Makan King

Welcome! Which Peranakan culture do you hail from - Malacca, Penang or Singapore? I love Peranakan cuisine. I think it's rich, robust and complex. I also like the exacting emphasis on taste as well as texture. You could talk more about the strict standards that the Peranakan matriarchs insist upon in their kitchens, eg. everything done by hand just so, the many hours of hand-stirring to make a pot of kaya (coconut egg jam), the hand-pounding of spices and nuts and herbs etc. What are your favorite dishes? I would also like to hear more about the customs and traditions. There is such a wealth of culture to be explored!

Oh my! This blog is going to make me weep with nostalgia. I lived in New York for four years and loved every minute of it. I especially enjoyed the staggeringly vast array of great restaurants, cafes, eateries, bakeries etc at every price point. I will brace myself for sighs of fond reminisces as I live vicariously this week through Pan's eating forays!

Ah, breakfast! I adore the range of breakfast choices available in Singapore. As befitting its multi-cultural heritage, Singaporeans are spoilt for choice. When living in New York, about the only thing I missed dearly about Singapore food was the breakfast. Now, I like toasted bagels with cream cheese, as well as greasy diner breakfasts of eggs, sausages and home fries, but it all became a little predictable. Whereas, in Singapore, the choices are limitless. For example, every day, one is confronted with having to decide among, for example: - fried noodles (either thick wheat noodles, thin rice noodles or flat rice noodles) served with an assortment of your choice of eggs, luncheon meat, chicken wings, fish cakes, sausages (all fried) or steamed otak (mashed fish seasoned and bound with a spicy coconut paste), accompanied with sambal belachan if you like, or some chopped green chilis - nasi lemak, which is basically coconut-flavored steamed rice served with an assortment of side dishes including any of the above, as well as sliced cucumbers and fried peanuts and ikan bilis (tiny fish fried to a crisp) - roti prata (the Singapore term for roti canai), fried flat Indian breads served with various curries - congee/porridge/jouk, usually served plain with boiled peanuts and a few thin slices of fish cake, or else with minced meat (usually chicken or pork); a raw egg cracked right into the steaming bowl is optional, and garnished with some finely chopped cilantro, spring onions or ginger - chee cheong fun, which are steamed rolls made of rice flour and topped with your choice of thin soya sauce, a thickish sweet flour sauce, sesame seeds and chili sauce (it is not uncommon to opt for all of these toppings) - a common accompaniment to the chee cheong fun would be steamed yam cake - a variety of Teochew kuehs such as soon kueh (filled with a mixture that usually comprises shredded turnip, bamboo shoots, mushrooms and dried shrimp), koo-chai kueh (filled with chives), peng kueh (filled with glutinuous rice and peanuts), ang koo kueh (filled with a sweet bean paste) - a variety of Nyonya kuehs - a variety of curry puffs (choose between plain curried potato filling, spicy sardine, or chicken curry with potato and hard-boiled egg) - toast spread with a thick pat of butter, a generous layer of kaya (a jam made with coconut milk, many many eggs and pandan) and soft boiled eggs, washed down with strong black tea or coffee - soya bean milk and yu tiao (fried dough fritters) - mee siam/lontong/mee soto/mee goreng - noodles with soup and either fish balls, wonton or shrimp and pork slices - fried pieces of steamed radish cake with egg and sweet black sauce (cha tow kueh) - steamed rice flour cakes topped with fried salty, preserved radish bits (chwee kueh) And these choices are all easily available everywhere in Singapore, including the central business district. Some of my friends in New York could not conceive of eating any of the above for breakfast (fried bread and curry at 8am ??? oh my gawd!), but I am making me hungry for breakfast in Singapore!

We used to have that in Singapore, except they called it the Coney Dog! I really liked it. Alas, I don't think that there are any A&Ws left in Singapore. A number of fast-food chains have disappeared from Singapore and the scene is now dominated by McD, BK and KFC. Wendy's, Hardees, Texas Church's Fried Chicken etc have all fallen by the way side. I miss Hardees' Mushroom Swiss! I also miss McD's milkshakes (they don't have then in Singapore anymore), and they had a limited special durian milkshake that was terrific way back then.

Great that you are finally here in Beijing! I hope that you will have many great meals here. Bread Talk is actually a Singaporean bakery chain. It now has a few outlets in Beijing and Shanghai. One of its best selling items is a meat floss bun, but I can't recall if the floss is made from chicken or pork, so please check! I look forward to hearing about your other meals in the capital!

Yup, "Barbeque Ji" is a translation of Kaorouji. Shichahai is actually the general name for the whole of the Qianhai/Houhai/Xihai area.

That's Kaorouji in Houhai. I wasn't impressed by the restaurant either. There is a much more stylish and hip Vietnamese type place next door called Nuage. I really like the Houhai/Qianhai area. While there are a lot of bars and cafes lining the streets facing the lakes, the hutongs behind these streets are more interesting. In summer, a bar opens on a tiny island in the middle of Qianhai, and you have to be rowed in a wobbly boat to and from this bar. Great fun!

It sounds like the guest of honour is a venerable elderly person (Popcorn's tachi instructor's taichi instructor's taichi instructor??). If this is the case, then odds are that he would prefer Chinese food. I agree with going for a casual buffet dinner if it is to be held at home. All the suggestions made so far are excellent. I would only suggest that it would be terrific if you have a round table where all ten guests can gather round. You then just need to serve all the dishes at once on the table, fill up the rice and soup bowls and the party is all set. I think the Chinese prefer eating round a round table as it promotes conversation and sharing and for all the propitious symbolism conveyed by a round table. The logistics of staging an eight-course banquet at home would be quite staggering, especially if you are going to follow the tradition of serving the banquet course by course. If this is the intended course, hire a cook and a serving staff, otherwise you would be enslaved in the kitchen and would have no time to actually entertain your guests. If your guests are Singaporeans, do play around with the dishes and venture from the typical southern Chinese cooking. A Malaysian or Nonya style curry would be welcome for instance, and can be prepared the day before and just reheated before the meal commences. Perhaps a chicken curry, a braise (perhaps belly pork with sea cucumber and shitake mushrooms braised in soya sauce), two different types of vegetables (a lo hon chai and simple stir-fried greens), a steamed whole fish, tempura prawns and a simple soup (lotus root, peanut and pork ribs, perhaps, or tofu cubes, fishballs, cabbage and dried scallops simmered in chicken stock) would make a great feast and go very well with simple steamed white rice. Many of these dishes can either be prepared the day before or prepped many hours in advance. Good luck!!

Laohanzi is pretty good for Hakka cuisine (the foil wrapped fish appears on every table). They just opened a new branch just off Xinfucun Zhong Lu which is nicer in ambiance then the branch in Sanlitun. If you want to take clients, then the branch in Houhai, called Han Cang, may be a better bet as it has private rooms. I haven't been to Qianjude for peking duck and have no desire to do so. I really like Da Dong (it claims to have a leaner duck) and Liqun (this is deep in the hutongs off the southern corner of Zhengyi Road, and has an authentic Lao Beijing atmosphere; foreigners love this place, although I hesitate greatly to take clients there unless they are old friends - it's quite run-down and it's level of hygiene could be a problem for the fastidious). I also like Jiuhuashan over in the western part of the city (not far from the Shangri-la). Tianjin Bai Jiaoyuan (in a lane opposite the Marco Polo) is great, but the main attraction here is the many varieties of jiaozi or dumplings. Not sure that this makes for a great client meal. If you like to splurge for client meals, there's Meifu (a Shanghainese restaurant in a lovely hutong residence in Houhai), and Tiandiyijia (imperial and Cantonese cuisine served in a rare example of lovely restrained remodelled courtyard residence close to the Forbidden City). For Sichuan, I like Yuxian Renjia in the Jianwai Soho complex and Transit (just opposite the Worker's Stadium), both which are quite suitable for client meals. As for Sange Guizhou Ren, the branch in the Jianwai Soho complex is more elegant and has more celebrities (though both branches can get a little smoky when the pots of suantangyu get boiling). There's also Chama Gudao, a Yunan restaurant housed in spare, striking branches in Houhai and the Soho New Town complex. Two relatively new Cantonese restaurants, both offshoots of Singapore chains are client-worthy as well - Crystal Jade Palace Restaurant, and My Humble House, both in the Oriental Plaza. Both serve pretty good food and are resplendent in different ways in decor. Hope this helps! edited to add that all these restaurants have vegetarian and fish options, although such offerings are not the highlight in any of the roast duck restaurants.

Congratulations on finally enjoying your mint julep. You thoroughly deserve it!Great blog!

Er, you mean it is not normal to over-order?? My friends and I use the exact same expression ourselves - eyes bigger than stomach. We usually tend to overdo it, so much so that we also choose tables that can seat more than our number in order to accommodate all the food we are going to order. Tthis is usually in Asian restaurants, such as Thai or Chinese restaurants). But even in bistros and Western-style restaurants, we always order appetizers and sides to share, plus an entree each and of course, dessert! Each time I return to Singapore, I head straight to the hawker centres, and completely blanket the table - fried carrot cake, chicken rice, hokkien prawn noodles, satay, BBQ stingray with sambal, laksa, popiah etc. Fortunately, I do share this bounty with family/friends. We barely have space to set down our sugar-cane juice!

What can I say that others have not said already, and with greater eloquence too? Wendy, I am rendered speechless by your creativity, energy, hard work, generosity and your evident respect for your fellow staff and eGullet members. I am in awe. Thank you so much for sharing.

I have to agree that the dim sum in Chinatown is tasty but not truly excellent. The dim sum at Jing Fong and Golden Unicorn is tasty and inexpensive, and it is great fun to go there with a big group of friends. But, apart from Dim Sum Go-Go, the dim sum at most of the places mentioned, including Jing Fong and Golden Unicorn, do not have the delicacy and absolute freshness required of dim sum, especially the steamed stuff. My favorite dim sum place in New York is actually not anywhere near Chinatown. It's Henry's Evergreen on 1st Ave between 69th and 70th Streets. Of course, I have been away from New York for two years now, so maybe things have changed!

This thread is wonderful! Thank you Justin for sharing your experiences and views so generously. It brings back many wonderful dining memories for me. I have been to all the restaurants you have reviewed except Le Bernadin and WD-50 (I left New York before it opened, though I did go to its precursor, 71 Clinton). I must say that my all-time favorite NY restaurant is Gramercy Tavern. I have eaten there on several occasions, and I have always had a terrific meal and a wonderful time. I also much prefer the apps and pastas in Babbo. I can't recall the main courses that I had at Babbo, and I have eaten there several times as well, but I can well recall the warm lamb tongue salad and the mint love letters. I like the beef cheek ravioli as well, but the mint love letters blew me away the first time I had it - the freshnes of the mint and peas just exploded in my mouth, and the rich earthiness of the lamb ragu sauce was the perfect counterpoint. I also liked the pastas at Lupa, another Batali establishment. My absolute favorite there was the bavette with crushed black pepper and three cheeses - so simple, yet so perfectly balanced between the sharp pepper and the mellow cheeses and butter. I had a great time dining in New York when I lived there and I am glad to see that you are also able to take advantage of the great NY dining scene, Justin. Thanks again for the great trip down memory lane. I really need to get back to New York and reclaim all of these food memories!

I believe I had some glutinious siu mai when I was in Din Tai Feng in Taipei. I think you can get them in the Beijing and Singapore branches too. I can't say I was enamored by them. Of course, the xiaolongbao ruled! Does anyone know how to make sio be, the Teochew version of siu mai?

Ah, this thread is very nostalgic! I am very fond of the crushed peanut and sugar candy that Pan mentioned and which Kew referred to as kacang tumbok (the name makes sense, actually!). It's still sold in Singapore in the rectangular tetrahedron shapes wrapped in paper. They crumble easily and I will just pour the crumbs straight down the throat. Yummy! Also very heaty. I also remember the tubes of round 'lemon tablets' wrapped in yellow foil. They were also akin to sucking salt tablets! Singaporeans used to refer to the preserved snacks as 'kiam sng ti' or salty-sour snacks. Remember the hard sour preserved plums (sng buay)??

Thanks for the sleuthing, Tepee! I am also quite puzzled that the Foochow dialect is so different from Fujian. I know that there is a difference as I have a friend whose dialect is Foochow (but she only knows like three or four words!) and from whom I had the privilege of tasting chicken stewed with red wine lees. By the way, the word in Mandarin for province is "shen" (third tone).

I have always thought of oh nee as a quintessentially Teochew dessert. I can only get it in Teochew restaurants in Singapore, and I think all Singaporeans regard oh nee as a Teochew dessert. Oops if it is also a Foochow delicacy! Actually, I am not very familar with Foochow cuisine, simply because the Foochow population in Singapore is very small. I have tried meat-stuffed fishballs and chicken stewed in red wine lees (both yummy). Are there any other famous or typical Foochow dishes? And I have no idea why raisins will be added to oh nee. I don't think the combination works! You must try it with the mashed pumpkin. Its gentle sweetness and slight heft matches the mashed taro very well, and the golden yellow of the pumpkin is very pretty against the dull grey.

Red at the Shangri-la is very decent, but the menu is rather limited. I like Uva at Greenbelt 3. I remember having good meals there (although I cannot recall any specific dish).

I think that must be tapioca starch cubes. I can appreciate how you ordered too many dessert. When we go out for a meal at our favorite restaurant which offers a wide range of tong sui (sweet soup), we normally start with one bowl per person, but end up with at least 2 bowls each! And that is after dinner! ← Ah...tong sui! There is a Hong Kong style restaurant in Beijing that has a large tong sui menu. And it offers a relatively inexpensive ala carte tong sui dessert buffet between 2pm and 5pm every day (except Sunday). It's a great way to spend a lazy Saturday afternoon - flitting from walnut cream to double-boiled milk to steamed white fungus to papaya to bailey's coffee with tapioca balls!

Just to add to the list of non-toysan people on egullet... I am a (sort of) third generation Singapore-born Chinese. My parents were both born in Singapore, and three of my grandparents were also born in Singapore. My paternal grandfather was born in Swatow in China. I believe that there is some Peranakan blood in the family as well, since my dad's family has some awesome Peranakan dishes in their repetoire and my great-grandmother wore the kebaya on a daily basis. I am teochew (chaozhou) on my dad's side and cantonese on my mom's side. I speak some teochew and almost no cantonese. I have now come a full circle in that I am now working in Beijing. A great disappointment, food-wise (just to keep it on track!) is the lack of good teochew cusine in this capital city. I miss greatly all my favorite teochew dishes from Singapore - hay cho (rolls made of crabmeat, prawns, minced pork and minced water chestnuts that are wrapped in pig's caul, steamed and then deep fried), steamed promfret, braised goose and tofu, sio be (teochew version of siumai, but less porky and eaten with a vingerary sauce), cold steamed crab, and the ultimate dessert - oh nee (mashed taro with mashed pumpkin and lotus seeds; this is extremely rich and utterly delicious. Also utterly bad for the arteries - it has to be made with lard for the ultra-smooth texture).

The Japanese confectionery is called Minamoto. I loved that place when I used to work in New York (it was close to my office too). The shop itself was a reflection of the Japanese aesthetic sense - perfectly displayed sweets and snacks, each one also perfectly packaged in beautiful wrapping, and a sense of calm and deliberative contemplation all round. It was very nice to step in as a respite from the crowds surrounding Rockefeller! My favorites used to be the bean paste filled pancakes and the jellies with fruit. I wasn't too crazy about the cakes, though. And I agree about the revolving selection of offerings in harmony with the changing seasons - cherries, peaches, chestnuts etc. Lovely! I am now in Beijing and I wish there was something like Minamoto to soothe the senses. Now back on topic! This is a terrific blog! I have been influenced into buying pocky from the tiny supermarket in my office building on an almost daily basis. They are addictive. The offerings are very limited though, and my current favorite is the coffee pocky. I also like the classic simple salty pretz; I am not fond of the new flavored pretz (I tried a spicy prawn pretz that was downright awful). By the way, about kids making the peace sign for photos - this extends to the kids and teenagers in Taiwan as well. It's like an automatic reflex! Thank you, Kristin, for this blog. You have a lovely lovely family and we are privileged to share them with you this week!

Xiexie. This was wonderful and inspirational.

I love those CNY cookies! Love letters in Singapore are rolled into hollow cigar-sized shapes, rather than folded into quarters. I think they are called kueh belanda rather than kueh kapit. Love letters, pineapple tarts and kueh bangkit are my all-time favorite CNY snacks.