Ah Hoi's Kitchen

Ah Hoi's Kitchen

The factors that contribute to a good dining experience lies not just the food but also the memory tagged along with it. Decided to drop by Ah Hoi's Kitchen with my family and indeed the dishes for the afternoon leave all tummies satisfied and happy.


Most reviews I have come across, have commented that the drinks are pricey at Ah Hoi and I don't deny that. But to be fair to the eatery, they do serve Chinese tea and water (iced/warm).

Kicking start the lunch menu is Ah Hoi's combination, which consists of fried soft shell crab, achar, kueh pie tie and green mango salad. Unlike most soft shell crabs we have tried, these were fried to perfection with minimal sogginess and oil. In fact, crispy till the last bite.


The crispy fried noodles are made in-house and are generously served with prawns.


The grilled pork ribs are meaty and tender. The irresistable tint of sweetness coating thinly on the exterior made everyone licking their lips.


Steamed cod fish served with crispy beancurd crumbs and preserved vegetables leave a very deep impression on my last visit and the freshness is worth commendable. Because it is lightly seasoned and steamed, the sweetness and firmness of the fish was enjoyed maximally.


Butter crabs was upon my sisters' request and no doubt have not disappointed them at all. What is good about the crabs is the firm and succulent meat. However, I do find the butter crabs alittle oily to my liking, thus prefer the Chili crabs I had on my previous visit.


Steamed prawns in a Chinese restaurant often will not disappointed so this is no exception. What is worth mentioning is the egg white that is immersed in the broth, making it a delicious Chinese-style chawanmushi.


All in all, this place provides a very casual dining atmosphere and the tables are not arranged closely, thus spacious to accomodate to kids and the eldery. What makes it memorable is that, the restaurant is located beside the roof-top pool providing a very nice resort feel. In addition, having situated away from the crowd does allow a nice laid back walk after a heavy meal. Though alittle pricey, I do find it worthwhile since my family have enjoyed both the food and laughter that comes with it.


Since the food served at Ah Hoi's Kitchen are generally low in oil and salt, people with strong taste may find it mild to their liking.

Ah Hoi's Kitchen
Traders Hotel, Singapore
1A Cuscaden Road
4F Traders Hotel
Singapore 249716
Tel: 6831 4373

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Ah Hoi's Kitchen

Ah Hoi's Kitchen

Ah Hoi's Kitchen, located at Traders Hotel beside the rooftop swimming pool, is one Chinese restaurant that surprised me when it comes to ambience. Most people will have a misconception that Chinese Restaurants, particularly in hotels, should adopt a Oriental outlook with large Chinese calligraphy paintings, high-backed chairs and wooden tables. Definitely a direct opposite when Ah Hoi is concerned.


What lies behind the panels of folded door is an adaptation of casual dining. Spacious with high ceiling, giving people a relaxing environment to dine after work. The tables are not arranged closely, making it wheelchair and child friendly. The alfresco dining overlooking the swimming pool, giving a very light-hearted atmosphere. Very similar to what the Line @ Shangri-la got to offer.


I don't know how many share the same sentiments as me but I am one that will not spend on Chinese food as it is often overpriced and I would prefer to enjoy similar dishes at home or Cze Char style. This was directly the opposite of what Ah Hoi's Kitchen is trying to portray.


According to the F&B manager of Traders Hotel, Ah Hoi aims to provide affordable and good quality Chinese food in a light-hearted atmosphere. That was also why Ah Hoi introduced set lunches to appeal to working crowd, something which Chinese restaurants usually don't offer.

In addition, the staff Ah Hoi hired are mainly fun-loving and full of drive to provide a more lively environment. Traditional cheongsam or suits are ditched but instead the staff are dressed very casually. As the tiles and the use of iron-wrought tables have lost its appeal over the years, Traders Hotel will revamp this place soon. So, if one is curious how different Ah Hoi is to other Chinese restaurants, it is worthwhile to drop by a visit.

Ah Hoi offers quite a variety of Chinese food, ranging from

• Starters (e.g. Mango Salad, Satay, Hokkien Popiah priced between $7 to 14),
• Soups (e.g. Seafood soup, Shark's fin broth, Fish maw broth priced between $6 to 18),
• Fresh Seafood (e.g. Garoupa fillet, Steamed/Sit-fried Scallops, Steamed Cod fish priced between $23 to 38),
• Meat dishes (e.g. Grilled pork ribs, Braised Mongolian lamb chops, Stir-fried beef priced between $13 to 18),
• Vegetables (e.g. Hong Kong Kai Lan, Sambal Kangkong, Mixed vegetables with beancurd in claypot, mostly priced at $8)
• Noodles/Rice (e.g. Pineapple fried rice, Seafood fried rice with X.O. sauce, Hokkien nooles and Crispy fried vermicelli with seafood in egg broth priced $13 to $17)
• Of course, not missing out live seafood such as prawns, Sri Lanka crab, Indonesian crab, Lobster, etc.

Also, according to Ah Hoi's senior chef, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong do come by frequently for Ah Hoi's signature crabs and Hokkien Mee.

Crispy fried baby squid in fruit sauce ($8.00++) was the first dish we had and my dad specifically mentioned that the squids were not over-fried, thus was crispy and not tough. The tangy fruit sauce that came with it was mild and not overly sweet.


Hot and sour soup ($8.00++), a classic Szechuan dish has a generous serving of tofu, pork and dried mushrooms. For someone like me who don't take spicy food, this was just right and not overly starchy. Worth a try.


Poached spinach with conpoy and trio egg in superior stock ($11.00++), is a common dish in most Cantonese restaurant but is one of the pricier dish. For $11++, the serving of this dish is worth mentioning and what makes it good was that it was not overloaded with MSG nor extremely salty. However, salted eggs lovers like me will be alittle disappointed as the egg yolks were a tad too hard.


Steamed cod fish with crispy beancurd crumbs ($38.00++), was my favourite dish of the evening, for its tender and firm fish meat. However, daddy pointed out that the oil is alittle too much but we weren't sure if that came from the fish or the cooking oil from the beancurd crumbs. The most important thing is that the fish is fresh with the bulk of the bones removed. Good for kids and people like me who always end up swallowing fish bones (accidentally).


The star dish of the evening, Chilli Indonesian crabs ($32.00++) (their crabs are also served in black pepper, butter, steamed, stir-fried style) served with deep-fried mantou ($0.80++) was memorable for its size of the crab and the firmness of the meat. The sauce that came with it was not overly sweet nor salty and the mantou that came with this has an extremely crisp skin but not overladen with oil.


We were pretty honoured to try one of the dessert creations of Traders Hotel which is not released in the menu, Mango crepe with pudding. This dish was served hot and the crepe was light and fluffy with mangoes cubes wrapped in it. The sweet mangoes complement very well with the mildly flavoured crepe. When eaten together with the curd-like mango pudding, the result was refreshing and extraordinary.


It is good that the dishes Ah Hoi offers are pretty up-to-date, in other words, the dishes weren't oily nor overly sweet nor salty but for those who has a liking of strong taste, the dishes might be alittle bland to them.

Traders Hotel, Singapore
1A Cuscaden Road
4F Traders Hotel
Singapore 249716
Tel: 6831 4373

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Gourmet Sunday Brunch @ Cafe Biz, Traders Hotel

Gourmet Sunday Brunch @ Cafe Biz, Traders Hotel

Last Sunday’s revisit to Café Biz was like an old friend reunion gathering. We have a lengthy chat with Ms. Helen Tan, the F&B manager of Traders Hotel and Ms. Ivy Yap, duty manager of Café Biz and it was an enriching experience for us as both have shared with us their passion for this industry.




Café Biz's Sunday Gourmet Brunch is from 12 noon to 4pm, ideal timing for a weekend gathering and chat with your old friends. Do not be misled by the term brunch as the selection they have is close to a dinner selection. At $45++, one gets to enjoy fresh air-flown Pacific oysters, Rainbow trout caviar, free-flow fresh fruits and vegetables juices, Roasted beef, Brazilian Churrasco and many more.




The spread is pretty much similar to dinner so these batch of photos will be on top of what you will see that the dinner buffet and do note that Café Biz's dinner buffet on Thursday to Sunday is their version of seafood night. Also, given that they are under the Shangri-la group, some of the selections are presented by the chefs from Shangri-la Hotel. Hence, there is no excuse for one to miss out the buffets Traders Hotel has to offer.


The savoury section contains about 12 dishes which includes 扣肉包 (Braised Pork Bun), lasagne, Braised broccoli with assorted mushroom and oyster sauce, grilled seafood with garlic butter, baked scallops and many more.




Apart from the savoury section, one would not miss out their pasta corner which presents homemade pasta with your choice of sauce; La-mian corner which is handmade spinach noodles with beef broth, chicken broth and various chefs' specialties sauce and the Oriental roast station where they bring the best of Chinese BBQ delights. This is also the section which includes butter naan, masala and tikkas.




The sushi bar offers about 6 varieties and the local favourite of Salmon Sashimi. This salad section also have smoked salmon with a range of cold salads such as beef salad and potato salad.


A similar concept to Carnivore, the chefs will walk around to serve diners freshly roasted meat. I must say that the roast lamb is worth a try as Yuan is usually put off by the mutton/lamb smell (i.e. 羊骚味) but this one has ample herbs to curb the smell.


The dessert bar offers a wide variety of desserts and shooters. Apart from the desserts shown in the picture, the dessert section is served with freshly made waffle served with blackberry compote and various choices of ice-cream. Chocolate fountain is an all-time favourite in buffets and the chocolate sauce is simply irresistible for its rich and velvety smooth texture.


What we enjoyed best about the desserts here is that they are quite mild and should be generally acceptable by most locals. As compared to certain buffets which I have been to, the desserts were either too sour or too sweet. It’s a pity that Café Biz does not have a coffee house to enjoy their cakes and desserts. For durian lovers, their durian pengat is a must-try and is consistent on both our visits.

We apologize for our lengthy introduction as we want to dispel the myth that Café Biz do not have ample spread for its buffet bar. No doubt less spread than its sister hotel Shangri-La “The Line” but decent to justify your pockets. The quality, the service and the consistency say it all.

Do note that the Sunday brunch selection is alot more than the Saturday brunch.

UOB 2 for 1 promotion & “Value Buffet campaign” for April to June 09
1 adult dines free for every 2 paying adults
Buffet Dinner (Mon to Thurs)
Buffet Lunch & Brunch (Mon to Sun)
Valid for Feb to June 09.

Mon - Fri buffet lunch - $35.00++
Sat buffet brunch - $35.00++
Sun Gourmet Brunch - $45.00++
Mon - Wed buffet dinner - $45.00++
Thurs - Sun buffet dinner - $50.00++

Traders Hotel, Singapore
1A Cuscaden Road
Singapore 249716
Tel: 6831 4374
Website

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International buffet at Traders Hotel, Singapore

International buffet at Traders Hotel, Singapore

Recommended by my colleague, we have decided to drop by Cafe Biz @ Traders Hotel to enjoy a spread of international good food. Located behind Tanglin Mall, I was indeed surprised by the buffet this hotel offers.

Cafe Biz is just located near the main lobby of the hotel so one won't missed it. The open concept and high ceiling adopted by the restaurant provides the space and ambience for people to dine, be it couple, family or friends.

The spread at the buffet bar was indeed impressive and our stomachs were rumbling while taking the pictures. The oysters offered by the hotel is no doubt huge but not as sweet as the ones I had at Oscars @ Conrad Hotel. In fact, the latter served 3 types of oysters with them shuckled on the spot.

For seafood lovers, one would not want to miss out this part of the buffet and we can tell that the baby lobsters were pretty popular among the Saturday crowd. Don't worry, the staff replenished the food fast.

The selection of sushi is pretty decent but sashimi lovers will be disappointed as Cafe Biz only have salmon sashimi. As for the sushi, the rice is not dry while the sashimi is soft and springy.

The appetitizers offered at Cafe Biz is pretty decent with selection ranging from fresh assorted vegetables, salads, assorted cheese, gado gado, etc.

Freshly baked bread with garlic butter dressing and the option to toast the bread is available at the buffet too

The selection of savoury is worth mentioning as it has a good mix of western, chinese and italian dishes. Apart from the ones shown on the picture, the following were also available at the buffet,
- Whole baked salmon and pizzas
- Grilled king prawns and beef satays, freshly bbq-ed to diners' delight
- Wanton soup with thin, silky skin and spicy beef noodles, prepared upon customers' request
- Naans with fish and chicken tikka to add alittle spice
- Friendly knife-welding passadors moving around the tables, carving the succulent lamb, beef, grilled pineapple, midjoints and sausages from large skewers onto your plates.

As shown in the photo, starting from the left: Seafood fried rice, Hong Kong Kai Lan, Braised Pork Belly, Work fried seafood with sweet peas and carrot, Chilli crabs

A closer look at their dishes...
Left: Seared striploin on potato with shallot brasing jus
Right: Baked Oyster with thai sweet chilli mayo
Bottom: Lamb shanks

Apart from that, dim sum lovers would not want to miss out their Crystal Prawn Dumpling ("Har Kow")...

As usual, the focus of the blog is always the desserts and desserts lovers will be happy to know that the array of desserts are served cold as they are sitting on top of a chilled platform.

Some desserts that are worth mentioning were the matcha pudding, the durian pengat and the refreshing white fungus with red dates. Surprisingly, Yuan like the Carrot Orange with Yoghurt Cake which comes with a layer of hazelnut praline and a strong scent of cinnamon.

Tiramisu disappointed alittle as it was non-alcoholic but nevertheless, the soft finger sponge and the light mascarpone cheese is worth a try.

The Passion cheese cake was something different as the sourish tint came from the middle slice of passionfruit jelly. The overall combination was slightly sweet with a hint of sourishness. Just right for everybody's liking and did I mention that the raspberry macaron shells were good. Yea, it is a pity that Traders Hotel do not have a bakery shop but according to the F&B manager, they are looking for one.

Finally, in all buffets, the chocolate fondue is one that everybody won't miss. To our delight, the chocolate was rich enough and not overly sweet and it was no surprise I was slurping their chocolate till I was so bloated for the evening.

All in all, the selection of food available at this buffet impressed us for the evening and no doubt, it is worth to mention to buffet lovers, particularly people who likes prawns and savoury food. All the dishes were served warm under hot plates and the service provided by Cafe Biz was good.

Last but not least, my heartfelt thanks to the F&B manager of Traders Hotel, Ms Tan and the assistant Cafe Biz manager, Mr. Yap for them to accommodate us with our phototaking request.

For those who are curious about their existing promotions, here are the information:-
50% discount on buffet lunch (Mon to Fri only)
30% discount on buffet dinner (Mon to Fri only)
Valid till 28 Feb 09

UOB 2 for 1 promotion & “Value Buffet campaign” for April to June 09
1 adult dines free for every 2 paying adults
Buffet Dinner (Mon to Thurs)
Buffet Lunch & Brunch (Mon to Sun)
Valid for Feb to June 09.

Buffet dinner on Saturday costs $50++ with only one discount per bill, per reservation.

Traders Hotel, Singapore
1A Cuscaden Road
Singapore 249716
Tel: 6831 4374
Website of Cafe Biz

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