When one visit 'Singapore', what is the food that's high on the must eat list??? For me, definitely the chilli crab... I know we can get chilli crab here in 'Malaysia' as well but according to my darling (who had tasted it before), it was one of the best crab she ever tasted and not forgetting the size of the claw!!!

So this time round, my wonderful friends in 'Singapore' decided to let me feast my eyes and not forgetting my taste bud as well on this culinary wonder...

 Fried mini squid that is super duper crunchy and flavourful!!!

Very sinful to eat this!!! Guess my cholesterol level will sky-rocket to a new height!!! BIG prawns by the way...

Here comes the cream of the crop!!! 

OMG, notice the super duper BIG crab claw??? According to the waiter, I'm really unfortunate because the supply of crabs that day were a lot smaller... What??? This is BIG enough for me!!! The taste is definitely better than those I've tried in 'Malaysia' and there is no doubt about that... Besides that, the crab is super fresh and the meat is juicy and sweet as well... My God, I totally agree with my darling now...

Just look at the claw and they said this is one of the smallest around!!! Hmm notice anything unusual??? They actually provide apron for their customers!!! That's not all because besides apron, they provide gloves as well!!! All my friends decided to wear it and I go the manly way of dirtying my hands and shirt!!! Frankly speaking, I regretted for not wearing the apron cause my shirt is bloody awful at the end of the day!!!

Gloves that I mention earlier...

One of the side dish that really compliments the chilli crab is none other than deep fried 'mantou'... In 'Malaysia' we only have deep fried version (if I'm not wrong)...

But in 'Jumbo' they serve steamed one as well... As I don't fancy steam stuff, so I did not try it... No comment on how it goes with the chilli crab gravy but what I can say is deep fried 'mantou' with chilli crab gravy rocks!!!

They have a lot of other variants but we opt for chilli and black pepper... Doesn't look promising at first glance but trust me, after sinking my teeth on one, I'm hook... And at the end of the day, black pepper is the one I choose... Surprisingly but yes, it is that good!!!

Bottom line is, 'Jumbo' really knows a thing or two on cooking crabs!!! This is by far the best crab experience I have... Thanks to all my friends in 'Singapore' for this lovely dinner... :) 

Overall Rating - 4.4/5

Jumbo Seafood Restaurant

Blk 1206 East Coast Parkway #01-07/08,

East Coast Seafood Centre,

449883 Singapore. 

The proper way to cook 'hokkien mee' is none other than using charcoal and 'Aik Yuen' is famous for just that!!! Add in the right amount of pork lard (sorry my Muslim friends) and the taste is just phenomenal!!! This is definitely one of the best 'hokkien mee' around for sure...

Fried 'Pak Guo'... Not bad but definitely not as good as the 'hokkien mee' above!!!

 Fried squid that I really love... The batter is just awesome and fried to perfection!!! 

Stir fried clam (lala) is also very nice... In fact one of the best that I've ever tried... Definitely a must try item when you visit 'Aik Yuen'...

 Nothing to shout about at this... A bit bland for my liking...

Overall Rating - 3.8/5

Restoran Aik Yuen
Jalan Sarikei, Off Jalan Pahang,
53000 Kuala Lumpur.

I used to love going to this particular restaurant for their lovely seafood noodles... I'm very sure those living in 'Klang Valley' will know about this establishment... There are a few reason why I stop going to this restaurant for their famous seafood noodles... Firstly, it is not as good as it used to be... Secondly, is getting more and more expensive!!! Imagine a big bowl of seafood noodle will cost you RM17!!! Too expensive for my liking... 

So what do you get for your hard earned RM17??? Two or three big prawns, some fish, clam, oyster and cuttlefish... That's about it... So I don't think is feasible to splurge on a bowl of seafood noodle where I can get better food for my RM17!!! Once in a blue moon is still okay...

You have a choice of curry, tom yam and clear broth... And my choice will always be clear as I don't really fancy curry or tom yam... So I can't comment much on those two... As for the clear broth, it is definitely not as good as before... The broth used to be very sweet and flavourful but this is not the case now... Slightly better than those normal seafood noodle stalls found scattering around but not much better but the price gap between them are huge!!! 

Normally this is where we sat... I don't like to sit in their restaurant as it is stuffy and hot... Just like sitting in an oven or sauna...

Overall Rating - 3/5

Restoran Yu Ai

No.42, Jalan Segambut Utara,

51200 Kuala Lumpur.

012-335 5563

Ever since I had a very bad dinner experience during 'Valentine's Day', I've decided to stop going out for dinner during this supposedly romantic day!!! Nothing can ruin a romantic day faster than a bad dinner!!! Food quality were downright lousy and we have to wait for more than an hour before we were being served... And the best part was the portioned of the food being served... It was a joke and not forgetting it was super duper expensive!!! 

So this year, I've decided to cook for my darling (more like a guinea pig to me!!!) and I will be cooking salmon this time... I spent a few days thinking on the recipe and this was the outcome!!! Actually I'm very proud of myself for cooking all this without any help!!! Not forgetting this was my first time attempting to cook salmon!!! 

Grilled salmon with caramelized onion mashed potatoes and sautéed asparagus top with my home made sauce... Not bad huh!!!

Okay now I will go through the process of cooking this dish (bear with me please as this was my first time attempting to cook salmon and I'm damn excited to be able to pull this off!!!)... 

First, cut the potatoes into small cube and throw it into a pot with water covering all the potatoes... Add some salt in for flavouring... Bring it to boil and lower down the heat... You're done when the potatoes turn soft and mash able...

Take one asparagus and cut it around 2 inches long... Use it as a guide and cut the remaining bunch to the exact specification... You don't want your asparagus to be in different length as this will not look nice when serve!!!

Next is the onion... Peel off the skin and slice it up...

Very minimal marinate for my salmon... I marinated it with a little bit of soy sauce and black pepper... 

Add lots of butter and black pepper for flavouring and you're ready to mash!!! I've added a little bit of fresh milk in it as well...

Besides that, I've added some oregano to enhance the taste of it... 

Viola... Mash potatoes done... 

Now is time to caramelize the onions... Heat the pan up with some butter and put your onions in when the pan is hot...

Remember to stir frequently and reduce your heat so that your onions will not get burn easily... Add some salt for flavouring...

Add the caramelized onions into the same pot where you mashed your potatoes earlier...

Stir and mix it around and you're done with your caramelized onions and mashed potatoes...

Heat up the pan with some oil and we are ready for the asparagus... Chop some garlic and sautéed it with the asparagus...

Add some oyster sauce for flavouring and your asparagus is ready to serve...

Before putting the salmon into the grilling pan, lightly oil the salmon (remember to oil both side) instead of the pan... Skin side down and cook it for around 3-4 minutes and you're ready to flip it over and let it cook for around 3 minutes on the other side and your salmon is ready!!!

Nice??? I like how the diamond charred mark turn out... Crispy on the outside, tender and juicy on the inside!!!

Now for my self made sauce... I heat up some butter and squeeze half a lime in and add a dash of fresh milk... Throw some dried rosemary in and finally some sugar and reduce the sauce... Once it thickens, turn off the fire and you're done!!!

Plating time... It is up to you on how you wanna plate it... But I like mine this way!!!

Caramelized onions and mashed potatoes on the bottom, grilled salmon in the middle with some home made sauce on it and top it off with the sautéed asparagus!!! 

Total cost = Less than RM100.00

Satisfaction = Priceless!!!

That's all for the recipe of my 'Valentine's Dinner 2012'... Prepared and cooked specially for my beloved darling!!!