Yin Ji - Guangzhou's popular congee joint in Singapore

As I continue to try overseas food in Singapore, Yin Ji is the latest overseas outpost I'm featuring. I'm assuming they are not only known for their congee and Cantonese fare, their rice rolls should be their main feature considering their Chinese name is 银记肠粉店 (translated to Yin Ji Rice Rolls Stall). This feature is made up of 2 visits, with the first one done way back in May last year. I got too busy with work and travelling and simply forgot about them till my more recent visit.

The "Boat" Congee ($6.50) seen here is a mix of char siew, fried eggs, fish and peanuts. The congee has the smoothness of typical Cantonese fare but lack the sweetness in flavour. To be very honest, I felt a little clueless how to appreciate this rendition of congee because it felt so 'chapalang' (mixed up) that it reminds me of my mom throwing in whatever she could find in the fridge to cook a dish.

The sliced pork congee ($6) perhaps gives the eater less identity crisis. However the richness in flavour is still lacking. Considering how near Guangzhou is to Hong Kong, then the traditional Cantonese standards seems to be open for interpretation.

So partly because of the Congee experience, I stayed away from the restaurant till very recently where I found my favourite Dumpling Noodles ($6.80) in CBD! The Yin Ji's rendition hits all the right notes. Using typical Cantonese noodles similar to those you find at Mak's Noodles, this one managed to get rid of the strange plastic taste which usually puts me off. The broth is also adequately flavourful, with the pork dumplings sufficiently seasoned, in my opinion might even shame some of those Michelin star wonton mee outlets in Singapore.

Yin Ji also introduced some new dishes to its menu this month. One of them is the Salted Pepper Chicken Chop Noodles ($6.80) that is fairly delicious. The chicken is fried till it's really crispy on the outside and fairly tender inside. It might be worth trying if you want something new.

The egg rolls at Yin Ji is the highlight that caught my attention right from the beginning. Having eggs inside the egg roll is something new to me. The Fresh Prawn Egg Rolls ($7.50) did live up to expectations and the eggy rice roll is indeed preferred over the plain ones I usually eat. The sauce used also managed to hit the right notes considering the common assumption that China style cooking is always heavy in the saltiness. All in all, while it might not be out of this world, I felt it was worth my calories.

Would I come back? Honestly, it's a yes and a no. For practical reasons because I work in CBD, I might eat here again due to its fairly decent sitting arrangements and it has air-condition. However, I'm not really impressed with the food except for the Dumpling Noodles. I doubt this will be a place I would choose to impress someone unless I'm craving for dumpling noodles. Haha!

Yin Ji
Far East Square, 133 Amoy Street #01-01 S048775

Froth - Asian Fusion Dining in CBD

What do you do if you love Chinese food but end up in a western restaurant because of work? Froth is an Asian Fusion Dining concept located at Ascott Raffles Place. It was introduced to me by a colleague who doesn't enjoy noodles or western food but he mentioned that the food at Froth resonated with him.

This Sio Bak Aglio ($24.90) was his recommendation. It's legitimately good! The sio bak has a very crispy skin with fat, juicy and tender meat. Its flavour was literally oozing out of every bite. To top it off, another friend who also doesn't appreciate these 'atas' dishes actually praised the sio bak. If this isn't valid testimony of the dish, I don't know what is.

The Chilli Crab Pasta ($24.90) is another noteworthy dish. For a start, the fried till crispy shellcrab is loud and distinct. The chef also included a fried mantou at the side which is pretty ingenious. The pasta sauce was slanting towards a tomato sweet flavour which kinda appeals however not spicy enough! As a whole though, the dish stands out for good execution and generosity.

I enjoyed my Prawn Aglio ($24.90) dish. At first glance, it looks kinda ordinary and the prawns used look like something my mom can prepare. Dishing into the linguine, my entire perspective change. For a start, the noodles were oozing with wok-hei flavour. I strongly believe that good pastas are fully immersive in both the initial taste and the subsequent after taste. This one left a lingering after taste which leaves you craving for more. It's western yet chinese which reminds you of char mee yet it's linguine and aglio olio.

I reserve special praise for the linguine. You notice that all 3 dishes were using the same noodles but they all carry their own distinctive taste. The fact that they are all supposed to be aglio olio but yet stand out in such a differentiated manner highlights the ingenuity of the chef's skill. I guess with the hotel price tag, it's a given. That said, good food is good food and my meal at Froth is definitely memorable.

Froth
2 Finlayson Green, Ascott Raffles Place
Singapore Level 2, Singapore 049247

CBD Lunch Ideas at The Basement

Hong Leong Building recently completed the revamp of their basement food hall, called The Basement. It is a floor with a wide selection of food where the CBD working crowds' tummies are assured to be well pampered. Having recently been working in the area myself, I've had the pleasure to frequent it so often I can write about my dining experience.

Pho Thai 

Pho Thai is a combination of 3 restaurants selling Thai, Japanese and Vietnamese cuisines. The Japanese food which many of my colleagues also tried doesn't exactly have positive votes. In fact, most complain that the rice is too hard. While my bowl didn't have such complaint, it was too watery. The chefs are not very skilled which frankly for their price point, can be quite a harsh assessment. However, given that there are 2 other restaurants there, the jap food relative to the other choices seem to fail badly.

On a separate occasion, I tried the Thai Basil Pork rice. It was satisfactory. I wasn't expecting much from a lunch crowd eatery and the least it can do is get the basics right. I'm pleased with the level of spiciness of the pork, flavour and the sunny side up that it comes with.

Baba Bento

Baba Bento was one of my favourite meals in The Basement. For a start, it's my first ever Bunga Telang rice. It comes with 4 choices beef rendang, ikan assam pedas, ayam kapitan and ayam pongteh. I settled for the Ikan Assam Pedas set which also comes with keropok and drink. The spicy assam fish packs a lot of flavour and the fish is cooked till tender, just the way I like it. I also enjoyed the sambal egg and chap chye that completes the meal. The entire lunch was fairly enjoyable and the biggest headache for me is the availability of seats at this highly popular lunch spot.

Ah Bamas

My colleagues later brought me to Ah Bamas and they rave about the awesome food as well as the extremely hospitable lady boss who can cook you any Indonesian cuisine you can dream up if you buay paiseh request for it. The Ayam Penyet we tried was pretty impressive! The chicken packs a very crispy exterior although I found the meat rather dry. What really makes the dish a winner is the chilli. The chilli has a wicked spiciness that all my colleagues couldn't get enough of. In fact, a couple of them went for 2 to 3 extra chilli servings because it goes so well with the rice and the chicken. Be warned though, the spiciness can be challenging for some to manage.

Turkish Cuisine

Then there're also the random days we couldn't get seats and have to settle for Turkish Cuisines. Turns out that the food is pretty good. The roast chicken with rice was very tender and it goes very well with the tartar and chilli sauce that the dish comes with. While Turkish food is simply not my kind of food, the meal was still a very competent effort.

Crave

Crave is known to serve pretty fantastic Nasi Lemak. There're a total of 6 sets you can choose from, mainly either fish or chicken. I settled for the chicken filet set which I was very happy with. The chicken is fried excellently with crispy skin and tender meat. I find that their chilli packs a punch that makes the entire meal a joy to eat. You can take my word for it coming from someone who doesn't really eat Nasi Lemak by choice.

As a whole, The Basement is a very interesting place to have lunch. Most of the food range from $7 to $15. Not exactly the cheapest place to dine at considering there's Lau Pa Sat next door. I guess their merits is really a centralised dining hall with a myriad selection. You definitely won't grow bored dining here everyday but you might go broke.

Gyoza Bar

This week, time seems to fly faster than usual as I over-committed myself to a host of activities so that life is more productive and progressive. I'm waiting to watch Tottenham vs Manchester United as I'm typing this. Can't wait to watch the Premier League LIVE when I'm in London. We might as well call this week a sports week since I'm heading to the indoor stadium tomorrow for the WTA Finals.

This mid-week, I finally managed to meet the ever busy Fat Fat for dinner. Apparently Fat Fat was in Raffles Place for Yoga which she somehow 'missed' and thus we ended up dining at Gyoza Bar. This is an interesting bar cum ramen venue, hidden in an obscure stairway. It explains why the place is fairly quiet and empty when we got there. It's like a secret hidden haunt, and I'm feeling a bit selfish about sharing this to be honest.

We kicked started our meal with gyoza. Obviously right? Given the name of the restaurant....

So greedy Fat Fat and I (trust me, we almost always over order), ordered the 15 pieces Yaki Gyoza ($19.90) to share! I found the gyoza very generous with the meat, taste is on the milder side but the dish seems to jump to life when we dip it with the salt on the side. I'm certain it will appeal strongly to those with a lighter palette.

For mains, I ordered the Chicken Soup Ramen with Egg ($15) and Fat Fat settled for the Mazesoba with Soft Boiled Egg ($12.30). I pretty much enjoyed my chicken soup ramen. I found the soup to be sufficiently flavourful, ramen Q enough and the egg and char siew well prepared. I definitely felt some hearty satisfaction after my main.

Fat Fat too enjoyed her Mazesoba with soft boiled egg. The noodles were well prepared, seasoning sufficiently tasty and the overall dish definitely provided the adequate balance to the lightly flavoured gyoza.

Of course, Gyoza Bar as the name suggest meant we also enjoyed some hot sake to go with our food. There's a range of alcoholic selection and it's an awesome place to catch up with a friend. I liked it that it is quiet and cozy. You can sit there for hours without the stress of a hurried meal with long queues and many pairs of eyes staring at you to finish your meal.

I'll certainly be back again with another companion on another catch up session. I highly recommend this place if your companion loves the occasional alcohol indulgence with a fairly presentable dinner. I even think this is an awesome place to bring a first date! It is inexpensive, cozy with food and wine to complete the night out.

Gyoza Bar
7 North Canal Road, 048820

The Westin - Lobby Lounge

My weekends this week was great because of the company. Unfortunately I found the food at Populus Cafe not worth blogging about so I'll share with everyone somewhere else I dined at sometime this month which was another pampering experience.

I picked the Westin Lobby Lounge Seafood High Tea ($85++ for two) as a way to thank my Tai Tai friend for recommending me my latest job which I'm extremely happy with. Believe me, it's a very pampering experience with 2 champagne flutes, seafood platter, fresh lobster and oyster and desserts.

I just want to add that I thought this high tea set is extremely value for money because how often you get seafood and champagne for 2 at less than a hundred? 

I'd like to add that we met up for this high tea on a weekday afternoon. Believe me when I say that the feeling is awesome. Everyone else present from the business associates discussing their grand plans over food or the rich Tai-tais enjoying their regular afternoon teas to the young girls enjoying their girlfriend time while the rest of the world is working helps you enjoy your afternoon better. At least I did. Tai Tai friend was very satisfied with the entire experience too.

I strongly recommend giving the Westin Lobby Lounge Seafood High Tea a shot when you are on leave and want to have a pampering afternoon on a weekday. You'll appreciate the experience better.

Westin Singapore - Lobby Lounge 
12 Marina View, Asia Square Tower 2