Le voyage de kalos

Old has gone... New has come

2007-05-28T01:16:00.000+08:00

It is with a heavy heart that I annouced that this blog will not reaching its century post. Readership has not been at its best, and some feedback mentioned the name, or rather the URL of the blog is too difficult to recall - unlike the many other popular blogs. However, take heart that I have heed your advice, and I am proud to annouce the migration of my food blog to http://hisfoodblog.blogspot.com.

Thank you for your generous support and I promise to update more regularly to satisfy the many hungry souls out there.

Far Far Away

2007-05-17T23:34:00.000+08:00

Back on the topic of my parents being far far away from home, I decided it was a good opportunity to invite a couple of friends over to my place for dinner. The last time I tried my hands on Fried Hokkien Prawn Mee was two years ago on National Day Celebration back in Perth (and that was my virgin experience as a hawker as well).

Armed with prior experience, I managed to whip up a decent plate of noodles for my mates – a pity though I did not prepare enough prawn stock to fry it wet.

Main Ingredients

Prawn (At least 1kg, save prawn heads for stock)
Squid
Yellow Noodle
Bee Hoon (Soak in cold water)
Bean Sprout
Pork Belly (Pan-fried for better taste)
Egg
Lime
Garlic

*Bonus Photo

Just finish a conference in Swissotel, and did a panorama shot of the Marina area on the 51st Storey.

Search for the Best Ramen II

2007-05-15T00:43:00.000+08:00

Just when I thought my search for Singapore’s best ramen is over, out popped a certain Marutama Ramen – the first Southeast Asian outlet of an established Saitama and Tokyo-based ramen shop – that threaten to take over our little city by storm.

Reviewed by numerous foodies around the island, this outlet located at the 3^rd storey of Central, is first popularised by the Legendary Chubby Hubby in this post in March. Tickled by the curiosity generated within, I finally decided to make a trip down to this ramen place just to find out what is attracting the long queues. It took roughly 20 minutes on a Friday evening to get a table, and within minutes upon ordering, my doubts were quashed. Served in an aromatic chicken based soup, diners can opt to add items in addition to the plain noodles like Ajitsuke Tamago, or the Egg Seasoned in Soya Sauce, and Char Siu, or the Sliced Roast Pork, or the Kakuni, the Pork Belly.

The noodles are springy, and the soup, though a tad salty (usually the case with authentic Japanese Ramen), was tangy and flavoursome. The Ajitsuke Tamago though still could not quite match up to the one I had in Hokkaido. The pork belly was pretty tasty, but a pity that the flavour was too overpowering on the soup. However what won me over that night was the Char Siu – cooked simply to perfection – the meat was so tender that it simply melts the moment you tasted in your mouth.

I can boldly claim it as the best pieces of Char Siu I ever had in my life. Topped the ramen with fried garlic (do not be a Kiasu Singaporean and add too much, for it spoils the taste of the soup) and sesame seeds provided on the table and you are guaranteed a nice sumptuous meal for the evening. You can bet every penny that I will be back for its Aka Ramen, or the Marutama Original Seven Nuts Soup Base Ramen with Coriander. Itadakimas!

Rating

Food: 4.5/5
Service: 3.5/5
Ambience: 4.5/5
Price: 3/5
Total: 15.5/20
6 Eu Tong Sen Street
#03-90/91 The Central
Singapore 059817

Assume Full Control

2007-05-07T01:54:00.000+08:00

My parents flew to Sydney for my sister’s ROM leaving me with a house full of chores. However the encouraging thing that derived out of it was that I have assumed full control of the kitchen – enabling me the chance to whip out a decent plate of seafood pasta for lunch over the weekend.

What about you? When was the last time you cooked?

An Authentic Teochew Farewell

2007-05-03T00:01:00.000+08:00

A typical Teochew farewell can never do without a farewell dinner at an authentic Teochew restaurant. Made famous by the Dad, who has since passed away, the son has since took over the reins of the restaurant and vowed to continue the tradition of churning out bona fide Teochew dishes to loyal customers like my family, who have frequent this place for years.

Located at Mosque Street, Lee Kui Restaurant, or better known as Ah Hoi, or Crab in Teochew is famous for its Cold Crab. These meaty crabs are first steamed and then kept in the freezer giving the meat a firm texture.

Full of roe, a typical way to eat these crabs is to dip it into the sweet plum sauce. Next up was a controversial delicacy known to be served in special occasions - Shark Fin Soup, which has to be pre-ordered one day in advance.

The fins in themselves are said to be tasteless, but prized for its texture rather than flavour, noticed that these first grade fins are priced simply because it came as a whole fin and not in strands you get from lousy banquet dinner.

This was followed by my nephew’s favourite dish of the night – Assorted Deep Fried Dish – consisting of Seafood Cake, Spring Roll, Yam with Prawn Roll, and the best of all the Prawn Ball – flavoursome and fried to perfection, everyone on the table were commenting how good it was.

A personal favourite dish was up next, and at Lee Kui, you simply has to try the Oyster Egg – generous serving of oyster, the egg was wet on the inside and crisp on the outside – perfect complement for your plain rice.

The Vegetables were also surprisingly tasty that night – especially the refreshing Mock Abalones that really tasted like the real stuff. The Fish with Black Bean Sauce though a bit spicy, was very fresh.

In additional, the gravy went fantastically well with the porridge that we ordered. Sensing that we were still pretty hungry, Dad ordered a plate of Fried Noodles with Shrimps and Pork Slices. A pity that it was pretty oily, if not I was pretty sure everyone would had an additional serving of it.

This was because we were all saving the best for last, and what Teochew dinner would it be, if it did not end off with the authentic O-Nee, or Yam Paste with Pumpkin and Ginkgo Nuts - Sinfully Oily, Sinfully Good - a pity that it would be sometime before our family could gather again for such a sumptuous dinner.

Farewell sister!

Rating

Food: 4.5/5
Service: 3.5/5
Ambience: 3/5
Price: 2.5/5
Total: 13.5/20
8, 9, 10 Mosque Street
Singapore 059488

Made from Hong Kong Too?

2007-04-25T21:35:00.000+08:00

Recently it has come to my knowledge that more and more HK-styled café are sprouting around the island. I have been to a few, and even blogged about it once, but so far, none has been impressive. But before it crossed your mind that I have finally discovered the elusive one, I regret to inform you that not only did I not find one, I have learn in disgust that there exist another one of those wannabes who disguise themselves as a HK-styled café, serving overpriced food with ghastly standards and equally bad service.

Situated along the now well known stretch of Cheong Chin Nam Road, fellow foodies please be forewarn not to be fooled by the brightly lit signboard, and my seemingly delicious looking photos. The HK-Styled Milk Tea was average, as compared to the price I pay for it – and to think this was its only saving grace.

I ordered a bowl of Oxtail Soup (Nú Weǐ Tāng) and was looking forward on chewing the bony, gelatinous meat that usually comes with it.

Noticed the word ‘usually’ – because their version does not come with it, and when I questioned the apparently rude waitress from China, she merely dismiss it with - that their version simply contains Nú Weì, or Beef Taste and no oxtail in it – the bones are thrown away after they have gotten the beef stock – my version of the story is that they merely used beef stock cubes, and I wasn't born yesterday. When the Pork Chop Baked Rice came, the serving was small and unimpressive.

Dig deep inside and you will find that the fried rice was plain and tasteless, and even when you go along with tomato-based sauce, it wasn’t in harmony. Even though they are offering 20% discount for all diners, I say you can have my last $12, but you will never see the back of me again!!!

Rating

Food: 1/5
Service: 2/5
Ambience: 2.5/5
Price: 3/5
Total: 8.5/20
18 Cheong Chin Nam
Singapore 599742

Made from Italy

2007-04-16T23:12:00.000+08:00

Do you remember the days when Ah Hock would be ringing his bells selling ice cream and kids would rush down from their HDB blocks after dinner just to satisfy their sweet tooth? Well, I was one of those kids. Then, the flavours were only Vanilla, Chocolate, Chocolate Chip and Raspberry – with the choices of having it on two pieces of soft and fluffy bread, or in between biscuits. Now these Ah Hocks can only be found in the middle of Orchard Road and instead, swanky new ice cream parlours sprung out all over Singapore, including Island Creamery, which I have blogged earlier.

On top of the flavours of the old, you get fanciful names like Tartufo, and ice cream are refined and repackaged as Gelato from Italy. Call it whatever they wished, but the child in me can never resist the temptation of a smooth and soft Italian ice cream after work, at Venezia.

Beware though when you wished to takeaway, as the gelato is made fresh everyday with no preservatives, the quality will dipped after 3 days, and also, gelato is served from a different freezer than American style ice cream - a forced air freezer - which is usually held at about -15°C. This allows the gelato to be served immediately after being extruded from the gelato machine - the "forced air" maintains the product at a steady temperature. Therefore, you may serve ice cream from a gelato freezer but you may not serve gelato from a freezer at home, as the gelato would become too frozen, and texture too flaky for liking.

Rating
Food: 4.5/5
Service: 3.5/5
Ambience: 4.5/5
Price: 3/5
Total: 15.5/20
Guthrie House,
1 Fifth Ave, #01-01

Made from Hong Kong

2007-04-08T22:54:00.000+08:00

Updated!!!

I had lunch at Victor's Kitchen on Saturday and tried a few more dishes that was not mentioned in my last post. A pity that I did not take any photos though.

The Deep Fried Spring Roll was simply awesome! Freshly fried and thus crispy and burning hot, every bite gives you a crunching sensation. Although I would prefer it to come with some sweet sauce rather than the vinegar dip that comes with the dish.

The Phoenix Porridge, or Century Egg and Chicken Porridge was also very yummy. Not starchy unlike most congee, the porridge was easy for the throat to slurp down. Indgredients were also generous with huge chunks of century egg and big pieces of chicken strips. However the only drawback is that you would have to finish it as soon as possible or it would start to turn watery.

Saving the best for the most deserved would be Milky Custard Bun. The dough is soft and fluffy and the egg custard was sweet and runny. What gave it the "Oomph" was the delightful salted egg yolk in the midst of it. A simply fab combination!
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After reading and hearing so much raving reviews about this dim sum place, I am surprised to realise that it is located near my workplace. Situated at ground level of Sunshine Plaza (Not to be mistaken for Sun Plaza at Sembawang MRT), this outlet is tiny compared to all other grand Chinese restaurant we are familiar with.

It is at the corner of this mall that you will find Victor’s Kitchen. Having numerous experiences as a dim sum chef, Victor and his wife moved to Singapore from Hong Kong since last year.

Because of the limited tables available, make sure you come early if you do not wish to wait too long for a table during weekday’s lunch, or a weekend brunch. For the price I was paying, I was blown away by the sheer number of quality items they served.

For the Steamed Spare Ribs with Black Bean Sauce, I would prefer whole black beans be used to bring out more flavour instead of bits of it, but nevertheless, it was very tender and tasty still. The Tasty Queen Size Siew Mai was also incredible.

The skin is soft and the size is just right - any bigger and it would be too filling. The Char Siew Cheong Fun was simply delicious.

The rice roll is smooth, and texture so soft. To top it off, the Zha Leong (Doughstick wrap in rice roll) version was even better.

With one bite, you have yin of the smooth rice roll, and the yang of the crispy doughstick - the combination was simply unbelievable. Without a doubt, the one item that a diner never fails to order during dim sum would be that of Har Kau, or the prawn dumpling. At Victor’s Kitchen, the Victor’s King Prawn Dumpling is known as his specialty.

The huge prawns were juicy and the skin of the dumpling soft - yet does not fall off easily (unlike many I have experienced that falls off, the moment I picked them off from the steamer). The other laudable mention is the Chicken and Sausage in Glutinous Rice.

The rice is so fragrant and soft, and I simply find the ingredients irresistible – from the tender chicken chunks, to the Chinese sausages, to the juicy mushrooms and the tasty salted egg yolk. If you are a dim sum fan, you would know what I mean when I say that you would never get such a high quality dim sum for such a price.

Rating
Food: 4.5/5
Service: 3/5
Ambience: 3/5
Price: 5/5
Total: 15.5/20
91 Bencoolen Street,
Sunshine Plaza, #01-21
Singapore 189652

Where's the Dragon?

2007-04-04T22:58:00.000+08:00

I'm all for truth in advertising and proper labelling, until I came across an article that states officers from Wales have ordered the Black Mountains Smokery in Powys, to change the name of its Welsh Dragon Sausages on the grounds that they are made with pork, not dragon meat. It seems reasonable to expect consumers to know that the dragon is a symbol of

Wales

. Beyond the lack of common sense, what I find weird is the supposition that the mention of an animal in a brand name implies that the product contains that animal.

I just hope that the authorities don't start regulating the Chinese names of foods, as one of my favourite foods, is 龍蝦 (Mandarin Translation Lóng Xiā), literally "Dragon Shrimp" or commonly known as Lobster.

Despite no trace of Dragon in it, the sweetness and the texture of a Lobster Sashimi, is simply heavenly. If you think Otoro is premium enough, Lobster Sashimi will dispel all truth in it.

What’s more, with the leftover Lobster head and tail portion, you can have an additional dish of Fried Lobster Noodles with Chicken Broth (although personally, I prefer to have Lobster Congee instead, which unfortunately they do not served). Simply deserve a full rating !!! Unfortunately, business was too crowded that night and service was slow and lacking in standard. However it was still a worthwhile trip!

Rating
Food: 5/5
Service: 3.5/5
Ambience: 3/5
Price: 4/5
Total: 15.5/20
Chin Huat Live Seafood Pte Ltd
105 Clementi St 12
#01-30
Singapore 120105

Whitebait & Kale

2007-03-24T17:19:00.000+08:00

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Small Talk: I have a 15% food discount voucher from Whitebait & Kale... anyone who is interested to dine with me, please leave your comment behind and I will get in touch with you. Fresh Catch! Part 2 will be conducted on 14 April (Sat). For more details, please visit www.whitebaitandkale.com
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Beginning of this month, an old friend of mine persuaded me to attend a cooking class conducted by Whitebait & Kale – “Fresh Catch! Part 1”.

It being my first cooking class, I was excited enough to convinced another of my friend to join us. Whitebait & Kale was the brainchild of owner Keith Loh, whose aim was to offer foodies a setting that combines quality fare, relaxed dining in effortless fashion.

Held in the comfort of the restaurant, the in–house cooking class was conducted by Head Chef Nabil Tan.

The first dish that was demonstrated was Fish Chowder with Hush Puppies. Like me, I reckon that many readers would wonder how this dish is associated with the famous footwear. Well, in actual fact, hushpuppies are finger-shaped dumplings of cornmeal. History has it that confederate soldiers when detected Yankee soldiers approaching, would toss their yapping dogs some of these fried cornmeal cakes with the command “Hush, puppies!”.

During the sampling, I find the soup to be tasty, however all of us felt that the hushpuppies should be best left for the dogs (At this point, we all wondered too why were made to consume food meant for the dog?!?). One interesting tip that I pick up though was that Saltine Crackers was crushed and added to the soup (in replacement of starch) to thicken the soup.

Next up was Gilthead Seabream baked with Lemon & Fennel, Hazelnut Brown Butter Sauce.

This dish totally dispels the notion that fresh fish must be steamed to taste good.

The Hazelnut Brown Butter Sauce was an excellent compliment to the fish, which has a hint of charred taste from the baking process.

The finale then came in the form of Linguine Caroccio Fruiti di Mare, or linguine with seafood baked in parchment paper. A pretty straight forward Seafood Marinara?

Or so we thought until we realised that the additional process of wrapping the linguine in the parchment paper and baking it, actually traps and brings out the essence of the sea - a truly delicious and aromatic dish.

One Orchard Boulevard
Camden Centre, #01-01
Singapore 248649

Gilthead Seabream baked with Lemon & Fennel, Hazelnut Brown Butter Sauce

Ingredients

600-700g Gilthead Seabream

1 nos Lemon (sliced)

1 small Fennel (sliced)

10g Dill (1 small bundle)

10g Basil (1 small bundle)

a pinch Sea Salt

a pinch Coarse Black Pepper

1 tbsp Extra-Virgin Olive Oil

30g Hazelnuts (toasted & coarsely chopped)

40g Unsalted Butter

1 tbsp Parsley

1 small Tomato (seeded & diced)

a pinch Salt

Method:

1. Score both sides of Seabream with a sharp knife

2. Insert lemon slices into slitted pockets

3. Stuff fennel, lemon slices, dill & parsley into stomach (cavity) of Seabream. Season with sea salt and pepper

4. Drizzle with olive oil & bake on tray in oven at 230°C for 20 minutes, or until fish flakes

5. Melt butter in a sauce pan over medium heat, continue heating until batter began to foam & burn slightly. Remove from heat

6. Let foam subside slightly. Add hazelnuts, tomato slices, parsley & salt

7. Spoon brown butter sauce over the entire Seabream & server immediately

Linguine Cartoccio Fruiti de Mare

Ingredients

500g Linguine Pasta

2 litres Water

8 pieces Medium Prawns (peeled, deveined, tail intact)

1 large Squid (cut into rings, tentacles trimmed)

12 pieces Clams (cleaned & scrubbed off any sand)

200g Snapper Fillet (cut into small pieces)

400ml Chopped Tomatoes

4 cloves Garlic (sliced)

20 ml White Wine

1 bunch Basil Leaves (coarsely chopped)

1bunch Italian Parsley (coarsely chopped)

20ml Olive Oil

to taste Salt & Pepper

Method

1. Bring water to a rapid boil, add linguine & cook for about 5-6 minutes

2. Drain pasta & reserve

3. Sauté garlic with olive oil in a large sauce pan

4. When garlic starts to brown, add snapper pieces & cook for a minute

5. Add clams, prawns & squid, sauté for another 1 minute

6. Add white wine & simmer for another minute

7. Remove all seafood & set aside

8. In the same pan, add chopped tomatoes, basil, parsley, salt & pepper

9. Cook on medium heat until sauce reduced slightly, about 5 minutes

10. Toss linguine into the sauce & stir until pasta well coated with tomato sauce

11. Transfer linguine onto a large parchment paper

12. Lay all seafood over the linguine, wrap up into a parcel

13. Baked in pre heated oven at 200°C for 10-12 minutes

14. Open up and serve immediately

Cake of Three Camps

2007-03-19T23:18:00.000+08:00

When it comes to carrot cake, there are 3 camps – those which prefer the sweet BLACK sauce type, and those that go for the fried WHITE kind, yet there are some that prefer it frosted with Cream Cheese sort. As for me, I am all for my Carrot cake (the Chinese, hawker type), or Chai Tow Kway, to be fried the WHITE way.

White is RIGHT, as of most food, it is best eaten in its original flavour. Opting for the sweet dark sauce is almost as good as dipping your Waygu Steak in chilli sauce – you lose the original taste of the food, and simply tasting the sauce that overwhelms everything that goes with it. And without fail, when I am at Newton Hawker Centre, I would venture to Heng Carrot Cake at Stall 28.

Ask for him to fry it crispier and you will have the perfect carrot cake that is crispy and flavoursome on the outside, yet moist and soft on the inside. And with finely bits of Chai Poh, or preserved vegetables, and spring onions added to it, it didn’t take me long before I finish a whole plate to myself.

Rating
Food: 4/5
Service: 3/5
Ambience: 3/5
Price: 4/5
Total: 14/20
Stall 28, Newton Hawker Centre
500 Clemenceau Avenue North
Singapore 229495

Being Original...

2007-03-17T17:34:00.000+08:00

The good thing about working near town means you are never in shortage of good food, including dessert, during lunch hours. All you need is a short 15mins walk from my office and you will arrive at the famous Rochor Original Beancurd.

Story has it that how one brother after a family dispute, left to open a similar beancurd concept called Beancurd City right next to Rochor Original along Short Street. He has subsequently given up, and it seems the stall is now taken over by another sister of theirs who has started her own brand. Being the food investigator, it is of course my duty then to find out what is the staying power behind Rochor Original Beancurd.

I would say, in terms of the beancurd, both are almost similar, but I think Original has a slight edge, in terms of the smoothness and silkiness of the beancurd compared to latter.

It seems both outlet got their supply of egg tarts from the same supplier as the taste did not differ much, however the difference is evident when it came to the doughstick and the “butterfly” and “Hum Chi Peng” pastry.

Original doughstick and pastry are knead and fried on the spot, and because business is so brisk, these pastry are always piping hot when served.

And perhaps because of the lack in reputation and goodwill, the pastry served in the sister’s outlet tends to be colder and not as fluffy, as the crowd turnover is not as fast.

Rating
Food: 4/5
Service: 3/5
Ambience: 3/5
Price: 4.5/5
Total: 14.5/20
2 Short Street
Singapore 188212

Sweet & Seductive Japanese

2007-03-12T23:54:00.000+08:00

Guys like me think Japanese are sweet and seductive, but just in case your mind start wandering to those kawaii Japanese schoolgirls, let me just share with you that I am talking about food (I am a foodie, what else can I be talking about!?), but more precisely, their dessert. Making quite a buzz since its opening in Marina Square in the month of June 2006, Azabu Sabo, follows an original teahouse philosophy and serves authentic Japanese desserts. Its selection of desserts and Hokkaido Ice Cream, available for the first time in Singapore, has made itself especially popular with female clientele.

It is said that they directly imports the main ingredients from Japan, such as the top grade red beans, produced from Hokkaido, which are not overly-sweet. However, I beg to differ. I ordered by far the most popular and highly recognised Matchazen, or Green Tea Ice-Cream in a Bowl of Dumplings & Red Bean Paste, and was overwhelmed by the sweetness of the mushy red bean paste.

Thank goodness the strong bitter after-taste of the ice cream was able to neutralise it. The dumpling though tasteless was soft in texture and chewy, unlike those you bought off the supermarkets. Unlike the immaculate service that is found everywhere in the humble land of the rising sun, the service standards of this outlet was found lacking. The service staffs that day were mostly foreigners who did not seemed to have a good grasp of English. They had problems trying to understand my questions when I tried to find out more about the desserts, and they were particularly non-existent when I tried to settle the bill. What a pity though, if only they could import the sweet Japanese ~~schoolgirls~~ service culture as well.

Rating
Food: 3.5/5
Service: 2.5/5
Ambience: 3/5
Price: 3/5
Total: 12/20
6 Raffles Boulevard #02-170 / 171
Marina Square
Singapore 039594

In India Eat What the Indians Eat

2007-03-06T00:58:00.000+08:00

Ever since I have started working near Serangoon area, the temptation of sampling Indian food never stopped. From Roti Prata as morning breakfast to Nasi Biryani for lunch, I am surrounded by these delicious Indian cuisine (North or South Indian, Indian Muslim or what not) everyday. Finally, it took a nudge from my Indian colleague and there I was in front of an Authentic North Indian (Punjabi) Cuisine Restaurant in the heart of Little India.

With so many dishes to choose from, we were spoilt for choice.

Finally, my colleague from India volunteered to choose a few dishes that she deemed to be ~~her favourite~~ nice and that begins my little food adventure for the day. We opted for the Butter Naan, or a type of bread made from dough and butter (almost similar to prata) instead of the usual rice for a change.

The Palak Paneer, or Spinach with Cottage Cheese was a tad too authentic though for me.

Pretty bland and a bit too “greeny” for me, it was almost as good as eating a Broccoli raw! The Aloo Gobhi, or Potatoes with Cauliflower though was slightly better.

I love my potatoes and this dish had definitely more taste than the Spinach. This veggie is mushily good to go with the Naan, but however, if eaten with rice, I would think that it’s too starchy. Perhaps being a fellow potatoes lover, another dish she ordered was the Baked Potatoes with Capsicum.

This is the first time I have seen this combination and I must say I am pretty impressed with it. A hint of burnt flavour from the baking and the crunchy texture from the capsicum was a great complement. But the accolade truly belongs to the Butter Chicken that day.

The rich gravy made from yoghurt and cream, was a sinful yet delectable one, which I simply couldn’t resist dipping in my spoon again and again for another sip. The last time I had this dish was in Perth's Chutney Mary's and I never remembered it to be so delicious.

A pity though that the Mango Lassi was not as good as I thought it would be, as it was much too sweet for my taste bud.

Rating
Food: 3/5
Service: 3/5
Ambience: 3/5
Price: 4/5
Total: 13/20
34/36 Race Course Road
Singapore 218553

A V-Japanese Dining

2007-02-25T03:39:00.000+08:00

Chijmes was the atmospheric setting for our Valentine’s Day dinner.

Having undergone a stunning facelift as a national heritage site, Chijmes is now a trendy dining and leisure spot.

Having dined at its sister outlet – Sun with Moon Japanese Dining and Café, at Wheelock Place, I was pretty positive that the standard of the food served at Japanese Dining Sun @ Chijmes would pleased both our taste buds.

Without a doubt, we ordered Sashimi – Hamachi, or yellowtail, and Salmon Belly for the appetiser. I have to commend that it was one of the best sashimi I have ever tasted.

Not only was the chef generous in the thick slicing of the fish, each serving of sashimi was thoughtfully packed with ice at the bottom, to keep the fish chilled and fresh for consumption. The manager also recommended the Grilled Anchovies with Japanese Mayonnaise, which is pretty tasty when, go along with Hot Sake.

Speaking of which it was pretty interesting as the waitress brought out a basket of ceramic sake cups in different shapes and sizes, and ask us to pick one each.

For our starter, I opted for the Tuna Belly Sushi, or Otoro. Part of the Tuna’s lower belly which contains high fat content, Otoro is a highly prized fish in Japanese dining that is rich in taste and silky in texture.

And it is said the best time for consuming Otoro is during peak winter period (Nov – Feb), where the fish accumulates the most fats. For mains, we went with their signature Kamameshi (traditional steamed seasoned rice pot) of Beef and Foie Gras. They came served in traditional Japanese wooden pots.

Atop each pot stood an hourglass to indicate the end of one minute — the time required for the piping hot steam to permeate the rice casserole within. This method of cooking, apparantly dates back to the 19th century.

The beef slices was tender and marinated to taste, and the Foie Gras was sinfully excellent. Added to the fact that the rice is cooked just nicely as compared to my 1^st experience at Sun with Moon, the Kamameshi was excellent this time round.

To round up the wonderful night, I went for piece of delightful Tofu Cheesecake that I have been carving for ever since I tried it, and she decided on the Kyodango & Warabi Mochi platter that comes with opaque yellow bean squares.

I am not a big fan of flour but I have to say that the mochi were delightfully smooth and soft, but however the sweetened thick soy sauce that goes over it is a bit of an acquired taste.

Rating
Food: 4.5/5
Service: 4.5/5
Ambience: 4.5/5
Price: 4/5
Total: 17.5/20
30 Victoria Street,
#02-01 CHIJMES
Singapore 187996

Italian in the Heart of Holland II

2007-02-17T16:13:00.000+08:00

Amici Italian Restaurant in Holland Village exudes a buoyant and cosy ambience perfect for an exhilarating meal regardless of lunch or dinner with your friends and love ones. At Amici, you can also get to dine and watch the chefs create masterpieces in the semi-open kitchen and stone oven.

We started with the Garlic Prawn as starter ($12). And I must say we were pretty surprised that the prawn was cooked in tomato-based rather than a light cream-based sauce, resulting in the lacked of punch from the garlic in this dish.

Since we had a heavy lunch, we decide to share a pizza – the Parma Rucola, a pizza topped with Parma Ham & Arugula (better known as rocket). What is so exceptional about Prosciutto di Parma or Parma Ham is its strictly regulated production. From the breeding and feeding of the pigs, to the gentle salt rugs and the long hanging and curing in progressively warmer aging rooms, each step in the process must meet certain criteria. At the end of the 10 to 12 month aging saga, the five-point ducal crown of Parma is branded into each leg that makes the grade, to distinguish it from other cured hams.

The result is a raw ham, pale pink in colour with a distinctive flavour and a remarkably silky texture. Matched it with my favourite Arugula - herb with a unique spicy and bitter taste, and a dash of cheese powder, makes this Italian pizza a winner. The restaurant is also dedicated to a variety of simple yet satisfying dishes, and some of their popular and award winning dishes include Escargots cooked in Garlic Butter (A dozen for $22), Fresh Baked Oysters with Diced Tomatoes, Spinach, Bacon, Onion, Cream & Cheese (½ dozen for $23), as well as their signature dessert Homemade Tiramisu ($9).

Rating
Food: 3.5/5
Service: 3.5/5
Ambience: 4.5/5
Price: 4/5
Total: 15.5/20
275 Holland Ave,
Holland Village
Singapore 278993

Italian in the Heart of Holland

2007-02-12T00:57:00.000+08:00

Dubbed the “Bohemian enclave” of Singapore, Holland Village is a curious mix between old and new. Traditional coffee shops and a wet market jostle for space aside swanky wine bars and fine dining restaurants. And in the space of one week, I was fortunate to take part in this dining culture twice. And in both occasions, I was indulging in the pleasure of the rich Italian cuisine. Situated at the corner among a cluster of shophouses is Al Dente Trattoria.

At Al Dente, one can choose to dine al fresco or indoors. Unfortunately, although the candlelight adds an amorous atmosphere for the diners, frequent passer-by walking along Lorong Mambong seeks to blemish it, thus our choice to venture indoors.

We were served by an over-enthusiastic service staff that we felt pressured to order more than we should (apparently ice water was a choice of sprinkling or still, and I ended ordering the ice-peach tea instead). He was also quick to note down the order of the Antipasti Sampler Platter – which we haven’t agreed upon – but felt obliged to since he already wrote it.

Thankfully, the appetiser turned out to be pretty fine. A platter of premium salami slices, grilled mushrooms, tomatoes with mozzarella cheese, ham with melon & cold seafood cuts on fresh garden greens was a harmonious dish that suited all three of us. While both my friends went for the Linguine Marinara, or the seafood of lobster, shrimps, clams, mussels & cod fillet tossed with linguine pasta in a wine seafood stock, finished with a robust herbed tomato stew, I was encouraged yet again by the service staff to go for the Penne with Scallops, or the tube pasta with fresh Australian scallops & zucchini slices, sautéed in a light cream sauce, infused with brandy.

The scallops were indeed juicy and fresh, and the taste of zucchini was refreshing as I haven’t had it since my Perth days. The only fault that I would pick on would be that the cream sauce was too rich, such that one cannot taste the hint of brandy in it.

To be continued......

Rating
Food: 3.5/5
Service: 3/5
Ambience: 3.5/5
Price: 3.5/5
Total: 13.5/20
22 Lorong Mambong
Holland Village
Singapore 277681

A Wee Bit of Heaven

2007-02-07T23:00:00.000+08:00

A wee bit of heaven

Drifted down from above

A handful of happiness

A heartful of love

A mystery of life

So sacred and so sweet

The giver of joy

So deep and complete.

Precious and priceless

So lovable too

The world's sweetest miracle

Baby, it's you.

- By Helen Steiner Rice

Mac and Cheese

2007-02-05T22:00:00.000+08:00

Shit... I am getting fat... and it doesn't help that my colleague, who is a mum of two, cooked fantastic macaroni and cheese for tea breaks…not forgetting her banana cake, curry chicken... argh... this is so not helpful to my diet regime...!!!

Here Fishy Fishy~~

2007-01-30T22:01:00.000+08:00

My family loves eating fish, and we never fail to have a fish dish on the dinner table every night. From the traditional Teochew and Cantonese-Style Steamed Fish to Deep Fried Fish, my family enjoys indulging in every style of it. However, the one fish dish that I simply find it irresistible is that of Teochew Fish Porridge. And to cook a bowl of delicious fish porridge is not too difficult.

1. Cooked rice and leave it in the open to dry. Ensure rice is not cooked too moist.

2. Thick slice of freshly cut fish – from modest Batang (Mackerel) to the preferred Pomfret.

3. Pot of Ikan Bilis soup.

4. Seaweed and Dried Flat Fish along with Freshly Fried Shallots to enhance the soup.

5. Greens – Lettuce or the preferred Tang-O.

6. Alternatively, you have wish to pan-fried some Shrimps under small fire (without oil) to add more Oomph! to the soup.

7. Add salt or fish-sauce to taste and Viola! A delicious home-cooked Teochew Fish Porridge to match any hawker stalls out there.

New Year, New Rating

2007-01-21T21:42:00.000+08:00

The old has gone, the new has come. What a better way to usher in the New Year than to revamp the new rating system on my food blog. And what better way to label them other than the phrases that we, Singaporeans, are familiar with. Starting from those that fall below 10, they go down under the category of “Cannot Make It”.

You can try as hard, but the difference in yardstick is so apparent that you can never catch up with the rest in the industry. For those from 10 – 12.5, there is nothing fantastic to holler about. Nonchalant Singaporeans will simply put it as “So-So Lor” – or no comments kind of remark.

Of course, since Singaporeans are never easily satisfied, but yet when they do not wish to sound too difficult, you can always catch them saying “Ok La! Not Bad”,

but we all know there is room improvement – this category is created for those that falls under 13 – 15. Of course, when Singaporeans enjoy something they really like, the very one word you can find them exclaiming would be “Shiok”.

This is especially for those that fall under 15.5 – 17.5. However, when they found something really worth crying out for, the no-hold barred statement would simply be “Si Bei Song Ah” – a delightful yell that is only fit for those that falls within 18 to 20.

Service with a Frown

2007-01-16T11:36:00.000+08:00

Last Saturday, took me back to En Japanese Dinning (Yes I know, I am getting predictable, but I will never shy away from good food). The food was okay alright but surprisingly, it was a comedy of errors when it came to their service that night – the 1st though in my 4 outings. It started with the person taking my phone reservation that I will be given a table outside; only to be assigned a table inside the restaurant upon arrival. You see, En has an open concept kitchen and the smoke from its Okinawa grilled cuisine doesn’t go very well with me. Next, the main dish, Unagi Fried Rice, was served before the appetiser, Sashimi and Beef Carpaccio. Foodies will know that getting the order of your meals mixed up is an absolute misdemeanour in F&B. And when specifically ask for warm sake to go with my meals, I was recommended the house pour, only to be told that it is only served cold upon arrival of the wine. Also, the salad we ordered didn’t come with a spoon to scoop the veggies as well. Lastly, 2 dishes that we didn’t order were presented to our table.

And just when you thought it was over, after dinner activities took us to St. James PowerStation and service was obviously lacking too when we were at Movida – the service staffs was rude and came up to us a couple of times to shoo us off from the counter where we were ordering our drinks, and it took a good 30 mins and me standing at the counter staring at them before my drinks came. Considering that she wanted to served me a half-spilled drink (which I refuse to accept) that turned out wrong (I ordered a Martini Bianco with 7-up but was served a Sweet Martini Neat instead), I am happy to announce that St. James has just lost me as a patron forever, unless serious training is being conducted to their staffs. The only positive thing out of the whole night was that I were able to catch a 7-mth “getai” performance in the mid of January of 2007 at Dragonfly.

Zambuca

2007-01-14T22:18:00.000+08:00

Year 2006 ended with a fabulous Christmas celebration that took place in one of Singapore’s most notable restaurants – Zambuca.

Executive Chef Dennis Sim teamed up with Culinary Director Angelo Sanelli, of Michelangelo’s distinction, presented us with selections of original and contemporary Italian dishes balances with a well though out selection of conventional delights.

Zambuca happens to be a bar as well as a restaurant that features a magnificent wine cellar. Specially set to the temperature of 18°C and use mainly for wine dinners, this cellar is a definitely an enchantment for all wine enthusiasts.

Appetisers were soon served as we were still busy deciding on what read like mouth-watering dishes from the menu.

However, the pretty dreadful Bruschetta they serve as a complimentary were pretty stale toast and even staler toppings of Italian Sausage and Mushy Beef Spread or Egg Mayo with Caviar. Thankfully, the sampler starters were dished out in succession not long after and I have to say I am quite impressed. First up was the Carpaccio di Manzo, or Beef carpaccio with parmesan cheese and quail eggs, lightly drizzled with extra virgin oil.

The thinly sliced beef melts in your mouth and the parmesan adds zest to the otherwise bland dish. This was soon followed by Parma Ham with Rockmelon.

In terms of presentation, I thought this was one of the best that night. The chef was even generous enough to give us a huge chunk of the melon wrapped around with a wedge of ham. The Gamberi con Aglio Olio e Crema, or Tender tiger prawns with sliced garlic, finished with Devon cream and placed on a bed of shredded spinach served in a hot iron terrine, as put simply - Divine.

The prawns were gigantic and fresh, and the cream sauce was purely mouth-watering, so good that we were scooping the sauce straight from the iron bowl and gulping it. The Mussels topped with Tomato-based Sauce though were ordinary.

Although the flesh of the mussels was big and juicy, I suspect that they were cooked separately from the sauce as the mussels lacked taste and flavouring from the gravy. The gravy also was not the best I have tasted as compared to the many mussels dishes I have tried in Perth. However, the biggest disappointment of the night was that of the Calamari Fritti.

The Squid rings were too salty and the coating of the flour was done badly such that we end up eating the squid separately from the flour. Thankfully the last starter of the night, Foie Gras, or Seared duck liver served on toasted brioche topped with Granny Smith apple, peppered fig and port wine redeemed it all.

Consider one of the greatest delicacies in French Cuisine, the liver was juicy and the fatty oil that oozes out from it is simply blissful. It was simply so delicious that I decided to have more servings of duck for my main.

And thus it ensures that I also have a whole serving of Foie Gras to myself along with the breast of the duck – pretty sinful I must say, but for occasional indulgence, I reckon that it was all worth it. Known for their lamb dishes, I would also highly recommend the Agnello Marinato alla Griglia, or grilled and marinated rack of lamb served with asparagus and mushroom ragout, parsnip puree and drizzled with chili chocolate sauce - done in medium rare.

The tenderness of the meat along with an exotic sauce simply tops all the dishes for the night.

Rating
Food: 3/5
Service: 4.5/5
Ambience: 5/5
Price: 2/5
Total: 14.5/20
The Pan Pacific Singapore
7 Raffles Boulevard,#03-00
Singapore 039595

Search for the Best Ramen

2007-01-07T00:47:00.000+08:00

The best ramen I ever had was in Hokkaido, and ever since then, I have been searching high and low for good ramen in Singapore. And I am pleased to declare that I have managed to relish two excellent ramen restaurants.

The first restaurant happens to share the same name of a 1985 Japanese comedy that revolves around the art of making ramen, Tampopo’s Black Pig Shabu Ramen, was even voted as ST Lifestyle’s No. 1 in its Top 10 Ramen in Singapore.

This simply delightful ramen is served with tasty and tender Black Pig Shabu Slice (which is also known as Berkshire Pork, or Kurobuta Pork in Japan, and is prized for its fine marbling of fat and exceptional flavor), in spicy Kyushu (pork bone) soup base that is said to be brewed over 2 days.

As my family and I were in a restaurant specializing in Berkshire Pork, we couldn’t resist ordering a Black Pig Tonkatsu to share.

Once again, one bite and it was apparent that it wasn’t your average piece of meat. The pork chop was meltingly tender and juicy, without any hint of dryness due to the layer of fats.

I can boldly declare that it is the best Tonkatsu I have ever tasted and making all $19.50 simply worth it. However, it’s a pity that the stewed egg wasn’t as firm as the one I had in Hokkaido.

Rating

Food: 4.5/5
Service: 4/5
Ambience: 4.5/5
Price: 3.5/5
Total: 16.5/20
#B1-50 Liang Court Shopping Centre

The next ramen place, voted 2^nd just behind Tampopo, is Noodle House Ken.

Found in the heart of Orchard, this ramen place happens to offer a very unique, Cold Ramen in Sesame Sauce. However, I felt that the taste was too authentic for me and being a sucker for hot food, the coldness in the noodles wasn’t very appealing to me.

I also found the ramen too dry due to the lacked of soup, but however, the Miso Ramen was pretty delightful. The noodles were tangy and the sweet corn along with the bamboo shoots was a great compliment to it.

The stewed egg was a pretty good proxy to the one I had in Hokkaido, but the egg yolk wasn’t as watery as I would like it to be.

Although I hadn't had a chance to sample the Chasu Ramen, I believed it would be a great choice for future visits, as the 2 Japanese sitting next to our table were slurping loudly away. Also another good feature about Ken Noodle House is that it operates till 2a.m. on Monday till Saturday, so hungry shoppers and clubbers can enjoy delicious ramen in town.

Rating

Food: 3.5/5
Service: 4/5
Ambience: 3.5/5
Price: 4.5/5
Total: 15.5/20
Orchard Plaza #01-17/18
(Opp Cuppage Plaza)

Is This Where The Future Lies?

2007-01-05T23:22:00.000+08:00

Academy at sunrise @ Fort Canning Centre

Spice Garden @ Fort Canning Park - Pandan Leaf

Spice Garden @ Fort Canning Park - Chilli

Pastry & Baking Kitchen

Western Kitchen

Asian Kitchen

Classroom where Pratical Workshops are Held

Modern "Fireless" Stove for Safety Reasons

Home Kitchen Where more Lessons are Taught

Cheers to the New Year

2006-12-31T23:48:00.000+08:00

What better way to usher in the New Year than to chill out with some of your pals over a bottle of red wine and catch up on the year’s ups and downs. And what better place to chill after a dinner at En Japanese Dinning Bar, other than Vino Vino Wine Bar, which is located just a unit next to it.

Recently expanded by another unit, the wine haven provides a perfect tranquil environment for wine lovers to relax, chill and unwind.

Complete with grapevines and rustic décor amidst the urban landscape, guests get have a luxurious selection of 40 over wines predominantly from Australia and

New Zealand

.

And everyone would be please to know that these wines are usually affordable, without compromising the quality.

Last visited, they are even having a fantastic promotion of “Buy 2 & get the 3^rd bottle free” – perfect deal for a big group of friends and fellow wine enthusiast meeting up during the festive season.

Rating

Food: 3.5/5
Service: 4/5
Ambience: 5/5
Price: 3.5/5
Total: 16/20
207 River Valley Road,
#01-53 to 55, UE Square

En @ MS

2006-12-24T04:45:00.000+08:00

___________________________________________________

Small Talk: Another HAPPENING Saturday evening, and this time it was a dinner with an old friend whom has just returned from Sydney and a birthday celebration for Des @ the newly opened - The Clinic @ The Cannery, along with the rest of the gang.

Happy Birthday Des and hope you had a BLAST!!!
___________________________________________________

Never had a Japanese Restaurant that I have been to, warrant a 3^rd visit from me within a space of two months, but this rule simply did not apply to En Japanese Dining Bar.

Introduced by my manager (whom is very particular about what she eats), I was pleasantly elated to find that not only was the food outstanding, the price is sound as well. Situated at UE Square, facing the now awfully hushed Mohammed Sultan Road, En Japanese Dining Bar is a also a fav among the diminutive but surely growing Japanese community, in the River Valley area.

Known for its little dishes of appetiser and starters rather than the main dishes, customers are spoilt for choice with the amount of dishes they can choose from the menu. While waiting for the rest to arrive,

a friend and I had some Kawaebi (Deep Fried Small River Shrimps) to go with our Hakkaisan (Honjouzou) – Medium Dry, Well Balanced Sake.

Dinner then proceed with our first starter of the day – Beef Carpaccio, or Thinly Sliced Raw Beef and Sliced Onion with Sour Soya Sauce.

Along with just a dash of lemon juice, the beef is juicy and melts the moment it touches your mouth (a result from the freshness of the meat), leaving you to crave for more when you are done with it. Thankfully, the Sashimi did not disappoint us when it arrived. The Kanpachi (Yellow Tail), Mekajiki (Sword Fish) and Salmon Belly was just as fresh and the thickness of each slice – perfectly cut.

More Sashimi came along, but this time in the disguise of Imaiyu Salad, or the Fresh Sashimi Salad with Special Blended Vegetable Dressing.

Cubes of raw meat act as a perfect complement to the vegetables, and along with the appetising salad dressing, this dish is a hit with both the carnivores and the herbivores. And when the cooked food finally arrives, the Roasted Minced Chicken Balls on a Skewer Laced with Egg Yolk has a sweet aroma which lingers in the air even after that satisfying bite.

However, one may find the texture of questionable due to the bits of tendons within the minced meat. The only staple we had for the night was another perfectly executed Unagi Fried Rice, or Eel and Egg Fried Rice.

The natural juices oozing out from the Grilled Eel somehow goes harmoniously well with the rice, making it enjoyable to consume and a perfect dish to share among a table of 4. To round of the lovely night, we had Black Sesame Ice Cream and Green Tea Ice Cream with Red Bean Paste.

Not a big fan of both flavours, I was somehow charmed to find that the Green Tea Ice Cream, with a hint of bitterness, goes astonishingly well with the Red Bean Paste.

Rating

Food: 4.5/5
Service: 4/5
Ambience: 4.5/5
Price: 4.5/5
Total: 17.5/20
207 River Valley Road,
#01-57, UE Square
Singapore 238275

Pre-Christmas...

2006-12-17T02:25:00.000+08:00

Just came back after having a blast at a Single’s Party (read: Oh yes, I am single and ready to date). Nice music and great people, along with fantastic food. Strangely enough, it was Tony that I was really interested to talk to (read: I am not gay!!!) when I found out that he’s attending a culinary course at the Academy at-sunrise over at Fort Canning and I was really interested to find out more from him (btw, his rice paper roll was wonderfully delicious). I am seriously contemplating to take up a culinary course just to fulfil my childhood dream – food business!!! And I am happy to discover that there are other alternatives besides Shatec that people like me, can turn to, to master the art of culinary.

On a separate note, I was unpacking my stuff from the boxes after the paint job and I realised I still need 2 more types of Absolut Vodka to complete my set. Anyone has any idea how I can get hold of Absolut Peppar or the Absolut Vodka Red (Read: 50% alc/vol)? It would definitely act as a wonderful Christmas Gift this year!

Cheap, Good & Near

2006-12-13T00:31:00.000+08:00

It was said in

Singapore

, good seafood is never cheap, and cheap seafood is never good. However, I reckon that my family had struck a jackpot in locating one place which offers affordable seafood. What’s more, it’s just a 15 minutes car-ride from my place. Even though it was a weekday and it rained in the evening, it didn’t deter many tables away from the coffee shop. The first dish that arrived that night was the Bee Hoon Goreng. The reason for choosing Bee Hoon as opposed to the more famous cousin, Mee is - it is less filling.

Although slightly more wet as compared to that of the Malay or Indian style, the flavour of the tomato ketchup was captured nicely in the cooking and a squeeze of the lime simply enhances the taste of the food even more. The Fried Dou Miao with Garlic was fresh and cooked just nicely, although it was nothing to rave about.

Though the Seafood Hor Fun was pretty brilliant. The Flat Rice Noodles was thick and fried evenly, with a touch of ‘Wok Hei’, or burnt taste in it. Not forgetting that the ingredients were plentiful. Gravy also wasn’t too starchy as well.

The only disappointment that night was the Fried La La (Clams) in Spicy Sauce.

The chef would always cooked the clams in boiling water before pouring the spicy sauce over the clams thus eliminates waiting time, but more often than not, as the water is not drained from the clams, the ‘water-taste’ is ever-present in the dish. Also, the gravy is not captured in the clams as it was poured over rather than frying it together. Thankfully, the last 3 dish of the night saved the day. The Steamed ‘Live’ Soon Hock was fresh and the meat was tender.

Just slightly under a kilogram, the meat wasn’t too tough and the Hong-Kong Style gravy was great to go with - both the fish and the rice. The Steamed ‘Live’ Frog Leg with Chicken Essence was up next, and again, it didn’t disappoint.

Meat was tender and juicy and the chicken essence blends well with the dish. Being a frog leg lover, my only complaint was that there wasn’t enough of that to go around. The finale was the Steamed ‘Live’ Flower Crabs. Personally, I prefer them than the meatier Sri Lanka ones.

Flower Crabs are so much sweeter and it’s also much easier to eat, and most of the time, you wouldn’t need a nut-cracker to enjoy the meat. Oh, and by the way, its December now, and it’s Crabbing Season in Perth. Oh…how I miss crabbing in Mandurah River, and enjoy the spoils of the Flower Crabs at the end of the day.

Rating

Food: 4/5
Service: 4/5
Ambience: 3/5
Price: 4.5/5
Total: 15.5/20
New Seafood Resturant
Corner of Hong San Terrace & Choa Chu Kang Ave 1

OUCH!!!

2006-12-05T22:53:00.000+08:00

A dinner outing with two University friends brought us to the former Marché at The Heeren Shops.

Rename to that of Vila’ge, it is said that the exact replicate, right down to the cow mascot that greets customers, is a direct competitor of Marché. From the famous Rosti to the Crepes & Waffles and Sausages, from the décor to the lighting, almost everything is an exact replica. The only difference is that they served both light and dark Erdinger which I had a pint of it.

So I being the adventurous foodie decide to try something I thought I never seen before and that is the Seafood Baked Rice. Although it came with mussels and scallops, it wasn’t fantastic.

The lacked of a layer of cheese on top of the baked rice (as compared to those found in Swenson) resulted in Western Styled Clay-pot rice. The grain were dry and crunchy, and the lacked of cheese and cream simply makes the dish plain. And beware, the hot plate is a hazard – it scarred my hand and left an EXCLAIMATION MARK on it.

Talk about OUCH!!!!!!

Rating

Food: 3/5
Service: 3.5/5
Ambience: 4/5
Price: 2.5/5
Total: 13/20
260 Orchard Road
#B1-01 The Heeren
Singapore 238855

Work like a Slave.. Live like a King

2006-11-28T01:23:00.000+08:00

Sorry for the lacked of updates yet again. For some of you, you might already know that I am currently in Phuket managing a conference. For the rest, hang in for another week and I will be back with more fantastic food reviews. Meanwhile, while working hard like a slave, I will be living luxuriously like a King in a USD$245/night hotel room at the JW Marriott @ Phuket Resort & Spa at Mai Khao Beach, Phuket.

Resting place before the Bell Counter

Lobby & Registration Area

Check in!!!

Check out the toilet...you can even open up the shutters for an "Open" Concept

Lazy Corner within the room

Lotus Pond... where the welcome reception will be held

Lotus Pond... from another angle

Pool area... in front of Lotus Pond facing the sea

Reflection Pond...overlooking the Lotus Pond

Reflection Pond...such tranquility!

Performance at the Reflection Pond

The Main and the Supporting

2006-11-19T22:55:00.000+08:00

It is often said a great movie is often due to its main lead, and how often the supporting cast is often neglected. However, in a particular kopitiam tucked at the corner near Kallang MRT Station, both the main lead and supporting cast gained from the wonderful partnership.

At Jalan Sultan Prawn Mee off Geylang Lor 1, every Sunday afternoon is a battleground in the kopitiam. Finding a table for 4 is at least a 10-15 mins affair, and waiting for the noodles to appear on your table is at least another good 45 mins.

So being a smart foodie like any other Singaporeans, I suggested ordering a plate of Wu Xiang, the only other stall in the kopitiam, while waiting for the noodles to come. But since everyone else thought about it, the Wu Xiang took as long to arrive as the noodles.

In fact, my serving of Wu Xiang came after we were midway through with our noodles. The Noodles despite the long wait was however worth it. My bowl of Prawn Beehoon & Mee Soup with Pork Ribs, along with the generous serving of fried lard and chilli powder was a perfect combination.

The usage of the thicken version of Bee Hoon (Author’s note: NOT Chor Bee Hoon) was also a brilliant move, as the normal thinner ones tend to suck the soup dry, considering there wasn’t much to start of with.

Rating

Food: 4.5/5 (One of the best prawn noodles I have tried)
Service: 2/5 (The wait was long and tables are often not cleaned)
Ambience: 2.5/5 (Hot, and tables too close for comfort)
Price: 3.5/5
Total: 12.5/20
No. 2 Jalan Ayer
(off Geylang Lorong 1)

Hawkers' Galore

2006-11-12T18:32:00.000+08:00

________________________________________________

Small Talk: Congrats to Des on her winning in 98.7FM DJ control contest!!!

________________________________________________

To all my avid readers, sorry for the lacked of updates recently, due to the sheer amount of work from the upcoming events I am dealing with. So in order to reward you guys for your unwavering support, I have decided to do multiple write-ups on the recent hawkers’ galore I have tasted. Right before I started on my new job, I headed back to Maxwell Food Centre for the famous Zhen Zhen Porridge for breakfast before an interview. Usually long queue will be formed during lunchtime; therefore I was not surprised to see that the queue was already forming at 9am for breakfast as well.

The value of this Cantonese congee stall is that the workers are not stingy with their condiments in their food. More so, the amount of chicken pieces I get from the chicken congee was bounteous.

The Yu Sheng, or raw fish (Chinese Style Sashimi) was also fresh and plentiful for a $2 portion.

Mixed well with the generous helping of sesame, spring onion, ginger, garlic, and a drizzle of lime juice, you have the perfect supplement for your congee.

Rating

Food: 4/5
Service: 2.5/5
Ambience: 2.5/5
Price: 4/5
Total: 13/20
Maxwell Centre #01-54

____________________________________________________________

Another interview the following week took me to Tekka Market for lunch.

This time round, I spotted another long queue forming at the first stall – Heng Gi Roasted Goose and Duck Rice. Without any hesitation, I spent the next 20 minutes queuing for my roast duck drumstick with rice.

Distinctively, the rice is served in a bowl instead of plate. Although some will complain that the duck is roasted for too long, and thus too salty, and the gravy too oily, I find that the meat does goes well with my rice, and the meat was luscious and full of flavour.

And if you happen to be one of those who love roasted duck wings, they are sold at $2 each and get sold out real quickly (I know because the lady in front of me bought 20 portions for takeaway).

Rating

Food: 4/5
Service: 3/5
Ambience: 2.5/5
Price: 3.5/5
Total: 13/20
Block 665 Buffalo Road
#01-406 Tekka Food Centre

____________________________________________________________

The last location was a Sunday lunch, and I was brought to the temporary site of “Old Kallang Airport Food Centre”. And whenever I am there, a stall I would certainly not miss would be that of Nam Sing Fried Hokkien Mee.

The stall can be easily spotted as the elder brother who is the chef wears a protective goggle to fry his noodles.

The difference in his fried hokkien mee is that he uses normal rice vermicelli (Bee Hoon) instead of the usual thick ones (Chor Bee Hoon) used by many. I notice that these bee hoon are not soaked for too long and thus when fried along with the yellow noodles, it doesn’t break easily and the gives it a ‘springy’ texture.

Also, with a hint of ‘Wok Hei’ before the stock of prawn head is added, the hokkien mee is simply aromatic and delicious. The generous serving of squids and prawns also make the 30 minutes waiting time seemed insignificant. The stall also stood by it’s principle of not serving sambal chilli to their customers and only cut chilli is dished out.

Rating
Food: 5/5
Service: 3/5
Ambience: 3/5
Price: 4.5/5
Total: 15.5/20
Old Kallang Airport Food Centre

____________________________________________________________

So while waiting for the hokkien mee to arrive, I was quick to spot that another long queue forming outside Sin Bee Hiong Hokkien Lor Mee.

Due to the easier preparation of the dish, I was able to get my Lor Mee within 10 minutes. However, had I been any slower in my decision to sample that stall, I would have missed it, as I was their last customer of the day – to the disappointment of many behind me.

The good thing about being the last customer is the liberal serving of the Deep Fried Fish Meat at $4. With a hint of black vinegar in the gravy, the noodle is simply excellent. The gravy is not too thick and starchy compared to many others, but yet it still manages to retain the strong flavour.

Rating

Food: 4/5
Service: 4/5
Ambience: 3/5
Price: 3.5/5
Total: 14.5/20
Old Kallang Airport Food Centre

What's the Opposite of Beauty II?

2006-11-09T22:23:00.000+08:00

Continuing on the journey along Cheong Chin Nam Road, I chanced upon a gem tucked beside 7-Eleven. I never knew about this gem until I heard about it from my Malaysian friends in Perth. This gem is Kuching Kolo Mee.

You will never know the difference between our local Mee Kia and the Sarawak Kolo Mee until you tried it yourself. Ubiquitous in Sarawak, the mee is curlier, firmer, crunchier, and also lighter. What’s more, besides the Char Siew and Veggies toss in it, the Mince Pork Topping is aromatic and delicious. Now, at our very doorstep, Jia Xiang Sarawak Kuching Kolo Mee presents you this opportunity for you to sample it.

Fried with shallots, the minced pork is miles ahead as compared to the normal cooked mince pork we get from our local noodle stalls. However, despite the high marks scored on the noodles, the wanton soup that I ordered was a huge disappointment.

The soup itself was plain and could probably make do with more pork or chicken bones and ikan bilis in it to bring out the taste. The wanton was also full of skin and lacked meat it in. I was quite sure my own wantons I made in Perth was much better, and the soup much tastier.

Rating

Food: 4/5
Service: 3/5
Ambience: 3/5
Price: 3.5/5
Total: 13.5/20
Cheong Chin Nam Road

What's the Opposite of Beauty?

2006-11-04T21:11:00.000+08:00

People often associate the opposite of beauty as ugly. However to those staying in the Western side of Singapore, the opposite of Beauty World is often associated with the word ‘delicious’. I reckon since I was mentioning about the stretch of Cheong Chin Nam Road, let me continue on my quest to introduce you the other delicacies found along this row of shophouses. Somehow along this road, there is another strong association between a famous local delicacy and the franchise serving it. Think famous chicken rice, and immediately the favourite Boon Tong Kee comes to mind. Although along the same stretch, it faces a formidable foe - Five-Star Chicken Rice. (Known for their lean kampong chicken, which somehow I think the lack of oil makes their chicken less fragrant, and lacked of punch.)

However with Boon Tong Kee, you are ensured that their rice is aromatic and their chicken juicy. Apparently, similar to the cooking methods of another famous stall, Tian Tian Chicken Rice, in Maxell Food Centre, the whole steamed chicken is dipped in cold water before serving to make the meat tender. Other dishes I tried that evening were the Deep-Fried Tofu served with Mayonnaise and Fried Spinach with Century and Salted Egg.

I have to say the tofu is getting pretty normal and uninteresting compared to the very first time I ate at their River Valley outlet, but the spinach was pretty good.

The serving was huge and the century and salted egg was generous. The whole garlic used also gives the dish an extra punch, resulting in the each ingredient working harmoniously with one another. However, like what people always say, every good things comes with a heavy price to pay.

Rating

Food: 4/5
Service: 3/5
Ambience: 3/5
Price: 2.5/5
Total: 12.5/20
18 Cheong Chin Nam Road
Singapore 599742

Taiwan is Sinful

2006-10-29T19:53:00.000+08:00

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Small Talk: I did my 1st onsite event at Pulau Ubin for HSBC and NParks launch of the Volunteers' Hut! GOH was Grace Fu... Do informed me if you happen to read the articles on the papers!
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I am a Teochew, and I simply digged having porridge once in awhile. Just along the street of Cheong Chin Nam Road opposite beauty world, I happen to chance upon Prince Taiwanese Porridge. I have to say Taiwanese are a bunch of SINFUL people, but I simply love them. They actually served Marinated Raw Cockles to go with their porridge.

I am pretty sure all cockles lover will simply delight themselves in it as they are so sweet and juicy and it cost only $4!!!

Rating

Food: 4/5
Service: 3/5
Ambience: 3/5
Price: 2.5/5
Total: 12.5/20
9 Cheong Chin Nam,
(Off Upp Bt Timah Road)

A Fishy Affair

2006-10-25T21:50:00.000+08:00

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Small Talk: By the way, the photos were taken by my new Nokia N73, *grin*!
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A planned brunch on a lazy Tuesday morning at Holland Village was cancelled and a late lunch at Plaza Singapura with another friend was arranged last minute instead. Situated at the 6^th floor in the shopping centre, you will find The Manhattan Fish Market, a Franchise - American Style Seafood Restaurant, from the neighbours of the north.

The concept is similar to that of Fish & Co., which surprisingly, also opens their first outlet in Plaza Singapura. Both of us decided to top up an additional dollar on the set menu for the Seafood Chowder, as the soup of the day was Cream of Mushroom, ~~which soup of the day isn’t mushroom nowadays anyway~~ but was sorely disappointed by it.

The soup was blend and lacked punch, and the squid was pathetic in serving and tasted rubbery. Thankfully the bad start was redeemed by the starters that we shared – the Garlic Butter Mussels.

The poached mussels were juicy and the garlic butter sauce was simply delightful, especially when dipped with the slices of baguette that comes with this appetiser. Our main for the day was the Grilled Norwegian King Salmon Fillet with Garlic Butter Rice and once again, it did not disappoint us.

The fish was not too dry and it goes well with the rice. Also the salmon skin was grilled to crispy perfection, which I truly it. Overall, the garlic butter combination was the winner for the day and the total dent for the lunch was a cool 60 bucks for two.

Rating

Food: 3/5 (If not for the soup it would be a 4)
Service: 3.5/5
Ambience: 3.5/5
Price: 3.5/5
Total: 13.5/20
68 Orchard Road,
Plaza Singapura, #06-07

The Sweetest Things in Life

2006-10-21T17:25:00.001+08:00

"Our sweetest songs are those that tell of saddest thoughts.”

Indeed, the sweetest song that we often hear from the radio are that of love songs – but often then not, these so called love songs tells stories of unrequited love and many sadden stories.

Thankfully, my affair with sweet stuffs often gives me more joy than misery. I have a sweet tooth and I often crave for dessert whenever I finish a meal.

After a cup of Hong Kong Milk Tea at Xin Wang Hong Kong Café at Cineleisure, I was craving for a dessert - and the most appealing dessert was the luscious Mango Pudding staring right back at me from the menu. When the order came, the appearance of the mango pudding was however a HUGE disappointment. Nowhere was it close to the dazzling orangey yummy-looking mango pudding portrayed in the menu.

The waitress explained that the dessert came served with milk, which explains why the dessert was whitish in colour.

The dessert was passable (it was a bit filling with the milk), but I felt that they could have better depict the picture in the menu.

Service was also rather bad, as we have to wait to have our orders taken - despite the numerous crews in the café - as they rather chit-chat away at the side of the café.

Rating

Food: 3/5
Service: 2/5
Ambience: 3.5/5
Price: 2.5/5
Total: 11/20
8 Grange Road,
Cathay Cineplex Orchard, #02-11

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Another recent sweet affair I had, was a trip to Serene Centre after a lazy picnic at the nearby Botanic Gardens.

Island Creamery is an ice cream parlour that offers unique local flavours for both young and old – think Teh Tarik and Tiger Beer sorbet and not your typical boring chocolate or vanilla flavours. I tried the Pulut Hitam and I have to say that it kinda reminded me of the days in NS, where it was one of the favourite desserts among the field ration.

However, the texture of the ice-cream is a bit rough as compared to the ice cream from Venezia, at Guthrie House, Sixth Avenue.

Despite that, it is still a chic place for teenagers to hang out with, and it even encourage people to take photos, print out, and leave their wonderful memories behind, pasted on the wall. So who says all sweet stuffs leave you with a bad aftertaste?

Rating
Food: 3.5/5
Service: 4.5/5
Ambience: 4/5
Price: 3/5
Total: 15/20
10 Jalan Serene,
Serene Centre, #01-05

For the Privileged Only

2006-10-16T22:17:00.000+08:00

I love to cook and only the privileged will get to eat them. So are you one of them?

For the ignorant, the bee hoon was burned on purpose to give it a Wok Hei flavour!

Time and Tide Waits for No Men

2006-10-13T22:45:00.000+08:00

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Small Talk: Entries are labelled!!!
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Time and tide waits for no man, so my parents and I decided to head down to Chinatown Complex Market & Food Centre (Temporary) for a dinner one night. I took a quick walk around the food centre, and chanced upon a Minced Meat Noodle stall that used to be located at the market where I grew up, before it was demolished for re-development to make way for Merchant Court Hotel at Clark Quay. Being nostalgic, I ordered the $3 potion and I wasn’t disappointed – the ingredients were generous and it came with numerous pieces of crispy lard.

Mixed well with the black vinegar that is a MUST in all Teochew-styled noodles and sweet memories of my childhood came flashing back.

The queue itself is a testament to how tasty the noodles are, but a warning to all obsessive cleanliness individuals – the way he prepared the food is pretty unhygienic. More unhealthy fare came along the way and the next plate we sampled was the Char Kway Teow that used to be situated at another food centre, near my former residence, that was being ordered to be re-located.

It was another $3 portion that came with extra cockles, a shell-food that I simply find it irresistible – ~~in fact I find all shell-food irresistible!!!~~

With generous portion of prawns and Chinese sausages, the Kway Teow was fried near perfect – neither too wet nor too dry, but a pity that the Wok Hei, or charred flavour was missing from this dish. However, the charred flavour definitely make it’s presence felt from the last dish we ordered - Claypot Rice.

The charred base of the rice along with the dark soy sauce, chicken and more Chinese sausages is simply enticing, if not for the sore throat that was bugging me then, I would have no problem finishing up the whole pot.

No wonder the stall was smart enough to serve boiled soup like Watercress and Old Cucumber soup.

Rating
Food: 4.5/5
Service: 3/5
Ambience: 3/5
Price: 4.5/5
Total: 15/20
Outram Road,
Near Outram MRT

Bangkok II Day Three (II)

2006-10-10T22:17:00.000+08:00

Click here for Day One
Click here for Day Two
Click here for Day Two (II)
Click here for Day Two (III)
Click here for Day Three

After a long day walking around shopping centre and picking up cheap Adidas and Nike’s tee, we headed back to the hotel room, dropped our bits and pieces and headed straight for the skytrain once again. We alighted at the last stop of Hua Lamphong (Bangkok Railway Station) and decided to be adventurous and boarded the ubiquitous Tuk-Tuk to Yaowarat (Chinatown).

So named because of the sound of their engine, these are motorised rickshaws and are popular amongst tourists for their novelty value. Because of that reason, it’s essential to bargain the price with Tuk-Tuks before getting in or you would end up being ripped off. We headed for Nam Sing Restaurant straight away...

(YES!! It the place where I had my Gingko Nuts the 1^st time round) with the intention to burn holes in our pockets and started off the night with their famous Braised Shark’s Fin soup.

The soup was rich and flavourful, and the fin was soft yet chewy. The next dish that followed was the Fried Oyster Egg.

Unlike the one we tried in Suan Lum Night Bazaar, this one was more similar to those found in Singapore. It came with the flour that gave it the sticky and chewy goo that my friend simply loved! Next up was the Steamed Scallops with Garlic & Glass Noodles.

The aroma of the steamed garlic plus the freshness of the huge scallops was simply the perfect combination. The art of eating this dish is simply to gulp down the whole scallop into the mouth. Subsequently, the Prawns with Glass Noodles in Claypot was up.

The big prawns were juicy and the roe from the prawn’s head was sinfully great, but the glass noodles were abit too much for the both of us though and we didn't finish it. After a chat over some tea, we decided to unleash ourselves for the last item of the night – Bird’s Nest!!!

We ordered the 2 different types that were available, the red and the white. The former claims to help smoothen the throat and cleanse the lungs while the latter mainly helps the ladies who wish to have soft & youthful looking skin. Total damage for the trip – 3kg worth of fats……

Rating
Food: 4.5/5
Service: 4/5
Ambience: 3.5/5
Price: 4/5
Total: 16/20
39-47 Soi Texas,
Th Phadung Dao,
off Yaowarat Road,
Bangkok, Thailand

I Had Mine...What About You?

2006-10-06T21:56:00.000+08:00

Happy Mid-Autumn Festival Everyone!!! Still remember about the entry I wrote about mooncakes?

*Clasp my hands in glee* Over the weekend, I finally gotten my hands on the Hua Ting Green Tea snow-skin mini mooncake and had just finished the last piece of eight in the box.

The green-tea paste was flavoursome and not too sweet. Good combination of the crunchy melon seeds and salted egg yolk bring the mooncake to an astonishing achievement.

What about you? Where did your mooncake came from?

Bangkok II Day Three

2006-10-04T22:24:00.000+08:00

Click here for Day One
Click here for Day Two
Click here for Day Two (II)
Click here for Day Two (III)

After an eventful yesterday, we decided to head to the largest shopping mall in Bangkok – Siam Paragon – for lunch.

We headed straight for the basement and immediately came to realise how huge the shopping mall is. With tons of eatery, cafe and restaurants, it even features our very own Bread Talk.

However, as we have decided to splurge on our dinner that night, we decided to settle for something simple and headed for the Siam Paragon’s Food Hall instead.

The concept is basically a food court, but you would need to purchase a stored-value card (refundable on the day itself) for food. Since it was his 1^st visit in Thailand, my friend decided to sample the Pad Thai, or Thai-styled Fried Noodles.

While being an egg-lover, I decided to sample the crispy egg with rice – quite a disappointment as the egg lacked taste and it felt like I was eating cotton candy.

Being unsatisfied with my lunch, I decided to go for another walk around the place and chanced upon the Thai Spicy Noodles.

What captivated me was none other than the half boiled egg found in the noodle, as it kind of reminded me of the EGG I had in my ramen when I was in Hokkaido, Japan. Just when you thought we were done with our lunch, my friend pointed out that their McDonalds’ menu differ from those found in Singapore as they serve – PORK BURGER!!!

Since it wasn’t a big serving, I ordered one. It wasn’t incredible but at least it was something that you could never experience in Singapore.

Amidst these eateries, you can also find a supermarket which goes by the name of Gourmet Market and is what must be the largest supermarket in Thailand. It is said to be the size of a standard soccer field.

To be continued...

Bangkok II Day Two (III)

2006-10-03T21:15:00.000+08:00

SPOILER: For the First Time, I have Decided to Blog Nothing on Food!

Click here for Day One
Click here for Day Two
Click here for Day Two (II)

After pampering ourselves with a luxurious dinner, we headed back to our hotel. Those who know Asia Hotel will know that besides having the famous Thai retail store at the lobby, NaRaYa, that sells bag, they also have something naughty in store at the basement of the hotel - Calypso Cabaret.

My travel agent manages to get us the front row for the show and my friend manage to get an experience of a lifetime, Ha-Ha!!! For those who are really ignorant, these cabarets feature what the Thais known as “lady-boys”, or men who go under the knife to become woman – and you will be amaze by how lady these man are, that could certainly put some woman into shame!!!

Opening Act

Wedding?!?!

Hawaiian Setting... look how slim 'she' is

From the photo, you will come to realise how close they are to me

This character was the one who sat on my friend's lap... Ha-Ha!

3 Marilyn Monroe...and their up-skirts... Hee-Hee

Bangkok II Day Two (II)

2006-10-02T00:13:00.000+08:00

Click here for Day One
Click here for Day Two

After a short nap from the late lunch, we decided to try something more adventurous and lavish for our dinner. We took the sky-train and headed to Sukhumvit Soi 24 – Seafood Market and Restaurant – “IF IT SWIMS, WE HAVE IT”.

As we approach this brightly-lit restaurant, the first sight we notice was the dozens of chefs operating in the open kitchen concept, cooking energetically for the diners inside.

Once we stepped into the place, we could sense immediately that the dinner it is gonna cost us an arm and a limb. Ladies lined up at the side of the red carpet to greet us and briefed the “rules” in broken English on how the restaurant operates. Basically, you have to think of the venue as a supermarket where you buy your ingredients and then a restaurant where they cook your ingredients for you.

So before you pick your food, you have to start deciding your menu for the night. With a 50m long selection of fresh seafood to choose from, it is truly an orgasmic experience for all foodie and wannabe chefs.

We bought ½ dozen of fresh oysters, 2 king prawns, 1 squid and 1 crab, and we proceed to the fresh produce area for some veggies and mushrooms.

We then sat down on our table where I instructed them to have the oysters eaten fresh, the king prawns barbequed, the squid deep fried, the crab steamed, and the veggies to be fried with the mushrooms.

We waited eagerly as to how our dishes would turn out and the 1^st dish didn’t disappoint us. The oysters were big and fresh and left us craving for more.

But the rest of the dishes were quite disappointing, considering we paid premium dollars for it. The squid were rather tasteless if not for the lemon dip that came along with it.

As for the king prawns, it was steamed before it got barbequed as prawn head was watery and lacked the charred taste as compared to the one we paid 70 Baht for in Suan Lum Night Bazaar.

The crab and veggies was normal and nothing to brag about, though I have to add that service was excellent, considering that there were 3 waitresses hovering around our table.

Total damage for the night - a whopping 3000 Baht!!!

Rating
Food: 2.5/5
Service: 5/5
Ambience: 4/5
Price: 1.5/5 (Not for the faint hearted!!!)
Total: 13.5/20
89 Sukhumvit Soi 24 ,
Sukhumvit Rd,
Bangkok 10110, Thailand.

To be continued...

Bangkok II Day Two

2006-09-29T21:51:00.000+08:00

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Small Talk: I will lose my freedom to the corporate world once again come this monday... but at least I am being productive!!
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Click here for Day One

People often dished out advice to sample the Oyster Egg and Beef Noodles in Bangkok and I am glad we had the Beef Kway Teow Soup for supper the night before, at the roadside stalls, outside my hotel. By indicating to the street hawker I wanted EVERYTHING (beef balls, raw beef, braised beef, beef tendon and beef stomach) in my serving of noodles, all it cost was a mere 30 BAHT (or SGD$ 1.265 equivalent). My verdict – I am having supper every night in Bangkok!!!

Since it was a weekend on my 2^nd day of the trip, we headed to, where else but the infamous Chatuchak Market.

With good advice from my friends, we headed early via the sky-train in our singlet to avoid the heat of the weekend market. Our 1^st there was for breakfast – and I wolf down a bowl of Braised Beef Glass Noodles

and Cha Yen and for my friend, a bowl of Pork Trotter’s Noodle.

After a great round of bargain buys, we headed back to the hotel vicinity for a late lunch. As we were craving for rice, I suggested Siam House and the all too familiar fare I had on my last trip – the Olive Rice, Kang Kong, Tom Yum Goong, Fried Mussels Egg (as they do not have Oysters) and Deep Fried Sea Bass.

To be continued…

Bangkok II Day One

2006-09-27T23:40:00.000+08:00

For my 2^nd trip to Bangkok, I have decided to stay at Asia Hotel beside Ratchathewi Station for convenient sake. After check-in and all, my friend and I decided to head for a late lunch at the noodle stall I last visited when I was there on my 1^st trip.

Compared with my previous visit though, you would have noticed that this time round, the bowl of noodles comes with my favourite pig’s blood and cuttlefish. Since this trip is also purely an indulgence trip, our main focus was simply to sample all the good food of Bangkok and shopping. So right after our late lunch, we headed straight to Suan Lum Night Bazaar for more food,

and our 1^st target was the Oyster Omelette.

This was followed the deep fried pork,

and other usual stuff like the grilled squid and deep fried chicken, but special mentioned goes to the grilled fresh water prawns that I didn't get to try on my last trip.

The prawns were huge and juicy, but the unsurpassed component was the high cholesterol roe from the prawn head… it simply leave u speechless! Paired that with cheap local beer and you have the perfect setting to wrap up the night.

I am back!!

2006-09-27T01:11:00.000+08:00

Will update on my 2nd Bangkok trip real soon... stay tuned!

Mooncake Festival

2006-09-18T23:35:00.000+08:00

The Mooncake Festival, also known as Mid-Autumn Festival, falls on the 15th day of the eighth lunar month which is 6^th Oct this year.

And to celebrate this festive season with the gluttonous Singaporeans, Ngee Ann City has organised a Takashimaya Mid-Autumn Festival held in Takashimaya Square from 10am to 9.30pm daily, where the most exquisite treats of delicious premium mooncakes awaits you. From demonstration on the making of snow skin mooncakes,

to the alluring twelve animals of Chinese Zodiac crafted by the chefs,

to the cute mooncakes shaped as piggies for the kids, the whole Square is buzzing with activities.

Besides the normal mooncakes, you will also have the chance to see the old-school traditional ones that are deep fried, giving it a flaky skin.

Interestingly, one thing I realise nowadays is, there are many weird fillings for mooncakes, including rum and raisin, cheese, yum, and even one stall selling snow skin mooncakes with Baileys fillings.

Besides the green tea filling which I truly love (Check out the ones from Orchard Hotel – Hua Ting!!!),

the other flavour I was checking out was the durian flavoured mooncakes by Goodwood Park Hotel – it was however disappointing and not as great as their famous Durian Puffs

– nonetheless head over to the stall of “Four Seasons Durian” and you would be overwhelmed that the filling they used for their durian mooncake is PURE D24 Durian flesh!!!

Last Days Part 3

2006-09-14T22:12:00.000+08:00

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Small Talk: Yesh!...finally had 2 Job Interviews scheduled for Tomorrow & Tuesday
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Click here for Part 1
Click here for Part 2

Over at the end of Tras Street lies Murray Terrace, and at the 2^nd unit, of a stretch full of food galore lays Mitzis Cantonese Restaurant.

A favourite lunch and dinner venue for my ex-boss, the name itself suggest that it serves Authentic Traditional Cantonese cuisine. My ex-boss likes it so much that we once have back-back meals for 2 days straight, (although I am not complaining since she paid for most of the meals there). On my last trip there for lunch, we had the usual fare of Kai Lan fried with Garlic, as well as the Bittergourd Fried with Beef Slices in Bean Paste – an all time favourite with my boss ~~and of course mine~~!!!

The vegetables served are always so fresh and we even had a 2^nd helping of the Kai Lan once in our previous visit. The Bittergourd though was abit below par this time round as I felt the Beef and Bittergourd was too cooked.

Also, I dislike the beef being tenderised in my dishes as it leaves an artificial taste – I would rather do without it, giving it a rough tough texture yet soft from the medium rare state. Another disappointing dish was the Deep Fried Prawn Paste Chicken.

The flavouring was too sweet and overpowering, and the meat too dry for fancy. The next dish was therefore a delight as the Fish Head steamed with Bean Paste was fresh and the gravy an ideal for white rice to go with.

There was also plenty of fish meat to go around a table of 6, dispelling the belief that fish head are all bones and no flesh. Surprisingly, we rounded off the lunch with a more Teochew than Cantonese sinful dessert (due to the excessive usage of oil in frying the taro) also known as Oh Nee or Taro (Yam) Paste Pudding.

Although it lacked the gingko nuts, the dessert was still acceptable although abit oilier and sweeter would have been ideal. Other dishes that I would recommend but didn’t tried that day are the Steam Soon Hock Fish in Cantonese style and the Steam Chicken with Chinese Bacon.

Rating
Food: 4.5/5
Service: 4/5
Ambience: 3.5/5
Price: 3.5/5
Total: 15.5/20 (Warning: Can be crowded during weekends)
24-26 Murray Terrace

Last Days Part 2

2006-09-07T23:48:00.000+08:00

Click here for Part 1

Besides my favourite Laksa for breakfast, another favourite breakfast spot would be Mustajab Restaurant situated next to the 7-11 store along Tras Street.

Besides the usual Mee Goreng takeaway for breakfast, you can also try the Mee Siam. What's more the $1.50 Nasi Lemak, which comes with ikan bilis and fish, is also a hearty breakfast especially if you choose to add the $1 fried omelette to go with it.

However my all time favourite is still the Mee Soto with its hot steaming soup, shredded chicken and the fried potato ball to go along with the yellow mee...... Sedup!!!

Rating

Food: 4/5
Service: 3.5/5
Ambience: 3/5
Price: 3.5/5
Total: 14/20
67 Tras Street

Last Days Part 1

2006-09-06T23:15:00.001+08:00

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Small Talk: Exercising has it gains and of course its pains... sprained left ankle and twisted right knee... and visits to the chinese sinseh
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People always say experiences and memories during the last days is always the most vivid, impactful and unforgettable - Be it the last place you have dated with you Ex-girlfriend, or the last gift or advice you received from your dying relative. And thus I will be sharing with you my memories in my last days at Tras Street in my upcoming few entries.

Tucked just a few shophouses away at 57 Tras Street lays Gourmet Haven.

An eatery furnish with simple decor of a few chairs and tables, it is often missed and ignored by many walking by as the facial and frontage of the eatery lacks publicity and signage.

Gourmet Haven offers limited western set lunches to its customers, and I ordered the pork chop rice in black pepper sauce (even though I swear they mixed it with barbeque sauce), as well as the fried chicken drumlets to share with my colleagues.

We waited for a good 15-20 minutes before our lunches came, but thankfully the pork chop was pretty good and the set comes with egg and salad. However I find the sauce abit too salty and serving of the pork chop pretty stingy. The drumlets were also disappointing as it was served over-burnt and each bite comes with the bitter taste. I presume either they have forgotten about the chicken wings left in the deep fryer, or they have chosen to keep re-using the oil. The only good thing that comes from this visit is that they happen to serve cha yen.

Rating

Food: 3/5
Service: 3/5
Ambience: 3/5
Price: 3/5
Total: 12/20
57 Tras Street

Glimpse of a Tai Tai's Lifestyle 2

2006-08-31T22:44:00.000+08:00

Click here for Part 1

From one place to another, the Tai Tai boss decided to host our VIP delegates in another country club by the name of Tanglin Club – and thus another chance to catch a glimpse of the Tai Tai lifestyle. Standing right outside the Churchill Room, one can immediately sense the difference with a caricature of Sir Winston Churchill staring right at you.

Stepped right pass the door and immediately the grandeur of the dinning area engulf you.

Although the buffet I had was nothing to boast about, the fact that my boss had the whole place booked for the VIPs just simply astound me.

However, as much as I begin to slowly understand her lifestyle, our work attitude is simply diverse and thus, this will probably be the last time I am able to catch a peek again. Farewell!

Rating

Food: 3/5
Service: 2.5/5
Ambience: 4.5/5
Price: 4.5/5 (Membership Price)
Total: 14.5/20
5 Stevens Road,
Singapore 257814

Would You Mind Leaving Me Alone?

2006-08-30T23:17:00.000+08:00

Some people may call it boring, but the fact is I love to go back to familiar place to eat familiar food which I personally think is delicious and worth the trouble. Just like how I have emphasised before that I frequent Crystal Jade Kitchen for their wanton noodle soup; I delight myself in going to NYDC or Coffee Club for a dessert after my meal whenever I am at Holland Village for – what else but their mudpies! To me, it’s a tough call as to which of the two is better – to each its own, like they always say. In terms of serving size alone, Coffee Club Muddy Mudpie is definitely value for money.

Also the mudpie is usually served with a generous portion of dark chocolate powder on top. However, in terms of overall taste, I felt that the small but delicious NYDC Cookie Monster Mudpie is easier to the jaws as it is softer and smoother in terms of the texture of the mudpie.

Besides, if you aren’t in for the mudpie, NYDC also has a larger range of food selection for the greedy mouths.

A nice recommendation is the Baked Potato Skin topped with the sinful Cream & Bacon Bits. Also a must for me is the Lemon Shiver drink that I always go along with my mudpie (which unfortunately is a nono for me now due to my throat condition).

Both joints usually comes with pretty good service except that, recently, I found Coffee Club’s staff a bit too friendly for my liking – I value Coffee Club’s quiet ambience such that I can spend quality time with my friends there – but the over-enthusiast staff kept peppered our conversation with “Would you like me to clear your plates, sir?” or “Excuse me, may I topped up your water for you,sir” till I wanted to tell them “Excuse me, would you mind leaving me alone please?”.

Rating

Food: 3.5/5
Service: 3/5
Ambience: 4/5
Price: 3/5
Total: 13.5/20
Coffee Club
48A Lorong Mambong

Rating

Food: 4/5
Service: 3.5/5
Ambience: 3/5
Price: 3/5
Total: 13.5/20
NYDC
30 Lorong Mambong

You Gain Some, You Lose Some

2006-08-27T23:14:00.000+08:00

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Small Talk: I have been making use of the ADIDAS gym bag and my NIKE workout towel!!! Feels good to be exercising...hopefully i will lose weight soon... so that i can eat more...whahaha!!!
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In life you win some, you lose some. This year in particularly, I lose something really cherished to me, almost irreplaceable, but despite that, I gain in other ways. I found myself a job, I make a few good friends along the way, and I tried a great deal amount of food, which I never had the chance to sample before. For my birthday this year, I had the opportunity to sample two of such places which I had always wanted to visit. Tucked at the corner along Bukit Timah Road, before 6^th Avenue, is Corduroy & Finch.

Although it’s chic décor and cosmopolitan furnish gave one the perfect ambience to dine in, I personally felt that the food we had that night didn’t quite live up to the reputation it has been generating.

The complimentary appetiser that were served was rather tasty but cold,

the mushroom linguine I had was delicious but too cheesy,

my friend’s serving of chicken breast sandwich was pretty modest, in terms of the serving in the meat, but the chicken breast for main that my other friend had was rather tender though I must say.

We topped off that night with my slice of birthday cake – a cheese cake from Marriot Hotel.

Rating
Food: 2.5/5
Service: 3.5/5
Ambience: 4/5
Price: 3/5
Total: 13/20
779 Bukit Timah Road
Singapore 269758

The second place that I have been eyeing ever since I spotted it was another chic Japanese restaurant at Wheelock Place called Sun with Moon Dining & Café.

Since the friend I was with, used to work there as temp, I took the liberty to ask my friend to introduce some specialty dishes, and my friend sure didn’t disappoint me. First up was the Kani Tamago Toji, or Crab meat & Spinach, Egg Hot Plate.

I am a sucker for hot steaming dishes, and this dish was excellent not only in terms of taste, but also the strong flavour of the crab, which I suspect is the legs of the famous Hokkaido Crab. Next up is also another excellent dish of Salmon and Avocado Sushi, topped with Salmon Roe.

Salmon and Avocado is really a great combination and the Roe of the salmon give it a nice salty twist at the end. We have the Yakiniku Kamameshi next, or Fried Beef Slices with Raw Egg on rice. A dish that the place is famous for.

This dish is pretty intriguing as it is served with an hourglass to act as a timer for the seasoning to seep through the rice.

Maybe we left it too long, but the rice was too starchy for my liking, although the beef slices were a nice complement to the rice. The last main we had was the Tontoru Yaki, or the Grilled Pork Cheek Slices with Black Pepper.

Although one of the toughest portion of the pig, this meat dish served was not tough at all. With its meat grilled to perfection, squeezed some lemon, and you will have the same verdict as me on this dish – EXCELLENT!!! To round up the night, we had the tofu cheesecake, served in a mini birdcage with a folded bird that comes along with it.

The cake is smooth and not so sweet, just perfect for my liking, however I was told a cake in whole, to takeaway cost a cool 80 bucks.

Rating
Food: 4.5/5
Service: 4.5/5
Ambience: 4/5
Price: 3/5
Total: 16/20
501 Orchard Road
#03-15 Wheelock Place