Rochor Beancurd House at Geylang

After my previous mention on the excellent beancurd place from Rochor Original Beancurd at Selegie, I was informed by a reader to try out this Geylang beancurd stall as well.

They look very similar to the one at Selegie, except they have a different signboard and slightly different stall name.

My understanding is that both of these stalls' present owners originate from the same father who ran the real original beancurd house in Selegie many years back.

But enough with history, I was here with winekaki and bowlingball to determine how well the two beancurd houses match up, and for the most part, they really do serve almost identical fare.

Smooth Beancurd

I ordered my usual beancurd in soya bean milk variant, and though being really smooth, I still prefer Selegie's beancurd texture slightly better. Somehow, this one did not go down the throat as comforting as the other one.

Egg Tart

The egg tart served at this Geylang outlet looked the same as the Selegie one, and the custard filling tasted very alike too. However, the pastry did not feel as fresh nor as crispy/fluffy as the other one.

Butterfly Bun

The butterfly looked the same again, but here, the actual taste was a letdown. The dough did feel a bit stale when compared to the very fragrant version from Selegie. This applied to their you tiao as well, and came as a disappointment to us.

We did also try their other outlet at Upper Thomson too, and while the beancurd was still silky good, I felt that it was their pastries that paled to the Selegie outlet.

Overall, Rochor Beancurd House can serve a good bowl of beancurd, but I would settle for the pastries and dough fritters somewhere else.

Rochor Beancurd House
745 Geylang Road (Lorong 39)

Authentic Malacca Chendol at Famosa Chicken, Jonker Street

Remember my recent post on Thomson Plaza's Jonker Nyonya Deli's chendol which I raved about?

Well, this one in Malacca beats it hands down. And of all places, I found it in Jonker Walk's Famosa Chicken.

I will not dwell on the chicken rice balls here as I will talk about a superior version in a later post.

The iced chendol was actually being made by an Indian near the front entrance and that was what caught our attention in the first place.

Within the nicely decorated restaurant, we were quite impressed to see that this iced chendol item was actually one of the most ordered items as the Indian seemed to be constantly coming in and out with bowlfuls of chendol every 5 minutes or so!

Authentic Malacca Iced Chendol

The thing that was not perfect in the Thomson chendol was the shaved ice, which was not very fine. Well, no such problem here. The shaved ice was snow perfect! And instead of the puny red beans used in local chendol, they used juicy and succulent kidney beans which had a better crunch and texture.

The other thing that they got absolutely right is the balance of gula melaka (palm sugar) and coconut milk. The Thomson Plaza had too much gula melaka and too little coconut. Here, the balance is near perfect and had a more lemak feel while the palm sugar was ever present but never overpowering.

Bowlfuls of Chendol Delight

I also found out from the owner that they use pandan instead of green pea for the chendol itself, and they have the same pale green look as the Thomson version, and must be eaten before the ice freezes the chendol as it can become quite stiff.

It is a shame that to get such fantastic chendol, one has to travel all the way to Malacca and Jonker itself to have a taste. But, good things are always worth the effort, don't you think? 

Click here to check out winekaki's review of this chendol dessert as well.

Famosa Chicken
28-30 Jalan Hang Kasturi, 
Off Jonker Street, Melaka 75200, Malaysia

Rochor Original Beancurd You Tiao With Video

Beancurd is one of our most cherished local desserts, and is often paired with a pair of delicious you tiao or fried doughsticks or similarly local fried pastries.

For me, the best beancurd is this particularly popular one found in Selegie, just opposite Wilkie Edge, and housed in a rustic 2-storey shophouse.

They serve not only classic beancurd in syrup, but also beancurd in soy bean milk, which is how I prefer to take it.

Besides beancurd, they have a delectable range of pastries ranging from fried doughsticks to egg tarts to butterflies (fried dough that is shaped somewhat like a butterfly). Whichever way you take it, they are all very good.

Beancurd in Soy Bean Milk

Just take a look at the gorgeously smooth beancurd here. Not overly sweet and the soya bean milk gives it that extra creamy flavor and having it warm just goes nicely down your throat. You can literally finish a bowl in a minute, and nothing beats having this bowl of beancurd goodness in person!

Butterfly Dough Fritters

The butterfly dough fritters had a fragrant aroma to it, and the dough is not too thick or too flour tasting, which makes this easy to consume. The nice sesame seed coating just give it that slight crunchy texture to go with the delicious softness of the dough.

Egg Tart

The beautifully baked egg tart actually outshone the beancurd. The crust was baked to perfection, flaky to the touch, yet outrageously crispy and had that slight burnt but not overly burnt effect. The egg custard was also nicely balanced, and undeniably smooth.

Excellent Selection of Local Desserts

 It is a simple way to consume a snack or breakfast, and very inexpensive as well, considering how well known this stall is. You will see countless executives and working folks packing this place during lunchtime and coffee breaks.

They even have an air con space on the 2nd floor for those who are unwilling to brave the heat in the alfresco sitting area downstairs. If you enjoy beancurd, and have never patronised this place before, go give it a try.

As far as Singapore desserts go, Rochor Original Beancurd reigns pretty supreme.

Check out winekaki's review of the same beancurd stall as well.

Rochor Original Beancurd You Tiao
2 Short Street
Opposite Wilkie Edge

Click here for the YouTube link.
Click here to download the HD version.

Written, filmed, edited and directed by Silverchef Productions.
Shot and edited entirely on Apple's Iphone 4 and on a roadside table.
No butterfly dough fritter was harmed in the shooting of this video.
"Jesus, Etc." performed by Wilco.

Royce Chocolates

When it comes to chocolates, I always find Pauline, and ladies in general, succumbing to the intoxicating nature of this wondrous dessert.

So, this post is actually meant for the guys, for if you ever need to appease your lady, you should go on reading ...

And for me personally, nothing tops making the woman of my life smile more than putting a pack of Royce chocolate in front of her.

It is something about the comforting effect that chocolates have, especially for women. It is like an instant reliever for many, the moment a piece of chocolates disappears into her mouth, her face breaking into some form of unrestrained ecstasy.

But I digress, Royce I believe, comes from Japan, and they are extremely popular here. They do have an outlet in the basement of Ngee Ann City and another in Suntec City, near Carrefour. They always come immaculately packaged, and have a wide assortment of chocolates.

Champagne Nama Chocolate

Their most popular range is the nama cholocates, which comes in a variety of flavors, from au lait, to bitter chocolate. Our favorite is the champagne flavored ones. As you can see from the photo, it comes in a pack of 20 chocolate cubes.

What is so exquisite about these cubes is that they are so smooth and buttery that it literally melts in your mouth. It has cocoa powder coated on each cube to give it a slight bitter fragrance, and every Royce newbie who is having this for the first time will never stop at one!

Orange Truffles

My own personal fav is this box of orange truffles that comes in a very beautiful box. It only contains about a dozen truffles, but it is absolutely heavenly!

Each truffle is also cocoa coated, but within, there is a very delightful concoction of orange peel and liqueur that will literally explode in your mouth when you pop one in. You only wish there were more of these in every pack.

Nutty Bar Chocolate

Pauline always cannot resist picking up an extra box of nuttty bars as well. It is a waffle like stick which contains almond and hazel paste (among an assortment of other nut paste), and I think, almond puff inside, making the texture crunchy yet chocolatey smooth.

So guys, do not hesitate. This is the perfect gift and perfect way to get into your lady's good books. There are many more delightful and colorful selections from Royce, and I doubt that you can go much wrong with any choice.

Just be cautious though, as this is also sinfully addictive. Nevertheless, this is something we should indulge in, every once in a while, especially over a brew of tea on a warm autumn evening like now.

Royce Chocolates
Basement 2, Ngee Ann City Food Section near Cold Storage

Mei Heong Yuen Dessert - Black Sesame Paste and Green Tea Snow Ice

Tong Shui (糖水) outlets have sprouted like wildfire in recent years, in particular, in town areas like Orchard.

The best of these, however, still resides within Chinatown, and my favorite one is the one referred by my friend of 20 years, called Mei Heong Yuen Dessert at Temple St.

This place is perpetually full, and finding a table usually requires some waiting time. Fret not, the staff there are always on hand to guide you to an empty table, and they even have a CCTV installed for this purpose.

The desserts are split into the more traditional hot dishes like almond paste, ginger milk etc and the more modern cold desserts using snow ice.

Snow ice is actually a more refined version of shaved ice used in ice kachang and ice chendol. The shaved ice is shaved so thin that it actually has the texture of real snow, hence, snow ice dessert. They come in multiple flavors, from mango, durian to more funky combos of almond and black sesame.

Green Tea Snow Ice

Pauline decided to go for the very visually appealing Green Tea Snow Ice, which really had a very strong taste of macha in the snow ice. It came garnised with red beans on the side and as you can infer from the photo, it almost looks unreal, yet colorful to the eyes.

Overall, it tasted refreshing with the green tea aroma, and the crunchiness of the red beans complimented it perfectly. It really felt like eating fresh green tea snow!

Black Sesame Paste

I usually prefer the almond or black sesame paste as I used to remember having this at Kreta Ayer Market when I was young, and having a bowl of this really brings back a deep sense of nostalgia.

The black sesame paste here was really delicious, that slight burnt taste of sesame went down really smooth. If you are a fan of these traditional paste desserts, you can hardly go wrong coming here, both in terms of quality and variety.

As we were gulping down our sweets, it was obvious that this place has become a sort of tourist magnet. Nevertheless, it still beats the more recent tong shui stalls in town hands down. And situated in the heart of Chinatown, it feels just right at home consuming these time owned traditions.

Mei Heong Yuen Dessert
67 Temple Street
Chinatown

Jonker's Nyonya Deli - Excellent Chendol With Video

Pauline and I often do our groceries at Thomson Plaza's NTUC, seeing how it is near our home in Bishan.

And I happen to have a good friend who often sends his daughter to classes here and it was him who introduced me to this somewhat new place called Jonker's Nyonya Deli.

Jonker's actually serves a more modern Nonya cuisine that is more catered to a younger generation.

But the main treat for me here is the dessert, Chendol. For those who are not familiar, Chendol is a traditional dessert, usually consisting of coconut milk, a worm looking green jelly (usually made of flour and artificial coloring), and palm sugar which is called gula melaka here.

Over time, some inventive food vendors have come up with different variants of this dessert, but most still adhere to those basic ingredients, but would top it with either ice cream or even durian puree to make it unique.

Chendol with palm sugar and shaved ice

Here, they serve it like ice kachang, with shaved ice and red beans underneath the ice. The main standout here is the actual chendol itself, which is made from a combination of green pea flour and sago.

The color itself is somewhat less green and looks far more natural than most of the usual variants you get at hawker stalls. The texture is also much softer and when mixed with the coldness of the shaved ice, it does taste very coolingly tender and refreshing.

Add to that the rather thick and generous serving of the palm sugar, this dessert really stands out from the usual crowd. Jonker's even prints out a paper sheet to explain their Chendol in detail, which is rather unique in itself.

We did try some of their nonya dishes like ayam ponteh (braised chicken in soya bean paste sauce) and while it was palatable, it was not a standout like this dessert is. Pauline's laksa also did not resonate that strong either.

But for those who really need their Chendol fix, I would highly recommend you give this place a try.

Jonker's Nyonya Deli
301 Upper Thomson Road
Thomson Plaza

Click here for the YouTube link.
Click here to download the HD version.

Written, filmed, edited and directed by Silverchef Productions.
Shot and edited entirely on Apple's Iphone 4 and at Jonker's Nyonya Deli.
No pea and sago chendol was harmed in the shooting of this video.
"Shelter from the Storm" performed by Cassandra Wilson.

White Chocolate Mousse with Raspberry Puree

I must admit I am not very strong at desserts, as evidenced by my lack of posts on sweets.

For this, I defer to Pauline for a recipe that she worked on from another reference, but nevertheless, was a hit with our family diners recently.

To begin, blend some raspberries until they are smooth and syrupy. Strain the mixture to remove the seeds, and eliciting a nice texture of a puree.

Add some sugar to the puree to sweeten it as by itself, the natural raspberries are somewhat sour.

To give it an extra touch of elegance, add a dash of coffee liqueur for a slight bitter aftertaste to counter the citrus sweet flavors. Set aside for use later.

For the mousse, break some white chocolate into a cooking pan and add half a cup of whipping cream. Heat up the mixture to begin melting the chocolate. It's essential to keep stirring the mixture to ensure that the choclolates are fully melted whilst infusing with the cream. Add a tablespoon worth of the raspberry puree and stir to mix it well.

Whisk another one and a half cup of the same whipping cream until you get mousse mixture from the air beaten into the cream. Fold this whisked cream into the the previous mixture until they are neatly infused.

Pour the final mixture into whiskey glasses (you can use other glass vessels if you like) and set it in the refridgerator for about an hour. Fifteen minutes before serving, put the mousse into the freezer to give set it further for more texture.

To serve, garnish it with a few spoonfuls of the raspberry puree and add a fresh raspberry (or strawberry) on top to beautify it. Sweet! And Delectable!