The event is a special collaboration with eight well-known restaurants, together with veterian food critic Ah Lun (黄卓伦), tasked with bringing a group of readers on an exclusive festive gourmet food trail for four consecutive Saturdays.
The Chinese New Year menu at Shin Yeh consists of:
风生水起： 腾龙大鱼生 Fortune Yu Sheng
大鹏展翅： 台式佛跳墙 Taiwan-style “Buddha Jump Over Wall”
年年有余： 树子蒸筍壳 Steamed Marble Goby with Small Olives
金凤迎春： 乌龙茶蒸鸡 Smoked Chicken with Premium Oolong Tea
祥瑞迎福： 红豆椰香雪花冰 Red Beans over Shaved Coconut Ices and Yam Cubes
Surprise Dish 1: Wok-fried Prawn Balls with Fresh Lily Bulbs and Gingko Nuts
Surprise Dish 2: Glutinous Rice Balls coated with Ground Peanuts (Muah Chee)
Shin Yeh Restaurant, specialising in quality Taiwanese cuisineFortune Yu ShengLo hei!Chef welcomeShin Yeh chefs joined in too for the lo heiBudhha Jump over Wall - Double-boiled Shark's Fin with Abalone, Pig's Stomach, Chicken, Scallop and Sea CucumberLots of good stuff in the soupOrange peeling competitionSteamed Marble GobySmoked Chicken with Premium Oolong TeaWok-fried prawn balls with lily bulbsTaiwan Muah CheeAward-winning Taiwan-style Red Beans over Shaved Coconut Ice and Yam CubesChef thank you
Chef welcomeWinter saladAbalone soup, filled with other goodies like the dried oyster in the pictureChristmas codfishStage game where contestants have to pick mahjong tiles from a tank of icy waterSzechuan chicken with yellow riceVery beautiful desert platterFirst time I tried Chili Ice Cream!Chef introducing his surprise dishA Christmas cake to round up the day
In a special collaboration with ten well-known restaurants, omy.sg and Lianhe Wanbao, together with veterian food critic Ah Lun (黄卓伦) brought a group of readers on exclusive gourmet food trails for five consecutive Saturdays.
Each week, a group of 80+ readers visited two restaurants together with Ah Lun to sample their signature dishes as well as specially created dishes, not available on the restaurants’ menu.
Other than eating, participants also had the rare opportunities to meet with the restaurants’ chefs, some of them even sharing a few cooking tips on the spot.
For the fourth event, I attended the food trail together with fellow bloggers, Yong Weiand Mint Leong.
I enjoyed the Marmite mango chicken and their signature, award-winning laksa. The food at Straits Cafe are generally quite simple, hence it’s harder to be particularly fond of any dishes.
Guests flowing into Straits CafeGuests all settled, waiting for food to be served养颜甘榜鸡汤菊花香露鳕鱼芒果妈蜜鸡卷鸿运糟香排骨Straits Cafe's award-winning laksaDurian cakeAlmond jelly with sea coconutStraits Cafe head chef greeting everyoneYong Wei participating in one of the games
Moving on to Ah Yat Seafood Restaurant at Turf City, here’s the menu at the second stop:
白玉藏珍炖翅裙
玉树麒麟星斑球
松荔茸香酥大鸭
鲜蟹肉片儿汤面
Surprise Dishes: Golden coin meat and Salted egg yolk kueh
The two surprise dishes were really memorable. Both items are not available on their regular menu, but I think they will be crowd favourites if introduced. The head chef must have put in a lot of effort to design and craft these two dishes.
I enjoyed all the other dishes as well. Each aesthetically pleasing and rich in flavour. This is definitely one of the best menu I have sampled so far for this food trail.
Kudos to the head chef and the staff at Ah Yat Seafood Restaurant.
白玉藏珍炖翅裙玉树麒麟星斑球松荔茸香酥大鸭Yam filling with a piece of duck meat at the bottomCooking demo by the head chefMaking wanton skin soup鲜蟹肉片儿汤面Golden coin meat, skewered with an asparagus, liver and prawnSalted egg layered kueh - my favourite dishYong Wei loves the kueh just as muchThe coconut kueh and salted egg blended really wellMint participating in one of the stage gamesA toast to allLucky draw winner
In a special collaboration with ten well-known restaurants, omy.sg and Lianhe Wanbao, together with veterian food critic Ah Lun (黄卓伦) will be bringing a group of readers on an exclusive gourmet food trail for five consecutive Saturdays.
Each week, a group of 80+ readers will visit two restaurants together with Ah Lun to sample their signature dishes as well as specially created dishes, not available on the restaurants’ menu.
Other than eating, participants will also have the rare opportunities to meet with the restaurants’ chef who will be answering questions and even sharing a few cooking tips on the spot.
Last Saturday was the third event. I attended the food trail together with fellow bloggers,Cherie Lee and Calvin Timothy.
莺歌活龙虾
蒜蓉圣旨王
丽影凤翅
东坡骨
冷热甜品 杏仁露+黑糯米雪糕+千丝猫山王榴梿卷
Surprise Dishes: Cuttlefish with fried Kang Kong, Fried Hor Fun with Seafood
I particularly like their award-wining chicken wing, pork ribs and Mao Shang Wang (猫山王) durian dessert.
The fried, crispy Kang Kong vegetable and fried, crispy Hor Fun were both delightful surprises. This style of cooking is not available in the regular menu, but are available upon request when ordering. Next time you head down to a Long Beach restaurant, do try ordering them. 🙂
The hosts, Ah Lun and Xiao Peng introducing the head chef at Long Beach King莺歌活龙虾Ah Lun mingling with the participants as the food was served蒜蓉圣旨王丽影凤翅东坡骨Introducing the surprise dishesCuttlefish with fried kang kong which tasted like crunchy Japanese seaweedDelightful seafood hor fun, whereby half of the hor fun was fried冷热甜品 杏仁露+黑糯米雪糕+千丝猫山王榴梿卷千丝猫山王榴梿卷杏仁露+黑糯米雪糕Salute to this 81 year old grandma who has worked with Long Beach for eonsAll the chefs came out to greet everyone
Moving on to Marina Mandarin, here’s the menu for the day from their Peach Blossoms Restaurant:
The dishes I enjoyed here were the two surprise dishes. The other items were more ordinary, with lavish ingredient.
At Marina MandarinMenu for the day海鲜鱼翅瓜汤XO带子花枝片艳丽麒麟鲈鱼霸王海鲜炒饭Cooking demonstration by the head chefDang Gui ChickenCherie and Calvin bonding over Dang Gui ChickenChilled Mango Sago & Pomelo with Lime SherbetVarious stage gamesAh Lun bonding with the participantsCherie and CalvinGroup picture of the working crew
Group photo of all the participants in the second food trail with Ah Lun
In a special collaboration with ten well-known restaurants, omy.sg and Lianhe Wanbao, together with veterian food critic Ah Lun (黄卓伦) brought a group of readers on an exclusive gourmet food trail for five consecutive Saturdays.
Each week, a group of 80+ readers will visit two restaurants together with Ah Lun to sample their signature dishes as well as specially created dishes, not available on the restaurants’ menu.
Other than eating, participants will also have the rare opportunities to meet with the restaurants’ chef who will be answering questions and even sharing a few cooking tips on the spot.
Below are some photos taken at the event.
Participants trickling inOur big boss at SPH's Chinese Newspaper Division, Mr Robin Hu (centre) welcoming everyoneAh Lun introducing the Mandarin Court head chefThe Mandarin Court menu
前菜~ 锦绣虾球（糖醋虾球+芥末虾球+咸蛋虾球) - I particularly enjoyed the salted egg version in the middle热汤~ 龙虫草炖珍珠鸡 - very nourishing!Fish soup demonstration海鲜~ 果皮鱼汤银丝浸红鱼The chefs skillfully skinning the Peking Ducks on-the-spotPeking Duck - love this!The remaining duck meat served, stir-fried with veggies面食~ 鱼香茄子焖伊面甜品~ 万紫千红芦荟冻
The chef gave an on-the-spot demonstration of how to cook the fish soup which was served. This was followed by some stage games including an impromptus “fashion show” by gaming food trail participants.
A lucky draw was conducted at the end, whereby the top prize was an one night weekend stay at Mandarin Orchard, very generous of the hotel to sponsor this.
Winner of the Mandarin Orchard hotel stayFood trail hosts, Xiao Peng and Ah Lun with the head chef at Mandarin CourtOn board the bus to the second location
The head chef at Lao Beijing greeting everyoneI was seated at a table with Pete and KeropokmanThe menu at Lao BeijingChef entertaining everyone with his singing老北京炖鸡汤剁椒鱼头 - looks very spicy, but doesn't taste as fiery as it looks农家香干煲京酱肉丝 - to be wrapped in a beancurd skinThe beancurd skinWrapped pork slices in beancurd skin三菇炒菠菜Surprise birthday cake for three participants, courtesy of Lao Beijing restaurantPopiah ingredientPopiah rolling demonstration by the chefAh Lun's turnPete's turnEveryone getting busy making popiahRolling my popiahMy self-wrapped popiah三鲜锅贴小笼汤包太后养颜美点之驴打滚
The chef greeted everyone with a traditional opera song, followed by an on-the-spot demonstration on rolling the perfect popiah. Ah Lun chipped in to demonstrate his version of popiah rolling too. Aussie Pete was also roped on stage to make his first popiah. You can read more about Pete’s experience on his blog.
In a special collaboration with ten well-known restaurants, omy.sg and Lianhe Wanbao, together with veterian food critic Ah Lun (黄卓伦) will be bringing a group of readers on an exclusive gourmet food trail for five consecutive Saturdays.
Each week, a group of 80+ readers will visit two restaurants together with Ah Lun to sample their signature dishes as well as specially created dishes, not available on the restaurants’ menu.
Other than eating, participants will also have the rare opportunities to meet with the restaurants’ chef who will be answering questions and even sharing a few cooking tips on the spot.
The restaurant is buffet-styled, offering a wide selection of fresh meat, seafood and vegetable for barbecue and steamboat dining.
Participants enjoying the foodMy lady boss from omy.sg, addressing everyoneWide selection of barbecue ingredientThere are ready cooked items on the buffet spread as wellParticipants enjoying the buffet spreadI quite like these dessert items
The 6 feature dishes were already arranged neatly on the tables when we sat down. These items are not normally in the buffet menu, but were specially served for this occasion.
I particularly like the beef tongue and fatty pork. Ah Lun taught us to barbecue the beef tongue quickly, flipping it just once so that it will be chewy on the outside and tender on the inside. Delicious!
Yummy beef tongueThe two invited bloggers, sharing the cold noodle platter
The restaurant chef did an on-the-spot demo on making kimchi which attracted the attention of many of the participants.
Chef demo on making kimchiParticipants playing a "word continuation" gameSteamed tilapia surprise dish which was rolled out last
Moving on to the next restaurant, here is the list of 6 feature dishes served at East Ocean plus the surprise dish:
East Ocean Teochew RestaurantInside the restaurantAh Lun addressing everyone
前菜~ 贵妃醉酒
热汤~ 金钟宝
主菜~ 酱烧黑猪肉
海鲜~ 咸鲜（一鱼两味）
面食~ 掌门虾仔面
甜品 杨枝甘露
Surprise Dish: Animal-shaped Dim Sum
前菜~ 贵妃醉酒Close-up of the starter which consist of fresh clams, needle pin mushroom and jellyfish热汤~ 金钟宝There's morsels of seafood in the soup, including abalone and shark's finThe restaurant chef came out to greet everyone and introduce his creations海鲜~ 咸鲜（一鱼两味）Half of the fish was fried while the other half was steamedThe fish was nicely plated and many people were taking photos of the dish主菜~ 酱烧黑猪肉Close-up of the luxurious Japanese black pig meat面食~ 掌门虾仔面Close-up of the goose feet甜品 杨枝甘露Rabbit-shaped coconut bunsPenguin-shaped lotus paste buns
At East Ocean, dishes were served course by course. The highlight was a dish called “咸鲜”, whereby a fish was served both fried and steamed with heavy salt.
I enjoyed all the dishes served. From the seafood golden pumpkin soup to the Kagoshima Kurobuta (かごしま黒豚) to the goose feet noodle. Each was unique and delightful.
A game that involves putting on and off multiple tee-shirtsThe boss of East Ocean Restaurant (centre) picking the lucky draw winnersThe restaurant manager, Dennis, gamingly took to the stage to serenade everyone with some Hokkien songs
The surprise dish featured a platter of rabbit-shaped coconut buns and a platter of penguin-shaped lotus paste buns. They were so cute to look at that one can barely wolf them down.
