Review: 4 Fingers Bonchon Crispy Chicken @ Ion Orchard

Excellent appearance, Crappy Service!

We were attracted by the appearance of the store and curious about how crispy it could actually be. So we ordered the 6 pc chicken, with half and half teriyaki/hot flavours (Soy garlic was out of stock). The guy who took our order had a "couldn't care less" attitude, there were 3 large bags of garbage placed right next to the chiller, and the kitchen (or what we could see of it) was a mess.

The decor was actually pretty cool, with LCD TVs, funky wall paper, fancy queue pager thingy and an interesting table with foldable chairs attached. I believe the concept was indeed quite a good one...

... But operational execution was seriously bad. We (and 3-4 groups before us) waited at least 15 minutes for our food! For a fast food outlet, that's really unacceptable. I should have been halfway through my food in that amount of time!

Food-wise, it was indeed super crispy, and I actually liked the spiciness of the hot wings (teriyaki - not so much). In fact the wings were so crispy they tasted like chicken wing flavoured chips! Not cheap though, $7.95 for just 6 pcs of drumlets/wings

I really hope the owners could look into cleaning up their operations, I will definitely not wait that long again. It'd be a waste to see a good concept go down without a fight.

4 out of 10
4 Fingers Bonchon Crispy Chicken
2 Orchard Turn
#B4-06A ION Orchard

Review: Feasting in Kyushu - Fukuoka & Nagasaki

Having been to the major cities in Japan, Fukuoka is probably not the top of on everyone's list (where?). This is a real gem - situated in Northen Kyushu and a major transport hub to access other parts of southern Japan, I would strongly recommend this place for those who've seen the likes of Tokyo, Kyoto and Osaka. There are direct flights daily from Singapore and price-wise, lots cheaper than Tokyo and Hokkaido both in terms of food and accommodation!

Fukuoka airport is centrally located, just a short 15mins train ride away to the city centre. Also from the airport, Hakata JR station, as well as the city Tenjin Bus Centre, one can hop onto connecting buses to travel to Kumamoto, Yufuin, Beppu, Mount Aso and Kurokawa Onsen to name a few. Hakata JR station is also where you can board a Shinkansen (bullet train) to get to Nagasaki, Huis Ten Bosch/ Sasebo & Kagoshima. The JR Northern Kyushu and JR Kyushu passes are a good economic way to hop from city to city on Japan Railway networks. 

Kays & I spent year end there, and we took the opportunity to spend a couple of nights at the beautiful Kurokawa Onsen as well as a day trip to Nagasaki. English signs are everywhere, the only challenge is usually communicating with shop owners. We've managed to get around pretty easily with my limited japanese and sufficient hand gestures.

Some Must Dos/ MUST EATS:
Get yourself to one of the Yatais (Jap-style road-side stalls) - most of the stuff listed can be found there (though it's not that cheap).
The most convenient and popular ones are situated along the Hakata River (near Canal City). Take the underground subway to Nakasu-Kawabata station and walk 5 mins along the river. You'd notice rows of lanterns and brightly lit little stalls. Another supposedly more authentic (and I guess less touristy i.e. english-speaking) bunch of yatais can be found at Nagahana area which unfortunately we didn't manage to visit this time round.

 

Hakata River

1. Kyushu (Tonkotsu) Ramen

You CAN'T visit Kyushu and not taste the ramen! The pork bone broth is extremely flavourful and perfect for a cold winter's day when you're sitting outdoors! Our favourite was the one at the Yatais (stall #3) - simple with just a few thick slices of stewed Char Siu, scallions, roasted sesame and nori (500円).

  

Ramen @ Yatai

Other places to get your ramen fix are at Ichiran and Ippudo - 2 of the most famous chains where you purchase a ramen ticket from a vending machine and then you fill in an order sheet to specifiy exactly how you like your noodles done. We tried out Ichiran this time, but didn't get to try the latter which as since opened 2 branches in Singapore. Noodles at Ichiran were done perfectly (780円), and if one portion is not enough, you can "top up" by asking for Kaedama, meaning an additional portion of noodles. Remember to leave some soup behind otherwise you'll be having the noodles dry!

  

Ramen @ Ichiran (一蘭) 

2. Mentaiko Mentaiko Mentaiko! 

Oh how we love these cod roes. Seen here are grilled ones at one of the yatai stalls, but you can also buy them as souvenirs everywhere!We bought some mentaiko home, and aside from eating it neat, mixed with white rice, I've also used it for Mentaiko Spaghetti since!

  

Grilled Cod Roe (Mentaiko 明太子)

3. Oden

This is japanese's equivalent to our "Yong Tau Foo". Usually consisting of a thick tender chunk of Daikon (white raddish), various types of seasoned fried fishcakes, hard boiled egg, tofu served in a clear broth with mustard.

  

Oden おでん 

4. Yakitori

Guess I don't need to elaborate much - seasoned skewered meats grilled on charcoal... perfect with an Asahi beer! Interestingly, my personal favourites are often the grilled leeks and peppers that usually accompany the meat.

Yakitori 焼きとり (150-200円 per stick)

5. Motsunabe (Cow Offal Stew)

Essentially beef intestines cooked in its own juices and stock. A tad too fatty for my liking but worth a try!

  

Cow Offal Stew (Motsunabe もつ鍋)

6. Gyutan (Ox Tongue)

Grilled with salt, these are super tender and tasty. I wonder if I can replicate this at home?

  

Grilled Ox Tongue (Gyutan ギュタン)

7. On-the-road Bentos

I've always loved the idea of bringing a pretty bento box on board the bullet train and enjoying the sights while savouring each delicately arranged "section" of the bento box. I'd chosen a scallop bento on our Shinkansen ride to Nagasaki this time, accompanied by my favourite milk tea. :)

  

 Bento Box

8. Castella

This is something quite famous in Nagasaki - a type of sponge cake with a brown sugar base. Supposedly well-known because it's one of the first items westerners brought to Japan after the end of the Edo era. This was taken at the Glover House's Jyu-Tei cafe.

  

Sponge Cake (Castella カステラ)

9. Champon

Another popular choice when visiting Nagasaki - Champon is a noodle dish with pork bone broth, served with lots of veggies, fish cake and pork slices. In the menu the english translation was "chop suey" but I'm not sure how close this was to what's found in the US chinese restaurants. Almost every restaurant in Nagasaki's Chinatown served this dish. To be honest I wasn't a huge fan but I guess it's still worth a try. I personally preferred the "Nikuman" or their version of the "Kong Bah Bao" sold along the road side. 

  

 Champon チャンポン

 So there you go! Of course there are also lots of fabulous sushi places which I won't cover here. Next up, Kurokawa Onsen so watch this space!

Ah Mak's Must Try List - KL Hokkien Mee

Having been together for the last 5 years, I've learnt to appreciate a few dishes from Kays' hometown of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. We've since been on the hunt for some good local alternatives in Singapore.

Top of this list is KL Hokkien Mee. The best ones in KL usually come drenched in dark, mildly sweet soy sauce, immensely aromatic from all that garlic and the occasional crunch of fried pork lard (sinful and I didn't even like those porky cubes, but I got sucked in as well~!) Some places serve it with bits and slivers of fishcake/ seafood, but that's immaterial. Most importantly, it must have the "wok-hei" to bring out all the flavours.

So, it seems that we have not been able to come up with a substantial list yet, but we're working on it! Hopefully more people will set up shop here so that we don't have to wait till we go back to visit to get the real stuff. Here are some good ones in Singapore if you don't want to sit through a 4-hour drive:
 
Ah Mak's KL Hokkien Mee Must Try List:
1. Big Eater
34 Jalan Pari Burong
Picardy Gardens
Tel: +65 6245 7268
This is the closest to the real thing that we've found so far - noodles fat enough, sauce thick enough, and they are so generous with the pork lard, it's not funny! When you order, do ask for less lard (unless your arteries are as wide as the CTE tunnel), but the chef will usually decide whether to listen to you or not... Service is generally good, but just don't hope for personalisation! :P Other things to try include the salted egg yolk crab which is rich but I find it a tad sweet for my liking, crab bee hoon and their lime juice and sour plum drink.
They have several branches, newest one in Jurong West which is more convenient, but we have yet to try. 

2. Killiney Kopitiam (Purvis St branch)
30 Purvis Street
Tel: +65 6337 7656
They don't explicitly call it Hokkien Mee, but instead, it says "大条面" (fat noodles) on the menu.

3. Sin Hoi San
55 Tiong Bahru Road #01-59
Tel: +65 6223 0810
The noodles used are much thinner here, and the sauce seems a little on the sweet side, but overall still a good place to get your fix.

No photos on these yet - will add soon!

Ippudo Ramen & Ah Mak's Must Try List

Decided to go for an early lunch today so that we could avoid the long queue for this latest Ramen craze - Ippudo is famous for it's Hakata-style ramen which we unfortunately didn't get to try when we were in Fukuoka last month. Fastest way to get seats - go in twos! We joined the queue but were quickly ushered to our seats because the people in front were all in threes/ fours. :)

Service is still slightly flawed on my 2nd visit, but far better than the last where their order system broke down and our food took a really long time. This time everything came within 10 minutes. I'd decided to try the Akamaru tamago (tonkotsu soup + red miso + seasoned egg) and Kays went for the Shiromaru version which i personally preferred. As sides we've also ordered the Goma-Q (cucumber seasoned with roasted sesame and sesame oil) and nikuman (japanese version of the "kong bah bao" or braised pork bun") to go with our Calpis drinks.

 Akamaru Tamago

 

Shiromaru Tamago

 

Goma-Q

Both ramen were delicious - noodles just "Q" enough, and the flavourful broth was full of oomph. We would have loved it if the noodles were much thinner like those we had at the yatais along the Hakata River which no other ramen shop seems to serve, and the egg was less cooked.

Overall I would definitely come back again (when it's less crowded). I'd rank it as my 2nd favourite ramen place in Singapore (took over Ichiban Tei, and just below Ramen Santouka).

Ah Mak's Ramen must-try list:

1. Ramen Santouka (The Central) - Shio Tonkotsu ramen
6 Eu Tong Sen Street
#02-76 The Central
Tel: +65 6224 0668

2. Ippudo Ramen (Mandarin Gallery) - Shiromaru ramen
333A Orchard Road
#04-02/03/04 Mandarin Gallery
Tel: +65 6235 2

Ippudo TAO (UE Square)
207 River Valley Road

 #01-55/56

UE Square

Singapore 238275

Tel: +65 6887-5315

3. Nantsuttei Ramen (Millenia Walk) - Char Siu Ramen
No.P3-06, #03-02 Millenia Walk
9 Raffles Boulevard, Singapore 039596
Tel: +65 6337 7166 

 
4. Ichiban Tei (Robertson Quay) - Tonkotsu ramen or Tori-Karaage ramen
 60 Robertson Quay
#01-04 The Quayside
Tel: +65 6733 3923

5. Menya Shinchan (Robertson Walk) - Shinjiro ramen (ladies-sized portion available)
30 Robertson Quay
#01-05 Riverside View
Tel: +65 6732 0114

6. Marutama Ramen (The Central) - Spicy Marutama Ramen or Aka Ramen
6 Eu Tong Sen Street
#03-90/91 The Central @ Clarke Quay
Tel: +65 6534 8090
*Photos taken with Kay's SE phone... not bad!

Yaki Gyoza (Pan-fried Dumplings)

My first experience cooking this was back in Uni days when Candice & I were sharing an apartment in Melbourne. She taught me how her mom used to make these with tuna instead of pork. I've been using her recipe ever since.

Aside from Katsudon for dinner tonight, I also revisited gyozas with some techniques again inspired by Francis the Dog and made some slight changes to incorporate both recipes.

Kudos to Jack and XQ for helping out and churning out nicely wrapped gyozas in a short time~

This recipe yields 24pcs, but I've made double and the great thing about this is that you can keep the remaining portion in a tupperware lined with kitchen towel, in the freezer and keeps for at least a week. Anytime you wish to eat some, you can either pan fry them straight out of the freezer, or the next time you're cooking instant noodles, throw a couple in the soup together and you'd get 水饺! hehe...

Serves 4-6
Ingredients:
(Yields 24 pcs)

150g Minced Pork
1/2 pc Onion
50g Chives (韭菜), Finely Chopped
50g Cabbage, Finely Chopped
2 cloves Garlic, Grated or Finely Chopped
2 slices Ginger, Grated or Finely Chopped
1 pkt Gyoza wrappings (can be found at Japanese supermarkets or Cold Storage)
1 Egg

- Seasoning -
1 Tbsp Soya Sauce
1 tsp Sugar
1 tsp Oyster Sauce
1 Tbsp Sesame Oil
Pinch of Salt
Pinch of Pepper
1 tsp Corn Starch

- For Frying -
50ml Water
1 Tbsp Cooking Oil/ Sesame Oil

- Dipping Sauce -
Soya Sauce
Vinegar
2-3 drops of La Yu (Jap Chili Oil)

Directions:
1. Gently knead minced pork in a mixing bowl. Add in seasoning and stir quickly so that the pork becomes a sticky paste.
2. Add Chives, Onions, Garlic, Ginger and egg to pork and mix well. Leave mixture in fridge for 20mins to set.
3. To wrap Gyozas, lightly dust tray with corn starch. Place approx 3/4 tsp of pork filling into centre of gyoza wrapping. Dip finger in a bowl of water and dap along the entire edge of the wrapping in a circle. Fold wrapping into half and before joining the two sides, fold outer edge into pleats before sticking to the opposite edge. This way the gyozas are able to stand on their own.

4. To cook gyozas, heat a small flat pan on medium. Heat oil/ sesame oil and place gyozas onto pan (for presentation purposes, do so in rows of 6) and pan fry the bottom of the gyozas.
5. Immediately add in water and cover with lid for so that the steam will cook & soften the top of the gyozas. Lift lid when water has almost disappeared.
6. Add a few more drops of oil into pan to allow the sides to crisp.
7. To serve, turn off heat, and with a spatula, scoop out Gyozas, and place onto plate with bottom facing up.
8. Serve with Soya Sauce, Vinegar and La Yu... or Wasabi/ Chili Mayo. Eat up!

Katsu Don with Egg

Inspired by the video link that Jack forwarded me, I wanted to have an attempt at this dish, which I usually go to to get my fix at Romankan - B2 Takashimaya Food Hall - specialising in Japanese Tonkatsu (Fried Pork Chops) & Curry. Their pork chop sandwiches are also incredibly yummy!

Anyway back to the video link - you MUST check it out if you wanna learn more about cooking traditional Japanese dishes! The videos are narrated by this "dog" Francis with a heavy Japanese accent. Quite funny really..

I did make a few changes (sorry can't follow rules very well) - and instead of just marinating with salt and pepper, I marinated the pork chop using my Grandmother's (Mah-Mah) special recipe. The pork itself is much tastier this way! :D

Serves 1
Ingredients:

100g 1cm thick Pork Loin or Ribeye
70g Onion
1 Egg

- Marinade -
1 Tbsp Soya Sauce
1 tsp Sugar
1 tsp Worchestershire Sauce
Pinch of Salt
Pinch of Pepper

- Coating -
Corn Flour
1/4 Egg
2 Tbsp Water
Nama-Panko - Fresh Bread Crumbs
Oil

- Sauce -
50ml Water
1/5 tsp Granulated Dashi
1 Tbsp Soy Sauce
1 Tbsp Mirin
1 tsp Sugar

Steamed Rice (preferably Japanese Rice)

Directions:
1. Wash Pork chop and pat dry with kitchen towel. If pork chop is too thick, horizontally slice into two but without cutting all the way through (butterfly). Open up and make incisions around the tougher tendons and tenderize by beating it with a wooden spoon :P. Marinate for 20mins
2.Thinly slice onions and set aside.
3. To prepare coating - layout corn starch in a dish (1), lightly beat 1/4 egg with water (2), and layout nama-panko on a flat tray/dish (3)
4. To coat pork chop, first lightly dust with (1), then dip in (2) and finally, press on breadcrumbs in (3) making sure it is well coated.
5. Heat Oil in a deep pot/ wok on medium. Once it's hot enough (test with small piece of breadcrumb - it's ready if it floats with bubbles) gently place pork chop and fry for approx 2-3 mins depending on thickness. Remove from oil and drain on a sieve and kitchen towel below.
6. Cut pork chop into 1.5inch strips, line neatly on a plate and set aside.
7. Beat 1 egg very lightly and set aside.
8. The next few steps need to happen rather quickly because you don't want the tonkatsu to turn cold. In a small skillet, on medium heat, add in water, sugar, mirin, granulated dashi and soya sauce and stir lightly till dissolved. Add onions, cover with lid and leave to cook for about 1 minute on medium high heat and liquid is reduced slightly.
9. Arrange tonkatsu in the pan over the onions, turn on high heat and quickly pour the beaten egg around and over the tonkatsu. Stir lightly so that the egg mixes with the liquid.
10. Cover with lid and leave to cook for about 15 secs or until the egg mixture starts to set (depends on how runny you like yours to be) and remove from heat.
11. Half-fill bowl with steamed rice and transfer the tonkatsu+egg on top of the rice to serve. Eat up!!

Mentaiko Pasta

It's been a long time since I've had the chance to cook anything proper and since it's a new year I've decided to start something (plus I need something else to keep myself motivated) - I've been documenting tried and tested recipes through the years whether it's passed down by mom or just pure experimentation.

So here's the first one for the year - Mentaiko pasta! I've never failed to order this dish in any restaurant that carried it, one of the earliest ones being Pasta Cafe @ Takashimaya ran by Pokka which has since been refurbished and I think now under a new management. Sadly, while this is still on their menu the standard has taken a nose dive. New kid Pasta de Waraku has it as one of their staple items but I found it a tad too creamy. I've been trying to get by using the instant version sold in most Japanese aisles and that worked too, if I'm feeling like I'm on a budget :D

During our recent trip to Fukuoka we brought home some beautiful mildly spicy Mentaiko from Kyushu and since it can only keep in the fridge for 2 weeks we wasted no time in putting some of that into good use !



Serves 2
Ingredients:
75g Angel Hair Pasta
2 Eggs, Poached
2 Mentaiko sacs
2 slices Bacon, chopped
1/2 Onion, chopped
3 Tbsp white wine
3 Tbsp Chicken stock (I was lazy and diluted some concentrated stock to get this)
2 Tbsp Thickened cream
1 Tbsp Japanese Mayo
1 Tbsp Butter
Nori (Seaweed) Strips


Directions:
1. Cut open Mentaiko sacs and scrape out roe gently using a spoon into a large mixing bowl, add mayo and set aside
2. Brown bacon in a pan (no oil needed, it's fatty enough on its own!). Once Bacon is crispy and golden brown, add in butter, a drizzle of olive oil and stir fry onions together on medium heat till cooked through
3. Add white wine and let it reduce, add in chicken stock and simmer for 5 mins and remove from heat.
4. Stir in thickened cream and transfer entire sauce mixture into mixing bowl. Mix well with mentaiko/mayo.
5. Cook pasta till al dente, drain water and toss pasta in sauce. Serve with poached egg and sprinkle black pepper & nori. Eat up!!

Mom’s Pan Fried Steak (煎牛排)

This is one of my all-time favourite dishes cooked by mom – I suppose this is comfort food for me like mac & cheese is to some others. The key is in using good quality beef cuts. You can’t go wrong with US Tenderloin fillets or ribeye otherwise.  Steak slices shouldn’t be too thick - about 1-1.5 inch should be good enough. Also important to keep the natural beef juices that ooze out after you’ve seared them for the first time and reuse that as part of your sauce.

Serves 4 

Ingredients:

Beef Fillet                     200-250g (preferably tenderloin or ribeye)

- Marinade -

Garlic, crushed               2 cloves

Sugar                            3 Tsp

Soya Sauce                    2 Tbsp

Wine                             1 Tbsp

Black pepper                           1/2 tsp

Oil                                1 Tbsp

- Sauce -

Worcestershire sauce     2 Tbsp

Cornstarch                     1 tsp

Sugar                            1 1/2 tsp

Beef juices                    whatever you can get!

Directions: 

1. Cut fillet into 1.5 inch thick slices 

2. Marinate with above along with garlic cloves for 30 mins. Oil should be the last item to go in to seal in the marinade 

3. Heat oil and pan fry on high heat, searing each side till golden brown & 30-50% cooked 

4. Remove steak slices from heat, cut into cubes and drain juices. Mix juices into sauce and set aside. Return steak to low heat, add sauce and allow to simmer for 1-2 mins. Taste & Eat up!