Chinese

Tai Lei Loi Kei 澳门大利来记猪扒包 @ nex

/ Fiona Seah / Leave a comment

Hey everyone!

May has been a month of despair for the wallet because of all shopping and celebration expenses (Mom’s birthday and Mother’s Day) and it’s not going to get any better in June (no thanks to Father’s Day, boyfriend’s birthday, Chubs’ birthday and a friend’s wedding). To tide through this rather financially difficult period, boyfriend and I would have to scrimp and save on everything else including food, and that’s why we have been having home-cooked meals when we meet, or at budget eateries on certain days of the week. Since boyfriend lives in Serangoon, we would often go to nex for dinner.

Known as the largest mall in the north-east region of Singapore, nex (not poor grammar hor, the name of the mall is really stylized this way) first opened its doors in end 2010 to much fanfare and the delight of residents living on the other end of the purple MRT line. However, not all shops benefit from the surge of patrons obviously, as can be seen from the frequent change of tenants during just 4 years of its existence. But the mall recently underwent a major tenancy restructuring and brought in quite a number of well-known retailers and food establishments including one restaurant near the bus interchange. When it first opened we didn’t know it was popular and we even dismissed it as another fast food restaurant because its menu shows prominent pictures of burgers. Subsequently we kinda avoided that place (partly because it was always crowded) until 2 weeks ago when we couldn’t decide on an inexpensive place to eat. Looking through the menu again at the entrance, we came to realise that it was a restaurant from Macau called Tai Lei Loi Kei and it’s notable for its pork chop bun. It’s even endorsed by Hong Kong celebrities Nicholas Tse and Angelababy!

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Opened in December 2014, this nex outlet is its first in Singapore.

We dined at Tai Lei Loi Kei on two separate occasions to try out different food on the menu. Here’s what we had:

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Bouncy Noodles with Chicken Wings (S$7.90)

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Really nice wings!

The noodles were just about the right springiness and texture (love the not-too-soft and not-too-hard kind of chewiness). Flavour was great with a tinge of sweetness. My egg came with runny yolk and the chicken wings were still crispy even after some time! I was quite surprised by the number of chicken wings in the bowl too because it’s akin to serving another a la carte dish (chicken wings on a la carte basis come in 6 pieces) – all for just S$7.90!  I mean like c’mon, even a plate of dry noodles with just luncheon meat and egg costs S$8.50++ at Xin Wang Cafe so this is undoubtedly an awesome deal man!

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Signature Pork Chop Bun (S$6.90)

Boyfriend ordered this and I took a rather substantial bite out of it (hehe). The patty was a little tough and dry and the bun, though soft and fluffy, didn’t taste anything extraordinary to me. Beats me why this is their signature bun instead of the more delectable polo bun I got for myself.

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Polo Pork Chop Bun (S$6.90)

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Thick pork patty!

The crust is so crispy and the bun on the overall is so (but not overly) sweet, I love it! I reckon they used the same kind of patty as the one in the normal bun but it somehow tastes less bland and more savoury here. Perhaps the sweetness of the polo bun instantly compensates for the blandness of the patty on the taste buds!

Crave for some desserts? Simply upgrade the above mains to a set for just S$3-S$5 (price varies for different combo) and you can enjoy a cup of hot/cold beverage and either of the following:

(A la carte prices are reflected in brackets)

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Sawdust Cake in Original and Milo (S$3.50 each)

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Sawdust Cake (Original) – fine crushed biscuits layered with whipped cream

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Sawdust Cake (Milo) – Milo powder layered with whipped cream

These Serradura, or “Sawdust” in Portuguese, are the only deserts available at the restaurant and are best eaten chilled. I ate only the powder and crush biscuits and avoided most of the whipped cream because that’s what girls on diet do 😛

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Our choice of drink: Hot (S$2.60) and Cold (S$2.30) Macau Milk Tea. For set meals, add 10c for a hot drink and 60c for cold

Our milk tea was alright but they tasted really Singaporean, like teh at Kopitiam, lacking the Macanese feel.

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Macau Curry Fish Balls (S$4.90)

The fish balls were chewy and bouncy, very unlike the curry fish balls I had in Hong Kong which was a little tougher. I very much prefer this version because I like fish balls to be light and tender. And don’t be fooled by the piece of chilli in the bowl. The fish balls (and curry gravy) don’t taste spicy at all, trust me! 🙂

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Macau Chicken Wings (S$5.90 for 6pcs)

The same number of chicken wings is given for a la carte so I wouldn’t recommend ordering this individually because it’s more worthwhile getting it as a set with a main dish.

I haven’t been to Macau so I can’t compare this with the original. But judging from the hype around the outlets in Macau, I’m very sure the food tastes a lot nicer there 🙂

And that’s all for Tai Lei Loi Kei! Thanks for reading and stay tuned for more food updates!

Tai Lei Loi Kei 澳门大利来记猪扒包
nex Mall
23 Serangoon Central
#B2-15
Singapore 556083
Facebook | Website

Mom’s Birthday @ Crab Party

/ Fiona Seah / 5 Comments

Hey everyone! Hope your week has been great so far 😉

My Mom celebrated her birthday last week and being the eldest child, I had the responsibility of deciding where to take her on her special day. With so many restaurants to choose from, deciding where to eat can be a real headache. After narrowing down my choices, I finally decided on Crab Party which has been my go-to restaurant to satisfy my crab craving (mega love the Butter Cream Crab there!) ever since I was introduced to it six years ago.

It wasn’t my Mom’s first time at Crab Party, having brought my parents to dine there once in 2012 on Father’s Day. They too loved the food and were full of praise for the crab dishes. But prices are pretty steep and the place can be quite inconvenient if you don’t drive.

It is also noteworthy that the crabs sell out very quickly so it’s important that you ask to reserve your preferred number and size of the crab when you call to book a table.

The following is what we ordered!

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Salted Egg Chicken (S$12+)

We were tossing up between ordering Butter Cream Crab and Salted Egg Crab but I was dying to have the taste of the butter cream I missed to much linger on my tongue once again. So we got the best of both worlds! The chicken came in bite-size pieces (like KFC’s Popcorn Chicken) coated with savoury salted egg seasoning. Every bite was sensational!

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Kailan with Beef (S$15+)

We had some greens to balance out the guilt! The beef was glistening in the restaurant ceiling light, making the entire dish look so appetising and enticing. The beef was great and had a consistent chewy texture. But I enjoyed the greens more because they were really fresh and crunchy!

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Black Sauce Big Prawn (S$25+)

This was ordered by my Mom who is a huge prawn lover. I wasn’t particularly pleased with the size of the prawns because they were nowhere near “big”. Worst of all, the flesh was rather mushy – a sign that the prawns were not fresh. Overall, this dish was a disappointment.

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Mantou (S$1+ each)

Boyfriend and I went sans rice that day to allow more stomach space for the hot and crispy Mantou (steamed buns) which we would dip into the chilli gravy and butter cream sauce below.

Crabs were chargeable at S$65/kg which is pretty much on the high side. To have a peace of mind, we usually ask for our crabs to be weighed before we place our orders. We certainly don’t wish to get a rude shock when we receive our bill at end of the meal.

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Favourite Chilli Crab (medium, 1.6kg, S$104+)

Chilli Crab is the restaurant’s signature dish and of course, my folks’ favourite style of cooking crabs. The gravy was sweet and spicy enough for me but definitely not for my parents whose tolerance for spicy food is sky-high.

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Butter Cream Crab (medium, 1.6kg, S$104+)

We ordered another crab because boyfriend and I aren’t really into chilli. And most importantly, we didn’t want to compete with our elders for the crab pincers *chuckles* Our pincers were all very meaty because both crab were medium-sized, which made our meal even more gratifying.

The Butter Cream gravy was divine as usual. Sweet, thick and smooth, the gravy propels you to heaven with a single taste. It’s one of the best Butter Cream Crab I’ve had and I’m so glad standards remain unchanged throughout the years. I feel that it tastes even better with Mantou 🙂

Okay hope you guys like this short update! I have more posts coming up so please bear with me 😉

Thanks for reading!

Tien Court Restaurant @ Copthorne King’s Hotel Singapore

/ Fiona Seah / Leave a comment

Hey everyone!

After a sumptuous lunch at Wooloomooloo and a relaxing staycation at Hotel Clover, we’ve finally come to the final part of my birthday celebration, courtesy of my boyfriend’s wonderful parents. This year, they brought me to Tien Court, a reputable restaurant that serves contemporary Cantonese and Szechuan cuisine at Copthorne King’s Hotel. It has been in operation for a long time with Taiwanese Masterchef Ho Tien Tsai at the helm of the kitchen, clinching countless of awards throughout the years for its culinary excellence. It’s a pretty popular choice among Chinese newly-weds to be for holding wedding banquets here in Singapore.

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Being a Chinese restaurant, the deco of the restaurant gave a very oriental yet modern vibes. It used auspicious colours like red and white, coupled with black to portray a more contemporary theme. It had a huge collection of antiques and more interestingly, there were even bird cages hanging everywhere!

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Featured the white romper I was wearing here!

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Me settled down in the restaurant. Love the intricate design of the sleeves by the way!

The restaurant is rather small for grand wedding banquets if you ask me, but it’s perfect for small-scale ones meant only for people you’re really close to (which I would be opting for in the future because I never like the idea of wedding banquets).

Bf’s parents did all the ordering of food while I was at the washroom so I didn’t know what to expect on the dining table! It was great they chose the food because I’m a fussy eater when it comes to Asian cuisine and I’d probably take ages to decide on what to eat. Haha.

First came the starters – an individual bowl of Szechuan Hot and Sour Soup for everyone.

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Topped with lotsa pepper and vinegar afterwards.

The Szechuan Hot and Sour Soup is a perfect alternative to Shark’s Fin Soup which I’m really glad is banned in most Chinese restaurants in Singapore. It’s addictive, equally thick and had lots of finely diced Tofu with plenty of mushrooms. And once you add the usual condiments like pepper and vinegar, it tastes almost like Shark’s Fin Soup!

Next, we had Roast Chicken with Spicy Garlic and Almond Flakes.

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The skin was roasted to the perfect golden brown – divinely crispy and perfectly dry. I usually eat chicken meat without their skin but this, I couldn’t forgo. The tender and moist chicken meat was given the extra crunch with those almond flakes and spicy garlic. You have to try this when you’re at Tien Court.

A simple stir-fried Asparagus dish with onions and red dates followed.

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Asparagus is one of the few vegetables I enjoy eating. This one at Tien Court was fleshy, juicy and soft – an indicator that it was cooked perfectly. It’s delicate, fresh and crunchy and it melts in your mouth. This plate was emptied the fastest!

Then we had Braised Duck.

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It had a rather strong herbal essence which I found pleasant and delectable. It added flavour to the succulent duck meat, making it really fragrant and savoury. Bf, on the other hand, thought that the smell was a tad too strong to the point of revolt. I guess if you’re not afraid of the pungent smell of Tea Leaf Eggs (茶叶蛋), this should be a-ok for you!

The final meat dish of the night was Hong Kong Style Steamed Garoupa.

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Bf and I love any “Hong Kong Style Steamed” fish because of the sweet and savoury soy sauce that came with it. It has a unique and addictive taste that you cannot find in other fish prepared differently. On top of that, the fish would always come silky smooth and tender, so much so that it’d break apart very easily when you try to cut the fish into smaller portions. The Garoupa dish fitted my description perfectly though. My expectation for this was well met 🙂

Last but not least, what is a birthday celebration without Longevity Noodles?

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It bizarrely came last and I vaguely remember that we wanted it to be served in the beginning. I guess the service staff wasn’t paying attention. But because it came so late, we were already full to the brim. I don’t think we even had space for desserts. Haha!

But I still managed to take a few mouthfuls of it to be polite. It was slightly cold and mushy, like it was left at a corner for some time before it was served to our table. It could be better if it was served earlier because the taste was not too bad honestly.

Okay, that’s all for this entry!

Thanks for reading 🙂

Tien Court Restaurant
Copthorne King’s Hotel Singapore
403 Havelock Road
Singapore 169632
Tel: 6733 0011
Fax: 65 6732 5764
Website