Sichuan Kungfu Fish - Newly opened Sichuan Restaurant in Suntec City

Sichuan Kungfu Fish opened late last year in Suntec City and is known for their spicy Sichuan base featuring a selection of fishes. It's a straight forward concept where visitors pick their choice of fish with whichever sides to go along and the base to go with it.

As this was supposed to be a birthday celebration meal for my friend, I decided to go for the more popular (but pricer) Special Cod by Our Principal ($66.90). For the base, we went with the Spicy Hotpot with level 1 spiciness. I don't have the guts to go all in on the spiciness. For the sides, my friend added the lotus root ($2.90) and quail egg ($4.90).

I enjoyed the meal especially the cod because I like soft tender fish meat. The flavour will seep through the ingredients overtime  so it's probably not a place you want to have a fast meal at. This is perfect for long chats while you slowly clean off the pot. I found the mild spicy level to be manageable, in fact, I'd be willing to try level 2 next time. For spicy lovers, you should pick the spicier levels as my friend found level 1 to be no kick!

We added some Kungfu Noodles ($0.90) into the broth as my friend didn't order rice. I really enjoyed the noodles and probably will order multiple servings next time I come. Dipping it into the spicy broth, you get tasty flavourful noodles.

I got to credit the staff who took our order. She successfully upsold us some tasteless Kungfu Milk Tea ($7.90) saying that it's a new invention not put on the menu yet. I hope they never put this on the menu, it's like drinking expensive coloured water.

The Special Chocolate Ice Smoothie ($9.90) she recommended had a little more hope. It tasted like how chocolate smoothie should however I found it weird to drink chocolate smoothie with spicy fish.

As a whole, I'm still pretty attracted to this place. The wide variety of fishes caters to all pockets and the flavour of the broth definitely hit the right notes as long as you get the spicy level right. This is an ideal place for small group gatherings where everyone shares a good joke over a pipping hot pot.

Sichuan Kungfu Fish 
Suntec City, 3 Temasek Boulevard, B1-132/171, S038983

Kam's Roast - Singapore's outlet of HK's 1 Star Michelin Restaurant

Kam's Roast is the overseas outpost of Hong Kong's 1 star Michelin Kam's Roast Goose. The catch here is there's only duck in Singapore, no goose. This is because the supplier to their Hong Kong outlet doesn't meet the regulations to import their goose here. Located at Pacific Plaza, Kam's Roast is part of an increasing chain of Hong Kong and Michelin starred establishments opening along Scotts Road. Some of the other prominent restaurants include Tim Ho Wan, Tsuta and Mui Kee across the road.

After queuing an hour for Mui Kee two weeks ago, I was a bracing myself for another queuing challenge this time. Thankfully there's no queue when I visited the outlet at 6.30pm.

Given that we couldn't try their signature Roast Goose due to AVA restrictions, we settled for the next closest item which is Roast Duck ($19.80, for 1/4 lower body). I specially requested for the bones to be removed and they were very obliging. Eating this roast duck reminds me of my very first visit to Hong Kong's Kam's Roast Goose. I recalled that experience was so positively good that I specially made a second trip back to eat it again before I left. (I have never visited the same restaurant twice on a single holiday trip, before this) The roast duck had very tender meat. The sweetness of the gravy was very distinct and it really made the dish stand out. Judging from the taste, the quality control is not lost despite this being an overseas outlet, which happens very often with many other overseas establishments I've tried.

I really love pork and I would feel the meal isn't complete without pork. We ordered the mix pork combination of Toro Char Siew with Crispy Pork ($27.80). Once again, the meat was extremely tender and a joy to eat. I can finish the entire plate myself (if I wasn't trying to control my diet). I enjoyed the honey coated sweetness that goes really well with the toro char siew. The toro char siew is prepared using a secret recipe of the Kam family. The roast crispy pork is another winner with the right balance of fats and tender meat. The crackling pork skin provides the added oomph and texture that goes well with the meat.

As the friend I brought along for the meal hasn't been overseas before, I'm really glad both dishes gave an accurate representation of the Michelin Starred restaurant in Hong Kong. Would I come back for a second visit? It's a rousing yes. I already foresee bringing my family here for dinner one night. This experience has made me a loyal fan of Kam's Roast. I highly doubt I'll bother to visit other roast meat or duck establishments should I have a craving. Must reserve the calories for the best. I highly recommend Kam's Roast if you have craving for roast meat or duck!

Kam's Roast
Pacific Plaza, 9 Scott's Road #01-04/05/06/07, S228210

7th Heaven KTV and Cafe - Cafehopping with Karaoke Facilities

I went to 7th Heaven KTV & Cafe in support of my friend who just returned from overseas to helm the running of the business. 

7th Heaven KTV and Cafe is a hidden gem located at Tampines Safra. It is probably my first, if not only encounter with a KTV that offers instagrammable blog-worthy food. Currently, the owner's daughter, Shermain (who is my friend), is running the show. Visitors of this cafe can both sing in the main hall or private rooms and also enjoy hipster food at the cafe. 

As I was there with a couple of friends, we picked a few signature dishes to share. The Lychee Smoked Duck Pizza ($21.90) is really one of a kind. The thin crusted pizza went really well with the cheesy combination of cheddar, mozzarella and parmesan richly decorated with duck slices. The chunky lychees inside the pizza gave a fruity twist to the savoury dish that gave the strongly flavoured pizza added sweetness.

As a Pasta lover, I judge pastas with an extremely fussy yardstick. Most pastas in coffee joints and cafes while camera friendly doesn't leave my taste buds sated. Imagine my surprise that this Laksa Pasta ($17.90) at a KTV Cafe can leave me craving for the entire dish after taking a bite. The Laksa Pasta is made of linguine with mussels, prawns and squid cooked with homemade laksa sauce. My favourite yardstick to judge awesome pastas is whether they leave a lingering after taste hours after you finish your meal. This one does and I foresee myself going back for a second plate (without having to share) pretty soon.

We also tried the Pulled Pork Burger ($17.90) which was prepared well and stood out for its zesty sourish sauce. Having said that, I found that the paprika fries stole the limelight from this dish and I couldn't stop eating. They should sell these addictive paprika fries as a standalone small bite.

It's my first time ordering Banana Smoothie ($7.50) in a cafe. This smoothie is part of the enhanced menu introduced by Shermain. The flavour is very rich and it'll be perfect if it's slightly colder. One key highlight of the drinks here are the bamboo straws which are reusable. Shermain is highly passionate about sustainable living and this is one of her little efforts to stay true to her beliefs.

The apple tarte ($5.90) is also part of Shermain's invention. I really liked the French Vanilla ice-cream that comes with it. It is robust in flavour and milkiness. While I find the caramelized apple hitting the right level of sweetness, I like my ideal apple tart to have a more crumbly texture.

As of now 7th Heaven KTV and Cafe is running a series of promos some of which I find attractive like the $15 Set Lunch with an hour free karaoke session. I'm not much of a singing person and honestly, it is the food that appeals to me. The food here is really awesome and it's a pity that the cafe is left largely undiscovered. I'm very impressed that a KTV kitchen can produce food of such quality. You got to try it to know I'm not exaggerating.

7th Heaven KTV and Cafe
1/A Tampines Street 92, Safra Tampines, #03-02, S528882

*this is not a sponsored article. I paid for my food.

Mui Kee Congee - Famous Mongkok Porridge with Permanent Outlet in Singapore

Mui Kee is a popular porridge stall that originated in Mongkok way back in 1979. It is currently managed by its third generation owner Ah Tung. The Les Amis Group brought Mui Kee to Singapore last year and it started out as a pop-up stall in Botanic Gardens. I've been wanting to try them out since but busy schedules denied me of this opportunity. In the month of March, Mui Kee opened their first permanent outlet in Shaw Centre. I took the Good Friday break to bring my mom to try it out.

I knew there was going to be a queue so made it a point to arrive early. Nevertheless, I still underestimated the waiting time. I assumed that those chasing the latest fad would have already eaten their fill of Mui Kee when they were at Botanic Gardens. Turns out, there's a lot more people like me who only managed to make time now.

I believed many in the queue shared my sentiments and some left the queue to eat at Tsuta, Kam's Roast and Tim Ho Wan just opposite the street. Are the developers trying to develop some kind of Hong Kong street? My total queue time was 1 Hour 5 mins.

I discovered that the set menus were unavailable during weekends and public holidays. So my mom and I settled for the Sakura Shrimps Steamed Rice Noodles ($5.50) to kick start our meal. The dish was served with a small dish of soya sauce. The steamed rice noodles tasted great and was easy to finish. My mom who basically needs chilli in her food was pleasantly surprised that the dish won her approval without chilli.

As we referred to the staff for recommendations, the staff tried to sell us everything. I selected the Sliced Parrot Congee ($9.80) as I like using fish congee as a gauge among Cantonese restaurants I eat at. This is when the staff suggested also trying the Sliced Threadfin Congee ($16) because its supposed to be sweeter. 

The congee are very smooth and you can hardly feel the grains. However, I felt that the sweetness of the porridge was lacking. It didn't help that I just ate a coffeeshop porridge at Tampines a couple of days back that truly impressed me. Both bowls were generous with their servings and it's definitely advisable to share. I didn't feel the Sliced Threadfin Congee was distinctively sweeter than the Slice Parrot Fish Congee. To be fair, both are definitely above average in terms of quality and for restaurant dining, it's definitely pocket friendly.

I reserved special mention for the dough fritters ($2) which we ordered to go with our porridge. It's fried excellently. There's not a hint of oiliness and it's very crispy. The entire bowl of dough fritters were a joy to eat on its own and really we kinda forgot we were eating flour. I think you know good dough fritters when you don't feel full despite devouring the whole bowl of fried dough and still can eat another bowl.

Would I return to Mui Kee? It's a very attractive place to dine at because of its wallet friendly pricing. I don't think I'd be willing to queue another hour to try their other porridge selections though. I'd highly recommend Mui Kee if you want a good quality meal at the heart of town but would like to keep your dining cost below a $50 budget for two.

Mui Kee Congee
Shaw Centre, 1 Scotts Road, #01-12, S228208