Tuesday, 19 March 2013

Orchard Emerald Beef Noodles 牛肉麵 (Holland Drive)

Orchard Emerald Beef Noodles 牛肉麵  used to be located at Orchard Emerald Basement Food Court in 1997. I understand that the owner has moved several times before finally settling down at its present location; a coffee shop at Blk 46 Holland Drive. The stall is located at a corner of the coffee shop near the zi char stall. 
I visited Orchard Emerald Beef Noodles 牛肉麵 on a weekday during lunch hours.There was a queue of around 4 person in front of me. Despite the short queue, I had to wait close to 10 minutes. This was because it was basically a one man show. The owner operate the whole stall by himself. He takes the order one at a time, cooks it upon order and collects the payment. This reminds me of Yilmaz Western (Ang Mo Kio) which was also a one man show. 
This may also explains why the owner has left a clear indication of his operating hours and the price list for addition of ingredients clearly at his stall front. 
Beef Noodle (Half Set Meal) $4.00
I ordered the Beef Noodle (Half Set Meal) which consisted of a bowl of Beef Noodles and a bowl of Beef Balls Soup.
Beef Noodles
This bowl of Beef Noodles was delicious. A generous portion of beansprouts, diced salted vegetables, slices of beef and spring onions was served together with the noodles. The owner has also grasped the timing to cook the thinly sliced beef perfectly. Such that they were not over cooked, slightly pinkish and was so tender, so soft. The smooth brownish gravy had the right consistency - was not too starchy nor too fluid. Taste wise, it was great; tasty and full of flavour from the beef stock. 
Beef Balls Soup
As for the Beef Balls Soup, it was as good as the bowl of Beef Noodles. Although there was nothing to shout about regarding the beef balls other than it was soft, the soup was the star. It was rich, tasty, full of flavour and essence from the beef. I doubt that any MSG was added as it did not taste salty and I did not feel thirsty after drinking all the soup.

This bowl of Beef Noodles and Beef Balls Soup from Orchard Emerald Beef Noodles 牛肉麵  is easily one of the better if not best beef noodles around. Fans of Beef Noodles will surely love this!

After thought: I admire the spirit of the local stall owners (e.g. Orchard Emerald Beef Noodles & Yilmaz Western)  who despite the difficulties (e.g. rising rental cost, rising cost of ingredients, difficulty and cost of hiring a helper) have gone to continue operating the stalls themselves. In addition, long hours and hard work  are required to cook such delectable dishes. Let's hope that they continue to persevere. I will definitely still be going back to these stalls to continue to patronise, support and at the same time satisfy my stomach. A win-win-win situation.

Orchard Emerald Beef Noodles 牛肉麵 (Holland Drive)
#01-359, Blk 46 Holland Drive 
Tel: 9678 3869
Opening Hours: 10am to 8pm


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Monday, 18 March 2013

Capricciosa Singapore: March Promotions (till 31 Mar 2013)

Source: Capricciosa Singapore
Capricciosa Singapore: March Promotions (till 31 Mar 2013)
Free Soup, Buy 1 Get 1 Free Spaghetti, Buy 1 Get 1 Free Pizza, 50% off Fresh Handmade Pasta

- Valid till 31 March 2013
- Print and present this leaflet at store to enjoy the deals
- Valid for dine-in only
- Not valid with other promotions or discounts
- The management reserves the right to amend the terms and conditions without prior notice

Sunday, 17 March 2013

Tampopo Restaurant (Liang Court)

Tampopo Restaurant is one of my favourite restaurant when it comes satisfying my ramen craving. It has been around for sometime, starting off with an outlet in Liang Court. Today, it is a restaurant chain serving Japanese Cuisine and has expanded to Takashimaya and also opened the Tampopo Deli at the basement of Liang Court. Tampopo is popular for its black pig ramen and first started in Liang Court.
We arrived at the restaurant at 1130am on a weekday. We were their first customer that day. Before long, the 2nd and third group of customers arrived. We were able to place our orders fairly quickly as we knew what to order before hand. We were served the green tea and the ramen without much delay.
Original Kyushu Ramen $13.50
Original Kyushu Ramen $13.50
The partner ordered the Original Kyushu Ramen. Besides the Kyushu ramen which was thin and hard, the bowl of ramen was served with tamago, black fungus, fish roe, soy sauce pork slice (char siew) and spring onions The Char Siew with a decent fat to lean meat ratio provided a melt in the mouth sensation.

The pork broth which required two days to made was made from pork bone! The pork broth was light, milky and tasty. I felt that it was a tad too salty. Nevertheless, it was still one of the better Japanese ramen around and at $13.50, it was value for money!
Deluxe Tampopo Black Pig Shabu Ramen $16.30
Deluxe Tampopo Black Pig Shabu Ramen $16.30
I ordered the Deluxe Tampopo Black Pig Shabu Ramen which was served with tampopo, corns, bamboo shoots, slices of black pig and lettuce. It was topped with lots of chilli flakes and some spring onions. The flavour of the chilli flakes did not overwhelm the taste of the pork bone broth. The broth was tasty yet forgiving. Compared to the broth from the Original Kyushu Ramen, I thought that this was more flavourful. The ramen was well cooked, retained its springiness and was not hard. It was a joy slurping the ramen along with the broth.

As the name black pig shabu suggests, the black pig was sliced thinly (paper thin) with little or no marination so that one can taste the original taste of the meat. Each piece had the right balance of fats and meat and was so soft and tender that they provided a melt in the mouth sensation. If only they gave more slices of the black pig shabu. Oishii!!!  Black Pig aka Berkshire Pig is the oldest breed of pig known originating from  Reading-Berkshire in England. It is the highest prized pork in Japan and regarded as the best quality of pork in the world. 

The Tamago (Japanese half boiled egg) was excellent. A firm and nice consistent dark brown colour on the outside. On the inside, it was soft and the egg yolk was runny - just the way a Tamago should be like. If you are keen to make your very own Tamago, you can click here for the recipe.

Overall, I felt that Tampopo's ramen was as good as Santouka's! Besides the dishes mentioned in this post, the Tonkatsu Ramen, Scoop Cake and Matcha Chiffon Cake are worth a try too. Service wise, the staff were prompt in refilling the green tea and the food got served pretty fast. To be fair, I should add that as we arrived at 1130am on a weekday, there was virtually no crowd in the restaurant. 

Tampopo Restaurant (Liang Court) 
177 River Valley Road
#01-23/24 Liang Court
Tel: 6338 3186
Opening Hours: Mon to Sat 1130am - 1030pm (last order 10pm)
                        Sunday and Public Holidays 11am - 1030pm (last order 10pm)

Tampopo Restaurant (Takashimaya) 
B2-33 Takashimaya Shopping Centre
Tel: 6235 2318
Opening Hours: Daily 11am to 10pm
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