#East Ocean Teochew Restaurant

[buffetlicious]

We have been buying either the big or mini crispy yam mooncakes from East Ocean Teochew Restaurant (东海潮州酒家) over the years. This year is no difference, but we chose not to get the mini version as I find there is too much of the pastry dough to yam paste ratio. The big Crispy Yam with Whole Egg Yolk Mooncake (酥皮单黄芋泥月饼) included a salted egg yolk in the middle and mum like that. Went down to Takashimaya shopping mall for the Mid-Autumn fair and collected it from their restaurant upstairs. Hmm…, they are using the same old square cardboard box again this year unlike their competitors with fancy eye-catching box designs which are factored into the selling price.

Last year the price was S$70 for a box of 4s but this year it went up to S$79. Luckily, they are offering a 30% early bird discount, so we paid S$55.30 for the Crispy Yam with Whole Egg Yolk Mooncake (酥皮单黄芋泥月饼). The extra crispy and intricate layers of pastry demand careful handling. As you can see from the cross section, the egg yolk is well positioned in the centre of the yam/taro paste wrapped in a thin layer of pastry and deep-fried. As you bite into a piece, you felt the pastry shattering followed by the semi-sweet smooth yam paste and the slightly salty and rich yolk.

[erikaliujuan]

So full (at East Ocean Teochew Restaurant) https://www.instagram.com/p/BtV14hcnTLzCcC4UJ1Mmmmlx8fat0V-w-GCcgY0/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=epeg3s5vwc63

[foodgemsg]

The smooth and silky homemade tofu is layered with spinach and mushroom in thick and savoury sauce for more flavour 😋. . Homemade Tofu with Assorted Mushrooms at S$18. . Where to dine? East Ocean Restaurant 391 Orchard Road, #05-08/09 Ngee Ann City, 238872 (at East Ocean Teochew Restaurant)

[calebyap]

猪脚醋🐖 glory in a bowl. With little quail eggs :) (at 东海潮州酒楼 east ocean teochew restaurant at takashimaya)

[rumblingtummy]

Live from the Reunion Table at East Ocean Teochew Restaurant

7. 上汤焗大虾面 Baked King Prawn Noodle with Butter Sauce At first glance, I thought it was instant noodles. On first taste, it’s thin yellow mee. Yucks. I don’t like. Hmpf. Prawn's dry and overcooked too. I hate this dish.

Mum’s just talking about how my family’s planning a trip to the aquarium on the second day of the Chinese New Year.

Then my aunt goes on to invite herself to the trip. Did I already say, I hate family gatherings?

Second day of Chinese New Year is starting to smell like one of those f-ing gatherings.

[buffetlicious]

The Teochew Yam Pastry with Single Yolk (潮州单黄芋泥月饼) is Paradise Group’s (樂天餐饮集团) rendition of a flaky Teochew mooncake. With smooth yam paste wrapped around pine nuts and salted egg yolk, the base is embedded with white sesame seeds for crunch and a nutty aroma. My finance department’s colleague pre-ordered a box and both my camera and I were invited to the photo taking and tasting sessions. :D They and one of my other colleagues have recommended this pastry to me but after the taste test…

The Teochew Yam Pastry with Single Yolk (潮州单黄芋泥月饼) came in a glossy royal blue box. Each of the four compartments contained a piece of the flaking spiral pastry packed in its own individual box. Lifting the pastry out of its container, there is this crust of white sesame seeds on the base and along the bottom edge. Sliced it in half and the outer crust shattered but the plastic knife met resistance when it reached the salted egg yolk inside, not a good sign though. Further dividing it to quarters just confirmed the truth. The salted egg yolk is over baked during the preparation stage that it had developed a tough outer layer around the yolk. Instead of a crumbly yolk, you get rubbery pieces of egg among the smooth yam paste. The pine nuts in the yam paste and sesame seeds crust on the outside lends a nutty fragrant to the flaking pastry shell. Overall, it was a good eat letdown by one of the main ingredients. This set me thinking if I want to take a risk and buy it next year.

Since the above cannot make the cut, I will just stick with East Ocean Teochew Restaurant (东海潮州酒家). The Crispy Yam with Whole Egg Yolk Mooncake (酥皮单黄芋泥月饼) is best eaten within three days of purchase but if you can’t finish them in time, just store them in the fridge. To refresh the pastries, covered them loosely in aluminium foil and bake at 200 °C (392°F) for about 20-25 minutes direct from fridge. This cause the pastry to be crispy again and the warm yam paste tasted more mellow and fragrant than at room temperature.

Video shows the salted egg yolks preparation processes. Topmost image courtesy of Paradise Group.

[buffetlicious]

A yearly must buy mooncake from East Ocean Teochew Restaurant (东海潮州酒家) is this Mini Crispy Yam Mooncakes (迷你酥皮芋泥月饼) or the bigger cousin Crispy Yam with Whole Egg Yolk (酥皮单黄芋泥). As is everywhere, the price for it had gone up to S$70 for a box of 8s but the restaurant is offering a 30% discount for early bird buyers so we ended up paying S$49.

To get that spiral flaky pastry shell, two types of dough (water/oil) are need when making the Crispy Yam Mooncake. The yam or taro paste is smooth and velvety, sweetened with just a little sugar. As the filling contains moisture, I suggest toasting it to crisp up the pastry and to consume it with three days. It pairs well with a cup of Chinese tea or as I have it here, less sweet milk tea. In case some of you are interested in making it, I attached a how-to-make video (not mine).

[buffetlicious]

These Baked Prosperous “Pig-Me-Up” Ju Zai Golden Piglet Mooncakes by Ju Dim Sum Restaurant are not cheap at all. They cost S$44 for a pair and S$88 for four pieces! Better still, just go for their signature Teochew Orh Nee Pumpkin Mooncakes which look impressive in the video.

East Ocean Teochew Restaurant (东海潮州酒家) with their popular Teochew style Crispy Yam Mooncakes (酥皮芋泥月饼) in standard and mini sizes. We grabbed a box of their mini deep-fried taro mooncakes during the early bird promotion. Also available are traditional baked mooncakes which we had not tried before.

These are the mooncake boxes on display at Janice Wong. Beside baked and snowskin mooncakes, she also has chocolate mooncakes for sale. Beryl's Chocolate has a stall selling what else but Chocolate Mooncakes. I leave you with these mooncakes from La Levain as it is about time to go collect my own mooncakes from across the street.

Beside mooncakes, Lanterns (灯笼) are also part of our Chinese culture during Mid-Autumn Festival (中秋节). The simplest form here is the foldable paper types while the cellophane lanterns are the prettier ones. Though in recent years, battery operated plastic lanterns are getting more common but nothing beat lighting up a candle and seeing it flickering in the breeze.

[buffetlicious]

We started our Mid-Autumn Festival (中秋节) early with the usual purchase of this classic Teochew Mooncake (潮州月饼) from East Ocean Teochew Restaurant (东海潮州酒家). As with almost everything in the market, the price had gone up from last year’s S$68 to S$75 for four pieces of Crispy Yam with Whole Egg Yolk (酥皮单黄芋泥). While at the same time, the early bird discount had been reduced from 30% to just 25% this year.

If you can resist and not eat this Teochew Mooncake (潮州月饼) on the day of purchase, it is best to reheat it in oven to crisp up the flaky crust. Make sure to consume it within 3 days else this deep-fried festival treat might go rancid. Trust me, it tasted so much better when warm and the aroma is divine.

With alternating layers of pastry that gives an illusion of infinite layers, it is no wonder that it’s nicknamed the Thousand Layered Mooncake (千层芋泥月饼). The below how-to video precisely showed you how this is alternating layers are achieved using water and oil doughs. Their impressive appearance makes them perfect for gifting on any occasion.

[buffetlicious]

These Mini Crispy Yam Mooncakes (迷你酥皮芋泥月饼) are the same as its bigger cousins, the Crispy Yam with Whole Egg Yolk (酥皮单黄芋泥月饼) but without the egg yolk. Due to the smaller size, the pastry layers appear much thicker and the lesser yam filling makes eating it less satisfying. The box of Teochew mooncakes retails at S$68 less 25% early bird discount so we ended up paying S$51.

[buffetlicious]

Mum’s favourite mooncake is not your typical traditional baked type but this deep-fried Crispy Yam with Whole Egg Yolk Mooncake (酥皮单黄芋泥月饼) from East Ocean Teochew Restaurant (東海潮洲酒家). Compared to the baked types, this spiral thousand layer mooncake (S$53.25 after 30% discount) has a much shorter shelf life due to the yam filling turning soggy and the crust rancid. As per the recommendation, it is best to consume it within 3 days of purchase.

The Crispy Yam Mooncake is a little harder to make compared to the baked and snow skin mooncakes as this one requires layering two separate doughs together. The oil dough (油皮) has to be wrapped inside the water dough (水皮) before it is rolled flat out then rolled back into a log like a Swiss roll. Doing so will get the mooncake that is crispy and flaky in textures. Just check out the video recipe and you will know what I mean.

[buffetlicious]

Another of our must buy mooncake is this crispy yam creation from East Ocean Teochew Restaurant (东海潮州酒家). Just about the only minus points are the shrinking size of the pastry over the years and the short shelf life of 3 days (not that it matters). Priced at S$68 for four mooncakes before the early bird discount of 30% for certain credit cards is applied.

This authentic Teochew Crispy Yam with Whole Egg Yolk (酥皮单黄芋泥) is filled with rich, melt in your mouth yam in crust of delicate crispy swirl layers. Hidden in the centre, within the filling, an orange salted egg yolk is found. The crispy shattering pastry on the first bite and the sweetness of the smooth yam paste is delicately balanced out with the brininess of the yolk.

[buffetlicious]

Teochew Crispy Yam with Whole Egg Yolk (酥皮单黄芋泥) from East Ocean. This perennial favourite is filled with rich, melt in the mouth yam paste in crust of delicate crispy swirl layers. For this Mid-Autumn Festival (中秋节), it is selling at a grand price of S$68 per box of 4s which is pretty expensive considered the simple ingredients used.

[buffetlicious]

East Ocean Teochew Restaurant’s Mini Crispy Yam Mooncake with a smooth silky yam paste within the crispy flaky shell. Traditionally less sweet than its baked or snowskin counterparts but equally tasty if not better.

[erikaliujuan]

at East Ocean Teochew Restaurant https://www.instagram.com/p/BtVnIUVnvwkEjs5Yov2KRRSep8_2PeZUGdCOYc0/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1twleoyw8pmq9

[foodgemsg]

Teochiew Sliced Soy Duck with silken tofu cooked in a rich and savoury broth. The braised duck has a nice layer of fats and meat. The marinade evenly penetrates the meat, infused with a nice savoury flavour. However, it comes with a price tag for the small portion. . Teochiew Sliced Soy Duck from S$18. . Where to dine? East Ocean Restaurant 391 Orchard Road, #05-08/09 Ngee Ann City, 238872 (at East Ocean Teochew Restaurant)