Ban Leong Wah Hoe Seafood 万隆华和海鲜菜馆 (Casuarina Road) - 2nd Post

Another visit back to Ban Leong Wah Hoe Seafood 万隆华和海鲜菜馆. We visited the Zi Char restaurant on a Saturday evening too. The place was packed and all the tables were occupied.

Huge crabs in tanks. This is essential as almost every table has crab dish on it!

Menu (a)

Menu (b)

Part of the menu. As this was our 2nd visit, we had a rough idea on what to order and what not too. The first post can be found here.

Hot Plate Beancurd $10

 The Hot Plate Beancurd was as deletable as before. The sauce is best paired with plain rice. 

Prawn Paste Chicken Wing $12

Prawn Paste Chicken Wings (Har Cheong Gai) was served pipping hot. The chicken wings were coated and marinated with prawn paste before being deep fried. On the exterior, it was crispy and fragrant. In the interior, the meat was fragrant, tender and full of natural juice.

Birthday Noodles (Mee Sua) $12

The Birthday Noodles which was essentially Mee Sua fried with prawns, squid, beansprouts, quail eggs and fish slices. An interesting dish that suits our palate.

Stirred Fried Baby Kai Lan $12

Their stirred fried vegetables here are surprisingly good.  The Baby Kai Lan was still crunchy. The dish as a whole was tasty and not overly salty. Simple and good.

La La Clams $10

At last, we get to try the La La Clams. This dish was excellent! The la la clams were bigger than what is normally served in the other restaurants and were very fresh and 'meaty'. (Why did we order only $10? We should have ordered more!).

Black Pepper Crab

Huge Black Pepper Crab which did not disappoint. I like the sauce as it was finger licking good as what I described in my last post. The crab was very fresh and meaty!  

Butter Crab

Butter Crab

Leaving the best for the last. The Butter Crab was amazingly delicious! It was not the usual creamy version that most restaurant serves. Instead it was deep fried. Each piece of crab was well-coated with the butter batter and fried till fragrant. Despite being deep fried, the crab was still incredibly tender, juicy and sweet. Adding on, the crab was huge, meaty and fresh. Amazingly, meat did not stuck to the shells (which is not the norm for a fried crab dish). There were lots of buttery fritters at the side. They were crispy and sinfully delicious. The unique buttery fragrant made the buttery fritters so addictive that once you start, you can't stop. A must try! (Bern from The Hungry Bunny mentioned that this is their best dish. Totally spot on! Thanks for the recommendation!) 

The  Butter Crab and Black Pepper Crab cost $86. Well worth the price.

The food here is real value for money. There are two dishes that are a must try over here. They are the Butter Crab and  La La Clams. This time round, the service experienced was not as smooth sailing as before. The lady taking the order was showing an attitude and was impatient. It was also hard to get the attention of the staff. Worth coming down more often for the food here despite the service? The answer is a resounding Yes!

Ban Leong Wah Hoe Seafood 万隆华和海鲜菜馆 (Casuarina Road)

122 Casuarina Road

Tel: 6452 2824

Opening Hours: Daily 5pm to 130am

Location

View FoodieFC's Singapore Food Map in a larger map

Shin Yeh 欣葉 (Liang Court)

Shin Yeh 欣葉, a well known Taiwanese restaurant chain has established itself in Singapore at the 2nd level of Liang Court. It is brought over to Singapore under the Tung Lok Group (might be a franchise agreement, I am not too sure).

The interior of Shin Yeh was spacious and classy. There are many private rooms suitable for (large groups) family gatherings. There is a nice view of the Clarke Quay river towards the very end of the restaurant. If you would like a table with such a view, it would be advisable to make reservations.

Appetiser - Braised Beancurd $3

Kick started the meal with the appetiser; Braised Beancurd. 

Wok-seared Pig's Liver with Coriander $14

The signature Wok-seared Pig's Liver with Coriander had garnered the most raves on the net. It did not disappoint. No wonder this is a must order dish at Shin Yeh. Very tasty, it was still tender and soft in the interior. It was quick fry under high heat to seal the flavours in and prevent the liver from being overcook. 

Pan-fried Turnip Cake $10

The signature Pan-fried Turnip Cake was very well executed. The crunchy dried turnips (chye poh) were not overly salty while the egg was fluffy and moist. Despite being so thick, it was well cooked. Moreover, it was not oily and certainly not soggy after a period of time. This dish was a test for the chef's skill and I am most impressed by the execution of the dish. A case of minimal seasoning, non-greasy and using the freshness and natural flavour of the ingredient (turnip). However, $10 for this, is quite expensive. In layman terms, it is just egg with turnips (chye poh)..

Poached Savoury Kampong Chicken $16

The Poached Savoury Kampong Chicken was another hit. The skin was crunchy while the meat was very tender, juicy and tasty. There was a layer of jelly underneath the skin (this occurs when the chicken is dunked into iced water after the cooking process to chill it to ensure that the chicken will not be overcooked).  Polished off this dish and still wanted more despite it being just the 2 of us.

Double-boiled Shark's Fin with Bamboo Pith, Dried Scallops and Cabbage $28 (per person)

Double-boiled Shark's Fin with Bamboo Pith, Dried Scallops and Cabbage $28 (per person) 

This bowl of Doubled-boiled Shark's Fin with Bamboo Pith, Dried Scallops and Cabbage was incredibly delish! The bamboo Pith was cooked till soft, retained its shape and texture, and had absorbed essence of the soup. The cabbage added sweetness to the soup. While the scallop enhanced the flavour further. It was a delight drinking this flavourful, tasty soup together with the ingredients including the Shark's Fin. Desipte the fact that not a lot of shark's fin were given, this bowl of soup was unforgettable for all the positive reasons stated above.

Wok-fried Seasonal Vegetables (Broccoli) $12

The Wok-fried Seasonal Vegetables (Broccoli) was decently cooked. Not overcooked, not undercooked. The timing was just right and it was tasty.

Taiwan-style Sweet Potato Porridge $1.50 (per person)

Pipping hot Taiwan-style Sweet Potato Porridge to complement the dishes ordered. For this dish, it is refillable. We had two bowls each. The porridge was cooked till the rice grains were soft and still retained its shape. 

Chinese Tea $12 (per pot)

Pot of Chinese tea that was kept warm by the tea light below. 

Complimentary Muah Chee

Complimentary Muah Chee with grounded peanuts. The peanuts were too finely grated for my liking.

The dishes that we had were impressive and delicious. To me, it was all hits except for the complimentary Muah Chee. The only issue I have is the service. The dishes were served quickly (which was a good thing for us). Initially, the service was prompt, our pot of tea was refilled with hot water constantly. However, towards 730pm when the place was packed (almost full house). We had to request thrice before our pot of tea was refilled with hot water. In addition, to pay the bill, I waited for almost half an hour! Furthermore, The Muah Chee was served after I received the bill slip. It was pretty obvious that there were insufficient staff as several customers were also trying to get the attention of the waitress/waiter.

Another point to note, is that the prices of the food are on the higher tier. But for this quality, I can't complain much as the dishes were delicious and used quality ingredients. Worth the price! It is highly recommended that reservations be made if you are coming over for a meal on weekends or Friday as the restaurant was full during my visit on a Saturday night.

Shin Yeh 欣葉 (Liang Court)
177 River Valley Road 
#02-19 Liang Court
Tel: 6338 7337
Opening Hours: Daily - Lunch 1130am to 230pm, Dinner 630pm to 1030pm
Website
Location

Ban Leong Wah Hoe Seafood 万隆华和海鲜菜馆 (Casuarina Road)

We (a group of six) wanted to visit Melben Seafood at Ang Mo Kio for dinner on a Saturday. Knowing that Uncle Leong Seafood has moved out and anticipating a long queue, we decided to set off early. We reached Melben at 545pm, yet there was a long queue and it will be at least a 2 hour wait! We decided to try go else where to satisfy our craving for crabs as we did not want to wait for 2 hours.

We decided to visit Ban Leong Wah Hoe Seafood a Zi Char restaurant located at Casuarina Road along Upper Thomson Road. Ban Leong Wah Hoe Seafood has been around for close to two decades, specialises in serving local cuisine. As it was our first visit, we had no idea on what to order. Well, the best way is to walk around look at the dishes on the surround tables and also asking the staff for recommendation.

Look at how big the crabs are! 

Menu (a)

Menu (b)

Snap shot of part of the menu which includes Chef Recommendations, Crabs, Hot Plates, Claypot, Chicken and Vegetables.

Towel

Appetiser and chilli 

The chilli at the right has the right amount of spiciness. Although I like the chilli, I seldom dip my food into it as I prefer to savour the food in its original taste.

Now for the food! Presented in the same order it was served!

Prawn Paste Chicken Wings $12

 Twelve pieces of Prawn Paste Chicken Wings also known as Har Cheong Gai. Two for each of us. This was the first dish that arrived and it arrived pipping hot! Seasoned and coated with prawn paste, the chicken wings deep fried. The batter outside was crispy and inside, the meat was tender and moist!

Hot Plate Beancurd $10

The Hot Plate Beancurd totally different from the others I have tried before, was highly delectable. It came with prawns, beancurd and egg, topped with a slightly spicy sauce.

Stirred Fried Spinach $10

We ordered the Stirred Fried Spinach. The leaves and stems were well cooked. Leaves were not too soft and stems were not too hard. In addition, in terms of taste, it was not over salty. Taste just like a home-cook dish.

Birthday Noodles (Mee Sua ) $12

Birthday Noodles (Mee Sua), was a plate of Mee Sua fried with prawns, squids, eggs, bean sprouts, fish slices and quail eggs (interesting). Another unique dish that reminds me of Sembawang White Bee Hoon.

Man Tou / Buns $3.60

The fried Man Tou / Buns are big! Bigger than elsewhere. In fact, I felt that they were too big. Despite the size, it was good! Crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside. Moreover, it was not oily. Sadly, the Chilli Crab gravy was not up to par (more on the gravy in the text below).

Chilli Crab 

The Chilli Crab is something that Singaporeans are familiar with. The chilli crab gravy was way below par. It was too sweet, too starchy and not spicy. Too much Ketchup was added and the egg used was too little. Luckily, the crab was huge, fresh and succulent! It was an easy task pulling out the chunks of crab meat from the shells! This is a big plus.

Black Pepper Crab

The Black Pepper Crab was huge too. Crab wise, it was similar as above! Black pepper sauce wise, it fared much better. Peppery and not overly salty, it was finger linking good! Had a delectable time savouring the black pepper sauce on the shells. 

The Chilli Crab and Black Pepper Crab cost $85.50

We ordered the La La Clams. However, the staff missed out that order. The staff was quite nice, apologising and telling us they will cooked it for us immediately. As we were already full, we decided to cancel the order.

I have seen many reviews stating the bad service this place has. Well, I beg to differ. The service here was good. The only glitch was that one of our order was missed out, they apologised and offer to cook it immediately. Understandable as the place was packed! Moreover, the food was good and it was certainly value for money. The total bill amount to $148.41 inclusive of the rice, drinks and towels. For 6 person...this is cheap! I am certain that I will come back here again. This time I will want to try the Butter Crab and also La La Clams !

Ban Leong Wah Hoe Seafood 万隆华和海鲜菜馆 (Casuarina Road)
122 Casuarina Road
Tel: 6452 2824
Opening Hours: Daily 5pm to 130am
Location

View FoodieFC's Singapore Food Map in a larger map

Tiong Shian Porridge 長城粥品 (New Bridge Road) 2nd Post

Another visit to Tiong Shian Porridge located near Chinatown MRT station along New Bridge Road.

Tiong Shian Porridge needs no introduction among foodies. Readers of FoodieFC would have known that I am a great fan of this place. Despite living in the North, I still find myself (with her) making a special trip down here. (I am a foodie!!) For the benefit of doubt, Tiong Shian Porridge specialises in serving porridge and claypot frog leg! Yet again, during this visit, the place is packed!

The lady who determines if you get 1 piece more or less meat.

Raw Fish in the freezer

Look at the number of plates of Raw Fish in the freezer!

Here's how to order: Find a empty table (or share a table). Make your order at the cashier and inform them of your table number. Lastly, pay and wait for it to be delivered to you. We waited for around 20 minutes this time before getting our food. Lucky us! During our last visit, we waited for half-an-hour.

Raw Fish (small) $3.90

Tiong Shian Porridge is also know for its Raw Fish. You can observe this for yourself when you are there. Almost every one orders this! The Raw Fish consist of slices of raw fish, chilli, ginger, lettuce, spring onions and shallots. All you need to do is to squeeze the lime juice and mix the ingredients up! The fish is fresh with no fishy taste. This is a must order! For just $3.90 you get so many pieces of raw fish and it taste so yummy.

Braised Bean Curd $2.60

We observed that most people ordered the Braised Bean Curd (Lou Bean Curd). Hence, we decided to order one too. The Braised Bean Curd was unique. It was very soft, and silky smooth on the inside. The sauce on top complement the dish well especially when paired with plain porridge. Add in the chilli at the side to give it a spice it up.

Shredded Chicken Porridge $3.20

The Shredded Chicken Porridge was on the salty end. However, I must mention that the shredded chicken was well marinated and cooked. Very flavourful and soft chicken meat!

Dried Chilli Frog Leg $8.00

Ordered Dried Chilli Frog Leg again. Right amount of sweetness and spiciness. The frog (meat) was tender and flavourful having adsorbed the sauce. Delicious! 

Plain Porridge $0.60

As usual, I ordered a bowl of Plain Porridge for myself. The reason for ordering this is to add the sauce from Dried Chilli Frog Leg and the frog leg into this! It will transform into the best plain porridge ever.

Again, Tiong Shian Porridge is one of my favourite food destination especially for porridge or claypot frog leg.  The down side is that you have to be prepared to sweat it out eating this as this place is not air-conditioned. (this is something worth sweating for). Should you have difficulty finding seats, there's level 2!

Tiong Shian Porridge 長城粥品 (New Bridge Road)
265 New Bridge Road, Ann Kway Building
Tel: 6221 1596 / 6222 3911
Opening Hours: Daily 8am to 4am
Location

Tiong Shian Porridge 長城粥品 (Whampoa Drive)

Blk 82 Whampoa Drive

#01-973

Tel: 6254 0952

Opening Hours: Mon to Fri 9am - 230pm, 4pm - 12am

                          Sat 9am - 12am 

LE Cafe Confectionery & Pastry (Middle Road)

LE Cafe Confectionery & Pastry has a long history and is possibly one of Singapore's oldest cake and pastry shop. They have over 50 years of history with a reputation for their quality product. The cakes and pastries are crafted by hand and contain no lard or pork. Today, LE Cafe Confectionery & Pastry has 3 branches in Singapore (For its locations please refer to the end of the post)

LE Cafe Confectionery & Pastry has received many recognition from food shows, newspapers, magazines and celebrities. The whole shop is full of articles and photos endorsing their quality products.

Wedding cakes

LE Cafe Confectionery & Pastry is known for their 'golf ball' pineapple tarts, bean curd tarts, cakes and  wedding cakes. Look at the above picture! What a beautiful customised wedding cake!

Menu

Some of the items and their prices that are being sold in LE Cafe Confectionery & Pastry. I went to LE Cafe Confectionery & Pastry on a weekday afternoon at around 130pm. I wanted to buy the Beancurd Tart. However, it was already sold out when I got there. What is amazing is that the Beancurd Tarts are only available daily after 1230pm yet it got sold so quickly. I was told I can call in to reserve the next time.

Mixed Beancurd Tarts $9.00

I decided to purchase the Mixed Beancurd Tarts instead for $9.00.

Mixed Beancurd Tarts $9.00

The Mixed Beancurd Tarts consist of 7 different kinds of Beancurd Tarts.

Clockwise from Top Left (above picture): Longan in Beancurd, The Original, The Original, Peanuts in Beancurd.

Clockwise from Top Left (above picture): Grass Jelly in Beancurd, Gingko Nut & White Fungus in Beancurd,  Egg White in Beancurd, Red Beans in Beancurd.

Most of us would have tried Portuguese Egg Tart before. Beancurd Tart will be something new to most of us. The beancurd tarts will need to be kept in the fridge and are best served chilled. It has to be consumed within 2-3 days.

The crust of the beancurd tart is hard yet crispy, crunchy and sweet! The beancurd filling is soft, silky and with melt in your mouth sensation. Moreover, the beancurd taste is not overwhelming. Among the beancurd tarts, the Original Beancurd was the best! A nice change from Portuguese Egg tarts.

Oh yes, to further reinforce that this shop has a long history, my parents told me that their wedding cake (30 years ago) came from this shop! This is a interesting shop. The only downside is that it is not located near the MRT station. Anyone tried their wedding cakes before?

ps: best to call and reserve the Original Beancurd Tart

LE Cafe Confectionery & Pastry (Middle Road)
264 Middle Road
Tel: 6337 2417
Opening Hours: Monday to Saturday 1030am - 730pm
                          Sundays and Public Holidays 1030am - 4pm
Website

LE Cafe Confectionery & Pastry (Cambridge Road)
Blk 42 Cambridge Road #01-02
Tel: 6298 1477
Opening Hours: Monday to Saturday 1030am - 7pm
                          Sundays and Public Holidays 1030am - 3pm


LE Cafe Confectionery & Pastry (Veerasamy Road)
Blk 637 Veerasamy Road #01-111
Tel: 6294 8813

Opening Hours: Monday to Saturday 1130am - 4pm

                          Sundays and Public Holidays 1130am - 3pm

View FoodieFC's Singapore Food Map in a larger map