Farewell to a dear friend

Don't be dismayed at goodbyes. A farewell is necessary before you can meet again. And meeting again, after moments or lifetime, is certain for those who are friends. ~Richard Bach

Here's wishing you all the best, wherever you are, whatever you're doing!

menu

Elaine's farewell dinner was at Hung's kitchen which could very well pass off as a candidate for 私房菜. Daniel so kindly volunteered his talented Mom for the night's menu.

The menu was oh-so-impressive!!! I have to give thumbs and toes up for creativity and effort put into details.


homemade xo chilli paste

Homemade X.O. Chilli Sauce lovingly made from scratch with dried shrimp and scallops. Packs a punch so mighty, Hung's kitchen should bottle this and sell!

chicken soup

家傳老火汤
火腿, 扁尖, 走地雞

Loosely translated as Hung's family recipe. Soup that pleased the Cantonese in us so much. The richness of the soup derived from the mountain of ingredients that went in which included free range chicken, jin hua ham and a special bamboo shoot. A first for me, encourtering bamboo shoots but boy, they are mighty addictive.

savoury appetizer

樱桃蕃茄话梅

One of a kind appetizer...baby tomatoes stuffed with preserved plum.

cherry tomato stuffed with preserved plum

Mega-mega-mega loving it! The rawness of the tomato was negated by the lovely sour-sweetness of the plum. I forgot how many I popped into my mouth but these were really delicious.


mushroom appetizer

冬菇, 扁尖, 辣椒

This could pass off as a main dish with plump mushrooms, shrimp and leeks.


platter 2


The platter of appetizers that got us all in awe. The amount of hard work that went into presentation and preparation was unimaginable.

糖醋灯笼椒
Green peppers marinated in vinegar. Each bulbous slice was bursting with flavours.

酱瓜毛豆
Edadame Beans painstakingly deshelled from its furry jackets and fried with pickles...perfect with beer I say.

platter

豆干拌菇.菜
Diced tau kwa with spinach and pickles, a great visual tease.

油焖交白
Stirfried vegetable that tasted quite like leeks but with a better bite in sweet sticky sauce..yummmmmeh is way too much an understatement.

stewed drunken chicken

飘香醉雞

Drunken chicken done so well, I am quite lost for words. For once, alcohol was strong enough to be discerned. The tender chicken meat made this seem like a braised dish, though it was actually not.

beef tripe, pig intestines

醬卤牛腱

Beef tripe made from scratch! I was too spoilt by now.

五香豬肚

For the first time, I actually thought I was a pig intestine convert. No gameyness, no stench...so intestines taste this way...almost like shellfish.

By now, I was truly full but what would be presented ahead blew my socks off.

vermicilli with prawns

粉絲蝦球

Succulent sweet prawns in vermicilli, look down on it not. I adored the springy vermicilli despite being soaked in the juices.

pork egg dumplings

蛋饺焖蔬菜

Underestimate this not.

Egg crepe stuffed with pork and stirfried with vegetables. Simple...not. I figure I could eat this forever.

Well...until the star of the night appeared.

pork belly

红烧肉, 雞蛋,百叶结

Braised Pork Belly with stewed eggs and beancurd knots. Reminded me of Vinegar Pig Trotters with such a droolicious shade of honey brown. This is a perfect 10.

Pork Belly cubes that I would willingly die for, almost. The layers of meat and fat so evenly distributed though by no means the talent of the chef BUT, this was so well executed. The meat was still firm upon bite, fats were melt in your mouth and the lovely balance of sweet and savoury.

Lost in heaven, I could be. The magic of this dish lasted beyond the pork belly. Loved the eggs and beancurd knots! Wish this was served first, that way I could have just busted my calorie intake for the week.

When you thought all's over with a splash of thoughtfully brewed chinese tea...surely NOT! Gatherings with food bloggers are infinite food affairs.

good and rich green tea red bean

Elaine's back to simplicity dessert offering won praises around the table. Good and Rich never disappoints, at the same time cementing the fact that Kaya Swiss Rolls are still the reason why I return. Green Tea Red Bean probably does not even play second fiddle to mango or blueberry.

le cafe beancurd tarts

Fen and Yuan decided to go back to basics too with L.E. Cafe's Beancurd Tarts. Yet another crowd pleaser!

flor strawberry tofu chiffon

We went with Flor's Strawberry Tofu Chiffon which is a new release for November! Chewy chiffon with too many holes but I loved it.

d'pastry container

Courtesy of the loved up duo. While Charlene spread the love with her homemade longan jelly, Charles decided to pamper us with the king of the fruit!

d'pastry durian puffs

Saved it for the last. Light pastry shells stuffed with durian pulp blended with whipped cream. Felt there was too much cream in it.

To kickstart the night, plates piled with food were served. Displayed so delicately and thoughtfully put together, the colours were vibrant..so were the tastes. Our senses were certainly tickled. I still stand by my verdict...Auntie Hung should open a restaurant or at least a Private Kitchen to spread all the love.

I was on a food journey, literally...being introduced to a whole spectrum of other vegetable types that I have never heard before. Heartfelt thanks to Daniel and his Mom once again for a spectacular dinner and lovely hospitality. 

Great food, great company...yet another outing that goes into the memory bank.

Comments

  1. Boy, I think I am going to miss Elaine... Can't wait for the next meet up with her in our kitchen.

    Nothing beats a great company with fantastic food...

    Xmas potluck?

    P.S. I am salivating by just looking at the photos, now where can I find these dishes once more...

    ReplyDelete
  2. "Daniel so kindly volunteered his talented Mom for the night's menu"

    Sounds like I was arrowing her, ahaha! But rest assured, she was glad to have hosted all of you, and will be especially happy when I show her how fantastic you made her cooking looks! =)

    ReplyDelete
  3. @ Fen: Yeahhh me too! she's sucha joy to have at gatherings. Definitely..good company and great food...heaven on earth!!

    saw ur email! :)

    heh...i wouldn't mind being the guinea pig for her new menu! :P *hints at daniel*

    @ Daniel: awww...u WERE what! *HEE* puh-lease!! Her presentation is so pro...wins some professionals handsdown ok! ")

    ReplyDelete

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