Mcdonald's first gourmet dinner: Teppanyaki Chicken Mcgrill

The settings:

It isnt everyday that mcdonald closes one of its outlet for something special. And today it was my pleasure to be invited to be one of the pioneer diners for this whole new menu they are going to launch soon.

Here we are at alocassia apartments, my guess would be with drive through service here the inconveniences caused due to closing for private event would be minimised.

And the MC of the night also mentioned that it was partly due to the place just being renovated.

All participants had to register and were given a small name tag with your name inprinted on it

Well well well what do we have here?

A setting you would have expected of a restaurant, there is something with black tissues that makes it look classy. The lighting was great too, the kind of atmosphere where you could have a dinner with your love one, a gathering or even a causal meal in one.

A look at the menu

Check out some food for thoughts from the VP of marketing and our chef of the day Irene Jansen.

She mentioned something interesting that i really agreed. Can you believe that Mcdelivery was only available in 2005. Prior to that there was no 24hrs delivery in singapore, imagine the inconveniences we would all have lose if there wasnt any 24hrs delivery. But yet it seems such a long time ago due to the fact that mcdonalds have always been a ever present restaurant to us with their continuous marketing and flyers promotions.

Every table had a 'cup' of white roses :)

The pre dinner speech and sharing, there were a few parties invited. From bloggers to winner of mcdonald facebook contest, hardwarezone the "makan" zone and mcdonald own private invitation.

Finally the food!!!!

First up Fish and corn quiche

The fish is actually fillet o fish meat. My personal favourite, as for the egg it is used from their breakfast eggs. Steamed with corn at the base, it was a very light starter. Picture a western chawamushi  and you will get the taste, though the fish did give it a good bite, corn at the base was crunchy and fresh too!

Fresh Salad Green

In the past whenever i was eating their burgers with veggie the fresh lettuce is always a standout. And today we have a pure taste of the ingredients. With a side thousand island dressing, this dish clear your taste bud and leave it with a refreshing feeling for the next course. 

Finally the star of the day,

The Teppanyaki Mcgrill Burger

This is by far the best burger i have eaten in mcdonald, the sourdough bread was the hidden star. It offered a very firm hold but yet soft and chewy. In term of meat cooking and marinating there is alot of stalls that can do a good job, but now mcdonald using this bread brings this burger up another level. Its like subway, the choices of meat is as important as the taste and texture of the bread you eat. 

With a dash of bbq sauce, this truly brings up the mark in the looks department

And instead of chopped lettuce, another simple yet good change is that they use one fully slice lettuce.

The perfect brownish charred meat

Who can forget their trademark fries? when i saw the menu and didnt see the fries to be honest something inside me died, i was really expecting it. Luckily shortly after the main dish they send it up with a very nice plating. 

Apple Yogurt Trifle

Mcdonald vanilla ice cream topped with strawberry sauce, apple dippers, cinnamon powder.

Tasty treat! The yogurt was just fantastic, the nicest dessert i tried in Mcdonald. Ice cream are sweet and too much of it would make you sick of it. But with a good shot of yogurt in it, there is a very good combination of sweet and sournesss in it.

 Elevating your senses in a good way. I didnt have enough of it at the end :(

Mcafe cappuccino, standard taste .

Before we left, the mavellous staff of mcdonald gave each of us this collectible which added the final spark of a wonderful night. After this meal, i realised why after so many decades and such massive expansion all over the world mcdonald is still the number one. 

Not only does it make and ensure good food, the management, logistics, crew and sales staff are equally proficient!

This shot belongs to TW14 of HWZ, i 'borrow' from him. Thanks ah terence:P

La kopi? How about some beancurd chill out @ Rochor beancurd ?

Where do you hang out with your friends on a quiet weekday night or lazy weekend afternoon, at a heartland area for a light supper snack while chilling?

Today we present to you rochor road beancurd, ironicly it is also best known as the selegie 'tau huay'

Today we visit the branch @ upper thomson, parking is usually a pain here due to not having proper lots and most of the diners actually park at the residential area. Causing many frustration to the residents living there (Sorry) You can even see many resident guarding their lots with flower pots, dustbin and other bulky misc stuff that they can move.

The wall of fame with owner david and many local artiste, i have to admit that it is very impressive and good marketing tool as even before eating your expectation of the place would be increased significantly.

But having eaten the 'selegie tau huay and upper thomson branch somehow i felt that the branch @ selegie tasted nicer.

The perfect light tea meal. Balanced combo for a high tea. The popiah was crunchy and ingredients filling. 

I always prefered eating from a proper bowl rather than the disposable kind. Not sure why maybe because this sort of retro bowls give you a homely feeling.

I also order a Dou Hua Jia Shui. Tao huay with water. Cant stand eating the pure sweet syrup at times, this gives it a good balance.

Is it just me or the You tiao seems a little longer than usual? Popiah was good though, but will skip the you tiao next time.

Not as fluffy as last time. But the best thing about stalls like this is that people just want to find a place to chill and have a drink rather than the standard coffeeshop la kopi or starbucks where if the prices dont annoy you the search for a seat will.

232 Upper Thomson Road
S574363 Tel: 64936905

Hardwarezone.com.sg - Mcdonald's first gourmet dinner experience invite

Yummybuddies is selected to be part of a 10 men diner to experience this whole new concept of Gourmet dinner @ mcdonald.

Watch this space for a first hand review of the up and coming Mcdonald Gourmet!!!!!

JB City sqaure: Peri Peri Chicken

I write with regret that the first entry to peri peri chicken was actually first tasted in JB city square mall

I present to you the legendary Portuguese flame-grilled PERi-PERi-chicken

I really wanted to give it a try in Singapore but constant queues like this made me change my mind. Though i strongly believe that good food are worth the wait but a hungry man is a angry man and a angry man usually wont enjoy his peri peri.

Hunger unfriendly queues

One Fine day on a quiet afternoon, before a good massage i stumbled across a half empty Nando @ Citysquare Mall (JB)

God Sent a message

Ambience was good, noticed couple students having their lunch here. Could also be due to the student promotion, anyway the main thing now.

CHICKEN, i settled for the 1/4 chicken top with the non spicy lemon and herb sauce with 2 sides. Heard from reviews that the rice was nice and went with the mediterranean rice and 'old style chips' AKA french fries to

Rice was sticky and soft, nothing like i had tasted before, could be due to the Portuguese nature which by far anything Portuguese to me was just the egg tart.

No comment about the fries they were just standard fries.

CHICKEN TIME: Tender and fresh, taste was refreshing due to the lemon sauce and herb. It was piping hot as well.

But how could you miss out on its famed peri peri sauce?

Just looking @ them i feel hot

I have to confessed that i am not really a chilli person. And this stuff are hot! even the mildest gave a very fiery burn to my lips and tongue. No joke but if the chicken was drenched in this Hell sauce i would just give up and call for the bill.

P.S Do not try to impress your friends by ordering the extra hit peri peri sauce. It is no joke!

                                   

Next in line

My companion ordered the Espatódea chicken.

I didnt really touch the sides but there wasnt much impression made  (grilled vegetable and coleslaw)

The chicken was very tasty though, not to mention it was all meat without bones like the other main dishes. Very date friendly without missing out on the taste itself. Decoration was fanciful too.

We actually saw another table having this which really made an impression.

Verdict

Overall taste wise was good but no where near legendary as marketed. Could also be due to the marketing where it really raised peoples expectation, given the chance i will try it again but this time in Singapore and compare.

J.B City Square Mall
10am-10pm
B1-07
Next to HK Kim gary

A&W~~~ The Good Old Times

Today i present to you a fast food familiar with the slightly older people :( 

The first A&W store opened at Dunearn Road in Singapore in 1966 as the first fast food restaurant from the U.S.A. in that country. The chain expanded in the later years, including one at Singapore Zoo which closed in 1999. The chain's Singapore operations dwindled by the beginning of the 21st century, and by 2002 it had only 7 outlets around the island. A&W finally closed in 2005 with the last outlet in Vista point woodlands. They were the pioneer in curly fries and, root beer with ice cream and really good waffles. 

The waffles are the kind that wont turn soft and mushy even when the ice cream melt, that is how good it is. Sad to say the burgers wants really a standout and eventually with the high cost of sustaining a fast food restaurant the chain started closing one by one.

A&W was the first place that made me fell in love with ice cream waffles, and no gelato store can bring back the same taste of it when i first tasted it.

It has become a "must eat" for anyone traveling oversea, making your own root beer + vanilla ice cream at home just dont cut it. You must have their authentic version.

It was a slow tuesday afternoon in Jusco though 

The trademark drink of A&W

It was a pity i had a really filling lunch and all my stomach space could muster was a waffle ice cream cup :(

I will be back with a empty stomach again and bring back the good old memories that it had once given me

Continued~~

The taste, is nothing found in Singapore! No Gelare can compare when put beside a actual A&W waffle.

This is really my comfort food, taste exactly the same when i had it ages ago, or even in batam.

Consistent taste

There are many different taste of eating a waffle, i personally like to spread them evenly around the whole waffle before cutting up cube by cube to eat. Mmmmmmm~~

Only question is, why do i have to cross a custom to have these?!

Heavenly Crabs off the red dot: Tian Lai Seafood @Gelang Patah

There is always something that fascinate me in Malaysia and that is their cze char stall and seafood.

Appearantly it doesnt matter where you are but all you need to do is walk into any cze char shop and chances are the food is fantastic in a way or so.

I have been to Satu malaysia countless time and no matter where i am, every time we intend to be adventure we will most probably find a new nice dining spot.

And today i present to you one of the nicest find just across the causeway. One thing that seperates the best and mediocre eateries is not only good food. But consistent good food, reputation and past review counts for nothing if you are going to eat and praying that it will taste the same. Good food is like good sex, no matter where , how and when you do it it must be good always and looking forward to the next round.

 Here we are! At truly asia, it is sometime so refreshing to know that you can practically park anywhere without worrying about coupons and stuff. Just drive in slot in and go. I will leave directions at the end of the post.

Been here couple of times and this signage is becoming somesort of trademark already. The eatery seems like family own as you are actually just infront of their house. Somewhat like a bungalow where the front pouch has been transformed to a kitchen area + dining area. During the weekends they will even use their neightbours access area and you could easily see children playing inside the house. That could also explain the ambience's of being casual and relax unlike high end eateries where everything is very professional and purely commercial. Not that it is bad but situational depended.

Ok now pay attention to the following words, you see the bundle full of crab the staff is taking out from? Follow by the 10 over basket there.

It is all LIVE CRABS, and chances are they will sell out by the day!! And we are talking about it being a normal thursday. The waitress we spoke too mentioned that every basket has average 25 -35 crabs depending on size. That is a whopping 250 crabs easily on a weekday.

Random and old signboard nonchalantly displaying their recommended dishes. 

Fresh thai coconut juice, i prefer this sweetend version to the other Green colour coconut.

This plate actually cost just 6rm, crunchy fresh vegetable. The aroma of freshly stir fried garlic with oil was just perfect. I realised that some dishes like vegetable taste better when the garlic is smashed rather than chopped.

  

 

Difference in chopped and smash garlic, with me preferring the latter.

Ok First dish up deep fried crispy baby sotong, i am not a fan of this dish and noticed that older people actually prefer this dish ? not sure why though. It was a tad small serving though, was a little over fried though. Was supposed to be crispy but it was a bit hard this time.

Hor fun as one of the main dish! Whenever we come here we will definately order a big serving of this, the prawns and fishcake is nothing to shoutabout but the hor fun is very smooth and chewy! That is something that i have yet to find in Singapore yet. You know usually when you order from random neighbour cze char store the gravvy is always watery and after a while it will start turning dark brown due to the hor fun dark soya sauce spreading to the gravy itself. In this plate you dont have such a problem! Even though it is soupy but there is the distinctive 'wok hei' wok breath in this simple delicacy.

Giner and spring onion deer meat

For this dish i actually prefer singapore version as i find that our 'deer meat' is usually much more tender, not really sure if they use tenderiser here but at times deer meat is actually nothing more than pork meat. 

Deep fried grouper in sweet and sour sauce

This dish cost about 100g 6rm if i remember correctly, but taste wise was just average and the sauce was a little on the less side. Next~~

Now now, the previous dishes were nothing more than the opening dishes for the main star.

The Salted egg crab (1kg 55rm for small, large crab goes for 65rm)

This dish is by far one of the nicest crab i had tasted. The saltness egg fried with butter is amazingly nice, with a very balanced taste of sweet and saltiness.

The salted egg gives it a very distinctively nice mix with seafood. In all fairness, a fresh ingredient is as important as the flavoring of the dish itself.

You could still taste the juiciness of the crab while savouring the flesh, good crabs should be firm yet easy to peel the meat off. No matter how good the sauce is, if you have to scrap the stuck meat off the claw it is a FAIL.

Thankfully we do not have such a problem over here. The only problem you will have is just the smell of crab lingering after your sumptuous meal

Tian Lai Seafood Garden
158, Jln Leong Bee, Gelang Patah, 81550 Johor Bahru
TEL: 07 510 1521
Daliy 12pm to 11pm
Closed on Alternate Mondays

Getting there is quite easy, Take 2nd link
After R&R there is exit to Gelang Patah town, drive straight till a T junction where you see a big globe,
make a left turn, drive pass many shop house till you see a Shell petrol Stn,
make a right turn after the petrol station,Tian lai should be about 100 metres from there on the left.
you can park right infront of the restaurant or along the road.