Continuing from Part 1.
Blogging this entry with Blogger's new interface.
I always wonder why Blogger does not have a bigger 'Compose' window.
Kinda tough to be writing in a small window.
At least now it is more centralised. Hehe.
Whenever I'm at Si Chuan Dou Hua, I will order their Eight Treasures Tea 八寳茶.
In it, there are chrysanthemum, rock sugar, tea leaves, wolfberries, red dates, dried longans, dried lily buds and lilyturf root (麦冬).
Eight different ingredients, hence its namesake.
The blend of Eight Treasures Tea varies from place to place.
I like the one at Si Chuan Dou Hua best.
For my readers who are unfamiliar with lilyturf root (麦冬), it is a very cooling herb.
In Singapore, it is usually used to prepare barley drink.
It would be just a few grains of lilyturf root with barley.
When I first bought this ingredient from Fu Hua, the shop assistant kept reminding me not to add too many grains into the drink or it would be excessively cooling to the body.
I know a medical hall in at Bedok Interchange sells this drink (lilyturf root with barley) and it's really nice!
Notice the pickles & nuts at the back?
If it is not something I like, I tend to ask the waitress to take them away when they are served.
Pickles, after the taxes, can cost up to S$5-6!
It's a waste of money, if we do not even consume them in the first place.
Tea pouring at Si Chuan Dou Hua is such an artistic sight to behold.
I admit when the tea master was performing this acrobatic act beside me, I can't help but squirm to the side.
I like watching them do their thing, but subconsciously, I worry about the kettle sprout scalding my face or getting splashed by the hot water droplets.
Never had accident before, just worry! =P
It was my first time having dinner at a nice restaurant with my Grandaunts, Godmother and Mum.
As in, I used to be a kid having meals with them, the adults.
That night, it felt like a role reversal.
I'm like the adult, given the task of ordering from the menu and giving them a treat.
The elders seemed to be just very happy, having dinner and catching up with us during the 2.5 hours.
That was the first dish that came, Si Chuan Dou Hua's specialty, Dan Dan Mian (spicy version) or 炸醬面.
I can't remember its actual name.
But it's my all-time favourite dish! The noodles are all handmade and so soft!
I will have 3 or 4 bowls of it everytime I am there.
Having dinner with the elders was loads of fun for me!
We conversed and joked in tons of Cantonese. Gosh, I missed talking in Cantonese SO MUCH!
Never mind that the Husband didn't understand half of what we are talking.
Ever since I got married, I rarely has the chance to speak my dialect.
With the Husband, it's Mandarin & English. With the in-laws, it's all Mandarin.
Nowadays, I find myself having to make an effort to pronounce the Cantonese words or I will not sound like an authentic Cantonese.
Macham like Cantonese wannabe. =(
Tucking in!
This time round, I ordered a lot of dishes that I had not tried before, especially seafood.
We had their famous Eight Treasures Soup too, which was green in colour due to spinach.
There is shark fin on the menu too, but I did not order that.
I'm anti-shark fin. =)
The roast chicken with Thai sweet & sour sauce was surprisingly quite tender and succulent.
Over dinner, with every dish, the elders would be telling Mum how to cook such a dish.
Or they would be discussing the recent fluctuations of seafood prices.
Or they would be making fun of one another, like how they were going to eat tomorrow's breakfast & lunch during this dinner as well.
It was all so amusing in a heartwarming way.
Especially when there were multiple conversations going on at the same time and the Husband looked vaguely confused.
I had to remind my Grandaunts that the Husband couldn't understand Cantonese 100% and they were like, "But why?? You have been together for so many years!"
The Husband said we spoke too fast for him to attempt comprehension.
Lol.
Soft shell crab with pork floss.
A wonderful marriage of food that only Singapore can think of.
I think it's okay only.
The crab was quite meaty though.
Mumforcing asking the Husband & I to pose for a photo.
I was halfway eating my 炸醬面.
-___-
Grandaunt was asking Mum why she kept taking photos when others were still eating.
We were allforced asked to take several group photos too by the Queen of Photos. Haha!
Other dishes that we ordered.
The food standard was generally acceptable.
I would rate it a 6/7 out of 10.
There were outstanding dishes but not those in the montage above.
Halfway through the dinner, my Godmother asked me if I still remembered the Cantonese lullabies she used to sing to me, to coax me to sleep.
Think I was about 6-8 years old at that time.
Then my Grandaunt and Godmother started singing parts of the different lullabies, much to my amusement.
I remembered, I told Godmother.
Just that I didn't know the lyrics to them.
I had half a mind to record their singing that night with the Husband's Iphone.
But it seemed too abrupt a request.
Wanted to post their singing voices on my blog so that I could learn how to sing.
And when one day they are gone, I will always have something of them to remember by.
It was nothing near Susan Boyle's standard, of course, but I couldn't help feeling nostalgic when I heard their singing.
I hope I have a chance to record their singing next time when I see them.
Cereal Prawn. 麥片蝦.
Sorry I didn't have the before-makan picture but this deserves a space of its own, because it was the best of the dishes that day!
I ordered 2 plates and as the elders only want 1 serving from every dish, I had almost the 2nd plate all by myself!
The cereal was crispy and sweet, the fragrance of the curry leaves added some oomph and the best thing of all, the prawns were fresh & deshelled!
I don't like to get my hands dirty when I eat.
So whenever the Husband is around, he will deshell the prawns for me.
Otherwise, I will use my cutlery to peel off the shells, which often end up disastrous, and I will try biting the shells away and my prawns will just end up look deformed and mashed. =(
So imagine my happiness when I almost passed the prawns to the Husband for deshelling and realised that they were already free from their shells!!!
Extra points! Plus they were really finger-licking good! Even the cereal!
The blend of Eight Treasures Tea varies from place to place.
I like the one at Si Chuan Dou Hua best.
For my readers who are unfamiliar with lilyturf root (麦冬), it is a very cooling herb.
In Singapore, it is usually used to prepare barley drink.
It would be just a few grains of lilyturf root with barley.
When I first bought this ingredient from Fu Hua, the shop assistant kept reminding me not to add too many grains into the drink or it would be excessively cooling to the body.
I know a medical hall in at Bedok Interchange sells this drink (lilyturf root with barley) and it's really nice!
Notice the pickles & nuts at the back?
If it is not something I like, I tend to ask the waitress to take them away when they are served.
Pickles, after the taxes, can cost up to S$5-6!
It's a waste of money, if we do not even consume them in the first place.
 |
| Source: www.camemberu.com |
Tea pouring at Si Chuan Dou Hua is such an artistic sight to behold.
I admit when the tea master was performing this acrobatic act beside me, I can't help but squirm to the side.
I like watching them do their thing, but subconsciously, I worry about the kettle sprout scalding my face or getting splashed by the hot water droplets.
Never had accident before, just worry! =P
It was my first time having dinner at a nice restaurant with my Grandaunts, Godmother and Mum.
As in, I used to be a kid having meals with them, the adults.
That night, it felt like a role reversal.
I'm like the adult, given the task of ordering from the menu and giving them a treat.
The elders seemed to be just very happy, having dinner and catching up with us during the 2.5 hours.
That was the first dish that came, Si Chuan Dou Hua's specialty, Dan Dan Mian (spicy version) or 炸醬面.
I can't remember its actual name.
But it's my all-time favourite dish! The noodles are all handmade and so soft!
I will have 3 or 4 bowls of it everytime I am there.
Having dinner with the elders was loads of fun for me!
We conversed and joked in tons of Cantonese. Gosh, I missed talking in Cantonese SO MUCH!
Never mind that the Husband didn't understand half of what we are talking.
Ever since I got married, I rarely has the chance to speak my dialect.
With the Husband, it's Mandarin & English. With the in-laws, it's all Mandarin.
Nowadays, I find myself having to make an effort to pronounce the Cantonese words or I will not sound like an authentic Cantonese.
Macham like Cantonese wannabe. =(
Tucking in!
This time round, I ordered a lot of dishes that I had not tried before, especially seafood.
We had their famous Eight Treasures Soup too, which was green in colour due to spinach.
There is shark fin on the menu too, but I did not order that.
I'm anti-shark fin. =)
The roast chicken with Thai sweet & sour sauce was surprisingly quite tender and succulent.
Over dinner, with every dish, the elders would be telling Mum how to cook such a dish.
Or they would be discussing the recent fluctuations of seafood prices.
Or they would be making fun of one another, like how they were going to eat tomorrow's breakfast & lunch during this dinner as well.
It was all so amusing in a heartwarming way.
Especially when there were multiple conversations going on at the same time and the Husband looked vaguely confused.
I had to remind my Grandaunts that the Husband couldn't understand Cantonese 100% and they were like, "But why?? You have been together for so many years!"
The Husband said we spoke too fast for him to attempt comprehension.
Lol.
Soft shell crab with pork floss.
A wonderful marriage of food that only Singapore can think of.
I think it's okay only.
The crab was quite meaty though.
Mum
I was halfway eating my 炸醬面.
-___-
Grandaunt was asking Mum why she kept taking photos when others were still eating.
We were all
Other dishes that we ordered.
The food standard was generally acceptable.
I would rate it a 6/7 out of 10.
There were outstanding dishes but not those in the montage above.
Halfway through the dinner, my Godmother asked me if I still remembered the Cantonese lullabies she used to sing to me, to coax me to sleep.
Think I was about 6-8 years old at that time.
Then my Grandaunt and Godmother started singing parts of the different lullabies, much to my amusement.
I remembered, I told Godmother.
Just that I didn't know the lyrics to them.
I had half a mind to record their singing that night with the Husband's Iphone.
But it seemed too abrupt a request.
Wanted to post their singing voices on my blog so that I could learn how to sing.
And when one day they are gone, I will always have something of them to remember by.
It was nothing near Susan Boyle's standard, of course, but I couldn't help feeling nostalgic when I heard their singing.
I hope I have a chance to record their singing next time when I see them.
Cereal Prawn. 麥片蝦.
Sorry I didn't have the before-makan picture but this deserves a space of its own, because it was the best of the dishes that day!
I ordered 2 plates and as the elders only want 1 serving from every dish, I had almost the 2nd plate all by myself!
The cereal was crispy and sweet, the fragrance of the curry leaves added some oomph and the best thing of all, the prawns were fresh & deshelled!
I don't like to get my hands dirty when I eat.
So whenever the Husband is around, he will deshell the prawns for me.
Otherwise, I will use my cutlery to peel off the shells, which often end up disastrous, and I will try biting the shells away and my prawns will just end up look deformed and mashed. =(
So imagine my happiness when I almost passed the prawns to the Husband for deshelling and realised that they were already free from their shells!!!
Extra points! Plus they were really finger-licking good! Even the cereal!
Apart from the famed Dan Dan Mian, the Ee Fu noodles were quite delicious too.
One thing about having buffets is not having any rice, not even fried rice.
Else, it will fill up your tummy so fast that you won't have space for other food! #kiasuSingaporean
Moving on to desserts!
By the way, if you spot that plate of Sweet & Sour Pork in the above photo, let me tell you that was another surprising headturner.
I wasn't keen to order a seemingly ordinary dish but the Husband was having heat rash and staying off seafood, so he insisted he wanted it.
And boy, I was surprised!
The meat was thinly coated with flour, which was a god-sent!
I dislike sweet & sour pork whereby the ratio of flour coating outbalanced the amount of meat in it.
The meat was juicy and tender.
The fact that it was freshly cooked meant we had it piping hot, making the dining experience even more enjoyable!
I was carrying 4803 Sammi Tote in Black that day.
As per many family gatherings, the elders were curious about the workings of a blogshop and its sustainability.
I spent some time telling them how a blogshop worked and the progresses (more manufactured items, media features etc) that TFL had made this year.
It was a minor proud moment for me. =P
Then Grandaunt turned around and saw my bag perched behind me.
She asked, "Oh, so is this a bag that you are selling?"
"Ya, it is! I carry my own bags!"
Grandaunts and Godmother went on exclaiming to one another about how nice my bag looked and encouraged me to do even better for TFL. =))
They also told my Mum to give me some credit and not keep asking me to get an office job. =DD
I really like redbean pancake, as seen above.
Not many restaurants offer ala-carte buffet like Si Chuan Dou Hua.
When I was a kid, my parents used to bring me to a Chinese restaurant at now-defunct Imperial Hotel, along River Vallery Road.
The restaurant served a wonderful ala carte buffet and one of the dishes I always look forward to was their red bean pancake.
I am so happy that the version Si Chuan Dou Hua served is very yummy too!
The dough is thin and flaky and the red bean paste is not too sweet and of a great consistency.
Si Chuan Dou Hua restaurant has 2 branches.
One at UOB Plaza (the one we had dinner at) and one at Plaza Parkroyal Hotel.
I find service at UOB Plaza is slightly better.
The staff at Plaza Parkroyal branch smile less and are less friendly.
They have the same menu for ala-carte buffet but the food comes out slightly different.
For e.g mango pudding at UOB Plaza is kinda hard solid, as per above picture. More pudding than mango.
But at Plaza Parkroyal, the mango pudding is served in bowls and in liquid solid form, where mango is almost the same ratio as pudding. Like softer jelly.
The mango pudding at Plaza Parkroyal is at least 2 times yummier than the one at UOB Plaza.
Si Chuan Dou Hua's dou hua (haha!) is my favourite dou hua of all time!
Smooth, soft and not too sweet.
The adding of sweetened wolfberries enhances the culinary experience and makes me feel like I'm eating something really healthy & nourishing.
Fresh fruits platter is part of the 60 dishes ala-carte buffet too.
I like having fresh fruits after meals. =)
But it's still amusing that this is a 'dish' (佳肴, as written on the menu) numbered #60 on the menu.
An extra order (not part of the buffet) for Grandaunt's birthday.
At S$2 per mini bun. We ordered 6.
Everyone liked them.
Isn't it kind of strange to put coriander leaves for dessert garnishes?
The did the same for the red bean pancake too.
After I ordered all the desserts, I realised (after I finished all my desserts) that Godmum was only having part of the douhua and none of the mango pudding.
Then it dawned on me that recently she was diagnosed as diabetic and had to stay off sweet food.
I felt bad that I wasn't considerate enough.
She didn't have the Eight Treasures Tea because there was rock sugar in it and ordered hot water instead.
Yet, I wasn't quick to observe her health concerns.
To think last time in SQ, I was trained to watch out for diabetic passengers' dietary needs. #fail
Another thing I learnt was Mum and Grandaunt do not like custard milk in their mango pudding.
And Grandaunt peels off the bun skin before consumption.
I think I tend to be too careless towards my own family. =(
The Husband & I had another important appointment after the dinner.
So I was constantly watching the time, as I was eating.
I wished I could have spent more time with them.
Grandaunt was telling us how she was due for an eye operation to remove cataracts.
I had eye operations on both eyes before.
It was freaking scary, even with anaesthesia.
I was somehow unable to grasp the right words to reassure Grandaunt.
Growing up, I always find it scary to be an adult with the worldly responsibilities.
Now that I'm in my thirties, the fear, though, somehow subsided but I am still very inadequate in taking care of the elders.
After the dinner, they looked so blissful having spent time with me (they did ranted about how busy I was with TFL) and were very delighted as they thanked me for the dinner treat.
They gave me the determination to continue working hard for TFL to grow and prosper.
Corny as it might sound.
I wish to have more time and ability to keep them happy.
If you have ever bought a bag from Tian Fen Lan before, thank you. =)
You have given me the abilty to make my family happy too.
(gosh, I sound like I'm making a thank-you speech after getting an award or something!)
One thing about having buffets is not having any rice, not even fried rice.
Else, it will fill up your tummy so fast that you won't have space for other food! #kiasuSingaporean
By the way, if you spot that plate of Sweet & Sour Pork in the above photo, let me tell you that was another surprising headturner.
I wasn't keen to order a seemingly ordinary dish but the Husband was having heat rash and staying off seafood, so he insisted he wanted it.
And boy, I was surprised!
The meat was thinly coated with flour, which was a god-sent!
I dislike sweet & sour pork whereby the ratio of flour coating outbalanced the amount of meat in it.
The meat was juicy and tender.
The fact that it was freshly cooked meant we had it piping hot, making the dining experience even more enjoyable!
I was carrying 4803 Sammi Tote in Black that day.
As per many family gatherings, the elders were curious about the workings of a blogshop and its sustainability.
I spent some time telling them how a blogshop worked and the progresses (more manufactured items, media features etc) that TFL had made this year.
It was a minor proud moment for me. =P
Then Grandaunt turned around and saw my bag perched behind me.
She asked, "Oh, so is this a bag that you are selling?"
"Ya, it is! I carry my own bags!"
Grandaunts and Godmother went on exclaiming to one another about how nice my bag looked and encouraged me to do even better for TFL. =))
They also told my Mum to give me some credit and not keep asking me to get an office job. =DD
I really like redbean pancake, as seen above.
Not many restaurants offer ala-carte buffet like Si Chuan Dou Hua.
When I was a kid, my parents used to bring me to a Chinese restaurant at now-defunct Imperial Hotel, along River Vallery Road.
The restaurant served a wonderful ala carte buffet and one of the dishes I always look forward to was their red bean pancake.
I am so happy that the version Si Chuan Dou Hua served is very yummy too!
The dough is thin and flaky and the red bean paste is not too sweet and of a great consistency.
Si Chuan Dou Hua restaurant has 2 branches.
One at UOB Plaza (the one we had dinner at) and one at Plaza Parkroyal Hotel.
I find service at UOB Plaza is slightly better.
The staff at Plaza Parkroyal branch smile less and are less friendly.
They have the same menu for ala-carte buffet but the food comes out slightly different.
For e.g mango pudding at UOB Plaza is kinda hard solid, as per above picture. More pudding than mango.
But at Plaza Parkroyal, the mango pudding is served in bowls and in liquid solid form, where mango is almost the same ratio as pudding. Like softer jelly.
The mango pudding at Plaza Parkroyal is at least 2 times yummier than the one at UOB Plaza.
Si Chuan Dou Hua's dou hua (haha!) is my favourite dou hua of all time!
Smooth, soft and not too sweet.
The adding of sweetened wolfberries enhances the culinary experience and makes me feel like I'm eating something really healthy & nourishing.
Fresh fruits platter is part of the 60 dishes ala-carte buffet too.
I like having fresh fruits after meals. =)
But it's still amusing that this is a 'dish' (佳肴, as written on the menu) numbered #60 on the menu.
An extra order (not part of the buffet) for Grandaunt's birthday.
At S$2 per mini bun. We ordered 6.
Everyone liked them.
Isn't it kind of strange to put coriander leaves for dessert garnishes?
The did the same for the red bean pancake too.
After I ordered all the desserts, I realised (after I finished all my desserts) that Godmum was only having part of the douhua and none of the mango pudding.
Then it dawned on me that recently she was diagnosed as diabetic and had to stay off sweet food.
I felt bad that I wasn't considerate enough.
She didn't have the Eight Treasures Tea because there was rock sugar in it and ordered hot water instead.
Yet, I wasn't quick to observe her health concerns.
To think last time in SQ, I was trained to watch out for diabetic passengers' dietary needs. #fail
Another thing I learnt was Mum and Grandaunt do not like custard milk in their mango pudding.
And Grandaunt peels off the bun skin before consumption.
I think I tend to be too careless towards my own family. =(
The Husband & I had another important appointment after the dinner.
So I was constantly watching the time, as I was eating.
I wished I could have spent more time with them.
Grandaunt was telling us how she was due for an eye operation to remove cataracts.
I had eye operations on both eyes before.
It was freaking scary, even with anaesthesia.
I was somehow unable to grasp the right words to reassure Grandaunt.
Growing up, I always find it scary to be an adult with the worldly responsibilities.
Now that I'm in my thirties, the fear, though, somehow subsided but I am still very inadequate in taking care of the elders.
After the dinner, they looked so blissful having spent time with me (they did ranted about how busy I was with TFL) and were very delighted as they thanked me for the dinner treat.
They gave me the determination to continue working hard for TFL to grow and prosper.
Corny as it might sound.
I wish to have more time and ability to keep them happy.
If you have ever bought a bag from Tian Fen Lan before, thank you. =)
You have given me the abilty to make my family happy too.
(gosh, I sound like I'm making a thank-you speech after getting an award or something!)
Metta,
欣雨 Xinyu
