WADA rating: 37+20= 57 pts
QPI: 6 ($30-$40 per pax for a very seafood dominated selection)
WFI: C (Free corkage, Ikea stemware…pl BYOG)
Tasted at Uncle L’s birthday dinner!
Organised by William, we threw uncle L a surprise party at this Teochew restaurant (William seems to have a particular penchant for Teochew food probably for their cold crab) tucked away at the corner of a HDB void deck. It’s impossible to take notice of this restaurant because of its obscure locale….so this is one of those old brand name restaurants (lao zi hao) that survives on word-of-mouth customers…like us I guess. However, think it wasn’t as hugely popular (by this I mean oldies like Red Star, Ban Heng, and Dragon Phoenix) to start with because my dad (who is my foodie shifu) has not heard of it.
What's Hot?
Steamed Cold (Molting) Crab
This is the first time I have eaten such a crab. Understand from William that this is a crab that was undergoing molting when caught. Therefore, it has two shells, of which the inner is a soft shell that is edible! Apparently, it’s more expensive than usual because of its novelty and rarity (1 in every 20 I think). The meat appears to be firmer and wonderfully smeared with saffron-coloured roe! Yummy! I love it when every slurp comes with a bit of that mildly sweetish crab roe. If nothing else, I will patronize this place again for this cold crab. Lovely with the minerally-citric polish hill riesling we had. Didn’t get to taste the inner soft shell but from the looks of those that had it…this is something I really MUST try!
Fried Oyster Omelette
Lovely… eating this made me feel as though I was at a small family-owned kampong restaurant located next to the beautiful untainted sandy beaches of a remote Malaysian / Thai island. The oysters are so natural and pure in taste…not aussie ocean waters fresh but…more like southeast asian seawaters fresh. Amazingly simple dish that just makes me happy eating it. A comfort food.
Stirfry Scallops with Spring Onions
Good wok hei…this has round medallions of chewy fresh scallops nicely tucked in with delicious crunchy spring onions (which DBF will definitely not like). Gives off a very refreshing lift.
Fried Kway Teow
This I like too…clumpy lumps of fat kway teow tossed lightly in some soy and fragrant garlic oil…it’s like char kway teow but without the sweet black sauce. The kway teow is fried till it clumps together …making it more like fried kway teow balls. Might be too salty for some but I like it especially after a glass too many palate numbing wine.
What's Not?
Butter Crayfish
Oily, almost tastelessly bland for a butter crab. Not good at all. The meat was not as fresh and after tasting the cold crab… the muddy deadness of the crayfish stood out like sore thumb. I suspect this is expensive too…maybe even more so than the crab.
Other Dishes Tasted
Fried Hay Chor (for a Teochew restaurant, this traditionally Teochew dish is not impressive at all..in fact a bit stale).
Fried flat fish in black bean sauce (not bad).
Comments
Both food and service didn’t blow me away. The waitressing aunty looked pissed because we weren’t downing our food fast enough for her to clear…most prob cos we were taking too much time enjoying and talking about the wines. Haha. Her stare could freeze you…like Medusa.
The food is not bad but except for the crab, there really isn’t much magic going into it. Chin Lee and Huat Kee (which will be reviewed in due time) are definitely one-up.
Wine Pairings done
All wines were tasted blind.
2007 Grosset Polish Hill Riesling, Clare Valley
WADA rated 82pts
Steely minerality piercing through …followed closely by stone fruits and wet stones lined by some lime.
2000 Cantermerle, 5th Growth, Haut-Medoc (RP88, WS91)
WADA rated 81pts
Tasted the leftover on the following night with not much change to the flavour profiles. Horse urine features strongly…v musky. Whiffs of ripened capsicum too. Leathery with some dark plums. Somehow it feels awkward. This is like that guy in the class that isn’t the class nerd or psychopath but the cross in-between…intriguing but you just can’t bring yourself to get to know him.
2001 Larmande, St Emilion GC (WS88, RP92)
WADA rated 83pts
Round and very comfortable aromas of dark fruits. Plums & prunes dominate with a slightly herbaceous finish. Elegant but not to the level of millionaire rich tai tai yet. Just simple elegance.
1989 Marques de Murrieta, Castillo Ygay Gran Reserva Especial, Rioja (WS90)
WADA rated 78pts
Brownish brick red tells its age. Amazingly still keeping fairly well for at least the first half hour with sharp bright cherries
.1998 Bodegas Muga, Torre Muga (reserva), Rioja (WS90, RP91)
WADA rated 85pts
This fooled me as a burg with earth, minerals and cherryish notes. Very pleasant drinking with good acidity and balance.
2001 Marcarini Brunate, Barolo (WS88, RP92)
WADA rated 78+pts
Winter melon tea nose. This has good fresh acidity of cherries. Some eucalyptus.
1997 Giuseppe Cortese, Babaresco Rabaja, Piedmont (WS93, RP92)
WADA rated 82+pts
Leathery meaty nose with fresh sour cherries. Good balance and length of finish.
1997 Gianni Gagliardo, Barolo Riserva
WADA rated 75pts
Weaker effort as compared to the Giuseppe.
2004 Oliver Taranga HJ Reserve Shiraz, Mclarenvale
WADA rated 81pts
Dark purplish. Tell-tale new world approach of upfront masculinity. Too young to drink, the nose is overpowered by glycerin crayola. On tasting, this had blackberries and a lot of oomph…too much at the moment. However, being an 04, this has years to go developing in the bottle. There is that nice wasabi “qiang bi”(nostril-flaring) aftertaste
Pairing Suggestions
The food seems to be geared more towards whites. Would love to have some chardonnays here. The aged tempranillos and Sangiovese did hold up quite well with the food as well but its definitely harder to come by.
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