Another newbie learning to take food photos (+ food reviews)

[wackykid]

forgot wat this is called.... but the white thing is something u usually find in chinese tonic soups... they turned it into part of the main dish here...! quite interesting... the veg is okay but not as spectacular as the dou miao... 4/5 for this...


smoke duck... as fragrant and flavourful as before... 4.75/5...


braised pork leg...! very fatty meat that melts in the mouth combined with the delicious sweet dark sauce...... very yummy... 4.5/5...!

 

[wackykid]

pork chop noodles again... the noodles as wonderful Q-ey and tasty as the pork.... 4.5/5


the spring rolls again... still as great... 4.75/5...


and finally the desserts.... which consists of gui hua wine and glutinous balls.... quite special and fragrant... 4.25/5...



regards,
wacky

 

[wackykid]

at tiong bahru market...

koh brother's pigs organ soup... somehow i forgotten to photograph the stall itself... but this is one of the best pigs organ soup i've eaten...! it's as good as serangoon garden's one but this one is more strong on the salted veg taste while serangoon garden one got more porky taste.... the pork balls here is the highlight...! it's the BEST pork balls i've eaten... super bouncy... Q and flavourful...! 4.6/5...


had tau suan at this stall...


not a tau suan fan... but this one taste quite good... with plenty of yellow bean taste... but rather small bowl... this costs $1... ratings 4/5...


dabao pao from tiong bahru pao...


would be more fair if i eat on the spot while it's hot... but it's still not bad when cold liao... the da bao is juicy and not dry... fillings are tasty... 4/5...



regards,
wacky

 

[wackykid]

selected photos from savour event over the wkend...! had chance to sample creations from chefs coming from 2-3 michellin starred restaurants...!

called code 2.0 for all your senses by chef hans valimaki from 2 michelin stars Chez Dominique of finland... best cod i've ever eaten..! texture is amazingly smooth... slippery... soft and tasty.... highlight is the crispy and very flavourful skin...!! the beans are also very delicious.... overall ratings 4.9/5... would have given 5/5 if it were cheaper a bit.... this costs a freaking $21 for the small piece...


"molecular" xiao long bao by chef alvin leung from 2 michelin stars from bo innovation of hong kong.... this is the most freaking $$$ XLB i've eaten b4... this tiny thing costs $6...!! and it doesn't look NOR taste ANYTHING like the regular XLB... the inside is completely liquid w/o any meat... the skin is super thin but firm... it's like a small balloon filled with liquid ready to burst... the liquid inside is very special and quite yummy.... but i wouldn't pay $6 again just for it.... 4.5/5...


pumpkin veloute by chef alain passard from 3 michelin stars L'Arpege of france... this is basically pumpkin soup and the MOST $$$ i've eaten b4 too... $18 for the small bowl...! but it's also the tastiest.... and if u ask me i wouldn't too pay $18 just for it again... ratings 4.5/5....


coconut braised pork belly by chef ben nguyen from xu restaurant of vietnam.... this is not as $$ as those michelin starred restaurants... costs $12 for a decent sized pork belly.... which is heavenly....! very nicely braised and the fatty meat just melt in the mouth...! 4.75/5...


finally... tiramisu by chef roberto galetti of garbaldi singapore.... excellent tiramisu... although this is as good as any good tiramisu i've eaten... haven't encountered one that can really stand out from all other tiramisu yet.... so i'd rate this 4.5/5...



regards,
wacky

 

[wackykid]

went to attend food styling and photography session... quite basic course... didn't quite gain anything ground breaking... but still i went to have my own attempts to snap the food that were prepared for demonstration of the food photography...



more satisfied with the foie gras photo... as for this scallops pic... there are people around who would end up be in the reflection of the reflective black plate below so i had to try to avoid them... and at the same time there is also spot lights reflecting... hence this was the best i could manage...


p.s. these are not for eating so no ratings...! lol...


regards,
wacky

 

[wackykid]

with the small portions at savour event.... had to go for some afternoon eat to fill up that stomach... so drop by orta hotel @ parco millenia walk...



ordered the afternoon tea set costs $12.50.... which is so pretty and photogenic that i can't help taking snaps from multiple angles...!








the set comes with buttered scones... herb choux (which is like some puffs) filled with salmon mouse and sour cream..... rich dark chocolate mousse with roasted hazelnuts and galette bretonne (golden butter cookie) topped with fresh strawberry... the scones are pretty good... i dun usually like scones cos some of those i've eaten are hard and plain.. the scones here are not so hard and fragrant... the rest of the items are also delicious... even the tea taste like good quality test... overall ratings 4.5/5 for the whole set...


regards,
wacky

 

[asthio88]

Hi Wacky, your latest updates are very interesting, great job :thumbsup:
Do watch out the WB, some are still (a lil) off. Your (cam) shadow is pretty obvious espec so in post #79 & #80. Personally I would add a tad more vibrancy and contrast for #80 (the vege & the greens look kinda dull on my monitor).

Love those few shots in post #81 & #84 especially the coconut braised pork belly & smoke duck :heart:

 

[ntheni]

Your photos getting yummy hahaa

I like your savour 2012 photos but using plastic plate for such a nice dish looks kind of.... :sweat:
But don't have a choice right hahaha
Keep it up

 

[wackykid]

Hi Wacky, your latest updates are very interesting, great job :thumbsup:
Do watch out the WB, some are still (a lil) off. Your (cam) shadow is pretty obvious espec so in post #79 & #80. Personally I would add a tad more vibrancy and contrast for #80 (the vege & the greens look kinda dull on my monitor).

Love those few shots in post #81 & #84 especially the coconut braised pork belly & smoke duck :heart:

thanks for the comments...! i didn't know the shadows are obvious... other than the chinese cabbage and drunken chicken with the darker areas... do the rest have the same problem...?? as for the veg i guess i can't really helped it since that is the way the veg is prepared... w/o any garnishing watsoever... and there ain't anything else i could photograph together with to get a contrast...

anyway next time i'll try to take note of my shadow even in natural ambient light environment...

Your photos getting yummy hahaa

I like your savour 2012 photos but using plastic plate for such a nice dish looks kind of.... :sweat:
But don't have a choice right hahaha
Keep it up

thanks...!! the savour 2012 photos are taken right under bright daylight hence the lighting is great...! and yeah i dun have much choice when the fine dining food are served on paper plates... lol...


regards,
wacky

 

[wackykid]

kovan food centre at hougang st 21...

this stall had the longest queue so i went to try...


ordered the $4 one... which is GIGANTIC... and very pretty... makes very nice photos...!






the pork lard here is like free one...! it comes with SOOOO much pork lard... which is great.... only thing is that makes the thing quite oily.... it's value for $$$... taste-wise is not bad but there are many better ones around... ratings 4/5...


regards,
wacky

 

[wackykid]

ri yi beef noodles at block 210 coffee shop @ hougang st 21...


the small bowl of soup that came with it is POWER with plenty of beefy taste...! beef is tender and sauce is as good as beef noodles go.... chilli is nice too... sour and spicy...




overall ratings: 4.5/5...


regards,
wacky

 

[wackykid]

soon soon teochew porridge at 13 simon road in hougang (near kovan mrt)...


ordered porridge (no photos taken) with the following dishes... salted veg is crunch... nice balance of salty and sweet... 4/5...


fish cake... i love home-made fish cake like this... it's Q and tasty... goes well with the porridge... 4.5/5...


braised duck... very nice...!! the duck is sliced very thinly and very tender... and the meat is very well braised and yet retains the duck flavour too... 4.6/5....



regards,
wacky

 

[wackykid]

my #1 favourite bak chor mee...! located at block 1A along eunos crescent (near eunos MRT) .... i would eat this average of once a month...!


*ALWAYS* order the one with extra ingredients... which comes with a big bowl of soup with ingredients... plus the noodles in another bowl.... it used to cost $4... now increased price to $5 liao but the ingredients increased in qty too... so it's still worth the $$$....


the soup is THE highlight here... damn POWER soup... i *ALWAYS* finish every single last drop of it and still hope for more...! they have sliced and minced pork meat... fish maw... seaweed... veg.. plus a whole egg in the soup... plus a type of dried fish which i was told it's called "ti por" ... which is VERY NICE... it is like salted fish... and adds much to the flavour of the soup...


also DO opt for chilli... the special sauce and chilli they used is UNLIKE any other bak chor mee... it's savoury spicy and adds much flavour to the noodles... plus the slides mushrooms they have are also very nicely braised... very flavourful....


overall ratings: 5/5...


regards,
wacky

 

[wackykid]

wild olives @ changi airport T2 staff canteen... usually i go there to eat the pasta... which are nice... and not very $$$.... but the fish and chips are only available on sun/mon/fri... the other days they serve grilled fish...


so i went on good friday to eat the fish and chips... now u get to choose 2 sides out of 3.... i picked the mushroom rice and fries... the 3rd one i din choose this time is coleslaw... the mushroom rice not very nice... rather plain and not much of mushroom flavour... the fries is normal....


but the highlight is the fish... which is crispy on the outside and juicy and fresh on the inside.... at $5.90 the servings is also ENORMOUS... i couldn't finish the thingy so i left 1/3 of the rice leftover...


oh u can add $1 for the generous servings of mushroom soup... which is pretty tasty and not ur campbell mushroom soup type... it's worth the $1... especially when u grind some black pepper on it with the grinder they have...


overall ratings: 4/5... the not so good mushroom rice and so so fries dragged the scores down...


regards,
wacky

 

[wackykid]

yu cuisine @ marina bay sands shoppes.... saw voucher deal and seems that review is pretty good and decided to go...


the interior furnishing is pretty nice...





regards,
wacky

 

[wackykid]

next... the food.... am rather disappointed with the photos this time... cos i tot i adjusted the WB.... but in the end the photos turned out all slightly too warm... :/

char siew bao... when it first came out we were wondering wat it was...! it wasn't the usual char siew bao that we had expected... but the crust used here is very nice...!! it makes this char siew bao unique and memorable... very nice... it's like eating tarts but with char siew as fillings... if only the char siew used is very juicy and top-grade char siew... then this will be the perfect char siew bao...! 4.5/5 for this...


vegetable porridge in pumpkin... another rather unique porridge... a bit light in taste... but still not bad..... 4.25/5 for this...


cantonese roasts... char siew + roast duck + roast pork.... this is quite average... the char siew and roast duck tastes almost the same... roast pork is a bit hard... 3/5...





regards,
wacky

 

[wackykid]

ordered 2 long of the xiao long bao... thinking wat wrong can XLB go... but unfortunately this XLB is below average as far as restaurants go... it's closer to some cheap hawker centre XLB.... the skin here is sticky... mushy... thick... and yet it still can break on both occassions when i pick it up... the soup (whatever that remained) inside feels slightly sticky... worst dish of the day... ratings 2/5...


har kow... nothing to shout about... quite standard fare... the good is that the prawns are Q and fresh... ratings 4/5...


custard bun... it looks so pretty like small tangerines...!! inside is kinda too liquid though... wanted to photograph the inside but the moment i bit on it... the liquid bursts out and made an unsightly mess that i can't photograph anymore... but anyway it's still quite nice.... ratings 4/5...


scallops dumplings... couldn't taste much of scallops but the prawns is Q and fresh like the harkow... ratings 4/5...



regards,
wacky

 

[wackykid]

finally... desserts...!

this is best dish for the day...! this dessert is unique... i've not seens such a combi b4... it consists of aloe vera.... coconut... dried longans and jelly... served in very fragrant and refreshing coconut milk.... very delightful dessert...! ratings 4.6/5...


durian mochi... mochi is cold and smooth to the touch... and soft and not too powdery... the real durian fillings inside is nice and supposed to be D24... although i tot it would taste stronger than this.... quite a yummy dessert... ratings: 4.25/5...


mango sago... a rather common dessert nowadays... but this is one of the best mango sago i've eaten... the mango is very smooth and they added coconut cubes making it nice to chew with together with the mango... ratings: 4.5/5...


finally... another nice dessert... this has green tea ice-cream with almonds and almond milk... which is very fragrant and refreshing too.... although there is something missing that didn't make it so memorable... that i couldn't recall and describe how nice this is... so i'd deduct a bit of marks here... ratings: 4.4/5...



total damage is about $93 for 4 pax... very worth the $$$ for the nice ambience and overall yummy food... $90 are spent using vouchers... which give us $150 worth of food... the remaining extra $3 we top-up for it....


regards,
wacky

 

[asthio88]

thanks for the comments...! i didn't know the shadows are obvious... other than the chinese cabbage and drunken chicken with the darker areas... do the rest have the same problem...?? as for the veg i guess i can't really helped it since that is the way the veg is prepared... w/o any garnishing watsoever... and there ain't anything else i could photograph together with to get a contrast...

anyway next time i'll try to take note of my shadow even in natural ambient light environment...




regards,
wacky

Yes, the shadow is noticeable (not as prominent) in the others too (except XLB and dou miao), the bottom part of the pics are darker. It happens to me too, sometimes it isn't obvious until viewing them on pc. Due to the (down) lighting in most restaurants, shadow is (sometimes) unavoidable. What I usually do is to shoot from a distant or by positioning the cam where the shadow is less obvious. The contrast could be added in post-processing but since you don't do that thn....

Love the braised duck in #92. :heart:

 

[wackykid]

Yes, the shadow is noticeable (not as prominent) in the others too (except XLB and dou miao), the bottom part of the pics are darker. It happens to me too, sometimes it isn't obvious until viewing them on pc. Due to the (down) lighting in most restaurants, shadow is (sometimes) unavoidable. What I usually do is to shoot from a distant or by positioning the cam where the shadow is less obvious. The contrast could be added in post-processing but since you don't do that thn....

Love the braised duck in #92. :heart:

wat kind of lens do u use...? i use prime lens nowadays so the downside is i can't shoot from a distance w/o reducing the size of the food... the most i can do is to find an angle or watch out where my arms are to try to avoid casting shadow....

and yeah the braised duck is very tasty...!!


regards,
wacky