Durian puree with pomelo sago, S$6.00

This is what entices me to return to Ji De Chi time and time again.

Of all the durian pomelo sago desserts I’ve tried, Ji De Chi’s version is the most memorable by far. Rich, creamy bittersweet durian mousse topped with a scoop of pure durian pulp, Ji De Chi’s durian pomelo sago is the thickest version I’ve come across. It’s almost like eating the real fruit!

The sago pearls and pomelo sacs are there for extra texture, but frankly, I’m just as happy without them. I’ve tried a few of the other signature desserts at Ji De Chi, but this is the only one that I can’t get out of my head.

Ji De Chi
8 Liang Seah Street
#01-03 Liang Seah Court
Singapore 189029
Tel: +65 6339 9928

Refer to their website for listing of other outlets: www.jidechi.com.sg

Sun to Thur: 11am – 11pm
Fri & Sat : 11am – 11.30pm

For lovers of the King of Fruits, pastries made with durian are just as irresistible! One of Singapore’s most popular durian pastries is durian puff. To find out where to get some of Singapore’s best durian puffs, and how they measure up against one another, click here!

Lately, the weather has been insanely hot. How about cooling down with some smooth, creamy durian ice cream? Click here to find out where you can get some of the best artisan durian ice creams in Singapore.

Sashimi (foreground) & canapes (background)

Since we were already planning to take mom-in-law out for high tea, we thought we’d take advantage of this promotion. I flipped through the brochure and saw that The Dining Room at Sheraton Towers has this offer where the 3rd diner dines at S$10 for weekday lunch, weekend high tea and dinner.

The Dining Room’s Saturday high tea is an Asian-themed buffet (12pm to 3pm). We got there late, about 1pm. It was full house. No doubt many were also there to take advantage of the promotion.

Live sandwich station

The first station I saw was the live sandwich station, offering a variety of breads with tuna mayo, otah, and egg mayo.

Hot savoury dishes

The hot savoury section didn’t look very promising. The items looked kinda, hmm, not so posh.

Gado-gado (Indonesian salad)

The gado gado didn’t look very appetizing either……

Nonya kuehs

For desserts, besides these Nonya kuehs — which I didn’t try — there was a mini chocolate fountain, assorted mini cakes and pastries, Movenpick ice cream, durian pengat, red bean soup, bread & butter pudding.

There was also a live station preparing chocolate lava cake, aloe vera jelly, and soy beancurd (tau huay) for dessert.

Dimsum + otah sandwich

First round: Started with open-faced otah sandwich and dimsum.

Otah sandwich: The otah was mushy, like a paste. Tastes like otah mayo, is there such a thing?! Hmm, sounds strange but tastes better than it looks.

Dimsum: Shouldn’t have bothered! Siew mai and glutinous rice barely passable, but har gau (shrimp dumpling) was EPIC FAIL! The tough har gau skin was nearly 1/2 inch thick!

Clockwise from bottom: Mantou (fried bun), chilli crab, unidentified fried thingy, fried prawn, fried squid, assorted satay

Second round was better.

Chilli crab + mantou: Interesting presentation. Crabmeat in chilli crab sauce made for convenient eating.

Fried items: Reminded me of those fried items from Old Chang Kee.

Assorted satay: Nice blend of spices and aromatics. Beef was ok, lamb a bit tough, chicken was the most delicious of all three.

Roast beef & sashimi

This was hubby’s plate. I don’t eat roast beef and sashimi, so I asked for his verdict.

Roast beef tenderloin: Excellent! Very tender and juicy.

Sashimi: Salmon and prawn were good. The rest were ok. The yellow thingy is tamago.

Fried ee-fu noodle & grilled salmon in hoisin sauce

Ee-fu noodle: Very ordinary.

Grilled salmon: Surprisingly good. Mom-in-law went for second and third rounds.

Laksa

The Dining Room’s laksa is quite famous. Indeed, it was superb. The laksa gravy was very smooth and creamy, with well-balanced flavors and aromas.

Other items we tried but didn’t like: sushi (dry and not fresh), Indian rojak (hard and oily), and raisin scone (dry).

Mini pastries

Perhaps this was high tea, so the focus was more on pastries rather than savouries. Indeed, we found the desserts to be much better. In fact, all the chocolate items were good. Starting from top left row:

Chocolate praline with crunchy layer: Divine! We all loved the rich bittersweet chocolate with crunchy wafer.

Chocolate mousse in cone: Nice mousse, but the cone had already “lau hong” (lost its crunch), possibly due to moisture from the mousse.

Almond jelly with longan: Nice but ordinary.

Unidentified Nonya kueh: I didn’t like it.

Marble cheesecake: Nice!

Banana and chocolate cream puff: Very nice! Like I said, all the chocolate items here are safe choices.

Durian pengat

Another popular item at the buffet was durian pengat. Thicker and more flavorful, I thought this was marginally better than Merchant Court’s version.

Warm chocolate lava cake

I only discovered this live dessert station later. Was already very full at this point, but luckily I persevered in trying the ala minute chocolate lava cake (waiting time 5 mins).

Not the most delicate lava cake I’ve tried, but definitely one of the high points at this buffet spread!

Chilled aloe vera jelly with assorted condiments

The aloe vera jelly was extremely refreshing! A variety of condiments were provided — sweet sea coconut, soursop, strawberry, etc. A good choice to wash down all that rich food.

There was also fresh fruit, but very limited — only slices of watermelon, rock melon, honeydew, and decorative pieces of dragonfruit.

The Dining Room @ Sheraton Towers

The Dining Room’s weekend high tea is priced at S$35.80++ per person, which works out to about S$42.15 after taxes.

With the 3rd diner paying S$10++, we paid S$96.05 for 3 people, which averaged out to S$32 per person.

Even with the discounted price, I didn’t feel it was worth it. The lack of quality control over several dishes was just unforgivable.

The sweet items were decent, but the savoury items were disappointing. Only the laksa, roast beef, sandwiches, sashimi, and satay were worth the tummy space. The worst were dimsum (tasted factory-made) and Indian rojak (cold, hard, and oozing with oil). The canapes and sushi didn’t look fresh either.

I wonder if the $10 promo has caused corners to be cut, for the quality of the food doesn’t reflect the status of a 5-star hotel.

With each subsequent visit to The Dining Room, my impression of it seems to be going downhill. That’s such a pity as I really like the ambience here, with its tall windows, lush outdoor greenery and waterfall.

Mini waterfall in the mini garden

Hubby got bored while waiting for me and MIL to finish eating, so he went out to the garden. He took this photo. Nice or not?

The Dining Room
Sheraton Towers Singapore
39 Scotts Road
Singapore 228230
Tel: +65 6839 5621
URL: www.sheratonsingapore.com

Rick and I got there early for dinner so I could take photos of the food before other diners messed them up, heh! Here are some pics of the various stations.

DIY rojak station

Here’s the DIY rojak station. This version is fruit-based, as compared to hawker-style rojak that has you tiao (fried doughsticks) and taupok (tofu puff).

Selection of Peranakan salads

I was amazed at the wide selection of Peranakan and Indonesian salads, some of which I’ve never seen before, eg. jantung pisang (banana bud salad), sayur ulam (mixed vegetables), and kachang bendi (lady fingers in sambal belachan).

Kueh pie tee and popiah station

Under the warmer are kueh pie tee shells, and in the steamer are popiah skins. Further on the right are hot Peranakan dishes like ayam buah keluak and babi pongteh.

Mee siam station

Here are the condiments for mee siam.

Seafood on ice

For variety, there’s also chilled seafood, like fresh oyster (dinner only), blue swimmer crab (above pic), tiger prawn, river prawn, and NZ green-lip mussel.

Cold soba and sashimi

There’s a small selection of sashimi, and cold soba.

Whole suckling pig

There’s even a whole roasted suckling pig! Initially, I wanted to try it, but later, I was too full and had no more tummy space left for pig.

Hot sweet soups section

Of all the buffets I’ve been to, EMC serves the widest variety of hot Asian desserts/sweet soups, like almond cream, peanut cream, pulut hitam, bubur cha cha, ah balling, and tau suan.

Other desserts (not pictured) available were assorted Nonya kuehs, assorted pastries and cakes, DIY chendol, chocolate fountain (with a very small selection of dipping items), and fresh fruit. And not forgetting, their famous durian pengat.

Iced lemongrass tea and Ros Selasih

The prelude to our meal was lemongrass tea and Ros Selasih (rose syrup with selasih/basil seeds and lime). Both were very refreshing. We like!

Ok, time to attack the buffet!

Clockwise from bottom: oysters, river prawn (with big head), NZ green-lip mussel, tiger prawn

First stop: chilled seafood. Very typical Singaporeans, we are. I didn’t try the oysters, Rick did. He said they were fresh. We also didn’t try the crab. Too lazy to peel crab.

Here’s my report in brief.

River prawn: Bland.

Mussel: Not bad. Not chewy nor fishy.

Tiger prawn: Very sweet, juicy, and crunchy!

Hee Peow (fish maw) Soup

Fish maw soup: Excellent! The meat ball was a bit dry, but more than redeemed by chunky fish maw and super robust stock!

Nonya Mee Siam

Mee siam: Another winner! Tofu cubes were overfried (too dry), but the rich gravy was a harmonious symphony of sweet, tangy, and spicy flavors. Loved the sweet, fat prawns too. Wanted to go for second round, but had to save space for other dishes.

Kueh pie tee & popiah

Kueh pie tee/popiah: Turnip filling for both was well-stewed, but seasoning was rather light-handed. Kueh pie tee shells were fresh and crisp.

Salads and satay

Chicken satay: Tender and well-marinated meat. Would go for second round. Beef satay also available, but didn’t try.

Rojak: Hae ko (shrimp paste) is quite light. Would prefer the thick, sticky Penang-style hae ko.

Sayur ulam: Refreshing, but rather bland.

Tauhu goreng: Ok.

Gado gado: Pleasant.

Jantung pisang (banana bud salad): My first time trying this! Banana buds taste like dried golden lily buds. Not bad, but unremarkable. Rick said it’s an acquired taste for him.

Hot foods

Ngoh hiang: Tasted a bit factory-made.

Nonya mud crab: Very fragrant blend of herbs and spices, but crabs were rather skinny.

Black pepper crayfish: Tender meat, great seasoning.

Otak otak: Aromatic with good spicy kick. Very popular item!

White clams in XO sauce: Nice sauce, but clams not very meaty.

Steamed seabass Nonya-style: Don’t get which part of it is Nonya, but it was a gorgeous fish dish! It was a HUGE, whole seabass. Flesh was silky-smooth and tender, accompanied by flavorsome sauce.

From top: Babi pongteh, ayam buah keluak, Nonya chap chye

Babi pongteh: Chunky pork belly cubes stewed till melt-in-mouth tender. Mmmh…!

Ayam buah keluak: Strangely, the chicken wasn’t stewed with the buah keluak (black nut). Instead the buah keluak paste was separately served. Maybe it’s to cater to those not used to the strong taste of buah keluak.

Nonya chap chye: Reminds me of  home, but in a heartwarming way.

Nonya kuehs and pastries/puddings

By this time, Rick and I were already very full, but how could we skip dessert? For myself, I picked the mini items, skipping more substantial items like durian Swiss roll and sweet soups.

Nonya kuehs: Competently executed.

Mango pudding: Not bad, but can skip.

Pandan panna cotta(?): This was very nice! The texture reminded me of creme brulee, but scented with pandan, and topped with melted gula melaka.

Chocolate truffle: Divine! Very rich, with lovely bittersweet, complex notes.

Durian pengat and fresh fruit

And of course, how could we miss Ellenborough Market Cafe’s famous durian pengat? While still good, it wasn’t as satisfying as I remember it from last year. Perhaps it’s because durians, while available now, aren’t at their prime season, so the durian pengat didn’t taste as rich and flavorful.

I also think it was whipped till too airy. Personally, I’d prefer a denser durian pengat. But since it’s so light, it means you can indulge in more of it and not feel so jelak (cloying)!

On the whole, the buffet spread was an excellent representation of Peranakan cuisine. The Peranakan dishes were prepared with quality ingredients and had a homely touch. Taste-wise, I would have preferred bolder flavors, but Rick, who likes his food on the light side, thought the seasonings were just right.

*Dishes are rotated on a daily basis.

An Authentic Peranakan Gastronomy Buffet @ Ellenborough Market Cafe
2 to 18 April 2010
For enquiries/reservations, call: (65) 6239 1848

Buffet lunch: S$35.00++ (adult), S$17.50++ (child)
Buffet dinner: S$45.00++ (adult), S$22.50++ (child)

*Child price applicable for children aged 4 to 11 years old.

For HSBC cardholders: One dines for free with every three paying adult diners.

Ellenborough Market Cafe
Swissotel Merchant Court, Singapore
20 Merchant Road
Singapore 058281
Tel: (65) 6337 2288
URL: www.swissotel.com/singapore-merchantcourt

How rich and how good?

Rich & Good Cake Shop is an old-school bakery in Kandahar Street. I’ve heard many rave reviews about their signature Swiss roll. Since I happened to be in Kampong Glam today, I went to look for it.

Their Swiss roll comes in a mind-boggling array of flavors, including mango, strawberry, chocolate, blueberry, coffee, green tea (though not all might be available at the same time). I bought kaya and durian as these two are their bestsellers.

Kaya roll and durian roll, S$6.50 each.

Their Swiss roll is very distinctive. While most cake shops have thick and fluffy rolls, Rich & Good’s rolls are long (about 30cm/12″) and skinny (about 5cm/2″ in diameter).

After you slice them up, they become dainty Swiss roll slices. Great to serve at a tea party!

Kaya roll, sliced.

Now, for the taste test. Although dense in texture, the sponge cake is very fine, soft, moist, and eggy. The fudge-like kaya isn’t too sweet, but could definitely be more generous in amount.

Overall, it tastes very old-school, very toothsome, and definitely very more-ish!

Durian roll, sliced.

The durian roll certainly smelled and looked tantalizing, with durian pulp spilling out as I sliced the cake. However, the heavy durian scent is rather artificial, most probably pumped up with durian essence. Also, there’s a strong, slightly unpleasant after-taste that I don’t exactly appreciate.

Well, the rolls were rich and good, but I thought they could be richer and better. Good enough to drop by if I happen to be in the vicinity, but not if I have to make a special trip.

Rich & Good Cake Shop
24 Kandahar Street
Singapore 198887
Tel: (65) 6294 3324

Mon to Sat: 9am – 5pm
Closed: Sun & PH

Durian puffs, S$4.20.

This was a random pit stop in the midst of aimless wandering at AMK Hub. I wasn’t hungry, and planned only to have mango sago pomelo, but the cute waiter convinced me to order a dimsum item to go with it.

Molten durian filling.

The fried durian puffs turned out to be surprisingly good. Although the filling wasn’t pure durian pulp—it’s probably a mixture of durian and custard—it had sufficient durian flavor and scent. Served piping hot, the molten filling was lusciously smooth.

Thin, light, and very crisp, the grease-free pastry shell was impressive too. I ended up enjoying this more than my original order of mango sago pomelo.

Mango sago pomelo, S$3.80.

It’s not the best mango sago pomelo I’ve had, but neither was it the worst. The mango wasn’t sweet enough, but to be fair, mangoes aren’t at their best now because they’re not in season. Also, I was expecting to see more mango, and cut in chunkier cubes.

My gold standard for mango sago pomelo is still Mei Heong Yuen. So far, none I’ve tried has surpassed their version.

Surprisingly, Sweet Spring is opened by the management of Fish & Co. Hmm, Chinese sweet soups 糖水 is quite a departure from fish and chips, yeah?

I couldn’t linger for long, but Sweet Spring’s a casual, pleasant joint for catching up over desserts. I saw other tables having the homemade beancurd that comes in a quaint wooden tub, presumably one of their signature desserts. On the menu, there’s also the usual Chinese sweet soups, snow ice desserts, and a limited dimsum selection for nibbles.

Spring is sweet, indeed.

Sweet Spring
#02-19 to 21, AMK Hub (next to Ang Mo Kio MRT)
53 Ang Mo Kio Ave 3
Singapore 569933
Tel: (65) 6753 9856

Weekdays: 11am – 10pm
Weekends: 10am – 10pm

Both media and food bloggers were invited for food tasting sessions prior to the launch. Besides being a preview, it was also a feedback session. Hence, some dishes may be fine-tuned; taste and presentation may differ slightly from what you see here.

Black pepper Sri Lankan crab

As it was a private tasting session, dishes were presented ala carte. Let’s start with an all-time Singaporean favorite: black pepper crab!

Actually, crab done black pepper-style has never been a favorite of mine. Most versions I’ve tried tend to go overboard on the black pepper. But Ellenborough Market Cafe’s version has won me over! The zingy black pepper packs a pleasant punch that doesn’t overpower the sweetness of the crabmeat, and you can taste other flavors in the seasonings as well.

Sri Lankan chilli crab

Another classic — chilli crab! Again, I was impressed with the chilli gravy. It’s not too spicy, but I like! Sweet, spicy, savoury — the different flavors harmonized to create a balanced and pleasing result. Very shiok!

Deep-fried mini mantou (Chinese bun)

Here’s the perfect sponge to mop up that thick, scrumptious chilli crab gravy! They used to serve full-sized mantou, but now, these mini ones are served instead because previous customers indicated their preference for smaller buns.

Nyonya curry crab

On to the Nyonya curry crab! For this dish, instead of Sri Lanka crabs, the sweet, delicate flower crab is used as it’s better suited to the spices of the curry gravy. Again, another winner!

Fragrant Thai sauce crab

Of the four, my personal favorite is the Thai sauce crab. There’s a certain allure about this aromatic sauce that I just can’t quite describe. Sweet, tangy, spicy, and redolent of herbs and spices…mmm, there’s a complexity about it that’s simply intriguing.

Salad of Hokkaido crabmeat with apple & walnut

Actually, we started our session with this refreshing salad. This was presented individually. We were told that the original plan is to serve this in a big bowl for diners to help themselves to at the buffet. But all the bloggers commented that perhaps a better alternative would be to portion the salad out into small portions, like in shooters or Chinese spoons.

Crab risotto

There was also crab risotto, but after the spicy crabs, I couldn’t make out the flavors in it! So here’s a useful tip. At the buffet, try the risotto first before attacking the spicy crabs!

On top of the crab items, there’s a spread of both local and international fare normally available at the Ellenborough Market Cafe buffet. But do note, the crab buffet is available only for dinner.

Bubur chacha

We also got to help ourselves to the dessert spread at the buffet. There’s chocolate fountain, cakes and pastries. But Ellenborough Market Cafe is renowned for its Straits Chinese, or Peranakan cuisine. That’s because the Peranakan section is helmed by the famous Nyonya chef Shirley Tay.

Kueh dadar

Just like a traditional Peranakan matriarch who doesn’t believe in shortcuts to cooking, Chef Shirley Tay insists that the kueh dadar has to be freshly made at a live station. In fact, you can see her personally making the kueh dadar, unless it’s her day off. That’s true Nyonya dedication for you!

This has got to be the softest kueh dadar I’ve ever tried. What a BIG difference from store-bought ones!

Durian cheesecake

This isn’t your usual New York cheesecake. It’s infused with durian! Don’t worry, the durian taste is actually very subtle. I didn’t expect cheese and durian to go together, but the light cheesecake with a faint durian scent turned out better than I expected.

Durian pengat

Saving the best for last, here’s Market Cafe’s legendary durian pengat! It’s creamy and rich, but light as air so that you can go for seconds. It’s mindblowingly divine!

Unlimited crab and durian pengat, this must be a Singaporean foodie’s fantasy come true! Just these two are enough to entice me to try out the buffet.

Many thanks to Sok Hoon and Yvonne for their invitation and gracious hospitality!

Ultimate Crab Buffet Dinner
25 June to 12 July 2009
Adult S$46++, Child S$23++
Enquiries: 6239 1848

Ellenborough Market Cafe
Swissotel Merchant Court
20 Merchant Road
Singapore 058281