dotinabox.

100th post, and time for a move.

2010-06-28T03:28:00.000-07:00

Dear readers,

Thank you for following dotinabox for the past few months! It's been a great experience for me, being able to have this outlet for my passion for food, being able to share it with you, and getting to know you and receive recommendations on where to go to find good food.

It's been about 6 months since I started this blog, and I'd been planning a move to a better place for some time now. After weeks of planning and designing, I'm happy to announce that dotinabox will be shifting to http://www.dotinabox.net permanently.

There's several reasons for the move, not least of which being my boredom with this plain layout here and a wish to have greater control over the looks and activities on the blog. I'm really loving the new website that's more personal in taste and yet more professional at the same time. Do update your bookmarks, and I hope you'll love the new site as much as I do!

Content wise, rest assured I'll still be happily updating on food, and depending on where life brings me, possibly some on life and travel will come in the near future. Once again, thank you for your support everyone!

Puple Sage - a fine-dining catering experience

2010-06-27T18:00:00.000-07:00

Through the years of planning school events, I've sourced and hunted for many food caterers, hoping to find one that can provide good food at an affordable cost. However, more often than not, caterers tend to disappoint, serving up the generic mass cooked food that's relatively affordable but barely palatable.

Purple Sage serves up a different philosophy and style of catering. This boutique catering service's main business is to cater a good dining experience - from the food to the setup to the service, that would change a person's perception about the capabilities of the food catering industry. This naturally comes at a higher price - but very suitable for the finer parties where you want to impress. It was with pleasure that I accepted the gracious invitation from Purple Sage to attend a Food Tasting Event, especially after a glance at the menu beforehand.

It was a cozy event, with no more than 10 bloggers seated around a large table, joined by Mr Tony Seow - the CEO and managing director of Purple Sage, as well as his capable staff and interns. As a student myself, I'm happy to say that the entire event was planned and executed by the bunch of interns at Purple Sage. It's always great seeing interns being given the opportunity to do something real and meaningful, rather than just menial labour all the time.

The table was prettily set with floral decorations created by Purple Sage's in-house florist Azalea, that handles fthe floral decorations for all of Purple Sage's events.

A warm bread roll to fill our tummies while waiting for the food to arrive, as the chef busily prepares each course on the spot in a kitchen just metres away.

The first appetizer for the night was House Smoked Salmon - a confit of salmon with pickled cucumber shallot and beetroot crust. Of all the dishes that night, this was probably the most intriguing dish to me. Unlike normal smoked salmon that's been smoked in a room for hours, resulting in a slightly dry texture, this is a fresh piece of salmon, injected with smoke (by some molecular gastronomy method) for 5 minutes just before serving. However the chef did it, it was a work of genius. What resulted was salmon that's still fresh, very tender and blushing pink. Think a fish between sashimi raw and well cooked salmon - but with a lovely and distinct smoke flavour. Brilliant.

The following soup was a Wild Mushroom Cappuccino, a thick, mushroom rich earthy soup with a layer of light foam. Looks like a cup of cappuccino, tastes like fresh mushroom soup. A tad too thick a consistency for my liking, but there is no denying the load of mushrooms used.

The fish course that followed was Barramundi, poached and accompanied by Confit Frog Leg, asparagus and shimeji mushroom in a light broth. Yet another new item I'd never seen before - confit frog leg! Looking exactly like a miniature version of duck confit, this fall-off-the-bone frog meat lived up to the standards of a confit with a crispy exterior and tender meat. I hate to say it but it did taste a bit like chicken. While any fish that isn't cod isn't exactly my thing, the barramundi was fresh and thankfully not overcooked, retaining its soft flesh.

An intermezzo of Lime Sorbet followed, cleansing the palate before the meat course. A thoughtful little gesture I've seen only at some fine restaurants, this one came intricately presented in a tall glass filled with dry ice and coloured with fruits (not for consumption!). A very pretty sight!

The meat course was beef Short Rib, barbecued and presented with a fricasse of mushrooms. My second favourite dish of the night, oh just look at how the meat glistens! Fork tender and succulent, the well seasoned rib was packed with flavour in every bite. I'd love to have this again.

Dessert was yet another interesting course, with Chocolate infused Vinegar paired with purple potato puree and strawberry parfait. Beautiful presentation, with the kitchy lollipop parfait, and a chocolate mousse tasting of sweet balsamic vinegar that would win over people who aren't fans of too sweet desserts. I personally felt that the purple potato puree tasted out of place, and left it out of the equation.

the chef that prepared our entire meal - formerly from restaurants like Whitebait and Kale

I honestly felt the meal was delightful and eye-opening, with three items I had never seen or tasted before. It's surprising that a catering company can produce such a fine-dining experience - from their personalised crockery and cutlery, to well-presented innovative dishes. With a list of reputable customers and multiple awards under their belt, Purple Sage looks set to continue pushing the boundaries of what we believe catered food can taste like.

Once again, many thanks to Purple Sage and their team for this invited tasting session.

Charly T's at Handy Road

2010-06-23T21:56:00.000-07:00

Charly T's is one of those places I've walked past countless times (from Plaza Singapura to The Cathay) but never ventured in, partially due to the relatively higher prices for what seemed to be another roast chicken joint (like Kenny Rogers), as well as the quiet business it seems to be doing. Their boards of advertisements parading their menu items finally drew me in, and I'm glad I stepped in!

We started off with an iced tea - the homemade variety with your own syrup jug, instead of out of a can.

Then came the Half Chicken ($23.95), which is served with three sauces and three side dishes. The chicken itself was a surprising delight - I always fear whole chickens to be dry at some part or another, but our whole half-bird portion was moist and tender throughout - even the breast meat was acceptable (this from me, who avoids breast meat whenever possible). The spice blend marinade that was left to soak into the chicken for 16 hours before roasting gave great flavour to the juicy chicken. Charly T's pride themselves on using fresh, chilled chickens only - chickens that were still running around the day before and none of the frozen stuff. The little touches seem to truly make a difference - way better than old timer K Rogers.

The three sauces we chose were Charly T's original #2 Spicy sauce, #3 Hot sauce, and Chimichurri. In all honesty the chicken didn't need any sauce at all, and I ate most of the chicken without the sauces so as to fully appreciate the well marinated chicken. However, I did take the breast meat with the sauces (breast meat is breast meat afterall). Don't let the labels "spicy" and "hot" fool you, there's little kick to the sauces, nothing like what you get on hot wings. The Chimichurri is probably my favourite, with the parsley, red wine vinegar and red pepper creating a tangy mixture good for the blander breast meat.

The first side we chose was the Garden Salad, a bowl of fresh leaves, radish straws and corn kernels. Nothing much to it, but a proper side of greens to all that meat.

The side of Roasted Potatoes was our favourite of the three, with baby potatoes mixed with sauteed onions making for a good hit of carbs.

The Macaroni and Cheese is slightly different here - a tinge of spiciness, some cauliflower bits thrown in, and way too little cheese for me. Definitely a healthier version, but I prefer my well smothered, disgustingly cheesy ones. Just a personal preference!

A new addition to the Charly T's menu, the Sloppy Joe ($6.50) was what actually drew me in. We chose the beef version, although they also make a chicken version. Sloppy joes are a completely underrated type of burger! Instead of a solid patty, the filling is a mixture of ground beef and onions, held together with a slightly sweet tomato sauce, and all topped off with a slice of cheese that's completely melted over the messy filling. You can see why this thing's called a sloppy joe - it's supposed to get all messy upon eating. I loved every bite of this wet, messy burger, with the sauce making the hamburger buns soft and slightly mushy. It's not for everyone, but for me this tasty burger will hands down beat a dry hamburger anyday.

The sloppy joe comes with a side of tortilla chips and another of Charly T's hot sauce. Nothing too special bout it, do wish they had a better accompanying salsa.

The biggest disappointment of the day was probably the dessert of Honey with Fig and Dates waffle ($4.95) accompanied by a scoop of vanilla ice cream (add $2). The waffle was plain and tasteless, with no hint of honey or fig or dates other than some small bits found here and there. The scoop of ice cream was tiny and not spectacular, so the whole thing was pretty much a waste of stomach space.

All in all, I'll definitely be back for the chicken and the sloppy joe, but perhaps not the dessert options. Charly T's has menu options from all over the world, including salmon yakitori and prawn mazaltan etc. I'm not sure about their other options, but their star - the rotisserie chicken - is done right and well. Probably my new favourite rotisserie chicken place.

Charly T's
20 Handy Road
Level 1 NOMU Building

Haagen Dazs Caramel Biscuit and Cream

2010-06-21T02:20:00.000-07:00

I hadn't exactly planned to blog about this, thus the not-so-pretty picture, obviously taken after polishing some of it off. But after tasting it, I felt that I simply had to feature this! After seeing the ads for Haagen Dazs' new ice cream flavour plastered all over the MRT station, I immediately decided that I had to get my hands on some. I've yet to see it in supermarkets yet, so I ran down to a Haagen Daz outlet itself to get a tub hand-packed for me. And boy oh boy I think I've found a new favourite flavour (right next to their strawberry, as well as macademia nut brittle).

The whole concoction is pretty sweet, with a caramel ice cream base studded with lots of biscuit bits! The biscuit used is the Belgian Speculoos variety - you know, like the type sold individually wrapped by the brand Lotus? Probably one of my favourite cookies, with the sweet caramelised flavour and crumbly texture. Now imagine that in wonderfully rich Haagen Daz ice cream! Still retaining it's super crunchy texture and simply delish. There's nothing like it on supermarket shelves (or at least that I know of!).

Between Ben and Jerry's newest creation (A Cookie Affair) and Haagen Dazs' Caramel Biscuit and Cream, I'll have to say I think Haagen Daz won hands down. A Cookie Affair just tasted like a super-packed cookies and cream ice cream, nothign extraordinary. But then again, I've always been more a Haagen Daz fan :)

Pullman Bakery at Isetan Hokkaido Fair

2010-06-18T03:17:00.000-07:00

The Isetan Hokkaido Food Fair is back once again! I do have to admit that the fair is getting predictable - with the same stalls being brought in every time, it no longer generates the same level of excitement it used to. However, there are still a few good things that I will definitely go to the fair for, one of which being Pullman Bakery's Danshaku karei-pan, or curry bun.

The curry bun must be the best Japanese curry bun I've tried in Singapore. The deep fried bun is crispy on the outside, with the soft, fluffy, and slightly chewy bread giving way to a generous filling of Japanese curry and potato bits.

This year, Pullman Bakery has brought in something new - a Curry Bun with Camembert cheese ($3.50). If anything could top the original curry bun, this has to be it. In addition to everything else, there's a good noticable layer of white creamy cheese throughout the innards of the bun now! Utter bliss in a bun - there's no going back to the basic version for me!

Pullman Bakery has also brought in other items like their camamel criossant, chocolate pies, and scallop gratin bun. I used to bemoan the fact that I could only get these buns for a short period of time each year, so imagine my delight when I found out that Pullman Bakery's opening an outlet here in Singapore, at Millenia Walk in November this year! Rejoice!

Yigloo at Vivocity

2010-06-15T07:07:00.000-07:00

Do we ever have enough froyo and the different concepts shops come up with to entice us? I think not!

Yigloo's another recent startup in the local froyo scene, occupying a little shop space at the basement of Vivocity, boasting cute decorations, an interior designed almost to look like someone's little house and yet another froyo concept.

Part of the toppings bar. Cute cartoons everywhere!

There's even a double decker bed in the shop - more for decoration rather than actual usage

Machines filled with a myriad of froyo flavours

So Yigloo works like this : enter the shop, star at the scrolling LED lights for the available flavours, ask one of the staff to get you a sample if you wish, decide on the flavour/flavours of your choice, go to the cashier and ask a staff for your desired cup size (small, medium, large) and they will proceed to swirl the cup with the flavours of your choice. Prices are fixed according to cup size - not weight, not number of toppings. Once you have gotten your unadorned froyo and paid up, you then proceed on to their toppings bad to load your cup up with whatever toppings you wish, in whatever quantity you desire, all at no additional charge. Then grab some napkins and spoons, and start eating!

I was rather surprised at first since I assumed that the customers get to swirl their own froyo since the machines are displayed out in the open for easy access. However, I've learnt from previous experiences that the fun factor of doing your own swirling is but a small factor int he froyo experience. I actually enjoyed the froyo at Yigloo quite a bit! I chose a medium cup ($5.50), filled it up with original (my default), and topped it with some diced tangerines, blueberries and strawberries. The froyo itself - the make or break factor - was pretty decent, quite remenicent of Red Mango (my favourite) actually! Smooth, slightly creamy, not too sweet and very light - twas an enjoyable cup.

The way I see it, Yigloo has several things going for it - a wide range of flavour choices, a fixed price, a range of toppings for a one-time free-flow loading, and a cute environment. All that makes for a fun and stress-free experience (no worrying about how heavy the cup's going to be and how expensive it'll be!) with decent froyo too. The only down side would be that the shop feels very... open and exposed. Sitting there on a weekend afternoon with the heavy traffic moving by the open concept shop wasn't exactly very relaxing or good for hanging around at. Nonetheless, I'll be back for a cup to-go should I be around the area!

Yigloo
1 HarbourFront Walk
#B2-06A VivoCity

Honeymoon Dessert at Vivocity

2010-06-11T20:57:00.000-07:00

Honeymoon Dessert has finally landed on our shores! After a trip to Hong Kong just this January, during which I was having their desserts practically everyday (couldn't get enough of their sweet mango desserts!), I was elated when I heard they had opened their first outlet in Singapore at Vivocity. As with all chain outlets, there's this natural urge to compare and see whether the local outlet can compare to the standard in the home country. I thus dug up my old pictures from the Hong Kong trip to do a visual comparison.

Mango Pomelo and Sago (Singapore)

Mango Pomelo and Sago (Hong Kong)

Appearance wise, the two bowls of Mango Pomelo and Sago (S$5.50) look exactly the same. Taste wise? The mango pieces as well as the mango puree soup are as sweet as I remember them to be, and the pomelo and sago portions as generous. However, there seemed to be less mango pieces in it than in the ones I had in Hong Kong. Discounting that, I still love this dessert - such delicious sweetness! I still don't know how they quality-control all their mangoes and suspect it might be put in syrup but I've never encountered one sour mango. I currently do not know of another place in Singapore with an equally good mango pomelo sago.

Mango Pancake (Singapore)

Mango Pancake (Hong Kong)

The yummy inside of the Mango Pancake

Here now there's a clear difference between the two Mango Pancakes - the one I had at Vivocity came as only one pancake, while in Hong Kong there were two in one serving! Albeit the slightly bigger size of the one I had here, the overall serving was much smaller. At s$3.50, it doesn't seem very worthwhile, though I cannot help but love the combination of a thin pancake (almost crepe-like) skin blanketing whipped cream and a big chunk of sweet mango. I'm not sure of the change to one pancake is across all the chains though, so it may be that way now in Hong Kong too!

Overall, I'm glad that Honeymoon Dessert is open here! I've tried other things from them, both in Singapore and in Hong Kong, and in general I don't think there's much to rave about other than their mango items, though the quality seems consistent thankfully. Service here was most disappointing when I went - despite there being only one other pair of customers in the entire place, we could not get the staff's attention. I'll give it another shot, just because the mango desserts have really got me good.

Honeymoon Dessert
1 Harbourfront Walk
#01-93 VivoCity

Awfully Chocolate Part II

2010-06-08T00:16:00.000-07:00

Awfully Chocolate's no stranger to the local cake scene - its chocolate cakes have become the new generation's Lana cake, and I've previously raved about their "hei" ice cream here. The shops are reowned for being of minimalist design, selling about five different items in total. But now, they have created a few new chocolate creations, all found only at their Vivocity outlet. Given how much I like their ice cream, I simply had to check it out.

One of their new creations - the Super Stacked Chocolate cake, is a great idea for several reasons. First, it's the only way you can get a slice of their cake without having got to buy the whole cake (which may often be too much unless you're sharing with others). Second, for a crazy-chocolate-loving person like me, this thicker and richer version of their original all chocolate cake hits the spot better than their normal cakes. Within each slice is 6 different layers of chocolate fudge, sandwiched between very thin slices of moist chocolate cake. Deliciously satisfying with deep chocolate richness without being cloyingly sweet, this cake is served by the weight ($6.50 for 100g). My slice pictured above was about 125g, and given the dense richness of it, it's more than enough.

Now, this baby should come with a warning sign. It's not for everyone, and unless you're a sick lover of cream and chocolate and fudge like me and want an overdose of a sugar rush, you'd better get someone to share it with you. Their Cold Poached Chocolate (from $5.60) is my idea of divine, but don't say I didn't warn you. Awfully Chocolate seems to have come up with their own little invention of a cold-poaching chocolate - a process which involves putting a liquid dark chocolate mixture onto a cold marble slab (much like the ones you see at mix-in ice cream shops), and tampering with it until it solidifies. What you get is a circular slab of semi-solid dark chocolate, which is soft like a very thick mousse inside. Think, chocolate in it's purest form, adulterated with some cream. Denser, richer, and thicker than a normal mousse, almost like a ganache. This is then topped off with a tall mountain of fresh cream, in one of five flavours. I chose butterscotch cream, although they have many liquer flavoured ones like malt whiskey. Not all five flavours are available at any one time though. The butterscotch cream is ah-mazing. Stiff and sweet and yet light, as a contrast to the poached chocolate, they go very well together. The whole deal may be too creamy and much for a person to handle, and a small portion of that mountain may be enough. But it's sure giving me a sugar rush for the rest of the day!

There was too much chocolate in my system to try these, but these Chocolate Cupcakes are next on my agenda! By the looks of it and the good reputation of their cakes thus far, these should be satisfying too. They've also introduced some dark chocolate truffles and kahlua bars that's sold by weight. Everything looks delicious and deserving of a chance. I'm really glad that they've come up with some wonderful additions that look set to be mainstays in time!

Their Vivocity outlet is the first one in which I've seen seating, but be warned there are only 2 small tables, so it's likely that you'll have to do a takeaway. But for these darlings, I think it's worth it.

Awfully Chocolate
1 Harbourfront Walk
#01-156 VivoCity

Rider's Cafe at Bukit Timah Saddle Club

2010-06-04T21:11:00.000-07:00

Rider's oh Rider's! It's been about a year since I last visited this place, and to my memory it served up one of the best eggs benedicts around. After having been around trying more eggs benedicts over the past year (categorised under: brunch), I decided to make a trip back just to have a taste of their good old traditional eggs benedict (of course, the lovely scenery and horsies trotting around the green pastures is by itself another good reason to visit this place!)

Behold their eggs benedict ($12), served with a side of breakfast potatoes and fruits. I bit into it with great expectation, but alas was unfortunately disappointed. The English muffin itself was hard and required a lot of sawing action to cut through, and the eggs - what to me is the most crucial ingredient - were just not up to par. Slightly rubbery, reeking of vinegar, plus a mostly solid yolk that failed to be oh-so-satisfyingly runny, this is not the same eggs benedict I had a year back. The sides of potatoes and fruits remained the same - ordinary with nothing much to rave about. Sigh, Rider's now has fallen from its ranks in my book, making Spruce the uncontested best so far! (Though note that with its use of corn waffles its not the traditional eggs benedict).

Their morning pancakes ($10) though, thankfully remained as good as memory recounted. Three thick, fluffy and moist pancakes stacked high in all its glory, surrounded by fresh cream, maple syrup, a swirl of whipped cream and a serving of blueberry compote. The combination of it all makes for a perfect pancake breakfast, that's definitely filling! I don't know why but it seems hard to get a decent short stack around Singapore - most pancakes come flat like Macdonald's.

The eggs benedict may be sub-standard now (or perhaps my good memory of it increased my expectations too much), but I'm still going to go back to Rider's. Except from now on, the pancakes will be my regular order. The scenery is still wonderfully un-Singapore-like, and who wouldn't like to pretend that they're not in this mad rat race, even if just for a couple of hours?

Riders Café
51 Fairways Drive
Bukit Timah Saddle Club

Ikea must-haves

2010-06-02T08:36:00.000-07:00

Sometimes we go around eating so much good food that we forget the simpler things and take them for granted. Ikea's cafeteria is definitely one of those places that, for me, spell happy times and great amounts of hot meatballs and chicken wings! Comfort food, along with some good shopping and strolling thereafter. There's something really special about the way Ikea feels - perhaps it's the magical combination of good food in a place you'll least expect to find it - in the middle of a furniture store!

I'm sure many are familiar with Ikea's food, but I decided to list some that I never fail to order on every visit:

Swedish meatballs may be just about the most popular item on the menu, with these little nuggets of beef + pork balls drenched in the creamy sauce. Savoury, juicy, and bouncy - and needs no further introduction. I love putting some of the ligonberry jam they give you at the side on the meatballs too, for the nice sweet and slightly tart addition of flavour to the savouriness. It's just odd that you can't seem to find good, similar meatballs in many places in Singapore - a lack of Swedish cuisine on our shores?

And along with the famous meatballs, I never fail to have their equally famous chicken wings on every visit! Piping hot always, with dark, crispy skin trapping all thesucculent tender chicken flesh within, it's not hard to see why it's a winner. Only thing is, I thought they used to be bigger and fleshier, no? Still, at 6 pieces for $7.50, it's a very good way to binge on hot wings that ain't too oily. Now, if only there's some beer to wash it all down with... hmmmm.

The final must-have for me on any visit to Ikea would be their cheesecakes ($3.80) - in this case, their blueberry cheesecake. Ikea's cheesecake is one of those surprisingly underrated things. It's definitely one of the better cheesecakes I've come across - with a biscuit-like crust, and dense and smooth, almost melt-in-your-mouth baked cheesecake. The only difference between a plain cheesecake and the blueberry one is the layer of blueberry jam/sauce on top, which is good and not overly sweet, but the plain one is delicious too! Coffee houses which charge twice the price don't have as good a cheesecake.

While places may come and go, Ikea's food seems to be unchallenged thus far (I've yet to see a place try to replicate Swedish meatballs and chicken wings under one roof), and I doubt it's popularity will wane anytime soon. It has it's not so good dishes - I personally find the salmon way overcooked and its pasta terrible, but order right and it'll give you a very satisfying meal! If this ain't enough, their little shop downstairs has some wonderful curry puffs and soft serve ice cream too, alongside their dirt cheap hot dog buns (even if the hotdogs are normal, I'm happy to know that they bother to steam their buns till nice and soft!).

Ikea
317 Alexandra Road

Macarune

2010-06-01T01:51:00.000-07:00

And in the midst of everything, this came along! Having missed the April variety pack, I jumped at the opportunity to get on Macarune's May variety pack list (all thanks to WR!).

The only downside? While the previous pack was all macarons, this pack consists of a mixture of cookies and macarons, which came out to be a bit of a disappointment because there were only 5 macarons inside, and I was really looking forward to the macarons. Not that the cookies ain't good, but the macarons are seriously yummy. Danielle, the baker behind Macarune) really knows how to combine and create lovely flavours! My favourites being the White Russian macaron and the Hibiscus macaron. If I ever have any party or event, I'm definitely going to place an order from her! It's a lovely thought knowing that all these little darlings are handcrafted at home, not some big chain business - and they turn out so beautifully too.

More macarons please?

Accident.

2010-05-26T04:56:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone! I'm so sorry for the lack of updates lately! Unfortunately, there'll be few updates for the next couple of weeks, as I got into an accident and am undergoing major teeth and mouth surgery in addition to others. That translates to a liquid diet for the next few weeks. Milk, porridge, juice and all the such. I might do some backlog posts in all this free time, and maybe some other nonsense - considering how much tie I'll be having!

In the meanwhile, do take care guys! It never occurred to me how short and fragile life is, and how much I have to treasure what I have, while I have them.

Much love!
Dot.

Caffe Beviamo at Paragon

2010-05-22T07:36:00.000-07:00

Caffe Beviamo at Paragon is a great little place with an open-style concept (meaning you can look at the people walking by and vice cersa) located high up on the fifth storey, where the crowd's much thinner than at lower levels. Despite the slight obscurity of the cafe, its tables are perpetually pretty occupied, mostly with the ladies-who-lunch crowd and the occasional stroller in tow. The menu itself seems to be designed with ladies in mind, offering a whole range of healthy foods from soups to salads to sandwiches and light pasta options. This particular occasion, we popped by during tea time so we could rest our feet from all the walking and shopping in Orchard!

Caffe Beviamo serves up surprisingly affordable alcoholic drinks, costing a couple of bucks more than their juice choices. I opted for Pimm's ($8), which I personally have always liked, though the partner finds it medicinal tasting. To each his own!

His order of Gin and Tonic ($8). Both drinks were of ordinary standards, but a lovely accompaniment to our food and adding much to the mood of the lazy afternoon.

The Spinach with Ricotta and Gorgonzola ravioli ($15 for small portion) came with generous helpings of broccolini, garlic, and sesame seeds. Doesn't it look like an unnaturally healthy pasta dish? Decent pasta with suitably well-filled cheese innards, but don't expect professional homemade pasta standards. The whole dish is light on the stomach and very easy to polish off considering the healthy greens and lack of a heavy cream-based sauce.

The Beef Sandwich ($14.50), a pressed sandwich stuffed with roasted tenderloin fillet, cheese, avocado, tomato relish and lettuce, was delightfully juicy and fresh. The crunch of lettuce, creaminess of avocado, tanginess of the relish and the tender meat worked really well together. A more filling choice than the pasta, actually! I've had several other sandwiches from Beviamo on different occasions and have concluded that they do their sandwiches pretty well across the board - it'll be pretty safe to go for any of them and be satisfied.

A meal is never complete without dessert, hence the Sticky Date Pudding ($7.50) with vanilla ice cream it was. Unlike other renditions I've seen, this one has the vanilla ice cream sandwiched between two slices of the date sponge. The portion's good enough for two, and the abundance of sauce is sure to send yoru heart racing to a sugary high! Had I not tried others like Boomerang's sticky date pudding, I'll say that it's a really good pudding, with the soft sponge and the thick toffee sauce. However, I felt the sponge itself was not moist enough, and depended lots on the ice cream and sauce to moisten it up. I've got a high sweet tolerance level, but others may find this too sweet. Overall, Boomerang's sticky date still triumphs this for moistness, texture, and all around taste. Sorry folks!

Caffe Beviamo is a great resting spot in the heart of Orchard road, serving up good Western food for a decent price (for it's location). No service charge is imposed and iced water is constantly refilled, plus there's never the feeling that you're being chased away (everyone else there actually lingered longer than we did). I've yet to go to their main outlet at Tanglin Mall, which I hear is much bigger and nicer. If you're purely looking for a nice place ot chill, Tanglin will be a better bet, but if shopping's on the agenda and company's already great, Paragon's outlet should suffice!

Caffe Beviamo (Paragon)
290 Orchard Road
#05-K3/K4 The Paragon

Sogurt - so good?

2010-05-19T06:21:00.000-07:00

Sogurt's a relatively new frozen yogurt joint that has opened along Bukit Timah - along the row of shophouses between Coronation Plaza and Hwa Chong Instutition. I was very excited to hear of its opening as 1. there has yet to be a fro-yo joint along Bukit Timah and 2. I loved the very concept of a self-serve, weight-based fro-yo shop. Here, you get to DIY your own cup of fro-yo: choose either a medium or large sized paper cup at the entrance, proceed to the row of fro-yo dispensers where there's up to 8 different flavours available at any one time, swirl your own flavour/flavours and then proceed to the toppings stage where there's a large variety of fruit and non-fruit toppings for you to load your fro-yo with. Finally, head to the cashier where your fro-yo creation is weighed and charged accordingly at a rate of $3.30 per 100g. Pretty fun stuff right? However, concept aside, how does the fro-yo taste?

machines all ready to dispense fro-yo!

I find the most consistent way to compare and judge fro-yos is to go for the natural flavour, thus a whole cup of plain flavour it was. It's really unfortunate that the fro-yo was a disappointment. Overly sweet and very icy, this doesn't give the satisfaction of eating tart yogurt, nor the feeling of eating ice cream due to its icy texture. Other than feeling filled with sweet liquid thereafter, there was little enjoyment in that cup.

Deciding to give the other flavours a chance, the Cookies and Cream flavour came next. I don't quite get how something sinful like cookies and cream should go with fro-yo, but this at least tasted better than the plain - there's an obvious element of Oreo or cookies and cream taste in the froyo. No tartness again, but pretty unique a flavour I've not seen elsewhere.

Seeing as I may never come back again, I thought I'd might as well try more of their flavours to give a better verdict. This cup contained swirls of two different flavours - peach mango and strawberry. Nothing particularly outstanding or worth mentioning, but the strawberry was pretty milky.

Overall? I can see how this place will work. A wonderful concept with a fun element, in the heart of an upmarket neighbourhood and surrounded by schools with students who want a place to hang out and have something sweet. Otherwise, it's not the easiest place to get to, taking into account the limited parking. Ample sitting, bright colours and pretty young things in the form of blogshop models and other young girls serving you and attracting the crowds. I do think the owner has appropriately reached her target clientele.

However, very importantly, be warned - the fro-yo does not come cheap. It's very easy to swirl happily and add toppings without thinking about just how much it costs, and the figure will work out to more than what you had expected. My first swirl of plain fro-yo without toppings, in a medium cup, was smaller than the size of a Yoguru regular size, but cost $5 after a 20% student discount. The cup of 2 flavours, in the medium cup, worked out to $7.85 after the discount again. I realised that the weight is highly attributable to the density of the froyo - what is served here is basically a very weight-heavy, water based fro-yo, unlike the lighter and more creamy ones at Yoguru and Red Mango. Definitely smart for a weight-based concept, but the froyo failed to make the price justifiable with its taste.

I for one won't be back again - there's just too many better fro-yos out there. I may just have to admit that even Frolick (which is in the same category of icy fro-yo) may be better - at least there's a tartness to it. Also, since I don't go for toppings and tend to love natural flavours, there really isn't a lure for me. However, considering how subjective taste is, it's best for you to judge for yourself whether Sogurt's your kind of thing, because for me, it really isn't good.

Sogurt
617 Bukit Timah Road

Old Hong Kong Kitchen at Novena Square 2 - a pictorial

2010-05-18T20:32:00.000-07:00

Old Hong Kong is my reliable fallback for those days I just feel like having some convenient, good dim sum. I personally think this is thus far the best place for dim sum around the Novena area - affordable too, especially if you go during tea time of 2.30pm-5pm, where there is 20% off all dim sum items. It's not in the same league as Royal China (at Raffles Hotel) or Yan Ting (at St Regis), but it's good mid-range dim sum. There's also a whole range of proper Cantonese cuisine, should you wish for things over and above dim sum. What's pictured below are my usual must-haves:

Char siew bao - bbq pork bun

Har gow - steamed shrimp dumpling

Siew mai - steamed pork and shrimp dumpling

Chae siew soh - baked bbq pork pastry

XO fried carrot cake

Fried shrimp and cheese rolls

Old Hong Kong Kitchen
10 Sinaran Drive
#02-80 Novena Square 2

Saint Pierre at Central Mall

2010-05-15T22:05:00.000-07:00

A visit to Saint Pierre had long been on the cards, expecially when I had my insatiable foie gras craving and heard that Saint Pierre serves one of the best around. I finally got round to making reservations for two (with my darling mother!) on a weekday afternoon - only to realise later on that we were the only two in the entire restaurant for lunch that day! That made for extra attentive service - my mum felt it was almost stifling though. But on to the food:

Complimentary cheese sticks are served upon arrival, providing you with something to nibble on while perusing the menu. Pretty regular, but a nice touch nonetheless.

The next complimentary was black olive and sun-dried tomato chips, prettily displayed on a block of stone. More nibbles!

There were also two choices of bread rolls - a mini baguette and a sun-dried tomato and olive roll (I forgot to take pictures of them both!). While nothing spectacular, they were served warm with good butter.

I seem to be a broken record reading off "the next complimentary...." but there really seems to be no end of pre-meal complementaries at Saint Pierre. Not that I'm complaining though! A trio of anchovy dip, deep fried sardine sticks and cod fish cones with beetroot crumble was served. I was loving the number of different tastes and textures - all in small quantities - that I was having even before the meal began. The cod fish cones with beetroot crumble was the best of the lot, with creamy, almost mouse-like cod fish in a crispy thin cone paired with the savoury crumble.

The amuse bouche of the day (finally!) was a squid ink macaron filled with lobster ganache, topped with caviar and sitting upon a dollop of lobster cream. Did anyone else's heart skip a beat at the mention of that? Talk about savoury macarons! Perfect macaron shells with the smooth crispy exterior and moist chewy innards, with pop-in your mouth bubbles of fish roe and the thick cream - wonderful and absolutely intriguing.

I said I had a foie gras craving, and it had to be satisfied. My starter was the Classic Foie Gras ($8 supplement to the set lunch), which was a huge slab of foie gras with caramelised green apples and old port sauce, sitting atop buttery puff pastry. This was insanely good - by far the largest piece of foie gras I'd encountered at a restaurant (easily the size of my palm), cooked to perfection. Almost cracking-ly crispy on the outside, with buttery, soft insides that almost wobbled with delight. The artery clogging, melt-in-your-mouth delight that had my mum staring in horror at me was absolutely worth it. Craving suitably satisfied!

My mum went for the Crab Ravioli, which came beautifully presented like a little piece of art on the round white plate. Saffron pasta with crab, lobster cream, baby spinach and tomato split jus. One very well stuffed ravioli it was! She loved it, and I tried a bit and found it excellent too - fresh crab within, and very refreshing. A great choice if you're not in for artery clogging duck liver (which I'll still choose over this - when good foie gras is on the menu, everything else fades away :))

My main was the Brasied Lamb Shoulder with pearl onion, potato fondant, tomato, green beans and lamb jus. It may not seem like a large piece of meat, but trust me, I was suitably stuffed and stuggling to finish it towards the end. Perhaps it's the effect of all the complementaries at the start too! But the lamb begged to be finished - braised till so tender I could literally take my fork and pull out chunks of soft lamb. Very flavourful, fresh (no awful strong lamb smell), not fatty - basically, a delight. Everything else just served as a light note to accompany the meat.

The famed White Miso Cod was my mum's choice. Served atop a bed of roated vegetables, with tomato coulis and olive oil powder, this generously sized piece of cod was much loved. The miso was not too salty, and the taste of the cod itself came through. Fresh and unpretentious.

We were too full by then to stomach two desserts, so we had ordered a serving of Grandma Stroobant's flourless belgian chocolate cake, served with milk chocolate mousse and dark chocolate jelly. I've seen many variations of this chocolate cake, and Ice has even documented the transformation of it. I think this is the first time I've seen it in a circular shape! There was that moment of childish temptation to fit the small cut out circle back into the hole... but that aside, the cake was dense and moist, and with the different types and textures of the chocolate mousse and jelly, everything came together really nicely. I do wish I had a chance to try the original version though.

Ending off the meal, our cups of tea were accompanied by some petit fours - a chocolate chip cookie, brown sugar caramel and lemon jelly. The chocolate chip cookie was pretty regular and the lemon jelly a little too sour for both of us (to cleanse the palate I'm guessing), but the brown sugar caramel was outstanding. I have no idea what they put in it, but there's a real depth of flavour and almost slightly bitter end note to it. Whatever it is, I wish I had a bag full of it.

The meal at Saint Pierre was definitely wonderful, with many hits that just makes me wonder what else there is on the menu. With the well-priced set lunch (for the quality you're getting), and a set lunch menu that changes weekly, there's always a reason to come back here. The empty restaurant was a little overwhelming for both of us though, seeing as we'd rather not have too attentive staff - though they may it a point to remain discreet.

I'll be back, the next time there's a mini occasion to celebrate, or a foie gras craving to satisfy.

Spruce at Phoenix Park

2010-05-14T01:53:00.000-07:00

Weekend brunch at Spruce is such a lovely, laid back affair. Hearty food and good company, away from the hustle and bustle of the city but yet just a stone's throw away from the Orchard belt, I've discovered that Spruce's brunch is really my kind of thing.

The Spruce Big Brekkie ($16) is a huge platter of everything that could satisfy the hungriest tummy. Eggs (your choice of scrambled, poached or sunny side up), bacon, german sausage, roasted tomato, fried potato and roasted mushrooms with toast and butter. Everything was delicious, though special mention goes to the german sausage for being amazingly juicy - bursting with meaty, juicy goodness in every bite. The scrambled eggs, while good, could not replace my favourite from Food for Thought as a little too overcooked for me. I like em still semi-runny, though these are definitely one of the better ones out there!

The Spruce Eggs Benny on Corn Waffles with Leg Bacon ($12) is a wonderful rendition of the traditional eggs benedict. The replacement of the traditional English muffin with corn waffles, while not providing the same level of firm chewiness, is a brilliant idea for the extra touch of savouriness it provides. Plus, the corn bits in the waffle are a delight to bite into! But what really propelled it to the top eggs benedict I've had were the poached eggs - absolutely brilliant, bursting with eggy yolk goodness upon the prick of the fork. The result? Tons of runny yolk all over the waffle begging to be mopped up. The eggs whites thankfully weren't too rubbery, nor did they taste of vinegar. This really is my perfect brunch food.

Creamy Macaroni and Cheese ($7) is one very filling side dish. A decent portion of macaroni, smothered in cheese and topped with some breadcrumbs that are baked till the top is golden and crusty, and the macaroni still remains firm and not overly mushy. This is a good example of the genuine stuff - not the radioactive orange coloured stuff they call cheese sauce (which, like nacho cheese, I find myself enjoying still though!).

A wonderful brunch that spanned a couple of hours, the brunch here definitely calls for multiple re-visits - as judged by how we really enjoyed every item we ordered. The only thing to note is to make reservations early - their brunch weekends always seem to be packed!

Spruce
320 Tanglin Road
247980

tcc - High Tea Set

2010-05-11T07:20:00.000-07:00

It was some time back when I first noticed that tcc (the coffee connoisseur) started offering high tea sets, though I never had the push to give it a try until my mum came back after trying it one day and gave it decent cred - and my mum of all people takes her afternoon teas seriously, so off I went!

picture credits to tcc

I decided that I simply had to put this official poster of tcc's high tea up because (as I later found out), the presentation of the high tea was almost exactly the same - from the placement of the items, right down to that tiny leaf placed atop the tart and savouries. The one small difference was the topping on one fruit tart, nothing that ruffled my feathers.

As with all afternoon teas, there's a choice of a pot of tea or a cup of coffee, and I chose English Breakfast for that day. I like the extra touch of those two little biscuits to go with my tea, which is otherwise standard tea, no special brand to it or anything.

Presenting to you the high tea set which looks brilliantly similar to the poster! Looks aside, the items themselves were pretty good too. Both custard-filled fruit tarts, one topped with berries and another with slices of mango, were decent, the only thing holding it back from being great was the fact that the tart bases were no longer crisp but rather slightly soggy from the custard filling. What a pity! If only they had chocolate coated their tarts mmm yum - crunchy tart and that bit of chocolate touch.

The beautifully presented open-faced sandwiches provided the always necessary savoury touch to a tea. One smoked salmon, and the other mango and ham, both atop some greens and a piece of toast. Good, light and refreshing - the smoked salmon in particular wasn't overly salty, which was nice.

And then there's the scones. Now this was right up my alley. Oh, the variety of scones I've seen and had, all differing slightly in taste and texture. On one end there are those soft cakey ones, and on the other end the buscuit-y crumbly ones. The scones at tcc are moist, but lean towards the biscuit, crumbly variety - just the way I like it. Not too soft, not too hard, not too dry. One raisin studded, the other chocolate chip studded, these were to me divine, with a tad of cream and strawberry jam - oh these moreish darlings.

At $12.90 per pax (before gst and service charge), this is a brilliant deal - a total of six sizeable bits of food covering all the essential bases, along with a pot of tea (or cup of coffee) for you to savour while spending the afternoon with some dear friends. Service is excellent too. The set lasts till the end of may, so it'll be a good idea to catch it before it's gone!

tcc - the coffee connoisseur
outlets islandwide
http://www.thecoffeeconnoisseur.com

Laurent Bernard chocolatier at Robertson Quay

2010-05-09T05:44:00.000-07:00

Laurent Bernard chocolatier's a place that needs little introduction - this gem of a place sitting in Robertson Quay boasts drool-worthy chocolate desserts that have gotten rave reviews all over. I'd long wanted to try their chocolate tart (I love a good tart anywhere, anyhow) and was so excited about it that I barely took any photos and just got down to eating these slices of chocolatey goodness.

Their amazing Chocolate Tart really lives up to its fame - and I admit to being quite fussy about my tarts. There's not a thing about this to fault - the crispy, thin, high butter, sable-like hazelnut base was tart perfection. Crumbly and more-ish and such a good balance against the dense, dark chocolate cream that's so deliciously thick and almost sticky. Best chocolate tart to date, no questioning.

The Truffle cake, a lovely rendition of the classic chocolate cake, made with Guanaja 70% dark chocolate, has dense and oh-so-moist layers of chocolate sponge, sandwiching dark chocolate ganache and coated with a mirror-gloss of more chocolate. Very intense and delectably satisfying, tons of ice water was needed to wash these two creations down!

Beautiful creations in an equally quaint setting makes for a great dessert-time, anytime (had it right before dinner that day!). Something else I noticed (but unfortunately did not photograph - but you can see on their website!). Their chocolate boxes and takeaway boxes come in the most beautiful shade of blue - reminds me of boxes of another similar shade of blue containing pretty things I love ;)

Laurent Bernard chocolatier
The Pier at Robertson Quay
80 Mohammad Sultan Road #01-11
http://thechocolatefactoryonline.com

Mondo Mio at Robertson Quay

2010-05-07T06:39:00.000-07:00

Robertson Quay is so overflowing with good eateries that it's going to take many, many trips there to try everything! This time, we trotted down to give Mondo Mio, a little Italian restaurant located right opposite Laurent Bernard's (where we had our pre-dinner desserts - but that's for another post!) a try. A little, pretty nondescript place that's very simply decorated with bright orange walls, and with a small indoor seating and more al fresco seating available. Being a cool-comfort creature and in light of the swealtering hot and humid weather, we chose to sit indoors, where you can see the chefs making fresh pasta and cooking it right infront of your eyes. The only downside to sitting indoors is that you may smell of food after you meal, since there's no proper partioning between the cooking station and the seating.

While browsing through the menu, the waitress served us complimentary glasses of champagne. While many places will serve a bread basket, this is the first place that I know of that serves champagne instead! Very special and absolutely delightful.

As there's no complimentary bread basket, we ordered some bruschetta ($6) for our starter. Homemade bread, topped off with diced tomatoes and olive oil - nice and refreshing, and light on the palate. Nothing in particular to rave about. There's multiple other choices of breads you may order too (like garlic bread or a simple bread basket) depending on your mood.

After watching the chefs make pasta infront of our eyes, we knew we had to order us some pasta! Being a fan of stuffed pastas, the Ravioli di Ricotta and Spinach al Ragu ($25) was a must order. And these did not disappoint one bit. A generous serving of square shaped pasta dumplings filled with ricotta cheese and spinach, smothered in a tomato-based beef sauce that's really more beef and mushrooms than sauce. Wonderfully al dente ravioli and its well-filled creamy, vegetarian innards paired with the flavourful, slightly sweet and very meaty sauce was the perfect thing to satisfy a pasta craving. Plus the portion is pretty huge, I was stuffed!

We changed the spaghetti in Spaghetti alla Marinara ($19) to linguine, as the flat noodle was more to our preference. The seafood was bountiful - prawns, squid, clams, and even half a flower crab. The tomato sauce that brought it all together was light and slightly sweet (perhaps from all that seafood) and the seafood was lovely and fresh. As compared to the ravioli, this is a lighter dish that's really addictive and easy to finish (still filling, of course).

Stuffed from pre-dessert at Laurent's (next post, promise!) and pasta at Mondo Mio's, and in light of the drinks that were to follow, we simply could not stuff ourselves with more desserts - though they had some interesting specials like a flambe that I dearly would like to try the next time. Service is friendly and quick, and the experience as a whole was enjoyable, though if the weather permits, it may be nicer to sit outdoors, and watch the hussle and bustle of Robertson Quay as the sun sets!

Spruce Taqueria at Phoenix Park

2010-05-05T07:50:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone! Boy am I glad to be free of exams (finally) and be back here! Hopefully the holidays will mean tons of good food and good fun. When Hsueh Yun from the Straits Times wrote about Spruce opening a Taqueria, I started craving tacos immediately and knew I just had to pay this place a visit! I got so desperate I almost made a trip down here a couple of days before my exams, but with great will and determination resisted it till the day the exams ended!

As we found out upon arrival at Phoenix Park, Spruce Taqueria is located a flight of stairs above the original Spruce. It's really a tiny place, a small whitewashed building with just enough space for a cashier and a small kitchen for the chefs to work in. Seating is all al fresco and limited to about 6 tables or so. When we got there, we realised that most of the tables were reserved already! Looks like the small size of the place along with the short opening hours (Weekdays 12pm-3pm) means it's a good idea to make a reservation, or do a take-away. Thankfully for us there were still a couple of spare tables, so taco time it was!

As part of the taco set ($9), you get a choice of drink, 2 tacos and salsa and chips. I chose the watermelon and lime aqua fresca for the drink. Tasting more of watermelon, with a slight tinge of lime that wasn't too sour or overwhelming, this drink was excellent for the hot weather and a soother for the spice in the meal. Really refreshing.

For the tacos, you're allowed to choose one flavour for both tacos (ie. not one flavour per taco). They have five choices - beef tongue, short rib, pork carnitas, grilled snapper and poblano chile and mushroom. I ordered grilled snapper tacos, where chunks of grilled snapper with cajun seasoning are topped with condiments like guacamole, salsa, fresh radishes, coriander leaves, and shredded cabbage, all within soft corn tortillas. What a delightful mouthful! The whole taco tastes so fresh, with different flavours and textures all working together - crunchy greens, cool salsa and guacamole, warm meaty fish and doughy tortillas. Very nicely balanced, I loved it!

Being greedy, I ordered an extra a la carte taco ($3), this time with short rib filling (wanted to try the beef tongue but they didn't have it that day alas!). Oh just look at how the taco is overflowing with ingredients. I think I actually prefer this beef short rib to the fish, due to the meatier texture and the more robust flavours of (quoting Hsueh Yun) "Korean-style marinade comprising apple juice, rice wine vinegar, soya sauce and sugar". The fish had a milder and lighter flavour in comparison. This beef was tender and moist - really good stuff.

The side of chips that came with the set, somehow tastier and less salty than those out of a pack.

And the accompanying salsa that has a real kick to it! Slightly spicy, but easily quelled with the watermelon and lime aqua freca.

Overall a wonderful meal, my only gripe is that the lady behind the cashier is quite overwhelmed and the food takes a bit of time, while you're sitting in the heat sweating it out. I wish the weather was kinder, or there were some fans or some other cooling system. All the self-service (going to the counter to make your order, collecting it when they call your number) seems like such a fast-food style of doing things, but this is really good, wholesome food-to-go. I know I'll definitely be back!

Spruce Taqueria
320 Tanglin Road
Opening hours: 12pm-3pm (weekdays only), closed on public holidays.

Gelatosole at United Square

2010-04-29T07:43:00.000-07:00

So I'm about to let you in on one of my secrets - arguably my favourite place for gelato in Singapore. Gelatosole has been around for the past couple of years, serving gelato in the kiddy paradise that is United Square. No fancy decorations, just their kiosk right outside the food court, and a couple of tables. I was really worried that they wouldn't last, considering how I didn't think it was the best location to open, but it's been about 3 years now, and I'm happy to say that it's still there!

I remember when it first opened, it was completely run by several Italian guys who were the owners of the place. I don't see them around anymore, and wonder if they've changed management, but the certificate from the Gelato University is still proudly displayed there, and the gelato is still as good as the first day I had it, so all is well. Pardon me, all their gelato flavours are in Italian and I can't remember them all, but they're easily identifiable. I'm also afraid I haven't taken pictures of all the (many, many) cups I've had here, but here's a few:

My all time favourites from Gelatosole: their Vanilla and Auzzuro. Vanilla is nicely spotted with real vanilla seeds and oh so dense and chewy. That's what makes this gelato really good - the texture can't be beat. Super dense, chewy, lush smoothness, no ice crystals and whatnots, and it certainty melts like real ice cream. Really reminds me of what I had in Europe! Oh so very good! Auzzuro, the smurf-blue ice cream, is actually caramel, with some bits of rainbow rice speckled within. Sounds absolutely kiddy, tastes absolutely wonderful - plus, there's the fun of eating blue ice cream! (Think: the joy of eating paddlepop, but much, much better).

While they've got the texture down pat, the one down side is that there's hits and misses in terms of their flavours. While some are excellent - like their vanilla, auzzuro, hazelnut gianduia (chocolate hazelnut), mercroche (hazelnut with wafer), nocciola (hazelnut) and good old chocolate, their alcoholic flavours like run & raisin, as well as their tiramisu and fruit flavours fail to impress. Flavours that didn't have enough kick and depth of flavour to them. It's quite a pity since the standard of their gelato texture is topnotch - something most places can't seem to get right.

Another scoop of my favourite!

While the gelato here is priced slightly on the higher end at $5.60 for 2 scoops and $7.20 for 3 scoops, they're very generous with their servings, and the quality makes it absolutely worth it. Also, they make the gelato fresh daily - always a good sign! Funny thing though - I noticed that the ice cream girl scooped the gelato this time, when they normally laddle it in with the metal-gelato-scrapper-thing (for lack of knowledge on what it's called ;)).

Gelatosole

United Square #B1-K4

Din Tai Fung Part II: the food

2010-04-27T08:32:00.000-07:00

Following from the previous post, we had a meal comprising several signature as well as several new items on Din Tai Fung's menu. Once again, many thanks to Din Tai Fung as well as Hsian Ming and Veronica form Sixth Sense Communications & PR Consultancy for this tasting session.

First up, was the Vegetarian Delight in Special Vinegar Dressing ($2.80). A mixture of julienned vegetables and vermielli, this cold appetiser is made in-house twice a day to ensure its freshness. Unfortunately didn't quite work for me - I'm not much of a fan of vinegar.

The other cold appetiser for the meal was the Fragrant Pork with Crushed Garlic ($6.80). Thin slivers of poached pork envelope pieces of fresh cucumber, topped with sesame seeds and paired with a garlic-based sauce. This new item on their menu was unique to me - I'd never seen anything like it before! The cucumber and the sauce really worked well, though the pork belly was a bit too fatty. It being pork belly, of course its expected to be fatty, but I'm more a lean meat person, so the texture of the fat didn't quite do it for me.

Ah, the Xiao Long Bao ($9 for 10 pcs/ $6.50 for 6 pcs) all ready to eat! After seeing what goes into making one and having the hands-on experience, I really appreciate these steamed pork dumplings more than before (as was telling by how I was eating them slower than usual, taking note of the little details!). Picked one up with chopsticks, wobbled it around watching the soup swish within, without the skin breaking. Bit off the top, noting that the top part where all the folds of skin gathered together wasn't thick and hard (a sign of a xiao long bao imperfectly made), and then slurping the soup before comsuming the rest fo the dumpling. Lovely.

The Fried Rice with Shrimps and Eggs ($10) is one of my must-haves every time I visit Din Tai Fung. There's something about their fried rice - how each grain of short-grain rice still remains perfect distinct, well coated with egg and retains a bite to it. Fried rice seems to be a dish I see everywhere but hard to find an good one which is not overcooked, over-oily, over-salted and the like. Plus, this one is generously studded with pieces of whole shrimp! Very good.

Their Stir-fried Nan Bai with Garlic ($12) provided the greens for the day. Flash fried snow cabbage that retained its crunchiness and juciness. Noted that there were whole cloves of garlic dotting the pile of vegetables! Have to love the aroma garlic adds to any dish.

The Steamed Chilli Crab and Pork Bun ($3.80 for 3 pcs) is a new, local creation. Remember seeing the chilli crab and pork xiao long baos at Din Tai Fung some time back? Well that item may not be around anymore, but they have used the same filling, and put it into a bao (steamed bun). Biting into one revealed the patty of fresh crab shreds and pork, and the distinct taste of chilli crab, without too much spiciness! While I adore the patty and all its juicy goodness, the bao skin could be better - it was a little too hard and stiff. Would have preferred it softer and fluffier (more like char siew bao type!).

Then came desserts! The Fragrant Peanut Dumplings ($6.80 for 6) which came hot in a steamer basket like the xiao long baos were adorable - just look at them! instantly thought of mini snowballs and fluffy abominable snowmen (don't know how that really came up...). Each of these soft mochi-like balls was coated in desiccated coconut and filled with finely chopped peanuts and sesame seeds. Just the right size to pop in your mouth!

The second dessert of Sago served with Ice and Seet Coconut Sauce ($3.50) was naturally more up my alley with it being a cold dessert. I always seem to need a cold sweet finish to a meal! Coconut sauce + gula melaka + tons of chewy sago pearls = a combination that's impossible to go wrong. Whoever first thought of putting coconut and gula melaka is a genius. The deep rich flavours of the dark palm sugar paired with cool soothing coconut sauce is always a winner.

Din Tai Fung is one of those places which consistent standards that I keep going back to when I want my comforting dumplings and fried rice. Now, if only there weren't snaking long queues at dinner time!

Din Tai Fung Part I: The making of a Xiao Long Bao!

2010-04-24T06:54:00.000-07:00

Now Din Tai Fung is no new entrant to the Singapore dining scene - it's served up its signature, delicious little Xiao Long Baos and other Chinese delicacies for many years now. In fact to my memory it's one of the first restaurants in Singapore that really started the xiao long bao craze, with the long queues outside the restaurant at Paragon all day long and many curious eyes staring into the glass-windowed kitchen where an army of chefs are busy preparing food a la minute. I just love watching chefs at work, and have myself on so many occasions stared through the windows to watch the chefs. Thus when the opportunity to watch a chef upclose going through the steps of making a xiao long bao arose, I knew I just had to go!

Now, to fully cover the experience (and also because I can't bring myself to leave any part of it out) I have decided to split this post up into two parts: 1. the whole procedure of making a xiao long bao and 2. some signature dishes at Ding Tai Fung. Today's post will be all about the making of the xiao long bao step-by-step, since I'm sure there are many out there who are equally curious about it! The excruciating attention to detail in every step is amazing.

To start off, the xiao long bao master chef mixed portions of a special flour imported from Hong Kong with additions of water to form a dough, and kneaded it out till its nice and smooth. He then cut out an appropriate portion of the dough and rolled it out into a long log. He shared with us that even the rolling takes time to master, as it's difficult to roll the log out to an even thickness throughout. After my attempts at working with fondant for my cupcakes (which by the way, are never even throughout), I can only imagine!

One long, even roll of xiao long bao dough (that will go on to be come the skin).

The master then portions the dough out into individual portions - each of these little balls eventually becomes the skin for one xiao long bao. See the little black scale? It's an extremely precise scale that helps the masters to confirm that each little ball is exactly 5 grams. Any thinner, and the xiao long bao skin will be too thin and break easily. Any thicker, and it will be too thick.

He then takes one little ball of dough, presses it down with his thumb to form a rough circular shape, before rolling it out with the rolling pin into a perfect circle. Apparently, there's an "opening" side to each ball, which is where he had previously nipped it off form the long log. You have to ensure that you press it there instead of anywhere else, because the shape won't be as perfectly circular otherwise. The chefs at Din Tai Fung also have a rule that each piece of skin should not have to be rolled (with the use of the rolling pin) more than 10 times. (Is it just me, or is anyone else seeing how excruciatingly precise everything is?)

The rolled out skins!

To further ensure that the skins are all of the same size, there is a little circle disk that they use as a guage. The disk should fit just nicely into the skins.

Once all the work with the skins is done, it's time to fill them up with yummy fillings! The master demonstrated the exact finger position that chefs are trained to use when holding the skin and filling it up. This alone takes a month to master! It apparently helps to create the optimal shape of the dumpling. Note: by this stage, I was starting to stare in wonder at the master and wondering how he had the patience to go through all this.

He presses the filling (we used red bean for the demonstration as it's easier to work with and more hygienic than raw meat - but they do sell red bean xiao long baos for dessert too!) into the skin...

And these babies are all ready for the hardest part - the closing of the xiao long bao with the signature 18 folds per dumpling!

The master deftly uses his thumb and index finger to create the folds... one.. two.. three..

sixteen... seventeen... eighteen...

finishes it off....

and viola, perfect little xiao long baos with 18 distinct folds, ready for steaming! Did you know the chefs all have to be right-handers? Apparently left-handers cannot work as xiao long bao chefs because they will have the natural inclination to twist the folds of the baos in the other direction!

And after steaming... the final product we are all familiar with - xiao long baos ready to eat!

Okay, so after the lovely demonstration, it was time for us to have a go at it ourselves:

Individual portions of read bean paste

and individual portions of dough...

The chefs had kindly done all the work for us already. All that was left was to roll out the skins, fill it up, and create the little folds to make the xiao long baos. Sounded easy enough...

Okay, now guess which one was mine, and which one was the chef's? This thing is impossibly hard! Even with a ratio of one attentive chef: two of us, patiently guiding us along, I still ended up a miserable failure after many attempts. The number of folds was seriously the last thing on my mind - what was more important was... how do I fold this thing, and how do I close it! Do note the gaping hoe in my finished product, which, other than being aesthetically unpleasing, would mean that my xiao long bao would have absolutely no soup in it.

Have you ever seen such round xiao long baos with such uneven, ugly pleats? Nope, I don't think so.

Herein lies the whole pile of failed attempts from the four of us at our table. I must say some of the other bloggers really managed some decent looking ones! I, for one, was kicking myself inwardly for gobbling so many xiao long baos before, without giving a second though to them. I also learnt, that however much I moan about school, I'd better keep studying and not quit school. Dot is not going to become a xiao long bao chef - ever. She's really only good at eating them.

This little thing here, this pop in your mouth bite, is the result of tons of work and training. Each chef is trained for at least 2 years before he/she can be said to have mastered the art! The chefs at Din Tai Fung are all masters, of course, some with 5 or 6 years of experience already. Also, every xiao long bao is the work of 6 of these chefs at any one time - there are 6 stations involved in making a xiao long bao: one for making the dough, one for rolling it out, one for filling it etc. I know I for one am going to think about this everytime I bite into one and sip the hot broth out.

Many thanks to Din Tai Fung, their lovely and patient chefs (who were so kind even though I was obviously not going to make the cut), and Hsian Ming and Veronica from Sixth Sense Communications & PR Consultancy for making this amazing experience possible!

After the hard work, more on the food - coming up in the next post!

Din Tai Fung
#B2-01/02/03 313@Sommerset
Outlets islandwide

Frozen Swirls at The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf

2010-04-21T08:15:00.000-07:00

The oddest thing that happened in Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf in a long time:

The introduction of "frozen swirls"! How very intriguing that Coffe Bean has hopped aboard the froyo bandwagon! After passing by their posters several times, I decided to give it a try. There are two types of froyo to choose from - original tart or vanilla. I've tried both, and the difference is huge. The original tart is really pretty tart - probably the most tart one I've tried to date, good if you're sick of all the froyo being too sweet. The vanilla is definitely unique to Coffee Bean - I tasted the distinct taste of their Vanilla powder (what they use in their Vanilla Dream ice blended and their Vanilla coffee ice blended drinks), which I personally love. However, the Vanilla frozen swirl tastes nothing like froyo and much more like a vanilla soft serve - sweet to a point I couldn't detect any yogurt.

Texture of both are the same - more towards the icey type (like Frolick) than the creamy ones (like Yoguru). They have something interesting which I've not seen elsewhere - they can create "flavoured" fozen swirls like blackforest, caramel macchiato, banana caramel and the like. I believe it's a matter of adding some syrup to the froyo and then blending it, but I've yet to try so I'm not sure.

Verdict? I'm not sure. I'm a creamy-froyo kind of girl, so Yoguru and Red Mango still trump. However, I need to go back to try their blended/flavoured froyos just to know how it's like! Now, if only Starbucks had soft serves and froyos... (I still much prefer Starbucks coffee to Coffee Bean's!)

Exam time & exam food!

2010-04-17T09:25:00.000-07:00

hello everyone! I'm sorry for the slower updates - its exam season and for the next 2.5 weeks I'm putting a ban on myself and try to get down to studying (cramming a semester's work into a few days, as usual. sigh!) While there'll be the occasional update on some lovely places I've got to share, I've also decided to do snapshots of the food (and coffee) that's going to get me through these weeks. Nothing very unusal, so it'll be more of a pictorial :) Promise I'll be back proper after the exams!

caramel frappuccino - my choice of sugar + coffee at Starbucks!

spinach egg frittata with bacon ham, tomatoes and cheese. Starbuck oh starbucks, you do need more food options!

caramel macchiato on ice - my new favourite at Tully's

turkey ranch & swiss sub at Quiznos. Thank you, thank you thank you Quiznos. I'll never go back to subway again.

box of macarons from Jewels Artsian Chocolate - a support pacakge! the little rewards that get me through the many hours.

Many days of much needed self-imposed confinement coming up. dear all, support packages will be welcomed with open arms and much love :D For those with exams, all the best!!!

The French Kitchen (Revisited)

2010-04-14T09:25:00.000-07:00

After the fantastic visit the last time, it didn't take much for me to go back there again within a couple of weeks, driven mostly by the thought of the lobster bisque. This entry will be largely pictorial, since there's some repeats. Now, my tummy is satisfied, and I've tried practically everything on the set lunch menu (excluding the two other starter choices. I tried so hard to convince myself to order something else, but alas the lobster bisque won again!). Will be sometime before a revisit again!

Amuse bouche: egg in bread emulsion, with asparagus and toasted brioche

Chef Jean-Charles Dubois was once again so affable. When we got seated, he peeked through the glass window of the tiny kitchen, smiled, and minutes later personally served us our amuse bouche. "Hello! And how are you doing today!" I love a chef who bothers remembering patrons, makes the experience that much nicer :)

The lobster bisque.

No words needed.

Main course: Callibud

The pan seared cod fish, while fresh, was not as outstanding as the other mains available at this place. If I had to rank all the mains I've tried here, this would have to be at the bottom. Rather plain, I say, but fresh nevertheless. The accompanying mussels wrapped in some sort of cabbage was excellent - very plump and juicy and with a lovely salty seawater tinge!

Main Course: Beef steak

My apologies for not remembering which part of beef this was, but it was very good, full of flavour and tender, even though my partner asked for it medium-well (his personal preference, which I find often results in beef a little too chewy and tough for me). Accompanied by a side of stewed vegetables and potato salad.

Dessert: Chocolate tart with salted caramel ice cream

I've had my fill of the place for now, but I'll surely be back in time. After having tried every set menu main course, I must say that The French Kitchen may nto have the widest menu, but it sure does its items well.

Deli Morrocan

2010-04-12T01:34:00.000-07:00

After the first encounter with Kampong Glam area and Middle Eastern cuisine, I've just been thinking about it so much that I had to go back a couple of days later! This time, to Deli Morrocan which is right at the heart of the tourist-y part of Kampong Glam, where every building is beautifully painted and restored, and tourists abound, snapping pictures everywhere. I normally wouldn't think of eating at a tourist location, but at the recommendation of my friend (who knows better), Deli Morrocan it was!

A little one storey extablishment, with some sitting indoors and more al fresco. I normally would take indoors due to the sweltering weather, but the indoors looked really dim and al fresco looked much cherrier. Plus, the weather was kind to us, so it wasn't that bad even thugh we went in the middle of the day. Don't expect much (or.. any) decor here, with the basic plastic tables, chairs with peeling covers and old menus with peeling laminate. However, the food speaks for itself, and I hear it gets really crowded at night!

To start off, we ordered some Morrocan mint tea ($3), which came in a pretty metal pot, with two small glasses decorated with a sprig of mint each. Beautiful presentation, and sweet, hot mint tea inside! Very refreshing, plus I've long heard of how they like their mint tea sweet, but experiencing it is another thing altogether! I like it, so easy to drink, and great with the spiced meats.

pretty presentation!

The Morrocan Apple Juice ($3), is simply amazing. I cannot get over it and was sipping and raving about it incessantly. This thing is apple pie in a cup. I don't know how they do it but it's out of this world. I wish I could have jugs of it at home so I could have it all the time! Think, freshly blended red apples with milk and spices like cinnamon, all in a big cup. I had a cup as a drink, and another as dessert :D A definite must try!

For the starter, we ordered the hummos ($4) to share. I'm not sure what which region calls it hummos and which calls it hummus (and all its over variations) but it's essentially the same chickpea dip. The version here was much smoother than the one at Cafe Le Caire, less like a dry paste and almost like a thick luquid consistency! Was skeptical about it at first, but it was pretty good, with much more tahini in it so a fuller sesame taste. Twas harder to scoop with the pita ($1 per piece) though!

The beef kebab ($5.50) was nothing like what we expected! We were expecting meat on a stick - kebab style, but what we got was a patty of beef, like a large hamburger patty. We even double checked with the waiter just to confirm. A little rubbery at times, but definitely well seasoned and spiced. Ate it with lots of pita, though it gets pretty dry after awhile. The accompanying tomato and chickpea salad was a good refreshing contrast though!

The lamb kofta tagine ($13.50) fared much better than the beef. And look - it's my first tagine! minced lamb, a ton of tomatoes, olives and spices are slowly cooked in a tagine - a "pot" made of clay with a flat bottom base and a unique funnel shaped lid. Aromatic and delish, with all the tomato juices keeping the meat moist and providing for lots of happy eating with the pita! Next time to try their non-mined lamb tagine, which is only available on fridays, saturdays and sundays and I believe only towards evening time.

Affordable prices and unqiue offerings (apple juice, I'm looking at you!). A revisit is definitely on the cards, so long as the weather is kind!

Deli Morrocan
30 Bussorah Street

Cafe Le Caire at Arab Street

2010-04-09T07:48:00.000-07:00

I think, for all that I eat, I've rarely every stepped out of my comfort zone to go to different places and try different cuisines. It always seems to be Chinese, Japanese, American, French, Italian, Spanish - all the usual stuff, which can get quite boring after awhile. Now, I normally wouldn't step into the Arab street/ Kampong Glam area by myself, simply because I'm too unfamiliar with the area and despite the endless amount of eateries there, I don't know how to differenciate the good from the bad! Thankfully, I have friends who know better - and that's how I stumbled upon Cafe Le Caire.

Like many of the eateries situated in the shophouses around Kampong Glam, the exterior is deceivingly... dodgy, for lack of a better word. The first floor looks old and pretty run down, with not much sitting save for a few tables for al fresco dining, at which a lone backpackign traveller sits, whilign the afternoon away. But lo and behold, simply ask to sit upstairs, and you'll be brought round to the back of the building, up a flight of stairs, and a choice of one of two rooms greet you - smoking (for those who want some shisha), and non-smoking. I went into the non-smoking room, where there are proper tables and chairs, but took a peek into the smoking room where you get to sit on carpets on the floor - looked really cosy!

The upstairs has a competely different atmosphere altogether. With dim lighting and tranquil settings, it really doesn't feel much like Singapore! You could spend hours there (we did!) and not realise that time was passing by, save for the light passing through their window.

We first ordered hummus with meat ($6) to share. I love hummus, a paste made of chickpea flour, tahini and some olive oil, but the unique nutty taste is an acquired one, something you like or you don't. They provided a serving of flatbread for you to scoop the hummus and meat with, and it worked out as a great starter. Smooth, nutty hummus with tender lamb cubes and doughy bread to mop it up with. Yums!

The beef wrap ($10) was a friend's order. Beef strips stir-fried with brown sauce (he omitted the vegetables), then wrapped up in a thin flat bread and served with a side of potato wedges. It's the kind of thing that's a good introduction to Middle Eastern food, especially when you're not used to the spices and all yet!

My other friend went for the Kibbeh ($10), which, unlike the beef wrap, is something I've completely never seen and heard of before! I tried some, and the best way I can describe it is - think meatloaf but with minced lamb, pine nuts and cracked wheat! And there you have the Middle Easten version of American meatloaf! Not bad, but I can't get past how much it looks like a slice of cake.

As for me, I wanted to order their shawarma (think, doner kebab style), but as they didn't have it that day, I went for the Shish Kofta Kebab ($13.50) instead. Three hearty chunks of minced lamb that was moulded and grilled on a long metal skewer in the kitchen just below, served with a side sald and potato wedges (you could opt for the more traditional rice dish if you wish). Tender, very flavourful with a ton of different spices that gives it such a delish middle eastern taste. I'd have preferred if they gave flatbread to go with it instead though! Think it'll have paired better.

For dessert, we got the bagalawa with a scoop of vanilla ice cream ($7.50). This bowl full of Middle Eastern pasties that are very similar to bakalava are so deliciously buttery and sweet! Warning: for serious sweet-toothed people only! Imagine buttery philo pastry layers with some ground nuts sandwiched inbetween, all soaked in a sugar syrup, and then topped off with ice cream. I loved it, such a glucose high!

Overall, I'm loving the relaxed feel of the place, the affordable food and the Middle Eastern cuisine. I personally can't say much about authenticity, but judging by the stream of Muslims and others who seem to know what they're doing and eating (always a good sign!), I'll say it's pretty good. Service was really slow on a Saturday afternoon though, but that gave us all the more reason to chill and let the day go by. I'll be back!

Glace Patisserie

2010-04-08T08:36:00.000-07:00

I know I've been terrible lately with my less-than-normal frequency in posting, but the workload insanity is still on-going. I have a feeling it's going to continue until the end of exams! My guilt's been hitting me so bad that I just had to share something even though my assignment is due in 24 hrs and I've barely started :D Procrastinators are the leaders of tomorrow!

I have an insatiable appetite for cakes, seriously. You can put a whole 1kg cake infront of my and I'll dig through it with a fork and it can be gone in no time! Though such things are normally limited, for the sake of my mum's sanity ;)

Today, though, I came across another lovely cake that I could finish with ease! Actually, I just finished half of it in one go..

This pretty thing from Glace Patisserie was so light and delicious! A small, whole Strawberry Shortcake ($35), with sweet fresh cream and slices of strawberries sandwiched between layers of soft sponge cake, covered with more of that delightful cream and decorated with more sweet strawberries. It made my dad, a non-strawberry cake eater, a fan; and it made my "I-could-get-a-cake-twice-that-size-for-the-same-price" mum silent. And getting a whole cake made me, a one-slice-of-strawberry-shortcake-is-too-ridiculously-little-to-satisfy girl, extremely happy!

Plus, I can't get enough of that cream! I love how Glace Patisserie sticks firmly to using the freshest and only all natural ingredients, with no stabilisers or preservatives and what nots. Also, I always think a whole cake tastes better than buying them by the slice since it's less "exposed" and thus, more moist and fresher!

There's no need to mention their famed Rin Rin cheese tarts, of which I have another boxful in my fridge now. Great place for cakes and tarts, and you know that you're paying for quality! Now to sleep and wake up to finish the cake!

Pâtisserie Glacé
12 Gopeng Street
#01-33/34 Icon Village

Oso Ristorante

2010-04-05T08:53:00.000-07:00

It was with much anticipation that I went to try Oso Ristorante, and it was a good thing that we made a reservation too - the (relatively) large restaurant was bustling all night long! Upon entering, we were ushered past the first level bar area, and up a staircase to the second level of this shophouse (located right next to Absinthe) to the dining area, with dim lighting and a beautiful atmosphere and glass walled, cheese-filled rooms!

We were pouring over the menu for a long time, flipping around and deciding which to go for. Thankfully, they served us some bread and breadsticks to keep us going. However, the bread was cold, pretty hard and nothing outstanding. Nibbled on a bit and decided to keep my space for the rest of the food.

I knew I had to get a dish with white asparagus when I saw them on their Daily Suggestions page. I finally settled on the Poached white asparagus with light sabayon sauce and black truffle puree ($20) - it was the black truffle that dealed the deal for me. Beautifully presented, the serving was bigger than what I had expected! The asparagus was still firm to the bite, and on its own pretty bland, but made better when combined with the sauce and strong taste of truffle. I like how white asparagus has a much lighter taste than regular asparagus, and sweeter too. However, it was still overall a little on the bland side for me, but really healthy!

The pan fried Foie Gras with almond, bruchetta bread and Marsala wine sauce ($26), however, is on the other end of the spectrum - oh so artery clogging! But foie gras, how I love thee. The sizable slab of goodness was still buttery soft and wobbly on the inside, but lacked the delicious crisp exterior that I experienced at Otto. If I hadn't been spoiled by Otto's, I think I would have found it wonderful. But overall, I have to say that Oso's rendition pales in comparison to Otto's. I want my foie gras again, please!

The first main chosen was the Risotto with black truffle "tartufo" puree and mascarpone cheese ($26). Presented in a small iron pan, this is mushroom-y goodness encapsulated in a really hearty pasta dish. The risotto was done well, with a firm bite in every distinct grain, yet not undercooked and hard. A very simple dish with tons of mushroom essence and flavour and very creamy. Great for the first few bites, though I think it'll be too much if I had the whole dish to myself, as the one-note flavour gets a bit boring after a bit. Good thing I have a dinign partner who is happy to share!

The Rigatoni with braised rabbit, thyme and black olives Taggiasche ($23), though, was excellent. Large, al dente pasta tubes are hidden underneath a huge mound of so-very-tender rabbit meat and pieces of olives with brine-y goodness. Very flavourful, a great contrast of textures, and so much rabbit meat it made me happy!

By dessert time, we were both stuffed, and decided to order a double cream panna cotta ($14) to share. I don't know if this is their normal presentation (having four small cubes of it) but it definitely made for easy sharing. As a fan of all sweet creamy things, I loved it, though it on its own is nothing extraordinary. But te unique part of this dish must be their pepper caramel sauce that's generously drizzled all over. See those black specks? Yup it's pepper! Sounds ood, but with the sweet caramel and the creamy panna cotta tastes lovely - you don't actually get the zing of the pepper unless you (as I tried) purposely went to bite into it. Hee.

Service was efficient throughout, though I must say it somehow lacked a warm hospitality. I felt that Oso gave of the feeling of a commercial establishment rather than the elegant comfort of a fine restaurant. Plate down, eat, plate taken away. I actually felt slightly rushed by it all. The overall experience was decent, definitely, but the only thing I'll really come back for will be the Rigatoni. I think I shall make a stop to try its neighbour Absinthe the next time round!

Oso Ristorante

46 Bukit Pasoh Road

Once Upon a Milkshake at Maxwell Chambers

2010-04-03T08:05:00.000-07:00

There is always something so mightily alluring about a place that sells nothing but sweet stuff - be it ice cream or, in this case, milkshakes! I love the simplistic decor, with white and purple walls and bold words all around the place.

love the cute mailbox full of straws!

I want to try every flavour of milkshake they have here, but was especially looking forward to their peanut butter, which they were out of when I went. Aye! So I settled for my next top two options - a regular cerious maple and a mini chocolate truffle castle.

The chocolate truffle castle, a chocolate milkshake with chocolate truffle bits, was incredibly thick and chocolatey, and I'm glad I got it in the mini - I think a regular would be too much for me. And the supposed "truffle" bits tasted like chcolate chips to me.

The cerious maple, on the other hand, I could easily polish off a regular size full, and then some. Absolutely loved it, with the distinct maple flavour coming through, and the crunchy bits of sweet cereal adding a good contrast in texture to the thick and smooth milkshake. Not too overwhelming, I kept going back to it for sip after sip.

It looks like OUAM is doing brisk business - I was there at 10pm and the place was packed to the brim! Now, I need to go back and get my peanut butter milkshake!

Once Upon a Milkshake
32 Maxwell Road
#01-08 Maxwell Chambers

Bonta Italian Restaurant & Bar

2010-04-01T08:52:00.000-07:00

I'd been wanting to try Bonta for some time now, after hearing so much about their bread-in-a-cup which intrigued me, but never got myself down to UE Square. So when restaurant week came around and Bonta's menu sounded good (though limited in choice), I quickly made reservations! At $25++, I think it was fantasic value for such a place.

Shortly after placing our order (there was not much to decide on since the starter and dessert were both fixed choices) the (almost legendary) bread came around, all pretty and hot in their white ceramic cups! This crusty, freshly baked sundried tomato and walnut bread, stuffed with feta cheese, accopanied by an olive oil dip with diced olives, was amazing. I absolutely adored it! The best complimentary bread to date. While most restaurants seem to forget or choose not to put much effort into the very first thing that leaves an impression on diners, Bonta goes all out with its bread. Hot and soft fluffy bread, with the surprise of a generous about of crumbled feta baked within the bread, I found myself finishing it despite the full meal up ahead. Honestly, this is filling and good enough for a course of its own.

The starter of Scottish salmon carpaccio with black olives, bruschetta and herbs oil was a good way to go after the bread, with a good serving of thin salmon slices that were fresh (lacking in any fishiness) and drizzled with a delicious complementary herbed olive oil that paired very well. Love the artful presentation - I believe the black olives on the bruschetta is the same thing as what's in the bread dip!

The first choice on main was the homemade pappardelle with braised duck ragout and porcini mushrooms. Yet another hit, with thick strips of al dente pasta in the rich ragout sauce accompanied by juicy porcini mushrooms that add that earthy taste and slices of flavourful duck for that hit of meat. A potentially overwhelming dish of served in too big a portion, it was thankfully of a managable portion, though very satisfying nevertheless.

The less filling and more dainty of the two options, the Mediterranean sea bass fillet with asparagus, grilled zucchini and tomato salsa, was not as outstanding. No doubt the fish was decently moist and fresh, and I loved the little bed of grilled zucchini under it, the taste was much simpler and paled in comparison with the rich duck ragout pasta. Again, I think it's a matter of preference, and fish which is not cod normally doesn't cut it for me.

The dessert of homemade mango gelato with pistachio crust, served with wild berry compote was pretty ordinary and simple, but still a decent finish to a good meal. Tastes pretty much the way you'd expect it to - mango gelato, some crunch of pistachio and surrounding sweetened fruits. The meal also came with a choice of coffee or tea.

Overall, a very decent meal that I enjoyed, and definitely worth the money. Service was efficient and friendly, with the manager coming by to welcome you to the restaurant and stopping to check if everything is alright, though all done rather briskly (possibly due tot he fact that they were running on full house the entire lunch shift). Restaurant week may be over, but I'll be back, this time to try their a la carte menu - I spy risotto calling me!

Bonta Italian Restaurant and Bar
207 River Valley Road
#01-61 UE Square (River Wing)

Ramen Play at 313 @ Sommerset

2010-03-30T03:41:00.000-07:00

Ever intrigued by new players on the market, I decided to give Ramen Play at 313 @ Sommerset a go one day during tea time when it was empty and there was a tea time special of a mini bowl of ramen for prices starting from $4.80. That was definitely enticing - I love ramen, but don't like how it completely fills you up till there's no space for other snacks/desserts, so a mini bowl is just right!

Ramen Play's part of the Breadtalk group, and is a collaboration with Sanpou Co in Japan which is supposedly famous for its ramen. I've never tried Sanpou ramen, but I definitely hope it's better than what I had at Ramen Play.

My partner ordered a full sized Sanpou Tonkotsu Ramen ($14.80), which seems to be the star of the menu. The soup base is apparently simmered with pork sinew, soft pork bones and a "secret recipe" of spices for 12 hours, which is supposed to result in a "full bodied broth (that) warms your soul". Well I definitely don't know about the soul warming part. The broth wasn't thick and rich like I'd like it to be, but rather watery and just way too salty. Three different types of pork came in the bowl: toroniku (braised pork cheek), cha shu (braised pork belly in char siew sauce) and butakakuti (braised pork belly in special sauce), as well as half a stwed egg and bamboo shoots. Can't really comment about the pork since I didn't try them all but the char shu was paper thin and pretty lean, which I like.

My own mini bowl of mini Spicy Shoyu Ramen ($5.80) fared worse. Talk about salty broth. Seemed like lots of soya sauce was put into water, and then topped with tons of chilli oil to make it "spicy". It was spicy, thanks to loads of chilli oil, but not enjoyable. The noodles for both bowls are the same type - yellow and curly which they claim to be "QQ" but was a little overcooked for me. Same char shu, egg and bamboo shoots as the other bowl.

Overall? I don't think it's worth coming back again for. The only ramen worth eating are those thick, milky, hearty, pork-goodness-filled broths that make the salt content worthwhile. And this one didn't fit the bill.

Boomarang Bistro and Bar's sticky date pudding

2010-03-28T08:35:00.001-07:00

Apologies everyone! I've been having such a hectic weekend (and I foresee another hectic week coming on!), that there doesn't seem to be much time to post! Shall do a short one now on something that totally made my day!

Like sticky date pudding?

If you're like me and love it sweet, very dense and very moist, you'd love this one at Boomarang Bistro & Bar down at Robertson Quay! I'd finished lunch and was very full but decided that since I was in the area I just had to pop in just to try this - and it was worth the extra stuffing of my stomach! This sticky date pudding is so insanely moist and dense I'd advice two people to share one, or it may be too much to handle. I love the chewy texture and the very visible chunks of date pulp within! Paired with warm toffee sauce and vanilla ice cream... true bliss. I have to say, for all the hype and fame Marmalade Pantry's sticky date has generated, this newcomer has beaten it, hands down.

Now I just wish it was at a more accessible location!

Boomarang Bistro and Bar
60 Robertson Quay
#01-15 The Quayside

The French Kitchen

2010-03-26T10:55:00.000-07:00

Let me start of by saying what a happy, happy and very satisfied girl I am after having this meal. I might have just come across a new favourite restaurant.

The French Kitchen, by Emmanuel Stroobant, is a cozy sized, simply decorated restaurant with its kitchen helmed by Jean-Charles Dubois. Upon stepping in, the simplicity of the restaurant design is evident - a predominantly white-coloured setting without much decoration or fancy lighting. The place is rather small, with tables placed closed to one another. Honestly nothing about the place will be able to give you the hint that you will be having (what, in my opinion) is one of the best French food around.

The French Kitchen serves up a three course set lunch priced at $36++, and even though I went during Restaurant Week, I noticed that the restaurant week menu is identical to their normal set lunch menu.

The complimentary amuse bouche was a breaded cod fish ball with parmasan crisp and toasted brioche. I honestly was surprised to be presented with such a decent amuse bouche considering how it's a set lunch! A really good way to start the meal with that ball of cod goodness!

For the starter, both my partner and I chose the bisque de homard, or lobster bisque. I think I would really have kicked myself if I chose anything else! This is, without question (at the time of this review), the best lobster bique I have ever tasted, anywhere. Artfully presented too - the waiter poured the bisque from a little jug (infront of our eyes) into the bowl with two tiger prawn tempura and a green leek custard. Oh my oh my oh my. The bisque is of the smoothest consistency imaginable, so delicately pretty, but on the first sip the full power of the flavourful stock hits you immediately. An intense, intense soup with undescribable crustacean goodness, it's like a little bowl of liquid gold I tell you. The tiger prawns were juicy and succulent, with a light and crispy batter. I love the whole play of textures in this dish - the silk smooth broth with the meaty and crunchy prawns and the wobbly, jelly-like like leek custard - simply delightful.

For the main course, I chose the confit de canard (which is, when done right, one of my favourite french dishes!). Nothing short of excellence, the duck was perfectly, shatteringly crispy on the outside, with superbly moist and tender meat throughout. The whole thing was perfectly cooked, the meat was so easy to pull off the bone and no inch of it was remotely dry. The truffled mash that accompanied it was oh-so-smooth and with little bits of black truffle speckled all over, absolutely pleasing with heady aroma!

My partner had the beef bourguinon, which I picked some of to try since it looked so irresistable! Meltingly tender braised beef short rib, literally. The piece is visibly laced with slivers of fats that give the whole melt in your mouth experience, though my partner who is fat-adverse had to eat it with her eyes closed! Beef is done wrong so often that it's such a delight to find a perfectly cooked piece that does justice to beef!

For dessert, the sabayon au champagne with forest berry ice cream is a rich baked custard of whipped egg yolks. Do not let the portion deceive you, the richness of the custard will satisfy!

However, the sabayon (to me), lost out to the tarte au chocolat, a milk chocolate tart with sable and caramel ice cream. This is one small but mighty chocolate tart! A crispy cookie base with a dense, thick and rich chocolate filling that may prove to be too much if taken in large quantities, is nicely balnaced out with what I believe tasted like sea-salt caramel ice cream. Purrrr-fect.

Plus points for the affable chef who came out to greet each and every customer with that lovely disposition of his!

I am scheduling multiple revisits, no doubt about that. Overall best French meal I've had!

The French Kitchen

7 Magazine Road
#01-03 Central Mall

Jewels Artisan Chocolate at Orchard Central

2010-03-25T08:47:00.000-07:00

Jewels Artisan at Orchard Central really doesn't sound nor look like what the place actually sells - all kinds of chocolates! I remember sitting at Tully's right above a few months back and wondering what they were going to sell when they opened! In line with their name, all their chocolate seem to be little pieces of jewels, with big chocolate artworks displayed in glass cases all around.

Currently, they feature a teatime indulgence set where you basically get to sample an item from almost all of their categories at $14.80. In essence, you get to choose a macaron, a piece of chocolate praline or truffle, a scoop of ice cream/sorbet and a slice of chocolate cake, accompanied by a pot of tea or a choice of their chocolate beverages.

I decided to go for their Hazelnut Hot Chocolate with a topping of chocolate shavings. Made with Gianduja and Guanaja 70% Grand Cru, this was to me a good hot chocolate where you can actually taste the depths of real chocolate. Very nice to savour in this rainy weather! It wasn't as thick as I'd normally like my hot chocolate, but considering how it'll be going with a variety of chocolate desserts, I think it was good that it wasn't too thick. Plus, those chocolate shavings on top are delicious! Please don't go for the run-of-the-mill marshmallows!

For the ice cream, I chose the Gianduja Hazelnut ice cream. Yes I do love hazelnut chocolate! Tastes exactly the way you would expect it to (hazelnut chocolate!), with a good dense consistency. Too little ice cream for me!

The Cornelian - caramel ganache coated with dark chocolate topped with caramel nibs was the choice that I came to after some time of flipping the menu deciding which praline to take! And I loved the choice. Unlike the semi-molten, caramel "sauce" filled chocolates you usually get, this one is proper chocolate ganache that was a deep brown (chocolate colour, not caramel!), that seemed to be infused with a good note of caramel rather than the substance itself. Balance that off with the crisp shell and crunchy nibs and the whole thing was gone in a poof!

And now for the macaron! The Black Palm Island Salt was an amazing balance of sweet and salty flavours. Filled with salted egg and almond cream topped with black palm island salt - such an unusual macaron! A must try for lovers of sweet-salty foods like salted caramel ice creams, though this lies more on the salty than sweet end. The macaron itself was lovely, no hallow shell but rather with moist and chewy innards. The black salt is very distinct when you get a bit of it in your mouth, a totally different kind of salty from the egg yolk. I definitely love this macaron, but it's subjective taste! My dera partner said it tasted like a mooncake!

The slice of 85% dark chocolate gateau may seem like a small slice, but the chocolate "frosting" is oh so dense and rich! Just the way I like them. And the way I like my boys. Oh wait. I don't want them dense. Or do I? Hmm. :D And I hope it's not my tastebuds playing with me but the cake didn't seem sweet, but rather a little.. salty! Well even if it's just my tastebuds, I like the flavour it gave to the cake overall when eaten with the sweet thick fudge.

I just simply had to try more of their macarons! Thus Butterfly Pea Bloom and Green Tea made their way to our table! Okay I'll admit it, I was so eager to try them that I initally forgot to take a picture before beginning, but I shall excuse myself by justifying that it is good to have an innard shot as well!

The Green Tea definitely has a strong enough taste of the tea, though I don't particularly find the dark chocolate crunchy pearls that are within it particularly complementary. I'll shower much more love on the Butterfly Pea Bloom, with its pretty pastel blue shells that hide kaya and pandan almond cream within! Really so much like eating kaya toast or bread (without the boring bread to get in the way!). Talk about fusion! I think I could pop three of these into my mouth happily!

Best macarons in Singapore? I'm not too sure yet, but definitely most creative, fusion flavours. Definitely going to takeaway a box the next time I make a trip to Orchard Central again!

1 Caramel at The Luxe

2010-03-23T06:50:00.000-07:00

The erratic weather (what with all the very sunny days and now the rather cold and rainy days) hasn't been great to my body, and I've been a little under the weather (no pun intended!). And oh, how I am longing for this cake now!

The Chocolate Praline Cake ($7.90) is my idea of a wonderful chocolate cake, with layers of creamy and oh-so-thick chocolate mousse and a crunchy layer of hazelnut praline feuilletine at the bottom. I absolutely adore hazelnut feuilletine in chocolate cakes! Plus, this piece is so pretty with the mirror-like chocolate glaze and the little hazelnut with gold foil just to top it all off like the cherry atop a sundae. And note the little bit of actual sponge cake there is? Perfect!

Have the ultra rich cake with some white green tea to wash it all down and the afternoon immediately gets better. I like their little shortbread cookie too - like and buttery and crumbly.

Spot the face? That's how I feel when all the cake is finished!

I like the looks and design of 1 Caramel, with chic interiors and a large glass case displaying all their cakes. A really nice place to rest, have afternoon tea, and catch up with friends (and feel chi-chi while at it!).

Oh why, why am I ill this week when it's Restaurant Week! Please let me recover fast!

1 Caramel
6 Handy Road
#01-01A The Luxe

Otto Restaurante

2010-03-21T07:47:00.000-07:00

I've been wanting to give Otto Restaurante a visit for a long time now, but never got round to it! Thanks to HungryEpicurean who gave the final push, I finally got to give the place a go, and try chef Michele Pavanello's food.

We went for the Gourmet Menu ($128++) as it consisted of several house specialties as well as items that I was dying to try. The complimentary Amuse Bouche for the night was a cauliflower gratin which was nothing spectacular but sure got me wanting my first course even more.

The Hokkaido Scallop carpaccio with Caviar and arugula dressing was a pretty sight to behold, with colourful edible flowers speckled all over. I loved the carpaccio, with very fresh, thinly sliced scallops. The caviar, however, while generously dotting the dish, didn't seem to lend a taste to it. I even tried popping a few in my mouth but was unable to detect the flavour. Perhaps the dressing was too strong and masked the taste.

Okay, and on to the piece that stole my heart. The pan roasted Foie Gras with Chianti poached pear and Condorelli liqorice was insanely good. Oh my oh my oh my. I'm still thinking about it. Two slabs of foie gras, perfectly pan fried on the outside till crisp, yet completely soft and wobbly throughout. The epitome of melt-in-your-mouth, I didn't want to talk while eating it, and I didn't want it to end! Really an example of foie gras properly done - it is the best I've had thus far, I'm sure of it! And the poached pear lent a harmonious sweet note to the dish - brilliant.

The homemade Tagliolini with Boston lobster in spicy light tomato gravy, a signature of the chef, came with chunks of fresh lobster that I loved. Unfortunately the tomato gravy was quite ordinary, without any seafood element in it (which really would have brought the dish up a notch). My partner commented that the noodles reminded him of local wanton noodles, and I had to laugh and agree! As an afterthought I realised that the homemade pastas that I've tried all resemble local noodles more so that commercial pasta.

Next up, the European John Dory fillet cooked in fresh tomato and basil sauce served with thyme scented zucchini. I have to say, I think this fared the worst in the meal. Don't get be wrong, it's still a decent piece of fish, and I really liked the zucchini, but I felt that the fish was a tad too dry - something the sauce couldn't salvage. But that said, I must admit that the fish I love are all really fatty (think: cod!), so I'm not a fan of the less fatty variety.

The crispy Suckling Pig lacquered with "black locust " free honey and aged balsamic vinegar, another signature of the chef, was amazing. The pig is apparently slow cooked for 10-12 hours, before they fry the skin in honey and balsamic vinegar. The result is a wonderfully crunchy, favlourful, sweet layer of skin that puts Chinese suckling pigs to shame. Right beneath the crunchy skin is a thick layer of melt-in-your-mouth fat, and then tender meat. A speciality, and deservedly so!

We both decided to change our desserts from the original bergamot tart to something else off the a la carte menu. I had the Haitian vanilla creme brulee served with Vincotto marinated berries, since I'm still on my creme brulee craving rampage. And this one? Hit the spot. All the problems I had with the Bakerzin one? Non-existent. The creme brulee here was wonderfully custardy and wobbly soft, almost like a panna cotta hidden beneath the glass of blowtorched sugar coating. And the berries were surprisingly delicious - I'd never had Vincotto before, but this grape must really sweetened up the berries and gave it an additional depth I loved. I ate them separately from the creme brulee, since I don't like anything disrupting my private time with the brulee!

surprisingly delicious berries!

He had the warm chocolate cake with Haitian vanilla ice cream, which I took a bite of and found very rich and thick, with a slightly molten centre.

Service was impeccable throughout the entire duration of the meal. All the wait staff knew what they were doing, what they were serving, efficiently topping up water and clearing used plates and cutlery when we were done with each course. The restaurant manager Paolo made several stops at our table to enquire about the food and ensured that we were comfortable. The chef Michele Pavanello himself came by twice, however I believe that's due to my dining partner, since we didn't notice him making a stop at any other table that night.

Excellent food (I'm still trying to decide if I love the foie gras or the suckling pig more!), that left us too full to try OUAM even though it was so nearby. Definitely worth a visit, and a re-visit. Do check out HungryEpicurean's review (when he clears his backlog and gets around to this! :D) too!

Food for Thought at Queen Street

2010-03-20T08:53:00.000-07:00

Food for Thought's slogan of "Good Food for a Good Cause" really sums up the whole philosophy of the cafe. From the placemats to little signs dotted around the place, you can see information about the situation of the underprivileged around the world and what Food for Thought is doing about it. Their new outlet at Queen Street (the new 8Q part of Singapore Art Museum) is so much bigger and brigther than their original outlet at Bugis, and has a lovely vibe going for it.

At Food for Thought they set up this wooden display, filled with quirky cards, vintage household goods (spotted Good Morning towels and vintage thermos flasks amongst other things!), and preloved books which they have given new covers to, all for sale. The best part is, you know that you can buy these reasonably priced items and still have all the profits donated to a good cause. Also, this doubles up as a great piece of decoration for the cafe!

Another quirky part of the cafe design is the hundreds of glass bottles hanging from the ceiling. I absolutely love it, to the extent that I'm keeping it as an idea for future house decorating!

It gets even more intriguing when you read the story about how they mass packed pasta sauce to give to charitable organisations last year so as to collect the bottles for the fixture without wasting the sauce that came inside the bottles! Also, see how some jars have pieces of paper in them? They're sketches of christmas wishes drawn by children at children's homes. I don't think I've come across more meaningful lighting.

Now on to the food! The menu has all-day breakfast, sandwiches, salads, pastas and the such. Since all-day breakfasts are always a hit with me, I had the House Works ($12) - scrambled eggs, bacon, toasted brioche, hash brown and roasted tomatoes. I'm absolutely delighted and satisfied with this choice. First, cute little balls of hash brown with a very crispy exterior and nice smooth mashed potato inside. Then, there's the star of the plate - the toasted brioche with scrambled eggs resting atop. The brioche seems made in house, with its slightly rough and very moist texture. Could eat it on its own. But then add fluffy scrambled eggs to the sweet bread and you've got something I can't get enough of. Bacon and salad were normal, could do without them.

(Because I loved the brioche and scrambled eggs!)

The Char Grilled Vegetables sandwich ($8) with aubergine, red capsicum and zucchini also comes with a side of homemade pickles and a side of sald or fries. I immediately went for the fries when I saw that they gave the fries flavoured salts, like at Everything with Fries, and chose the rosemary garlic.

I think grilled vegetables are really growing on me. Hot, toasted bread with a generous amount of grilled vegetables in it makes for a delicious sandwich with all the olive oil being soaked in by the bread. Though I have to say that this sandwich is pretty small, so it's more of a snack than a proper meal. And the fries? Exceeded expectations. I am going to state now that I find their seasoning better than those at Everything with Fries, simply because they it's not just salt, salt and more salt. You can see the rosemary all over the fries, not a powder. And the aroma of the rosemary comes through with you eat the fries. Less artifical, and more real homey taste.

Overall, I love the place, I love its vibe and homey food, plus the knowledge that this is a business with a heart. Definitely will be back.

Bakerzin

2010-03-17T23:31:00.000-07:00

Bakerzin, popular for its desserts, also has an extensive food menu that seems reasonably priced, as well as having all-day set menus which offer better value for money. It's not often you see a dinner set being offered for the same price as at lunch! Enticed by that, we decided to drop in for dinner and try their set menu at $16.80++ (they have another one at $13.80++ too).

First up is the soup of the day - a cream of pumpkin that was thick and warming. However, the portion was minute, filling less than half of a small bowl, and definitely a smaller portion than if you were to order it off the menu straight.

Bakerzin has followed in the footsteps of Cedele, providing a free flow of homemade bread for their soups. There are always several varieties on offer, but we stuck to their ciabatta, which was nice toasted (I like that they have a toaster there so you can choose to have your bread toasted or not!) and then dipped into some olive oil and balsamic vinegar, or into the soup.

The set comes with a choice of italian sodas or iced teas, and we chose the blood orange italian soda which tasted weird. Didn't taste like blood orange, that's for sure, just an artifically sweet syrupy soda.

For the main course, we chose the dory fillet piccata served with spagetti in tomato sauce. The dory fillet tasted like a local chinese-style fried omelette, with the egg batter overpowering the fish. The spagetti was at least al dente and not overcooked, though I don't think I'll have this dish again.

The highlight of the dinner was nothing from the set menu but instead a creme brulee ($8.80) ordered off their a la carte menu. A portion big enough for two (or one creme brulee lover), it came with a nicely blowtorched, caramelised sugar coat which gave way to a vanilla-speckled custard inside. Decent, though the top coat was a little too thick and the custard was a little too set, but a good dessert nevertheless.

In short, my lesson learnt was: stick to the desserts at Bakerzin. The rest? Quite forgettable.

Everything with Fries at Holland Village

2010-03-16T07:38:00.000-07:00

Everything with Fries opened its first outlet at Joo Chiat last year and their Second outlet not too long ago at Holland Village. Since Joo Chiat just seems too out of the way for me, I only laid eyes (and mouth) on it now! With some anticipation the group of us trotted down the row, past Cha Cha Cha, to this place.

As befitting the name of the restaurant, everything really does come with fries. Order one of their main courses and you get to choose a side of greens (coleslaw or ceasar salad) as well as a side of fries. You get to choose shoestring or thick cut fries, and then a choice of seasoning - curry, sour cream and onion, garlic and herbs, salt and vinegar or just go with original.

I like the atmosphere and design of the place - minimalist with the primary colours being black and white, and the use of one large chalkboard to scribble their menu on. Seems to be a concept many places are doing these days, but still nice nevertheless!

The Spaghetti Bolognese came in one big pile! I didn't try this, but my friend said it was pretty bland, but she eventually finished it.

The shoestring fries with sour cream and onion seasoning was alright. The fries were hot and crispy - this applies to all their fries - but nothing mind-blowing. The seasoning was a letdown. It tasted like a weak Pringles sour cream and onion seasoning, with too much salt/msg and not enough flavour and oomph.

The Tandoori Chicken Sandwich was another friend's option which I did not try. Looks pretty good and succulent though. Plus, a rather big portion with four half-sandwiches! Accomapnied by thick cut curry seasoned fries, which again, was nothing much, just fries with some red pepper powder.

This is the lamb burger that I had. Unlike the previously mentioned big portions, this burger is pretty small. And do you see the disparity in size between the bun and the patty? Upon the first bite of the burger, it was evident that the patty wasn't a store bought commercial kind, with roughly minced lamb. That said, the patty was a little too dry for my liking, plus the lack thereof of accompanying condiments and ingredients in the burger made me bored of it quickly. The ceasar salad was decent, and my thick cut sour cream and onion fries fared little better than their shoestring companions.

The Cheese Burger was very similar tot he Lamb Burger, but I found it slightly better, a tad more juicy and palatable with the relish and cheese. Not a great burger still, though. Many better options elsewhere! The thick cut garlic and herb seasoned fries were even blander than the sour cream and onion ones, with no detectable garlic taste and just generally.. salty.

Thank goodness, the desserts fared better. The Hot Banana Butterscotch Pudding was a moist and warm banana cake (that reminded me of goreng pisang...) topped with some butterscotch sauce and accompanied by a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

But the star is the raved Nutella Tart. Ooo looking at it makes me want another slice again. A crust made out of crushed oreos, topped with a very thick, mousse-like chocolate layer and finished off with a nutella sauce. Wonderfully thick, rich and sinful. Though being a chocolate and dessert lover, I can finish the whole thing on my own, but my friend mentioned that it'll be too much for her. I do feel that not enough nutella was detected! But this is coming from a person who eats it out of the jar and no other way, so take what I say with a pinch of salt :D

Overall, the food was mediocre. Perhaps it stems from the high expectations of their fries when they put that in their name. I feel like Mac's shaker fries might actually satisfy my seasoned fries cravings well enough. However, prices are relatively affordable, with most mains not costing more than $14.

And then there's the service. The waitresses were all pretty young, but that itself isn't a problem. The problem lies in their lack of attention despite us being one of the two occupied tables at that time. To her benefit, our waitress seemed eager and wasn't grumpy or anything, but several things lacked sorely. First, our water was never filled up even though she kept looking at our table and should have noticed that it was finished. I had to personally signal to her for water... thrice. Second, our finished dishes were not cleared! When she realised we had finished our food (after quite some time) she came and asked if we wanted out desserts, and then proceeded to clear 2 plates. Thereafter, our desserts arrived and the rest of the plates were just left there! Is it not common sense to clear the plates before or even after you set the desserts down? Third, I asked her some simple things but had to repeat myself several times before she seemed to understand what I was asking and went to ask her manager.

They do have things to improve on, but I think I'll go back, if only for their nutella tart!

Everything With Fries

40 Lorong Mambong
Holland Village

Maggie Moos at 313@Sommerset

2010-03-14T22:55:00.000-07:00

Maggie Moos located at the basement of 313@Sommerset is one of the many cold slab mix-in creameries in the building, with Marvelous Cream and Cold Rock above. Was looking for an ice cream fix and decided to see how this fares against its competitors!

The first thing that you'll notice is its quirky eye-popping design of its stall. Really eye-catching as compared to the other stalls in the basement. I really like their slogan too!

Being ever so lost (as usual) when faced with the endless possibilities at mix-in creameries, I decided to try a combination off their menu. The Better Batter Cake Carnival is a mix of Better Batter ice cream with Twix, cookie dough, and fudge. More of my favourite things! I find the consistency of the ice cream similar to that of Marble Slab Creamery, thick and dense and slightly chewy, the way I like it. The ice cream is supposed to taste like cake batter (what's with cake batter ice creams at all the mix-in places?) but I honestly don't really see how it tastes like cake batter. Maybe cause I don't really eat raw cake batter hmm. But it does taste like a nice vanilla based ice cream!

I can't say anything more about the combination of chocolate, caramel, cookie dough, and fudge. Can anyone find a fault with it?

Next time, I'm going to try their ice cream cookie sandwich. So hard to find them in Singapore!

Duck fat and the holy grail.

2010-03-14T06:28:00.000-07:00

I must have stared at the shelf for a good couple of minutes in disbelief when I saw this. After hunting Singapore high and low and in gourmet marketplaces for this, I finally saw it today. Why is it we can never find things when we're looking for them and they always turn up when we don't expect them to?

I believe in faries and the loch ness monster now. Because today, I managed to get my hands on duck fat. I'm this close to hugging my can to sleep tonight.

Tomorrow, I'm out to buy some potatoes, and homemade duck fat fries and potatoes are going to grace my kitchen, and my mouth.

Thank you, thank you, thank you for being a shining beacon in what was otherwise a crazy weekend!

Wild Honey at Mandarin Gallery, revisited

2010-03-12T01:20:00.000-08:00

After the first visit, I knew that there'll be many more visits to this place. It's all about the vibe, so homey and cosy. I'd like my future home to have at least a room that looks like this place!

Sadly, the food didn't impress this time.

On to the food - I was craving eggs benedict so we had the European ($18), their version of eggs benedict with poached egg, sauteed mushrooms, prosciutto ham and hollandaise sauce atop slices of homemade brioche. I really like their bread, nice and buttery and very addictive, think I'll just buy some of the bread home next time! The eggs were good and both yolks gave out their molten gold centres with a prick of the fork, but the whole dish wasn't that impressive. I think it has to do with the average hollandaise, prosciutto that was a tad too salty and very hard to cut up. With better versions elsewhere, I don't think I'll be having this again.

While I was at the counter placing my order, I saw these cute little pies in one of their cake stands and asked what it was. Turns out they're mini chicken pies ($4.50), a new item on the menu. My automatic reaction was to order one! But this disappointed. There was way too much crust, which was not flaky or buttery enough, and the filling just didn't cut it, with dry chicken pieces and not much else.

Also tried the Banoffee ($9), a shake with honey, banana, caramel and marshmallow. I love the look of it, with the towering swirl of torched marshmallow fluff, but I really didn't like the taste of the drink. Maybe it's just a personal preference issue, but there seemed to be a strange artificial-ness to the whole thing. Maybe the type of honey they chose just didn't go with banana or they added some other syrup in, I'm not sure. But no, give me a nice banoffee pie instead, please.

Overall, a disappointing second visit. Perhaps this time we chose the wrong items off the menu. The vibe is still wonderful though, and I think if I come back I'll stick to the good old New York and Tunisian I had the first time round.

Awfully Chocolate

2010-03-11T06:45:00.000-08:00

To whom it may concern: I'm blessed with no shortage of ice cream in my life.

I tend to stay away from chocolate ice cream, because none of them are thick enough to be satisfying, so it's normally better to just eat the chocolate itself. It's also the way I like my brownies - not cake-like, but thick, and so dense it's almost like fudge. And this "hei" dark chocolate ice cream from Awfully Chocolate? Is awfully good to me. It is so lusciously, ridiculously thick that one scoop will do for me, when I normally need 2-3 scoops of ice cream to feel satisfied. (Well I got two scoops of this anyway!) Its dense, rich flavour with only a tinge of sweetness really epitomises what good dark chocolate should be like, and this is perhaps the most seriously intense dark chocolate ice cream around. It was so thick that my partner broke the sturdy spoon when trying to take a scoop.

Did I mention the kitchy Chinese take-out box packaging? I adore it. Now I just wish my arms were those two spoons, hugging the mighty chocolate ice cream!

Awfully Chocolate.

Locations islandwide.

Royal China at Raffles Hotel

2010-03-09T05:29:00.000-08:00

The parents wanted to celebrate an occasion, and since we had dim sum cravings, it was a choice of either Yan Ting or Royal China. And since we've tried Yan Ting before, we decided to give Royal China a shot, since I've yet to try it after all this time!

I didn't take pictures of the place, but the design of the place is so unique. The whole place, from the walls to the pillars, are coloured a delicious baby blue, which really may sound odd (especially for a Chinese restaurant!) and potentially tacky, but they managed to do elegant grandour instead, pairing the blue with pearl white counters, tables and chairs. I'm loving the modern take on traditional chinese decor.

The standard must have har gau fell short of expectations - the skin was too sticky and broke (for all four pieces) when we tried to lift them up. The prawns were fresh and crunchy though!

Another ubiquitous item, the char siew bao, fared better, with nice and juicy barbequed pork within the soft white fluffy bun. I always like to tear up the "split sections" and eat them one by one! However, we subsequently realised that there were even better char siew items to be had...

Their char siew soh (baked barbeque pork puff) is probably the best I've had. I've never seen such fat puffs before! Encased within the flaky, buttery puff pastry was extremely juicy and succulent char siew with an excellent barbeque sauce that was sweet without crossing the line. Oh this is heavenly - a must try!

And then, this came. We didn't order this, but rather saw a waitress coming out of the kitchen with a trayful of plates of these little buns, then going around to the tables and offering them to the diners. When she explained to us that they were char siew buns, we immediately grabbed a plate, after the terrific experience with the char siew items just moments before. I'm not even sure if these are on the menu! But I have to say, these were excellent. I cannot decide which I prefer, the char siew soh or these - both have the same great char siew filling, except that this one is encased in a freshly baked bun (think bo lo bun) which was still hot, and to me nothing beats freshly baked bread. The bun was thin, not too doughy, with a great ratio of filling to delicious bun. Oh my. I think I may actually forgo my char siew bao for more of this the next time (if they have it!).

The Royal China Cheong Fun wasn't as impressive though. In fact, I thought it was the worst item of the meal. Three rice rolls, each with a different filling - char siew, scallop and prawn. The rice rolls were simply too thick for our liking.

The steamed seafood dumplings with their lovely translucent skin was pretty good, not too thick a skin, and good generous fillings of scallop and prawns within.

We also ordered a pot of double boiled sea treasure with kampong chicken in deluxe clear soup ($42). This instantly caused or total bill to jump quite a bit, but it was so hearty. The waitress first showed us the paper-sealed put of soup, that apparently had been boiled for six hours, then proceeded to scoop us our portions, as well as take out the "sea treasures" in the pot onto a plate for our comsumption. Now, I personally don't eat sea cucumber and stuff, so it's quite a waste! Thankfully my dad likes them, so he had them all! The intense flavour of the soup, though, was delicious, and full of wholesome nutritional goodness! The chicken was so tender and tasty even without sauce that I ate quite a bit of it!

To add some sweet to this savoury fest, we had this steamed layer cake with salted egg yolk custard. The waitress recommended it to me after I asked for salted egg yolk custard bun and she said they didn't have that. Isn't that odd though? They don't even seem to have it on the menu. Well this cake was decent - the cake layers tasted like it was made of the same stuff as the bao, except that it has nice custard layers. Still, I'd rather have my molten egg yolk custard please!

The mini egg tarts were better, with hot flaky crust and warm, wobbly custard centres. But they're so small that one pop and it's all gone! I could have polished all 3 off by myself ;)

Was a good dining experience at Royal China. They are very well staffed. I noticed that there were many serving counters throughout the place - very neat and efficient! The waitresses were also polite and friendly, giving recommendations, being patient while we decided on what to order, and enquiring as to whether the food was good. When she noticed we didn't finish the Cheogn Fun, she asked (in a very friendly manner) if it was up to par.

As compared to Yan Ting? Royal China's items are more traditional dim sum, while Yan Ting's ones have a twist to them (think, pan fried cheong fun etc). I think I prefer Yan Ting overall, but the char siew items here cannot be beat!

Mentaiko mayonnaise in a bottle!

2010-03-08T07:29:00.000-08:00

Not exactly a food place/ meal post but receiving this totally made my day!

Mentaiko mayo in a bottle! I can't seem to get enough of this stuff. Like my friend said, it's the ultimate cheatcode - everything instantly tastes good with it. I had it with bread and some rice and its wonderful. This Japanese fish roe mayo is such a good thing to have at home for those lazy days.

It's from the brand Kewpie - can you see the little picture of the baby up there? It's the same brand as the famous Japanese mayo in a squeeze tube you see in supermarkets.

He also said to try it with toast, which I've yet to do but will soon! I'm such a gleeful girl now :)

Shimbashi Soba at Raffles City

2010-03-07T01:32:00.000-08:00

I first noticed Shimbashi Soba at Paragon a few years back, with the captivating glass "kitchen" in which the Japanese chef makes the buckwheat soba fresh on the spot. Doesn't food always seem to taste better when you see it being made infront of your eyes?

Yet, I only managed to get down to trying their food now, in a desperate attempt to quell a soba craving.

I same here for soba, so a huge portion of soba is what I got. The Seiro ($12.20) is a serving of chilled buckwheat soba with dipping sauce. Such simplicity. Of course, it's then even more important that the noodles are excellent, and excellent it was. It was unlike any other soba I've had in Singapore - firm and springy, almost with a "bounce" as you bite into it and chew on it, like an al dente Japanese pasta. Chilled without having any ice cubes on the surface, and without any clumps. Mix the spring onions and wasabi into the dipping sauce and dip your noodles in them before slurping them up - so good. I started compulsively putting noodles into my mouth. They do have the option of freshly grated wasabi at an additional cost, which I did not choose but I think the next time I go back I shall get that - the good noodles seem to justify good wasabi!

After I finished the noodles, the waitress came with a small pot, which she said was hot water that was used to boil the noodles. Apparently, I was to pour it into the (now) empty soya sauce dipping cup and drink it. It's supposed to be healthy, and plus, an instant soup!

We also ordered the Ladies Shokado ($27.80 I believe) which is a set that's available for the month of March. It's a comprehensive set that included a bowl of warm or chilled soba with grated radish and Seasoned beancurd (a smaller portion than if ordered off the menu). We went for the warm version since there was already the Seiro, but while the soup and ingredients are good and comforting, I feel that soba is best taken chilled. The texture just isn't the same once you put it in warm soup. It becomes slightly softer, "soggier", and I feel that you can't appreciate the quality of the noodles as well as if it were chilled.

The set also came with portions of assorted sushi, assorted tempura, fried chicken with mushroom gravy, salmon teriyaki and tamago. It's really a very filling set! General comments are that every item was pretty good, and I love variety. The tempura didn't have the crispiest batter, but it was alright. Have to highlight the tamago though - it was warm and sweeter than normal with a savoury edge and I just really loved it!

Nice tamago!

The set also same with a dessert platter. Dessert trios always excite me! Vanilla ice cream, some fruit, and homemade rice cakes. Nothing much to rave about but I thought I saw something very similar in their desserts menu. This set is really pretty value for money!

By the time we finished our mains, it was already about 2.30pm and that's when their tea time promotion kicks in. For $6, you get to choose any of their desserts from their menu and a choice of green tea, coffee or regular tea. I ordered their cream anmitsu (normal price $9.80) which was a huge japanese parfait consisting of tons of japanese jelly cubes, soba balls, a big dollop of japanese red bean, fruit, and a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Came with a serving of brown sugar syrup for you to pour over the whole creation. Oh Japanese desserts feel so healthy! The soba balls are like very chewy mochi! But a nice and not overly sweet way to end the meal. Had it with a glass of hot green tea.

Overall, a good experience. A small hiccup occurred when they brought out my cream anmitsu but a short while later came back to take it back to the kitchen because the chef apparently forgot to put in the soba balls. However, they were apologetic about it and overall service was good. Their soba is the thing to come back for, even my partner who never liked soba liked it. Also, I spied many set meals on their menu, so do for those which give you a bit of everything!

Shimbashi Soba
252 North Bridge Road
#B1-06/07 Raffles City Shopping Centre

A brilliant ceasar salad at...

2010-03-06T06:45:00.000-08:00

Okay this caught me by surprise! I had wanted to blog about something else but I felt I just had to give this a mention! Of all places to find a decent (okay, more than decent!) ceasar salad, I found it at The Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf.

I normally stay off ceasar salads because it doesn't seem to do justice to anyone. First, it is a salad (do I need to elaborate?). Second, it is in no way healthy (one of the few reasons to eat a salad) - the amount of dressing in that thing kind of cancels any health benefits it brings. And most times, it just doesn't taste good enough to justify eating. But this time, I polished off the entire plate in a matter of moments!

I think it must be attributed to a great balance of all the ingredients. A well tossed and dressed pile of romaine lettuce, along with generous servings of egg (a whole egg - is someone seeing a trend with me and eggs here?), croutons (seriously, so many pieces by the time i was nearing the end I still had a pile of them) that were crispy but not so hard that they hurt your mouth, and a good dollop of parmesan cheese. Really, it's so simple, but something about it sets it apart from other ceasar salads. Whole dish was really tasty without being too much.

I guess there's two reasons to go to Coffee Bean now - their Pure Vanilla Ice Blended and their Ceasar Salad!

Swiss Grill at Coronation Plaza

2010-03-04T06:29:00.000-08:00

Swiss Grill at Coronation Plaza is the first "cafe" opened by the Swiss Butchery people. Located next to Xin Wang Hong Kong Cafe and Starbucks, it's essentially their butchery plus several tables outside and a mini cooking/grilling area in which they cook their meats for your meal. I came here for the burger, and I got the burger. But more on that later!

Their board of daily specials, which I only noticed after placing our order! The grilled cod fish burger has my name written all over it!

The Cervelat Dog (with Bun) ($6.90) is a 120g house made veal and pork sausage, topped with gherkins. We then asked for chilli and mustard and poured it all over the dog. It was a good hotdog, with a firm casing that snaps when you bite into it, letting the meaty juices burst into your mouth. Other than that, it's a very construction - just a very good dog in a (nicely hot!) hotdog bun.

And now for the burger. As it was my first time here, I decided to go for the works, with their Burger with the Lot ( $13.90) - a sesame topped bun filled with grilled premium chuck beef, bacon, sunny side up egg, cheddar cheese and gherkins. We added $2.50 to complete it with fries and a mesclun salad.

To keep it short, it's the best beef burger I've had in a long, long, long time. Off the top of my head I can't remember a better beef burger so to keep it safe I'll say it falls within the top 3 beef burgers I've tried.

Okay now to justify that bold statement. It all boils down to the patty. You know it's fresh and not frozen, not only because you can definitely taste it, but also because you can walk five steps into the store and look at the patty which they just cooked up for you. Futhermore, the patty was cooking to my kind of perfection - cut into it and it's a rosy pink on the inside, not a tinge overcooked, not grainy, not dry or rubbery. Combine that moist and flavourful patty with cheese and egg (egg always makes a burger better), and some really good bacon (I used to think all bacon were created equal. apparently not. I can't describe it, it was just really good, not chewy or too fatty or too over-fried) and you get a solid burger. I'm not normally one to go for beef burgers as they often prove to not be the best item at some joints (think: Relish, Handburger, Burger Shack... you get the point), but this one is seriously good. But this is all a personal opinion, of course.

And really, it's not that surprising, considering well, that they are their own butchers. The fries were hot and crispy, while the mesclun salad was refreshing, and i'm glad it was that rather than some coleslaw.

But the heat, oh the heat! I dearly wish they had indoor seating instead. This weather is no weather to be sitting outside, anywhere! That said, I'm going to brave the heat to come back again, for their beef burger, as well as to try out their grilled cod fish burger next time!

Swiss Grill
587 Bukit Timah Road
#01-05 Coronation Shopping Plaza

3 Inch Sin at Cluny Court

2010-03-03T06:56:00.000-08:00

3 Inch Sin just opened its doors on Sunday, tucked away in a little corner of Cluny Court's second floor, near Taste Matters, and on the same floor as Relish and Simply Bread. The interior's simple with whitewashed walls, just like most of the other shops at Cluny Court, and has a white-and-orange theme going on. The seating capacity is very small, with only three tables, seating up to 12 people.

I love this saying, plastered over the length of their white wall! Don't you?

Their very kitchy menu - on a real baking tray!

Now, 3 Inch Sin basically serves one main thing - molten chocolate lava cakes, in multiple flavours (8, to be exact). You can also order a variety of drinks like coffee to have with your cake, or choose to do a takeaway for the cakes.

The cakes come in two sizes - normal, aka 3 inches (is the shop name making more sense now? I went OHHHH when i heard it!), and mini ones which looked about 1 inch in diameter. Very cute little things!

We wanted to try the original in the regular size, but as they were out of it, we decided to go for the peanut butter ($5) instead, and accompanied by a scoop of vanilla ice cream ($2.50). After a short wait while the staff heated the cake up, it was presented prettily to us. I had high expectations for this, considering how bold they are to open a shop just selling one item, and scooped into it hoping for a gush of molten goodness to spew forth. However, that didn't happen. Instead, what we got was quite a thick layer of warm chocolate cake, with a good amount of peanut butter inside. It was good nevertheless, very rich and the combination of chocolate and peanut butter always works. Ice cream was normal stuff, but a good contrast with the warm cake.

We then had a selection of three mini molten cakes ($5), and we chose hazelnut, bitter orange, and original. First off, let me say that these mini cakes are adorable. However, once again, there was no spewing of chocolate-y innards, but you could see the molten core still.

The verdict? The bitter orange tasted a bit like marmalade, with shreds of orange peel within. The orginal and hazelnut were too similar in taste, resulting in us having to taste twice before confirming which was which. However, as chocolate cakes, they were all good, rich, and in need of lots of water (which they provide) to wash it down with!

I think it's a better idea to go for the 3 inch original sized ones, as there is a better molten-core-to-cake ratio, and understandably so. The mini ones are good for you to try all 8 flavours, and then decide which ones to go 3 inch with the next round.

I feel that the cakes are reasonably priced, especially considering their location. Furthermore, prices are nett. The lady boss is very friendly and asked for feedback and gave recommendations, waiting patiently as we did the tough thing of making choices! While it ain't the best molten lava cake around, it's definitely creative!

3 Inch Sin
501 Bukit Timah Road
#02-27 Cluny Court

Sushi Tei

2010-03-01T19:01:00.000-08:00

Sushi Tei has been my go-to Japanese chain restaurant everytime I need some Japanese food fix, fast. I remember after the first time I tried Sushi Tei I wondered why I went to Sakae Sushi for so long. Which, I've not visited since.

This time I went to the outlet at Holland Village, which moved from it's old spot to a new one a few steps away. It is now located on the row along which Provence sits. Went there at dinner time and there was such a long queue! Thankfully there were only two of us and they said they could get us two counter seats immediately. We hesitated for awhile though, since counter seats tend to be quite crammed and uncomfortable (I think the only time counter seats are better than booth seats are when you get to see a chef and his master knife skills preparing your food!), but decided to go ahead anyway. And it was a good thing we did! These counter seats were unlike those that I had seen before - Instead of a high table with bar seats, this table was wide and spacious and at normal height, with big, armed dining-table chairs. There was so much space for each person! I love this new concept of chain counter seating.

We wanted some sushi, and ordered the Aburi Tateyama, which was a set of six half-broiled sushi. There was tuna belly, salmon belly, raw scallop, swordfish, yellow-tail and sea bream. Wow this was better than expected! I think I'm in love with the idea of broiled sushi. The slight torching adds flavour to both the fish and somehow the rice too! Plus, it's a good for people who aren't too keen on sashimi, without cooking the fish to dryness. The scallop reminded me of Itacho Sushi. Oh I miss their jumbo scallop and its sweetness mmm.

The Cha Soba was pretty normal, but it helped to satisfy the soba craving! Nicely chiiled, with the bamboo mat acting as a draining system for the melting ice.

The soba came with a Chicken Tonkatsu, which my partner remarked, "tastes like KFC!". Well, fried chicken is fried chicken! But at least this was served piping hot just out of the fryer, nicely breaded and crispy with a very juicy chicken thigh within. Satisfying, plus I love the contrast of hot crispy chicken with cold smooth soba.

I always seem to order the Ice Balls whenever I go to Sushi Tei. They're always so cute, presented in a bowl with about 10 mini balls of fruit flavoured ice balls, like mini ice cream pops. And it's fun figuring out what flavour you got too. There was strawberry, grape, lemon and honeydew I believe! Think of childhood boiled candy sweets kind of flavours. Plus, they ain't half bad, not icey on the inside but slightly dense like a nice sherbet.

We weren't hungry after a heavy lunch and didn't have much, but it was satisfying nevertheless. Good old reliable Sushi Tei! My only gripe would be that the staff all seemed very new and didn't seem to understand English very well. We tried to order in English and were met with a lady who started spouting in Chinese that she didn't understand and would find someone else. Oh dear.

Holland Village outlet. - many more islandwide
3 Lorong Liput
#01-08 Holland V Shopping Mall
Singapore 277725.
Telephone +65 6463 2310

Cedele - bmc where art thou!

2010-02-28T18:21:00.000-08:00

Cedele oh Cedele, where is your elusive blueberry maple cake? I keep searching for it (at different outlets to boot), but it's never there!

This time, I decided that I needed my cake nevertheless, and decided to try the pink beet cake.

Made with grapeseed oil and fresh beetroot, Cedele really pushes the boundaries as to how healthy cakes can get. I love how the cake is coloured a lovely natural pink from the beetroot! It's very similar to their bestseller the Carrot Walnut Cake, just that shreds of carrot in the cake are replaced by shreds of beetroot, and the back is studded with pieces of macadamia nuts instead of walnuts, something I really like because I don't really fancy walnuts (and love macadamia!). There's also cinnamon inside the very moist cake that's topped with a layer of cream cheese frosting. Cream cheese frosting can never go wrong!

I love Cedele's cakes, which are both delicious and wholesome. But it doesn't give you the satisfaction of a sinful cream filled cake, which I crave for more than these :D I'm still thinking about the blueberry maple cake though! Show yourself please!

Bistro Petit Salut at Chip Bee Gardens

2010-02-27T06:19:00.000-08:00

Bistro Petit Salut, the offshoot of the high-end Au Petit Salut at Dempsey Road, is a little homey bistro situated along the long row of restaurants at Chip Bee Gardens. The Bistro serves French fare at prices more affordable than the mother restaurant, so it's a good place to try their goods! Futhermore, they have a 3-course set lunch priced at $25++, with 6 choices each for your entrée, main, and dessert. Truly irresistable. The two of us went and shared everything we ordered, so I got to try a total of six items! Everyone, repeat after me: sharing is caring.

To start off, complimentary bread and butter is served. These slices of baguette were unfortunately not served warm, but were still pretty decent with soft fluffly interiors.

The salmon tartare with lemon and olive oil came with a "petite salade" with basil dressing. The chunks of salmon were very fresh, and just went into my mouth and down my throat so easily! A light and refreshing starter, good if you aren't too hungry.

The Croque-Monsieur was essentially country rye bread toasted with parma ham and Comté cheese, accompanied by a mesclun salad. I simply have to rave about this. If you're a ham-and-cheese person, you'd love this posh version of it! Good ham with melted unpasteurized cheese on rye, and a generous amount of strong mustard that was detacted on the first bite, makes this a very tasty dish. I could have this as a main! Not for those on a diet!

For the main, we had the Seafood cannelloni filled with crab meat, scallops and prawns, served with side salad with tarragon dressing. On first sight I loved the presentation of it. I have a weakness for anything that comes in a cast iron pan, and this small one was just so quaint. The cannelloni was a rather small portion, but pretty filling. The portion of seafood was generous, filling up the tubes of pasta completely. The dish was not mind-blowing, but good and carb-satisfying pasta. The dressing for the salad was really good though, finished all the greens!

The other main was the Minute of beef rump steak served with shallots confit and french fries. I remember I made some sort of squeak (or some other uncouth noise) when I had my first bite - it was tender and juicy and so flavourful, with the outside properly browned but the whole interior of each cube of beef so beautifully pink. I didn't have a single chewy piece either! And the fries were hot and crispy, really good skinny fries. The portion may seem deceptively small with about 5 or 6 "cubes" of beef, but I was so stuffed after eating it I couldn't finish the fries! Felt like such a waste of decent fries!

But no matter how full I am, there's always room for dessert. I really think it's true that dessert goes into a different stomach. The “Brioche Perdue” is stated ont he menu to be a bread and butter pudding, but honestly, it was so much more like a creme brulee! The top was a crispy layer of blowtorched, caramelised sugar, and the bottom was all whobbly custard with lovely specks of real vanilla beans. I did manage to detect bits of custard soaked bread, but really, this is a creme brulee. And an excellent, big portioned one at that. Plus, I was really happy since I've been craving creme brulee!

The profiteroles were also a delight. Choux buns with vanilla ice cream, warm chocolate sauce
and sliced almonds, really, how could you possibly go wrong. I believe the ice cream is Haagen Daz, which produces an excellent vanilla ice cream (my favourite, after Tillamook!)

As though that's not enough, they also serve coffee or tea as part of the set!

Service was attentive throughout, without being overwhelming. After we finished each dish, the staff would promptly arrive to clear it, but otherwise they kept a good distance so as to not make you feel rushed.

All that for less than $30 nett per person is really a great value for money deal. I enjoyed all the dishes and was really stuffed but happy after that! I need to go back and try their "40 garlic cloves chicken" next! And since the bistro has proved its worth, maybe an upgrade to Au Petit Salut will be in order too!

Swensens Gelato

2010-02-26T08:11:00.001-08:00

Swensens at Holland Village came up with a new concept of selling gelato some time back, but it always seemed pretty empty! I finally decided to try it after seeing that they currently have a 1-for-1 promotion, and apparently it applies to basically every size! Eg. If you get one scoop, you get one scoop free, if you get one tub, you get one tub free. Sounded fantastic!

I decided to get a double cup (ie. two scoops, and get another two scoops free). The scooper was very generous in the serving portions and I was impressed with the amount of ice cream we had int he end! I thought a double cup ($4.30) meant slightly more than a normal cup ($3.30) but he really scooped two full scoops!

Lo and behold, some things really are too good to be true.

The oreo cheesecake was too sour for ice cream, and it just ended up tasting slightly spoiled.

The pistachio just didn't taste right, like the pistacho flavour somehow went wrong. Perhaps it was because the flavour was too strong and not good for more than one mouthful.

The coffee was alright, but again too strong a flavour, while the hazelnut fared the best out of the lot, with a good hazelnut taste that came through whilst not being too much. My only gripe with it is that there seemed to be "paper" inside it. The first time I encountered it I took it out wondering what it was, and the second time I thought it might be a wafer, because they displayed halzetnut cream filled wafers at their display window. Either way, it's slightly dubious and not a very good idea.

A general feedback about all their gelato is that the flavours seem off, and they melt too fast! Honestly, the deal may be fantastic ($4.30 for 4 whole scoops of ice cream!) but the quality of the product doesn't warrant a second visit.

Kim's Family Restaurant at Kilat Court

2010-02-24T18:22:00.000-08:00

This place has been on my mind for so many weeks and I know tons of people have discovered this wonderful place already, so I'm just really happy that I finally managed to go try it out for myself! Kim's Family Restaurant is just opposite the row on which Dominos at Bukit Timah sits, so really there's all sorts of food choices there!

Their sign with missing alphabets bothers noone. The food speaks for itself!

There's nothing like seeing it for yourself. Order your food, and shortly after the waiter will bring you a tray piled with these circular bowls of goodness and places them on your table one after another. It basically fills the whole table up! So many dishes and so generous with the portions it's amazing. And all free!

And the fish that also comes as one of the banchan - nice and flaky and tender.

The bibimbap ($10) was tasty and healthy. Rice topped with shredded veges, some beef and a fried egg, all in a hot stone bowl. Add as much chilli as you want from the squeeze bottle on the table and mix it all together! Playing with your food makes it taste that much better.

We also had a bulgogi set (known as Set A) ($10). We were a bit confused when the waiter pointed out the set to us at the back of the menu, but since it was his recommendation we didn't hesitate to accept it. I thought it was a lunch set but we were there when they just opened for dinner (about 5pm) and we were still served the set. It's a wonderful choice especially if you're lost and want to try more things. An oval hot plate with a very generous portion of beef bulgogi (you can choose from beef, pork and chicken) arrived, still sizzling in the plate. This beef was so tasty! Thinly sliced beef with excellent marinade, not too salty, just a tinge of sweet, and very good with the accompanying rice.

The set also came with a small hot stone bowl of spicy seafood and tofu soup (I didn't take note of its actual name) That added the spice kick that every korean meal should have. And warm brothy goodness goes down so well with everything else we had on the table.

I thought it stopped there, but it didn't. The guy came by again and put a cup of tea and a plate of watermelon down. Such a nice touch! And I was trying to figure the tea out - it's cool and tasted like a plum juice of sorts, very refreshing.

This place is wonderful. You just have to order a main course each and you'll be stuffed with starters (amazing spread of banchan) and a light dessert, all complimentary - really makes you feel so at home and welcomed. I walked out feeling so satisfied and happy, I'm definitely bringing more people here!

I was just commenting on how I couldn't figure how they were making money, but it looks like they're expanding! Well I'm happy for that, and hope they stay as generous always!

Kim’s Family Restaurant
17 Lorong Kilat
#01-06
Singapore 598139
Tel: (65) 6465 0535

Al Dente Trattoria at Holland VIllage

2010-02-22T18:27:00.000-08:00

Al Dente Trattoria is one of those restaurants that have been in Holland Village for some years already, sitting on the row along which NYDC and Cha Cha Cha are located on, and opposite Haagen Dazs. We walked by once and saw their banner advertising $10 pizzas, so we knew we just had to try it!

There's limited indoor seating, but a bigger al fresco dining area. However the weather was being too unkind for outdoor seating so indoors we went! Sitting indoors also has a perk - you can watch the chef make the pizza and put it into the cute little wood fired oven they have. The sight of those ovens always makes me excited.

The Al Fungi ($10) was a simple affair - a tomato based pizza, with button mushrooms and cheese. I love mushrooms, so I'm happy with it. A nicely browned pizza base, with adequate toppings and very moreish. One person can easily finish one pizza and be quite satisfied theeafter, with enough space left for dessert.

We went there for their $10 pizzas, but we got too attracted by what we saw on their pizza listing int heir menu to give it up. The Al Dente pizza ($26) is a slightly larger pizza, topped with tomato ragout, burrata, parma ham, avocado, truffle oil and rucola. Oh my. This was such a volumous piece with all the chunky fresh ingredients piled atop the thin pizza base! Generous portions of everything, from the chunks of avocado and snow white burrata tot he fresh rocola and the blankets of parma drapping atop it all. The absolute antithesis of an american pizza - this felt so fresh and healthy, and delicious to boot! A good combination of flavours I've not seen elsewhere. Only grip is that it could do with more truffle oil!

I wanted so badly to end off with their creme brulee with macadamia nut oil, but they were out of it, so it looks like I'll have to go back again for it, and hopefully soon!

Address:
22 Lorong Mambong
Holland Village

Tea-time at Tampopo, Ngee Ann City

2010-02-21T07:30:00.000-08:00

The past week that just went by was supposed to be a "holiday" week, but it's been a complete stress bomb! No one is supposed to do work during a recess!

After having the heavenly Tampopo cream puff again just the other day, and seeing ice's post on the scoop cake, I just missed it instantly and knew I had to get myself a slice and soon. That led to a trip down to Ngee Ann City's Tampopo outlet for their tea time special where you get a free tea or coffee with your choice of cake. I've been wanting to try their light cheese chiffon but can never bring myself to get anything else other than the scoop cake! Looks like the solution is to eat both cakes for tea next time!

Ice did a brilliant job of describing the cake, so just hop over for the writeup :) (thanks, ice!). All I have to say is that this is all I need to perk up the whole day. Definitely on my top 10 list of cakes!

Cold Rock Creamery at Sommerset 313

2010-02-19T07:44:00.000-08:00

Cold Rock's not new to the food scene here, with its first outlet at Holland Village opened several years back. I'm not sure if it was the first to introduce cold stone ice cream here, but I do believe it was one of the first!

My friend did his own creation of Rum and Rasin ice cream with gummy bears mixed in. I thought it was a very weird combination but he just said it was an adult flavour with a kid at heart. I don't think gummies should ever be added to ice cream though! The texture of melt in your mouth ice cream with very sugary and chewy things just don't go. The ice cream itself was not great either, with little rum punch.

I had the Ferrero ice cream with cookie dough mix in. Very hard to resist cookie dough anywhere! I can't fault cookie dough, ever. The ice cream, again, was mediocre, with the flavour being too light for my liking. The texture of both ice cream flavours was also a little too airy, like it was cheap ice cream. I'd like it denser, with a deeper and stronger flavour.

At $6.50 for that tiny cup, it ain't cheap either! The money could be better spent on a ton of other ice cream, with better flavours and in bigger quantities. I have to say, Marble Slab beats this hands down for cold slab mix-in ice creams. Don't waste your money!

Kith Cafe at Watermark@Robertson Quay

2010-02-18T07:58:00.000-08:00

After hearing things about this place, I decided to hunt down Kith Cafe for a nice brunch! This little place really is pretty hard to spot, what with it being tucked away in the residential development the Watermark. Was warm from the heat and very relieved when I found the place!

The cafe is really quite a small place! I would say the inside seating can accomodate 15 pax comfortably, mostly on a long communal table. But the vibe of the place is excellent. Very home-y, like it's not run as a commerical business but more like a room in someone's home opened for you to have some grub and relax.

I love the decor, and how there's a huge chalkboard that spans the width of the room. Chalkboard menus are so much fun - they add to the decor, give the place a rustic vibe, and are functional all at once!

The Big Breakfast ($14) came with bratswurst, scrambled eggs, bacon, grilled tomato, and toast with homemade strawberry jam. I like how it lives up to it's name. The toast and strawberry jam were definitely the stars of the plate - nice and thick toast which is properly crispy ont he outside but so soft and fluffy on the inside! Wonder where they get the bread from. The homemade straweberry jam was distinctly homemade, no doubt about that, with it's not-too-sweet flavour and opaque, un-jelly-like texture. Excellent. Everything else was good, but nothing special that sets them apart fromt hose found elsewhere.

The Hazelnut and Nutella Milkshake ($6 for regular size) had a nice Nutella flavour, though it felt more like milk rather than a milkshake. Very good to drink still, but not the thick thick, more-sinful-than-ice-cream type that i adore.

I'm envious of the people staying at Robertson Quay for the amount of good food they have there, and for having Kith Cafe as their chill out spot! While there I saw people just having a latte and reading the papers, or using their laptops, and it felt like I wasn't in Singapore for just that bit.

Simply Bread at Cluny Court

2010-02-17T05:14:00.000-08:00

I love the concept of Simply Bread - doing simple sandwiches with good quality ingredients. Great place for a sandwich fix, and if you're lucky you may find that they have specials of the day like a pulled pork sandwich too. Otherwise, there's still a whole variety of sandwich combinations for you to choose from off the menu. Not happy with the available fixed selections? Ask them to create a sandwich with your selection of ingredients and they'll most probably be happy to do it for you.

The GHC ($9) is one of my comfort foods - shaved ham and cheddar with mustard between slices of homemade bread, pressed in a hot grill. This time, I tried my luck and asked the waitress if I could add caramelised onions (add $1) and she agreed to it! Oh joy! I think I just found out that a good thing just got better. The saltiness of the ham and cheese against the sweetness of the onions and the little zing of mustard is a great combination!

The Everything ($10.30) was filled with lettuce, tomatoes, egg, thick slices of cheese, ham and bacon. Whew. Twas much taller than my GHC especially since it wasn't all pressed together! Now, this tasted like a healthy sandwich (yes, I believe a sandwich can still be healthy with the addition of bacon), quite unlike my vege-less GHC. Didn't quite fancy it as much but I think that's a mood preference. My little qualm is that their toasted bread's a little too hard for these taller sandwiches, so it may be wiser to have it un-toasted instead.

A simple, unpretentious little area with magazines displayed for your reading pleasure and jugs of water for you to help yourself to (means no service charge!) that lets you enjoy your food and company. An alternative lunch destination to Relish which is just 5 steps away!

Domino's Pizza

2010-02-15T08:52:00.000-08:00

Domino's! The wonderful pizza delivery chain that vanished from our shores a decade ago, has resurfaced several months back! When I first heard about it I couldn't really believe it, and went hunting around the web to check if it's true and voila! However, I soon found out that they deliver to a very limited area - just a tiny circle around their outlets, so as to ensure that they can deliver the pizzas fresh (within 30 mins of your order or your next regular pizza is free!). There are currently 3 outlets at Kovan, Serangoon and Bukit Timah (Chun Tin Rd) now, and I believe there will be more popping up.

With a never-say-die attitude, I decided that if the pizza wouldn't come to me (even though I was just further along Bukit Timah...), I would go to the pizza! With that, I called to make an order, then trotted down to the Bukit Timah outlet to pick them up and headed home to try the pizzas!

The Regular sized Hawaiian (9") was good. Not mind-blowingly awesome but good. Ingredients were generous, pizza was still fresh and hot, and the dough was soft and chewy. We chose the classic hand-tossed dough variety because the New York Crust is only available for large and XL sized pizzas. But thicker dough, while good, still doesn't sit too well with me.

Now, the Large sized Meatzza (12") was fantastic. Smoked chicken breast, turkey ham, chicken sausage, cabanossi, beed pepperoni and ground beef, blanketed by cheese, atop the New York crust, was amazing. The New York crust lives up to being thin (the way New York style pizza is) and chewy and still strong enough to hold up to the toppings, and with all the meaty ingredients, was such a satisfying experience. I told myself to eat slower but it was so good I just kept putting in mouthful after mouthful.

Domino's is by far the best delivery pizza that I've tried in Singapore, and the New York style pizza is also one of the best American-type pizzas (we're not comparing witht he Italian pizzas like Casa Verde and Pepperoni's) around. Pricing is at $29.80 for a large, and from now till the end of Feb 2010, there's a deal where you get a Regular sized pizza doe 10 cents with a purchase of a Regular (or bigger) pizza. Great deal, but next time, I'm just going to go straight for two large ones so I can get the New York style all around.

Now, please pop up around my estate!

Yoguru at Raffles City

2010-02-14T08:00:00.000-08:00

I think Yoguru probably has the most value for money froyo around - I normally have to get a medium or large cup of froyo to feel satisfied (Think Yami Yogurt and Frolick sized ones) but with Yoguru, a $3.80 regular cup gives you a good substantial amount - enough to keep me happy while I stroll through Marketplace! Froyo in hand + Marketplace browsing = excellent relaxation therapy. Does anyone else love taking a leisurely stroll through supermarkets with absolutely nothing in mind that you have to buy? It's like an inspiration board of smells and colours and ingredients, just throwing ideas into your head as to what to cook/bake/stock your house up with.

Back onto the froyo, I'm not too fond of their Yoguberry, so plain's the best! Creamy and less tart than some others, but stays hard longer. Friendly staff, no frills and gimmicks (notice the plain cup as compared to Frolick's fancy one), it's the stuff itself that brings me back for more.

At the same time, happy Chinese New Year everyone!

Brotzeit at Raffles City

2010-02-13T07:29:00.000-08:00

Brotzeit is a contemporary German Bier Bar & Restaurant with a cozy and casual environment where people can have a beer, some authentic German food and lots of chilling out. While wandering around Raffles City today, I was wondering what to have for lunch (not Chinese - there's too much of that on the way because of CNY!), and Brotzeit sprang to mind due to good impressions before. Hearty portions, beer, what's there to complain about?

First up, we had the Kalbsrahmgulasch ($26.50). No, I didn't make that word up! I know it looks like gibberish, but this gibberish was extremely good. The traditional braised veal shank "goulash" in paprika sauce with buttered spätzle was so full of flavour. The veal chunks were so tender, not chewy and tough, and almost melt in your mouth. The accompanying spätzle (a German version of pasta) provided the much need carbs to balance the meal. On first bite you can taste the butter it was lightly pan fried in. On it's own, it's too plain for me to eat much, but with the paprika sauce - wonderful. Finished every bit of it.

The Mozzarella Salat ($18.50) was a mixed salad with mozzarella cheese, vine ripened cherry tomatoes, grilled zucchini, olives, extra virgin olive oil and pesto sauce. Brotzeit's salad portions are huge - there's nothing about Brotzeit (even their salads) that can be linked to a diet. Full of flavour, I just found myself taking mouthful after mouthful. Fresh vegetables, generous amounts of pesto sauce and the cute little balls of fresh mozzarella dotted around the bowl, a tangy and refreshing option!

And of course, beer. We had a 0.5L of Hefe-Weissbier ($9.90 before 5pm) to wash all the food down. Great on the ridiculously hot weather we've been having.

This place is great for big gatherings with it's long tables and benches that they can join up. There's also a huge plasma tv on the wall, permanently tuned to sports. I can see why this place is always packed at night.

Tampopo Deli at Liang Court

2010-02-12T08:06:00.000-08:00

Time and again Tampopo's cream puff has proven that it is unbeatable. These little (not so little) babies are baked fresh every hour, several times a day, and is heaven in an unassuming morsel.

The pastry is thin without being flimsy, with a nice firm crust that holds up to the weight of the cream inside. And the cream to puff ratio is totally off. There is just so just cream inside! You'll never guess it by looking at the outside but the whole thing is so packed with cream that I'm always in awe when I eat one. Barely any air pockets can be found. Beard Papa's cream is nothing compared to this. Plus, the cream is so wonderfully light, with little specks of real vanilla in it. Really, it's hard to complain of too much cream.

This snowy white dome can make my day, any day! Unfortunately it's only available at Liang Court, not even at their more centrally located outlet in Takashimaya. I cannot imagine the crowd if it's at Taka actually. Already there are so many people travelling to Liang Court for this - me included, aye!

Marble Slab Creamery at Cluny Court

2010-02-10T03:18:00.000-08:00

Marble Slab Creamery - another one of those institutions opened by an ex-law student (that makes it three within Cluny Court itself!), first came onto the scene last year with its first outlet at Iluma. They then opened their new second outlet at Cluny Court just over a month ago, bringing more ice cream choices to Bukit Timah! I'm definitely happy for that - too many years of Island Creamery already.

A very wise saying indeed!

Marble Slab Creamery has a similar concept to Cold Rock - when you walk in, you get to choose to have just pure ice cream, or choose from a selection of Tasty Creations which are ice cream and mix-ins selected to make a nice combination. Or, if you're feeling adventurous, you could try making your own creation too!

I just had to have my hand at formulating my own creation! Which isn't all that easy - there's just an overwhelming number of ice cream bases (there must be around 20) and mix-ins to choose from! I stood there staring and forming permutations in my head until I finally settled on Birthday Cake ice cream with Nutella, Reeses Peanut Butter Cups, and Cookie Dough mixed in. That pretty much covers my bases for my favourite things!

The happiness within.

And I bought a pint. Dot does not eat ice cream in small doses.

The outcome? Delicious. It's hard to go wrong when you throw all your favourite things together. Does anyone else love it when nutella solidifies slightly? Pure bliss. Swirls of nutella, little surprise bits of cookie dough and Reeses that pop into your mouth with each bite... mmm.

For me, I think the ice cream base is the most important thing in these mix-in concepts. It's the ultimate glue (what a very delicious one). And I liked Marble Slab's ice cream with a good denseness, not like those cream ice cream with lots of air in it. The birthday cake didn't really taste like a "cake" to me, but I could taste the sweet cream in it, which was a present but not overwhelming flavour - which was what I was going for, considering the strength of the mix-in flavours.

Marble Slab Creamery's creations are a bit pricey - a base ice cream starts from $4.50 for a small to $7.50 for a large, and add-ins go for $1 per choice. My pint cost about $15 in all. However, it's a good treat on a hot sweltering day and great for the occasional indulgence! Next time, I have to try their Maple, Cotton Candy, Peanut Butter and Cookie Dough ice creams!

Portuguese Egg Tarts at KFC

2010-02-09T07:36:00.000-08:00

Out of all places to find portuguese egg tarts - at no other place than KFC! I remember seeing them in the KFCs in Hong Kong and thinking that it's not all that unexpected considering how it's a common place food in Macau, and we know how fast food chains like to localise to cater to the consumers. But I sure didn't expect to see them in Singapore so shortly after seeing them in Hong Kong!

I had no incentive to try it at all while in Hong Kong because, well, there are abundant options everywhere, and the idea of egg tarts at a fast food chain... no, not really appealing. However, I did decide to pop into KFC here and try it out. And the verdict? It's surprisingly decent! No, I'm not even going to compare it to those I had in Macau, but I thought it was pretty good for Singapore! The pastry is buttery, and the top nicely caramelised, though the custard isn't as wobbly as I'd like it to be. It does, however, help that they are served nice and warm though.

At $1.30 a pop (or six for $7.50), I'll probably be getting it again when the craving strikes. It helps that it's so convenient to get one. Though I'm still not getting their chicken. Nuh - uh.

Da Paolo Gastronomia at Cluny Court

2010-02-08T05:20:00.000-08:00

The pasta craving has hit me bad suddenly! All day long all I'm thinking about is: cabonara, pesto crabmeat linguine, or prawn aglio olio? Thus during a short break after class, I had to rush out to grab some pasta! That simply meant a trip to Da Paolo Gastronomia at Cluny Court (right below Relish) - the place for posh take out from cakes to pizza to lasagne to antipasto. I love seeing the rows and rows of clear plastic containers filled with wonderful colours inside them!

The spinach lasagne really hit the spot. There are definitely better lasagne out there when you eat at restaurants, but it's about the best takeaway one I know. Sheets of pasta with generous spreads of creamy spinach stuffed inside, and topped off with gooey cheese. And honestly, I don't miss the meat at all! Furthermore, you can somehow convince yourself that you're having something relatively "healthy" while eating it. May but a delusion but I'd like to stay deluded!

Da Paolo also carries quite a range of antipasto you can buy by weight at their counter. The grilled zucchini was wonderfully flavourful, lightly grilled and marinated in an herbed olive oil. I wish I could get my hands on that oil and dip it in bread ohh.

Some al fresco seating is available too, but the weather lately just makes that idea less appealing. I like the idea that there's a place with gourmet takeaway, so in case of emergencies (guests suddenly turning up at your doorstep!) you can rush and put together a nice plate of antipasto to entertain them. Oh and their cakes are wonderfully indulgent too - love their hazelnut cake. But more on that next time when the sweet tooth strikes!

Pasta, wine and fondue - al fresco dining at home

2010-02-06T08:24:00.000-08:00

When town's just too crowded and you want to be away from all the bustle, sometimes the best thing to do is have a nice home-cooked meal. And you don't need to slog the day away for an elegant (and romantic) meal for two! Today's menu consisted of:

Truffle pasta tossed with sauteed garlic and mushroom , topped with generous drizzles of truffle oil

Acompanying white wine

And rounded off with a chocolate fondue with everything I love to dip in chocolate (apples and graps just don't do it for me!)

All while enjoying the evening breeze. The joy of al fresco dining. And you know what? I always thought that guys who can cook are hot, but now I've realised something else - guys who do the washing up are even hotter.

Frolick at Holland Village

2010-02-05T04:10:00.000-08:00

With Chinese New Year round the corner the house is filled with all sorts of yummy and heaty things! All the prawn crackers and bak kwa and love letters and cookies are getting me all heaty and (slowly but surely) wrecking its effect on my throat!

How I'm longing for froyo right this instant! Cool, refeshing, and guilt-free. I have to admit that in the froyo contest, Frolick is not tops, my biggest grouse being that it melts way, way too quickly. You can't really enjoy it slowly, or you'll be drinking yogurt drink! Also, it's more icy than creamy, though I do like the tangy-ness of it. However, I must say that they have the best marketing for froyo out there. From the cute and cheeky slogans they print on buttons they use to give out, to the nice packaging, the "A, B or C cup" choices, to pop music and the young things they hire, you're really paying for the effort they put into their marketing.

They pop up at good locations too - like Holland V and Cineleisure. I'll still grab a cup when in the area, but oh I wish Red Mango could pop up at better locations too! But more on that in another post!

Sweet Stone Parad'ice at Bishan CC

2010-02-03T19:20:00.000-08:00

Sweet Stone Parad'ice, the place that generated some hype 2-3 years back when they opened their first outlet at Golden Mile Food Centre down at Beach Road selling Belgian style Liege waffles. That was when hawker fare started to include Western choices like Botak Jones, gelato, and this Western-style desserts. I never managed to make my way there to try it because it was too inconvenient, so imagine my surprise when I passed by Bishan CC and noticed a sign saying that Sweet Stone had an al fresco outlet there, right inside the CC! I wasn't expecting to go anywhere, so I left my camera at home - alas, no choice but to use the handphone camera!

From what I understand, over the past few years Sweet Stone has tried to set up several outlets at different places including Old Airport Rd market, but had to close them down eventually. So currently, there is still the original outlet at Golden Mile Food Centre, and this one at Bishan CC which has been open for about 3 months to date.

Nothing fancy, just a small kiosk with their waffle making facilities.

Finally, I managed to get my hands on their Leige waffles with chocolate dip set! For $4.50, you get three Leige waffles that they make only when you order, and a little pot of their chocolate dip. The chocolate dip is nice and thick and velvety, like chocolate fondue. Very luscious, not some watery stuff. The waffles were fresh and hot, and like all proper Leige waffles, made of dough instead of batter, thus very thick and bready. Love it! Though I think the Leige waffles from Sun Moulin at Isetan basement is still better with the nice sugary coating outside, but more on that in another post.

What sets Sweet Stone apart is that they are the only place I've seen where you can get Leige waffles with chocolate dip. If you come with more people, or are hungry, you can get a full fondue set with the waffles, fruits, and a pot of chocolate dip! Furthermore, prices are very reasonable and the people are friendly. The location is quite obscure though, and I don't know how many people know it is even there!

One more for the Leige waffle hunt list!

Foster's at Holland Village

2010-02-02T06:12:00.000-08:00

Fosters - an English Rose Cafe, has been at Holland Village for as long as I can remember. Despite the fast changing food scene in Singapore, Fosters has held on to it's little spot at the end of the row of shophouses along which Starbucks and Swensens are located.

This place exudes such a cozy cottage feel, almost as if you're in someone's country home in the suburbs of England. With its yellow walls, large cozy red armchairs and full lenth windows overlooking greenery, you'll instantly feel calm and relaxed, away from the bustle of it all!

From 3-6pm daily, Fosters serves an afternoon tea set for $10.50++ per person, and that's what we headed for today.

As part of the homey vibe, the menu is printed like an old newspaper, already waiting for you at the table when you are seated. They even go to the extent of printing cute articles for you to read while waiting for your food. Very quaint!

You get to choose what kind of tea you want from a list. The list has your common types, nothing extraordinary, and I picked the Earl Grey. They serve standard Dilmah tea, but I like how each person gets his/her own pot - more than enough liquid for you to sip while having a catch-up chit chatting session (that may last for hours!)

The afternoon tea set comes with a pot of tea, two hot homemade scones, a slice of fruit cake and two finger sandwiches per person. They serve it on a large white plate (I love the attention to detail like the paper dolly. Little touches make all the difference!) with both persons' food on it. They also provide homemade strawberry jam, butter and cream for the scones. Feel free to ask for more if you run low on them.

The finger sandwiches provided are cucumber and cheese-filled. Cucumber sandwiches! The quintessential finger sandwich. It's a sure sign that Fosters really does afternoon tea the traditional way. And there's just something about finger sandwiches - how it's nicely cut up, crusts removed, that make them so delicious even though the fillings are so simple.

The scones - oh these were the star of the show. Hot, crumbly and moreish, speckled with raisins throughout. How can you not love them? Over time I have come to discover that there are two main categories of scones - the cakey type and the crumbly, more biscuit-y type. My personal preference is for the latter, where the outside is slightly crispy, while the inside remains moist. Break off a little piece, spread some butter (and/or) cream, and the strawberry jam, pop it into your mouth, and thank whoever it is who invented afternoon tea.

Oh and trust me, you WILL want to get more of that butter and jam. Which the satff will be happy to do for you.

The fruit cake was basically a pound cake studded with mixed fruits. Not too heavy (unlike Christmas fruit cakes that are jam packed with fruits soaked in run/brandy), and perfect taken with the tea.

I am in love with this place. It's nice and quaint, in a way very different from other places for afternoon tea like TWG. Places like TWG have a more pristine and classy feel about the place (I always feel you have to be primp and proper around there!), whereas here there's no rush, and you can treat it like your own home. Service is wonderful too - the moment we sat down, we were asked if we would like some iced water to begin with (FoC, of course) while we browsed the menu. And it seems like people stay there for hours! We were there for about an hour, during which no one who came before us left! In fact, we were like the last to come in and first to leave.

Great place, especially when you just need to unwind. Furthermore, the price is well value-for-money. Am definitely going back! With a friend, or maybe just a nice book to read :)

Address:

227 Holland Ave

S278994

Butter manju cakes at Isetan Winter Hokkaido Fair

2010-02-01T06:04:00.000-08:00

Isetan's Winter Hokkaido Fair is back! The day I saw their full page colour advertisement in the newspapers my heart skipped a beat - that means that my favourite butter manju cakes are back!

These butter manju cakes are quite a staple at Isetan Hokkaido fairs, and always hotly popular. It's easy to see why - freshly made on the spot (you can watch the Japanese chef making it before your eyes!), warm, soft and spongy pankcake-like batter enclosing either Japanese red bean or custard. I always pick up a pack of ten, and try to finish them all up on the day itself, while it is still fresh.

Both flavours are great - I always love Japanese red bean, they're just a world apart from our local red beans! However, I find that the show-stealer is the custard. Good Japanese custard is somehow harder to find in Singapore than Japanese red bean, making these a real treat. Extremely thick and very creamy, will a subtle eggy flavour base, I just have to say, the Japanese have a knack for doing their sweets impressively well. Totally moreish.

This fair only lasts till 7th Feb, so hop down to Isetan within this coming week if you can! At the same time, there's many other things to check out like ramen, crab, Sapparo beer on tap, etc. Worth justling in the crowd for.

4 Fingers BonChon Crispy Chicken at Ion Orchard

2010-01-31T06:27:00.000-08:00

I've been dying to try Korean fried chicken ever since reading about them in a feature article in the newspapers some time back. And I've also passed by 4 Fingers Bonchon Crispy Chicken located at the basement of Ion Orchard countless times since its opening in November last year, but never had the opportunity to try it. I finally couldn't resist it any longer!

BonChon has quite a strange origin - it is a chain originating in New York, but started by a Korean. Their chicken comes in three flavours: soy garlic, spicy, and a new addition teriyaki.

I wanted to try both their Soy Garlic and Spicy flavours, but they were out of Soy Garlic, so 12 pcs of Spicy chicken ($14.95) it is! I love how you can specify whether you would like all wings or all drumlets, or a mixture of both. The chicken has an amazingly crispy coating, that doesn't go soggy even with the sauce coating. The chicken is wonderfully tender and moist, and the sauce really packs a punch! I was eating and sipping my Mountain Dew at the same time. My partner, who has a higher tolerance for spicy food than I do, found it spicy but not overwhelmingly so, and was constantly dipping it in extra chilli!

These are some of the best fried chicken I've eaten of late! Unfortunately, my gripe is that there is very little seating space - about enough for 12 people - along what looks like a long, raised canteen table, where you eat communal style seating next to strangers. Furthermore, the seats are hard and very uncomfortable. I believe the best way to enjoy the chicken would be to do a take away, and then go home and enjoy the comforts of your sofa while devouring the chicken! Considering how crispy the chicken is, it looks like it's able to withstand sogginess for some time.

These little things are like Asian buffalo wings - now what they need to serve is some ice cold beer to go along with it. Mmmm.

Arinco King at Ion Orchard

2010-01-30T04:24:00.000-08:00

By now, I'm sure many people know about the famous, exorbitantly priced, $18 Sea Salt Caramel Roll from Arinco King at the basement of Ion Orchard. I still remember when it first opened, the Arinco fever was insane! The caramel roll was constantly sold out by 2pm, and you had to make reservations to pick up a roll. But for what it's worth, I thought it was very good - the softest and finest sponge cake, fresh cream, an amazing caramel with a strong sea salt taste, the the slightly "burnt" caramel taste within the cream inside the roll. However, $18 for a roll made it a one-time experience, and I never had it again... until today!

I think since the Arinco fever died down business must have been less-than-desirable (as it finally sunk in that paying $18 for 4-5 slices of swiss roll was too expensive). Which also means... good news for customers! I passed by Arinco today to realise that they are now having 50% off all their items!! They call it the Chinese New Year promotion, but whatever the case may be, paying $9 for the sea salt caramel roll is a great deal! It may still be on the high end for a swiss roll, but the quality you are getting is fantastic!

I don't know how long this offer is going to last, but for all those who haven't tried it (and for those who love it and want more), this is a good opportunity! Two of us finished one roll in a day (oh dear, I'm so sorry mr weighing scale!) ohhh it was good. Go get one quick!

Burger Bench & Bar at Cineleisure Orchard

2010-01-29T05:13:00.000-08:00

Chef Willin Low, the man behind Wild Rocket and Relish, has opened yet another eatery, this time situated at Cineleisure in Orchard. I laughed the first time I heard the name of the eatery - Burger Bench & Bar, an apt name for a place set up by an ex-lawyer! And true to its name, the place is very simply decorated, with wooden benches and long (bar-like) tables, very much like The Handburger. The concept here is like a higher-end fast food joint, with burgers slightly more pricey than Macs or Buger King, but at better quality.

The menu is very small and simply, with a total of only 5 different burgers to choose from. But I'd pick a small menu with well-prepared items than a large menu of poorly executed items any day! Love the idea of a huge chalkboard menu adding to the decor (as with Relish, Udders, Wild Honey etc).

The staff will also present you with an individual, no-frills menu when you're seated. Once you've decided on your choices, proceed to the counter to order and pay up! The food will be served to you shortly after.

I decided to try the sesame wasabi butter-fish burger, and added on the side of chips. I loved the burger in all its simplicity, just the bun, wasabi mayo, friend fish fillet, and some shredded greens. The wasbi mayo really adds a kick to the whole burger, but not so strong that you get the up-your-nose sensation. Very good! However, the chips were not as impressive. They taste like ordinary kettle chips, and I think I'd prefer fries to go with my burger instead. Next time round, I'll just take the burger sans chips!

My friend had the saute mushrooms cheese burger, which I did not get to try, but she said it was good! The patty was decently thick, and nice and pink inside. I shan't even compare it to the thin, dubious and crumbly patty from run-of-the-mill fast food joints. I'm definitely going to try one of their beef burgers the next time!

We wanted to try their dark chocolate soft serve ice cream that is supposedly very good and rich, but the machine was experiencing technical difficulties, so we had to give it a miss. Oh well, just another reason to come back again, and soon!

I like how this place fills a gap between ordinary fast food joints and gourmet burger places like Relish. Like they say on their chalkboard - fast food doesn't mean junk food! I can't wait for them to bring their home-made cakes onto the menu too!

Mirabelle Patisserie at Mackenzie Road

2010-01-27T09:01:00.000-08:00

Oh my. This is a post that I'm very excited about. Because, dear readers, I think I've just tried the best croissant in Singapore! And it's no exaggeration, I promise.

Several months back, a small little bakery opened along Mackenzie Road. The first time I noticed it was when we stopped by Mackenzie to pick up nasi lemak from the now defunct Nasi Lemak Factory. Mirabelle opened right beside it! It's really quite a tiny place - once you walk in there's perhaps 2 metres of space where you can walk and that's about it. However, don't let that deceive you. They may not make a great variety of things but everything I tried today was really exceptional.

I've heard things about Mirabelle's croissants, so I grabbed multiple without thinking twice. Bought the plain, ham and cheese, and almond. I think there was a chocolate one but I left that out.

First up, the classic plain croissant. I feel that the best way to determine if something is good is to try it at its plainest, so the actual flavour comes through. And this croissant is. Sensational. Very flaky and crisp on the outside, but once you pull it apart, the insides are completely soft, most, and so very buttery! My fingers got all oily from eating this! But it is so good I can't find a way to describe it. You can smell and taste the butter (I swear there's like half a stick of butter in each croissant), and feel a heart attack coming on but it's so worth it!

The ham and cheese is another clear winner. I'm not so sure how class the combination of ham and cheese in a croissant is in France, but at least at Mirabelle they use good quality ham and cheese, and with the buttery taste of the croissant, makes a great savoury snack. I love the look of the cheese just oozing out like it spilled out accidentally!

I expected the "almond" to mean just almond flakes and some almond paste baked a top the plain croissant, but boy was I wrong! Upon tearing the croissant apart, I found a very generous amount of moist almond paste inside! I believe they use the same almond paste for both the outside and the inside, but the outside one becomes crispy from the baking while the paste inside stays very moist. Simply delicious.

Apart from the croissants, we couldn't resist trying their charcoal bun filled with custard. Really, just look at how black it is - as dark as squid ink! Such a strange and unusal look for a bun. I'd never tried charcoal bread before, so it was quite intriguing. I couldn't taste any charcoal "flavour", but the bread itself was very fluffy and soft, and somehow has an interesting texture to it. I was trying to find a good word to describe it but the closest I can come to is "sandy". Try chewing the bread long enough and you'll see what I mean! The custard was good, but the filling was not too generous. Could do with more good custard!

The Sweet Potato bun had the softest bread encasing a good quantity of sweet potato. Just look at the bright orange sweet potato oozing out! On the top of the bun they sprinkled cinnamon and sugar. Cinnamon and sweet potato? I didn't know how that would go together but it works well!

Overall, this is not a very easy road to find, and Mirabelle isn't located at the best of places (opposite Rex cinema). I think this is a reason why they haven't burst onto the market yet. However, they have great products there, and will easily draw a fan base. Honestly, I don't see how I can eat a croissant from anywhere else now. Worth the hunt!

Cedele at Wheelock Place

2010-01-26T04:55:00.000-08:00

Over time, I've found that Cedele is one of those trusty, reliable places that I keep going back to, especially when I'm at Wheelock Place and craving brunch-type food. They really cover quite a lot of bases with their menu - from soups (with free flow of homemade bread), to salads, to pasta, to sandwiches, to pancakes and ice cream! And I'm a fan of anywhere where I can get good sweet and savoury items under one roof.

I've had their Big Breakfast Set several times now, simply because it's simply things, simply done well, at a reasonable price! The set comes with toast, eggs done your way (I love scrambled), a choice of bacon, saugages or mushrooms, and a small salad. Ever had the craving for scrambled eggs, and lots and lots of it? I get it so often! Thankfully, their portion of eggs is quite hearty, and really hits the spot. Best thing is, their breakfast items are all-day, and trust me, I've had this for lunch and dinner before!

This time, we also tried the seafood risotto. While it's not bad, I don't think it's something I'll order again. Grains were a little too hard while the tomato base was a bit too strong for the whole dish. Better to stick to their favourites like soups, sandwiches, breakfasts, and pancakes!

If you're at their Wheelock outlet, don't forget to order some of their ice cream to end off everything! I normally dislike egg-less ice cream, because eggs add the wonderful richness and gives ice cream the nice custardy texture. However, Cedele does their ice cream really well even though they are all eggless! My favourites have to be the sea salt caramel, and the honey fig. Try them if you haven't!

Belgium waffles at Starbucks

2010-01-25T04:26:00.000-08:00

I've been having the greatest craving for Belgium waffles lately! The Liege type, very dense, sweet and doughy. They're my favourite type - but not so easy to find around here! Some time back I discovered that Starbucks (out of all places!) had introduced it onto their menu as one of their breakfast items, and for only $2.90 a pair. So I decided that i had to try it and it turned out to be reasonably good. It's thick and doughy just like it should be, with small blobs of sugar granules that you occasionally bite into. Do ask them to heat them up for you as it tastes much better when warmed!

At starbucks, they serve the waffles with butter and strawberry jam, which really is unnecessary. The waffles are sweet enough on their own! Have it with a warm latte and laze around reading a magazine on a Sunday morning :)

I've contemplated making these waffles at home before, however I can't find a key ingredient that makes them so special - pearl sugar! They're little balls of sugar that give the waffle the nice sugary exterior that make them so yummy. Until I can find the sugar, I'll have to keep hunting down these Liege waffles!

Casa Verde at Botanic Gardens

2010-01-24T21:19:00.000-08:00

Casa Verde is a hidden gem in the Botanics! Run by the Les Amis group, they serve amazing pizzas in a nice quaint cafe-restaurant at the Visitor's Centre.

As with all good pizzas, a nice, thin chewy crust browned by the flames of a wood fired oven.

The Sfilatino Casa Verde is a pizza stuffed with mozzarella, ham and mushrooms a la springroll style, so just imagine a nice stuffed western pizza popiah! Filled with all my favourite toppings too! Since they omit the tomato base in this, there is a cup of tomato salsa that they serve alongside the pizza for you to dip the little rolls in. Absolutely delish and a neat way of eating the pizza!

The Pizza Frutti di Mare is topped with generous amounts of marinated seafood - quids, scallops, fish, prawns! And then completed with a parsley and garlic sauce. They really don't skip on their toppings in the least!

Their Pizza with Grilled Mix Vegetables topped with Eggplant, Zucchini, Bell Peppers, Basil, Mozzarella cheese and Mushrooms may not be the first choice for many (a pizza with veges??) but Casa Verde does it so well. Each time I order pizza from them I never fail to order this - you won't miss the meat at all with the veges grilled till they are rather soft but still retaining a good bite to them.

The best part is, if you do pizza takeaway, it is a one-for-one deal! Only valid from mondays to thursdays, but they make the pizzas very worth the buck. Two pizzas would work out to be about $24, and for quality stuff, not pizza hut material. So grab a picnic mat, order up some pizzas, collect them and go to some nearby grass patch and enjoy the pizzas in the lush scenery of the Botanics. That's what we did :)

Ootoya at Orchard Central

2010-01-24T21:18:00.001-08:00

Today I finally made my first trip to Ootoya at Orchard Central! Been reading repeatedly about the place but never managed to get around to trying it. Got there at about 6.15pm and lucky for us there was no wait at all, and we managed to get a nice private-ish booth seat! But by the time we left at about 7.45pm the place was packed and there was a short queue outside (and it is a weekday night!). It's always lovely seeing Japanese people at a Japanese restaurant, it's almost like a testimony of the authenticity of the food there.

Ootoya has got to be the first place that I know with calorie count for every item on the menu! It's very informative, but rather scary at the same time. I decided to look for the item with the highest calorie count on the whole menu and I think it was some pork and rice dish at 1300+ calories! I think the whole calorie count thing helps to make the lower calorie count items more popular :D

It was a no brainer for me - I HAD to try the raved charcoal grilled atka mackerel. The picture above as well as the picture in the menu don't make the fish look very big but it was a huge piece! Lots of moist and flaky flesh that was very satisfying. Not a hint of dryness to it! I decided not to go for the set as I had a buffet lunch so there was no rice. The fish alone is a tad salty but once you pair it with the grated diakon it's all balanced out. Very good and worthy of the acclaims. Only thing is there's really a lot of bones to it and I spent some time picking them out, leaving a plate of bones behind - not very glamourous, but a small price to pay for the yummy fish!

J. had a marinated pork don (I forgot the actual name). I tried a slice of the pork and it was tender and nicely marinated, with a hint of sweetness in the sauce. Had lots of fun watching him pick up the rice (especially the last bit of it) with the chopsticks (which, by the way, I fail miserably at).

Let me illustrate my point:

(I look tired. From a day of non-stop eating.)

Just look at the way I hold my chopsticks! They are crossing. And unless you use the proper techique of holding chopsticks you can't pick up single grains of rice with these chopsticks that have very tapered ends. I fail miserably at it, but J. managed to! Gosh I lost to the most un-Chinese person ever.

And as usual, since any meal with me cannot end off on a savoury note, we decided to try the banana parfait with coffee milk ice cream. I love japanese parfaits and how they manage to put in so many different ingredients into a cup and have all the ingredients blend beautifully together! There was castella cake cubs, red bean, berry sauce, a banana custard pudding, coffee milk ice cream, banana slices and whipped cream in this creation. It was so. Good! And not too sweet with the sauce that was slightly sour (as with berries!). It had like twice the calories of my main but what the heck who counts calories when it comes to desserts??

Overall a great experience, lovely service too. The guy who was serving us spoke perfect English, was patient (saw him explaining to someone on the other table how to eat her dish), when we asked for ice water he also kindly explained that hot and cold green tea was FOC and refill-able too. despite its popularity and crowd, you don't get the feeling like you're being rushed out. The food's decently priced oo - everything worked out to about 35 bucks after GST.

Definitely worth a re-visit! Need to try the rest of their parfaits!

New York Times Chocolate Chip Cookies!

2010-01-24T21:17:00.001-08:00

I have baked these not-so-little babies! And they're just like I remembered - huge, chewy, with chocolate that's still semi-liquid when you bite into them. I personally don't like to beat the sugar and butter too much so that there's the contrast of some sugar granules against the soft chewiness of the cookie. I like things sweet mmm. I thrw in more chocolate chips than they asked for - I decided to dump 2 bags of chips in, which is about 100g more than what is required, but hey, no one's complaining.

This was taken right after they came out of the oven last night, and hence the terrible lighting. But if pictures could capture smell... oh my oh my. This would be my favourite picture.

I wanted to make this for J. as a little encouragement for his last paper, and he just ate two within the last 15 minutes, so mission accomplished! For those who want to try, the recipe is here. Still has got to be my favourite large chewy chocolate chip cookie recipe! I think everyone needs to have two recipes for chocolate chip cookies - one chewy and one thin and crispy. I shall make the latter another time!

I don't know how well these keep, but I don't think that'll ever be a problem. I baked three batches last night (18 cookies total) and still have batter left to bake some more later so I'd have fresh cookies again! I think if you want to keep them you can store them in the fridge, and then when you want to have one just take it out and warm it up in the oven or microwave to get the melty chocolate again. Mmmm yes melty chocolatee.

Go make some too and fill the house will deliciousness!

Cafe Hacienda at Dempsey

2010-01-24T21:16:00.000-08:00

Another one to tick off my list - Cafe Hacienda at Dempsey. Went there for brunch and we got there just before it started pouring! I do not want to imagine the horror of walking around dempsey in the pouring rain. Not a very nice thought.

First up - pancakes! Three fluffy pancakes with slices of strawberry and banana in between each layer, accompanied by butter, maple syrup and swhipped cream. Not bad, not not spectacular - still prefer the ones at Rider's Cafe.

Then there's the chocolate tart! I love the way it looks - a nice thin layer of shortcrust tart patry, enclosing a lovely pool of dark chocolate with a mirror-liike surface. So good to look at! Tasted really good too - intense chocolate taste, not very sweet, and I absolutely love it. May be a bit too much for one person to have alone because it could be a tad much, but if you love chocolate, you'd love this!

It looks extremely similar to the one from Prive, I suspect it is the same one but I'm not sure bout that, will have to try Prive Bakery to know for sure! Relish does a very similar chocolate tart as a desert choice for their set lunch menu (but not their regular menu) but this wins hands down. Here the chocolate is soft and smooth while Relish's is hard and not as pleasing.

Another nice place to spend the day at. They seem to have free wifi provided. Service is excellent too. We wanted to get a cab out and realised that none of us had the taxi company's number, we asked them for the number and they kindly called a cab for us and provided us with a little card stating the taxi number and time till arrival. Dempsey is beautiful as always, though a little hard to get to. Oh I wish i lived at Dempsey!

Pontian Wanton Mee at United Square

2010-01-24T21:12:00.001-08:00

Today we trotted out to the nearby United Square for a late lunch at 3pm so I could finally try the Pontian Wanton Mee that had recently opened an outlet here! And despite it being in the middle of the day, the place was packed with people. I've actually never seen it empty since it opened, business seems much better than the dessert stall that was perviously there.

I must be one of the last people to have tried Pontian Wanton Mee, and I was intrigued by the number of choices of sauces you can pick - chilli, black sauce, black and chilli, ketchup, etc. Then choose whether you want the $3.50 or $4 portion, order, and get a queue number and wait for your number to be flashed on their digital screen! Pretty high tech for a "hawker" type stall if you ask me.

I really don't like ketchup in any of my noodles, so we got one chilli, and one black sauce and chilli. (Forgive the pictures - I just went out of the house with nothing but my wallet and handphone, so these pictures are from the phone instead of the usual dslr)

Each bowl comes with some char siew, veggies, three fried wantons and a small bowl of soup with another two boiled wantons. I can't say much about whether the noodles were good or not since I'm no expert at wanton noodles, but the chilli was hot! Plus, they seemed to have been generous in loading each bunch of noodles with tons of sauce so it was pretty tasty. Yummy in a slightly torturous way (red lips!). The fried wantons were nice too - better than the boiled ones.

I don't know about having to queue and wait for the noodles - can't imagine the lunchtime crowded and don't think it'll really be worth it, but otherwise, good for a wanton mee fix at odd hours of the day :) Thereafter, head over to Udders across the road for waffle and ice cream to cool off those burning lips!

The Marmalade Pantry at Ion Orchard

2010-01-24T21:11:00.000-08:00

Brunch today was at the Marmalade Pantry at Ion Orchard. Despite being an open concept place in the middle of the 3rd floor of Ion, it feels surprisingly private once you're inside. I suppose it helps that the shops around are all low-traffic, high-end boutiques.

First up: the Crabmeat Ceasar, which is a hugee plate of salad, croutons, pine nuts and actual, visible lumps of crabmeat! Very delish and refeshing! We shared it and were both quite full of it, can't really imagine having it alone.

Next up was the Scrambled eggs with sausages - creamy fluffy scrambled eggs (and I mean creamy. I could taste the cream. Delish!) on toast with mushrooms, sauages and a serving of fries. I can't find any fault with this. I don't know what bread they used for the toast but it wasn't your ordinary white sliced bread but seemed more like a brioche or some other soft and buttery bread. The fires were good as well - not oily, cripsy on the outside and soft and fluffy on the inside. With perfect eggs mmm. I still don't know how to make such good eggs!

Then came the sweets! We had to have a cupcake, so we tried the Elvis, a chocolate banana cupcake topped with peanut butter frosting - a rendition of Elvis' favourite snack food - a fried peanut butter and banana sandwich. The cupcake looks like a plain chocolate cupcake but when you bite into it there's the lovely aroma of banana, and it was wonderfully moist without being too sweet, so when taken together with the frosting it becomes a perfect bite in your mouth! I'm not normally a fan of banana in cakes but this was wonderful.

Of course, there was no way we were leaving without having their famed Sticky Date Pudding. You know food is good when you both eat silently. Oh gosh this was worth the hype! Nice and moist, with the pudding itself not being overly sweet, so when topped with the toffee sauce, and taken with the cold ice cream, gives a wonderful contrast of textures and temperatures and is just absolutely divine.

We whiled away many hours sitting there, happily eating, chatting, and looking around at the tai-tai crowded. The next time (there is definitely going to be a next time) we're going to do a dessert sampling!

The Handburger @ Raffles City

2010-01-24T21:10:00.000-08:00

While sitting in Starbucks today (toffee nut frap is the best frap. ever.) the craving for The Handburger struck and we headed down to Raffles City basement for some burgers!

It was about 5.30pm when we reached, and The Handburger serves mini sliders from 3-6.30pm every day, so I was torn between getting a full sized burger and 4 mini sliders. The sliders give more variety, but the full burger comes with a side which the sliders don't! So in the end, the full burger won.

We decided to try the pulled pork burger and the smoked duck burger, along with a serving of fries and a chilled tomato. I love how they use different types of homemade buns for different burgers.

The pulled pork burger comprised a heap of pulled pork with bbq sauce, on lettuce and tomato, all within a rustic bun. I've not encountered a pulled pork that I've not liked - they're always juicy and flavourful. Safe to say, it was good.

However, what stole the show was the smoked duck burger. Such a wonderful taste sensation! Smoked duck breast, lettuce, tomato, thinly sliced leek, mandarin oranges, and topped with a drizzle of peanut sauce, all in a wholegrain bun. The duck was not the least bit dry (and this is from someone who isn't very fond of breast meat), and the taste of it is kind of indescribable. I've never had smoked duck before but you can actually taste the "tea" in it. The orange slices give it a lovely twist and adds a refreshing flavour complementing the duck nicely.

Then there was the chilled tomato! I think I could demolish a few of these at one go. A cold, peeled, chilled tomato stuffed with coleslaw and topped with an orange dressing (I can't quite put my finer on what's in it). Feels wonderfully healthy, the cloeslaw has not been "over-mayo-ed" and the tomato is so plump and juicy! The Handburger's pretty smart to have created a unique side dish - I'll come back just because of this alone.

Handcut fries - nice and thick with skin on. How wrong can homemade fries go?

To top it all off, we had a peanut butter and banana milkshake. I seem to sound like a broken tape recorder saying good things about this place, but I can't find a fault with the milkshake. I don't know why some reviewers said they couldn't taste the banana in the milkshake - I definitely could! The first taste that hits your tongue would be that of peanut butter, then a few seconds later the taste of the banana. And not too cloyingly sweet to boot. As we hit the bottom of the glass, there were a few chewy bits of marshmallow. I have no idea if they blended marshmallow in hmm. But the torched marshmallow on top was a nice addition.

I am so definitely coming back here again. The seating's rather communal - like what you might find in a school canteen, but the food and efficient service (water gets refilled ever so quickly) makes up for it. I love how the whole restaurant concept revolves around everything being handmade - such a signature of the Spoon Spoon creaters. The next time I'm going to try the beer battered calamari, the duck confit burger, and maybe the sliders for a bit of everything!

PS. Cafe at Paragon

2010-01-24T21:09:00.000-08:00

I seem to be on a quest to try out every brunch place on the map.

And how could I go without my beloved eggs benedict? The one at PS Cafe uses shaved black forest ham, as oppose to the more common honey baked ham, and has an additional ingredient I've not seen in other eggs benedicts - jindi triple cream brie. Along with the poached eggs that were still nice and runny when broken into, it was delish.

J. had a turkey and cranberry toast, which also came with a poached egg. Unfortunately, his egg was cooked till the yolk was hard and no longer nice and runny! I don't know if this inconsistency is common at PS Cafe, but I kind of miss Rider's Cafe, where the poached eggs have never failed before.

The atmosphere's nice, though it gets very crowded and a little squeezy. Haven't been to the one at Harding Road but it looks nicer :)

I think I might actually be running out of brunch places soon! Time to dig them out!

Tampopo at Takashimaya

2010-01-24T21:08:00.002-08:00

I have a whole back load of food-related entries right now I need to find the time to put them all up! First up, Tampopo at Ngee Ann City! When they first opened the outlet there it was really packed but thankfully the crowded has died down a bit, so I finally went there at about 4.30pm and it was really quiet - quite peaceful. I think that's why I like eating at odd hours - don't need to fight with the crowd!

First up, we had the Miso Deluxe Ramen, which comes with a large slice of japanese char siew (I don't like the clear layer of fat of such char siew, even though it's supposed to make it melty and tasty and all that), egg (molten centre!), corn, butter, and the other regular stuff. Very tasty broth - salty on the first slurp though it gets very addictive over time, with nice chewy noodles. I do normally avoid ramen because the servings are too huge - too much of the same thing for me to stomach, so it's good when J. gets it :) Time to go try Ippudo too!

The first things I ever tried from Tampopo are its cakes! I love, love, love the scoop cake, with nice moist sponge cake and very light cream with fresh fruits. But they were out of it today so I settled for the fruit roll - which seemed to comprise similar elements. Also, I think if you go between 2.30pm to 5.30pm, they give you free coffee or tea along with your cake, so that's another place for a tea break! One of the best sponge cakes around. I want a whole roll of it in my fridge now! Been having tons of Japanese food - more coming up! :)

Itacho Sushi at Ion Orchard

2010-01-24T21:08:00.001-08:00

The next on my never-ending quest for Japanese food - Itacho Sushi at Ion Orchard. We were so lost when presented with the variety that we went for one set (Ume) and ordered additional pieces of sushi on top of that.

Various kinds of sushi - swordfish, tuna, japanese flounder, and some others.

Here's the Roasted Scallop Sushi, Sea Salt Scallop Sushi and Conch Sushi. I love scallop sashimi sushi! I didn't try the conch sushi but apparent it's rather hard and crunchy and not very pleasant an eating experience. Look at the seafood draping over the rice! Makes me so happy. The actual amount of rice beneath each fish is only a tiny amount - which means that I can eat plenty of sushi before becoming full!

Sweet Shrimp Sakura Leaf Roll
.

Salmon Roll (that comes as part of the Ume set)

Pumpkin tempure - the only fried dish we had (came as part of the set). I love pumpkin so it was all good!

Whole Sea Eel Sushi - I don't even know why they try to disguise this as sushi. There's that tiny lump of rice under the hugeeee eel that seems to stretch on forever, and we were just picking away at the eel itself until we got to the portion with the rice. So sweet and tasty - J. calls it fish bak kwa. Alright all the food went by in a wheeze because I was hungry and everything was yummy so it was like a sushi frenzy. I'm in Ion every alternate day and there's always long queues during lunch time. Lunkily, with my slightly weird eating hours, i got there at 11.30am and got a seat with ease. I like that the sushi comes in individual pieces instead of the usual pairs - it means that you don't have to have too much of one thing and you can still order it even if your partner doesn't want it. Definitely one of the better places in Ion to dine at and I'm coming back again very, very soon!

Aoki at Shaw Centre

2010-01-24T21:04:00.001-08:00

I tried walking into Aoki once to find that they are fully reserved for lunch, so I've learnt from my mistake and made sure I made a reservation several days in advance. And hurrah! I am now able to cross this off my list of must-try places! Aoki serves set lunches from 12pm - 3pm daily, and it's very worth your money, considering how dinner will likely cost over a hundred bucks.

A starter of salad with a light soy based dressing.

Mazechirashi ($35) - sushi rice topped with mixd sashimi. Oh so yummy! Lots of little cubes of tamago castella (more like an egg cake than your usual japanese tamago), roe, lovely nibbles of uni (sea urchin), and a whole load of various sashimi bits. It's tough to even find the rice under the whole pile! But the rice itself is delish too - I don't know what special sauce they put in it that makes you want to finish everything! What a bounty! Enjoyed it throughly.

Shokado ($38) - sashimi, nimono and tempura served with rice. Didn't get to try it but it was apparently very good. The sashimi is all so fresh! A good set if you want more than just raw fish.

Nigiri sushi tokusen ($50) - nine types of sushi and one sushi roll. Such a beauty with all the fish draping over the rice like oversized blankets.

I love that despite it being a set meal, they are not stingy with the desserts (no cut watermelons here!). What came was a trio of desserts - green tea serbet, pear poached in oolong tea, and milk pudding. Loved every bit of it. First the green tea serbet to cleanse the palate, then the pear and finally the creamy pudding to finish off.

An entirely satisfying meal. I loved my mazechirashi so much I can't wait to go back and have it again!

Trattoria Cuccina Italian Kitchen at 313@Sommerset

2010-01-24T21:03:00.002-08:00

With new malls come new dining options! Trattoria Italian Kitchen is located at 313 @ Sommerset, opposite Flying Chillies and Marche. Menu is pretty simple - a variety of pasta and pizza options.

First up is the seafood pizza. I like it for its very thin crust, but otherwise it's alright - not bad, but nothing to rave about. The seafood toppings weren't particularly generous, and Casa Verde's pizza will beat this anytime.

There was also the Calzone - filled with ham and mushrooms and cheese. This option fared better, with generous fillings inside the huge folded pizza.

We ended off with panna cotta with chocolate sauce. Panna cotta and creme brulee are officially my two favourite desserts! The panna cotta by itself was nice and creamy, but the chocolate sauce overpowered the flavour of the cream based dessert. If I do go back again I'll get it without any sauce!

The place has a pretty open concept, so you get to watch the tons of human traffic passing by. Place isn't very big but they cram many tables in there, so you're pretty close to your neighbour. Plus, there is the constant feeling of being pressured to leave as soon as you're done eating, what with the overly-efficient staff (plates cleared the moment i pop the last bit of pizza into my mouth and bowl cleared the minute my spoon is scrapping the last fo the panna cotta) and the queue that forms outside. I prefer my meals to be nice and leisurely, so I don't think I'll be coming back here any time soon.

Flying Chillies (that serves thai food) looks interesting, maybe that'll be the next place to try the next time I'm at 313!