers at the back of your tongue after you swallow the tasty morsel. If only three layer pork was not bad for you! I could just savour a few slices of these with Steamed Buns! 4.5/5



Finally, the Fish Rolls. As I said earlier, their fish paste is made from Batang Fish which has a different taste from many places that use Yellowtail. The texture is soft but bouncy at the same time. They also added a bit of minced meat into the paste. Very very good. Must try this! 4.5/5

Conclusion

Everything is good! No Kidding! I'll be back again and again and again!

Redhill Curry Rice
Redhill Market and Food Centre
Blk 85 Red Hill Close
#01-95 (Facing Main Road)
10.30am to 9.30pm
Sunday Closed
96523471
Recommended by SCS Butter

Feature in Dawn Magazine Sep 2007

My feature on Dawn Magazine for those who are interested in answers to questions like:

1. Why do I blog?
2. How do I keep my figure?
3. How I get the hawkers to create new dishes?
4. How the family and makankakis react to all the photo taking?

and many other Frequently Asked Questions!