I was eager to visit Restaurant HOME as owner Chef Tan Yong Hua is one of the Ultimate Hawker Fest's strong supporters since the inaugural UHF in 2012. Chef Tan will again participate in UHF (2014) with his signature Peking duck.
Chef Tan is a well recognised Singapore celebrity chef with many accolades and international awards under his belt. Yet, Chef Tan is humble and always ready to do his part for worthy causes like the annual Ultimate Hawker Fest which raises funds for the 32,000 needy Singaporeans under TOUCH Community Services.
Without further ado, we started the evening on a high note with Chef Tan’s signature Peking Duck Barbecued with Lychee Wood 炭烧荔枝木北京烤鸭.
The meaty duck breast was tender and juicy. The smokey meat tasted savoury sweet with a hint of fruity aroma.
Not much fat as Chef Tan opted for smaller ducks to cater to the preference of a more health conscious clientele.
I do miss the aroma and rich savoury sweetness of BBQed duck fat.
The paper thin golden brown duck skin was crispy and tasted savoury sweet.
Peking duck is traditionally eaten with a slice of juicy, rich duck meat together with julienned cucumbers and a stalk of spring onion drizzled with syrupy mildly sweet plum and hoisin sauce rolled up in a thin egg crepe.
Owner Chef Tan shares the secrets of his signature Peking Duck barbecued with lychee wood 炭烧荔枝木北京烤鸭.
Chef Tan is serving this ultimate Peking duck at the Ultimate Hawker Fest at Suntec Convention and Exhibition Centre on 22 Nov 2014. All proceeds will go to the 32,000 needy Singaporeans under TOUCH Community Services.
Get your Singapore Ultimate Hawker Fest 2014 coupons here.
Besides Chef Tan's Peking duck, we also tasted Restaurant HOME's other popular dishes.
Restaurant HOME's Baked Marble Goby in Claypot 炭烧焗鼎锅笋壳.
Chef Tan calls this the “Swa Teng Fish” 山頂魚. This was Chef Tan's grandmother's recipe.
Stir fried lemon grass, galangal and spring onions were heaped on the fresh marble goby fish in a claypot with fragrant Chinese Shaoxin wine and baked. The spice, herbs and spirit teased out the natural sweetness of the fish's flaky tender moist white meat.
Fish lovers will approve.
Homemade Pi Pa Tofu with Shrimp Paste, Crab meat and Roe 珊瑚琵琶豆腐.
The tofu is made fresh daily in the kitchen from scratch i.e. with soybeans. (It's so easy to resort to standard factory supplied tofu for this dish.) The light, soft, porous, grainy texture bored the hallmarks of a stubborn artisanal dedication that created this dish, subtly blending layers of savoury sweetness. The tastes and flavours of shrimp, crab meat, roe, water chestnut, mushrooms, eggs and soybeans melded together nicely.
Masterfully executed and beautifully plated on a green bed of fresh, young, crunchy bak choy.
One of the best pi pa tofu that I have tasted.
Must Try.
Wok-Fried Three Kinds of Vegetables in X.O. Chili Sauce.
Fresh broccoli, snow peas, and asparagus fried in a mildly savoury, spicy chili sauce nicely executed to retain it's natural juiciness and crunch.
House made whole egg noodles tossed in soya sauce. The noodles were softer than al dente and a little flat in savoury flavour, if eaten by itself.
The egg noodles were served with a few dishes, starting with sio bak. (Restaurant HOME offers these noodle dishes as set lunch.)
When this anaemic looking sio bak (roast belly pork) arrived, my first thought was, "Is this any good?".
Well, the test of the sio bak is in the eating.
It was excellent.
Crispy skin with savoury and sweet porcine flavours in the tender (not soft), juicy meat and fat.
Then followed the Stewed Golden Noodles with Lobster and Spring Onions wrapped in O Ba Leaves 乌巴叶姜葱虾焖黄面.
Small spiny lobsters enveloped in a savoury sweet gravy.
Homemade Ramen with 8 Head Quality Amidori Abalone 八头网鲍拉面.
After the "glamorous" Peking Duck, this regular roast duck looked like plain old Cinderella.
But, I liked it's juicy meatiness and deep rich savoury sweet flavour.
Chef Tan wanted to us to try their house made hae bee hiam (blended chili and shrimp paste sauce) but I personally prefer to eat my duck and egg noodles with as little sauces as possible.
The duck bones and attached meat were deep fried and returned as a savoury chewy dish 桥底避风塘鸭件.
Good beer food perhaps, but a bit out of place in the middle of the exquisite dishes with finely balanced flavours that Chef Tan was wowing us with :-P
Old Cucumber Soup 老黄瓜汤.
Old school Cantonese, homely, nutritious broth of double boiled pork, sweet dates, candied dates, wolf berries, and old cucumber.
This familiar old soup always calms me like a trusted family friend.
Chilled Japanese Pumpkin Puree with Black Glutinous Rice served in Pumpkin 金盅南瓜紫米露.
Layers of sweetness from the pumpkin puree and black glutinous rice and mix of soft textures.
Sweet and pleasant way to round up the evening's feast and convivial conversations.
Chilled Rosella Flower Jelly with Diced Mango 洛神冻.
Cooling, refreshing, perky sourish soft jelly sweetened with diced mango cubes.
Nice.
If you like to try Chef Tan Yong Hua's famed Peking Duck with lychee wood, I got good news for you.
You can taste Chef Tan's signature duck plus do you part for charity during this festive season. Chef Tan will again generously participate in this year's Singapore Ultimate Hawker Fest serving his popular Peking Duck and donating all proceeds to the 32,000 needy Singaporeans under the care of Singapore TOUCH Community.
If you like to support Chef Tan and 20 over other hawker heroes, come to:
Singapore Ultimate Hawker Fest 2014
Venue: SUNTEC Convention Centre & Exhibition Centre Halls 401/ 402
Date: 22 Nov 2014 (Saturday)
Time: 11:00am to 5:00pm.
Get your Singapore Ultimate Hawker Fest 2014 coupons here.
Thank you Chef Tan Yong Hua for your hospitality.
Restaurant name: Restaurant HOME
Address: The Rail Mall, 392 Upper Bukit Timah Road, Singapore
Map: http://bit.ly/RestaurantHOME
Hours: Lunch 12:00 noon - 15:00pm | Dinner 18:00pm - 23:00pm
Non Halal
Date visited: 4 Nov 2014
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