Soon kueh & gu chai kueh, S$0.70 each

Being a true-blue Teochew who grew up helping Mom to make authentic Teochew kueh, I’m very particular about how it should be. Normally, I prefer the traditional Teochew opaque-white dough skin variety over the Hakka-style translucent dough skin type. But I must say that Poh Cheu’s Hakka-style soon kueh is more than decent enough for me to go back for repeat purchases.

Jicama/turnip "soon" kueh

Smooth, even, and with a pleasant springiness, the kueh skin encases a generous amount of moist and flavorsome filling. They have both jicama/turnip (“mang guang” in Teochew) “soon” kueh, as well as the authentic bamboo shoot soon kueh. Both fillings are mixed with chopped carrot, black fungus, beancurd puff, and dried shrimp.

Gu chai (Chinese chives) kueh

The gu chai kueh is equally tasty, except that the chives tend to be a little fibrous.

I’ve also tried their glutinous rice “png” kueh, but that one isn’t really worth the trouble cos the glutinous rice filling lacks fragrance and is too mushy for my liking.

Poh Cheu Handmade Soon Kway Ang Ku Kway
127 Bukit Merah Lane 1, #01-230 (Alexandra Village)
Singapore 150127

Mon – Sat: 8am to 6pm
Closed: Sun & public holidays

The images in this post were captured with Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX200V (review unit from Sony Singapore).

A hearty home-cooked brekkie!

Made a hearty brekkie for hubby today with our new Happy Call Pan (yes, I finally caved in to the craze!). Lightly toasted walnut bread (accompanied by lashings of salted butter), pan-roasted cherry tomatoes, and velvety scrambled egg — all cooked in one pan! A very delish prelude to the weekend!

The image in this post was captured with Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX200V (review unit from Sony Singapore).

French toast set (S$4.00); kaya toast with butter set (S$4.50)

The owners of Ya Kun Kaya Toast really ought to do more stringent QC checks on their franchisees. We’ve tried various outlets, but none can match up to the original store at Far East Square (which is run by members of the founding family) when it comes to consistency.

In this instance, our coffee and tea came lukewarm. For the crispy kaya toast, the bread was unevenly toasted and the kaya unevenly spread. The icing on the cake was my French toast — the middle wasn’t thoroughly cooked. Imagine biting into soggy bread with uncooked egg! Eeeks!

It’s such a sad thing when a reputable brand name is marred by franchisees whose only motive is $$$.

Ya Kun @ SAFRA Mount Faber
2 Telok Blangah Way #01-06
Singapore 098803
Tel: +65 6377 2865

Daily: 7.30am to 9.30pm

The image in this post was captured with Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX200V (review unit from Sony Singapore).

Breads from Maison Kayser

Seems like hubby’s tastebuds are becoming more gourmet. Without giving him any background on these artisan breads, I asked him, “Nice or not?”

His reply, “Very nice! These breads taste very different. Where did you buy them?”

Answer: The new French boulangerie Maison Kayser from Paris at Scotts Square. The Singapore branch is opened by Shu Kimura, who runs Maison Kayser’s outlets in Japan.

Prices of Maison Kayser’s artisanal breads are definitely on the upscale side. Just these 4 breads alone cost S$11.20! But judging by the crowds at Maison Kayser’s modest-sized bakery cafe, it seems that Singaporeans are willing to pay for good bread.

A breakdown of the above items and prices:

1. Petit raisin Danish – $1.70
2. Chocolate croissant – $2.80
3. Walnut bread – $3.40
4. Yuzu bread – 3.30

The croissants were good. The exterior was very crisp and light, while the innards were buttery and flaky.

But much more interesting texture-wise were the walnut and yuzu loaves. The founder of Maison Kayser — Eric Kayser — is famous for his natural fermentation method. The rustic-style loaves had slightly crisp crust with soft, chewy insides. The dough had exceptional complexity and depth.

Like hubby said, Maison Kayer’s breads taste very different. They have that brilliant quality that’s full of character.

Maison Kayser
6 Scotts Road
#B1-09 Scotts Square
Singapore 228209
Tel: +65 6636 3672
URL: www.maison-kayser.com

Open daily: 8am to 10pm

Steamed buns

Outside Crystal Jade La Mian Xiao Long Bao at level 2 of Great World City is a kiosk selling Crystal Jade dimsum. I bought these buns there after brunch on Sunday.

BBQ Pork with Preserved Beancurd Sauce Roll 南乳烧腩卷, S$1.50

This kong bak bao 扣肉包 (soy-sauce braised pork belly bun) look-alike is rather hefty. I thought it would be very tasty, but the flavor of the pork belly was surprisingly muted. It tasted nothing like kong bak bao.

Sandwiched together with the meat was a slice of steamed yam. The entire bun was rather dry.

Cream Custard with Salted Egg Yolk Bun 流沙包, S$1.20

I have very fond memories of this item at Crystal Jade Dining IN. This takeaway version is about double the size of the dainty ones served in the restaurant.

Because of its bigger size, the dough skin was a lot thicker. The dough-to-custard ratio was also higher (meaning: less custard = not as satisfying). Also, it seems that the salted egg yolk custard here was grittier and not as smooth.

Don’t think I’ll be buying these takeaway buns again. The pork bun is too plain for our liking, whereas the custard bun is better enjoyed in its mini version at the restaurant.

Butter rolls with ham & tomato

Ham and tomato — a classic pairing that never fails to satisfy.

This morning’s homemade breakfast was quick and easy to assemble, and very satisfying to eat!

1. Split butter roll (from Four Leaves Bakery).
2. Spread interior with butter.
3. Stuff with sliced tomato and shaved honey cured ham.

These mini ham & tomato rolls are also great for a packed lunch or picnic!

Big Breakfast Set, S$18.40++

If you’re looking for another place to add on to your list of all-day breakfast, here’s one. This was our brunch on a late Sunday morning.

We opted for poached instead of scrambled eggs for a healthier option. With tender whites and lava yolks, the poached eggs were flawless.

Sausages, bacon rashers, mushrooms, white sesame toast, and salad leaves made up the rest of this plate. Nicely executed but nothing terribly exciting. The sausages were pretty bland.

Cedele’s Big Breakfast Set comes with a choice of coffee or tea.

Caramelized Banana Pancakes, S$12.90++

What really got us going ooh and ahh was the caramelized banana pancakes. Sweet, melty bananas embedded in soft, moist, and fluffy pancakes — hubby and I agreed that this is definitely something worth returning for!

Cedele by the Bakery Depot (Great World City)
1 Kim Seng Promenade
#01-01/02 Great World City
Singapore 237994
Tel: +65 6836 1427
URL: www.cedeledepot.com

Opening hours:
Mon – Thurs: 9.00am to 10.00pm
Fri: 9.00am to 10.30pm
Sat & Eve of Public Holidays: 8.00am to 10.30pm
Sun/Public Holidays: 8.00am to 10.00pm

Hokkaido red bean loaf, S$3.60

No, we’re not having their signature kare-pan (curry bun) today. Decided to try out something different from Pullman Bakery this time.

At first glance, hubby thought that this was a raisin loaf. But no, those red specks are sweetened whole adzuki beans.

The buttery bread is rather sweet, so we simply ate it on its own without any spreads. As for the crumb, it’s so fine and airy that the texture feels more cake-like rather than bread-like.

Quite nice, but this loaf is a little too sweet and cake-like for me. Hubby seemed to enjoy this more than I did!

Pullman Bakery
9 Raffles Boulevard
#01-97/98, Millenia Walk
Singapore 039596
Tel: +65 6337 3575

Mon to Fri: 7.30am – 9.30pm
Sat, Sun, public holidays: 8.30am – 9.30pm

Yup, CBTL’s breakfast sets are available all-day, and include coffee, tea, or iced tea with free refills till 11am daily. We usually stick to the Brek ‘O’ Day (chicken chipolata sausages, scrambled eggs, salad, and toast with butter and jam). But they were out of sausages that day, so we were forced out of our comfort zone to try other items.

Salmon Scramble, S$8.90

Hubby ordered the Salmon Scramble – scrambled eggs with smoked salmon on toast. I didn’t try it cos I was busy feeding the baby.

Egg Club Sandwich, S$8.90

If you’re feeling ravenous, the Egg Club Sandwich is guaranteed to fill you up! It’s a hearty assembly of toasted ciabatta with two poached eggs, ham, and melted cheese, accompanied with salad.

Poached egg, ham and cheese on toasted ciabatta

The ciabatta was nicely airy and lightly crisp on the exterior. The sandwich was rather salty from the ham and generous amount of cheese. Thankfully, the salad was there to serve as a palate cleanser.

By the way, I always look forward to the side salad. Although it’s an unassuming combo of Romaine lettuce, cherry tomato, dried cranberries and toasted almond flakes tossed in a light lemon juice and oil dressing, it’s really likeable!

After eating half the sandwich, I was already feeling full. The Egg Club Sandwich is probably filling enough to be shared by two light eaters.

There are also other popular breakfast items like pancakes, eggs benedict, and oatmeal. Click on the thumbnail to see the full breakfast menu.

The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf (Resorts World Sentosa)
26 Sentosa Gateway
#01-202 Resorts World Sentosa (The Forum, Level 1)
Singapore 098138
URL: www.coffeebean.com.sg

Sun – Thurs, PH: 8am to 12am
Fri, Sat & eve of PH: 8am to 2am

The images in this post were shot with Sony NEX-C3 with SEL1855 lens (on loan from Sony Singapore).

Freshly baked buns!

Last week, hubby bought me a bread making machine. A smart investment on his part, since he’s the main beneficiary of said purchase!

Anyway, I’ve longed toyed with the idea of getting one. The primary push factor is due to health reasons. Did you know that commercially-produced bread contains a fair amount of preservatives and additives? Since we consume bread on a near daily basis, I was concerned about the long-term effects that these additives would do to our bodies.

It might not necessarily be more economical to bake our own bread, but at least we know what exactly goes into it!

Sugar & cheddar cheese-topped buns

Having a bread machine makes life easier for the amateur home baker. For my first 2 attempts, I let the bread machine do all the work. Just measure the ingredients into the pan, and the machine mixes, kneads, proofs, and bakes the loaf.

Chicken viennese rolls

But for fancy shapes or individual buns, we still need a conventional oven.

First, place the ingredients in the bread machine, and select the Dough setting — the machine will mix, knead, and proof the dough. After that, remove the proven dough from the machine. Shape the dough into desired shapes and add toppings if desired. Place on a baking tray and let proof a second time before baking in the oven.

Cross-sectioned cheese bun

As this is only my 4th attempt at bread making, I’ve still a long way to go. Definitely need to improve on the appearance of these crude-looking buns! But I was quite happy with the texture of the bread — it was airy and quite moist.

Oh, and nothing beats the aroma of freshly baked bread wafting through the home!