The Hungry Bunny

Kimchi had alerted me to Ramen Keisuke Tonkotsu King Four Seasons , the Bugis offshoot of the hugely popular, perpetually-queued Keisuke Tonkotsu King at Tras Street. Inspired by each distinct season, this ramen joint offers just 4 variants of their famed tonkotsu broth. Spring, with the refreshing bloom of peppery basil and cheese; Summer, a spicy homage to the fiery season; Autumn, a reflection of fall's mushrooming abundance; and Winter, a homestyled warmth of a comforting pork broth. Each base ramen comprises tender pork chashu and black fungus, but we, being gluttons, chose their "All Topping" ramen option (or the"everything-bao-ga-liao" selection, as I like to call it), choc-a-bloc with add-ons like tamago (egg), butayaki (pork belly), and a crisp seaweed. Be sure to go at off-peak hours though, I've heard that the queues here are almost as maddeningly long as the original one at Orchid Hotel.  The Tonkotsu Ramen Autumn Special ($16.90) flavoured...

This was yet another bunch of desserts generously brought over by one of our lovely luncheon guests, who'd taken away from Maison Kayser on her way over from Wheelock Place . While I'd mixed feelings about their tea-time specials sometime ago , I'd noted that their baked confectionery was outstandingly stellar. This time round was enough to make the Hubs and I fans of the famed French patissier. We went right out the very next day and took away a whole lot of their sweets! The bright lemony accents of the Tarte au Citron ($4.40) were nicely countered by the sweet custard and buttery, crumble-in-your-mouth pastry boat. Not exactly our thing, but it was pretty good. Especially since it wasn't as jarringly sour as I'd expected. The Eclair Chocolat ($3.70) was excellent. It was sweetly nuanced, perfectly balanced. The bonus was how cheap this was. (For reference, Paul 's eclairs cost $6.80 a pop!) An unexpected hit, the Brownie ($3.40) was studded wi...

This is one of my favourite Korean banchan, delicate and refreshing, seasoned simply with sesame oil and light soy. As it can be served either chilled or at room temperature, you can prep this well beforehand. Ingredients: 3 bunches spinach, cut into 2" lengths (this will yield 1 cup cooked spinach) 3 cloves garlic, minced (1 clove of garlic per bunch of spinach) light soy sesame oil Directions: 1) Blanch spinach in salted boiling water for no more than 30 seconds. Drain into ice bath. This will stop the cooking process and retain its bright green hue. Wring the water from the spinach (you absolutely need to drain the water from this, otherwise it'll be waterlogged. Just give the whole clump a quick squeeze) and set aside. 2) Stir fry the garlic in 1 tbsp sesame oil. Some recipes call for raw garlic to be tossed in with the spinach but I don't quite like the sharp bite of raw garlic, so I give it a quick fry for a more aromatic mellow taste. 3) Set a...

As you can well tell by now, I've been cooking A LOT. I'm on a short break before embarking on a brand new phase of my life, so life's been a whirlwind of dinner parties. To break up the monotony of my recipe posts, this is a review of a seafood fiesta I had sometime back at Jumbo Riverwalk . When dining with a large group, I find it best to book a private room. The ambient noise of the rambunctious dining hall is shut out by the doors of the private room and you immediately get some quiet in order to chat with, without shouting at, one another. For a primarily seafood spot, Jumbo's Sharks Fin Soup with Crabmeat ($16) was surprisingly refined. Velvety and rich, the crabmeat was plentiful and added sweetness. A staple appetizer, the Donut with Seafood Paste ($25 for large), with a fresh, bouncy seafood paste and sesame-d crust, is one of those things that you can't quite stop at one. A signature here, the Scallops wrapped in Yam Ring ($40 for large) ma...

Bacon Potato Hash is one of those awesome breakfast foods that I love whipping up even in the dead of night. Apart from the starter ingredients of bacon and potato, you can vary it with additions of spinach, leek, onions, bell peppers, corn and/or mushrooms. Some recipes call for the potatoes to be boiled first before frying but I find that the potatoes become waterlogged. I prefer to just fry the potatoes in the bacon fat to achieve a proper browning. Ingredients (feeds 2): 5 slices streaky bacon (you can up this if you prefer more) 3 russet potatoes, diced 1-cm cubes (you need to dice them equally so that it cooks evenly) Salt Pepper Butter (or cooking oil) Directions: 1) Heat bacon and butter in pan until evenly crisp, about 10-15 minutes at medium heat. Remove and set aside, leaving the bacon renderings in pan. 2) Cook potatoes in bacon fat, salting as you go. Toss intermittently until evenly browned, about 20-25 minutes. 3) Return bacon, giving it all a ...

Homemade vegetable stock is another must-have in every cook's pantry, especially when catering to vegetarians. Unlike chicken stock , a lot more vegetables will have to be added to a vegetable stock compensate for the lack of a depth that you get from extracting all that essence from bones. A lot of aromatics and root vegetables are used here, and first fried to release their flavours for a layered sweetness. Ingredients (yields about 7L of stock): 3 celery, diced roughly 2 carrots, diced roughly 3 large onions, diced roughly 4 shallots, sliced  8 cloves of garlic, smashed 1 leek, sliced to 1" lengths 3 cups shitake mushrooms, quartered (approximately 25 small shitakes) 1 parsnip, diced roughly 3 sprigs fresh thyme 3 bay leaves 3 tbsp olive oil Directions: 1) Fry garlic till fragrant in 3 tbsp olive oil. 2) Add shallots, which has an intensely oniony flavour, and fry till fragrant. 3) Add onions and fry till fragrant. 4) Add leek, which also has ...

I've always loved beancurd. It's healthy, low in calories but so versatile.This is dressed up with pork mince and mushrooms for a contrast in textures. Ingredients (feeds 1-2): 1 box silken tofu, sliced to 1-inch cubes 100gm minced pork (you can switch this out with chicken mince, or leave it out completely if catering for vegetarians) 3 fresh shitake mushrooms, sliced thinly (oyster mushrooms are a viable alternative) 4 cloves garlic, minced 2 tbsp shaoxing wine 1 tsp light soy 1 tbsp oyster sauce 1 tsp sugar 1 tbsp sesame oil 1 tbsp frying oil White ground pepper Fried shallots for garnishing Seasoning for mince: 1 tbsp light soy 1/2 tsp Chinese five-spice powder 1 tsp sesame oil Dash of white ground pepper Directions: 1) Fry garlic in sesame oil-olive oil combination until fragrant. 2) Add mushrooms and fry for a minute. 3) Add minced pork, separating them up as you go. 4) Add oyster sauce, light soy, wine, sugar and 1/4 cup water. And ...