Miss Tam Chiak | Singapore Food Blog | Best Singapore Food | Singapore Food Reviews

Antoinette (Mandarin Gallery)

2012-06-01T08:00:00.000+08:00

Antoinette is the brain child of Singapore’s renowned pâtissier – Chef Pang’s independent venture, after leaving the Les Amis Group. Drawing inspiration from the last queen of France, Marie Antoinette’s extravagant tastes, this 26-seater salon de thé is definitely one of the best place to enjoy your high tea.

The restaurant has a contemporary Victorian styled décor with dusty pastel-colored palate, European furniture and of course, intricately made-and-molded sweets and pastries. Choosing cakes to eat is difficult because there are more than 18 different cakes, 12 different flavors of macaroons, traditional French pastries and breads and 24 blends of teas. Savory items are also served, but in main-course menu.

I have been here many times, but because the place was very small, dim and full house, I didn't dare to take any photos. Thankfully this time, we went on a day when the restaurant was not full house, I decided I should do a few quick shot of the lovely cakes.

Here we have the Saint Honore L'amour ($8.50) which is a elegant cake tower of red fruit compote and rose petal cream filled with profiteroles, on an almond tart. What's more, you can find a surprise strawberry compote and fresh raspberries hidden in the middle of the cake! I love roses and when my cake has pretty roses (like this one too), it just made my heart melt.

Traditional strawberry shortcake usually comes with biscuits, strawberries and cream. But at Antoinette, Chef Pang created a japanese version of Strawberry Shortcake ($8) where sponge cake is used instead. The cake was soft and fluffy and the Chantilly cream was very light with many fresh strawberries.

I love to eat Mont Blanc, especially the one at Flor Patisserie. I can't help but to compare both of them. Antoinette's Mont Blanc ($8.50) has a light chestnut cream which has a fragrant nutty taste. However, the pastry at the base was too hard and dry on that day.

Here's a shot of the pretty ladies! Thank you Jayne and Gabby for the lovely treat.

Note: Be prepared to wait in line as reservations are not taken here!

Antoinette

Address: 333A Orchard Road, #02-33/34 Mandarin Gallery

Tel: +65 6836 9527

Website: www.antoinette.com.sg

Fullhouse Cafe (Rendezvous Gallery)

2012-05-31T08:00:00.000+08:00

The girlfriends from college gave me a birthday treat at Fullhouse Cafe last weekend. It is a very pretty restaurant with luxurious sofa, korean theme designs etc... On Level 1 of Fullhouse, is a bar that offers a wide selection of alcoholic and non-alcoholic cocktails. On Level 2, is a cozy living room like dining area. Frankly, we didn't like the food very much but the ambience of the place made up for it.

Smooties-Fruities Fish ($22.90) was pan fried butter fish infused with passion berries fruit reduction and sun fried tomatoes. The passion berries fruit reduction was too sweet for my liking.

Pan Seared Seabass ($26.90) was definitely better. It was accompanied with miso cream sauce and tempura oyster mushroom. The oyster mushroom was heavily battered and the seabass was on a bed of spinach which I thought didn't go well together as the spinach was too soft. Perhaps some cauliflower would be better?

Vongole Spaghetti ($16.90) was different there was a stronger chilli flavour than what we usually ate.

Wok-Sear Chicken Chop ($16.90) is grilled chicken thigh served with mashed potato, daily vegetable and black pepper raisin jus. We didn't like the idea of adding raisin into it.

I really don't know why is siew pak choy and dou miao added into this dish. Pan-Sear Dory Fish ($16.90) with siew pak choy, sauteed shitake mushroom and lemon grass cream tasted too healthy for me.

I enjoyed the Ice Korean Jujube Tea ($3.90). In short, it is red dates tea.

Lastly, we had the Waffle with vanilla ice cream which took the service crew very long before they delivered to our table.

Having said all that, though I didn't enjoy the food as much, I enjoy taking photos in the cafe!

Fullhouse Cafe (Rendezvous Gallery)

Address: 9 Bras Basah Road, #02-04 Rendezvous Hotel Gallery

Tel: +65 6336 6328

Thank You Patisserie Framboise!

2012-05-30T21:58:00.000+08:00

I am very blessed.

I have a group of friends whom I knew via blogging / twitter and we became very good friends.

They decided to give me a big surprise by giving me a big cake!

Thank you Jacob and Chloe from Patisserie Framboise who made me a HUGE ISPAHAN after knowing I really like this dessert alot from dinner 1 & dinner 2.

And together with all the foodies, they made me a real huge ispahan to let me gorge myself silly with the cake. This cake is really really pretty that I don't even dare to put a candle on it. I was hoping not to cut it too and just eat it like a normal hamburger! Haha

Thank you Shi Ting, Derrick, Charlene, Celes, Jacob & Chloe!

This is the prettiest cake ever! :)

Happy Birthday to me

2012-05-30T00:00:00.000+08:00

30th May 2012.

The day I turned 26 years old.

It seemed like yesterday when I have just finished my O Levels. But in actual fact, I have already graduated 3 years from university.

Going into my late 20s, ahem, is actually a scary thing. When my aunty used to tell me, once you reach your 20s, time passes very fast. I don't quite understand it then, but now I do. After my 21st birthday, time passes so fast.

By this age, many of my friends may have already reached some goals in their life. For me, I can't think of any big ones, but I think staying happy and doing what I enjoy is the greatest satisfaction already.

Greatest happiness?

Starting Miss Tam Chiak is definitely one of the greatest happiness in my life. Because from here, I have found so many new friends and many of them turned into close pals.

Greatest worry?

Entering into my late 20s, I of course started to worry about getting old. The thought of having MRT lines at the corner of my eyes (i.e wrinkles), getting fat due to overeating, having dry hands and legs is scary. I am learning how to take "ageing" easily. I know it's too young to say it now, but prevention is better than cure right?

Wish?

Anyway, to everyone of you who reads this blog, thank you for being part of this journey. As I celebrate my 26 years of age, my wish for all of you is to stay happy always and I hope to continue make all you hungry.

Lovely comments are welcomed, but if you decided to be mean and comment that I have ugly photo, your comment will just go to trash.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME! :)

Ah-Tai Hainanese Chicken Rice: The Chicken Rice War at Maxwell Road Food Centre

2012-05-29T11:15:00.006+08:00

The man who has been cooking at Tian Tian Hainanese Chicken Rice (#01-10) for more than 20 years has set up his own place – Ah-Tai Hainanese Chicken Rice (#01-07), just three stalls away from his former employer at Maxwell Road Food Centre.

A chicken rice war broke out when the cook behind Tian Tian Chicken Rice, Mr Wong, was sacked last October. Upset at being sacked after 20 years behind the stove, Mr Wong opened his own stall in the same food centre after 4 months later.

After people find out that he has set up shop nearby, many make a beeline for it. Judging from the snaking queues at Ah-Tai Hainanese Chicken Rice when we were there last Saturday for lunch, it seems to be winning.

Taste-wise, Ah-Tai's chicken is more tender, juicy and has a smoother texture, which is definitely better than Tian Tian.

The rice is grainy and fragrant but I felt it was too dry for my liking.

As for the chilli sauce, Tian Tian's chilli sauce is a winner for me because it has more tangy kick. Ah Tai's chilli was much thicker and more spicy.

Prices at Ah Tai starts at $2.50 a plate, compared to $3 at Tian Tian.

So if you are in Maxwell Food Centre, try both chicken rice and compare notes. Tell me which one you like better!

Ah-Tai Hainanese Chicken Rice

Address: 1 Kadayayanallur Street, #01-07 Maxwell Food Centre

Tel: +65 8137 6559

Skyve Elementary Bistro & Bar

2012-05-28T07:00:00.000+08:00

I miss school. I can never forget my time in school, and one of the best moments is definitely the recess time. I remembered in my primary school canteen, there was a 50-cent wanton noodles and 70-cent nasi lemak which I really like. But well, I guess kids nowadays are paying more for their canteen food.

The charm of Skyve Elementary Bistro & Bar lies in its adaptation to its old school surroundings in Winstedt Road, a small road near Newton Circus. Located in the former Monk's Hill Secondary School, the restaurant has incorporated school elements into its concept: paper placements, woonden benches, rocking chairs, mosaic tables... A friend of mine who studied at Monk's Hill told me that Skyve's location is the exact same location as the school's canteen.

The owners of this place previously owned Table 66 but they moved to a bigger location and caters more of a casual dining experience, adding a brunch menu and a bar which was previously absent at Table 66.

Our lunch started with Oyster "Skyvefella" ($30- 1/2 dozen, $56- 1 dozen). These oysters came from Coffin Bay Australia. which was accompanied wiht chives sayce, iberico ham and parmesan biscuit. Yes, the oysters were fresh.

Note: Oyster "Skyvefella" is only available for dinner and bar snacks

I enjoyed Skyve Seared Beef Tartare ($22) which came with truffle miso infused creamy egg yolk and chopped spring onion. The beef was slightly seared at the top, perfect for beef lovers who don't prefer it to be too raw. What you have to do is to mix the beef tartare with egg yolk and spring onions, don't forget the light wasabi mayo at the side, then pair it with the crispy crouton, gives you a burst of flavours!

Chef Vincent Teng is very famous for his sous-vide cooking method and this can be seen in many of the dishes in this restaurant. One of them is the Sous Vide Egg Benedict ($12), which is a favourite in Table 66.

Sous-vide is a modern cooking method where food is sealed in airtight plastic bags in a water bath, at an accurately determined temperature for a long time. The purpose of it is to cook the food evenly, not overcook the outside while still keeping the inside at the same 'doneness' and to keep the food juicier.

Chef Teng said the benedict is cooked at 62.5 degrees over 50 minutes. I exclaimed:"Wah, 62.5 degrees, must be so precise ah!" Chef Teng nodded and said any one degree difference will change the texture of the egg. The golden runny soft poached egg was seated atop of grilled portobello, drizzled with gratinated truffle hollandaise and accompanied with iberico ham, spinach salad and confit of cherry tomato. I am impressed.

I thought the Egg Benedict was a winner already. But when Sous Vide Spring Chicken ($32) came, I changed my mind. Perhaps it was my love for numbers, the first question I asked Chef was,"So what temperature and how long this time?" I thought he won't be able to remember so many numbers, but I was shocked when he replied so quickly,"75 degress calsius for 3 hours." Ok, Chef is also a mathematician!

This spring chicken was amazing! Well marinated with lemon myrtle spice, sous vide and grilled to prefection. The meat had fall-off-the-bone tender and moist, while retaining the flavour of the chicken. Accompanied by cream corn & brocollini, and drizzled with chicken jus reduction, what more can I ask?

Happiness is when there are so much good food in a meal! This is one of the BEST Confit of Duck Leg ($34) I had tasted. The skin was golden and crispy, and the meat can be easily removed from the bone. The duck leg came with maple caramelised seasonal root vegetables, a uniquely sweet side dish.

If this is too much meat for you, Skyve also offers vegetarian options. The Vegetarian Beet Burger ($30) is made with beef patty, melted aged cheddar cheese, lettuce, gherkins and sliced tomatoes. The patty has the same chewiness as normal meat patty, but it was sweeter and had a smoked aroma. It was served with truffle fries.

The Ricotta Hotcakes ($12) were light and fluffy. It comes with caramelized almond flakes and passionfruit butter, which is not my to my liking. I still prefer the traditional maple syrup and butter. Just plain and simple.

Note: Ricotta Hotcakes is available for breakfast and weekend brunch

Last but not least, the Homemade Maple Ice Cream ($12) in between two old school wafers. It comes with caramelized apple infused with cinnamon and fleur de sel.

Skyve runs from 8.30am to 8pm on weekdays without any break in between. So if you feel like ~~skyving~~ having a break from work, they have half pints Hoegaarden and Stella Artois on tap at $5 and 1-for-1 housepour wines and champagne by the glass, featuring 3 types of red and white housepours from $12 per glass.

SKYVE ELEMENTARY BISTRO & BAR

Address: 10 Winstedt Road, Blk E #01-17

Tel: +65 6225 6690

Opening hours: Tue to Fri: 8.30am – 12am; Sat, Sun & PH: 10am – 12am (Closed on Mon)

Websote: www.skyve.sg

Food Revolution Singapore ended with a BLAST!

2012-05-27T10:08:00.000+08:00

So, Food Revolution Singapore held at The Lawn ended with a blast last Saturday (19 May 2012)! It was a fun day, catching up with old friends, meeting new friends, learning more about food and eating good food! I was supposed to be involved in the planning but I was swamp with work so I didn't do much except for getting involved in the PR scope. :(

Sponsors (baked and eaten, LoveRedDragon, Naturel Living, Mekhala and Soyato) have booths just outside The Lawn, where their wares will be available for sale. 100% of net funds raised through Food Revolution Day will go to food education projects in the UK, US and Australia.

Look! The kids are enjoying Soyato frozen soy dessert!

Here is the chef who blogs, Rayner (hisfoodblog), doing his cooking demo - Kung Pao Prawns!

Thank you Fijiwater for sponsoring us water! Look, even little tigger loves it! :D

And we played some games with the audience. There was also Asia’s No. 1 beatboxer, Shawn Lee, taking the stage, while band members from Acoustic Sunday provide food for the soul throughout the event.

The Travelling Dietician sharing some nutritional tidbits.

Here is Mervyn from Cookyn Inc showing us how to cook Brown Rice Salad with Naturel's brown rice.

Everyone has a share!

Look at Calvin and Nicole, busy tweeting and taking photographs!

If you want to try make the brown rice salad at home, here's a recipe from Cookyn Inc. Very simple!

Brown Rice Salad with Tiger Prawns and Orange Wedges

(Serves 10 small portions or 5 regular portions)

Ingredients:

1 cup of cooked organic brown rice

3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil

1 orange

Juice of 1⁄2 lemon

1 tomato

50gm of French beans (blanched)

1⁄2 large red onion, sliced thinly

50gm of corn kernels

Small bunch of chives, minced

Small bunch of coriander, chopped roughly

Salt and pepper to taste

10 prawns, peeled and deveined

1 tablespoon of canola oil

Directions for preparation:

1. Preparing of ingredients

- Squeeze juice of lemon in to large mixing bowl

- Slice onions and place into lemon juice for 10 minutes (this reduces the harshness of the onions).

- Peel oranges and remove the meat segments into the same bowl.

- Dice the tomatoes and add to fruit.

- Remove ends of French beans and cut to about 1 cm in length each.

- Mince chives.

2. Cooking the prawns

- Add 1 tablespoon of oil to a pan on medium high heat.

- Place prawns in pan, making sure to avoid overcrowding pan. Season with salt and pepper and sear till browned, before flipping and repeating.

3. Mixing of salad

- In a big mixing bowl, mix all the ingredients except the prawns and coriander.

4. Plating

- Plate into small dishes and garnish with seared prawns and coriander.

My first shopping experience with Jipaban

2012-05-26T10:00:00.000+08:00

Hello world, I haven't been blogging much because I have been really busy keeping up with the Hougang by election for the past 2 weeks.

I just started my Jipaban account and bought a lovely piece of Ruffle Strap Back Top. After having it shipped, I was so excited that I asked a friend if he could help me take some photos.

This is my virgin photoshoot and I am so happy that it turned out well! I have also brought some clothes for the photoshoot but I shall not disclose the photos for the time being. I only edit some colours and brightness, no photoshop done on my features.

I am heading for a staycation this weekend and I am so excited!

Hope you like my photo! :)

Bama - The Longevity Village Part 2 (Final)

2012-05-25T14:35:00.003+08:00

Continuing with my Bama post, on the second day, we went to the well-known 百魔天坑 Baimo Tiankeng which is famous for the special karst landform.

The earth’s magnetism here is 0.58 gauss which is twice the ordinary value. It is believed that an appropriate geomagnetic environment is will good for blood circulation and encourages a low rate of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular disease and the electromagnetic waves bring a better quality of sleep.

Why are there so many people in Bama who live such a long life? Are there some secrets?

According to scientists, Bama is in a remote area with few factories or pollution. Especially in Baimo Tiankeng, the air in the area is SO CLEAN! The negative oxygen ions are per 3000 cubic centimeter along the river side which is 10 times the average value in big cities.

Many people who are sick will come here for a retreat. Stay here for a month or so and then go back. And when they don't feel well again, they will come back. Everytime I breathe in, I feel so sleepy and so much lighter! Looks like it's time I come here for a retreat to run away from the stressful life in Singapore. haha!

The villagers are selling some food outside Baimo Tiankeng.

Then we went to second part of Baimo Tiankeng where there were colourful stones and fossils formation.

The river flows through a karst landscape and therefore the water is rich in calcium carbonate and as a PH value of between 7-8. Weak alkaline ionized water can help maintain the acid-base balance of blood and bodily fluids makes the body more effective in resisting bacteria, viruses, inflammation and disease. Many people come here to collect the spring water.

Next, we visited the 水波天窗 Shuibo TianChuang (or called 名百鸟岩 BaiNiaoYuan). The guide for this cruise is a very funny guy who sings very well.

Entering into the cave is like enterting to a different world. Some parts of it is bright and some part of it is in complete darkness. So people always say, going into ShuiBo TianChuang is like experiencing 3 days and 3 nights.

Last but not least, we visited the Ren Shou Village (人寿山庄) which has a rich cultural landscape. We were first greeted by the pretty Yao Zhu ladies where they offered us their house wine.

Pretty hor?

Dinner was served!

No, this is not nasi bryani. They eat so healthily, this is steam corn rice!

And of course the usual huoma soup, which is believed to be one of the reasons for their longevity.

Some yummy fish snacks

There were alot of vegetables on the table. But because all of us were very hungry. I didn't have the time to shoot all of them!

Some steamed chicken which was very boney.

And a lovely plate of tou fu.

The main programme for the night was the campfire which they had specially prepared for us. There was performances by the crew, singing beautiful yao tunes and us playing some blindfold games.

We even had a bamboo dance!

We ended off the night will us dancing around the campfire. I love campfire sessions like this, reminded me of my time in Girl Guides. And obviously felt like a kid again while dancing and playing the games.

Bama is really a special town. Each year, many people visit to bama and stay for a while in the hope of becoming more healthy and prolonging their life. The elderly people are like a living history book and are living treasures.

The people of the area do mostly labor intensive work while their food is quite simple and vegetables are a large part of the diet. Their simple life is quiet and stress free.

Now I am hoping to visit that place again...

For Bama post Part 1, click here.

Bama - The Longevity Village Part 1

2012-05-24T14:36:00.002+08:00

JetStar Asia has lately launched a new service to Nanning, where it operates twice weekly service on board Airbus A320 aircraft. So I joined ASA Holidays to take this flight to Nanning, and visited Bama (巴马) - the longevity village.

Bama is a small county located in the southwest of China. It is also the holy land of longevity. More than 80 people who live here are above 100 years old and is one of the longevity villages in China.

Pingan village is the village with the greatest number of elderly people. It is surrounded by green hills and the clear Panyang River. Six of the villagers are above 100 years old.

The oldest centenarians in the village, which is also the only men, is Huang Bu Xin (黄卜新) who is 113 years old (MY GOSH!). He took part in the revolutionary movement when he was young. He was the postman. When we were there, he showed us his photos in the magazine. He has 5 generations of family members and many people visit him each day.

Then, I visited Huang Ma Gan (黄妈干) who is 106 years old. She has a sister who is about 103 years old but they are not real sisters. Both of them marry to the same husband, but they are often call as 姐妹花 in the village. Unfortunately, the sister fell down last year and her actions were limited. But Huang Ma Gan still looks very youthful and does simple housework sometimes.

Visitors who visit the centenarians will give them a small ang bao to wish them longevity and good health. These chirpy centenarians will then touch your forehead and say “健康长寿”, hereby wishing you the same too!

The villagers set up stalls on the street to sell some of their farm goods.

Because we were rushing to the next destination, we decided to walk by the shortcut by crossing this super rocky bridge. Sorry no photos of me because my legs were vibrating and I held onto the tour guide's hands to cross the bridge. Thank goodness these photos weren't blur!

We stayed in a Bama Holiday Villa (巴马华昱假日酒店, 新建路368号. Tel: +86778 6096888) which is a relatively new hotel in the city. So lunch was back in the hotel. Besides the hotel, the company also has a organic farm.

We first had a glass of warm organic pumpkin drink（南瓜汁）which was very thick and sweet.

Fragrant Pig, Oil Fish and Huoma are the three famous longevity treasures in Bama. Huama Soup (火麻芥菜汤，57RMB) tasted like some sesame soup. I drank lotsa of it so that I will live longer! haha

These are the two coloured pork, one is roasted and one is steamed. (正宗双色香猪，138RMB)

Sweet red dates are wrapped with glutinous rice. (糯香金钱枣，57RMB)

And this is vegetable pancakes. (所略野菜饼，28RMB)

There were a lot more dishes but I only shot some. Steam fish which was very fresh! (黄蜂鱼，156RMB)

Bama is a very small town and they only have one main road that links to the city, the village and everywhere else. So after lunch, we visited the organic farm ( 广西巴马华昱农业公司有机农场).

There is even a pretty white rose!

Then we took an hour ride on a bamboo boat to tour around the Panyang River (阳河吸氧漂游).

Trust me, this is one of the best thing. The water was so calming, and as we slowly sail past the mountains and trees, there breeze was so cooling that I nearly well asleep. The water is not polluted, everything is so beautiful. And every breath I take in, has a huge amount of oxygen!

Dinner was at a villager's house. This is one of the attractions of Bama, to let tourists get involved in the life of the village and to make friends with the villagers. The villagers will have a shop selling some Bama products, and on the second floor, that is where the villagers live.

They don't lock their doors because they trust and have a friendly relationship with neighbours. And usually they will close their shops at 7plus, and spend time with their family at night or have a dance night where all the neighbours will gather to dance in their pyjamas! :)

Dinner is definitely not the most fantastic but it feels reall great to have a taste of their home cooked food! We have the french beans here.

And the salted vegetables which is very salty but goes well with rice.

And each of us had a bowl of big pork bones soup.

Stir fried corn

Scrambled eggs with tomatoes, which we eat almost every meal!

They seldom eat meat but because we were guests, so they served us meat.

My 2 days in Bama felt like a very healthy retreat for me. The people here are friendly and the air is very fresh. In the next post, I will bring you to the most famous mountain in Bama, Baimo Tiankeng. :)

ThaiExpress (United Square)

2012-05-23T08:00:00.000+08:00

I clearly remembered the first time I went ThaiExpress. It was during my college days when a friend brought me there for lunch after school and introduced me to Soft Shell Crabs. Since then, we would go ThaiExpress for lunch almost every week and eat their soft shell crabs. Then somehow, when I grew older and get involved in the local culinary scene, food in ThaiExpress didn't impress me anymore.

But lately, when I went ThaiExpress for meals, I was surprised. Very surprised indeed, because their menu was different (as compared to 10 years ago) and their food was not bad!

ThaiExpress has just launched a series of new menu additions where 9 ThaiExpress outlets (Citylink, Iluma, Kallang Leisure Park, Kovan Heartland Mall, Marina Square, Plaza Singapura, Siglap Springvale, United Square and West Coast Plaza) each features 2 exclusive dishes. These dishes are inspired by the authentic flavours of Thailand using the chef's secret recipe.

The United Square outlet features Kra Phroa Poo Nim ($10.90) which is my favourite soft shell crab with Chef's Famous Kra Pro Thai Sauce. The crab was crunchy yet when you chewed into it, it was juicy.

Phat Mee Thai Von ($13.90) is stir fried rice noodles with fresh prawns in tamarind juice and grounded chilli, complete with a perfect omelette. It was tasty and savory.

Of course, we had the award winning Masaman Chicken Curry with Thai-style Pancake ($12.90) which is enjoyably hearty. All you have to do it to dip the thai style pancake into the curry to soak in all the goodness of spices used or devour the tender juicy chicken cooked to perfection as they taste as good even on its own. But note that this dish is very lemak, so it may not appeal to some of you.

Yam Neua Yang ($8.90) or beef salad is the best appetizer for such a hot day. The smoky grilled beef cubes are blended with the light salty flavour of fish sauce, lime juice, onion, chilli and fragrant mint, it is explosive and addictive.

OK. THIS IS THE MOST SPICY DISH IN THAIEXPRESS.

Outlet manager, Cynthia, dared us to try the Gai Phat Pet Ched Nam Ta ($10.90), the most spicy dish in Thai Express (with 4 stars), of course we took up the challenge. Of course, Cynthia asked the chef to cut down on the spiciness but...

IT IS STILL VERY VERY VERY HOT & SPICY.

This plate of Rice with yellow ginger chicken is said to chase the wind away. I think it is the chilli seeds that caused the spiciness. I only ate one small bite and I was already sweating and drinking alot of water. My gosh, how can something be that spicy! But I have to admit that, though it was very spicy, it was very addictive. We were just tempted to eat it again and again despite having to drink many cups of water after each bite.

Looking at us sweating, Cynthia offered another dish: Tau Hoo Na Kung ($7.90), which is layered tofu with minced shrimp paste. These tofu were indeed soft and crispy.

This is a MUST TRY dessert in ThaiExpress: Green Emerald Thai Lod Chong ($4.90). Forget about the usual Chendol, these silky smooth chendol strains are handmade with concentrated pandan juice, hence giving a jade green colour.

The chendol strains are very very soft and fragrant, served with rich coconut milk and an extra bite from tropical atap seed. It is a tedious process to create the perfect texture of chendol strains. The chef has to keep stirring until the mixture became thick. It is then pass through the colander where the green noodles will hit the cold water and cool down.

A very simple and traditional recipe, yet it is something so fragrant. MUST MUST MUST TRY!

ThaiExpress (United Square)

Address: 101 Thomson Road #02-06/07 United Square

Tel: +65 6258 2812

Website: http://www.thaiexpress.com.sg

Bento #10: Angry Bird Bento

2012-05-22T09:35:00.000+08:00

Please don't laugh at me.

I tried to make a Angry Bird Bento and this is what I have done. I used tomato sauce for the orange angry bird, it was difficult to stick the white and orange rice together, because after I spent some time to take the photos, the rice turned cold already.

I didn't know there is no more cheese in my fridge. Plus I was too lazy to go down to the supermarket to get a pack, so I decided to use mayonnaise sauce for the eyes. But it was definitely not a good idea because the mayonnaise would smudge. But it was a good replacement because only Uncle loves cheese but not the rest of us in the family.

Sadly, my green pigs were too green. If it was lighter, it would look better. Corn was used as the fortress for the green pigs to protect themselves from the angry bird. Hope you enjoy looking at my Angry Bird Bento. I consider this a big project for an ametuer like me. I will work harder for a better looking bento next time!

If you need the step by step guide, click here.

Caffe B - Best Tiramisu in Town!

2012-05-21T01:06:00.002+08:00

Caffe B is one of the stunning italian restaurant in Marina Bay Sands. It used to serve Italian cuisine infused with hints of Japanese inspiration. But now, the restaurant focuses solely on serving modern italian delicacies.

The dining room combines the sleek lines of modern furniture and the curves of interior archways with a mix of textured concrete walls with fine Italian wines. Follow the staircase to the second floor, which features a bar that opens to an outdoor patio, where guests enjoy a grand view of Marina Bay.

Lunch started with a basket of warm Focaccia and Olive Dip.

My lunch started with antipasti, which is a Classic Beef Carpaccio ($28). Angus beef tenderloin was thinly sliced and complemented with rocket salad, sliced Mushroom, shaved parmesan, extra virgin olive oil, salt flakes, black pepper with mustard and lemon dressing. The mustard and lemon dressing was too little, couldn't really taste much of it. But I guessed that's because the chef didn't want the dressing to snatch the attention of the beef.

I actually preferred the Fresh Live Boston Lobster Salad ($42) more than the beef carpaccio, perhaps that was because it has more texture. The lobster salad was marinated in light sicilian lemon cream and saffron topped with caviar pearls and tarragon gentle foam. Well executed!

Food always taste better when shared. Ai Frutti di Mare ($45 per pax, min 2 pax) is a plate of perfectly cooked spaghetti with scampi, mussels, clams, prawns, squid and octopus in fresh sicilian tomato sauce with basil, black pepper and chili. Freshness and quality of the seafood shone through. But personally for me, I prefer the spaghetti to be cooked more al dente, the one I had was too watery.

I heard their squid ink tonnarelli is a must try in this restaurant. I shall be back to try it next time!

I like to eat a variety of things in a plate. But when that happens, I often take a long time to decide which one to eat first. Thankfully, Trio Vegetarian Ravioli ($38) only has 3 types of ravioli, so I don't have to think very long.

I am not a fan of cheese, so I am quite happy that they didn't make me eat a whole plate of cheese. I first started with the spinach one, because that looked the safest to me. Then, i pop the spinach and ricotta ravioli into my mouth because of the tomato sauce. Lastly, I tried the pumpkin ravioli as I assumed that pumpkin would most probably be covered by the cheese. But thankfully, I dipped it into the green spinach and cheese sauce, which definitely tasted better.

Caffe B seems to be quite particular with the sauce that goes with the dish. Grilled Sea Bass Fillet ($43) was accompanied by sauteed baby spinach and purple mashed potatoes with fennel and orange scent drizzled with rosemary citrus butter sauce. The rosemary citrus butter sauce added a refreshing touch to the sea bass fillet, and the fish was moist.

The Grilled Kurobuta Black Pork Loin ($43) was expertly prepared with green apples and 25 years aged authentic modena balsamic vinegar. The balsamic vinegar absolutely enhanced the flavour of the kurobuta pork. They should drizzle more balsamic vinegar into the pork!

The soft and smooth Yuzu Lemon Pudding ($16) was served with fruits and vanilla raspberry and ginger chocolate sauce.

If you come to Caffe B and never try their classic Tiramisu ($18), it will be a wasted trip for you. THIS IS THE BEST TIRAMISU for me. Each layered biscuits was soaked in espresso and Amaretto, topped with fresh mascarpone cream. You don't get a very strong alcohol taste, but instead you will get a burst of coffee aroma with moist and slight buttery biscuits. MUST TRY!

Caffe B offers a Express Business Lunch at only $38++. Busy executives will enjoy a 3 course meal with the promise to serve within a time span of 25 minutes. It is great for anyone who has only little time for lunch but want some good quality Italian fare! There are 4 main courses to choose from, you will be spoilt for choice!

Caffe B

Address: 10 Bayfront Avenue, #B1-15 The Shoppes @ Marina Bay Sands

Tel: +65 6887 3311

Website: http://www.caffeb.com.sg

Recipe: Pineapple Chicken

2012-05-20T10:00:00.000+08:00

After my blog post about Karen's Pineapple Chicken, readers have emailed me to ask me for Karen's Pineapple Chicken recipe. I guess it really looks so good that some of you wanted to try it at home.

Sweet Karen gladly agreed to share the recipe when I asked her for it. This definitely look more difficult than the pork trotters because it involves slicing the pineapples. But all efforts worthwhile because we have double serving of rice! (ok, half the credit goes to the vinegar pork trotters too lah!)

* Justin's mummy, if you are reading this, remember to show it to Justin and get the boy to cook for you! Don't forget to invite us down for dinner tasting! :D

PINEAPPLE CHICKEN

Ingredients:

Chicken thigh (4 pieces chopped) or one whole chicken

Cornstarch - 2 teaspoon

Sesame Oil - 2 tablespoons

Soy sauce - 1 tablespoon

Dry sherry wine - 1 1/2 teaspoon

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

3 table spoons of Oyster Sauce

1/2 cup of water

1/4 water with 2 teaspoon of cornstarch (mix together)

One whole fresh pineapple (Sarawak Pineapple or Dole)

Directions

GETTING READY
1) Cut it chicken pieces into chunks. (you can use chicken thigh or a whole chicken)
2) In a bowl, mix together cornstarch, sesame oil the soy sauce and sherry
3) Add the chicken pieces and coat well.
4) Leave to marinate for 15 minutes.
5) Cut pineapples in chunks.

MAKING
7) Heat the rest of the oil in the wok
8) Add chicken into the pan.
9) Cook over a fairly high heat for 5 minutes, stirring constantly.
10) Add the pineapple pieces to the wok, oyster sauce, water, brown sugar, cornstarched water mixture and cook for a further 30 minutes and continually turning the chicken over and let it simmer.
11) When the chicken is golden brown, adjust seasoning and cook for a further 5 minutes.

SERVING
12) Serve with steam rice.

THANK YOU KAREN, MY LOVELY FRIEND! :)

Food Revolution Singapore - Bring food education back

2012-05-19T09:30:00.000+08:00

Disclaimer: This is not an advertorial. I am not paid to do this.

If you are a food lover, come and join us at Food Revolution Day TODAY at The Lawn!

This is a chance for people who love food to come together to share information, talents and resources; to pass on their knowledge and highlight the world’s food issues. There'll be cooking demos (by Chef Blogger hisfoodblog and Mervyn from Cookyn Inc), food photography and healthcare talks, as well as a food competition.

Sponsors (baked and eaten, The Gourmet Pie Company, LoveRedDragon, Mekhala, and Soyato) will have booths just outside The Lawn, where their wares will be available for sale. 100% of net funds raised through Food Revolution Day will go to food education projects in the UK, US and Australia.

For entertainment, you'll see Asia’s No. 1 beatboxer, Shawn Lee, taking the stage, while band members from Acoustic Sunday provide food for the soul throughout the event.

All around the globe, people will work together to make a difference. BE PART OF IT TODAY!

What: Food Revolution Day Singapore

When: 19th May 2012, 4:00pm – 8:00pm

Where: The Lawn, 31 Biopolis Way, Nanos, #01-07, Singapore 138669

SEE YOU THERE! :)

Hai Siang Joo Seafood Restaurant - Good Cze Char in Tuas

2012-05-17T22:59:00.001+08:00

Saturday evening.

Up on a cab at Jurong Point, "Uncle, to Tuas please."

Uncle: "Tuas? What are you guy going there for?"

Us:"WE ARE GOING TUAS FOR DINNER."

That's right, you never hear me wrong. We went Tuas for dinner.

Are we mad? I think we are!

Friend Lisa's dad has a cze char restaurant in Tuas. I have been saying for ages that I will arrange for a makan session there but I procrastinated again and again (sorry!). So about one year later, I decided to put this to plan and 11 of us went for dinner at Hai Siang Joo Seafood Restaurant（海湘裕益食家）.

Set in a large coffee shop in a factory area, Hai Siang Joo has been around for 18 years and counting. It serves down to earth style of seafood with a slight twist in the dishes.

Not shark's fin soup. It is Fish Maw Soup ($4/bowl). Each bowl of soup has a generous serving of prawns, mushrooms, fish maw and many other ingredients. Cooked in a superior broth, this soup is packed with flavours.

If there is one must try dish here, it is definitely the Crystal Hor Fun ($8, $12, $16). These transparent kway teow are actually fen pi（粉皮）. These thin round sheets resemble rice paper, but they're made with mung bean starch and used as noodles. Full of prawns and squid, the dish is rounded off with fried eggs and bean sprouts, and evenly coated with a fragrant XO sauce. There is much wok hei in the hor fun and it is slightly spicy. Tastes good!

Hai Siang Joo has built up a repertoire of dishes that are unconventional. Take for example, the sweet & sour pork that we usually have in cze char stall. At Hai Siang Joo, we have Sweet & Sour Shell-less Prawns ($24, $30, $40) instead. The crisp yprawns are coated with sweet and sour sauce. Since the prawns are deshelled, I am sure kids will love this!

All meat tastes better when cooked on the bone and pork is no exception. Another must try dish here is the Special Braised Pork Ribs with Flat Buns ($12, $24). Painstakingly braised for 4 hours, every bite of the meat is tender and succulent. The savoury sauce with pineapple slices was a refreshing take on the dish. Definitely worth the calories!

Instead of having kung pao chicken, they serve Kung Pao Shell-less Prawns ($24, $30, $40) too!

My favourite dish for the night is Steamed Pomfret with Nonya Sauce ($6/100g). Cooking nonya dishes is labour intensive because it involves alot of spices to give a combination of flavours. But it's all worth the effort because we finished the dishes. But I actually prefered seabass with nonya sauce, because the pomfret has a stronger fish smell (it is still fresh, just that I don't like pomfret's fish smell). Each fish meat is smothered in the bath of sourish, spicy and tangy spices which gives a wow factor.

Stir fried Dou Miao ($12, $18, $24) is from Taiwan and definitely a rare find here, hence the price if more pricey. There is no need to additional sauce or ingredients, just eat it as it is and you will be able to taste its simplicity.

Last but not least, the Black Pepper Crab ($4.50/100g). The flesh were firm, chunky, juicy and sweet. The black pepper sauce was finger-licking good and savoury. The sauce was nicely done with a good balance of sweetness and spiciness.

Here's a shot of us!

If you're early, you can try catching the brilliant sunsets at Tuas before dinner to make it worth your while. There are ample number of tables indoors and outdoors. Reservations not needed.

By the way, Lisa makes lovely cupcakes here!

Hai Siang Joo Seafood Restaurant

Address: 29 Tuas West Avenue, Pioneer Food Village

Tel: +65 6863 3651

Opening Hours: 11.00am - 2.30pm, 5.00pm - 10.00pm

Dinner at Karen's (with Vinegar Trotters Recipe)

2012-05-15T08:00:00.000+08:00

After the last makan at Karen's house, I was craving for her Stewed Beef with Red Wine and Mixed Vegetables so much that I was asking when can I pop over again! The lady then decided to arrange another makan, but this time, she decided to prepare VINEGAR TROTTERS (猪脚醋) instead!

There were actually 2 highlights for dinner that one. One of them would be the Pineapple Chicken. No, these pineapples weren't from the can. They were fresh pineapples, cooked with chicken for a long time. The tender chicken absorbs the sweetness from the pineapple, it was delicious!

Of course, dinner was not all meat. We had Claypot Vegetables too, with my favourite tau pok!

And a plate of Fried egg with long beans.

Now the star of the night: VINEGAR PIG'S TROTTERS! This dish is usually cooked for women's confinement tonic, but this is a dish everyone loves!

The recipe calls for pig’s trotters stewed for hours in a pot with black rice vinegar. The pig’s trotters (aka pork knuckles) are so soft and tender after the slow cooking in the tasty sweetened black vinegar. The vinegar broth is not acidic at all, but instead, sweet and warm.

The vinegar trotters is so good that all of us called for a second serving of rice to go with it! OH MAN, THIS WOMAN CAN REALLY COOK! Now I hope I would stay in West Coast so that I can pop over her house frequently for dinner! *hiak hiak*

If you are not vegetarian and can stomach the thought of eating trotters, I urge you to try this recipe.

Stewed Pork Trotters in Sweet Vinegar

Ingredients:
1.2kg old ginger
1 bottle (750ml) Bull Dog/Chan Kong Thye black rice vinegar
3.75 litre water
500g black sugar
2-3 pig trotters
500 grams of pork belly
1 tsp sesame oil

Method:
1. Boil the trotters and pork belly for about 10 minutes. Wash them under cold running water to remove the scum. You might want to check the skin for bristles. Use tweezers to remove the hairs if there are any.

2. Remove skin of old ginger and wash. Drain well. Heat wok, add sesame oil and sautee ginger until fragrant.

3. In a pot, pour in the black vinegar, water, black sugar, and the ginger, boiled trotters and pork belly. Allow it to boil for 15 mins and then simmer for about 2 hours. If you like eggs, you can prepare some hard boiled eggs, remove the shells, add into the vinegar gravy and allow to boil. Leave aside to cool and serve.

Thank you Karen for sharing the recipe! :)

Here's a happy shot of us!

Dann's Daily - Singapore's First Pescetarian Cafe (with The Best Steamed Cakes in Town!)

2012-05-14T08:28:00.004+08:00

I first knew about the term "pescetarian" when I met this lady during a food tasting session. I wanted to offer her some beef but she politely rejected and told me that she was on pescetarian diet.

"Pres... Presca...what?" The word "Pescetarian" is quite a mouthful to handle. She tried to explain the term to me but I was all too busy eating my steak and grew my own conclusions, "So it's vegetarian lah!"

Of course, I was being ignorant.

Then, I came across the term while reading a food blog in US and realized that pescetarian diet is slighting different from vegetarian. While it shares many of its components with a vegetarian diet and includes vegetables, fruit, nuts, grains, beans, eggs, and dairy, but unlike a vegetarian diet, pescetarian also includes fish and shellfish.

And where can we get to try a pescetarian dish? Of course at Dann's Daily!

The owner of Dann's Daily, Chris, began doing PR and marcomm many years back. When she gave birth to her son (named Dann), she realised the little boy loves whole wheat bread, brown rice and alkaline water. So she researched on "pescetarian" diet and created many recipes to plan her son's diet. Gradually, this passion slowly snowballed into an idea and eventually, she set up a pescetarian cafe with her husband, Xing.

Many of our kids grow up overweight and malnourished from a diet of process foods. Inspired by Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution Movement (click here to read about Food Revolution Singapore), Dann's Daily uses fresh and natural ingredients using fuss-free cooking methods.

Nestled in the old neighbourhood of Bedok, the cafe started 2 years back. They did a menu revamp recently and introduced alot of new pescetarian dishes.

I started my dinner with a glass of Soy Chia Chia ($7). Very unique name indeed, it is actually made of soy and chia seeds, which are the richest plant source of Omega-3. Okay, this is my first time hearing about chia seeds. Apparently, it is very popular for weight loss because it reduces food craving.

So chia seeds are added in, they are very similar to almond seeds, some of them when mix with water turns into jelly and some remains crunchy. So one sip of this drink has a combination of texture, one soft and the other "pok-pok-pok" sound.

If you are wondering why is this drink brown instead of the usual white soya bean colour, it is because organic carob syrup has been added. Another new term! Basically, it tasted somewhat similar to soya sauce but it is NOT soya sauce. This versatile syrup is rich in calcium and contains less calories and 17 times less fat than chocolate! It can be used as bread dips or drink or dessert or even the sauce for noodles!

Amazing, isn't it? One drink and I learn two new things. But well, I guess it is an acquired taste lah. You have to love the soya sauce taste combined with some soft jelly texture and "pok-pok-pok"chia seeds. It is complicated.

They also served Teecino (never hear before once again), which is a fabulous NO-CAF coffee alternative, made with roasted almond, dates and figs. Very unique!

Next up, Organic Quinoa / Millet / Black Rice Salad ($8). Quinoa, another health food, is not a common item in most kitchens today. It is an amino acid-rich (protein) seed that has a fluffy, creamy, slightly crunchy texture and a somewhat nutty flavor when cooked.

Cooked it with millet (which is gluten free, alkaline and packed with vitamins and minerals) and black rice (high in nutritional value, rich in iron and fibre), VERY HEALTHY.

Okay, I shan't flood you with more nutritional facts I found. Let's go for something more ordinary and supper yummy Otah Japanese Cucumber Sandwich ($5). There is premium otah with fish meat chunks. paired with japanese cucumber and organic whole wheat bread for a perfect marriage.

Fish lovers will enjoy a classic gingery Fish Soup ($10). With an additional $2, you can add in QQ noodles and choose to have your noodles dry or in the soup. We had ours in dry version and I like it very much as it was tossed with organic carob syrup.

Vegetarian Salad ($7) comes with pumpkin patty. No gluten is added, they used zucchini to hold the patty instead.

Whole grains give you energy to let you last longer in a day. That's why Dann's Daily's tortillas came in the form of whole wheat! Toasted Wholewheat Tortilla Set A ($15) is wrapped with premium white fish and mushroom cheese, and served with a side salad and chips. It is crisp on the outside, moist on the inside.

Finally, let me introduce to you THE STAR of this cafe: STEAMED CUPCAKES (aka huat kueh)!

Chris is always an avid baker. Being in the marketing and PR line for so long, Chris always seek to do something creative in any thing she does. Even for the cafe, instead of baking normal cupcakes, she was inspired by her mother's Huat Kueh and decided to come up with steamed cake instead.

Trust me, this is THE BEST STEAMED CAKES IN TOWN! They are made of real fresh ingredients and used only organic raw sugar and grapeseed oil used for quality, density and moisture.

The best selling steamed cake is none other than Gula Melaka ($3). No worries if you’re lactose intolerant as Chris uses soy milk, which is less fattening, along with organic raw sugar and unbleached flour. The natural sweetness comes from sweet boiled gula melaka. It is very very very moist and dense. The grated coconut and gula melaka on top of the cake makes a big difference to the taste!

There are other flavours such as Pandan Chocolate ($4) and Strawberry ($4). The Pandan Chocolate Steamed Cakes has no artificial colour nor pandan essence, made from fresh pandan leaves with chocolate cream. And the strawberry steam cake is made from fresh strawberries. It is egg-less! I love it! If you are lucky, you will get to try their gula strawberry cupcake!

Each dish and drink at Dann’s Daily is prepared with alkaline water, which helps to reduce acidity in our bodies. A very very healthy meal indeed. After all my carrot cake, bak chor mee and chicken rice, I guess it's time for some health food yo!

To read more about little's Dann's Daily Quote, click here!

Dann's Daily

Address: 20 Eastwood Road, #01-06 Eastwood Centre

Tel: +65 6449 1355

Operation Hours: Tuesdays to Sunday 10am - 8pm, closed on Mondays

Website: http://www.danndaily.com/Danns_Daily/Home.html

Photoshoot with my Secondary School Buddies

2012-05-13T01:14:00.000+08:00

Buddy M bought a deal coupon for a outdoor photoshoot. But it was raining heavily in the morning, so we decided to cancel it. But it was so rare to a meetup, so the girls suggested I bring my camera and do our own photoshoot instead.

However, by the time we meet up, the rain had stopped. -_- They would still love a outdoor shoot because everyone was already dressed up, I can't think of any place except to go back to the same venue where I had my previous photoshoot.

We were secondary school friends, by the way. We knew each other since the first day of Secondary One and we spent our four precious years of secondary school education together. We did projects together, sang together, got punished together, slept together, did homework together, laughed together, quarreled together... You can never imagine how close we were.

But as we grew up, we had our own life and commitments, so we met each other less often. But when we met up, it is endless conversation topics and lots of fun still. One of the girlfriend will be getting married in August, so we wanted to have our last photoshoot together when we are all still single. (Buddy even loaned some music equipments for this photoshoot!)

Marriage? This term sound so far to me. It felt like I just completed my O Levels yesterday. *shakes head* alright, that was already... *counting* about 10 years ago. HAIZ, TIME REALLY FLIES.

Ok, I will try and dig out my class photos and show you guys. I wasn't that skinny then. In fact, very very chubby!

I don't know about you, but secondary school is the best memorable part of my life. This was the part of my life which I really treasure and miss, even till now.

Whenever we have a gathering, we would always talk about the horrible, funny, ridiculous memories we had in school and we would still laugh it out real hard even though it has been over for so many years.

Hope the weather is kind enough to let us have a photoshoot together before the girlfriend gets married.

I LOVE ALL OF THEM! <3

(And if you are wondering, I carried a tripod there too. But forgot my remote, so I have to set 10 sec timer, run over and pose for the photos! Big exercise for me!)

Peony Jade (Keppel Bay) - Authentic 60’s and 70’s Hong Kong Street Food by Executive Chef Ryan Shiu

2012-05-10T08:00:00.000+08:00

Do you remember your childhood dishes? Frankly, the only food I remembered, was making fried prawn rolls with my Grandfather.

Starting this April to August 2012, take a trip down memory lane with Hong Kong native and Peony Jade's executive chef, Ryan Shiu, as he re-creates more than 20 of his favourite 60’s and 70’s Hong Kong Street Food.

A good piece of beef tendon is a thing of beauty. We each had a bowl of Beef Tendon Noodle Soup with Spices (五香牛根汤面，$14). The braised beef tendon is soft as silk with aromatic broth cooked over 8 hours. The springy noodles goes well with the broth and tendon. Best thing is: NO MSG.

What we have here is usually salted preserved vegetables (mui choy). But Chef Ryan's Braised Pork Belly with Preserved Vegetables (梅菜扣肉，$16) is different, because he imports his preserved vegetables from Hong Kong, it was actually sweet! It was very strong with flavours, with pork belly soaked in dark soy sauce.

I thought it was sweet and sour pork belly, but it was Fried Pork Ribs with Pineapples (菠萝生炒排骨，$22). The ribs were coated in sweet and sour marinade (with a strong vinegar taste), and they were tender and tangy. Oh, but you got to be careful of bones!

The first teochew duck I have tried was at Ah Ee Hokkien Salted Duck stall at Sembawang Hill Food Centre. And I was really pleased to have tasted Marinated Duck in Teochew Style (潮式卤水鸭，$14) at Peony Jade. Imported from US, the duck was cooked with many spices. The meat was already drizzled with a chilli lime sauce, which was very refreshing.

Eating lotus root is auspicious for Chinese as we believed that eating it will foster the growth of new ventures. The boy really likes Pan Fried Lotus Root Cake with Minced Pork and Dried Scallop (瑶族煎莲藕饼，$16). These lotus root is tasteless by itself, but when stuffed with minced meat and dried scallop, it provides a good texture balance. Chestnut was added into the minced meat for added crunch. However, I find it too oily. Perhaps a garlic soy dip will complement the dish.

I think Chef Ryan does an excellent job in retaining the flavour of street food in his recreations. Peony Jade @ Clarke Quay has other dishes such as Braised Roast Pork with Marinated Bamboo Shoot and Lotus Root, Deep Fried Crispy Shrimp accompanied with Sweet and Sour Sauce, Steamed Chicken with Spring Onion and Ginger etc.

Peony Jade @ Keppel Club

Address: Bukit Chermin Road, Keppel Club (Level M) , it is opened to public

Tel: 6276 9138/ 6375 5562

7Adam @ Adam Park

2012-05-09T08:09:00.000+08:00

Thanks to Derrick, we had dinner at 7Adam one Friday night. Located at the former black and white NUSS Guild House bungalow off Adam Road, the moment we entered the building, we were surrounded by contemporary paintings and sculptures, all chosen with exquisite care.

The main dining hall was very elegant, with contemporary sculptures by renowned veteran sculptor Lim Leong Seng. The bar area was jazzed up by a vibrant pop art pieces by Jeffrey Ho Kiat and the lush outdoor dining patio, which gets its markedly modern feel from the two-metre Ski-man on chocolate stainless steel sculpture by Dawn Kwan displayed on the lawn.

The menu here was created by consultant chef Jimmy Chok, a familiar name among Singapore's foodies. We wanted to share appetizer and the waitress recommended 7Adam Trio ($27) and said it was enough for 4. There came a platter of foie gras, crab cake and fresh slices of tuna loin which was obviously not enough for 4.

The pan fried foie gras with apple compote was too soft and mushy for my liking. The outer later wasn't slightly crisp and there wasn't this burst of flavours in the foie gras which was supposed to be.

The seared tuna loin with the balsamic vinegar reduction was ordinary, but we liked the crabcake most. It was packed with good quality crabmeat and runchy tri-colored capsicum bits, the crabcake still remained moist after deep fried. And the wasabi mayonnaise brought the dish to another dimension.

We were looking forward to the mains but it was rather disappointing for the price. They weren't really bad, so for the price we paid for, the food wasn't really fantastic.

The Cod Fish Confit ($34) sat on a bed of pilaf rice and drizzled with Orange Hollandaise. Yes, the pan seared cod fish was soft and tender, but the pilaf rice was dry and pretty tasteless. I was expecting the orange hollandaise sauce to bring some sparks to the dish, but it was too mild altogether.

Boy had the Baba Pork Ribs with Pumpkin Mash and French Beans ($37). The marination came too sweet and it covered the supposedly meaty and smoky flavour of the meat.

I had the Confit of Duck Leg with Pommes Salardaise ($37). Duck confit was supposed to be their specialty but it turned out real disappointing. Yes, the skin was fried to a crispy exterior but the meat was very very tough and dry. We can't slice off the meat easily using fork and knife. It was real tough that the boyfriend had to help me to debone the meat. Every bite had to be chewed a long long time before we can swallow it.

The best dish we had that night was the Braised Beef Cheek ($37). Well braised wagyu beef, it had that melt-in-your-mouth tenderness and each bite was a burst of flavours. The mash was very thick and it goes very well with the thick red wine sauce.

Dessert was Chocolate Fondant ($15) with caramel sauce which was good. The timing was right and the chocolate fondant was hot and intense with a meltingly soft centre.

We also had Mixed Fruit Tart with fresh Strawberry Coulis and passion cream ($15). If only the tart was flaky and softer, it would have gone well together.

Well, the marriage of food and art was certainly a brilliant idea, because afterall food lovers are now more willing to pay for the ambience of a restaurant. But the food I had that day didn't work for me. Yes, they were elegantly plated but it was merely conventional western bistro fare and some of the dishes were a real disappointment. For the price we paid, we could have something of a better quality.

7Adam

Address: 7 Adam Park

Tel: +65 6467 0777

Ah Yee's Soon Kueh

2012-05-08T12:15:00.000+08:00

I was there 3 times before I managed to have a piece of soon kueh.

First time, the soon kueh was sold out.

Second time, I have to wait for 30 minutes for the soon kueh, but I was in a rush.

So I gave it a miss. Third time, I waited for 20 minutes for my soon kueh.

But it was all worth the wait. As I sat with thehungrycow in front of the stall, we see the friendly aunty attending to many customers, while rolling the dough and making the soon kueh.

"Making soon kueh used to be my hobby. But now, it has become my source of income."she says, with a smile.

As I see Ah Yee mixes all the glutinous rice flour and tapioca flour skilfully with her hands, my stomach growled.

"Next time, call and reserve your soon kueh!"she reminded me. Her soon kuehs were so popular that, it was 3pm (low peak period) when I went and it was still sold out once it was out of the steamer.

No doubt. Who doesn't love freshly made soon kuehs?

Using fresh ingredients such as black fungus, dried shrimps, Chinese mushrooms and bamboo shoots, the soon kueh was steamed for 10 minutes or so before the skin turned slightly translucent and ready to be eaten. Ah Yee was very generous with the fillings. Each and every soon kuehs were fat and filled to the brim. Drizzle abit of sweet sauce and chilli, I slowly savour my piece of soon kueh. Each piece was only $0.90.

And how I can only eat that when I have waited for so long? Of course, I ordered their rice kueh ($1) and pumpkin kueh ($1) too.

Loving every bits of it! :)

Ah Yee's Soon Kueh

Address: 271 Onan Road, #01-05 Dunman Food Centre

Tel: +65 9878 2843

The 3 Bistro & Bar

2012-05-07T08:00:00.000+08:00

What can you find in Race Course Road?

For many of us, Indian food would be the first cuisine that came up to our minds. But hey, you can actually find cheap Thai food there too!

Opened merely three weeks ago, The 3 Bistro & Bar is the labour of love between 3 friends who used to work together more than a decade ago. Years on, each of them has since explored different paths. Ultimately their passion for food, combined with the aspiration of owning a place they could call their own, gave birth to The 3 Bistro & Bar.

The menu serves a variety of local, western and mainy Thai dishes. One of the owners is actually a Thai, so he and his mother actually takes care of the kitchen.

Packed with a nice spicy and sour combination, the Tom Yum Seafood ($6.50) has a nice blend of lemongrass and galangal. The soup base wasn't too overpowering. Though the fish slices may not be the freshest, but the overall package make up for it.

Don't forget to order the Thai Ice Tea ($2.80). It is not as sweet as other Thai eateries.

Fried Spicy Kang Kong ($4.80) may be common but the sauce here taste abit different from the normal belachan sauce. The fragrance of the sauce lingered around the crunchy vegetables.

Pandan Leaf Chicken ($5.80) was marinated with curry powder and coconut, it was indeed fragrant and has an addictive smoky flavour.

Thai Style Satay (chicken $0.70 / beef $0.80, minimum order 6 pcs) is similar to Jumbo Kajang Satay where large chunky satay meat pieces is used instead. The satay gravy is thick and very nutty. There is also a bowl of salad with cucumber and vinegar dressing to go with it. The meat was well marinated but we found it a tad too dry.

Next, we had Home-made Hor Mok (Fish $4.50) or steamed Thai Otah. A banana-leaf cup cradles fish meat, perfumed with kaffir lime leaf and capped with coconut cream. The egg binds everything into a luscious, silky whole.

Created by The 3 Bistro & Bar, the Spicy Thai Chilli Fish ($6) was a lovely dish. Pieces of dory fish was first deep fried to achieve the crispy texture and then drizzled on with Thai Chilli Sauce. Good for customers who wish to have small bites while watching soccer match in the bistro.

Simple yet satisfying Thai Fried Rice ($6.20), very fragrant with a good amount of fish sauce.

I am a fan of Phad Thai and this is a must order dish for me whenever I visit Thailand or any Thai restaurants in Singapore. Unfortunately, the Pad Thai ($6) here did not elicit any ‘wow’s from the dining table as we found it to be a little dry and it lacked the fragrant wok hei flavours. The pad thai sauce was mild and it was covered by the generous amount of peanuts on the noodles.

Dessert was Homemade Red Ruby Treasure ($3.80). The red ruby was definitely chewy with crunchy water chestnuts. However, I felt the dessert was not sweet enough and diluted by the excessive amount of ice.

I would definitely recommend the Mango Sticky Rice ($5) here. The mangoes are specially imported from Thailand and it's exceptionally sweet. The rice is steamed nicely with enough bite still remaining. Mixed well with thick and fresh coconut cream, this is a sinful but worth every divine bite. The boyfriend was warning me,"If you don't eat the mangoes now, I will finish everything by myself!"

The bistro has an alfresco area and a wide array of alcoholic beverages at the cellar for you to chill out after your dinner. There is also a TV for soccer fans and some games for customers who wish to have a game with friends after meal.

There are definitely some hits and misses. Because the bistro is still very new, there are still some fine tunings to be done. But the reasonable prices is definitely a catch. One of the owners, Peter, said they even had a Thai Style Hor Fun, cooked in fermented bean sauce. Looks like I will come back to try it some day!

The 3 Bistro & Bar

Address: 178 Race Course Road

How to go? Farrer Park MRT - Exit F, a 2 minutes walk (There is FREE parking lots after 10pm)

Opening Hours: 11:30 am - 12:00 am

Tel: 6293 9956

Kway Guan Huat - Joo Chiat Original Popiah Skin & Kueh Pie Tee

2012-05-06T00:05:00.001+08:00

Joo Chiat has really lots of interesting food stalls that are worth exploring. On one of our food hunts last Sunday, we came to Kway Guan Huat (Joo Chiat Original Popiah Skin & Kueh Pie Tee) to see the workers make popiah skin.

It is such a rare find, considering most popiah skins are made in factories. Kway Guan Huat started since 1938 and has been around for more than 70 years! Zita, the 2nd generation of Kway Guan Huat, said this is a dying trade as popiah making is time consuming and nobody is willing to learn.

These popiah skins were made in a traditional way hence the size and shape of each are different. The ~~macho man~~ worker holds a lump of the dough in his hand and swings it down the pan. After a few seconds, another worker will scrap out the skin and it's done! It looks easy but there are times when the skin didn't came off easily and had to be thrown away.

Each of us had a crab popiah ($2). The skin was still warm when served. It was thin and soft packed with generous fillings like turnips, carrot, egg, lettuce, bean sprouts etc. I can't really see the crab fillings but I can taste the crab sweetness. What was unique in their popiah, was the fried fish crisps. It gives a crunchy texture to the popiah.

You can also order a claypot of popiah ingredients with popiah skin (refillable) and try to DIY your own popiah. Vegans or those allergic to seafood can opt for the vegetarian version. They have kueh pie tee too.

With a shop like this, why bother to get thick, hard and cold popiah skins from supermarkets?

Kway Guan Huat - Joo Chiat Original Popiah Skin & Kueh Pie Tee

Address: 95 Joo Chiat Road

Tel: +65 6344 2875

Website: http://www.joochiatpopiah.com

Mother's Day Dining Guide 2012

2012-05-04T01:02:00.001+08:00

This Mother’s Day (13 May 2012), give mommy dearest a break from the kitchen and take the family out to celebrate the woman whose love is always selfless and unconditional. Here are some of the dining recommendations for you:

1. PUTIEN Restaurant
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Date: 1 - 14 May 2012

Pricing: Mother’s Day sets range from $128++ for four to $578++ for 10.

Website: http://www.putien.com

PUTIEN restaurant has combined familiar favourites with three delicious new dishes for a great family day-out. With a choice of six set meals, all perfect for sharing, the special menu introduces Double-boiled Duck Soup with Abalone and Cordyceps, Braised Abalone with Oyster Mushroom and Broccoli, and Hot Yam Paste with Pumpkin.

2. PARKROYAL on Beach Road
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Date: 12 & 13 May 2012

Lunch & Dinner pricing : Adult $58++ Child $35++ (As a special treat during these two days, all mothers will receive a complimentary return buffet voucher for Fathers’ Day in June)

Tel: +65 6505 5710

Seafood Galore is back from 1st May to 30 June where guests can enjoy an assortment of fish, clams, prawns all cooked in varied styles served a la minute, on top of the usual buffet spread in the restaurant. You can enjoy fresh fishes, bamboo clams, La-La, prawns or black mussels with your choice selection of sauces in black Bean, XO, Nonya, Black Pepper , Soybean Paste, Laksa sauce.

Other signature items include Soft Shell Crab with Tobiko Mayo, Braised Sea Cucumber with Roast Pork and Mushrooms, Bak Kut Teh With Condiments, Lobster Noodles, Tandoori Chicken, Singapore laksa, Fried Chicken in Sesame Sauce, Satay with Peanut Sauce and assorted Pizzas as well as Sushi and Sashimi.

3. Graze

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Date: 13 May 2012

Pricing: $48 for 3-course Set Menu @ Martin No. 38. $38 for 2-course Set Menu @ Rochester Park and $48 for 3-course.
Tel: +65 6775 9000 (Rochester Park); +65 6509 1680 (Martin No. 38)

- Graze at Martin No. 38: 8 hour slow roasted lamb ($38) and Spanner crab omelette with black truffle salsa ($27) etc. Moms will receive a complimentary glass of Prosecco or mocktail on the house, as a little token from Graze.

- Graze at Rochester Park: shared platters, with a choice of charcuterie ($65) and seafood ($75), as well as set dinner menus. Moms will be treated to a complimentary mimosa cocktail for a bubbly start to her day.

4. Si Chuan Dou Hua
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Date: 12 & 13 May 2012

Tel: +65 6505 5722 (PARKROYAL on Beach Road), +65 6428 3170 (PARKROYAL on Kitchener Road), +65 6535 6006 (UOB Plaza)

Guests can choose to dine at all three Si Chuan Dou Hua restaurants, renowned for excellent authentic Sichuan and Cantonese cuisine, and dazzling displays by a tea master who pours tea through his long-spout tea kettle, enjoyed by both young and old. There is also a series of culinary workshops lined up for the month of May, conducted by our very own Executive Chef Zeng Feng and Consultant Peter Tsang.

- PARKROYAL on Beach Road: wide selection of szechuan dishes such as Diced Chicken with Dried Chilli and Cashew Nut (宫保鸡丁), Sichuan Dan Dan Noodle (四川担担面).

- PARKROYAL on Kitchener Road: offers a repertoire of home-style dishes like the Braised Pork Belly served in Whole Pumpkin (金瓜盅东坡肉), Combination of Barbecue Meat (烧味拼盘).

The restaurant is encouraging inter-generational bonding with the following attractive discounts off the a la carte food menu for PAssion Card Members: 2 Generations – 20% discount; 3 Generations – 30% discount; 4 Generations – 40% discount; 5 Generations – 50% discount.

5. Carlton Hotel
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Date: 12 & 13 May 2012

Pricing: $48 per adult, FREE for children age 8 years and below, $24 per child 9 to 12 years

Tel: +65 6311 8195

Indulge in a gastronomic feast at Café Mosaic, which features an assortment of tantalising appetisers and seafood on ice, dim sum items, delectable mains such as Roasted Beef Strip Loin, Braised Duck with Sea Cucumber, Curry Chicken and Salted Egg Pork Ribs, as well as Carlton’s signature Durian Pastries and the well-loved Chocolate Fondue.

The little ones will be kept busy with the exciting line-up of activities, including balloon sculpturing. Each family will be presented with a box of 4 homemade cupcakes to bring home. A family photo will also be taken on the spot. All mothers who dine with us will also receive a complimentary Molton Brown Gift Set!

6. Caffé B @ MBS
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Date: 5 to 13 May 2012

Pricing: 5-course menu at $150 per pax on 12 & 13 May, and at $125 per pax from 5 to 11 May. 4-course menu is available at the bar for $95 per person from 5 – 11 May, and at $110 per person on 12 and 13 May.

Tel: +65 6887 3311

For this truly special occasion, Caffé B pampers mothers with an indulgent 4 or 5 course menu, which includes a canapé of Deep Fried Saffron Rice, Mozzarella Croquette with Flat Grissino and Pumpkin Cream; Shrimps Tar Tar, Fennel and Orange Marinated in a Melon Liquid Salad; Carnaroli Risotto with Foie Gras and Porcini Mushrooms; Italian Carnaroli rice; Tenderloin Fillet with Marsala Sauce, accompanied by a Ricotta Sauce and Cubic Roasted Potatoes and Chocolate Ingot and Coffee Cream for dessert. Mothers who dine on 12 & 13 May will receive a complimentary stalk of flower.

7. KHA

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Date: 13 May 2012

Pricing: 4-course set menu $160

Tel: +65 6476 9000

Authentic Thai restaurant Kha will specially open its doors on Mother's Day (13 May 2012). Kha's Thai national chefs introduces the Mother-in-law eggs with chilli jam, nam prik plaa, thai herbs ($12) -- a special dish that will make a one-day-only menu appearance, and an attractive set menu for four ($160) which features a selection of delectable culinary creations. Kha will also treat Moms to a complimentary anti-oxidant mocktail.

8. Mandarin Court
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Date: 13 May 2012

Pricing: Song of Gratitude at $1,388 per table of 10 pax or Voice of a Loving Child at $88 per pax (min 4 pax)
Tel: +65 6831 6262/66

- "Voice of a Loving Child" Mother’s Day Set Menu includes Roasted Peking Duck with Crispy Beancurd, Double-boiled Shark’s Bone Cartilage Broth with Fish Maw, Steamed Canadian Sea Perch with Lily buds, Fungus and Red Dates, Double-boiled Snow Hashima with Red Dates and Lotus Seeds served in Young Coconut etc.

- "Song of Gratitude" Mother’s Day Set Menu includes Steamed Herbal Chicken, Braised Sea Cucumber with Fish Maw and Spinach tofu, Steamed Sea Perch Fillet with Stir-fried Crabmeat with Egg White, Double-boiled Bird’s Nest with Red Dates and American Ginseng in Young Coconut etc. It comes with a special Mandarin Orchard Singapore branded jewellery box complete with a pu’er tea set and decadent red velvet cupcakes for mummy dearest to indulge in.

9. Crystal Jade
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Date: 1 to 13 May at all Crystal Jade My Bread outlets

Website: http://www.crystaljade.com/

- Angel Cake: sponge cake dressed in pink and topped with mango. $14.80 for 12 cm; $20.80 for 20 cm.

- Mixed Fresh Fruit Cake: with filling of daily fresh fruits such as kiwi fruit, strawberry and pear. $28 for 15 cm, $38 for 20 cm.

- Pies: available in hearty Creamy Chicken at $18.80 or mild, milky and salty Cheese with Cranberry at $28.

Hope this list is useful to some of you! Happy Mother's Day to all the mommys in the world!