Forbidden Duck By The Demon Chef

All Hail This Duck Dynasty

 

Last week my self-proclaimed Peking Duck expert of a brother visited one of Singapore's latest Peking Duck restaurants located right at the heart of the central business district.  This was his review of his experience.

 

A rather obscure private elevator located within one of the swankiest developments in the central business district led to the Forbidden Duck, a much-touted new dining establishment on the island. This is the first venture into Singapore by Alvin Leung (aka The Demon Chef), the outspoken and flamboyant individual behind the 3-Michelin starred Bo Innovation in Hong Kong and the now defunct 1-Michelin starred establishment bearing the same name in London.

 

As the signboard suggested, duck was the name of the game at the establishment and Alvin’s signature creation was the Slow Roasted Duck. This was painstakingly slow-cooked in an oven for three full hours to lock in the natural flavor and juices of a premium duck. The preparation then culminated with the chef roasting the duck at a high temperature for an additional half an hour to obtain the much-desired crisp skin which glistened over the tender, pink meat. An element of creativity was infused into this traditional Chinese fare by serving this with a calamansi-infused hoisin sauce and calamansi-flavored steamed buns, together with an accompanying condiment platter containing  garlic purée, smoked sea salt, sugar, julienned leek and cucumber. The tender duck was tasty enough to stand out on its own without the well thought-out platter of accompaniments.  No gaminess in the duck was detected, unlike some peking duck served at other establishments.   Just like the concept of yin and yang, the hint of calamansi in both the freshly-made buns and sauce provided for a well-rounded balance to a normally heavy meat dish.

 

 

Dessert was another of Alvin’s traditional creation with a whimsical twist. The Giant Egg Tarts served at Forbidden Duck were a tad larger than the conventional ones. Hidden beneath the delectably rich and moist egg custard was a citrusy combination of pomelo bits and yuzu peel. A refreshing end to the hearty meal!

 

Forbidden Duck is located at Marina Bay Link Mall, and is very handy for a nice lunch with close colleagues or better, that post-performance appraisal lunch where you can make your boss pay for it.

 

Verdict?  -  BELLY YUMMY THAT DIET HAS TO WAIT

 

About The Writer:

This blog post was co-written by my brother Jerome and I. Although we are siblings who grew up 11 years apart, shaped by differing experiences to see the world from different perspectives, we do share a common obsession – FOOD.  We celebrate our passion for life with food.  However, our attitudes to food are quite different and the way we celebrate our love for food are also quite different.  Jerome lives to eat and hoovers everything edible that crosses his path.  As he shovels food into his mouth with that fork in his right hand, he takes photographs of what he eats, and posts pictures and notes up on Facebook with his left.  Often, his beautifully written prose about what he had eaten would be 7 paragraphs in length and would not have any punctuations in between because he had been too busy multi-tasking. 

I, on the other hand, eat to live. It is not just about my attempts to eat healthily. As I am a “cam-whore” and “social media hussy”, I spend about half an hour styling my food, taking photographs, writing notes and posting them across my social media platforms before eating them, right after the hubby has paid for the bill and is about to head out of the restaurant.  I enjoy reading all my posts about what I had eaten because I know that I had lived fully in spite of watching what I eat.  Welcome to the foodie world of the quirky Ong siblings.

 

Nutritional Harmony With Frunatic

My Health and Fitness Regime

I used to think I was quite smart when it came to managing my health, nutrition and fitness needs.  After all, I led a fairly active lifestyle, getting a good amount of workout at the gym about 5 times a week, and I would try to eat healthy, well-balanced meals without missing out on my favourite foods.  Every 6 months, I would go for that mandatory medical check-up, and for me, it was a necessary routine because I have a congenital heart defect that needed lots more medical attention.

So yes, when it came to my health, I was definitely on top of it. 

I got so fixated with my nutritional needs that I had even done a DNA test to get better insights into my nutritional and fitness requirements.  After an intense session at the gym, I would immediately have a protein shake chock full of nutrients that I thought could refuel me.

However, really, how much of nutrients would I really need?  Was I consuming unnecessarily more than what my body was absorbing? What nutritional deficiencies do I have since my DNA test about 2 years ago?   I swept these questions under the carpet for as long as I could, till I visited Frunatic a few days ago.  I was mind-blown by the educational experience and thought I had to share it here.

What Is Frunatic?

It was hard to label Frunatic....a restaurant?  That probably would not be very accurate.  Frunatic was set up as a Food and Wellness concept which had a team of highly qualified and passionate nutritionists, dieticians, naturopathy doctors and an executive chef who designed therapeutic nutrient-densed wellness foods using Traditional Chinese Medicinal herbs and whole foods containing superfoods, vitamins, minerals and all other natural wholesome goodness, focused on supporting a client’s nutritional needs and lifestyle.

So if a client was hoping to manage his diabetes condition and lower his blood-sugar levels, Frunatic would craft a program that included nutritional analysis, wellness consultations and a food preparation program to ensure he gets fed right while keeping his blood-sugar level in check.

For someone like myself, who lead a highly stressful lifestyle, bouncing between work, gym, home, my business and multiple passions,  and possibly lack sleep ( I sleep only 4.5hours a day and mom calls it “old people’s problem”), I would probably need a program that is for anti-fatigue support.

The Frunatic Therapeutic Wellness Meal Program

The Frunatic Therapeutic Wellness Meal Program first puts me through a non-invasive nutritional analysis which assesses which nutrients was missing from my body. That means, I know what my body needs specifically.  How many times, I would have been “eating healthily” only to realise that most of the nutrients I had eaten in my healthy meal really were not what I need or were not absorbed enough to benefit me thoroughly?   After the nutritional analysis, and dietary consultations, the team will then curate a weekly 8-course omakase meal plan where the meal which is dairy, gluten, trans-fat, additives, cholesterol and preservatives-free, could be delivered to me or served to me at their restaurant premises.  The program also includes an executive health screening.  Most of us, don’t have just one issue in our hands.  With our complex lifestyles, we often have multitude of issues.  It would not be uncommon for a single person with multiple needs to address from fatigue, stress, lack of sleep, hypertension, diabetes, weight management etc.  So what I ultimately would have, with Frunatic, is a comprehensive wellness program designed specifically for me and backed by my personal team of dieticians, nutritionists, naturopathy doctors and medical doctors…oh and not forgetting the executive chef!  For more than $900 worth of expertise and scientifically- planned meals for this program, I am paying only less than $400 for it.  This was definitely great value for money, especially when it did not add unnecessary stress on me like following a strict diet, or ingesting more supplements.

Frunatic’s therapeutic wellness meals concept is so unique.  It has no competition like it.  And here’s what I ate that day.  I definitely was substantially fed and really had not much space to even finish my main course and dessert.  The food was also absolutely delicious that I would not have thought of it as health food.

My Personalised Frunatic Therapeutic Wellness Meal

I was served an 8-course omakase meal meant for adrenal support because I was deemed to be suffering from fatigue.  I did lack rest and was juggling so many commitments that required my maintaining a certain level of energy throughout the day.  I thought that eating smaller portions each day, would be enough to help me manage my weight and support my health and fitness.  However, I realized that I was not eating enough.  This adrenal support meal contained superfoods like arugula, and flax seeds, and lots more goodness to help reenergized me again.

This was my meal, which was kickstarted with a glass of sparkling probiotic enzyme drink. 

And yes, the sequence matters:

 Ginseng Lemongrass Tea - Invigorating alkaline water infused with premium American ginseng, lemon slices and a stalk of lemongrass.

Strawberry and Grapefruit Skin Smoothie - Grapefruit, strawberry, banana, baby spinach, and chia seeds.

Asian Fusion Salad With Sesame Ginger Dressing – Fusion salad of shredded cabbage, grated carrots, and sliced onions brought together with a touch of sesame ginger dressing.

Glowing Sunshine Juice - Carrots, grapefruit, ginger and ginko powder.

Hazelnut Cacao Truffle – Hazlenuts, dates, raw cacao powder, and gogi berries.

Roma Kale Chips – Kale leaves marinated with red bell pepper paste, and seasoned paprika.

Vegan Yong Tau Foo With Brown Rice – Ladies finger, eggplant, tofu stuffed with special mushroom and minced water chestnut.

Mango Pandan Cheesecake – Mango mousse with pandan on a bed of crispy almond coconut crust.

Verdict?  -  BELLY WHOLESOME AND HEALTHY YET DELICIOUS

 

*My meal seen here within this blog post was prepared for me, courtesy of the team at Frunatic.  Thank you for the educational experience.

 

About The Writer:

This blog post was co-written by my brother Jerome and I. Although we are siblings who grew up 11 years apart, shaped by differing experiences to see the world from different perspectives, we do share a common obsession – FOOD.  We celebrate our passion for life with food.  However, our attitudes to food are quite different and the way we celebrate our love for food are also quite different.  Jerome lives to eat and hoovers everything edible that crosses his path.  As he shovels food into his mouth with that fork in his right hand, he takes photographs of what he eats, and posts pictures and notes up on Facebook with his left.  Often, his beautifully written prose about what he had eaten would be 7 paragraphs in length and would not have any punctuations in between because he had been too busy multi-tasking. 

I, on the other hand, eat to live. It is not just about my attempts to eat healthily. As I am a “cam-whore” and “social media hussy”, I spend about half an hour styling my food, taking photographs, writing notes and posting them across my social media platforms before eating them, right after the hubby has paid for the bill and is about to head out of the restaurant.  I enjoy reading all my posts about what I had eaten because I know that I had lived fully in spite of watching what I eat.  Welcome to the foodie world of the quirky Ong siblings.

Steak Frites At The Lokal

In the past few years, the hubby rarely found a good steak here in Singapore.  In fact, every steak he had ordered in the past year alone, was sent back into the kitchen, untouched.  So let me recount a couple of incidents that had happened just a month ago.

 

We visited this restaurant known for its brunch fare, set in the heart of the Mohammed Sultan area near the river.  The hubby ordered steak and eggs after a workout at the gym nearby.  When the medium-rare steak arrived and he cut into it, the inside of that steak was bright pink and looked relatively right for a medium-rare steak.  However, when he bit into it, it was cold, as if it had just been taken out of the refrigerator.  So the steak was sent back.  When they came back with yet another medium-rare steak, it was still cold in the middle. And you know what insulted him most?  When the final bill came, the waitress chirpily announced, “As you did not like the steak, we decided to take the cost of your cup of coffee off the bill.”  Yes, we went ballistic and we swore never to return again.

 

Then, we visited yet another restaurant, well known for its Steak Frites.  It served only Steak Frites as a main course on its menu in fact and had opened a new outlet at Orchard Road.  I loved Steak Frites, but this one, arrived drenched in sauce, so much so that I tasted more sauce than steak.  And I am perhaps a bit pedestrian when it comes to my chips, I like them thickly-cut.  The chips that were served looked like they were re-fried at least 4 times, and heaped on a plate like a stack of over-dried skinny straws.

 

My last attempt was a restaurant at Sentosa that was also well-known for its steak. I thought that perhaps, if I had gone a bit more “atas” (high class) with my steak option, the steak might turn out better.  This one was unfortunately one of the worst. The consistency of that aged steak was more aged than I thought.  It tasted like the bottom of my shoe.

 

Then, when I saw pretty pictures - I am a sucker for pretty pictures - in the Instagram page of The Lokal (@thelokalsingapore), I decided to gather the family together to try its Steak Frites.  My very Singaporean son said in his exaggerated Singlish accent, “Sure or not one…Can make it or not?”  The British hubby who claimed to be a steak aficionado grumbled under his breath “Restaurants in Singapore just can’t do good steaks.” I was of course pissed off with that remark. As a proud Singaporean I found that disconcerting yet I had to agree that I haven’t found a steak good enough for me to re-visit.  However I managed to persuade the both of them to join me for a mid-week “Wine- Down -Wednesday-Steak Frites Dinner” at The Lokal.

 

I was so glad we did put some time away for that enjoyable dinner because the hubby finally approved of the steak he was served.  We ordered the rib eye in medium rare and Joel ordered the sirloin in medium rare.  They came out looking and tasting just perfect.  This was a medium rare steak served the way it should be served, pink and juicy in the middle, melt in the mouth and hot throughout. That restaurant I had mentioned before, that served us the badly cooked steak and eggs,  served us a medium rare steak which was pink in the middle and cold inside! We thought the cow was still mooing and they had just wiped its arse and placed the fella on our plate!   I was so pleased that I had proven the hubby wrong.  THIS is finally, THE restaurant in Singapore that served a great steak after all.

 

 

 

We capped this exceptional dinner with 2 equally exceptional desserts, the Sticky Date Pudding and the Chocolate Lava Cake.  Joel declared that he was way too full for dessert after his steak frites but ended up polishing that chocolate lava cake.  So, as you can guess, the word good for the food served here would be an understatement.

 

 

The patatas bravas 🥔 were fab...I thought there wasn’t much of it for a large portion but really, looks can be deceiving. The churros was sublime. 3 Of us had to compete for that plate of churros. Oh and I can’t miss out telling you about the exquisitely presented cheeseboard and the fact that they started our meal with some thinly sliced toasts with a homemade butter made from Spanish red peppers. That was wow!

My verdict? – Could Belly Well Be The Best Steak In Singapore.

 

About The Writer:

This blog post was co-written by my brother Jerome and I. Although we are siblings who grew up 11 years apart, shaped by differing experiences to see the world from different perspectives, we do share a common obsession – FOOD.  We celebrate our passion for life with food.  However, our attitudes to food are quite different and the way we celebrate our love for food are also quite different.  Jerome lives to eat and hoovers everything edible that crosses his path.  As he shovels food into his mouth with that fork in his right hand, he takes photographs of what he eats, and posts pictures and notes up on Facebook with his left.  Often, his beautifully written prose about what he had eaten would be 7 paragraphs in length and would not have any punctuations in between because he had been too busy multi-tasking. 

I, on the other hand, eat to live. It is not just about my attempts to eat healthily. As I am a “cam-whore” and “social media hussy”, I spend about half an hour styling my food, taking photographs, writing notes and posting them across my social media platforms before eating them, right after the hubby has paid for the bill and is about to head out of the restaurant.  I enjoy reading all my posts about what I had eaten because I know that I had lived fully in spite of watching what I eat.  Welcome to the foodie world of the quirky Ong siblings.

Tapas 26 Wows With Delicious Simplicity

New restaurant alert! We stumbled into Tapas 26 at 26b Dempsey Road, by chance.  It was so well-hidden and nondescript but we were ecstatic about having found the restaurant.  And this was possibly one of the better Spanish restaurants we had come across here in Singapore.

 

They have so much pride in their food. The food quality was excellent. I wanted a carabinero prawn and squid paella without the squid ink because the man requested it, and they obliged with this exquisite plate of goodness where you can taste the rich flavour of seafood infused into every grain of rice. I just wished I could taste some of that crispy bits from the bottom of the pan. In fact, it was so good I wished I could lick that bottom of the pan. Lol!

 

We also had the iberico jamon and truffle and cheese croquettas. The former was great, where the taste and texture of quality ham really came through. I did not quite enjoy the truffle and cheese croquettas and felt that the mushroom croquettas at La Pepa were much better as I was reminded of a mouthful of rich, velvety mushroom soup as I crunched into one of those delightful ball of awesomeness.  But the iberico jamon one was highly recommended.

 

 

 

 

The patatas bravas was fab...I thought there was not much of it for a large portion but really, looks could be deceiving. The churros was sublime. The 3 of us had to compete for that plate of churros. Oh and I could not miss out telling you about the exquisitely presented cheeseboard and the fact that they started our meal with some thinly sliced toasts with a homemade butter made from Spanish red peppers. That was simply wow!

 

I enjoy food that is so simple, yet exquisitely cooked and presented, and Tapas 26 delivered exactly on point with that delicious simplicity.

 

Highly recommended and well worth the trek up Dempsey Hill.

The patatas bravas 🥔 were fab...I thought there wasn’t much of it for a large portion but really, looks can be deceiving. The churros was sublime. 3 Of us had to compete for that plate of churros. Oh and I can’t miss out telling you about the exquisitely presented cheeseboard and the fact that they started our meal with some thinly sliced toasts with a homemade butter made from Spanish red peppers. That was wow!

Highly recommended and well worth the trek up Dempsey Hill. *Unsponsored PostThe patatas bravas 🥔 were fab...I thought there wasn’t much of it for a large portion but really, looks can be deceiving. The churros was sublime. 3 Of us had to compete for that plate of churros. Oh and I can’t miss out telling you about the exquisitely presented cheeseboard and the fact that they started our meal with some thinly sliced toasts with a homemade butter made from Spanish red peppers. That was wow! Highly recommended and well worth the trek up Dempsey Hill. *Unsponsored Posts. The former was great, where the taste and texture of quality ham really came through. I didn’t quite enjoy the truffle and cheese croquettas and know of a restaurant here in Singapore that cooked something similar, better. But the iberico jamon one is highly recommended. The patatas bravas 🥔 were fab...I thought there wasn’t much of it for a large portion but really, looks can be deceiving. The churros was sublime. 3 Of us had to compete for that plate of churros. Oh and I can’t miss out telling you about the exquisitely presented cheeseboard and the fact that they started our meal with some thinly sliced toasts with a homemade butter made from Spanish red peppers. That was wow! My verdict? – @tapas26sg was Belly Yummilicious

 

About The Writer:

This blog post was co-written by my brother Jerome and I. Although we are siblings who grew up 11 years apart, shaped by differing experiences to see the world from different perspectives, we do share a common obsession – FOOD.  We celebrate our passion for life with food.  However, our attitudes to food are quite different and the way we celebrate our love for food are also quite different.  Jerome lives to eat and hoovers everything edible that crosses his path.  As he shovels food into his mouth with that fork in his right hand, he takes photographs of what he eats, and posts pictures and notes up on Facebook with his left.  Often, his beautifully written prose about what he had eaten would be 7 paragraphs in length and would not have any punctuations in between because he had been too busy multi-tasking. 

I, on the other hand, eat to live. It is not just about my attempts to eat healthily. As I am a “cam-whore” and “social media hussy”, I spend about half an hour styling my food, taking photographs, writing notes and posting them across my social media platforms before eating them, right after the hubby has paid for the bill and is about to head out of the restaurant.  I enjoy reading all my posts about what I had eaten because I know that I had lived fully in spite of watching what I eat.  Welcome to the foodie world of the quirky Ong siblings.