Was it MacD hotcakes?

After having explored the website for fluffy pancakes, I finally found THE recipe – tried and tested to produce Macdonald's-like hotcakes! I simply couldn’t describe the state of ecstasy I was in when I was making them!

It’s nice and fluffy eaten on its own - not too plain or too sweet. And the look on my son’s face when he mumbled “mum mum” only goes to show the success of this recipe. Remember, infants can’t lie….yet.
I’m still excited even when I’m blogging about it now.

All thanks to a friend who introduced me to a new blog site – Food 4 Tots! I’ll be sure to be trying out more of the recipes posted there!

Ramen @ Daikokuya, Rafflescity

I chanced upon this small ramen shop many months back on a Friday night when I was supposed to be at Raffles City for a late dinner gathering. All the other restaurants at basement 1 were still crowded with customers with long queues at some popular outlets like Din Tai Fung. So I was more than glad when I walked past this particular ramen restaurant which had no queue and even plentiful seats available.

Initially, I was doubtful on whether the ‘poor patronage’ was due to exorbitant prices charged or the poor quality of food served. However, the former was quickly shot down when I browsed through the menu. I ordered a big bowl of ramen and after having sinked my teeth on the first chopstick’ful’ of ramen, the latter was immediately shot down too! It was simply yummylicious!

The noodles were cooked to perfection – springy and not overcooked. The broth was excellent, thick but not overly salted.

It is now official that Daikokuya is my favourite restaurant in Raffles City. I would give it 10 thumbs up!

High Tea @ Halia Restaurant, Singapore Botanic Gardens

It has been a long, long time since I went to a nice restaurant for a nice proper meal. The visit to the Halia restaurant was totally unintentional, if not for a couple of factors such as the warm, humid weather and an infant drenched in perspiration.

Just when we thought that refreshments are easily available in all parts of Singapore, with the Singapore Botanic Gardens being part of it, we were disappointed to be proven wrong in this case. Restaurants and small snack kiosks can be found dotted throughout the garden but to have to wheel a stroller from our current location to the nearest pit stop was really not as straightforward. The directions entailed some nicely marked signs telling the visitors the correct way to go and almost certainly, it involves some flights of stairs. If you decide to go the 'stairless' way, then be prepared to travel a longer distance, all the while with signs which stubbornly points you in the direction of some stairs.

Needless to say, we ended up defeated by the signs and had to carry our dear boy, in his big and comfortable stroller up a couple of stairs. So by the time we saw the Halia restaurant, it was an unanimous decision to simply dash into the air-conditioned restaurant.

We were just in time for their weekends high tea which was definitely priced for the tourists given the small selection of pastries and a choice of coffee or tea.

pastry tray with serving size for two

The only pastry that had a bit of the WOW factor would have to be the scones. It was warm and crispy on the outside, soft on the inside and not too overly crumbly. The rest of the pastries can only be graded as normal.

I'm not sure I'll be back anytime soon but to the Botanic Gardens, yes we'll be! :)

Housewarming Cupcakes

I am not much of a cupcake fan and I will probably never comprehend why people pay so much for such a tiny plain cake if not for the fancy decorations on it.

Nevertheless, mini cupcakes were the very first gift we received from guests to our new home. It was purchased at the mooncake carnival at the basement of Takashimaya and almost expectedly, it was packaged in a nice long gift box.

With me as the exception, everyone else ohh and ahh over the different cupcake flavours.

I am very sure it is nice, it's just that I'm not a cupcake person. :)