Foodie Friday: What The Stars Ate This Week (Jul 23-30)

This week, Christopher Lee and Jin Yinji celebrated their birthdays, chef JJ Lin and Andre DeCruz tempted us with their mouth-watering meats, and Yvonne Lim whipped up all her fave local dishes for a taste of home. Read on for more.

What he ate: Juicy steak

Yummy factor: Meals during one’s Stay-Home Notice period need not be limited to mundane bento sets — JJ got fancy and grilled himself a juicy steak instead. A sizzling 90 seconds on each side of the slab and voila — perfectly-seared goodness with a tender pink centre. And it was really juicy, if chef Lin may say so himself.

What they ate: Durian

Yummy factor: Joanne has never been a fan of durian. That is, until she was “coerced” by hubby Yuwu to have her first taste of the Black Gold variety. She’s been hooked ever since, and it’s the only type she eats now. And when she orders, she goes for the most bitter ones.

What he ate: Helmet cake

Yummy factor: For Christopher’s 50th birthday (Jul 23), wife Fann Wong and their son Zed surprised Chris with a most unusual 3D cake. Modelled to look like the hard hat he wore on Workers, the helmet even featured a headlight strapped to the front, as well as Mandarin words that translate to “Working Dad”. His hard work for the fam hasn’t gone unnoticed!

What she ate: Jeanette Aw’s bakes

Yummy factor: Sharon was just in time to collect her order of blueberry and lemon pound cake and pineapple financiers from Jeanette’s patisserie, Once Upon A Time — the seasonal bakes were about to give way to August’s offerings. And while she enjoyed the pound cake, she particularly loved the financiers, giving a thumbs up and openly declaring that she regrets sharing her stash with her friends.

What she ate: Birthday feast

Yummy factor: Not only did Jin jie receive a spanking new massage chair from her son and daughter-in-law for her 76th lunar birthday (Jul 26), she also celebrated the special occasion at home by feasting on lobster noodles, grilled ribs and rich chocolate cake with her loved ones.

What she ate: Suckling pig

Yummy factor: Although Xiuhuan isn’t a fan of pork, she had at least eight crisp slices of the suckling pig her mother-in-law got from Wah Gah Catering. And according to her, the best way to have it is to dip each slice in sauce and eating it with a veggie wrap like a hand roll.

What she ate: Clean meal

Yummy factor: If you're looking to eat clean, you might want to try Andrea's ginger-scallion chicken breast in parchment. Not only is the chicken dish easy to put together, but it also tastes absolutely tender and juicy . Head to her Instagram for the recipe.

What they ate: Curry chicken

Yummy factor: For Justin, an excellent rendition of curry chicken has to have potatoes — lots and lots of it. And the one from Dong Dong Mixed Vegetable Rice hits all the right spots for him, from the ingredients to the fluffy bread used to soak up the gravy. And clearly, Vernon agrees.

What she ate: Local foods

Yummy factor: With National Day fast approaching, the homesick Yvonne couldn’t help but reminisce about our mouthwatering local dishes. And so she decided to whip them up from scratch — think min jiang kueh with peanut and black sesame filling, braised duck plus kway chap, oven-baked sambal fish, and her all-time fave kueh pie tee. Is she talented or what?

What he ate: Nasi lemak

Yummy factor: Aside from a generous plate of nasi lemak topped with plenty of ingredients including ikan kuning, omelette and otah, Thomas also had additional sides like freshly-fried goreng pisang, tofu and more to go with his meal. And for dessert, he had a slice of orh nee tart from home-based bakery Rachelrax. Talk about a huge appetite.

What she ate: Both sweet and savoury noms

Yummy factor: In the latest episode of #justswipelah, Gini tries out various popular eats from home-based businesses. Think fried goodies from Ah Ma’s Ngoh Hiang, to sweets like caramel cinnamon rolls from Guilt Free Food and burnt cheesecake with pineapple from Ree and Mummy Bakes. One item — the Breakthrough Box — made Gini pretty worked up, though. Watch to find out more.

What she ate: Roast meats

Yummy factor: Picnic for one, anyone? Kate decided to spice up her quarantine by enjoying her meal outdoors in her balcony and she treated herself to roast meats like honey-glazed char siew and sio bak from 1988 Marina Roasts, complete with a braised egg and greens on a bed of rice. Accompanying her meal was a bowl of pork rib soup sweetened with corn and, would you believe it, her first cup of soursop juice (she loved it).

What they ate: Burgers

Yummy factor: Apparently July 28 was National Hamburger Day, so the 933 DJs decided to order burgers for each other. Coincidentally or not, they both ordered the same juicy McDonald’s Buttermilk Crispy Chicken burger for each other, except that Hazelle doesn’t eat hers with the standard slice of pineapple... And Zeliang can’t quite understand why. How do you like your burger?

What they ate: McDonald’s breakfast

Yummy factor: Although Desmond Tan didn’t have to join his The Take Down co-stars Hong Ling and Jesseca for filming over the weekend, he kept his word and ordered a hearty breakfast for them. And Hong Ling couldn’t be happier with her sausage McMuffin with egg. We bet she’s grinning from ear to ear under her mask.

What she ate: Bo lo bao

Yummy factor: No dine-in, no problem. Sora tapowed Joy Luck Teahouse's Hong Kong-style pineapple bun (check out that thick slice of butter!) and a comforting hot drink and enjoyed them in her car. Anyone else doing the same during P2HA?

What she ate: Nasi lemak

Yummy factor: Ya Hui carries a set of cutlery around with her so she can easily tuck into meals while out, like this pack of comforting nasi lemak that came with simple ingredients like a slice of omelette and fried fish. As simple as her meal was, however, Ya Hui still looked pretty pleased with it.

What she ate: Weekend indulgences

Yummy factor: From Chan Family Bakery’s fruit tarts, swan-shaped custard cream puffs and chocolate eclairs to tomyam beehoon and fried goodies from Ah Ma’s Ngoh Hiang, Biren certainly didn’t hold back when it came to indulging in delish eats over the weekend.

What she ate: Curry chicken

Yummy factor: To Bonnie, few things beat having homemade curry chicken with plenty of rice and sliced baguette, and making sure there’s an extra portion of poached chicken to refill the pot with. Oh, and ending the night with plenty of creamy durian.

What she ate: Xiao long bao

Yummy factor: Tracy steamed more than 20 xiao long baos from online store Wan The Bao to share with her loved ones, and she appreciates how the dumplings are juicy and wrapped in paper-thin skin. The only thing that’s missing is some thinly-sliced ginger with vinegar.

What she ate: Chilli crab pizza

Yummy factor: Tay Ying ordered Supply & Demand’s new chilli crab pizza, and could not get enough of it. The sourdough pizza is topped with a special housemade sauce, chunks of crab meat, a wobbly egg, edible flowers and more. Anyone else wishing that they could try a slice of that?

What he ate: Plenty of eggs

Yummy factor: From sliced century eggs served with pickled ginger to hard-boiled eggs braised and flavoured with the rich taste of pig trotters in vinegar, Pornsak definitely had his protein fix at celebrity hairstylist Addy Lee’s crib this week.