Chef Chan’s Private Dine
A taste of nostalgia
That famous chicken with the crispy skin. You know the one. Made by ladling searing hot oil over the bird until the skin becomes burnished, crisp, a little separated from the meat. Yes, that chicken.
It has been years since I have had it. And now, I can have it pretty much any time I want, at Chef Chan’s Private Dine.
To be clear, the originator of the dish, Cantonese chef Chan Chen Hei, is not in the kitchen. He left Singapore in 2010 or thereabouts, after spending close to 30 years here. In that time, he left his imprint on Hai Tien Lo at Pan Pacific Singapore, and then in his own restaurants at Safra Toa Payoh, Odeon Towers and the National Museum of Singapore.
Instead, his protege, chef Wong Hong Loong, 55, is the one in the kitchen of the tiny, two-table restaurant run by Sarika Connoisseur Cafe, which also runs Buona Terra and Ami Patisserie. It is located in one of the stately bungalows in Scotts Road. The two tables seat eight diners each, and there is a minimum of four to dine.
Chef Wong worked with the master chef for 15 years, and has developed a style of his own. He offers two menus: the six-course Lunch Menu By Loong Shifu ($98++ a person), and Dinner Menu By Loong Shifu ($188++ a person) with a few extra courses.
At dinner, a trio of snacks that follow a warming cup of maitake mushroom soup hits the spot. A crisp, greaseless shrimp paste ball is compelling enough without the dab of foie gras in the middle. Mahogany-hued five-spice quail leg is finger-licking good, and my favourite is the chive and Iberico pork dumpling, which spurts juices when you bite into it.
Mellow and aromatic soya sauce makes Steamed Spotted Grouper With Homemade Tofu And Egg White so very compelling that I need a bowl of rice as an accompaniment.
Crucially, however, both menus feature what I think of as essential dishes: Signature Crispy Sakura Chicken and Wok-Fried Koay Teow With Seasonal Fresh Crab Roe Gravy.
The chicken tastes just like it did in the old days – the caramelisation on the skin, the juicy and well-seasoned meat. Then there is the kway teow. Sure, the crab roe gravy is luxurious, but it is the skill with the rice noodles that speaks to me. The wok hei is fierce and what is so delightful is finding nuggets of deep-fried kway teow buried in the tangled heap. Two contrasting textures.
I wonder if I will eat anything better in 2024.
Where: 35 Scotts Road
MRT: Newton
Tel: 6737-0895
Open: Noon to 2.30pm, 6 to 9.30pm (Tuesdays to Sundays); closed on Mondays
Info: @chefchanprivatedine on Instagram
Berlin65
Hangover cure
Berlin65’s Currywurst ($22++) is what I want on Saturday night after a bar crawl. Then all I need when I wake up at noon on Sunday is two Panadols.
The pork sausage is juicy, with a casing that snaps right back at you. But really, it is the sauce that makes currywurst. The kind that comes in a squeeze bottle is just way too sweet. The restaurant’s housemade version, with German-style curry powder, ketchup, tomato paste and roasted onions, is bright, zingy and lip-puckeringly tart. To better jolt me out of a hangover. I just want more Kewpie on the plate, for the fries.
Two Austrian chefs, Stephan Zoisl, 43, and Lorenz Raich, 37, opened the 40-seat restaurant in December 2023. They serve food drawn from German, Vietnamese, Turkish and Thai cuisines to reflect the melting pot of cultures in the German city.
Mixed Beef & Lamb Adana Kebab ($26++), a mainstay of the city’s Turkish food scene, is worth ordering too. The meat is hand-chopped but not super fine, so there is bite to it. I would trade the tomato sauce for two portions of the lightly tangy garlic yogurt sauce. The garlic is unmistakeable yet not so pungent that you will repel vampires after dinner.
Come to think of it, the kebab would be perfect at the end of a big night too.
Where: 30 Stanley Street
MRT: Telok Ayer
Tel: 9788-4230
Open: 11.30am to 11pm (Mondays to Saturdays); closed on Sundays
Info: Berlin65.com
iVegan
Meatless wonders
People who know me know not to bring up the V word in conversation. My eyes glaze over at the mention of veganism. And yet, I keep haunting iVegan at I12 Katong. Why? My meals there, usually after the gym, are an antidote to the rich food I eat for work.
Not that the food is austere. Pretty much everything I have ordered is flavourful enough that I do not miss the meat. There is a great all-day set-meal deal, with two courses going for $12.90++.
Order the Cold Spicy Marinated Black Fungus, with mellow black vinegar and a kiss of sesame oil. It is crunchy, a little tart and appetising. Follow that with Spicy Mapo Tofu – I was sweating through it because I had foolishly asked for medium hot. But the silken tofu, king oyster mushroom and edamame, napped in a doubanjiang sauce, was so delicious, I could not stop.
My favourite dish, however, is the Sweet & Sour Lion Mane Mushroom ($13.90++). The mushrooms have a meaty texture and are mixed in with red, yellow and green bell peppers, cherry tomatoes and a perky sauce. If you like your cucumber cooked, they are in the dish too. Instead of rice, I get a bowl of fluffy Quinoa ($3.50) to soak up the sauce, and I am a very happy camper.
Where: 02-20 I12 Katong, 112 East Coast Road
MRT: Dakota
Tel: 6539-9252
Open: 11.30am to 9.30pm daily
Info: @ivegansg on Instagram
