Blue Ginger - Peranakan on the Bib Gourmand

    A visit from a distant relative prompted this visit to a restaurant on Michelin's Bib Gourmand list. We were hosted by Daisy to up-town  dim sum when we were in Hong Kong a couple of month's ago. This time, it's our turn to play host. The venue - The Blue Ginger, along Tanjong Pagar Road. As our usual practice, we had the baby in tow. 

    We ordered rice with an assortment of dishes. For the uninitiated, Peranakan food is a mishmash of Malay and Chinese cuisine. It marries the spiciness of Malay food with the lightness of steamed Chinese goodness. The first dish that arrived was the beef rendang. Beef Rendang once had the honour of being named the world's most delicious dish (I can't remember by whom; saw it on the TV). Blue Ginger's beef rendang did not disappoint. It was spicy but not too spicy. Those who cannot usually take spiciness would find this dish palatable. A lot of similar dishes I've tasted have been too salty. This dish on the other hand, has just the right balance of spice and salt. One can eat it on it's own without rice.
    Some other dishes we ordered...

Ngo Heong: minced pork and prawn roll. It is easy to understand why
this is Daisy's favourite. Goes extremely well with the sweet sauce.

Chap Chye: mixed vegetable in special prawn stock.

Something for the young one: steamed cod on tou fu. You can't
go wrong with fresh cod.

     We also ordered the Bakwan Kepeting soup (minced pork with crab meat balls). I didn't realize there was crab at first and it tasted a bit off. The little one, whom we originally ordered it for didn't like it; possibly because of the spices used. Other than that, the rest of the dishes were not too salty nor bland. In this aspect the Blue Ginger got it down pat. In fact, I don't think they used much monosodium glutamate (MSG), which is another plus point.
     The desserts deserve special mention. Check out the pics...

Durian Chendol: you can't go wrong with such a generous dollop of  real durian. 

Gula Melaka: chilled sago, supposedly topped with honey sea-coconut.
The sea-coconut was a bit lacking though. If only they were as generous
with it as with their durian.

      If you're looking for an uppity venue that serves Peranakan food, the Blue Ginger would do well. There were some misses with the food we ordered, but by and large, the food was satisfying. One advice would be to go for a variety of dishes, as each dish serves only 2 or 3. I'd return, but only after I've tried other restaurants.

Living It Up in the Land of Dim Sum

    This is the first time we're on holiday as a family of three (the lil muchkin, the big muchkin and me). We originally planned to head back to our familiar haunt at the St Regis, Bangkok. Unfortunately, there was no flights back on the day we wanted. Being desperate to go on a holiday we simply booked a trip. It was totally on the spur of the moment. Soon we were on the plane to Hong Kong - the Land of Dim Sum (and summore). Here are some highlights of our trip, from the eyes of a foodie...

Crystal Lotus Restaurant at the Disneyland Hotel

Olaf from Frozen. Darth Vadar and his stormtrooper full of nuts and good things.

Place your order in advance, or you'll be disappointed. Thanks to the wifey who indulges my passion for all things Star Wars.

Dim Sum "platter"

We just had to try the crab cake which was really full of meat

Even the seafood soup in coconut had a Mickey-theme

Rounding it off with not-so-common Mango Pudding

Dim Sum Library

Wagyu Beef pastry...mmmm

Stone fish porridge for the lil one. But it tasted like cod!

    More food adventures coming right up in the following post.

Dim Sum Galore - HK (part 2)

Afternoon Tea at the Peninsula Hotel

    Afternoon Tea at this iconic venue is taken very seriously. The queue starts half an hour before the official commencement of afternoon tea. This means if you don't want to risk queuing for nothing (Yes they do turn people away once the food is sold out), be there before 1.30pm. This is one of those places to see and be seen.

What's a colonial afternoon tea without a live classical band?

Michelin-starred Spring Moon Chinese Restaurant at the Peninsula

    To round up our gastronomic holiday, we had brunch at one of the top-rated restaurants in Hong Kong. Verdict: impeccable service above average food.

"Har Gao" garnished with Gold foil. The shrimp was good though.

Scallop "siew mai"

What's dim sum without porridge?

Their signature xiao long pao dumpling in soup (not exactly "xiao")

Half-eaten  roast pigeon

South Union Park - Neither South nor in a Park, yet inviting for Unions

    Despite the busy schedule, I try to set aside at least one weekday evening to have dinner out with the wifey (and occasionally, the lil munchkin as well). The wifey usually selects the venues. It was no different this week. We found ourselves driving up Jalan Kembangan into the heart of the landed estate; all the while wondering to ourselves whether we were going in the right direction. Then suddenly out of the "darkness" shone the light of a row of shop-houses. Lo and behold, the first of which was South Union Park.

    We were ushered into the warm glow of this cafe. Despite the late timing, and it being a weekday, the cafe was more than half occupied. At this point I just have to commend the staff. I called the day before to make a reservation but couldn't get through, so I left them an sms. It didn't take long for them to reply and confirm my reservation.

    This cafe boasts a menu of classic favorites like chicken noodle soup and cheese burger. Although nothing fancy-pansy, the quality here is nothing short of excellent.

    It's not easy to find crabcake in Singapore that don't fall apart once you break a piece off. This one holds together perfectly. One bite into this beauty and the flavours of crab and lime hit your palate. The taste being both separate, yet conjoined beautifully. It literally "takes the cake!" If you're wondering, that's a coleslaw topping. I'm literally salivating while typing these words.

     For a person who doesn't usually fancy pasta, the "Duck Confit Tagliatelle" was exceptionally delicious. Although we shared the food, I'm sure I can finish this one up by myself. I especially enjoy the hazelnuts that give an extra crunch to this dish. The pasta was done just right, not too soggy and not too hard. 

    At first I wasn't expecting much from the "Herb Crusted Barramundi". After all, it's not easy to entice with fish. One bite into this changed my perspective. The fish was surprisingly moist and soft. Needless to say, it was pretty fresh as well. The little muchkin had a field day with this dish (and she's only 10 months old). The tangy romesco went extremely well with the crunchy herb crust. I especially appreciate the hericot vert - fav veg of the day.

    The portions weren't too huge, such that the wifey even had space for dessert. She has the strawberry shortcake which came in a glass "cup" (just can't find the word for it). It was soft and fluffy and surprisingly not too creamy.

    I had the "Brownie". It was nothing like it's boring name implied. It came with salted caramel ice-cream, sprinkled with candied walnuts, with a dash of butterscotch. If, like me, you're a sucker for salted caramel and butterscotch, this is something not to be missed.

    This will definitely not be the last time we head here. Besides the relaxed atmosphere (it might be because of the time and day. The wifey said weekends would be a lot busier) and great food, the lil munchkin seemed to approve of this place as well. She was busy making friends with everyone in the restaurant. We will be back.