Candlenut | Excellent Peranakan cuisine with a modern twist

This post just proves that I am the pro in procrastination. Actually Candlenut has been on my to-eat list since this blog was started back in 2013. And yet I must wait until it got a Michelin star in July 2016 before I visited. And yet I must wait until it shifted from Chinatown to Dempsey before I document my visit to its Chinatown outlet back in end July. So it's really an achievement that I managed to reach the end of this paragraph!

Initally we just wanted to try some ala carte dishes but I didn't know they don't serve ala carte during dinner. They only have a set menu at $68++ for dinner. Before you think it's too expensive for Peranakan dishes, I need to correct that it is Peranakan-inspired and they use premium ingredients e.g. Wagyu beef, NZ lamb, and quite a bit of seafood.

(Clockwise) Charred octopus with chincalok and achar, Blue swimmer crab kueh pie tee in yellow curry, Buah keluak pork dumpling, Wagyu beef satay

The appetizers started off well. My most favourite was the Wagyu beef satay which was well-marinated with spices, fork tender and grilled to perfection. The blue swimmer crab kueh pie tie, an interesting twist to the traditional kueh pie tie, was excellent and addictive. 

On to the mains..

Charcoal grilled John snapper fillet with black mango sambal, ginger flower and Japanese cucumber kerabu

Pardon my ignorance but this is the first time I've come across black mango sambal. I think it is mainly mango mixed with sambal and hence it is both sweet yet spicy at the same time. Excellent pairing with the soft tender snapper fillet. The ginger flower and Japanese cucumber kerubu improve the visual presentation of the dish while giving the overall taste of the dish a refreshing perspective too.

Pork meatballs in rich chicken and seafood broth

Another favourite dish are the meatballs. The broth is full of sweet and umami flavours. It is perfect to diffuse some of the spiciness from the spicy dishes.

Wok fried sambal, wild caught baby squid, petai beans, tamarind

This spicy squid is not for those who has low tolerance for spicy food. I left the petai beans alone.

Sayur lodeh kang kong with crispy whitebait and baby sweet potato leaves

The sayur lodeh kang kong is cooked in well-balanced coconut milk and spices. But what makes the dish outstanding was the salty crispy whitebait which gives the dish an interesting twist in flavours, textures and overall presentation.

NZ Maori Lakes lamb shoulder rendang, green banana, kaffir lime leaf, serunding

Last but not least, we enjoyed the lamb rendang which was classic rendang at its best. 

Durian soup, Mao Shan Wang ice-cream, D24 durian puree, feuilletine (left), Chendol (right) 

We got to choose our desserts from a list. Without much thought, we went for the durian and chendol respectively. No regrets. The durian dessert was as if I was eating real durian and the feuilletine tasted very local, similar to the wafer egg rolls I ate when I was young. As for the chendol, it's typical chendol that's done well. No complaints.

Service was super attentive. I was there when Candlenut was still celebrating their Michelin win and I got complimentary wine. Candlenut is probably the only Peranakan restaurant in the world that has a Michelin star and I really think they deserved it because they totally brought Peranakan cuisine to greater heights by incorporating creative ideas. The only pity for me is that they have shifted to Dempsey which is really a hassle to get to without four wheels. Till then, this will stay in my favourite dining memories of 2016. 

Man Man Japanese Unagi Restaurant | An unagi lover's dream come true?

Teppei-san strikes the Japanese food scene again after his wildly popular omakase restaurant (read review here). This time with an electrifying move to open the first unagi specialty Man Man Japanese unagi restaurant in Singapore. I love unagi and hence made a special trip to 1 Keong Saik Road to find out more.

Man Man restaurant is not very big. It's quite smoky and could do with better ventilation. You can choose to sit in front of the kitchen which you would be treated with a gory theatrical trailer of your eel being killed live, skewered and grilled in front of you. I would prefer to pretend that my food's previous life was not a living animal so thank you very much, I'll pick the seat near the door.

Theatrical smoke effect

I got the una tama don ($18.60+) which is basically grilled unagi, soft tamogo and rice, soup. The char-grilled unagi's firm sweet meat is perfect with the accompanying Japanese rice that is drizzled with the special soy sauce. The thin layer of crispy grilled skin soaked with sauce was just enough to add flavor without greasing up the dish. The fluffy tamago adds a different dimension of texture to the entire dish.

The portion is not very big. So if you are looking for a mega feast of fleshy unagi meat, you might be disappointed with Man Man.

Man Man's queue on Saturday noon was fortunately not too man man (慢慢) (about 20 minutes). But I would recommend to bring insect repellent, sunblock, sunglasses, portable fans, caps etc as the queue is not sheltered from the blazing hot sun and the wildlife.  

Overall, I would recommend the unagi lover to try this at least once in his lifetime. I would also recommend the unagi lover to stop eating unagi for the rest of his life after that. According to Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unagi), unagi is an endangered species. Sorry for ending your dreams. Your sacrifice will be greatly appreciated by sustainability organisations worldwide. Thank you.

Man Man Japanese Unagi Restaurant

Address: 1 Keong Saik Road Singapore 089109 

Tel: +65 62220678 (No reservations for lunch hour)

Sumo Big Prawn Mee

The lobsters, crayfish and prawns of Sumo Big Prawn Mee have been making a huge splash on social media recently. Word has it that the newly opened stall has been dishing out humbly-priced $25 lobster prawn mee in the humble Blk 628 Ang Mo Kio hawker centre. I happened to be in the neighbourhood last week. Being a huge lover of prawn mee, I naturally joined the naturally super long queue to find out more.

Just by standing in the queue, the aroma from the cooking of the robust prawn soup has already set my noses working. I've always thought umami is a form of flavour. But on that very day, I learnt that umami is also a form of scent.

Sumo Big Prawn Mee offers five types: $5 prawn mee, $8 big prawn mee, $13 crayfish mee, $18.90 lobster mee (current price is $24.90 as the Asia lobster is out of supply season and they are using the more expensive Colombia lobster) and a $16.90 set meal (not available when I visited). I was not in the mood for an extravagant meal so I ordered the $8 big prawn mee. You can choose either bee hoon or yellow noodle or both. 

The soup is thick, robust and packs a punch of rich crustacean essence. The savoury soup is rather light on the other ingredients such as shallots. Hence, I could really taste the pure sweetness of the seafood in the broth. Slurped the soup to the last drop.

For $8, I got 4 big prawns. The meat is fresh and firm. Sumo Big Prawn Mee has also semi peeled the prawns, much to my convenience. There are also generous amounts of fresh la la clams which elevate the seafood flavours of the soup.  

Just take note that the queues can get super long during peak hours, especially on weekends. According to social media sources, the queuing time can be up to 1 hour.

Although the prices are more premium than your usual bowl of prawn mee, you can trust that the ingredients are also more premium. The long queues proved that premium pricing is a feasible feastible idea in a hawker centre setting. Especially for the $25 lobster mee which you get 1 entire lobster + prawns + clams. So cheap and good. I can't wait to try it some day.

If you are a prawn mee lover, I strongly recommend you to make the journey to the North to try Sumo Big Prawn Mee regardless of where you stay. It's definitely not your usual prawn mee.

Address: Blk 628 Hawker centre Ang Mo Kio Avenue 4 #01-72 Singapore 560628

Kushin Bo (Suntec City)

I love buffets but I think buffet restaurants love me more. It's not my fault that I was born with a non-expandable belly which makes me the ideal customer who contribute the fat profit margins to buffet restaurants. Still, it didn't stopped me from going to Kuishin Bo which I have been waiting to try for the longest time.

I was awed by the huge variety offered by Kuishin Bo. Fried tempura prawn, soft shell crab, gyozas, fish, fresh seafood such as prawns, scallops, mussels, assorted sushi, handrolls, yakiniku, paper hotpots, ramen, soba, udon, chawanmushi, soups etc.. Not to mention the desserts section which is equivalently amazing with its extensive range of cakes, puddings, mochis, konnyaku jelly, icecream (both soft serve and hard serve). To top it off, a chocolate fondue fountain! 

Fresh and juicy assorted sashimi - My most favourite part of the buffet

Fried stuff were pretty good too.

Fresh seafood 

Paper hotpot - Not as good as I hoped for

Ramen - You can give this a miss.

Self serve your soft serve

Surprisingly a very good intense lava cake

Milo is available. But it's a trap to make you feel full

There's a washing facility in-house. So convenient!

nth round

Die die also want to fill up all the 9 slots - The puddings are better than the cakes in my opinion.

For just $38.90++ during weekend lunch, you get a quality unlimited buffet. I like that the seafood and sashimi is fresh. Kuishin Bo Suntec City is also currently running a promotion where 2 adults and 1 child can dine for $84++. Good idea for family sunday brunches.