Cuisine Paradise | Eat, Shop And Travel

Crystal Jade Chinese New Year Specialties 2012

2012-01-16T12:06:00.000+08:00

Chinese New Year is around the corner and I am sure everyone is busying with sending auspicious gifts and hampers to business partners, relatives, friends and etc. And last week while at the mist of our spring cleaning, I received a big surprised from Crystal Jade. I was quite shock when the deliveryman hand over a big bag to me as I was not inform before hand on this "surprised".

At first I thought the big box might be "Yu Sheng - 鱼生" since the packaging is more or less quite similar but after removing the cover we are all excited about the assorted flavour of the steamed cakes inside the "Eternal Bliss Gift Set". As you can see above, isn't it look gorgeous as a gift set for Chinese New Year!

Inside the bag there is also this Fortune Bo Lo Pineapple Tart - 旺上旺菠箩黄梨挞 that comes in a floral design rectangle box with 2 individual sealed packets contain 8 tarts each. To be honest this is our first time trying Bo Lo Pineapple Tarts which is a signature pastry from Crystal Jade My Bread that comes with a combination inspired from the famous Hong Kong "Bo Lo Bao(菠蘿包)". Each bite you would be surprised by it's hint of sweet crispy crust on top which follows by generous amount of tasty pineapple jam fillings. Indeed our family finds it very special compared to the usual buttery taste pineapple tarts that we used to eat.

This Fortune Bo Lo Pineapple Tarts comes is 4 different packaging ranging from S$14.80 - S$30.80. The twin packet shown above is known as "Double Happiness Pack" priced at S$16.80. (more details HERE)

If you still can't decide on what to get during Chinese New Year gathering for your Potluck dishes or tea-snack to impressive your guest especially the elderly. I suggest you could consider getting this Eternal Bliss Gift Set - 五福临门(S$37.80). This set consists of both sweet(water chestnut cake, pandan aloe vera cake, glutinous rice cake) and savoury cake (carrot cake, yam cake) which represent auspicious meaning during Chinese New Year.

And if you ever tried their Dim Sum served at Crystal Jade Kitchen, I am sure you would love these delicious carrot/yam cake which is so soft, flavorsome and made with generous amount of ingredients.

Other than pastries and cakes from Crystal Jade My Bread, there are other Chinese New Year proudcts such as "Peng Cai - 盆菜", "Yu Sheng - 鱼生", "Pagoda of Eight Treasures - 开运八宝塔", "Buddha Jumps over the Wall - 佛跳墙" and etc which is available at different Crystal Jade outlet. (Detail HERE)

Above shows the "Golden Abalone Treasure Pot - 金装鲍鱼盆菜" at a promotion price of S$408.80(10 pax) or S$248.80(6 pax) available from now till 06 Feb 2012.

Glutinous Rice is another auspicious dish to have during Chinese New Year and this year Crystal Jade has come out with this NEW "Pagoda of Eight Treasures - 开运八宝塔" for S$88.80. There are 8 "treasures" arranged neatly on bamboo basket such as:- Fried Glutinous Rice, Preserved Sausage, Preserved Liver Sausage, Deep-fried Chicken Fillet, Fried Quail Egg, Marinated Octopus, Sauteed French Bean and Sauteed Shrimp with Mushroom.

All the Chinese New Year goodies are available for Promotion Price from 05 Jan - 22 January, 25 Jan - 06 February at selected Crystal Jade Outlets. More details and full promotion booklet can be found HERE.

Lastly I would like to thanks Crystal Jade and Linea Communications for the Fortune Bo Lo Pineapple Tarts and Eternal Bliss Gift Set.

Usher In the Lunar New Year with PrimaDeli

2012-01-11T17:05:00.000+08:00

This year we excited to be able to try out different types of Pineapple Tarts/Cakes from well-known bakeries in Singapore and Taiwan(read more HERE). Despite of their origin each product has it's own unique taste and packaging which are eye catching for consumers.

Here we have PrimaDeli which is a Singapore’s first home-grown bakery franchise and the longest-running Singapore food franchise since it was launched in 1992. They have many bakery outlets located in major business, shopping and residential areas serving a wide range of top quality pastries, buns, breads and cakes.

Fortune Pineapple Tarts are specially shaped like a pineapple to symbolise prosperity and good luck which you could purchase as gift sets or add on accessories for Chinese New Year decorations. These "Fortune Pineapples" are individually wrapped to retain its freshness before packed in auspicious gorgeous red organza bag priced at S$1.60 each.

And after consuming you could still recycle the organza bag by filling it with some dried scented flowers to act as decorative item or air refresher in the toilet or car.

Since Pineapple Tarts are the most auspicious gift due to it's name ("Ong Lai - 旺来" which mean luck come) and taste which is well received by most of the people. So for a more presentable gift set perhaps you could consider either this Divine Pineapple Tarts at S$14.80 per tin(16 pieces) or Pillow Pineapple Tarts with the same price.

Personally I preferred their Divine Pineapple Tart which has a melt in mouth buttery pastry plus generous amount of their sweet and sour pineapple fillings which are just to hard to resists from popping them one by one. And other than these pineapple tarts, PrimaDeli also have others Chinese New Year goodies available at their outlets which you could take a look at their on-line leaflet HERE.

Ya Kun Handmade Kaya Cookies

2012-01-10T23:22:00.000+08:00

Ya Kun Kaya Toast(亚坤) is a well-known "kopitiam" style kind of chain cafes established island wide in Singapore and varies part of Asia such as Indonesia, Taiwan, South Korea, Japan and Philippines. And as the name suggests, Ya Kun sells kaya toast, bottled kaya, soft boiled eggs, local Singapore-style coffee/tea plus some other varieties of toasts and beverages too.

If you are regular customers who often patrons Ya Kun I am sure you would have notice their lovely "heart shaped" Kaya cookies which is available in most of their outlet selling at S$2.50/pack (80g each).

Ya Kun Handmade Kaya cookies are the new addition to the Ya Kun merchandise line where each cookie is made using Ya Kun’s authentic specially formulated kaya. And for your information both their Kaya and cookies recipes does not contain any preservatives, artificial coloring and artificial flavoring.

We love their Kaya Butter Cookies with is soft, buttery and munching with hint of kaya fragrance which makes it unique and great for tea time among family and friends.

This new year, Ya Kun has its Chinese New Year edition to encourage family sharing time and bonding over a heartwarming tin of their kaya cookies. Each tin is priced at S$16.80 (about 45 cookies per tin) or you could get 2 tins for S$30.20 at most of their selected outlets.

Although there are 3 different flavours (kaya, cereal and pistachio) of the kaya cookies available from their usual 80g packs which are selling at most of their outlets. But the Chinese New Year version is only available Kaya Butter or Kaya Pistachio flavours.

For our family who prefer butter cookies over nuts, we tends to prefer the above more than this Kaya Pistachio Cookies. But as you could see if you are loves, especially Pistachio which is well-liked by most of the people during Chinese New Year due to it's name in Mandarin - "开心果 - Pistachio Nuts"(translate as Happy Nuts). For this pistachio version, you could taste more on the nutty flavour rather than buttery taste and it tends to be a little bit harder when bite compared the Kaya Butter Cookies above.

In addition, with minimum spending of S$8.00 in a single receipt, customers will be entitled to a limited edition of their exclusively designed Ang Pow(red packets) set (10 pieces).

Lastly I would like to thank Grace from Ya Kun Kaya Toast for these wonderful Chinese New Year Kaya Cookies. For more latest connection on Ya Kun products and promotions you could also follow them on their facebook page HERE.

Chinese New Year Market @ Chinatown, Singapore

2012-01-09T12:59:00.000+08:00

Every year in Singapore, the Chinese New Year celebration kicks off with Street Light-up, festive bazaar stalls, street performances and etc. And these activities usually takes place in the Key streets in Chinatown such as Eu Tong Sen Street, New Bridge Road, South Bridge Road, and Garden Bridge.

This Luna New Year would be the year of the Water Dragon and there would be with traditional Chinese lanterns and colorful street lights together with street performers and acrobats like lion dancers to buzz up the lanes in Chinatown.

Make your New Year wishes come true at the Chinatown Wishing Tree this Spring Festival! You can try your hand at tossing a mandarin orange wishing charm onto a lucky banyan tree at Chinatown.

The Lunar New Year bazaar stalls occupied the lanes from the Pagoda Street, Smith Street, Sago Street, Temple Street and Trengganu Street within Chinatown. Below are some of the photos showing the auspicious New Year goodies and the bazaar stalls at Chinatown.

Pussy willow or also known as Ying Liu has fluffy white blossoms which resemble silk with the color of green jade. And majority of the Chinese enjoy such signs of growth which represent the coming of prosperity.

Cakes such as "Sticky Rice Cake - 年糕" which symbolizes a rich, sweet life plus "Pomelo - 柚子" in mandarin word "柚子" sounds like the word for "to have" and "Red Radish" symbolizes auspicious beginning and etc.

All sorts of sweets, puddings, jellies, peanuts, preserved persimmons and etc which is must to purchase during New Year.

Stalls selling waxed meat products such as sausages, waxed meat, waxed duck and etc which most of the household used it to braised delicious dishes during Chinese New Year gatherings.

All sort of Chinese auspicious handicrafts, red packets and customary New Year decorations along the bazaars area.

In conjunction with the 2012 celebrations, the festive Bazaar runs from December 31 2011, opening from 6pm to 10:30pm daily till January 22 2012.(some stalls starts around NOON time during weekends too) And during Chinese New Year Eve, the Bazaar would extends its operating hours to 1.00am.

To avoid heavy traffic around the Chinatown area, you could take public transport as such the MRT and alight at Chinatown station.

KOHII - A Japanese Style Café in CBD Area

2012-01-07T22:54:00.000+08:00

Located in Central Business District(CBD) which is less than 10 minutes walk from Raffles Place MRT, KOHII is a newly open Japanese cafe which serve busy executives, families and passer-by who is out looking for fresh and healthy meals other than those usual eateries available around Shento Way area.

At KOHII it offers a modern style Tokyo cafe and sandwich bar concept that is specialising in high quality coffees from imported from Japan as well as handmade sandwiches and soup to start of a healthy meal for the day.

While flipping through the menu, KOHII has a wide selections of beverages ranging from hot to cold drinks such as premium coffee from Japan, Tea, Soda, Smoothie and etc. Above show two of it's signature smoothies which named after the cafe owner's daughters; Ichigo Nana(front, S$6.30 each) which is a mixture of fresh strawberries with banana whereas Mango Momo(back, S$6.30 each) is a refreshing combination of Mango and Peach blended.

Compared the two smoothies that we had that day, ShiTing(author of Lobsterpaints) and me preferred Mango Momo more than Ichigo Nana as it has a very light and refreshing after taste fragrant which makes you crave for more.

KOHII has two types of home-made soup such as Pumpkin (S$7.50 per bowl) and Mixed Mushrooms (S$9.80 per bowl). Each order of soup is served with some freshly toasted bread and ours for that day is their Premium Mixed Mushrooms Soup which is popular among the ladies.

Indeed I was caught off with the taste of their soup which is quite different from the usual mushroom soup that I used to have. Kohii's mushroom soup which used 5 different types of mushrooms has a unique homecook taste which is light and flavorsome compared to those thick and creamy western mushroom soup. No wonder we saw most of the customers ordered mushrooms soup during our visit to the cafe last week.

The salad and sandwich bar where the customers could see how the food are prepared before being served or take-away.

Out of the 10 different fillings used for their Sandwich, we tried the Teriyaki Chicken Breast and Marinated Mushrooms. We love the Marinated Mushrooms which is something special and definitely worth trying. Each bite into the sandwich you could taste the assorted mushrooms bursting into flavour in your mouth together with the accompany vegetables and wholesome bun. And according to the serving staffs at the bar counter all their mushrooms used are imported from Japan and customer can also choose either plain or oatmeal bread for the sandwich too.

Teriyaki Chicken on the hand was a bit on the tough side perhaps due to the used of chicken breast meat but overall the marinated sauce and flavour of the chicken blends well with the sandwich.

As for Salad, Kohii has 6 different types of choices such as Plain(S$5.80), Teriyaki Chicken(S$8.50), Japanese Curry Chicken(S$8.50), Pesto Chicken(S$8.50), Assorted Mixed Mushrooms(S$9.80) and Assorted Seafood(S$10.50). Each is served with Kohii's homemade dressings (Soy Vinegrette, Goma and Miso) which would complement the light and fresh mix of salad greens.

For S$10.50 you would be able to enjoy a bowl of Assorted Seafood Salad which has very Fresh seafood that is air-flown from Japan. As you could see from the photo above, it consists of Alaska Snow Crab Meat, Octopus, Scallop and Prawn mixture together with Goma(Roasted Sesame Dressing) dressing.

And for those who wants some quick bite, KOHII also offer daily High Tea Specials from 2.00pm - 6.00pm @ S$7.90 nett. You could choose between, 1 sliced of cake/pie/muffin plus either coffee/tea to perk up your afternoon break or light dinner before heading for movie or meetup.

KOHII

1 Shenton Way
#01-06
Singapore 068803
Telephone: (65) 6509 9639
Website: Facebook Page

Operating Hours:
Mon - Fri: 8:30am - 8:30 pm;
Sat: 9:00am - 3:00pm

Closed on Sunday and PH

Pineapple Cakes from SunnyHills, Taiwan

2012-01-06T09:08:00.000+08:00

Other than Bak Kwa(BBQ Pork), the next popular item on Chinese New Year goodies list I am sure would be the "well-known" pineapple tarts/pineapple cakes/pineapple rolls that either top or wrapped with generous amount of golden pineapple jam.

On Tuesday afternoon while we were busying with the spring clean at home I received some complimentary Pineapple Cakes from "SunnyHills(微热山丘) which is air-flown from Taiwan. Same as last year (read more) the SunnyHills distributor Mr Damian is kind to send us some samples to try out their products so that we could justify whether the products is still up to our expectation as compared to last year.

These pineapple cakes are made from fresh ingredients that do not contain any preservatives or colourings. From the photos you could see that each brick-shaped pineapple cake is individually packed and sealed to maintain it's freshness till the expiry date.

For ingredients wise it is made with premium New Zealand butter, Japanese gourmet flour and the healthiest plump yolked eggs sourced from their local farm in Taiwan. And these pineapple fillings are so natural that the cakes carry the flavour of the seasons with mellow sweetness in the spring harvest and zestier tang in fall.

As you can see from the above being inspired by the Year of the Dragon, the collection also features artwork depicting the auspicious Chinese dragon in the full glory of the Dragon Dance which believes to bring good luck. This traditional dragon dance artwork can be found on each bag and box label features all four of SunnyHills founders wishing all their customers "Wang Lai(Prosperity Arrives) for the year of the Dragon".

To make gifting even more personalized, SunnyHills' Festive Sets are available in option of:-

~ Box of 10 @ S$25.00 nett
~ Box of 15 @ S$37.50 nett
~ Box of 20 @ S$50.00 nett

* Orders above S$200.00 are entitled to a 10% discount. For more information, please refer to their ordering website HERE.

If you are working or shopping around City Hall area, perhaps you would like to drop by their outlet at Raffles Hotel to personally try out some samples of their pineapple cakes as well as get to know more about their products too.

SunnyHills 微热山丘

Raffles Hotel Arcade
#03-05 325
North Bridge Road
Singapore 188719
Ordering Hotline: 8522 9605
Website: www.sunnyhills.com.sg

Operating Hours:
Sunday And Monday: 11.00am - 6.00pm
Tuesday to Saturday: 11.00am - 8.00pm

NOYA Traditional Chinese New Year Cookies

2012-01-05T00:11:00.000+08:00

Every year about a moth before Chinese New Year you would be able to see a lot of these so-called Chinese New Year cookies at bakeries, supermarkets and etc. This year we are delighted to receive some early New Year goodies from NOYA (Tai Sun (Lim Kee) Food Industries) which we could try out some of their products that are on sales at major local supermarkets such as Cold Storage, FairPrice, Giant and etc.

Traditional Pineapple Tarts (380g | S$10.80/jar) with good balance of base and golden pineapple jam on top. We love the taste of the pineapple jam which is not too sweet and without those commercial artificial taste.

Rolled Pineapple Tarts (380g | S$10.80/jar) with good proportion of pastry to fillings and each is coated with golden glazed layer to enhance the buttery taste of the tarts. If to make a choice between the two types of Pineapple Tarts, my vote would goes to the one with pineapple jam on top of the pastry as I felt it taste much better compared to the rolled type.

Personally I love those round Almond cookies from Hong Kong or certain pastry shop whereby the cookie will melt in your mouth when eaten. But this Almond Delights (300g, | S$10.80/jar) from NOYA was rather special with a after taste of sweet and salty mixture that makes you crave for more. And for your information this is also one of NOYA bestselling signature cookies which made from Tai Sun's premium USA Almond.

This Macadamia Delights (300g | S$11.80/jar) has a slight crunch on the outside and a lovely creamy texture inside which made from top-quality of macadamias nuts from Australia. Furthermore the few of us who had tried all comes to a conclusion that this cookie has a very special taste which is quite similar to Horlicks .

The Kueh Bangkek (250g | S$6.50/jar) on the other hand was rather a bit disappointed for my taste as I was expecting something more fragrance with those melt-in-mouth texture. Although it has a light pandan fragrant but I think the taste could be better in order to bring out that traditional taste.

Traditional Jade Delights (300g | S$8.90/jar) are actually green peas cookies in pale green colour which resembles Jade. I love the nutty and buttery flavour which comes with hint of salty taste lingering in your mouth.

Ah-Ma Love Letters (400g | S$11.80/tin) comes in those old school tin can and each piece of the Love Letters are made with traditional recipe using cane sugar. Although they are light and flake but to us we think it still lack of some coconut fragrance.

Lastly I would like to thank Esther from Tai Sun who sent us these lovely NOYA traditional Chinese New Year Cookies.

Celebrate Life This Christmas With nydc's Christmas Menu‏

2011-12-09T10:53:00.000+08:00

Christmas isn't a time just to receive but also giving out our best to those who is in need. Here at nydc, for every Hearty Christmas roast platter or Captain’s catch seafood platter you order means a donation of S$1.00 will goes to the children of M.I.L.K(Mainly I Love Kids) and that applied to a donation of 50¢ for every Christmas Log sold too.

And with their new range of hearty selection of Christmas platters, Christmas a la carte dishes, Christmas log cakes, Christmas drinks, the nydc 2011 Christmas Menu promises to satiate the festive appetite of fun, cool and hip party of for your friends, colleagues and family.

HEARTY CHRISTMAS ROAST PLATTER

(Serves 4 @ S$98++)

The signature of the Christmas Menu must be the Hearty Christmas Roast Platter For Four: with chunky strips of succulent Australian marbled sirloin steak that are seasoned and grilled to mouth‐watering perfection; juicy spring chicken marinated over‐night with an in-house recipe and slow-roasted with herbs; luscious pork cheese cracker and spicy bratwursts (German sausage which is usually made with veal, beef or pork) resting on traditional sauerkraut (German, "sour cabbage"); crispy beer battered onion rings with a bold BBQ sauce; creamy cheese baked Idaho potato gratin and a bed of fresh salad.

Out of all the items on the platter, we love the herbal spring chicken which is so flavorsome, tender and juicy. Their baked Idaho potato gratin was incredibly tasty with soft, creamy and cheesy texture that we kept digging for more. For your information this Hearty Christmas Roast also have serving for two person at S$56++.

Price: Hearty Christmas Roast For Four @ S$98++

All Christmas Platters come with this Passionately Fizzy Drink which is an invigorating mix of cranberry juice, soda and orange crushed ice.This is a very refreshing drinks which you could either stir-up the mixture or leave it as it is where you could taste two different flavour in a drink. Love the orange crashed ice on top which give it a zesty flavour.

A la carte price: Passionately Fizzy Drink @ S$4.80++ per mug

To end the meal, this Christmas Platter Set also comes with 4 slices of log cakes which you could choose from either "Yule love it" or "divine white chocolate-cheese".

TEA-TIME SPECIAL

(Monday - Friday, 2.00pm - 6.00pm)

If you are looking for something light with Christmas feel, perhaps this "Cinnamon Mocha Elephanccino" serve with a slice of Christmas Log cake will be a great choice to refresh your soul before continue with more festive shopping. Each slip of the drink is tinged with cinnamon and raspberries taste lingering in your mouth and for a glance you might mistaken this drink as those Hong Kong style milk tea that served with vanilla ice cream in it.

Price: Cinnamon Mocha Elephanccino(iced/hot) plus a slice of cake @ S$8.80++
A la carte price: Cinnamon Mocha Elephanccino(iced/hot) @ S$7.80++ per mug

CHRISTMAS LOGCAKE

Remember to get your log cakes early so that you won't have to worry when Christmas parties or gatherings are on the list. Here at nydc, they have two delicious Christmas Log Cake which are available on either 500g or 1kg size.

If you are a chocoholic, I would recommend you to order their "Yule love it" Chocolate Christmas Log Cake which is a decadents chocolate truffle log cake covered with Belgian couverture dark chocolate and twirled with velvety chocolate mousse.

Price: 500g @ S$32++; 1kg @ S$51++

If you don't fancy dark chocolate, maybe you can try their "divine white chocolate-cheese" log cake which is covered with a layer of smooth layer of white chocolate cheese plus a Philadelphia cream cheese center. Eat mouthful is filled with smooth and luxury chocolate cheese plus hint of savory taste.

Price: 500g @ S$37++; 1kg @ S$56++

For more detail on ordering the log cake, you could refer to their website or print out the order form HERE. Enjoy 5% early bird discount for orders placed by 12 December 2011.

nydc FACEBOOK EVENT

In order to join the Santa's Missing Stockings (a weekly draw by matching the serial number given during purchased of the Christmas Log cake) or redeem the "1-for-1" voucher (for Christmas Platters or Christmas a la carte items), please visit and "LIKE" nydc facebook fanpage before clicking the "Santa's Secret" link on the left panel shown above to "JOIN" or "REDEEM". Have fun and good luck.

nydc, New York Dessert Cafe

Bugis Junction
200 Victoria Street
#02-‐47/48
Singapore 188021
Telephone: +65 6333 3161
Website: http://www.nydc.com.sg/

Operating Hours:
Sunday – Thursday and PH: 11.30am – 10.00pm
Friday - Saturday and Eve of PH: 11.30am – 11.00pm

GIVEAWAY - SINGAPORE READERS ONLY

(nydc's S$20 gift voucher)

For this coming Christmas I would love to Giveaway my 2 complimentary gift vouches (worth S$40.00) plus another 2 more (S$20.00 each) from the goodwill of nydc to 3 Lucky Winners so that each of you could bring your loved ones or friends to have a hearty Christmas feast or purchase the Christmas Log Cake at any of their 6 outlets at your convenience. (vouchers expired on 30 June 2012)

To participate:-
1. Leave a comment stating ONE of the Christmas items available in nydc's a la carte menu (answer can be found HERE) together with your name and a valid email address.

2. To double up your chance, you could also pop over to my facebook page HERE and "Like" this photo together with a comment stating "a main item that is found in the Hearty Christmas Roast Platters".

Closing date for this giveaway will be on Sunday, 11 December 2011(Noon).

Lastly I would like to say thank to Terence and Jackson from Calean And Sage together with nydc New York Dessert Cafe for the invited tasting.

~~~~~~~~~~~
(updated on 11 December 2011)

GIVEAWAY WINNERS

Once again thanks everyone for your participation and congratulation to the 3 Lucky winners. I would contact you shortly for your mailing address. Thanks.

Prima Taste Kitchen At Centrepoint, Ochard

2011-12-08T10:52:00.000+08:00

Prima Taste Kitchen is a quick-service restaurant which located in Centrepoint Mall, Orchard. They serves a selection of authentic Singapore favourites such as Bak Kut Teh, Laksa, Hainanese Chicken Rice and Singapore Curry Chicken. The restaurant features a modern ambiance accented and diners can also enjoy 'live' cooking demonstrations through their showcase kitchen.

For beverage we are recommended to try their Calamansi Juice and Lychee Sensation where they used preserved sour plum in the drinks to create a unique flavour. Love their Lychee Sensation which is fizzy 7-up drinks with a few seeds of canned syrup lychee and preserved sour plum.

SIDE ORDER

First to serve is this all-time favourite local snack known as Vegetable Popiah which is richly stuffed with egg slices, turnip, vegetables, shrimp, minced pork, mushroom and etc. The crisp and refreshing sensation of the juicy fillings and intense flavour definitely leaves you longing for more. We simply love the taste of this Popiah as the ingredients are well combined without overpower taste of this dish.

Price: S$4.80 per roll

Rojak is a common local dish/appetiser which could be easily found at most hawker centres or coffee shop stalls. Prima Taste's Rojak is very flavorsome with toasted youtiao, cucumber and fresh fruits without being overpowering by it's prawn paste sauce. On top of the tasty coating sauce, we also love the generous amount of crashed peanut which they used to garish the rojak as it definitely add bonus points to this dish.

Price: S$5.90 per plate

RICE DISHES

Chicken Rice is one of the all-time local favourite which you could have it anytime of the day. I still remember vividly during my 3 years overseas stay I would always bring back at least 1/2 a dozen of these Prima Taste, Hainanese Chicken Rice sauce kit to easy our preparation on this dish.

Here at Prima Taste Kitchen, their poached chicken is very tender and juicy with a thin layer of jelly-like skin which makes you always wanted to top up for extra portion of meat. The chicken rice is very fragrant and the texture of the rice is just cooked to perfection where is it not too hard or soft too. For the chicken rice set, you could choose from either Hainanese Chicken, Soya Chicken and Crispy Chicken.

Price: S$6.50 per plate

The chicken curry for that day was a bit too thick on the gravy which makes it taste a bit powdery rather than those smooth and flowing texture. Personally this is not my preference of curry but for those who perfect this type of Hainanese style perhaps you could give it a try. This curry set comes with a bowl of steamed rice but you could also request to change it to chicken rice instead.

Price: S$9.40 per bowl

With Prima Taste Bak Kut Teh Sauce Kit you could also cook a pot of this tasty Teochew Style peppery soup at your own convenience at home. And moreover what you required is just minimum fresh ingredients such prime/pork ribs together with their prepacked stock mix. Love the taste of the soup but it would be even better if more peppercorns are added.The texture of the prime ribs are just nice for our liking as it is not over/under cooked.

Price: S$10.70 per bowl

NOODLES

When we first taste the soup broth from this prawn mee we were kind of surprised that these actually was prepared from their Prawn Mee Sauce Kit (detail HERE). From a glance above you could see the decent amount of ingredients such as sliced pork, fresh prawns, bean sprouts, veggies and flat yellow noodles which is pretty reasonable for it's price.

Price: S$6.50 per bowl

Out of all the main dishes that we have tried, their Fried Hokkien Prawn Noodle has definitely out shine the rest of the dishes and won our heart. I love the wok taste and texture of the noodles which is just nicely cooked and fully adsorb the taste from the prawn broth. According to Vangelynn, the chef actually fried individual order plate by plate in order to maintain the standard of this dish. For your information you could use the Prawn Mee Sauce Kit to cook either Prawn Mee Soup or Fried Hokkien Prawn Noodle.

And since I am in love with their Fried Hokkien Prawn Noodle, I have bought a packet of the Sauce Kit from supermarket which I am going to try cooking it at home soon.

Price: S$6.50 per plate

The gravy of Prima Taste Laksa is smooth and rich which is prepared from its pre-packed laksa spice. In this way you could easily prepared your favourite laksa without much trouble on grinding your own laksa paste and enjoy a bowl of decent laksa anytime of the day.

Price: S$5.50 per bowl

Apart from the above Authentic Laksa Spice Kit, Prima Taste also has another "Singapore Laksa La Mian" which you could easily purchase from their outlet or local supermarkets. You could read more about my review on this product HERE at my recipe blog.

DESSERTS

Vangelynn mentioned that this Glass Jelly with Longan in Gula Melaka is a new dessert on their menu. And for a light and refreshing dessert with hint of gula melaka syrup to sweeten the taste, I am sure this would come in perfect as dessert after a hearty meal.

Their Chendol dessert consist of rich coconut milk, a worm-like green jelly made from rice flour, red beans and etc served together with shaved ice and fragrance Gula Melaka(palm sugar). Although the taste is great but however we find that the shaved ice was rather rough which could have being better if it is much smoother and fine texture.

Price: S$3.50 per cup

For a lighter and smaller portion of dessert, you could order this Longan with Almond Beancurd. The beancurd is very smooth and silky with hint of almond flavour that does not overpower the taste of the whole dessert.

Price: S$2.90 per bowl

TEA-TIME PROMOTION

If you are looking for some tea-time snack during your festive shopping trip around Orchard area on weekday, perhaps Prima Taste Kitchen tea-time special would have something "local" that you prefer.

For twin sharing you might consider to get their "2 dishes + 1 drink" @ S$4.50 which I think it's just nice to fill up your tummy before the next meal.

SPICE AND SAUCE RACK

Apart from serving array of local dishes at Prima Taste Kitchen, they also have a corner selling different varieties of their cooking sauce ranging from:- Singapore favourites Sauce Kit whereby you could whip up local dishes such as prawn mee, char kway teow, mee sim and etc to Authentic Asian Sauce such as garlic chilli sauce, Sambal Belachan Paste, Premium Black Pepper Sauce and etc to prepare authentic Asian dishes at home.

For your conveniences, you could also order these sauce kits via their website HERE or through any supermarkets in Singapore. And for those regular or big users you might wish to save considerably through their party packs which only available in certain popular products such as Bak Chor Mee and Lor Mee. Cooking instructions can be easily found on the packaging and online plus they also have cooking classes for those who intend to pick up some cooking skill using their ready paste and products. You could register for their Cooking Workshops at a reasonable fees(S$20.00) via their website HERE.

PRIMA TASTE KITCHEN

176 Orchard Road
#01-63/64 The Centrepoint Mall
Singapore 238843
Telephone: +65 6887 3786
Website: http://primataste.com.sg/kitchen.aspx
Facebook Page HERE

Lastly I would like to thank Vangelynn and Prima Taste for the invited tasting.

CoCoICHIBANYA Curry House @ 313 Somerset

2011-12-07T08:33:00.000+08:00

Located at the Basement of 313@Somerset which is just opposite Cold Storage entrance there is this Japanese curry rice restaurant known as CoCoICHIBANYA Curry House. With over 30 years of experience and more than 1,250 outlets in countries such as Japan, Korea, USA, China, Hong Kong, Taiwan and Thailand I am sure it will spice up some sparks in our local food trend.

Last week while doing some Christmas shopping around Orchard area, we decided to drop by CoCoICHIBANYA Curry House to have our lunch since I have heard some good reviews on their curry rice.

With 2 Adults and a kid we decided to order two rice dishes plus a mini salad to share among ourselves. Here we have Pork Cutlet Curry With Cheese as mum prefer pork rather than chicken or seafood.

And one good point in CoCoICHIBANYA Curry House, customers get to style their own dish(s) according to individual preference. To begin:-

Step 1: Select the Curry (Main Rice Dish)

Step 2: Select the Quantity of Rice

150g (- S$1.00 off)
250g (Standard serving)
350g ( + S$1.50)
450g (+ S$3.00)
550g (+ S$4.50)

Step 3: Spice Adjustment

Mild (For Children)
Level 0 (Standard)
Level 1 (Medium Hot)
Level 2 (Hot)
Level 3 (Extra Hot)
Level 4 (Super Hot)
Level 5 (Crazy Hot)

Step 4: Select Toppings
Tuna, Corn, Boiled Egg (+ S$1.00)
Cheese, Eggplant, Kimchee, Bacon, Spinach, Tomato, Clam (+ S$2.00)

Since my boy is having parts of his share from this Pork Cutlet Curry With Cheese, we decide to get the "Mild" Curry which is a non-spicy vegetable curry together with a boiled-egg as extra toppings. Although we order the standard(250g) portion but the serving size was just nice even for two sharing.

Overall we find the pork cutlet a bit tough which is toward chewy side but the pipping hot curry and melted cheese makes a perfect pair for this dish. And we also love the crispy crumbed crust which makes the other half of the cutlet.

Price: S$14.00 for standard serving

Before I ordered this, I have read a few good reviews on this "MUST TRY" Creamed Mushroom Omelette Curry. With the fragrant long grains rice wrapped in the soft and perfectly cooked omelette sitting in the pool of pipping hot Curry Sauce(level 1), I am sure no one could resists the temptation of this dish.

For your information these Japanese Curry is sort of peppery hot compared to our local sweating hot curry, and most importantly these curry do not contain any coconut milk.

Price: S$13.00 for standard serving

To go with the meal, we also order a Mini Salad (S$2.00) which comes with some salad greens, sweet corns and cherry tomato together with some thousand island sauce.

So if you want to try some decent Japanese Curry with and custom your preference on your own dish, perhaps you would like to drop by CoCoICHIBANYA Curry House and pick up your choice. Average spending per person including bervage would be around S$20.00.

CoCo ICHIBANYA

313 Orchard Road
#B3-25/27 313 @ Somerset
Telephone: +65 6636 7280

Opening Hours:
10am – 10pm (Mon–Fri), 10am – 11pm (Sat–Sun and PH)

Asia's Dining Destination Package - Behind-the-scenes Kitchen Tour at Waku Ghin, Guy Savoy And Santi

2011-12-05T08:46:00.000+08:00

Continue from my previous post on the Asia's Dining Destination (ADD) package, here I am sharing with you one of their main highlight which is the "behind-the-scenes" kitchen tour at the renowned Waku Ghin, Guy Savoy and Santi. These are 3 of the celebrity chef restaurants which serves Japanese, Spanish and French style of fine dining cuisines and desserts.

And apart from the celebrity chef kitchens tour, our group also have a bonus chance on getting to know more about the hotel main kitchen (Heart-of-house tour) which is located at the basement area.

HEART-OF-HOUSE KITCHEN TOUR

On Day 2, after our breakfast we were lead by the Executive Chef of Marina Bay Sands, Chef Christopher to brief us on the work areas and main functions of the hotel kitchen. As photographing is restricted in the main kitchen areas due to security purpose there aren't many photos about this 45 minutes trip.

But during the trip we get to see how food are being prepared in different sections of the kitchen such as in-house bakery to prepare all the daily breads and pastries for most of the hotel cafes and restaurants. Personal lockers and laundry cabinets for those with uniforms as well as shoe shine service provided by their Public Area Department for all Team Members at S$2.00 each.

Guess what we found! A 7-11 store located at the Heart-of-House area in order for the team members to get their snacks or drinks during break-time or at their convenient. And for your information they do have a staff canteen where team members could have their 2 meals per day complimentary by the hotel too.

WAKU GHIN

After lunch, we proceed to the highlight of the day where we are able to have a close-up inside view of the celebrity chef restaurants and their kitchen. First stop we arrived at Waku Ghin which showcases the brilliance of Chef Tetsuya Wakuda in his only establishment outside of his world famous Sydney restaurant. All the work stations were surprisingly clean and sparking in their main kitchen and we also get a chance to see a cooking demonstration by one of their chef at their private dining area. During the cooking demo, the skillful chef prepared some quick and easy braised lobster which taste so juicy, flavorsome and succulent when bite.

The restaurant's dining concept is based on multi-faceted use of space, where diners can move from room to room, luxuriating over the dining experience. They have Four unique rooms which offers private enclosures for small parties to experience the art of skilled chefs preparing food for each group personally. After meal, diners may move on to the drawing room to relax over desserts and coffee while admiring the view of the Singapore skyline.

The restaurant has two seatings per night at 6.00pm and 8.30pm. For more information you could call +65 6688 8507 or refer to their website HERE.

GUY SAVOY

Next stop, we headed over to Guy Savoy which serves French style of fine dining cuisines and desserts. Selecting only the finest ingredients to prepare and serve with an uncompromising awareness is what makes a dining experience truly exceptional at Guy Savoy. Here, guests can dine in its modernist dining room or choose to have a pre-dinner aperitif at the champagne bar. They even have a degustation bar menu which is available in the afternoon allowing guests to enjoy wines from every part of France and paired with a tasting portion of the famous Guy Savoy cuisine.

During the kitchen tour, we also get the chance to try their signature"Artichoke and Black Truffle Soup" which serves with toasted mushroom brioche and black truffle butter. Although this is my first time having Artichoke Soup but it's intense flavour and texture definitely has left a deep impression in my memories. For dessert we get to try the floating island cube serves with earl grey tea chocolate and macrons. I would review more on Guy Savoy "Bites and Bubbles" menu in another post soon.

Guy Savoy is available for bar dining at 3.00pm - 10.45pm while dinner starts from 6.00pm - 10.45pm. As reservations are required, you may call +65 6688 8513 or check up more details at their website HERE.

SANTI

Our 3rd stop is at SANTI where it combines Mediterranean culture with the authentic taste of the Catalan region in Spain. The cuisine is both basic and sophisticated using seasonal ingredients and meticulous attention to the preparation of the food.

Out of the three restaurants, I prefer the layout and decoration of Santi with cool grey stones and soft white linen which gives me a "at home" kind of cozy feeling upon entering the dining area. During the kitchen tour we are able to see how the savory and pastry chefs are dealing with their dishes plus get to know more on their ingredients used and storage.

To end the kitchen tour we also get to try their signature "Iberic Ham with Tomato Bread Toast" sever with traditional “Gazpazho Andaluz”. Indeed this is a great starter for pre-dinner dish and the Iberic Ham taste great with the tomato bread combi which brings up it unique flavour. (There will a review on SANTI, Tapas menu in the upcoming post soon).

SANTI is available daily for dinner from 7.00pm - 10.30pm and the tapas bar and lounge is opened from 6.30pm - 11.00pm. For reservations, you can call +65 6688 8501 or check up their website HERE.

SOUVENIR

At the end of the trip we are also given a Souvenir Bag each which contains a complimentary recipe each from the renowned restaurants mentioned above together with Marina Bay Sands Apron and Chef Hat too.

Lastly for more photos of this behind-the-scenes kitchen tour, you could refer to Cuisine Paradise Facebook HERE.

Christmas At IKEA

2011-12-02T17:26:00.000+08:00

We are already stepping into December 2011 which bring us less than 23 days to Christmas. So if you are looking for some ideas to decorate your home perhaps you could stop by any of the IKEA outlets(Alexandra or Tampines) just like what we did. I am sure you could definitely grab something which you might need for this coming festive seasons ranging from home furniture, decorations, food and etc.

IKEA RESTAURANT AND CAFE

I saw their Christmas Platter Combo during my last visit to IKEA, Tampines a few week back on their behind-scene tour event. So early this week I bought my boy to IKEA in order to try out their Christmas Platter but sad to say they have run out of the "Pancakes and Swedish sparkling drink". On top of it they replaced the two items with spice muffins and apple juice.

The Christmas Platter consists of Turkey Breast, Turkey Ham and Chicken Cheese Sausage together with some fries and balanced broccoli. Their turkey ham was good and I love the cheese sausage too, but if it comes with some serving sauce the taste will be even better. This whole combo platter set cost S$13.90 or you could just get the Christmas Platter at S$9.00

Although this is my boy 1st time trying IKEA's Kid's Meal, Chicken Nuggets, he actually comments that it taste better than those served in his usual fastfood outlet. And also for the month of November till 24 December 2011, IKEA will also donates €1.00(S$1.75) whenever we purchased any kid's chicken nuggets meal to the UNICEF in order to help more children to have quality education.

To end the meal, we tried their Christmas Log Cake and Almond Cake with chocolate and butterscotch. The Christmas Log Cake comes with either Cappuccino or Latte at S$3.50 per set whereas the Almond Cake is price at S$3.50 per slice. I love the luxury and caramel taste of the almond cake with hint of nuts in it and it goes well with my cup of Cappuccino.

TABLEWARE AND COOKSHOP

The Tableware and Cookshop area located at Level 3 of IKEA, Tampine has a wide varieties of Christmas design items ranging from plates to cups and bakewares too.

HOME DECORATION

You could also find some REAL Christmas Tree and plants at the Home Decoration area together with some wall ornaments and etc. I am sure there is something that suits your home for this year Christmas.

CHECK OUT

Near the check out area, you could see a lot of new designed soft toys that caters for this coming Christmas Season. Perhaps you could grab one or two of these lovely soft toys as Christmas Present for your love ones or kids and at the same time the IKEA foundation will actually donates €1.00(S$1.75) to help educate kids from UNICEF (The United Nations Children's Fund) too.

IKEA SOFT ICE CREAM

Before going back, we stop by the Swedish Food Market to exchange our token from the Kid's Meal(all kid's meal comes with a free ice cream cone). To get the ice-cream you have to place the cone on the slot in the ice-cream machine before inserting the token. Next press the start button on the machine and within less than a minute you would get your yummy soft serve ice-cream.

For more photos on this photo, you could click on the album via Cuisine Paradise Facebook HERE.

Asia's Dining Destination Package - A Gastronomic Discovery at Marina Bay Sands

2011-11-29T11:13:00.000+08:00

Recently Marina Bay Sands(MBS) and United Overseas Bank(UOB) has come out with a epicurean adventures at Asia's Dining Destination(ADD). For a year, this ADD programme comes with a luxurious stay at Club or Suite floor; champagne on arrival, a behind-the-scenes kitchen tour at the renowned SANTI , Guy Savoy and Waku Ghin; as well as breakfasts, cocktails and dinner at the celebrity chef restaurants and other participating outlets.

THE CLUB ROOM

The Club Room is located in Tower 2, on the 35th to 49th floors. It has a room area of 62-square meter space, featuring floor-to-ceiling windows, calming contemporary decor, executive work desk, 42” interactive flat-screen television, iPod docking station, DVD player and Nespresso machine and etc.

On top of the above guests from the Club Room also entitled privileged access — to The Club at Marina Bay Sands which is situated 57 stories above the ground, the famous Sands SkyPark and the Infinity pool. Enjoy complimentary breakfast at The Club at Marina Bay Sands, a beautiful venue that offers airy seating, wide-open city views and attentive service.

Breathtaking view from our hotel room at level 39 which is facing the city view. The room at Tower 2 has a great panoramic view of the city which you could admire at all time of the day.

Beautiful night view of the city from our room.

INFINITY POOL @ SKYPARK

The 150 meter Infinity pool is located at SkyPark which is the world’s longest elevated swimming pool that is 200 meter above ground level. Although the SkyPark is open to the public access via ticket sales (for the Observation Deck) but the use of the pool is only available to hotel guests where they have security guards in between the gate of tower 1 and 3 to check on the flow coming in and out of the pool area.

OBSERVATION DECK @ SKYPARK

With an impressive 12,400 square meters of space that stretching longer than the Eiffel tower laid down, the Sands SkyPark can host up to 3900 people. At the Observation Deck which is located at Tower 3, visitors can feast their eyes on the unforgettable panoramic view of the city landscape (click HERE for the observation view points) as well as a choice to dine-in at Ku De Ta Restaurant.

The Sands SkyPark Public Observation Deck, which is open to members of the public and is a ticketed area, is accessible daily from 9:30am and closes at 10pm (and at 11pm on Friday, Saturday and Sunday). For more details on purchasing the ticket(s) you can click HERE.

THE CLUB @ SKYPARK

As The Club Room guests we also get to enjoy complimentary sumptuous Afternoon Tea and refreshing pre-dinner cocktails from The Club located at level 57, Tower 2 . As you can see from the above there is quite a selection of English style tea snacks which is enough to fill your tummy before dinner.

The Club also served American Breakfast from 6.30am till 11.00am daily with wide selection of pastries, harm, cheese, bread, salad and etc. They even have a egg station at the counter to prepare your desire choice of egg dishes. According to the service waitress, if you are an early bird you could even catch beautiful sunrise at about 6.20 - 6.30am in the morning too.

RISE @ LOBBY AREA

For guests who purchase the Asia's Dining Destination package it also includes 2 complimentary breakfasts from either The Club at SkyPark or RISE at lobby area. In this case, guests get to try out two different concept of breakfast and dining experience in two different environment too.

At RISE guest would have more selection of their food compared to The Club as they usually served international style of buffet items ranging from western pancake, omelette, sausage, salad to Asian dimsum, fried noodles and etc. And there is a also wide selection of pastries and bread plus fresh cut fruits too. But if you prefer more quite environment plus bird eye view of the city landscape from the SkyPark, The Club would be definitely your choice.

THIS ULTIMATE GASTRONOMIC DISCOVERY PACKAGE OFFERS:-

a 2-night stay in a Club Room or Orchid Suite
an exclusive behind-the-scenes kitchen tour through a selection of Celebrity Chef restaurants
a 5-star dinner at the Celebrity Chef Restaurant of your choice
daily breakfast at either The Club/RISE
complimentary Afternoon Tea
complimentary Sunset cocktails at The Club at Marina Bay Sands and more
complimentary Airport Shuttle Bus on arrival

You can to select a 5-star dinner from one of these restaurants:
~ CUT
~ db Bistro Moderne
~ SANTI (review coming up soon)
~ Guy Savoy (review coming up soon)
~ Osteria Mozza
~ Sky on 57

For more details, pricing and reservation of the Asia's Dining Destination Package, you could refer to Marina Bay Sands official website HERE. Or related photos about this post can be found at Cuisine Paradise Facebook Page HERE.

BEHIND-THE-SCENES KITCHEN TOUR

(Upcoming post)

Behind-the-scenes Kitchen Tour of the Celebrity Chef Restaurants is one of the key focus in the Asia's Dining Destination(ADD) package where the guest(s) has a chance to tour and go behind the kitchen to meet with the chef and get to know the process of food preparation. Although the kitchen tour is only available for SANTI and Guy Savoy from the ADD package, but we are also glad that we could managed to get into Waku Ghin's kitchen too.

So stay tune for more updates on the Behind-the-scenes Kitchen Tour(updated on 05 Dec 11, HERE) plus review on SANTI and Guy Savoy. Lastly I would like to thank Venetia and Philicia from Marina Bay Sands for the invite to experience this Asia's Dining Destination Package.

Asia's Dining Destination At Marina Bay Sands - db Bistro Moderne

2011-11-26T02:22:00.000+08:00

db Bistro Moderne is a contemporary French-American restaurant where traditional French cuisine meets the flavours of the American market. Just a few days back, I had a chance to dine-in this celebrity chef restaurant (opened by Chef Daniel Boulud) which is one of the 6 selected restaurants for the Asia's Dining Destination Package (ADD) organized by Marina Bay Sands.(I would share with you more about this ADD package in the next few posts.)

db Bistro Moderne also includes a stylish 15 seats counter bar, as well as an informal lounge area for causal dinning, 2 private rooms sitting 8 guest each or 20 when used in combination are also available for personal or business entertaining.

Before our dinner, we had an exclusive kitchen tour and interview with the Executive Chef, Mr Stephane Istel of db Bistro Moderne where he shared with us his experience and team in the kitchen as well as how he co-ordinate with Mr Daniel to oversee db Bistro in Singapore. Mr Stephane mentioned that he always believe good food comes from heart and the one who cook must put in "heart and love" while preparing he/her dishes in order to perfect the dish.

As you could see from the above photos, the kitchen area is quite spacious and surprisingly "clean" and neat which is rather different from what we usually see from the TV shows. The kitchen is divided into a few area such as Burger station, Fish and Pasta, Soup, Salad, Dessert and etc.

Upon seated, we are served with some fresh daily homemade bread from Marina Bay Sands in-house bakery which is located inside their central kitchen. These bread are made and distributed to most of the restaurants and cafes in the hotel. Example:- db Bistro Moderne, Santi, Rise and etc

For Appetizers, Chef Stephane has specially prepared this Mushroom Tarte Flambee with White Truffles which is an Alsatian Flat Bread served with Fromage Blanc, Onion, Mushroom and shaved white Truffles. It has a crispy base similar to thin crust pizza and the combination of the toppings makes it a great starter to go with some wine or sparking drinks.

Next appetizer we had Gillardeau Oyster which is serve with Lemongrass Coulis and Caviar. Interesting combination of using Asian lemongrass to combine with western cheese, cream and caviar to create this appetizer. I love the lemongrass coulis which is not too overpower on it's lemongrass fragrant or taste and it really brings up the taste of the fresh oyster with that extra caviar on top.

Japanese Kagoshima Beef Carpaccio is something quite refreshing which is thin slice of Wagyu top with capers, mizuna(a Japanese water greens), Aged Parmesan and a good drizzle of Extra Virgin Tuscan Olive Oil.

For Main Course, we get to try 3 different types of dishes such as Ravioli(a pasta dish), Roasted Dory and Ribeye. First to be served is Braised Beef Cheek Ravioli which is sort of similar to our Asian minced pork dumplings(wanton). Here the Ravioli is wrapped with some flavorsome ground beef and cooked together with cheesy sauce and veggies.

Personally I prefer dishes with Fish compared to Meat and before I tried this Roasted John Dory, I actually have in mind that the fish might have a fishy taste. But to my surprised, the Chef who prepared this dish definitely has done a great job with it. The fish taste great with a crisp outer layer and yet soft and juice when bite and it goes well with the aged truffle risotto and extra shaved white truffle.

This is my first time trying Kagoshima Ribeye and it texture is definitely a great different from those ribeye steak that we had in normal restaurants. Each cuts and bites release a different sensation and taste while chewing in the mouth. Most of us love that char-grilled taste and almost "Fatless" feel whenever it goes into our mouth. The accompany Agria mashed potato is so smooth and creamy but yet it does not have that greasy taste and it goes well with the spinach and lettuce too.

Array of French dessert to satisfy our sweet taste buds ranging from Araguani Dark Chocolate & Peanut Butter Souffle, White Truffle Clementine, lie Flottante, Raspberry Souffle, Malt, Pomme, Profiteroles.

Out of all the desserts served above, my favourite choice is this Profiteroles Au Cafe. Love the whole combination and it makes you crave for more after each mouthful. The profiterole is filled with praline ice-cream and top with smooth and luxury melted chocolate.

For more related photos of the food tasting and kitchen tour on db Bistro Moderne, please refer to Cuisine Paradise Page album, HERE.

THANKSGIVING SPECIAL

(until Sunday, 27 November 2011)

Usher into the Thanksgiving holidays, db Bistro Moderne will be serving up some "Thanksgiving Specials" just for this festive season. This menu is available only till Sunday, 27 November 2011. The Thanksgiving menu will feature delicacies such as Alaskan King Crab Cakes and Duo of Organic Turkey. The three-course menu is priced at S$85++ and each item is also available separately on the ala carte menu too.

db Bistro Moderne

2 Bayfront Avenue B1-48, Galleria Level
The Shoppes at Marina Bay Sands
Singapore 018956

Reservation: +65 6688 8525
Website: HERE

IKEA - Our All-times Family Favourite

2011-11-21T11:45:00.000+08:00

About two weeks ago I was invited to attend a "behind scene" tour at IKEA, Tampines to get to know more about their showrooms, store operations, restaurant and etc. It was a very wonderful trip where each and everyone of us was given a chance to know and see IKEA store in another aspect of view apart from what we used to know.

We were all very excited while stepping into their showroom on level 4 as we were all enlighten by their range of Christmas Dining setup at the entrance which brings out the the warm festive feelings in our heart too.

When process further, we were introduced to these IKEA showrooms where you could find lots of inspiring ideas and furnishings in realistic room settings which are similar to our living environments. For example most of the furnishings ideas from IKEA, Tampines emerged from the flour area and layout of the newer estate near their area such as Sengkang and Punggol.

And it is in these showrooms that we can try out their furniture; fall asleep in a bed, stretch out on a sofa, or even let our kids make their own decision to choose furniture for their rooms.

Despite of dealing with furniture and food, I didn't know at IKEA whenever we purchase "soft toy" at any of their outlets (Alexandra/Tampines), the IKEA foundation will actually donates €1.00(S$1.75) to help educate kids from UNICEF (The United Nations Children's Fund) which is a very meaningful contribution that we could help and take part in.

And for the month of November till 24 December 2011, IKEA will also donates €1.00(S$1.75) whenever we purchased soft toy or kid's meal(chicken nuggets) to the UNICEF in order to help more children to have quality education.

IKEA Restaurant is located at level 4, beside the Children's IKEA where you can take a break from shopping with some coffee and cake or even breakfast/dinner. And in the restaurant, you'll find healthy Swedish and local daily dishes at really low prices too. In order to cater families with kids, the restaurant is child-friendly with high chairs and a play area as well as special menu just for kids.

For your information, IKEA Restaurant is serving Christmas Dishes such as Christmas Platter, Marinated Herring Gratin, Mini Log Cake and etc where you can take a look at the menu on their website HERE.

Located at the end of Level 3, Market Hall. I am sure most of you are familiar with these racks and boxes that are found in the IKEA, Self Serve Furniture Area. The concept of these self-pick up methods came from their very first store where the demand was so great that the furniture wasn’t being provided fast enough to the consumers. So in order to please their consumers, IKEA opened their warehouse and allowed consumers to take whatever they wanted to buy and proceed straight to the payment counter.

After we have completed the tour, the next excitement we had for that night was we were invited to dine-in at their Co-workers Restaurant which is located at the back alley of the main restaurant. The design, layout and food menu of their staffs restaurant are pretty similar to what we see at their IKEA restaurant too.

For dinner, I tried their Cheese Baked Saithe (from the 3 choices) which I think is not available on their IKEA restaurant menu. Saithe is also known as coley which is a white fish with firm flesh that is very popular in Germany. I love the taste and texture of this dish which is served together with some potato and carrot, hope it will be available in their restaurant menu soon.

Lastly I would like to thank IKEA and Pearlin from one9ninety for this wonderful IKEA behind scene tour.

{Real Spice} The BK Way of Chicken by Burger King

2011-11-20T19:53:00.000+08:00

Photos courtesy of Burger King, Singapore

Almost every month or two Burger King(BK) will launched some new items on their existing menu to lure the tastebuds of their customers. If you are a loyal fan of BK I am sure you have tried their BK Chicken French and BK Chicken Italian treat which has ended recently. And now the new theme for November will be “Never chicken out on real spice” which is one part of a series of their “The BK Way of Chicken” lessons.

Here BK features two new spicy chicken sandwich such as:- "Spicy Panini Tendergrill Chicken Sandwich" and "Spicy Panini Tendercrisp Chicken Sandwich" that will bring you spicy enlightenment.

SPICY PANINI TENDERCRISP CHICKEN SANDWICH

Photos courtesy of Burger King, Singapore

For chicken burger lover who demand a bigger crunch and spicier kick from their chicken sandwich, the Spicy Panini Tendercrisp Chicken Sandwich with 100% thigh-meat patty wrapped in a crisp batter packed with a fiery spice mix of capsicum, garlic powder, rosemary and chili oil is a must to be in your ordering list.
*Price: S$5.50 for ala carte, S$7.65 with meal

SPICY PANINI TENDERGRILL CHICKEN SANDWICH

Photos courtesy of Burger King, Singapore

Or for something less greasy, try this Spicy Panini Tendergrill Chicken Sandwich and experience a flavour explosion that will make your tastebuds dance. In the quest for chicken perfection, the 100% succulent thigh-meat patty is marinated in a complex blend of spices such as cayenne pepper, black pepper and hints of mustard, onion powder and celery seed before the chicken patty is then flame-grilled to smoky goodness.
*Price: S$5.95 for ala carte, S$7.95 with meal

For your information, both sandwiches are topped off with whole-leaf premium crisp Batavia lettuce and fresh juicy slices of red, ripe tomatoes together with the real spice-marinated chicken thigh nestled within soft Mediterranean Panini bread, baked with quality herbs of rosemary and oregano.

*Pricing varies at selected restaurants. Each meal comes with medium fries and a 16oz drink. BURGER KING® reserves the right to revise menu items without prior notice.

Sweetens This Festive Season with Häagen-Dazs

2011-11-18T09:23:00.000+08:00

Photos courtesy of Haagen-Dazs

Celebrate the season of giving with your loved ones this Christmas and enjoy irresistible dine-in creations from Royal Fondue, Love in Paradise and Christmas Cassata which are readily available for order at all Haagen-Dazs outlets from 1 Nov 2011 - 2 Jan 2012. Plus you can redeem 2 complimentary tickets to enjoy a 45 minutes bus-ride along Orchard road on their specially-decorated Haagen-Dazs double-decker bus and indulge in free-flowing Haagen-Dazs ice cream and etc with a minimum amount spent(terms and condition applies).

If not you can also surprise and pamper your loved ones this season with the unexpected gift of Häagen-Dazs where you can make a selection between 2 sets of gift hampers to convey your message of love and joy to family and friends. The Royal Celebration (S$60.00 nett) gift set shown above comes with 3 pints of your choice, a Secret Sensations twin pack and a S$20.00 gift voucher. Whereas The Festive Treasure (S$34.85 nett) gift set comes in a limited-edition cooler bag with 2 pints of your choice and a Secret Sensations twin pack.

Photos courtesy of Haagen-Dazs

Christmas Party can never go without a decent log cake for dessert. So for the chocoholics in the family, the luxurious Chocolate Colysee (S$80.00+) log cake which is deliciously rich with Belgian Chocolate ice cream and irresistible Macadamia Nut ice cream that topped with chocolate curls and marshmallow stars must not be missed from the party menu.

If you are looking for something special with festive colors that is bound to light up any party perhaps Rainbow Log (S$80.00+) might be an excellent choice. This log cake consists of many all-time favorite ice cream and sorbet flavours, such as Chocolate, Vanilla, Green Tea, Macadamia Nut, Mango Sorbet and Raspberry Sorbet which I am sure there is bound to be a flavour that you like.

Photos courtesy of Haagen-Dazs

For those who chose to dine-in, the Royal Fondue (S$48.00++) that comes with four popular flavours (Belgian Chocolate, Caramel Biscuit and Cream, Chocolate, and Vanilla coated in almond nibs) and decadent accompaniments such as freshly baked waffles, marshmallows, brownies, bananas, kiwis and strawberries that you could never resist the temptation.

But if you prefer to take away your ice cream and enjoy it while strolling along the way, do try the Joyous Crunch (S$10.50 nett) that comes with rich Belgian Chocolate ice cream and decadent Crème Brulee ice cream. Or if you prefer something with coffee taste, go for their Christmas Delight (S$10.50 nett) with scoops of Tiramisu ice cream and decadent Crème Brulee ice cream. For your information these two take away choices served with crunchy waffle bits or in a cone depending on your preference.

Photos courtesy of Haagen-Dazs

Lastly, in order to experience the “Journey of Indulgence”, customers have to spend a minimum of S$50.00 (dine-in only, before service charge and GST) at any Häagen-Dazs café to receive two complimentary tickets to the bus. There will be three rides a day at 7pm, 8pm and 9pm, from 19 November 2011 to 4 December 2011.

Each "Journey of Indulgence" will start and end at Häagen-Dazs Esplanade cafe with a 45 minutes ride along the CBD area and culminating in a trip down the beautifully-lit Orchard Road. Come onboard a specially-decorated Haagen-Dazs double-decker bus and indulge in free-flowing Haagen-Dazs ice cream, gourmet chocolates and bubbly champagne.

Aloha Tropical X'mas @ Crystal Jade 2011

2011-11-16T22:13:00.000+08:00

Photos courtesy of Crystal Jade

This year December, Crystal Jade is aiming to bring Christmas menu convenience to celebrations in both home and office where they injects local flavor into its festive take-away menu with dishes like Roasted Home Recipe Turkey, Smoked Duck Breast and Ham Wellington together with some pies, log cakes, desserts and etc.

The above Crystal Jade’s Roasted Home Recipe Turkey ($78.00, approx. 3.5-4.5kg) is prepared the day itself before collection with it right combination of east and west seasonings that include five spice, orange juice, oregano and more leaving you an exotic taste.

Photos courtesy of Crystal Jade

As for the Christmas package, it comes in either Premium Tropical Xmas Package(S$128.00) for parties of 6 - 8 persons or this Deluxe Aloha Package (S$330.00) for parties of 15 - 18 persons. With these professional cooked dishes it will definitely leaves you with more time to catch up with your guests. And as you can see from the above it comprises of:

~ 1 Mixed Fruit Tropical Christmas Cake
~ 1 Roasted Whole Home Recipe Turkey with Herbs and Spices
~ 1 Honey Baked Ham
~ 2 plates of Aloha Fried Rice with Pork Floss
~ 16 pieces Fried Almond Fish Fingers
~ 16 pieces Pork Skewer with Teriyaki Sauce
~ 16 Mushroom Vol-Au-Vent
~ 16 pieces Sambal Crabmeat Vol-Au-Vent
~ 16 pieces Cheese & Bacon Croquette
~ 16 pieces Mini Spicy Minced Pork and Bean Pie

Photos courtesy of Crystal Jade

Kids at the party will be thrilled with all these Tropical Cutie Cupcake(S$14.80/6 pcs) that are decorated with cute Christmas theme toppers. These cupcakes comes in 3 different theme at price ranging from S$12.80 - S$14.80 for 6 pieces which is a great treat for kids' party at childcare or Sunday school too.

For your information there is a also an exclusive 10 - 15% discount for CITIBANK Card members while making orders. All Christmas orders starts from Wednesday, 16 Nov 2011 - 02 January 2012(terms and conditions applies).

You can call their Party Hotline @ 6512 0800 (Mondays to Fridays, 9am to 6pm excluding public holidays) or visit their festive promotion website HERE.

Bosch Original Recipe Contest with Bosch MUM 54230

2011-11-03T09:48:00.000+08:00

Photos courtesy of BSH Home Appliances Pte Ltd

Christmas is approaching soon with the Lunar New Year just a month later. With all the roasting and baking to be done you might want to consider getting some help from the new Bosch Styline MUM 5 All-In-One Kitchen Machine. And in conjunction with your purchase Bosch is running an Original Recipe Contest, whereby 10 winners will stand a chance to win 100% reimbursement in their purchase as well as feature of their recipe in the Bosch Recipe Book. Best of all ONE of the lucky winner will also walk away with the above "Bosch Classic Edition Refrigerator" worth S$2,299.

HOW TO PARTICIPATE

Step 1: Purchase a Bosch MUM8, MUM5 kitchen machine or MCM 4 food processor (detail HERE)
(available at Courts, Harvey Norman, Best Denki (S) Pte Ltd,Carrefour Singapore Pte Ltd andRobinsons, The Centrepoint)

Step 2: Create your own original dessert using your Bosch MUM 54230.

Step 3: Submit your recipe and a picture of your creation HERE by 30th November 2011 for a chance to win.

Photos courtesy of BSH Home Appliances Pte Ltd

The new Bosch Styline MUM 5 All-In-One Kitchen Machine is equipped with proven Bosch technology that will enable even an inexperienced cook to prepare fabulous home-cooked food and goodies. The machine functions on an intuitive Bosch operating concept and the three-dimensional Multi-Motion Drive mixing system that ensures first-class pastry processing in mixing ingredients perfectly.

BROWNIES A LA BOSCH

Photos courtesy of BSH Home Appliances Pte Ltd

Here is a complimentary recipes from Bosch where you can Indulge your guests with delectable brownies, an all-time favourite, made using the Bosch Styline MUM 5 Kitchen Machine.

(make: 20 x 30cm size tin | Preparation: 15 minutes | Cooking: 30 minutes)

Ingredients:
100g Hazelnuts
250g Soft Butter
200g Icing Sugar
6 Eggs (medium)
175g Plain Flour
100g Ground Hazelnuts
60g Cocoa Powder
3 Tablespoons Ground Espresso Coffee
100g Dark Chocolate

Method:-
1. Preheat the oven to 200°C (fan oven 180°C). Roast the hazelnuts on a baking tray in the oven for approximately 10 minutes.

2. Take the nuts out of the oven, gently rub the shells with a kitchen towel, and allow them to cool down. Reduce the oven temperature to 180°C (fan oven 160°C).

3. Use the blender attachment. Coarsely chop the hazelnuts and then the chocolate (separately).

4. In the mixing bowl, beat the butter and sugar together for 5 minutes until fluffy. Sit in the eggs one after the other.

5. Stir the nuts, chocolate, flour, ground nuts and espresso powder into the egg and butter mixture.

6. Line brownie tin with a broad strip of greaseproof paper. Transfer the mixture to the tin and smooth over. Place it on the second lowest rack in the oven for 30-35 minutes.

7. Remove the tin from the oven and allow it to cool completely. Remove the brownies from the tin, cutting them lengthways into rectangles or small squares.

8. For a touch of Christmas magic, dust with icing sugar.

If you are looking for a new mixer this coming festive season or you have already owned a set of this Bosch MUM 5, remember to send in your "secret" recipe to stand a chance to win the fabulous Bosch Classic Edition Refrigerator shown above. More detail at Bosch official website HERE.

Dim Sum @ Breakthrough Cafe

2011-11-01T11:45:00.000+08:00

Breakthrough Cafe is run by a Christian based aftercare association, which provides skills to ex-convicts who face difficulties in employment due to their criminal record. This cafe is officially launched on the 27th of October 2007 by Associate Professor Ho Peng kee (former Senior Minister of State for Home Affairs and Law). At Breakthrough cafe it offers reformed drug addicts the much needed employment opportunities where they can further their skills and be better prepared in reintegrating into the society.

Other than array of dim sum, they also have homemade dishes such as curry chicken and curry fishhead served bubbling in a claypot which are very popular amongst patrons. And you could choose either bread or rice (or both) to go with it. But since our aim for that day was to try their dim sum I have to give those dishes a pass till my visit.

The four(3 adults plus 1 kid) of us ordered about 10 Dim Sum items plus Black Vinegar Pig Trotter and drinks which add up to a total of S$34.00 which was quite reasonable for it's value. The moment the Century Egg Porridge - 皮蛋粥 (S$3.00 per bowl) arrived I was quite stunned as this is my first time seeing "fishcakes" in dim sum porridge which makes it look so home cooked. We love the smooth texture of the congee which infuse with chicken stock and served with some shredded chicken, fish-cakes, century eggs, fried onions and etc.

Beside porridge we also tried their homemade fragrance "Steamed Glutinous Rice - 糯米饭" (S$2.00 per plate) that comes with generous portion of ingredients such as dried prawns and mushrooms together with their delicious Sambal chilli. Overall the texture of the steamed glutinous rice was still quite good as in not too overcooked or salty.

Similar to most Dim Sum restaurants or eateries, Breakthrough also offers different types of freshly made Chee Cheong Fun - 肠粉(S$3.00 per plate) with fillings such as Char Siew, Scallops and Prawns to meet their customers' preference. Personally I love the accompany sauce of the cheong fun which is fragrant and match with the right seasonings to bring up the taste of the steamed rice roll.

My aunty recommended us to try their Fried Dumplings - 锅贴 (S$4.20 per plate) and Steamed Yam Cake - 芋头糕 (S$1.50 per plate). Surprisingly their fried dumplings are not oily and the skin of the dumplings was crispy and definitely can taste it is made from those handmade dumpling skin. On the other hand, the steamed yam cake was rather good with hint of yam slices in between too.

Their Black Vinegar Pork Trotter - 猪脚醋 (S$6.00 per claypot with rice) is delicious which is not too sour or sweet towards our liking and it would be great to go with some rice during lunchtime as a meal. From a glance during lunch hour that day, I saw quite a number of tables ordered this Pork Trotter and Curry Chicken which I assumed are their signature dishes.

The environment of this cafe is quite comfortable even for a morning/afternoon tea session where you could order their toast and egg set and enjoy some chatting with friends. And most importantly the friendly services definitely added value to the place. To reach this cafe, you could take the North-East Line train and alight at "Chinatown" station, walk towards the exit to People's Park Centre. The cafe is at ground level facing the Singapore Subordinate Court direction.

Breakthrough Cafe

101 Upper Cross Street
#01-02C
People's Park Centre
Singapore 058358
Telephone: +65 6533 5977
Website: HERE

Opening Hours
Monday – Thursday: 7am – 7pm
Friday: 7am - 5pm; Saturday: 7am – 3pm
(Closed on Sun/PH)

Titanic: The Artifact Exhibition @ ArtScience Museum, Marina Bay Sands

2011-10-31T10:27:00.000+08:00

Good news to all Titanic fans, RMS Titanic has arrived in Singapore docking at Art Science Museum(near Marina Bay Sands) where you can go on board the largest Ship in the world for the first time in Southeast Asia.

And for one of the highlight of the exhibition, each visitor is given a boarding pass at the entrance of the gallery to participate as one of the passengers on board the Titanic. And towards the end of the exhibition, you could also check the name written on the back of the boarding pass against those shown at the "Memorial Gallery" to see what had happened to that "passenger" in the story.

ARTSCIENCE MUSEUM

Currently there are two exhibitions held at the ArtScience Museum which are; DALI Mind of a Genius (extended until 13 November 2011) and Titanic: The Artifact Exhibition (from 29 October 2011 to 29 April 2012).

The Museum is at Marina Bay Sands along the Marina Bay waterfront and it is easily accessible via public transport and car. If you are traveling by the MRT, Promenade Station(circle line) is about 10 minutes walk from the station whereas Marina Bay Station(North South Line) will takes you about 15 minutes walk to reach the Museum from the station.

RMS TITANIC IN SINGAPORE

Visitor can grab a copy of this "ArtScience Museum Chronicle" at the Museum's lobby on the ground level where you could read up some highlights about this Titanic Exhibition as well as some fascinating facts. For example:- The full name of the Ship, RMS Titanic actually stands for "Royal Mail Steamer Titanic" because Titanic was also built to carry British and US mail apart from those rich and famous passengers.

HIGHLIGHTS OF THE EXHIBITIONS

The Titanic Artifact Exhibition occupies 2500 square meters of gallery space in ArtScience Museum with 9 different exhibit areas showcasing from the Constructions of Titanic to it's First Class Stateroom, Boiler Room, Iceberg Gallery, Discovery and etc.

In the Iceberg Gallery you can touch a real sheet of ice and experience the freezing waters of the North Atlantic where the passengers of Titanic encountered during the night on 14 April 1912.

Despite whether you have or yet to visit the Titanic Exhibition you could also check out their online Passenger Logbook at www.titanic.sg where visitors to the Exhibition shared about their thoughts on the Titanic experience.

VISITOR INFORMATION

LOCATION
ArtScience Museum (Marina Bay Sands)
10 Bayfront Avenue
Singapore 018956
Official Site: HERE

WHERE TO PURCHASE TICKETS
Online: Marina Bay Sands Ticketing Portal

Ticketing Hotline: +65 6688 8826

Marina Bay Sands Box Offices

~ ArtScience Museum Lobby
~ Hotel Lobby, Tower 1 L1
~ Retail Concierge, The Shoppes L1
~ SkyPark Ticketing Counter, Tower 3 B1
~ Theater, The Shoppes B1

*Note:- 20% discount on admission for all OCBC Credit / Debit Cardmembers

HOURS OF OPERATION

10am to 10pm Daily
Last admission at 9pm

This visit to the ArtScience Museum has being a fruitful trip as we get to see 2 different exhibitions(Titanic plus Dali) for the price of S$21.00 per Adult(with 20% dsicount from OCBC Cardmembers). But as for the downside we are not able to take many photos as photographing and filming are prohibited in the galleries.

Sunset Grill And Pub(Seletar)

2011-10-27T11:53:00.000+08:00

Sunset Grill And Pub is quiet a well-hidden place right behind the Seletar Airbase at 140B Piccadilly Road. Since there is not bus access to that area if you don't drive or take a cab you would have to prepare to walk quite a distance (roughly about 2km) from the entrance of the seletar camp(old entrance). Along the way, upon nearer to the restaurant you will pass by a couple of airplane hangers or jet planes which are quite a sight to recognize (for your information there is a small signboard near the entrance of the hangers showing Sunset Cafe) .

The restaurant has both indoor and outdoor seating area which similar those western country outdoor Al Fresco dining with checker table lining and plastic chairs which so "country style". We arrived at about 6pm on a Saturday evening and all the indoor seating are being fully taken up so we have to join in the outdoor seating which is almost half full.

Our aim for this trip is to try their famous Buffalo Wings which starts from Level 1 - 10 from the menu or it you can have special order from Level 11 - 35 upon request. And anyone who could finished at least one wing of Level 30 or 35 spiciness will have his/her name written on its wall of fame and receive a certificate too.

Since we have tried Level 2 at Buckaroo(read more HERE) we decided to put ourselves to test with their level 5 Buffalo Wings which recommended by my friend Joyce. At the 1st bite the spiciness level was still quite bearable for level 5 and it's only maybe when you have the 3rd bites you would realize the numbness starting to form from your lips onwards. Out of the 6 wings I only managed to conquer two with 30 minutes interval with at least 4 cups of ice water. However to me there is nothing special about these Buffalo Wings except there were deep-fried coated with layers of "HOT" chilli!!!!!!!
Price: Half Dozen Level 5 Buffalo Wings @ S$20.50

To accompany the Buffalo Wings, we also ordered the "BBQ Platter" which comes with serving of half pork ribs rack and half BBQ chicken with fries and some salad green. Overall nothing very special about this set but at least it is still edible.

Although Sunset Grill might seem sort of run-down with wooden tables, plastic chairs and in-accessible location that puts you off but somehow or rather there are still large number of crowds whom are attracted to this country-side style dinning.

Sunset Grill And Pub
140B Piccadilly Road
Seletar Airbase(Republic of Singapore Flying Club), East Camp
Singapore 797754
Telephone: +65 6482 0244

Opening Hours
Daily: 4pm – 11pm; (Closed on Tuesdays)

Buffet Town International Seafood Mixed Grill and Teppan Yaki

2011-10-25T09:44:00.000+08:00

Buffet Town is a pretty new (about 3 months) buffet restaurant located on basement 1 at Raffles City where Shokudo Japanese Food Bazaar used to be. The concept of restaurant is quite similar to Kiseki Japanese Buffet Restaurant at Heeren's where you could see a spread of international food in different allocated stalls with 450 Seating Capacity. And for families with active kids, there is a mini playground where young children (between 2 to 8 years) can enjoy themselves with various games and parents can conveniently watch over them whilst eating too.

About three weeks ago we were there for a lunch buffet on Friday and have to join in a long queue(as there were about more than 50 people in front of us) since I could not get through their Reservation Hotline even after a few days of calling.

After about 45 minutes of queuing time we were finally being bought to our seats which were so cramp due to the overwhelming crowds that afternoon. But since everyone was hungry due to the long waiting hour we decided to start with the food without much complaints.

As my boy cannot find his favourite sushi over at the Japanese Counter he decided to settle with some chicken rice. According to him the rice was a oily and not fragrant compared to the usual one he loves to eat but the accompany chicken was still quite tender and juicy. My aunty and I are both Sashimi lover so after eating the above items shown we both agreed that the Sashimi and cold seafood served are really fresh and definitely worth the price. But on the downside the replenish time was rather slow and a lot of sushi and maki plates were empty each time we went to the Japanese counter.

I was caught by this Rojak Counter while roaming around to check out the different serving counters. My favourite combination of Rojak is always fried fritters(you tiao) with the pairing sauce. But for a chance I decided to try the usual mixed combination and surprisingly the pairing here were rather good and flavorsome too.

You could find Western Food Counters at the right side of the entrance ranging from seafood/mushroom pizza, German sausages, array of pasta cooked according to your choice, soup of the day and etc. And at the back row of the buffet you could also pick up some grilled satay, salmon head, saba fish, king prawns and etc. But bewared of the food from this grilled counter as they are always being snatched off from the serving plates once the cook replenished the items.

After eating all the desire main courses, you can relax at your seats with a cup of freshly brewed coffee/tea or even homemade soya bean milk/beancurd from the beverage counters. To go with your drink, pick your choice of cakes from the Dessert Counters or any waffles or pancake.

Overall Buffet Town has a wide varieties of food which is freshly prepared and served but the only set back is the replenished time of the food is rather a bit slow perhaps due to the overwhelming of crowds or shortage of manpower. If not try to be early and get into the buffet on time in order to sample more choices of food especially those on the Grilled Counter and Japanese Counter. So is like either you get to EAT or you DON'T if you are not fast enough to get the food. Do share with us your dining experience if you have tried Buffet Town before.

Buffet Town International Seafood Mixed Grill and Teppan Yaki

Raffles City, #B1-44E
252 North Bridge Road,
Telephone: (+65) 6837 3793
Website: http://www.buffettown.com.sg/index.html

Operating Hour:
11.30am to 3pm daily (Last order at 2.30pm)
6pm to 10.30pm daily (Last order at 9.30pm)

Pricing for Lunch Buffet:-
Monday to Friday: Adult : $23.80++; *Child : $16.80++
Saturday, Sunday, Eve PH and PH: Adult : $28.80++; *Child : $16.80++

Pricing for Dinner Buffet:-

Monday to Friday: Adult : $33.80++; *Child : $19.80++
Saturday, Sunday, Eve PH and PH: Adult : $38.80++; *Child :$19.80++

*Child age 6 to 12 years old

Prices are subjected to Service Charge and any other prevailing taxes.

Mode of Payment: Cash / NETS / MasterCard / VISA /

Maritime Experiential Museum And Aquarium

2011-10-24T09:15:00.000+08:00

On 15th October 2011, Singapore's first maritime museum, the Maritime Experiential Museum And Acquarium(MEMA) opened its doors at the Resorts World Sentosa. With its unique maritime theme design and interactive exhibits which involve visitors’ participation, the museum has transform from a traditional gallery showcasing Southeast Asia’s maritime trade history.

The museum is divided into 6 zones with an outdoor exhibit showing some historic ships at the harbour behind the museum.

ZHENG HE EXHIBITS
And Bao Chuan Show

Greeting you upon entering the museum will be Admiral Zheng He's massive treasure ship known as "'Bao Chuan" where one can learn about the epic voyages he took from China to the ‘Western Ocean’ as the greatest explorer in Chinese history. There is a short video clip at the open-style theatre where you can watch an animated video about Admiral Zheng He’s voyages from China to the Western Ocean.

LIFE AND TRADE ON THE
MARITIME SILK ROUT
Sealing your very own Passport

Before you entry the Souk, remember to grab hold of a "Passport" in order to chop with the 8 different seal at each ports. And also don't forget the "All Aboard" booklet where you read more about the Life and Trade on the Maritime Silk Route.

THE SOUK(market)

Check out the ports of call at the Souk(market) where visitors could experience the interactive touch-learn-play information panels and various bazaars cultural emporium which Admiral Zheng He explored along the Maritime Silk Routes. Visitors can have some hands-on making Chinese Junks and puppet using the prepared template at the allocated area.

MARITIME ARCHAEOLOGY GALLERY

This gallery houses the museum's first major acquisition of maritime artefacts from the Bakau shipwreck that can be dated back to the early 15th century and showcases a wide array of archaeological finds that traces Singapore's early involvement in the Maritime Silk Route trade.

INTERACTIVE GAMES AT THE GALLERY

For kids or other with more artistic hand you can try creating some virtual pottery on the interactive touch screens available at level B1 near the Archaeology Gallery. Upon finished you can even sent your finished art piece via email to yourself or friends.

HISTORIC SHIP HARBOUR

At the back of the Maritime Museum you can see life-size replica ships such as Javanese jong, an Indonesian borobudur and with 3 others arriving soon. Due to safety purpose the ships are not for passenger boarding at the moment.

We did not visit the 2nd attraction which is known as "Typhoon Theatre" (additional charges applied). But if you are keen you can take your seats on the deck of a ship that's about to sail where a 360-degree screen will immerse you in a breathtaking shipwreck simulation with special effects.

VISITOR INFORMATION

LOCATION
Resorts World Sentosa
8 Sentosa Gateway Sentosa Island
Singapore 098269
Official Site: HERE

ADMISSIONS AND TICKETING

General Museum Admission:

Adult: S$5.00; Child (4 - 12 years) S$2.00; Senior Citizen (65 years and above) S$3.00
*Exclude admission to Typhoon Theatre

Typhoon Theatre Admission:

Adult: S$6.00; Child (4 - 12 years) S$4.00; Senior Citizen (65 years and above) S$3.00
*Exclude admission to Museum

HOURS OF OPERATION
Museum:
Monday to Thursday: 10am - 7pm
Friday to Sunday and P.H: 10am - 9pm

Typhoon Theatre:
Monday to Thursday: 10am - 6pm
Friday to Sunday and P.H:10am - 8pm

{Hawker Food Trail} Ghim Moh Food Centre

2011-10-22T14:34:00.000+08:00

Sometime it is fun to gather a few friends who loves to eat and keen to try different types of food from different locations. And for the month of October, with the opening of the 12 new stations from the Circle Line, Derrick from "SG Food on Foot" has organized a food trail to Ghim Moh Food Centre(CC22 - Buona Vista) whereby we get to try some of the Best Hawker food found within that food centre.

With 16 Adults and 2 Children we conquer 10 different local delights plus 2 dessert with a spending of S$8.00 each Adult. Looking at these spread above I am sure this is a good catch for our October hawker food gathering.

HEAVEN'S INDIAN CURRY
Stall Unit: #01-15
Opening Hours: 6.00am – 2.00pm, Daily

First we have 3 signature dishes from Haven's Indian Curry such as Putu Mayam, Thosai and Appoms. As you can see for both Putu Mayam(vermicelli-like noodles) and Appoms(disc shape with egg in the middle) are served together with some fresh grated coconuts and orange sugar. Personally I love their Appoms which is sort of wafer-thin and super crispy with soft, chewy and slightly sticky central. To eat it you can top with some grated coconut and orange sugar to have different texture and flavour on your each bites.

LIAN HE CARROT CAKE
Stall Unit:#01-30

For your information Lian He Carrot Cake is just beside the Ghim Moh Chwee Kueh mentioned below. Out of the 5 person from our group this plate of fried carrot cake scores 2 votes out of 5. Most of us feel that it is still not well fried with the amount of scramble eggs and dark sweet sauce, perhaps a tiny bit more of minced garlic and chye poh will add extra flavour to this. But for those who prefer your fried carrot cake to be lighter in colour and taste, this might be a good catch if you are staying around that area.

JIU JIANG SHAO LA
Stall Unit: #01-45
Opening Hours: 11am – 7.30pm (Closed on Wed)

Next we try this plate of trio-platter with Roast Pork, Char Siew and Roast Duck from Jiu Jiang Shao La. This is a very common combination that is often ordered by most Singaporean. Out of the 3 items we love the roast duck which comes with a layer of crispy skin laying on top of the juicy and tender duck meat. Other than roast duck I also love their roast pork which is slightly salty but with a crispy outer layer that is simply irresistible.

HAKKA YONG TAU FOO
Stall Unit: #01-14
Opening Hours: 7.30am – 3pm (Closed on Mon)

Although I have read a few good reviews on this stall but then we were quite disappointed with the food we had that day. Their so called "must try" fried tau kwa was very dry and salty which seems to be a bit over fried. Overall the 5 of us in our group don't really like this version of fried Yong Tau Fu, perhaps having them in soup together with noodles/rice will be better choice.

TECK HIN FRIED HOR FUN
Stall Unit: #01-44
Opening Hours: 10am – 3pm, 5pm – 8.30pm (Closed on Mon)

A plate of good beef hor fun is a challenge for the cook as you don't want to have either over/under cooked beef. What you are looking for is a plate of fragrant fried Hor Fun(noodle) with slices of beef that are tender and juicy when eaten. One thing to praise is that the hor fun at this stall are freshly fried and imbued with the char aroma from the wok which makes it so tasty when pairing with whichever choice that you order such as fish, beef or seafood.

GUAN KEE FRIED KWAY TEOW
Stall Unit: #01-12
Opening Hours: 9.30am – 2.30pm (Closed on Mon and Fri)

Guan Kee Fried Kway Teow has the longest queue among all the stalls in Ghim Moh Food Centre and they stall owner insists to fry his Kway Teow plate by plate despite of how many plates you order. We managed to try this "famous" fried kway teow after almost 40 minutes of queuing time and for your information their version is slightly towards the wet version making it making it less greasy and yet moist when eaten.

RONG YUAN COOKED FOOD STALL
Stall Unit: #01-19
Opening Hours: 9.30am – 2.30pm (Closed on Mon and Fri)

Read from ieatishootipost forum that this stall has pretty good chee cheong fun but it was sold out by the time we were there so we have to settle for 2nd alternative which is their Steamed Yam Cake. Surprisingly the texture of these yam cake was soft, fragrant and tasty compared to some other stalls. As you can see it also comes with some peanuts which added extra texture and taste to this dish. And most importantly these yam cake taste really "homemade" with real ingredients instead of more flour less yam.

GHIM MOH CHWEE KUEH
Stall Unit: #01-31
Opening Hours: 6.15am – 7pm, Daily

I love chwee kueh especially the one at Bedok Food Centre because of it soft texture kueh and fragrant fried "chye poh(fried turnip). But if you are hunting for traditional type of chwee kueh this stall at Ghim Moh would be the one that you are searching for. Their chye poh is fried using lard that gives it a traditional taste and unique fragrant like those sold in old school days.

Perhaps we are too used to the usual sweet chye poh and soft steamed kueh, those from our table comments that this traditional flavour tends to be bit salty and dry on the Chye Poh toppings which does not bringing that unique taste of this local snack.

GOLDEN SWALLOW DESSERT
Stall Unit: #01-53

Interesting indeed! These are Tadpole Bo Bo Cha Cha from Golden Swallow Dessert if you are looking for a change on the usual plain Bo Bo Cha Cha! These colourful tadpole balls add bouncy and bursting effect whenever each spoonful is being sent into your mouth. And moreover these fragrant bo bo cha cha soup base are made using freshly squeeze coconut milk which add extra bonus point to this all-time favourite dessert.

Thanks for the great company and food. I am sure everyone enjoys this session and also thanks for all the "professional queuers" who help to queue and buy the food from 8 allocated stalls. Looking forward for the next food gathering in another hawker center soon. Once again Derrick and all those who help to queue for the food.