Much Ado About Eating

Riders Cafe

2012-02-02T15:48:00.000+08:00

It is quite good to know that my issues are mainly #firstworldproblems. For example, I have the luxury to ponder on how I want to feel about Riders Cafe. I really crave for its food at times but the noise, the heat and the pungent smell from horses simply turned me off. What a torture.

Scrambled Eggs with Sausages

I am really upset. I still like its food. Simple but wholesome. Granted service is no longer prompt and the wait can be more pleasant without the constant chatter from the perpetually crowded cafe and whiffs of the horses' @%^&*(!

Before it was demolished

Raspberry Pancakes

Riders Cafe

The eggs were well done. Pancakes were soft and fluffy. There was enough custard and raspberry jam to work round the pancakes. Food still hits the spot but the environment is simply too much to take. If only the noise, the smell and the heat can disappear.

Riders Cafe
51 Fairways Drive
Singapore 286965
Tel: +65 6466 9819

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Octa Hotel

2012-01-28T15:34:00.000+08:00

We missed our times in Tokyo. A lot. So on a fateful afternoon, we took a breather at Octa Hotel. Okay. It was not the same as Tokyo. Food was nowhere close.

We split the hi-tea set. Heh. I am on diet again. The hi-tea came with an ordinary brew or ceylon tea.

Hi- Tea Set

I like the fluffy scone and left the meringue and crepe to the boy.

Octa Hotel

9 Raffles Boulevard

#P1-39

Parco @ Marina Bay

Singapore 039596

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Chef Daniel's Kitchen: Laced with Cumin

2012-01-22T10:26:00.000+08:00

Her Highness so wanted to try Chef Daniel's Kitchen. I was sceptical of people who rather appear on TV than cook. But Her Highness's wish is my command.

It is really quite a nice place and GOSH their set lunches are so so so worth it :)

Cream of Cauliflower, Fish Fritters, Raspberry Chocolate Cake and Prawn Burger (Clockwise)

Her Highness and I enjoyed our fish fritters and prawn burger. The salad, laced with cumin got me craving for more. Totally sold by the twist in flavour for this salad. Her Highness said it is Chef Daniel's reputation at stake so the food cannot be bad. Her Highness is so right. Her Highness is usually right anyway.

Chef Daniel's Kitchen

201 Victoria Street

#07-02/03 Iluma

Singapore 188067

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Chui Huay Lim Teochew Cuisine

2012-01-16T09:00:00.000+08:00

To all Teochews out there, Chui Huay Lim is probably a good choice for reunion dinner this CNY. It will make your parents and grandparents pretty happy. We are not Teochews but my mum has been telling me how she likes the former CHL and how my grandparents used to bring her as a child. True enough, the median age of diners on a weekday night was... say 50? CHL's menu is rather extensive. Our party of 4 young people (sticking out like a sore thumb in the busy restaurant) ordered one of their sets and a couple of ala carte dishes. Shall start with the set.

Cold Crab and Chilled Lobster Platter

Elegantly presented and refreshing. The "sweetness" of both crab and lobster was distinct due to the chilling process.

Roe of the Cold Crab

We all let out a "wow" at the sight of the gorgeous roe. Tasted creamy, rich, dry, sweet and slightly bitter, everything in a roe I want ;P

Braised Teochew Platter

As a Hokkien, I prefer a richer flavour in braised stuff. Meat from duck breast and pork knuckle were tender and delicate. Very elegant in taste I say.

Double Boiled Superior Sharkfin Soup Served in Claypot

As someone who is never big on sharkfin, I found the pale whitish broth intensively yummy. Bean sprouts at the side were carefully removed of their "heads" and "tails". They were lightly blanched to remove the raw taste and yet retain their crunchiness.

Stir fried Scallops with Asparagus

Asparagus was pretty memorable in a bad way. Scallops were overcooked and asparagus bitter.

Teowchew Seafood Fried Mee Sua

Once again, seafood in the dish was overcooked but mee sua was flavourful and "al dente".

Sweet Yam Paste with Hashima

Yam paste marked the end of the set menu. It's interesting to pair dense and creamy yam paste with light and refreshing hashima. However, the paste was so fragrant that I will definitely want try it on its own next time.

Teochew Style Steamed Pomfret

Steamed pomfret is my reason for going to CHL so we can't leave without eating it. The fish was very firm and tender. The broth was sweet and addictive. Drank countless spoonfuls.

Seafood Tofu in Claypot

I really like the tofu which was definitely made in-house. Mushrooms was ultra meaty and earthy in taste. Too bad their seafood was overcooked again.

Fried Oyster Omelette

The highlight of our ala carte orders was a pleasing oyster omelette that came with delightful gooey starch that typical hawkers can no longer churn out these days. A very well-balanced dish with soft but chewy starch, crispy egg and fresh oyster. Lurvvvee it.

CHL was operating on full capacity on the weekday evening we visited. Do remember to give them a ring before you drop by.

Chui Huay Lim Teochew Cuisine
190 Keng Lee Road
#01-02 Chui Huay Lim Club
Tel: +65 67323637

Ming Kee (Bugis Street) Chicken Rice

2012-01-12T22:54:00.001+08:00

Yeah I survived 4 days of my new job! As much as I hate to leave the very happening one-north and Rochester Park area, my new work place is just a stone throw away from my long-time favourite chicken rice.

Chicken

Ming Kee's chicken is cold, very firm and has a layer of "jelly" beneath its skin. I like the way it is always chop into thick slices. Although the taste of these boiled chicken has became less flavourful over the years, I still find Ming Kee's "white chicken" better than most places in Singapore.

Bean Sprouts

Really tasty and crunchy. There is no "raw" taste in the bean sprouts and its gravy goes really well with chicken and rice.

Rice and Soup

I prefer rice with stronger ginger taste than garlic and so Ming Kee's rice suited my taste. Chilli and soup are both subtle in taste but strangely addictive when paired with the entire works!

Oyster Omelette

There are usually more than 10 people in the queue and one has to wait more than half an hour at Ming Kee. We also ordered a plate of uninspiring oyster omelette which provided more variety than satisfaction to the meal.

Ming Kee (Bugis Street) Chicken Rice
Blk 511 Bishan Street 13

1 Caramel @ Rochester Park

2012-01-05T15:05:00.002+08:00

Lunch was a happy and sad affair. My old job is a bittersweet symphony and a love-hate relationship. It was a necessary but unwilling change. The scary feeling of a new workplace has been looming for quite awhile but it did not really hit me badly till just now. While the new place is supposingly a better one, I am upset that I need to leave my comfort zone, I am upset that I need to leave my friends, I am upset that I cannot skip into Rochester Park as and when anymore.

Mushroom Soup packed with cream

Single Egg Ben with Ham

Rich and Pungent Twice-Baked Gruyere Souffle

Single Egg Ben with Salmon

Salmon Wrap

Malteesers Cheese Cake

Lychee Rose

Chocolate Praline Cake

Savouries were surprisingly better than the sweets at 1 Caramel. It was a happy lunch with friends but sadness descended while I was driving that familiar route home. I do not even know why I am so emotional about leaving a place I detest. Pardon the lack of words on food for this post.

1 Caramel Dessert Boutique
1 Rochester Park
2nd Level
Singapore 139212
Tel: 67741302

The 11 from 2011

2011-12-31T09:00:00.000+08:00

Obsessions of 2011 - Loysel Toy, DB, Watami, il Cielo, Imperial Treasure, Tatsuya, La Strada, Black, Indo Kitchen, Ember, Bistro Du Vin, Taste Paradise, Smitten, Akashi, Pique Nique, Ling Zhi, Iggys, Antionette, Canele, TWG, Island Cafe, Chiharu, Robert Timms, 40 Hands, Peperoni

2011. Another exciting year of eating. There were more reconnections than discoveries. I am satisfied nevertheless.

Tuck Kee (Ipoh) Crayfish Hor Fun @ Hong Lim

Number 1. Earlier in the year, I reunited with my hor fun when Hong Lim Market reopened! The most important moment in 2011 that was not mentioned in this blog. The seafood rush that went through every single cell felt so good.

Marmalade Toast @ Ngee Ann City

Number 2. Toast is still good despite of a change of name to Marmalade Toast. I have long ditched Marmalade Pantry to boycott all their inconsistencies. In 2011, I am so glad that certain old faves can still be found at Toast and the cupcakes are not as dry.

Tai Wah Hill Street Bak Chor Mee @ Crawford Lane

Number 3. Bcm craving hits back and nothing beats my old time favourite. Actually explored a couple of other stalls but I am still willing to queue 30mins for a bowl of ultimate goodness.

Imperial Treasure Super Peking Duck @ Paragon

Number 4 is an extension of 2010. I am still eating Peking duck this year. Very much encouraged by a couple of specialty eateries which came along earlier in the year too.

KKi @ Ann Siang Hill

Number 5 is yet another extension of 2010. So many patisseries sprung up in town but KKi still beats every single one hands down.

Dried Puffer Fish, Akashi @ Paragon

Number 6. New food discovered at old hunt. Akashi's cod fillet and salmon head are staples in my diet. Someone introduced me to dried puffer fish and I never look back since.

Seb Bistro @ Rochester Park

Number 7. Found one of my favourite chef cooking up a storm again near my former work place. Seb Bistro has a tight menu but most stuff are to my taste. It is a pity that I won't work near Rochester Park in 2012 anymore.

Cocotte @ Wonderlust Hotel

Number 8. Gave Cocotte a second chance and OH MY. I am glad I did. The pork collar and roast chicken. Oh my! Oh my!

51 Soya Beancurd @ KSL City, JB

Number 9. 2011 is the year of beancurd pudding. I hope you won't disagree. From Lao Ban to all the spin-offs. From Singapore to JB perhaps even Batam in 2012.

Red Bean Bun, 40 hands @ Yong Siak Street

Number 10. Overpriced but strangely addictive tau sa pao at an indie cafe. These mushy and soft morsels were great tea-time nibbles in 2011.

Loysel Toy @ Kampong Bugis

Number 11. Somewhat related to Number 10. The invasion of indie cafes with concepts and decors more addictive than caffeine itself. 40 Hands, The Steeping Room, The Orange Thimble, Jimmy Monkey, Smitten, Maison Ikkoku... Need to say more?

With these 11, we mark the last post of 2011. To everyone out there

Happy New Year! Have a great 2012! Stay healthy and happy!

Old School Delights

2011-12-20T10:00:00.000+08:00

Don't you hate school? Stuff from the past can be pretty delightful but school per se is certainly not. I never like going to school. Old school concept cafes are quite nice. Memories of schooling are not.

Business Cards

I was curious about OSD for quite awhile. Not that I like schools very much but my usual busybody self just want to go and see.

I recognised that SBC logo!

If only school canteens are so cool. I quickly took a photo of an empty OSD before the place became filled up.

Gawd!! I hate jotter books. Hate it when people force me to plan and reflect. We ordered, asked the waitress to keep them away and off I went to snap more photos.

Full of retro stuff

Shelves at the entrance of OSD are full of things from the past. Don't think they evoke any memories of my schools or childhood. Our parents may have dealings with these retro knick knacks, certainly not us.

Coke Bottles

I know friends who collect coke bottles. Seen these at people's homes and definitely not in school.

Kerosene Lamps

For schools in kampongs perhaps. I belong to the era with electricity.

Car and Phone

Okay I have used such rotary dial phone before. Only when I was really young.

Cute!

For toys, I fiddled with Lego, Barbie and Transformers and not these cute metal things.

Story Books

These books are closer to my heart. School holidays were filled with Enid Blyton's adventures and dreams of poppy seed lemon cakes, chocolate fudge, gingerbread man and anything creamy and sugary.

Erasers

Used to be ten cents each at my primary school bookshop. Wonder how much it costs now.

Sticky Chewy Chocolate Cake

First photo of something edible in this post. Its name reminded me of a certain Swensen's ice-cream which I still like.

Bandung and Horlick Dinosauresses

Humble drinks all spruced up. Definitely not sold in typical school canteens.

2 orders of wings, kueh pie tee and fish and chips

If students were to stomach these everyday, TAF clubs will have so many more members. Anyway, are TAF clubs still around these days?

The Cake. Close-Up.

Ugly but comforting. Best eaten shared.

Old School Delights
215M Upper Thomson Road
Singapore 547349
Tel: 64584518

Cream Cheese Pound Cake

2011-12-16T08:00:00.000+08:00

1 pound of flour, 1 pound of sugar, 1 pound of egg and 1 pound of butter. I like how the pound cake is named. Interestingly, most pound cake recipes no longer stick to this magic formula. Human beings are adaptable by nature. Shrewd homemakers adjusted the quantities but kept to its 1:1:1:1 ratio. Of course, there are other variations which go against the spirit of the cake. One example will be the yummy cream cheese pound cake. We baked this wonderful cake using the recipe from the ever trustworthy thejoyofbaking. We halved the sugar but it still worked!

Pound Cake in a Cup

The Real Deal

Sliced

Shanghai Pu Dong Kitchen @ Balmoral Plaza

2011-12-11T09:41:00.000+08:00

Long before the days of Cantonese resturants turning to Shanghai cuisine and sanitised XLBs chains, we have Pu Dong Kitchen. The place where I first tasted XLBs and to date the tastiest.

Pu Dong's XLBs

The XLBs are simply gorgeous pockets of rich broth and melt-in-the-mouth meat. A single order never ever sufficed.

Brine Boiled Duck / Salted Duck 盐水鸭

I fell in love with this cold duck originated from Nanjing when I tasted a supermarket version in Beijing. It is good that we get to eat it in a Shanghai restaurant in Singapore. After all, having a cold dish to kick start a good meal is a very Chinese thing to do. For people who do not like duck, Pu Dong does a wonderful cold dish of drunken chicken as well.

Gorgeous slice

But I rather you try the duck.

Cabbage and Chives Dumplings

Pu Dong's dumpling skin is soft with a bit of a firm bite. Way better than many other places in town. Not all dumplings are created equal. That is all I can say.

More XLBs

Halfway through the meal, we decided to order more XLBs.

Braised "Lion's Head" 红烧狮子头

Anyone who drops by Pu Dong must be prepared for a pork overload. Pu Dong whips up a very mean Lion's Head. Huge and gorgeous balls of minced pork wonderfully braised in a savoury and sweet gravy. What I like about Pu Dong's Lion's Head is that we get to taste that slight but essential touch of Japanese influence in the dish. Wonderfully executed. The guys ordered extra rice for its gravy.

Tender yet not artificially tenderised

It's amazing how these huge balls of meat remain so tender after the cooking process. No corn flour or any form of tenderiser used. Just lots of mincing and precision in cooking.

Conversation over dinner was all on childhood trips to Garden Hotel for its buffet and hanging out at Waffletown@Bukit Timah Plaza during our teenage years. How intriguing people with similar food histories will somehow get their paths cross someday and enjoy a good meal together.

Pudong Kitchen
271 Bukit Timah Road
#B1-02 Balmoral Plaza

Yet Another Pictorial of Ember

2011-12-05T09:39:00.000+08:00

We went to Ember last week and found ourselves willing victims of the second day of their price hike! Ember's set lunch is now $42++. Of course, this is no deterring factor. Anytime.

Crispy Tofu

Duck Confit

Fig Cake

It was a rare occasion that I ordered some other stuff to try. Everything was outstanding as expected. If you still need a closer look at those bamboo clams, seabass and pear tarts, check out my earlier posts.

Restaurant Ember

50 Keong Saik Road

Tel: 63471928

Wee Nam Kee Hainanese Chicken Rice

2011-12-03T09:29:00.001+08:00

Gosh it has been quite awhile. Oh well, I have not been making noise here because of a real bad bout of IBS. For the past month or so, eating and digesting was a problem. Okay, too much information for a food blog. Anyway, the family celebrated my not so speedy recovery with some real kick-ass chicken rice.

Boiled Chicken and Soya Chicken

I like a combination of "white" and "dark" chicken. Techically, the soya sauce chicken at Wee Nam Kee is nicer. For good boiled chicken, there is always Tian Tian and Ming Kee. However, WNK's soya chicken is forever drenched in a sweetened and thickened braised sauce. An entire plate of soya chicken will be too boring, too sweet, too one dimensional, etc, etc. So I always want some boiled chicken which comes in a light but salty soya sauce (without the starch) for a good mix of flavour and texture.

Spare Ribs

I heard the ribs were very tender but I did not try for fear of hurting my tender stomach. Ha ha I concentrated on approximately 5 pieces of chicken and a tablespoon of chicken rice. Tasted so good.

Wee Nam Kee Hainanese Chicken Rice
275 Thomson Road
#01-05 Novena Ville
Tel: +65-62556396

Cafes in Tokyo are Nice

2011-11-14T11:57:00.000+08:00

Breakfast moments. Our precious moments in Tokyo.

Cafe La Voie

Their Breakfasts

Came with Hokkaido butter

Doutor - A chain coffee house

A random train station cafe at Tokyo station

Pronto - another chain coffee house

Their Breakfasts - signature fried egg in bread not on bread

I am a morning person. It is not difficult to see why I love Tokyo.

Maison Ikkoku Cafe

2011-11-07T07:37:00.000+08:00

Another indie cafe in the Arab Street enclave. Maison Ikkoku has a sufficiently long string of media coverage despite its fairly new existence. Just Google. I like the fact that they use Yirgacheffe beans. Guys will like the menswear at its second level.

Take a number and wait to be served.

Maison Ikkoku has an industrial feel complete with luxurious leather cushion seats. I so love the stark contrast of it.

Pretty sharp latte art on my flat white.

I am really no coffee drinker but visiting these cosy indie cafes is seriously more addictive than caffeine.

Half a yummy pumpkin cheesecake.

Very freshly made and we can tell from one bite off the light but crispy crust. This is one luscious cheese cake anybody can finish easily without knowing.

They are part of The U Cafe too.

Another nice place to hang out on our sunny shores. Aren't we lucky people?

Photos taken by iPhone and tampered with Snapseed.

Maison Ikkoku Cafe

20 Kandahar Lane

Singapore 198885

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Majestic Restaurant: Hairy Business

2011-11-05T08:51:00.003+08:00

There are two reasons hairy crabs 大闸蟹 did not appear on this blog. Firstly, I rather you imagine me as an iPad-carrying-stylish-babe who hangs around cool cafes than a greedy auntie who digs and picks at crab claws. Secondly (rather akin to the first reason), I do not want to be caught by some acquaintances when I am digging and picking at crab claws in restaurants. So very unglamourous.

Hello! Like my hair?

The original intention was to eat a stress free meal at Majestic but the friendly manager recommended the Tai Lake 太湖 hairy crab set meal. I have never eaten crabs from Tai Lake before. As mentioned, I avoid eating hairy crabs at restaurants so mummy will usually fly in a couple of dozens of either un-certified crabs or my fave Yangchen Lake 阳澄湖 crabs during the season. I love the times when mummy do this kinda things. We simply kept the crabs in the crisper, fed them with a bit of egg white everyday and steamed a couple whenever we felt like it. However, it's pretty near the end of the hairy crab season now + mummy was too busy to pre-order this year + I was too lazy to look through the thick menu + curiosity on Tai Lake crabs = JUST ORDER AND EAT LAH.

Crab Roe, Truffle and Foie Gras Xiao Long Baos

Wonderful aroma of truffle preceded the arrival of these lovely XLBs. One crab roe, one foie gras and one black truffle for each of us. Probably the XLBs with the largest volume of yummy stock I ever had. Together with springy meat filling, they were good enough on their own.

Fine Fine Ginger Strands

I am crazy about ginger and vinegar. Ate this plate up on its own because I did not need to dip my lovely XLBs into it.

Double Boiled American Ginseng Soup

Hairy crabs are ultra cooling stuff. Your granny has already told you so. So the hairy crab set came with American ginseng dark chicken soup to balance out the yin and yang. The soup was light yet robust. Exactly how I like my herbal soup to be.

Dismantling our Hairy Crabs :)

Not so gorgeous roe

Nothing to do with the restaurant. Tai Lake's hairy crabs pale in comparison with their Yangchen Lake's counterparts. Not only there were less roe. The roe tasted not as creamy, not as rich, not as flavourful etc etc. Yang Cheng Lake's crabs have the amazing power to make me blissfully giddy after a first bite. Tai Lake's crabs at Majestic are at best delicious but not overwhelmingly so. Makes me wonder if it is the crab or the season. I will probably need to try another Tai Lake's crab in mid-October next year to get an answer.


Gorgeous Ginger Tea

I like the ginger tea more than the crabs. Scented with a tinge of rose, this has a refreshing twist which A did not really appreciate. But I likey!

Mung Bean Noodles with Crab Meat

Mung bean noodles reminded me of those we had at the street stalls both in China and Singapore! Of course, Majestic's rendition was much more sophisticated in taste and presentation.

Osmanthus Jelly and Egg White Almond Puree

The meal ended with an ultra creamy almond cream that left a nice fuzzy feeling in us. The Osmanthus jelly was refreshing as well. On the whole, I enjoyed the dishes in this hairy crab set but was a tad disappointed with Tai Lake's crabs. But I have already typed this post at the risk of my image, so you must go and eat hairy crabs okay? The season will probably be over in 2 weeks. Quick! Go!

Majestic Restaurant
31 - 37 Bukit Pasoh Road
Singapore 089845
Tel: 65114718

Swatow Seafood Restaurant

2011-10-31T08:29:00.000+08:00

Yikes! Last weekend, we stepped out of our comfort zone and opted for a meal in Toa Payoh. While the food was theoretically decent enough I so do not like the vibes of Swatow (surroundings included). It felt very "central Singapore". Me no like! I have been living in the west for half of my life. People say hawker food in the east is better. I agree. But the west has many more interesting food places. Places I hang out with people I like.

Fried Beancurd Roll

Swatow probaby sells itself as a "traditional" dim sum trolley restaurant. There was quite a number of clueless tourists amongst Singaporean families while we were there. We ordered beancurd roll as it rolled by. Good as a nibble while we waited for their "signature dishes".

Liver Roll

I was pretty sure that it would be the first and last visit the moment I stepped into the restaurant. The vibes and I were not compatible at all. So we just ordered whatever they recommended. The liver rolls turned up dry and bland. A disappointment. Although achar was pretty random, it tasted good.

Pork Knuckle

Give me a pork knuckle at any German microbrewery, I will be more satisfied. To be fair, the pork knuckle was decently executed with tender flesh and crispy skin. I thought it was pretty good that the knuckle was deboned till I realised my lovely tendon was painfully missing from the deal.

Oyster Omelette

Fried oyster omelette was my second favourite dish with fresh and plump oyster and ultra crispy egg. Oh I happily helped myself with the luo han vegetables and yam sticks when they finally arrived and forgot to take photos. The vegetables was the best "signature dish" out of everything we ordered.

Swatow markets itself as a teochew restaurant but we get to eat cantonese tim sum and simple hokkien fare as well. For me, I rather stick to my teochew steamed fish at our usual spot. Sometimes it takes a trip out of the comfort zone to realise how lovely our comfort zone has always been.

Swatow Seafood Restaurant
Blk 181 Toa Payoh Lorong 4
#02-602 Singapore 310181
Tel: 63631717

Tokyo: Shopping at Roppoggi 六本木 is Nice

2011-10-23T09:24:00.000+08:00

Roppoggi 六本木 is all about clean and modern lines. I wish we had time to explore the architecture at Roppoggi.

Subway Ticket

On our final day in Tokyo, we went to do some final shopping at Midtown.

Eating Alone

We concentrated on shopping and popped into Hirata Bokujyo 平田牧場 for a quick tonkatsu lunch. The place was packed with hungry people. Noticed that many restaurants in Tokyo have "wall-facing" seats. These seats are usually used by lone diners. In Tokyo, there are many people who do not mind eating alone. A courage which I have not pick up and probably never will.

Pork Cutlet Set

Pork lovers will have a field of the day. Hirata Bokujyo has a wide range of quality pork. We ordered the popular set. In Tokyo, when in doubt, just order whatever with the words 人气!

Really pinkish and juicy pork

The meat was really pink and juicy. Get the kurobuta pork if you want a more delicate bite. To me, the usual set was incredibly delicious juicy and crispy fried pork cutlet already.

Sadaharu Aoki @ Midtown

After lunch, we headed to the "strictly no photography" Sadaharu Aoki and bought everything matcha I wanted to try.

The Bamboo, Matcha Eclair, Matcha Macaron Gelato

I have been dreaming about the bamboo for ages and we finally met. It was nothing short of divine.

The Bamboo (Opéra au thé vert)

Here is an amazing post that wax lyrical about this equally amazing piece of art. Read La Tartine Gourmande, Chocolate & Zucchini, David Lebovitz and Sugared & Spiced for the Paris and Taipei boutiques as well. Read them and you will know why I did not even attempt to try describing the Bamboo.

Hirata Bokujyo
Tokyo Midtown B1F
9-7-4 Akasaka, Minato-ku , Tokyo

Sadaharu AOKI 青木定治
9-7-4 Akasaka Minato-ku
Tokyo Midtown B1F
東京ミッドタウン店
東京都港区赤坂 9-7-4　
東京ミッドタウンB1F

jimmy monkey & marmalade toast

2011-10-15T10:29:00.002+08:00

this post will be in lowercase to celebrate the opening of the very stylish one-north station. heh.


scone and flat white at jimmy monkey

took the mrt to work and tried out the circle line. it's liberating to be able to close both eyes in the morning. best of all, i got to stroll to one-north residences and met gf for a long long afternoon tea between work and my evening class. flat white and latte at jimmy monkey were nutty and non-acidic. totally to our taste. scone came with a pleasant tasting herb/spice which we could not recognise. time with the gf was of course priceless. no wonder people say one do not lose friends with time, you just find real ones.

salmon sandwich, chicken masala wrap, elvis and toiletries

therefore my silly dissertation and crazy work schedule will just have to work round my gfs' whims. another gf wanted shopping and we scooted to town for a great round of toiletries shopping before my evening class yesterday. it was very therapeutic indeed. absolutely delighted to find the old pantry's faves still yummy at toast. the ion and fairways drive outlets can't seem to match up anytime. we shared the moist moist elvis and bellies were very happy.

jimmy monkey
9 one-north gateway
#01-51 one-north residences
singapore 138643

marmalade toast
ngee ann city
#02-11 orchard road
singapore 238872

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Ramen Champion - Menya Iroha

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

Going along the line that everything is nice in Japan. Why can't Singapore be the same? I know ramen can be infamously salty in Japan but what I had in Tokyo was fine. The same cannot be said for Iluma's Ramen Champion. I went down with a group of wonderful gfs and tried all the stalls. Everything was way to salty except for Iroha's ramen.

Iroha's Ramen

Iroha may be my fave at Ramen Champion but its broth lacks depth. Tasty but not as robust in flavours as I expect. Char siew was ultra tender but for those who loves runny egg, Iroha can be inconsistent. And yes the broth, char siew and egg were not the saltiest in the compound but still salty.

Iroha
201 Victoria Street
Bugis iluma #04-08/09/10
Singapore 188607
Tel: +65 62381011

Another Salmon Sandwiches Face-Off!

2011-10-01T10:12:00.001+08:00

There are days and there are days with intense cravings for smoked salmon. Smoked salmon craving did not seem to cease ;P

CNNgo's one of the best sandwich in Singapore. Good thing is I get to choose my bread. With that thick slab of cured salmon and caramelised onions, the raw taste of alfafa sprouts morphed into a welcome relief. Order the platter if you do not know what to eat for the seafood and poached chicken sandwiches are kinda fab too! From Moomba Tuckshop.

New kid on the block but softest sandwich to date. There are days I crave for salmon and there are lazy days. Lotsa dill came with the mayo which I like. Will be even better if they swop mayo for cream cheese. From Quicksand.

Quicksand
54 Boat Quay Singapore 049843
Tel : +65 65332240

Moomba Tuckshop
#B1-01 Bank Of China Building Singapore
4 Battery Rd
Tel: +65 65365235.

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Smitten with Sque

2011-09-26T00:00:00.000+08:00

We went to the Farmers Market at Robertson Quay over the weekend. Tried Smitten again and found their latte way too acidic. Lunched at Hummerstons with a huge group of happy folks. Did our customary browsing at Liang Court's Kino. Nibbled at the crabcakes at Sque for tea. Happy to find another crabcake place that rivals Mezzanine's. Finally ran off to meet G and her family for seafood in Kulai while A went home and KOed.

Smitten Coffee and Tea Bar
The Quayside
60 Robertson Quay
#01-11
Singapore 238252

Sque Rotisserie and Alehouse
The Central
6 Eu Tong Sen Street
Singapore 059817

Purple Sweet Potato Chiffon

2011-09-25T09:51:00.002+08:00

Since I am shameless enough to gush about my personal patissier, I might as well go all out. My personal patissier is ever-indulging. When I wanted personal patissier to bake me a pink cake, personal patissier researched and experimented. Good thing about a personal patissier who went to medical school is I am sure my pink cake will be healthy, free from artificial colouring etc etc. Personal patissier loves dabbling with chemical and biological reactions ;p Personal patissier was like a happy little bird when discovered that adding lemon juice into purple sweet potato mash will turn it HOT PINK! My cake wasn't that pink after going through the oven but I love it all the same.

Took this photo with a BB not iphone. Must say that BB's camera is not as good but this still shows the before and after effects of lemon juice clearly.

Ingredient (adapted by personal patissier from dunno where)
100 g of steamed and mashed purple sweet potato + 15ml of lemon juice
4 egg yolks + 20g of caster sugar + salt + 60ml of corn oil + 15ml of water (A)
5 egg whites + 50g of caster sugar
80g of self raising flour
Rum - 1 teaspoon (optional)

Steps
1. Whisk A till well blended and add in the mashed sweet potato with lemon juice. Mix well and add seived flour. Mix till smooth. Add rum. Add more water if the mixture is too dry.
2. Beat egg whites till stiff peaks are formed.
3. Gently mix egg white with egg yolk mixture till well combined.
4. Preheat oven to 180 deg. Pour mixture into chiffon tin and bake for 45mins.
5. Invert and cool cake for 2hrs before removing it from tin.

Not really a pink cake but I will not trade it for anything else.

Tokyo: Everything in Shinjuku 新宿 is Also Nice

2011-09-24T09:05:00.001+08:00

The neon lights that typified Tokyo night scene were still up in Shinjuku 新宿 even with the energy saving efforts. Kabukicho 歌舞伎町 is probably one of the most colourful street at night in Tokyo. And yes it is a red-light district. But us, the innocent tourists could not really feel it.

We walked and explored the colourful streets a little before dinner.

We were purposeful in our visit to Shinjuku. We wanted to find the first Indian curry shop in Japan. Some people called it a landmark, some called it an institution, some called it a classic - Nakamuraya Repas 中村屋 is a famous curry house established in 1901. I will always remember it as another yummy place that made me to eat a whole place of rice!

Decor at Nakamuraya Repas is totally old school. No English in its menu but it was not a problem.We easily made sense of what to eat.

Our curry was certainly not photogenic but it was very yummy. We like the very heady and flavourful seafood curry that came with a sourish tinge. A good change from what we had for the first few days in Tokyo.

The curry chicken looked just as unexciting. Good thing was the spices used for seafood and chicken were different. We got to eat our curries with Japanese rice. In the end, not a grain left on our plates! Who says Indian curry goes best with basmati?

Food basements in Tokyo are must-gos! We went to Pierre Herme at the basement of Isetan (Shinjuku) for desserts. We are not too interested in Laduree's. Tried its macarons and did not blow me away. PH's macarons are a different story. Their taste and texture is totally beyond my vocabulary!

Look at these beauties.

Montebello (a combination of raspberry and pistachio flavors, exclusive to Isetan Shinjuku) stole my heart. Sorry! Really beyond my vocabulary to describe its goodness.

Of course, one night in Shinjuku was not enough. We went back the following night for a bowl of ramen. True enough, any ramen chain in Tokyo whips up better ramen than any ramen place back in Singapore. Keika 桂花 is one of the oldest ramen chain in Tokyo that serves kumamoto style ramen. Good for me who prefer richer broth and stronger sesame flavour in my ramen.

Was so intrigued by the vending machine. In Japanese but absolutely user friendly.

Our ramens were robust and there were cabbage in the soup. These awesome ramen in Tokyo simply spoil my ramen life back home. None can measure up.

Hey I know my writing is terrible here. Just google or click on their official website (below) to check out these great places okie?

Shinjuku Nakamuraya Repas 中村屋

Shinjuku-Ku, Shinjuku 2F, 3-26-13
新宿区新宿 3-26-3

03-3352-6161

Pierre Herme Tokyo
Isetan Department Store B1F. 3-14-1
Shinjuku, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo
ピエール・エルメ・パリ伊勢丹新宿
〒160-0022 東京都新宿区新宿3-14-1 本館B1F
Tel:03-3352-1111（大代表）

Keika 桂花
Shinjuku-ku, Shinjuku 3-25-6
東京都新宿区新宿3-25-6

Cook with Love not Toxic

2011-09-23T14:05:00.003+08:00

Be prepared. I am going to ramble. Not my usual type of food post. Just skip this if you don't want to read okie?

A few years ago, a gf and I went to Song+Kelly21. Then gf was in a quarter-life crisis and ballooned to a size that one could not see her pretty Eurasian face. The clueless salegirls did not figure out we were together. While gf was in the fitting room, the sales started to bitch about my gf being too fat for the top she took. I heard everything but held my tongue because I did not want gf to hear. Never mind S+K (I like local labels very much btw) wrapped up soon after for I refused to step into the shop from then. Subsequently, gf told me she heard the sales and went home to cry. Thank goodness gf got over it eventually.

A few days ago, I wanted to try a new eatery. There were reviews on local newspapers and people were talking about it online. I am ever so shallow to chase after new openings anyway. A look at the owner's twitter timeline changed my mind. The owner was bitching about customers. There are unreasonable customers and there are unreasonable customers. If a proprietor handle these customers with grace, I respect. Call me anal. If a proprietor choose to bitch about customers, I do not want to eat anything cook by the person. Customers may not be the most polite and reasonable people on this earth. Customers may have their eating quirks. Customers may not have the most sophisticated palate. Customers may not be the most eloquent. If a proprietor choose to take any negative feedback as an insult and bitch about it. I am sorry. There is no way I am eating food cook by a bitter cook for I fear of the bitching thereafter. Dear toxic chef/cook/owner/whatever you call yourself, you are still at it while I type this post. You were running on almost full capacity when I went by your eatery just now. How fortunate of you. I can't help but to wonder how many of these customers who are nice enough to drop by your place for lunch know what you are saying behind their backs.

3 Lovely Gifts. 2-Year-old Blog. 1 Lucky Girl.

2011-09-21T19:06:00.003+08:00

Sticky Date Pudding

I do not know what I did in my past life to deserve such good fortune for I am surely undeserving in this one. Too much love.

A wonderful colleague gave me a pack of lovely Anbarah dates some time ago. Crates of dates were flown in especially from Saudi Arabia. Meant to last her entire extended family during Ramadan but she lovingly save me some. Anbarah dates are easily the best quality dates available. Sweet, fleshy and huge. Da best for sticky date pudding.

Dates do not automatically transformed to luxurious pudding of course. My personal pâtissier decided to lovingly bake it. A first try with the help from JoyOfBaking. Turn out way better than any commercial one in town. Da best sticky date pudding ever.

Caramel au Beurre

What is sticky date pudding without caramel? And I got da best from lovely fangie. Singaporeans go Paris for their macarons and French goes home to Maison Larniol's Kouignettees. Fangie is so lovely to fly the soul of this heavenly pastry in a jar for me. No easy task. Fangie took great care to stop her equally lovely foodie husband from sticking his fingers into MY jar.

Da best caramel to go with da best sticky date pudding made from da best dates by da best personal pâtissier of mine. Special mention to my personal pâtissier who send me to food, send food to me, hold food for me to take photos, finish my leftovers and still managed to stay so trim and fit.

There is no point typing this post if it is not read by da BEST readers. YOU :) Muchadoabouteating is TWO today! It will not be still hanging around without my family, friends and most importantly YOU. Thank you! Finally, if you can't get enough of me. Do drop by my instagram or my tumblr for snippets of my eating life. Yeah the tumblr button has been sneakily available on the right column of this blog for more than a month. Do give it some attention when you feel like it!