La Rucola is an odd establishment. On one hand, they use good quality ingredients. On the other hand, their seasonings are all off.
The rucola, the namesake of the restaurant, is strong and peppery, but not so strong that it becomes unpalatable to those unaccustomed to the flavors. I enjoyed the rucola salad with pear, romano, and honey. Normally I don't like pear but the pear here is sweet and juicy. Pear, honey, and cheese is a classic flavor combination that will sit well with anyone!
The other appetizer I ordered was not so good--actually, it was horrible. The veal was nice and tender but the sauce murdered it completely. Tuna and anchovy sauce? More like Thousand Island dressing with bits of tuna. 1:1 ratio of meat to salad dressing. Yuck.
I like their pasta, as in the noodles themselves. They are cooked al dente and have the springiness that makes good pasta. The sauces, not so much. I've tried several types of pasta and they all felt off. The mushroom pasta tastes delicious but is overly greasy. The ragu Bolognese is not actually Bolognese--it tastes very one-dimensional with only beef and tomatoes and no mirepoix. The porcini pasta is rather bland, but it is fun to watch the chefs make it with the flambe!
The pizza suffers from the oven not being hot enough. It's kinda soggy but the toppings are delicious! I ordered the Carnivore and the meats are much better than I expected.
The gelato is delicious: smooth, luscious, cold, and sweet. Not much I can say about that.
Overall, La Rucola uses great ingredients but doesn't know how to use them to their fullest potential. It's a shame, too, because I'm sure they can be so much more (even with their already great reputation right now).
Wednesday, May 15, 2013
Tuesday, May 7, 2013
Portofino -- Excellent
Two words: brick oven. Not all Italian restaurants have one and it is definitely a selling point for Portofino.
After you've been seated and ordered your meal, your server will bring you complimentary bread that has most likely been baked in the brick oven: crusty, light, and fluffy. I got half-full on the bread before the first dish was served. It's hard to not eat so much with several different spreads (tomato salad, salsa verde, and... romesco, I think?) and some balsamic and olive oil.
The Caprese salad is not as flavorful as I had hoped. Since the salad only contains four ingredients, the quality of each ingredient will show. The cherry tomatoes are delicious, different from the typical Indonesian tomatoes that I find grainy. The mozzarella is almost tasteless but has a wonderful soft, pillowy texture. The dish could've used more than two basil leaves.
When there's a brick oven, you have to order the pizza! Their pizza is light with crunchy edges, sure to appeal to the Indonesian palate. They have plenty of different toppings including Parma ham. I am normally apprehensive of charcuterie as I normally get diarrhea (and even food poisoning from one shitty "Italian" hellhole that I will not name), perhaps due to improper storage, but this one was fine. I was not afraid of ordering it from such a fine establishment.
Portofino's signature pasta is the freshly made porcini ravioli with sage brown butter sauce and shaved parmesan. Perhaps customers order the pasta so often that the porcini stays fresh (as far as dried goods go), unlike in other Italian restaurants where customers opt for cheaper options. The porcini retains its strong earthy flavor and aroma.
The osso bucco was so tender the meat fell off the bone. I wish more marrow remained in the bone, though. They must've melted off through the long cooking time. The risotto leaves something to be desired as it was tasteless and bland--probably the broth/stock. It could use more parmesan too. According to the menu, the risotto alla Milanese is made with saffron, but I didn't detect the smell at all. Overall a good dish but they need to work on the risotto.
The chocolate lava cake is delicious. The shell is very thin and the cake is almost entirely liquid. It comes with a scoop of Haagen Dazs vanilla ice cream, raspberry coulis, and ganache.
Do know that the portions are huge so a single pizza or appetizer to share with the table and one piatto for each diner should be enough. Don't be a showoff and order a full-course meal--you won't finish it. I do wish Portofino would offer a tasting menu, though, or perhaps alternatives with smaller portions for those who want to order several dishes.
The price is steep since it's in a five-star Shangri-La. Expect to spend Rp. 200-300k per person. If you know someone with a membership card, you can get between 30-50% discount, which will make going to Portofino completely worth it! I knew it was expensive but I left feeling satisfied, not ripped off at all.
After you've been seated and ordered your meal, your server will bring you complimentary bread that has most likely been baked in the brick oven: crusty, light, and fluffy. I got half-full on the bread before the first dish was served. It's hard to not eat so much with several different spreads (tomato salad, salsa verde, and... romesco, I think?) and some balsamic and olive oil.
The Caprese salad is not as flavorful as I had hoped. Since the salad only contains four ingredients, the quality of each ingredient will show. The cherry tomatoes are delicious, different from the typical Indonesian tomatoes that I find grainy. The mozzarella is almost tasteless but has a wonderful soft, pillowy texture. The dish could've used more than two basil leaves.
When there's a brick oven, you have to order the pizza! Their pizza is light with crunchy edges, sure to appeal to the Indonesian palate. They have plenty of different toppings including Parma ham. I am normally apprehensive of charcuterie as I normally get diarrhea (and even food poisoning from one shitty "Italian" hellhole that I will not name), perhaps due to improper storage, but this one was fine. I was not afraid of ordering it from such a fine establishment.
Portofino's signature pasta is the freshly made porcini ravioli with sage brown butter sauce and shaved parmesan. Perhaps customers order the pasta so often that the porcini stays fresh (as far as dried goods go), unlike in other Italian restaurants where customers opt for cheaper options. The porcini retains its strong earthy flavor and aroma.
The osso bucco was so tender the meat fell off the bone. I wish more marrow remained in the bone, though. They must've melted off through the long cooking time. The risotto leaves something to be desired as it was tasteless and bland--probably the broth/stock. It could use more parmesan too. According to the menu, the risotto alla Milanese is made with saffron, but I didn't detect the smell at all. Overall a good dish but they need to work on the risotto.
The chocolate lava cake is delicious. The shell is very thin and the cake is almost entirely liquid. It comes with a scoop of Haagen Dazs vanilla ice cream, raspberry coulis, and ganache.
Do know that the portions are huge so a single pizza or appetizer to share with the table and one piatto for each diner should be enough. Don't be a showoff and order a full-course meal--you won't finish it. I do wish Portofino would offer a tasting menu, though, or perhaps alternatives with smaller portions for those who want to order several dishes.
The price is steep since it's in a five-star Shangri-La. Expect to spend Rp. 200-300k per person. If you know someone with a membership card, you can get between 30-50% discount, which will make going to Portofino completely worth it! I knew it was expensive but I left feeling satisfied, not ripped off at all.
Tuesday, March 5, 2013
Igor's Pastry -- Good
I regularly buy stuff from Igor's because they're good and I'm willing to pay more for that quality. Nothing stands out, though. I never crave Igor's--it's just there. If I pass by an Igor's, I might stop by and get something, but I never go out of my way just to go to Igor's.
I really like Igor's flaky puff pastry. They don't use the cheap ingredients that leave your mouth oily and grainy (maybe shortening?). Tuna puffs. Mm. Since they make puff pastry so well, naturally their croissants are also delicious. I highly recommend the end-to-end chocolate croissant.
Their breads are all good except for the French bread (but I haven't found great crusty French bread in Surabaya). Each bakery has its own style when making bread. Igor's breads are soft and chewy, just how Asians like it.
I was surprised at how good the truffles are! They look nice and colorful to boot. Just don't expect too much liquor in the truffles, as alcohol is ridiculously expensive in Indonesia. The truffles should make a delicious and pretty gift.
I'm not crazy about the cakes, though. Most of them fall short of my expectations maybe because of Igor's aggressive advertising. I see an ad and think to myself, "that looks delicious. I'll have to try it soon." But it's never as good as I was led to believe. Objectively, I'm sure the cakes are good and well-made.
The cheesecakes are mediocre when you've had the real thing in America. I don't blame Igor. Cheesecake just doesn't taste the same if not made with Philadelphia cream cheese, which I've never seen in Surabaya. Igor might be using French cream cheese. You might think France makes better cheese, but cream cheese is actually an American invention! The French cream cheese is relatively bland compared to America's intensely tangy cream cheese.
Igor recently launched mille crepes. I was excited because I love mille crepes but Igor's just doesn't taste right. Yes, those crepes would be excellent served individually on a plate, but for mille crepes you need to make the crepes even softer. The mille crepes' layers fall apart easily and the crepes themselves are just ever so slightly hard.
I've tried some of the other stuff, like the millefeuille and some other fruit layered cake. They're okay, but not something I'd buy at that price.
What I do recommend, though, is the birthday cake from Igor's. They don't taste that good (I hate birthday and wedding cakes, so it's just my preference) but the fondant decorations are amazing! If you have a kid in kindergarten or elementary school, they will surely love Igor's playful and imaginative decorations.
I really like Igor's flaky puff pastry. They don't use the cheap ingredients that leave your mouth oily and grainy (maybe shortening?). Tuna puffs. Mm. Since they make puff pastry so well, naturally their croissants are also delicious. I highly recommend the end-to-end chocolate croissant.
Their breads are all good except for the French bread (but I haven't found great crusty French bread in Surabaya). Each bakery has its own style when making bread. Igor's breads are soft and chewy, just how Asians like it.
I was surprised at how good the truffles are! They look nice and colorful to boot. Just don't expect too much liquor in the truffles, as alcohol is ridiculously expensive in Indonesia. The truffles should make a delicious and pretty gift.
I'm not crazy about the cakes, though. Most of them fall short of my expectations maybe because of Igor's aggressive advertising. I see an ad and think to myself, "that looks delicious. I'll have to try it soon." But it's never as good as I was led to believe. Objectively, I'm sure the cakes are good and well-made.
The cheesecakes are mediocre when you've had the real thing in America. I don't blame Igor. Cheesecake just doesn't taste the same if not made with Philadelphia cream cheese, which I've never seen in Surabaya. Igor might be using French cream cheese. You might think France makes better cheese, but cream cheese is actually an American invention! The French cream cheese is relatively bland compared to America's intensely tangy cream cheese.
Igor recently launched mille crepes. I was excited because I love mille crepes but Igor's just doesn't taste right. Yes, those crepes would be excellent served individually on a plate, but for mille crepes you need to make the crepes even softer. The mille crepes' layers fall apart easily and the crepes themselves are just ever so slightly hard.
I've tried some of the other stuff, like the millefeuille and some other fruit layered cake. They're okay, but not something I'd buy at that price.
What I do recommend, though, is the birthday cake from Igor's. They don't taste that good (I hate birthday and wedding cakes, so it's just my preference) but the fondant decorations are amazing! If you have a kid in kindergarten or elementary school, they will surely love Igor's playful and imaginative decorations.
The Harvest -- Terrible
I know, I know. They're so fancy. And the place is always crowded. And they have lots of branches! And amazingly high revenue!
My guess? The customers are taken in by the fancy atmosphere and presentation. The Harvest is excellent at branding, not at pastry. I have passed by this place so many times, and it's always so crowded, so I occasionally go in and try something, thinking I just bought a bad item the last time. There must be delicious cake around here. Right? Right?!
Nope. I don't know how many times I went there, maybe six times or so, but every single time I'm disappointed.
It all started with a gift. When Harvest just opened, we received a gift of Harvest cookies, maybe 6 tins in total. I can still remember the taste of the, ugh, "shortbread". It only took one bite to convince me to throw it out. I love butter. I love shortbread. But these are not shortbread. These are sand pressed into a mold and sold as "shortbread". Shortbread is just flour, sugar, and butter rolled together--how can you possibly mess this up?
Granted, they have improved a lot since then. The "shortbread" cookies were removed from the shelves, a bunch of new items were introduced, but still...
The chocolate mousse is tasteless... TASTELESS! Did they not add chocolate at all to the mousse? To add insult to injury, they used gelatinized chocolate instead of proper ganache. Look, I know they're shiny and the new thing, but they taste like crap. I eat mousse cakes because they melt in my mouth. I don't want leathery jelly that I have to chew every time I take a bite.
The pistachio dacquoise is passable. I just don't like that there is only one thin layer of what could pass as a dacquoise, while the rest is filler composed of mint mousse and sponge cake. They should just rename it "mint mousse cake".
Let's talk about madeleines. They are light, rich, buttery shell-shaped cakes. I can eat a whole tray of them in one sitting--they're that good. Harvest's madeleines? THEY'RE AS HARD AS A ROCK. Holy shit. These are failed products that should never hit any store's shelves.
The macarons are dry and brittle. No. Just no. Macarons are supposed to be soft and chewy, not dry and brittle. Have they been sitting around in the fridge for a month? Fucking throw them out after one or two weeks, please. You're already charging us a lot of money.
The ice cream tastes like very cheap budget ice cream, rough and icy like licking the Ice King's wrinkled butt. Just haul your ass to Zangrandi to get a much better product for the same price.
If you must go here, I only have two things I can recommend: the chocolate devil cake and the double-baked brownies. They're okay, though the devil cake isn't very chocolatey. The breads should be okay. But avoid the other cakes and ice cream. Seriously. Just stay away.
My guess? The customers are taken in by the fancy atmosphere and presentation. The Harvest is excellent at branding, not at pastry. I have passed by this place so many times, and it's always so crowded, so I occasionally go in and try something, thinking I just bought a bad item the last time. There must be delicious cake around here. Right? Right?!
Nope. I don't know how many times I went there, maybe six times or so, but every single time I'm disappointed.
It all started with a gift. When Harvest just opened, we received a gift of Harvest cookies, maybe 6 tins in total. I can still remember the taste of the, ugh, "shortbread". It only took one bite to convince me to throw it out. I love butter. I love shortbread. But these are not shortbread. These are sand pressed into a mold and sold as "shortbread". Shortbread is just flour, sugar, and butter rolled together--how can you possibly mess this up?
Granted, they have improved a lot since then. The "shortbread" cookies were removed from the shelves, a bunch of new items were introduced, but still...
The chocolate mousse is tasteless... TASTELESS! Did they not add chocolate at all to the mousse? To add insult to injury, they used gelatinized chocolate instead of proper ganache. Look, I know they're shiny and the new thing, but they taste like crap. I eat mousse cakes because they melt in my mouth. I don't want leathery jelly that I have to chew every time I take a bite.
The pistachio dacquoise is passable. I just don't like that there is only one thin layer of what could pass as a dacquoise, while the rest is filler composed of mint mousse and sponge cake. They should just rename it "mint mousse cake".
Let's talk about madeleines. They are light, rich, buttery shell-shaped cakes. I can eat a whole tray of them in one sitting--they're that good. Harvest's madeleines? THEY'RE AS HARD AS A ROCK. Holy shit. These are failed products that should never hit any store's shelves.
The macarons are dry and brittle. No. Just no. Macarons are supposed to be soft and chewy, not dry and brittle. Have they been sitting around in the fridge for a month? Fucking throw them out after one or two weeks, please. You're already charging us a lot of money.
The ice cream tastes like very cheap budget ice cream, rough and icy like licking the Ice King's wrinkled butt. Just haul your ass to Zangrandi to get a much better product for the same price.
If you must go here, I only have two things I can recommend: the chocolate devil cake and the double-baked brownies. They're okay, though the devil cake isn't very chocolatey. The breads should be okay. But avoid the other cakes and ice cream. Seriously. Just stay away.
Bakerzin -- Excellent
Hello everyone! I haven't updated in a long time. No pictures this time, since I rarely take my camera with me. I might as well update with some cake posts.
Bakerzin is an odd establishment. When they first opened, I tried their cakes and they were awful. Terrible. Out of six or seven cakes only one was edible. And even that one I know they skimped on the ingredients; in Singapore they use hazelnuts, while in Indonesia they use peanuts.
But they have come a long way since then! Now their cakes are very well-made. Their entremets are divine! The one I had was chocolate cake, chocolate mousse, passionfruit gelee, and ganache. The cake itself is fluffy and moist and the chocolate comes through (no gelatinized chocolate bullshit that's getting popular lately). They use good quality chocolate, so enjoy every last bit!
I also tried the Death by Nuts and Bloody Mary specials. Death by Nuts wasn't sweet at all, and the aroma of black sesame is faint. Overall a very bland dessert. The Bloody Mary is more appealing (red instead of grey) and tasty from the tomatoes. Texture-wise, it was interesting, as they used crunchy choco caviars that contrast with the fluffy and delicate cake. I'd stick to the other cakes.
The macarons are better than in most other cake shops. Maybe I had them while they're still relatively fresh; I don't know. Almost all other macarons I've tried are stale, either from drying out in the fridge or absorbing moisture from the air. Bakerzin's macarons have a good consistency, albeit very sweet. Update: I can now safely say that Bakerzin's macarons are easily in the top 3 in Surabaya. I bought close to a dozen macarons recently and only one had the off-smelling fridge odor, but the rest were made splendidly.
The food is quite good. I love their salad dressing. I know it's just mayo, but they put in a lot of lemon. It's like pouring slightly runny lemon curds on your greens, and I love every bite. I like the salmon pasta mixed with tapenade. The pasta is cooked al dente, which is not the standard in Surabaya. An aside: I asked the folks at Pisa Cafe and they said many customers complain the food isn't cooked through when they serve pasta al dente (lol), so they just serve overcooked pasta every time. Al dente is normally upon request.
The tea is a hit or miss. I bought some tea at Bakerzin when a new branch opened in Jakarta and the tea was memorably delicious. However, I went back there several months later and the tea was tasteless and odorless. Maybe Bakerzin doesn't throw away tea even after it's stale and past its prime.
Overall, I'd say Bakerzin is a good place to hang out at. The main drawback is the price (Rp. 35,000 for a slice of cake!) but it's okay to splurge once in a while. I upgraded Bakerzin to Excellent with one caveat: order the cakes. The food I'd say is good, but the cakes are excellent. Go there for the macarons.
Bakerzin is an odd establishment. When they first opened, I tried their cakes and they were awful. Terrible. Out of six or seven cakes only one was edible. And even that one I know they skimped on the ingredients; in Singapore they use hazelnuts, while in Indonesia they use peanuts.
But they have come a long way since then! Now their cakes are very well-made. Their entremets are divine! The one I had was chocolate cake, chocolate mousse, passionfruit gelee, and ganache. The cake itself is fluffy and moist and the chocolate comes through (no gelatinized chocolate bullshit that's getting popular lately). They use good quality chocolate, so enjoy every last bit!
I also tried the Death by Nuts and Bloody Mary specials. Death by Nuts wasn't sweet at all, and the aroma of black sesame is faint. Overall a very bland dessert. The Bloody Mary is more appealing (red instead of grey) and tasty from the tomatoes. Texture-wise, it was interesting, as they used crunchy choco caviars that contrast with the fluffy and delicate cake. I'd stick to the other cakes.
The macarons are better than in most other cake shops. Maybe I had them while they're still relatively fresh; I don't know. Almost all other macarons I've tried are stale, either from drying out in the fridge or absorbing moisture from the air. Bakerzin's macarons have a good consistency, albeit very sweet. Update: I can now safely say that Bakerzin's macarons are easily in the top 3 in Surabaya. I bought close to a dozen macarons recently and only one had the off-smelling fridge odor, but the rest were made splendidly.
The food is quite good. I love their salad dressing. I know it's just mayo, but they put in a lot of lemon. It's like pouring slightly runny lemon curds on your greens, and I love every bite. I like the salmon pasta mixed with tapenade. The pasta is cooked al dente, which is not the standard in Surabaya. An aside: I asked the folks at Pisa Cafe and they said many customers complain the food isn't cooked through when they serve pasta al dente (lol), so they just serve overcooked pasta every time. Al dente is normally upon request.
The tea is a hit or miss. I bought some tea at Bakerzin when a new branch opened in Jakarta and the tea was memorably delicious. However, I went back there several months later and the tea was tasteless and odorless. Maybe Bakerzin doesn't throw away tea even after it's stale and past its prime.
Overall, I'd say Bakerzin is a good place to hang out at. The main drawback is the price (Rp. 35,000 for a slice of cake!) but it's okay to splurge once in a while. I upgraded Bakerzin to Excellent with one caveat: order the cakes. The food I'd say is good, but the cakes are excellent. Go there for the macarons.
Monday, September 24, 2012
Ayam Goreng Sri -- Good
Ayam Goreng Sri is a traditional fried chicken restaurant right outside Surabaya. Before the toll booths and the Lapindo sea of mud, people from Surabaya would drive for 40 minutes just to eat here. This restaurant is huge yet it was always packed. Now people don't come as often because traveling here became inconvenient. If you are going to Batu, make sure to stop by this place.
The fried chicken here is not crispy but very tender and sweet. The meat just falls apart in your mouth. The texture is more like steamed chicken than fried chicken. I can't find a restaurant in Surabaya that serves chicken in a similar style. Since Indonesians love sweet foods, naturally people would flock here. Even the sambal is sweet and mild. I can eat a cup of this stuff every day.
Tofu fried with eggs. Meh, general fare.
The dawet is quite good. Green rice flour jelly is served with coconut milk and palm sugar. Refreshingly sweet.
The catfish are standard, but the price is anything but standard. Grossly overpriced.
Seriously, if you come here, just eat the fried chicken. Don't bother with anything else. You came here for the chicken, which are amazingly delicious.
The fried chicken here is not crispy but very tender and sweet. The meat just falls apart in your mouth. The texture is more like steamed chicken than fried chicken. I can't find a restaurant in Surabaya that serves chicken in a similar style. Since Indonesians love sweet foods, naturally people would flock here. Even the sambal is sweet and mild. I can eat a cup of this stuff every day.
Tofu fried with eggs. Meh, general fare.
The dawet is quite good. Green rice flour jelly is served with coconut milk and palm sugar. Refreshingly sweet.
The catfish are standard, but the price is anything but standard. Grossly overpriced.
Seriously, if you come here, just eat the fried chicken. Don't bother with anything else. You came here for the chicken, which are amazingly delicious.
Ah Yat Abalone -- Excellent
Hello everyone! I figured I should comment on techniques and ingredients used to prepare some food (or at least my best guess) so the home-cooks can try new things. I updated older posts to reflect these changes.
I am somewhat torn about Ah Yat. Ah Yat serves the best dim sum in the city, but quality seems inconsistent. The last time I went there, the dumplings were already cold. The one before that, the dumplings were fresh except for the bao. Maybe the dumplings are fresher on the weekdays? Well, try coming here during a weekday for a 50% discount and fresher dumplings if you can. This way you also avoid the crowd, as you may need to wait in line during the weekends, even though the restaurant easily seats 300.
Fried shrimp wontons with mayo. From my observation, this is a big hit with the kids. Kids love crunchy stuff coated in sweet mayo. If you want to make this condiment at home, mix store-bought mayo with sweetened condensed milk. Add Sriracha and you get the spicy mayo found on sushi rolls.
Hargow, thin rice skin with crisp shrimp. If you want to make your shrimp crunchy like this, let the peeled shrimp sit in a bowl of water and baking soda (not too much or it will turn bitter!). The higher pH firms up the flesh.
Fried mashed taro with meat filling. Like a fancy croquette but less savory. Instead of rich mashed potato, you get mashed taro which is a lot milder and tastes slightly like coconut milk.
The famous bo lo char siu bao. A combination of pork bun and pineapple bun. The pineapple bun is named that way because the cracked yellow surface resembles pineapple skin. The top is just cookie dough slapped onto the bun, just like melon bread in Japan.
These chicken feet melt in your mouth. They are first deep-fried to puff the skin and then stewed or steamed with the sauce. Skin and cartilage contain a lot of collagen, which turn into gelatin when cooked for a long time.
The dim sum here is overall delicious. There are many other types served here and I will add more pictures in the future. Ah Yat serves a bigger variety of dim sum during the weekends, but everything that matters is served on the weekdays. I forgot to take a picture of the chang fen, but I highly recommend it. It's silky smooth and the sauce is quite sweet. In places like Singapore, chang fen is usually not that sweet or smooth. In this case, I approve of sweetening the sauce.
Last comment about this place: don't order the abalone. I mean, it's good for the novelty if you want to burn some cash. The abalone itself doesn't have flavor, just like shark fin. The flavor resides in the sauce, which Ah Yat is famous for. Then again, it is just really good chicken gravy.
I am somewhat torn about Ah Yat. Ah Yat serves the best dim sum in the city, but quality seems inconsistent. The last time I went there, the dumplings were already cold. The one before that, the dumplings were fresh except for the bao. Maybe the dumplings are fresher on the weekdays? Well, try coming here during a weekday for a 50% discount and fresher dumplings if you can. This way you also avoid the crowd, as you may need to wait in line during the weekends, even though the restaurant easily seats 300.
Fried shrimp wontons with mayo. From my observation, this is a big hit with the kids. Kids love crunchy stuff coated in sweet mayo. If you want to make this condiment at home, mix store-bought mayo with sweetened condensed milk. Add Sriracha and you get the spicy mayo found on sushi rolls.
Hargow, thin rice skin with crisp shrimp. If you want to make your shrimp crunchy like this, let the peeled shrimp sit in a bowl of water and baking soda (not too much or it will turn bitter!). The higher pH firms up the flesh.
Fried mashed taro with meat filling. Like a fancy croquette but less savory. Instead of rich mashed potato, you get mashed taro which is a lot milder and tastes slightly like coconut milk.
The famous bo lo char siu bao. A combination of pork bun and pineapple bun. The pineapple bun is named that way because the cracked yellow surface resembles pineapple skin. The top is just cookie dough slapped onto the bun, just like melon bread in Japan.
These chicken feet melt in your mouth. They are first deep-fried to puff the skin and then stewed or steamed with the sauce. Skin and cartilage contain a lot of collagen, which turn into gelatin when cooked for a long time.
The dim sum here is overall delicious. There are many other types served here and I will add more pictures in the future. Ah Yat serves a bigger variety of dim sum during the weekends, but everything that matters is served on the weekdays. I forgot to take a picture of the chang fen, but I highly recommend it. It's silky smooth and the sauce is quite sweet. In places like Singapore, chang fen is usually not that sweet or smooth. In this case, I approve of sweetening the sauce.
Last comment about this place: don't order the abalone. I mean, it's good for the novelty if you want to burn some cash. The abalone itself doesn't have flavor, just like shark fin. The flavor resides in the sauce, which Ah Yat is famous for. Then again, it is just really good chicken gravy.
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