The hotel I stayed at is within walking distance of the original Ding Tai Fung and so we decided to visit it during lunch. We were warned by our hotel’s receptionists to go early as crowds were expected but silly us did not heed the warning. We thought, no biggie, we may end up waiting for 30 minutes at most? Wrong.

The entrance of DTF was crowded with sooo many people! The wait would take at least an hour. We made a decision in a split second and decided to try out the hotel’s other recommendation – Kao Chi, located just round the corner from Ding Tai Fung.

Compared to DTF, the 3 storey Kao Chi was quiet, though not unpopular. The tables were well spaced out and the servers were attentive, helpful and very courteous. Kao Chi means “high class” literally, and the service does give one that feeling! The menu is similar to DTF’s and we decided to try some of their popular dishes.

First up, we ordered a double boiled chicken soup with noodles for the little one. The soup is clear and very flavourful. Though I would have preferred the soup to be a tat bit less salty, my daughter seemed to like it as it is.

These fried pork buns are their specialty. The steamed pork buns are fried in a cast iron plate to obtain crispy bottoms and sides. The pork buns are therefore crispy on the outside but juicy on the inside. Ooh delicious!

These crab roe xiao long baos are also their specialty. I like it that the xiao long baos are not overly salty and I can enjoy the natural sweetness and flavour of the crab roe mingled with the fresh and juicy pork filling. Definitely a must try.

Other than Shanghai Dim Sum, Kao Chi also offers a small selection of Hong Kong Dim Sum such as their popular Har Gao or prawn dumpling. The prawns are fresh and succulent and the skin of the dumpling was made to perfection. If you are a fan of Har Gao, Kao Chi’s ones are worth a try.

We ordered the salted yolk cream buns (Liu Sha Bao). I tried to take photo of the filling but it turned out bad and so I am not posting it! The texture of the bao is rather interesting. It is slightly cake like and tastes very refined. Most Liu Sha Baos I have tried are rather salty because of the salted egg but this one is not. It is more creamy than salty.

Verdict of Kao Chi? Food is good, ingredients are fresh, and service is excellent. I especially like that the food is not salty (some may feel it is bland) such that I can taste the natural flavours of the ingredients. Check out the upcoming post to see my opinions of the original Ding Tai Fung.

In a bid to share my love for cooking and baking with others, I conducted a cooking class with 9 friends a few weeks ago. It was a hands-on class held in the comfort of my house. I taught four dishes – mushroom soup, ratatouille, chicken cacciatora over mash and apple crumble.

The first picture shows some of the ingredients we used to prepare the dishes. Participants were taught the trick of cutting capsicums and onions with ease!

Here’s ratatouille cooking in a pot! It looks like alot of vegetables but they will soon give off their water and shrink to half the volume. What is ratatouille? It is a vegetarian dish that consists of a few main vegetables – onions, zucchini, red peppers and courgettes. Some add mushrooms as well. The most important part of the dish? Olive oil! You cannot do without it, so do not try to substitute with other vegetable oils!

Many of the participants were intrigued by this equipment. It is an… Immersion Blender! A very useful tool in the kitchen I must say. No more the hassle of pouring mixtures out into a standing blender and having to clean up afterwards! You just need to clean up the bottom part of the immersion blender and you are done! Fast, efficient and clean. I love it and strongly recommend you considering one for your kitchen! I use it to puree my mushroom soups, or just about anything else that needs pureeing. I used it to puree my baby’s food when she was young too!

Here’s one of the partipants preparing the mash potatoes. The trick to fluffy mash potatoes is to ensure that your potatoes are quite dry before mashing them, adding hot milk/cream and to beat and beat until your hands ache!

Dessert is always a joy to prepare, even before the mains are done! Here are the participants working together to prepare the apple crumble which was made with granny smith apples. If you prefer a less tart crumble, use Golden Delicious apples instead.

The completed ratatouille in the pot. See how the amount has shrunk once the vegetables release their liquids?

Mushroom soup! Some like it thick, some like it thin. Have it your way! The participants liked it thicker and so we added less milk. If you prefer it thin, add more milk/stock!

Chicken cacciatora in the pot! It looks a little messy here but I guarantee you it was yummylicious!

Completed apple crumble with a lovely golden oat crust. I love my apple crumble served with good quality vanilla ice-cream. Some like it plain. Your choice!

Everyone had fun! Do you like cooking too? Come join the CookForFamily initative at www.facebook.com/CookForFamily and join the Cooking event happening next Sunday! You can assess the Cook For Family Day event here!