Food on Foot

Bark café

2012-01-18T16:12:00.002+08:00

Bark café is a little restaurant located just next to the Changi Chapel Museum. The food is moderately priced, there is usually no queue and the food is good! The two minus factors would have to be:
(1) it is an outdoor restaurant which means that when it is sunny, it can be warm and when it pours, the rain simply attacks you from all sides
(2) unless you have a car or you don’t mind taking a taxi, it can be quite tedious to find your way there with the bus

The recommended and probably most ordered food is their fried chicken wings. It is crunchy in its “non KFC” way and each wing is huge! Although it is classified under “side order”, it is normally quite filling for me to just finish the smallest order of 3 wings.

On my last visit, we ordered a fried rice, beef stew and double chocolate brownie. Everything tasted wonderful and especially so is the dessert…or probably it’s the simply joy of sharing it with my family. :)

Novus @ the National Museum of Singapore

2011-12-28T23:57:00.006+08:00

We had our company's year end lunch at Novus @ the National Museum of Singapore (NMS) this year. The cuisines seem to be a fusion of Italian and French.

We started with an appetizer of Buffalo Mozzarella with compressed Water Melon:

Followed by Carrot and Ginger Soup with Tiger Prawns, although I thought those prawns looked more like "Kitty" than "Tigers:

Here's a picture of the mushroom pasta which was served as the vegetarian main course option:

Here's main course option 1: Red Snapper with Risotto. The fish was seared to a nice crisp on the outside:

This is what I chose, Black Angus Cheek with Tripled Cooked French Fries, it was stewed to a perfection and was tender-licious inside out:

Finally dessert was French Chocolate Mousse with Vanilla Ice Cream:

Antoinette

2011-12-28T22:57:00.005+08:00

I was pleasantly surprised when I received a Christmas gift box from DBS, it was a box-full of baked goodies from a local bakery and cafe, Antoinette.

Here's what they wrote on their website:

Antoinette invites you to share our joie de vivre in our beautiful surroundings reminiscent of
an elegant boudoir with an excess of meticulously crafted cakes, pastries and fine food as
the Queen descends on Singapore’s shores. Marie-Antoinette, the last Queen of France
who was so often revered for her extravagance and fine taste opens her humble abode and
presents a tantalizing treat for the senses both savoury and sweet.

This quintessential Parisian pâtisserie and salon de thé will set the benchmark for the pastry and dessert scene not only in Singapore, but also in the region with her takes on time-honoured French classic desserts. While our restaurant promises a savoury celebration of Chef Pang’s culinary prowess with an excellent selection of classical regional French fare.

Incontestably, L’élégance â la Française at it’s best!

The gift pack consisted of container of Meringues, a muffin, a loaf of fruit and nut bread, a Christmas fruit cake, 3 different varieties of cookies and a bottle of fruit jam. I'm not typically a fan of blatantly sweet stuff, especially Christmas cakes but the meringues with their soft chewy middles were kinda addictive and the fruit and nut loaf wasn't too bad either, but give me fresh bread anytime and it will still beat a sugar coated loaf that is meant to last for days.

I have not been to the cafe itself but I had heard of it's exorbitant price of selling a slice of cake for about $9! Anyone who is keen to check them out can find more information at: www.antoinette.com.sg.

Bon appetite!

Rainier Cherries

2011-12-28T22:33:00.002+08:00

Here's an excerpt that I found: The Rainier cherry is the sweetest, prettiest and most pampered of cherries, as delicate as it is lucrative. Washington state requires Rainiers to reach a minimum of 17 brix -- a gauge of sweetness -- before they can be picked. To compare, a peach that registers at 13 brix is considered perfectly sweet. Olmstead doesn't pick until the cherries reach at least 20 brix."

So naturally when the rainiers are in season, there's no reason why we shouldn't just pamper ourselves a little bit especially since we have the comfort of getting this imported fruit readily available in our local supermarkets! If you had ate rainier cherries before, you will know that they are slightly bigger than the dark red variety, with a skin that is so thin that any slight mishandling will bruise it, the yellowish flesh is way sweeter and juicier than the red bing cherries! In fact I tried a little experiment where I savoured some rainier together with some bing cherries and without fail, if I were to eat a rainier first before a bing, the bing cherry would taste sour but never the vice versa. So what are you waiting for? Head out to the nearest Cold Storage or Marketplace and grab yourself a box of these simply wonderful little jewels!

Our first Malay wedding

2011-11-18T10:43:00.004+08:00

On 13th November, my former neighbor whom I have known for 20 odd years finally decided to get hitched! It was not just any other wedding, but a traditional, Singaporean style Malay wedding held at the void deck! My family and I were thrilled when we received the invitation as it was our very first Malay wedding!

The human traffic along the corridor was drastically increased by at least 20 times two days prior to the big day contributed by hordes of relatives arriving in bus loadfuls from Malaysia. It was hard not to be infected by the joyous atmosphere as adults were busy chipping in their help with the wedding preparations while the kids were having a hell of a time running around and screaming their heads off!

On the big day itself, we arrived at 1pm and it was all very informal. We got to find our own table and the natural choice for us was to choose one away from the loud blasting speakers. The deejay alternated between hosting and playing love songs. It was all so casual but we never expected that friends and relatives be invited to participate in karaoke sessions!

It was buffet style dining where there was a choice of either white rice or briyani followed by 5 to 6 choices of different types of curries: chicken curry, mutton curry, beef curry, vegetable curry and some unlabelled mystery curries. Last but not least, there was also a section dedicated to desserts; mainly Paranakan style.

On each round table, there was also two containers of snacks and in addition, the children were delighted with endless supplies of chocolate biscuits distributed to them.
With families arriving in droves to take over the tables cleared out by earlier families, there was constantly a hype of activities at the void deck. And while it is almost certain to spot a multi-tiered cake in most of the weddings held in Singapore, in this case, I was fascinated to see a three-tiered wedding cake made up of glutinous rice and interestingly decorated with 'animals' such as large prawns and ducks crafted from chicken and quail eggs!
This was definitely an experience for me and I warmly wishes Isman and Suzanne marital bliss. :)

Buckaroo BBQ & Grill

2011-11-01T11:15:00.014+08:00

I only got to know of this cowboy style restaurant from a dated Makansutra programme. It is within walking distance from the Sembawang Park and located in the midst of private residential houses.

It is not hard to spot the restaurant from afar but somehow, I almost walked into another restaurant situated just next to it. There is no parking lot allocated for the restaurant so you would have to be there early in order to find an empty slot along the perimeters of the houses opposite it.

The restaurant has a somewhat laid-back setting and it was already half full when we arrived at 6.30pm on a Sunday evening.

We ordered the cream of mushroom soup (for my son), a BLT sandwich (for my husband who has absolutely no idea what BLT stands for) and a pork tenderloin main (for me).

The cream of mushroom soup came in the form of a huge bun. And when I say huge, it really means HUGE! The soup was creamilicious while the bun was toasted on the outside and soft on the inside!
The pork tenderloin main consisted of two slabs of pork accompanied by apple sauce with steamed vegetables and fries on the side. The serving was slightly too much for me and I had to forgo most of the fries. The pork tenderloins would taste better if it’s seasoned longer though. Nevertheless, the apple sauce gave it a sweet, salty taste that somehow does it for me.
Lastly, for those of you who have no idea what BLT stands for? Try making a guess based on the photo below.
You are right! It simply stands for Bacon, Lettuce and Tomato! The Husband was sort of disappointed as he thought it would be a more satisfying sandwich.

In all, we spent slightly less than $70 which included two drinks as well. It was a nice experience to be trying out new restaurants in relatively remote parts of Singapore. But to just drive out North for Buckaroo BBQ & Grill, it will not be happening for my family.

Address: 12B Andrews Avenue, Singapore 759930

30-minutes Thin Crust Pizza

2011-10-28T17:35:00.017+08:00

I got this recipe while chancing upon the 'Jamie's 30-minute meal" programme by Jamie Oliver.

Without thinking that there just might be a website listing all the recipes shown on the programme, I found myself furiously scribbling away on a small notepad while Jamie were busy alternating between the different dishes in his attempt to whip up one pizza and four salads within 30 minutes.

Up till having this recipe, I always found it tedious to make a pizza dough from scratch. Even though with the amount of time spent, it doesn’t always guaranteed me a decent pizza dough albeit an edible one. It would either be too thick, too dry or simply too hard.

I made some modifications to the recipe for simplicity sake and while it doesn’t yield the restaurant type pizza dough, it is nevertheless, a decent one.

30-minutes Thin Crust Pizza

Ingredients (pizza dough):
1 cup self raising flour
1/2 cup water
pinch of salt
drizzle of olive oil

Ingredients (tomato spread):
1 small can of tomato paste
a few basil leaves - finely chopped
drizzle of olive oil

Ingredients (toppings):
1 piece of mozarella cheese
finely grated parmesan cheese
few slices of ham (optional)
diced pineapples (optional)
slices of button mushrooms
drizzle of olive oil

Method:
(1) Pour all the ingredients for the pizza dough into a mixer and mix till a dough forms. If necessary, add more flour.
(2) Sprinkle some flour on a table top
(3) With a rolling pin (or a glass bottle), roll the dough to the desired thickness
(4) Drizzle some olive oil in a flat pan over low heat
(5) Mix the ingredients of the tomato spread in a bowl
(6) Transfer the flat pizza dough onto the pan
(7) Spread the tomato paste evenly on the pizza dough
(8) Add the toppings according to your preference before drizzling some olive oil on top
(9) Check that the underside of the pizza dough is slightly browned
(10) Transfer the pan into a pre-heated oven at ~200°C and bake for approximately 10-15 minutes or till the pizza dough browned at the edges

Verdict:
(+) Only simplest of ingredients required!
(+) Pizza can be ready in about 30 minutes! Tried and tested!

(=) Short preparation, fast cooking time and yet decent tasting pizza! Two thumbs up!

Was it MacD hotcakes?

2011-09-19T11:08:00.007+08:00

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

2011-09-19T10:47:00.008+08:00

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

2011-09-17T09:04:00.005+08:00

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

2011-09-17T08:47:00.005+08:00

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. :)

Bon Bon (28 August 1999 - 19 August 2011)

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

This entry is dedicated to our dear dog, Bon Bon. She was a white female maltese, almost 12 years of age, extremely clever with exceptional character.

She was only 2 weeks old when she became part of our family. Grandma never failed to be delighted when she performed her little acrobatic act of standing on her two hind legs.

She was a beautiful girl who never had the problem of tear stains.

She was a shy girl.

She was a homely girl who enjoys it best when she's in the comfort of our home.

Thank you for giving us so much joy throughout these 12 years. It wouldn't have been the same without you and we couldn't imagine having any other dogs.

Bon Bon, you were a really good girl!

Books, Tea and a Nice Comfy Armchair

2011-08-29T09:23:00.004+08:00

It has been quite some months since I last blogged and I would have totally forgotten about this little café which I visited sometime in May had it not been for the convenience of digital photography.

I couldn't recall how I come to know of this café nor can I remember its name. It is situated along one of those small alleys snaking throughout Tanjong Pagar.

The café has its wall lined with bookshelves from floor to ceiling. Some books are free for customers to read while others are wrapped in "sell-only" condition. For those who are not in the reading mood, there is also a variety of good old board games to choose from or even play a game of pool in the courtyard.

They do not have a wide selection of cakes but the serving is definitely generous!

For those who knows the name or address of the café, please do leave a comment here with the details. I do hope to visit the place again some day.

My Favourite Month - May

2011-05-07T14:01:00.006+08:00

May is a very special month for me.

Firstly, there are many birthdays in the family.

Secondly, there are at least 2 public holidays in the wonderful month of May.

Thirdly, the family has yet another excuse to stuff ourselves crazy with Mother's Day!

So to all the great mothers out there:

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!

To my Pa Pa:

生日快乐！寿比南山！

and to myself:

A VERY HAPPY BIRTHDAY too!

Chilli Crab @ Jumbo, East Coast Park

2011-05-07T13:16:00.008+08:00

This is my first time eating chilli crab again after having Philip. The other time before this, just when I thought I could use the excuse of pregnancy craving to devour this Singapore speciality, I ended up having a terrible stomache for a night!

So when I decided to dine at Jumbo, I was a little hesitant on whether to order the dish. And rather obviously, in the end, I succumbed to the temptation.

We ordered one Sri Lanka crab to be accompanied by ten deep-fried buns.

Fortunately or not, the dish only arrived at our table long after we finished the rest of the dishes. So my stomach had only space for one large pincer.

Nevertheless, it was delicious! The crab meat was fresh and even the bun-gravy combination is simply heavenly! We practically licked clean the entire dish and all the waitress had to do would be to use it to serve another customer.

Alright...I agree, this is a bit gross but you get the idea.

Swiss Bäckerei

2011-03-30T17:20:00.008+08:00

If you are looking for authentic German or Austrian bakeries in Singapore, the choice is rather limited.

We found one aptly named Swiss Bäckerei at Frankel Avenue. It is a little shop located along a row of shophouses nestled in a private residential district.

The selection of bread is limited and mostly baked to suit the local tastebuds. This is understanderably since even I, did not really take to the hard bread loaves which the Europeans devour on a daily basis.

One would have thought that the menu should be designed with bread, cakes and pastries as the primary focus but it was not to be. Having scanned the menu at least twice, I decided to order the ham and mushroom omelette which was probably the least filling breakfast set.

The set consisted of an omelette, coffee and a pastry which was fairly filling and satisfying. But it also means that our search for the ONE bäckerei in Singapore continues...

Shiroi Koibito

2011-03-30T16:48:00.005+08:00

Shiroi Kobito, which translates to White Lover, is a popular white chocolate cookie snack from Hokkaido, Japan.

I was totally clueless about this popular Japanese cookie until recently when a family friend presented me with a box of the Original Shiroi Koibito cookies. I have to emphasize the word "original" here as with all things popular, it is inevitable that numerous imitation versions tries to gain a portion of the market share.

The cookie is assembled like a sandwich with a thick slab of white chocolate in between two pieces of squarish butter cookies. The cookies have a crispy, melt-in-your-mouth texture while the white chocolate tastes fairly ordinary. Overall, this snack tastes decent to me but surely not addictive as what I have read in some online forum reviews. So to sum it in layman's term, it is a nice souvenir to buy back but definitely not worth the effort to queue up for.

Putu Mayam Oo~La~La

2011-03-30T16:24:00.005+08:00

Served with dessicated coconut and red sugar, this simple South Indian snack of steamed vermicelli-like noodles is one of my favourite choice for breakfast.

Plain and simple as it may seem, not all putu mayam tastes the same. Some sellers heat it up prior to serving the customers while others just dump spoonfuls of 'aged', dry dessicated coconut on it.

For me, I found the perfect putu mayam with the slightly moist vermicelli-like noodles served with fresh dessicated coconut and red sugar in the Bendemeer market.

Eating in Taipei - January 2011

2011-03-30T15:37:00.010+08:00

With a little luck, I landed a business trip to Taipei in January this year. I haven't been back there since my last visit which was about 3 years ago, so besides taking full opportunity to check out my local favourites, I also took the chance to try out as many news things as possible. Here's the list of what I ate during my 3 days there!

Live Lobster Shashimi, The poor fellow was still moving when we were eating him...he was a good lobster!

Fresh Beer!

One of the best BBQ place in Taipei and definitely one of the funnest!

大干杯, always make reservations one day ahead and plan to start dinner after 8pm when it's the most fun hour to be there!

Really fun staffs, awesome place to wind down after a day of work!

A new Risotto place I found at 西门町!

My Squid Ink Risotto Set Meal

I was lucky to be there just a week before the Chinese New Year and took the chance to visit the CNY bazaar which happens only once a year! Awesome atmosphere and much nicer weather, despite the drizzle, compared to doing the same thing in hot and humid Singapore!

What I scored from the CNY bazaar!

Dumplings in Ginger Peanut Soup!

The local delights from 淡水!

Japanese Pancakes in the shapes of Spongebob's Characters!

Psuedo Coconut @ Sands Sky Park

2011-03-30T15:30:00.013+08:00

If you would like to feast your eyes on a panoramic view of the Singapore skyline, forget about the Singapore Flyer! Instead, hop on to the 200m elevator ride to the Sands Sky Park!

Priced at only $20 per adult with an unlimited and better panoramic view of the skyline, I wonder why tourists still bother going to the Singapore Flyer where the admission is pricier (SGD$29.50) for a limited 30 minutes ride and the highest viewing point reached is only at 165m. Furthermore, if for some unknown reasons that the Singapore Flyer decides to breakdown again, everyone would be pretty much trapped in the capsules! Just imagine being trapped in mid-air for 5 hours with a full bladder! * Glup* I seriously think they should stock up on some adult diapers in each capsule...just in case.

So going back to the Sands Sky Park, with each admission, the visitors have access to the observation deck, the roof top lounge and a limited view of the awesome outdoor swimming pool which only the hotel guests have access to.

The roof top lounge is truly an ideal place to hang out after work or to simply laze around during the weekends. Offering such a beautiful view, one can be certain that the drinks are charged at an outstanding price as well.

However, this is definitely no seaside café judging from the coconut juice that was served to me! Nevertheless, kudos to the packaging team! :)

Random Pics of Food ate in Seoul!

2011-03-30T08:58:00.042+08:00

A quick getaway in November 2010 to Seoul brought me to the land of kimchi and more kimchi! I was totally addicted to kimchis when I was there and was always eagerly looking forward to my little dish of kimchi with every meal that I ordered. I had thought that my sensitive stomach would probably give me at least some trouble with the constant intake of such spiciness but to my surprise, I didn't have any problem at all when I was there! So it seems like there must be something which we add to our chicken rice chilli that never fails to give me the runs whenever I eat it, no matter how small the portion is!

I digress, so here are the pictures of the fabulous food that I had in Seoul:

Bulgogi with Rice

Seafood Kimchi Soup

Ok, I didn't really ate all these cakes but they were so pretty to look at!

Grilled Cuttlefish with Peanut Butter!

How cool is this! A greenhouse with fresh vegetables inside Lotte Mart!

Udon Korean Style with.....

unlimited servings of KIMCHI! Yay!

Not the most conducive eating place but it was packed!

look at how many bowls they are preparing and that's just for lunch!

One of the few Korean BBQ that I had and this one was the most expensive!

Awesome BBQ beef....saliva....

No, I didn't eat him.

A nice cafe along an awesome street

I can never resist a warm waffle with ice cream!

Nope...it's plastic!

A simple dish of Korean instant noodle that had me going back 2 days in a row!

of Cupcakes and Muffins!

One of the many street vendors selling local snacks

This was a surprise find on the way to the University! Black pork with bean sprouts and rice cakes!

It tasted way more awesome than it looked here

Best of friends

Cats Living ~ A cafe with free roaming cats!

Pork cutlet with curry and rice

Sweet & Sour Pork with Rice

Yes, that same instant noodle again and dumplings!

Pet Lettuces!

Bulgogi with Rice....awesomeness...

Spicy seafood noodles!

Cold noodles....not that appetizing actually...

Katsudon!

Korean seaweed roll

the complete meal!

Needs no introduction...baskin robbins!

Baskin Robbin outlet at Myeong-dong, great for people watching!

Heng Kee Lor Mee @ Bendemeer Market

2011-01-20T11:37:00.004+08:00

This stall in the Bendemeer market serves one of the nicest lor mee.

You might be wondering what made their lor mee tastier than others. The answer lies not in any secret recipe but simply in the addition of those wonderful fried pork bits. It provides that much needed crunch to the otherwise gluey bowl of noodles and it is especially yummy even when the fried pork bits are soaked in the lor mee gravy.

Hence, I always like to save the best for last!

Priced at $2.50 for a regular bowl, it is a definite must-try! But be prepared for a long queue on weekends where the stall normally closes as early as 10am!

And a word of caution to those with special requests such as doing away with certain ingredients like egg or braised pork etc, you would most certainly be frowned upon by the less-than-courteous hawker. :)

The Hand Burger

2011-01-04T14:02:00.008+08:00

The only novelty in this new restaurant in Singapore lies only in the name - at least it is to me.

Having seen queues forming outside the restaurant at 313@somerset on numerous occasions, I was quite keen to get my hands on one of their burgers.

So when the second restaurant opened at the Raffles City Shopping Centre, we got take-aways to dine in peace at home.

The burgers were nicely packaged in cylindrical paper containers before being handed out to the customers in a nice take-away plastic bag. Kudos to the packaging team but naturally, the packaging cost is surely passed down to us, the customers.

The first thing that caught my eyes were the thick slab of meat smacked right in the middle of the burger stack-up. They were not as huge as their American counterparts but still, to be able to bite into all layers - buns, vegetables and meat - would require quite a feat with the mouth.

While THE husband couldn't recall the exact names of the burgers he ordered, one tasted very much like a tandoori chicken burger (in the background) while the other tasted quite extraordinary! It tasted like chicken in otak paste. Hmmm....interesting....

Honestly, I would rather queue up for a KFC Zinger burger which tastes much better at half the price!

Baumkuchen - The Hungarian Version

2011-01-04T13:39:00.008+08:00

Just when I thought I had seen and tasted THE Baumkuchen, I found an entirely different version in Villach, a little town located at the southern part of Austria. And to make things a little complicated, it's the Hungarian version known as Kürtőskalács which were sold there.

It was a much simpler version consisting of only one ring unlike the Singapore version which was made up of numerous bark-like rings. Also, unlike it's Singapore counterpart which has numerous flavors and fanciful decorations to choose from, the Hungarian version tasted more like a bread (rather than a cake) with plain sugar and cinnamon powder coated all around it.

Nevertheless, the freshly baked, piping hot baumkuchen was quickly devoured amongst the few of us as we wandered along the snow-covered Christmas market on a cold and windy winter afternoon.

Philip's First Snowman!

2011-01-04T13:29:00.003+08:00

What better ways to kick-off Philip's first Christmas celebration than a little snowman, 'freshly' built in the garden! :)

Paper is Edible!

2010-12-10T13:18:00.004+08:00

This is what you get when you hand a piece of paper to a baby.

On a brighter note, it reinforces the fact that papers are indeed edible! :)

Jumbo Bun (叶子楣大包)

2010-12-09T12:00:00.007+08:00

It totally caught my attention when I first saw it at a coffeeshop below Block 44, Bendemeer road and it has been on my mind ever since.
Besides the Golden Pillow (金枕头) - curry in bun concept, I have never before seen such a big bun...and I do mean BIG! Which is probably why the bun is named after the once famed pornography actress Amy Yip (叶子楣) for her disturbingly (for me at least) oversized busts.

After surrendering $3, I finally had my hands on the jumbo bun and I had to almost stop myself from racing home to slice it open!

The anticipation climaxed when I sliced it into four quarters but it sort of came crashing down when I bite into my first mouthful. It's full of fatty meat and I even managed to dig out some slices of more fat laddened taiwanese sausages! This is gross beyond description!

I do understand that a moderate amount of fat in bun fillings actually accentuate the smoothness of the meat and bun texture in the mouth. But to be chewing into a large chunk of animal fat is another matter entirely!

So much for the excitement. I guess it's time I start disassociating quality with size - totally!

RamenPlay at 313@Somerset

2010-12-05T10:48:00.006+08:00

Just when I was thrilled to find a new ramen restaurant in the local food scene, a quick search through Google revealed that RamenPlay is yet another F&B venture by the BreadTalk Group of Companies which already (by the way) owns Din Tai Fung, Food Republic, The Icing Room, Toast Box, Carl's Junior in China and not forgetting the popular BreadTalk bakeries which are already manifesting itself throughout Singapore.

So it kind of killed my joy upon realising that a mastermind company was behind all these popular brands!

The supposedly Japanese themed restaurant had a tinge of Chinese flavor in their dishes. The fried chicken cutlet tastes fine but somehow lacked the crispy breadcrumb encrusted exterior of typical Japanese fried food. The saucer of chilli marinated chives seems more suited to be served in a Chinese restaurant such as Din Tai Fung.
And the soy sauce marinated chicken wings are anything but Japanese right? It is similar to a local dish easily available at the economic rice (杂菜贩) stalls found in coffeshops and hawker centres.
The food is acceptable but given a choice, I would rather patronise Ajisen Ramen instead - for the sake of authenticity at almost the same price.

Happy Halloweeeen.....

2010-11-10T11:02:00.002+08:00

With a hand-me-down ladybird costume from cousin Alicia, Philip was ready for his first Trick or Treat! :)

The First Quarter of His Life

2010-11-03T13:31:00.006+08:00

On 21st October 2010, Philip officially turns 3 months old!

To mark the first quarter of his life, we celebrated the day with this mango cake from Chocz. While the adult gets to taste the cake, the best Philip could do to participate was to drool and stare as the cake gradually disappeared into our mouths. :)

Lunch Buffet @ Swissotel Merchant Court

2010-10-31T11:46:00.010+08:00

It has been a really long time since I last allowed myself to indulge in a proper buffet meal in a restaurant. And I don't mean the dessert buffet which I had at Goodwood Park Hotel a few months back in June. By MY definition, a proper buffet meal consists of a vast variety of starters, mains and desserts to keep the customers munching from the moment they set foot in the restaurant till the moment they waddle out with their bloated tummies. :)

Naturally, the choice to dine at the Ellenborough Market Café at Goodwood Park Hotel was entirely due to their durian pengat!

Most of the buffet spread consisted of local and peranakan dishes with a small selection of international cuisines in the likes of raw oysters. There was not a large variety to choose from and be prepared to be jostled about by the hungry crowd.

roti prata and pandan leave wrapped chicken

stir-fried prawns, rojak and orh-lua

indian rojak

Most of the dishes tasted decent except for the chilli crab. Presumably in their effort to cost down, smaller crabs were used and may I add that they are not of the freshest lot. The horror began when I realised that the crab claws were not pre-cracked nor were crab crackers provided. As such, I thought that the shell must be soft enough to be cracked with the teeth. Unfortunately, I immediately felt that a visit to the dentist was imminent after only the first attempt. Even after having requested for a cracker and quite an effort to dig out the fresh that seemed to be sticking stubornly to the inside of the shell, was I disappointed to find the crab meat tasting so dry that I almost couldn't tell the difference from those vacuum packed ones sold at the supermarket! So crab-lovers, beware and try it at your own 'risk'!

The buffet lunch cost slightly less than SGD$40 over the weekends and this excludes the ordering of beverages.

Crepe For Breakfast

2010-10-31T11:18:00.008+08:00

On an episode of the Martha Stewart show featuring breakfast recipes, I saw this really great way to whip up a filling breakfast which is really simple to make and yet looks and tastes as good as those sold in McDonald's - it's essentially ham slices, scrambled eggs and cheese wrapped in crepe!

The recipe for the crepe skin could be found in an earlier blog entry - Paper-Thin Crepes.

The next steps are simple:
(1) Lay a few pieces of ham slices on the crepe
(2) Sprinkle some cheese bits on the ham slices
(3) Top with a layer of scrambled egg
(4) Sprinkle more cheese bits on the scrambled eggs
(5) Assemble the crepe and fillings like one would do when rolling spring rolls.

(6) Toast the crepe rolls in a pre-heated oven at 180°C for 5 minutes.

And Wa-Lah! A piping hot, filling All-American breakfast for a nice Sunday morning! :)

Marché @ Vivocity

2010-10-06T11:26:00.012+08:00

I have always enjoyed dining at the various Marché outlets in Singapore. First was the outlet at the basement of The Heeren, followed by the next outlet at Suntec City. With the closure of these two outlets, I moved on to pounce on the rooftop outlet at Vivocity.

As with the former two outlets, the restaurant is almost always crowded during the weekends. As such, I was rather surprised to find myself walking straight through the entrance on a fine saturday afternoon without having to queue.

Up till being shown to our window seats, I was still rather pleased with how things proceeded so far. We went on our usual rounds to order food from the various stations with their cashless, card system. After a couple of rounds, we finally settled on our table with a plate of rosti and sausage (my all-time favourite!), a mushroom and ham pizza, grilled chicken wings and a medium bowl of stir-fried mushrooms.

We began by biting into what we thought were fat, juicy chicken wings but were instead horrified when the first bite revealed pinkish meat near to the bones! We immediately spitted out whatever contents were in our mouths and I stormed straight to the Grill station. Contrary to what I was feeling, the atmosphere at the Grill station was that of peace and tranquility. The cooks, with smiles plastered on their faces, moved at a snail's pace flipping meat over the grill, chatting happily with their fellow colleagues or were simply busy with I-don't-know-what behind the station...doing anything and everything except serving the growing queue of customers standing in plain view right infront of them!

I had to practically wave the half-cooked piece of chicken wing almost in their faces before it finally caught the attention of one of them. He promptly apologized, mumbled something which I couldn't comprehend, took the piece of meat from my hand, threw it down the rubbish bin, took another piece of pre-grilled chicken wing from a dish, grilled it for a couple of minutes before handling it back to me. And that's pretty much it. I really wondered if I should have instead took a photograph, packaged the half-cooked chicken wing in a zip-lock bag and submit it as proof for my complain to the AVA?

At the relatively higher prices being charged at this Swiss restaurant coupled with the less-than-pleasant food and customer service experience, unless someone is giving me a treat, this might jolly well be my last visit to Marché.

Japanese Peach Cake

2010-10-04T14:46:00.003+08:00

These peach-themed snacks were a gift from a friend who bought it specially from Japan.

Aside from it's peachy colours, neither the appearance or the taste resembles that of the fruit. And being unable to read Japanese characters, it doesn't help that the Chinese character for peach (桃) was printed several times on the snack box.

Nevertheless, it tasted ok. And it definitely helps to have it refrigerated. :)

Mid-Autumn Festival 2010

2010-09-29T13:56:00.009+08:00

It is again that time of the year where adults load up on the ever sweet-tasting, cholesterol laden mooncakes while children were busy parading and showing off their lanterns.

While locals and tourists alike were crowding Clarke Quay with it's display of giant lanterns and numerous makeshift stalls selling mouth-watering delights, I found myself returning to the Mid-Autumn Festival market located along Kwan Im Thong Hood Cho, more popularly known as Si Ma Lu Kwan Yin Temple (四马路观音庙).

Stalls lined both sides of the street selling the inevitable mooncakes, a great variety of lanterns, pomelos and even potted plants. Red lanterns dangling from the trees also added much festivity mood to the street.

The majority of lanterns on sale were battery operated ones which comes in all sorts of popular cartoon figurines. However, I was more drawn to the paper and plastic lanterns, where the latter was the more 'up-market' lantern during my childhood days. More importantly, these lanterns had to be lighted up by means of candles which gives the children the perfect excuse to play with fire for that one day in a year.

Instead of mooncakes, I would rather prefer the simpler and cheaper 'biscuits' which are a sort of festive snacks for the children. Made up of only flour, sugar, egg, oil and water, the dough is moulded into animal shapes like that of a fish or the piglet before it is baked. Despite having no expensive fillings to brag about, these 'biscuits' never fails to bring back fond memories of my carefree childhood days

Root Beer Float @ New York New York!

2010-09-27T13:37:00.006+08:00

I could still vividly recall my junior college days when a group of classmates would drop in at A&W on Tuesdays specifically for it's discounted Coney Dogs and signature root beer floats served in ice-frosted mugs.

Ever since the fast food chain moved out of Singapore many years back, one could still chance upon the occasional root beer floats sold at other restaurants. A recent encounter would be at the New York New York! restaurant @ Heartland Mall Kovan.

The drink came in a tall mug topped with the much anticipated scoop of vanilla ice-cream. It was very much a recreation of the signature drink from A&W but nothing beats the real deal - be it the presentation, price (charged at slightly less than $8!) or even the soft drink to ice-cream ratio. By the time I gobbled up the last chunk of ice-cream floating in the drink, the mug was still about three quarters full and this was when I wished the scoop of ice-cream was bigger. So you see, more doesn't mean it's better. It all boils down to proportions!
For the younger generations who never had the good fortune of dining at A&W restaurants in Singapore, you might want to pop over at our friendly neighbour - Malaysia - for the real deal!

Philip's First Month Party

2010-09-15T16:53:00.011+08:00

Just when we, as parents, were lost between the days and nights, a month just passed us by and on 21 August 2010, everybody came together to celebrate the milestone of Philip's first month into babyhood!
We ordered from Four Seasons Catering Pte Ltd which offers a Baby Full Month Buffet Feast package with the traditional red eggs, ang ku kuehs and even glutinous rice thrown into the buffet spread!
The package is competitively priced, buffet spread professionally setup, decent spread of tummy filling staple food and a good portion of finger licking desserts.

Stir Fried Dory Fillet in Sze Chuan Style

Deluxe Lo Han Chye

Deep Fried Nested Yam Roll

Signature Four Seasons Chicken

Stir Fried Prawns with Chilli Crab Sauce (the dish to get the most raving reviews!)

Wok Fried Noodle in Hong Kong Style

Fruit Mochi

Mini Cream Puff

Mini Swiss Roll

Yet another satisfied customer!

Philip ist da!

2010-09-15T16:42:00.004+08:00

On 21 July 2010, weighing at 3.510kg with a length of 52cm, Philip finally made his appearance! :)

Baum Kuchen

2010-09-15T11:53:00.006+08:00

Baum Kuchen literally translates to mean Tree Cake in English. Despite having spent quite some time in Austria, this is the first time I came across this cake.

The cake resembles the growth ring of a crosscut tree and the baking process is even more interesting. It is somewhat similar to kueh lapis where a thin layer of batter poured into a baking tin is allowed to be baked before adding on the next layer. However, in the case of the Baum Kuchen, the batter is brushed onto a spit which is rotated around a heat source. Once the outer layer is baked, the next layer of batter would be applied until the ring grows to the size of one's desire.

I happened to chance upon the shop, Wheat Baumkuchen, at Toa Payoh Central (Blk 190 Lorong 6, Toa Payoh #01-530) and thought that it stands out from the rest of the typical neighbourhood shops surrounding it.

I would have thought that this is yet another business idea brought in from Europe but was surprised to find Japanese wordings on the paper bag. My curiosity got the better of me and a quick search online revealed that the cake was first introduced to Japan by a German in 1919, shortly after World War 1, which subsequently grew to become a popular pastry in Japan today.

I purchased 3 flavors - Original, Chocolate and Original with Nutella & Nuts coating. Both the Original and Chocolate flavored cakes tasted rather plain and dry. Truth be told, I would rather prefer a spongecake. The last piece tasted much better probably due to its coating which gives it a rich chocolately and crunchy texture.

I'll surely be back for more but only the ones with coatings or toppings on it.

Dinner at Chef Daniel's Kitchen @ Iluma

2010-08-06T10:03:00.016+08:00

After trying out their lunch menu, I have been wanting to find an opportunity to check out their dinner menu, at $28nett for a full course dinner, it was worth the curiosity!

Yesterday presented the perfect opportunity to visit Chef Daniel's Kitchen again, I made a reservation for 4 pax and headed down to the restaurant on the 7th floor roof top of Iluma right after work.

The restaurant is also now featuring the 3 dishes that Chef Daniel concocted in China during the shooting of the current TV reality show on Channel U - 名厨出走记. I made up my mind to try all 3 of the dishes in addition to the dinner set menu, furthermore, the restaurant is offering a 15% discount in August as part of the Singapore 45th National Day Celebration!

The Potato Dumpling with Minced Meat Sauce was an interesting dish, the potato dumplings doesn't have any filling and in itself is rather chewy and tasteless. The accompaniment of the mince meat fried with garlic, however, gave the dish it's much needed fragrance and taste. This dish would have been better if the minced meat sauce was more abundant!

The white asparagus salad was light and refreshing and because of the choice of using the white asparagus instead of the regular green asparagus, the salad wasn't too fibrous and the asparagus went well with the radishes, rockets (arugula) and the other veggies.

The mushroom rice, probably the most popular amongst the 3 dishes had a more traditional taste to it. It almost tasted like the Chinese lotus leaves dumpling made of glutinous rice and mushroom meat fillings. The strong flavors of the mushrooms again lent much savouries to the plain rice. I'm a mushroom-lover, especially when the mushroom is done Chinese-style which significantly enhances the natural fragrance of the fungi.

As part of the set dinner, we were presented with the soup of the day, which was Potato-Leek Soup and the standard slice of herb bread. The soup was decent, nothing too spectacular. It was served in an over-sized soup bowl which was fine except that the tables were simply not big enough for it, especially since we were still having the first 3 dishes and our drinks on the table. I would definitely suggest that they change their soup bowls unless the tables get bigger! The other thing that I found surprisingly lacking was that the waitress who was serving out table doesn't understand English at all! I tried ordering the from the menu which was in English and she asked me in Mandarin if I can order in Mandarin instead! I would think that the restaurant would minimally train the serving staffs to understand the restaurant's own menu in English!

The lamb shank was a little dry to start with but it became increasingly moist when it reaches the portion that was soaked in the gravy. It's more a fusion style cooking and different from the traditional western styled lamb shank. This dish resembled more of a Chinese lamb stew.

The Black Cod Casino was again a fusion between a western style ingredient with a twist of Japanese influence. The cod fish was fried and baked with a layer of fish roe which gave it that very Japanese presentation. The taste however was a little too sweet to my liking.

The Ribeye Steak was probably the only dish we had that was true to it's origin. Served with a portion of Caesar's Salad, I had my steak cooked to medium well and it suited me well. The steak was still moist and juicy within and very minimal fat.

The standard dessert of the day that came with the set dinner was brownie served with vanilla ice-cream. Another minus point to note is that the house pour that were featured in the menu wasn't available so we were told to order a whole bottle from the wine menu instead.

Being a new restaurant and all, I think that they are doing decently well but unfortunately flawed by the small details such as the non-English speaking staff, the table layout for dinner as well as the missing house-pour. Hopefully they will be able to iron out these issues as they continue to gain more visibility and popularity.

Fancy Delights Egg Tarts @ Tanjong Pagar Plaza

2010-08-03T22:17:00.004+08:00

I work in Tanjong Pagar and after almost 5 years there, I have my little red book for all the eateries in the vincinity. When mentioned Tanjong Pagar Plaza, most people would probably know that there's a very popular muffin shop there. However, just along the same stretch at the far corner, there's a less well-known shop selling soya bean milk and egg tarts, which is fast becoming a popular tea-time buy for my office. Honestly, I think that the famous muffins are a little too over-rated but I guess everyone's entitled to their own taste-buds.

Fancy Delights' Fancy Egg Tarts @ Tanjong Pagar Plaza

I didn't count but I think they have about 12 different types of egg tarts, both sweet and savoury. To name a few: Original, green tea, portuguese, blueberry, strawberry, kiwi, chocolate, double chocolate, cheese, pepper chicken and mushroom chicken. I'm not too adventurous when it comes to egg tarts so I pretty much still prefers the original egg tarts and for the savoury option, I would choose the cream cheese egg tart. Both the mushroom and black pepper chicken egg tarts do make for a more filling snack though.

So next time when you are in the area, go check out this shop which is located along the same stretch as the muffin shop (you can't miss the queue) and interestingly enough, right next to a Jap adult store!

Jams Cafe @ {Prologue}

2010-08-03T16:59:00.005+08:00

Another hidden treasure for me, the Jams Cafe at {Prologue} in ION Orchard. As some of you might know (or might not know), {Prologue} belongs to the familiar Popular chain of bookstores that we grew up with, unfortunately with the establishment of the mega bookstores such as Borders and Kinokunia, Popular has been losing much of it's market share which is evident in the closing and shrinkage of some of their outlets.

When I found {Prologue} at ION Orchard, i was a little skeptical about how long they would last there, I would assume that the lease there would be significantly higher and especially since they, as a "Popular's tradition", dedicated a section to our all too familiar assessment books! Nevertheless, when I wandered in and saw that they too have a small cafe within the store, I decided to give it a shot.

Surprisingly, I find the cafe to be nicely situated at one end of the book store with a nice view of the street activities below at Orchard Road. The ambient was nice, quieter than most of the other cafes in the area, probably due to the lesser crowd at that level on ION Orchard.

Blueberry scones, cheesecake and latte

The blueberry scone was a tad too dry and not particularly tasty, neither was the blueberry cheesecake too fascinating. I'm not much of a coffee person and the latter wasn't impressive enough to make a convert out of me. The bit which I found quite annoying was that they wouldn't give any jam and cream with the scone ($2.50 single) unless the customer buys the scone set ($8.50) which comes with 2 scones, so effectively, they are charging an extra $3.50 just for jam and cream! I simply refused to pay for jam and cream and just had the single scone.

On my second visit over the weekend, I decided to try their red organic rooibos tea and apple walnut cake. The rooibos tea was nice and nutty, plus it's rich in antioxidants! The apple walnut cake has a texture texture similar to that of a moist carrot cake, so it was a rather pleasant surprise. Overall, I thought that the tea went well with the cake. Of course the main reason I went back there was more for the ambient, a quick getaway and feet-rest after walking lots in Orchard road.

Sushi Tei @ Paragon

2010-08-03T16:41:00.011+08:00

I've discovered not too long ago that the Sushi Tei at Paragon has a pretty good view of Orchard Road if I can manage to get a table by the full glass window, so far I've managed to do that twice. The key is to go there before the crowd hits the restaurant before the dinner peak hours, especially since they do not take reservation!
The food at Sushi Tei has always been decently good and I had a visitor once commented that he found the price to be cheap for the quality and selection of dishes there!

Sushi Tei is having a seasonal Sakura menu currently and I found this crab leg hotpot which comes with collagen cubes. I've seen collagen hotpots on TV but never tried it before, so without hesitation, I ordered the Zuwaikani Hotpot which comes with crab legs, scallops, fish, noodles and pumpkins to my delight!

Zuwaikani Hotpot

Assorted Sushi Platter

The other dishes such as the assorted Sushi Platter and marinated jellyfish are from their original menu.

The Spread

One of the item that I always like to indulge in is the grilled squid! You can either order it grilled with Teriyaki sauce or simply with salt, I chose the latter to taste the squid better.

Ika Sugatayaki

For a moderately priced dinner with a view, I would definitely recommend Sushi Tei at Paragon!

Food Art @ Central Food Festival

2010-07-19T12:43:00.004+08:00

During this year's Food Festival, the Central shopping mall situated along the Singapore River came up with quite an interesting idea to celebrate the festivity by using food to create art.

Check out these cool art pieces on display!

Chef Daniel's Kitchen @ Iluma

2010-07-19T11:24:00.010+08:00

With the recent increase in variety programs featuring local chefs as either judges, mentors or simply as cooks displaying their culinary skills, there is a growing recognition of these chefs as celebrities.

Banking on their growing popularity, it seems only natural that they become the 'living, walking and breathing' advertisements for newly opened food & beverage establishments. One such restaurant is adaptly named "Chef Daniel's Kitchen" after the experienced chef - Daniel Koh.

The restaurant is located on the 7th storey of the new shopping complex, Iluma, situated directly opposite Bugis Junction. Due to perhaps it's roof top location which is unaccessible via the escalator, the restaurant might still be unknown to the majority of shoppers in the vicinity.
In an effort to draw more customers, the restaurant came up with a reasonably (and affordably) priced daily lunch and dinner set meal at $10.50 nett and $28 nett respectively. The former includes a soup and bread as the starter, 1 out of 16 mains to choose from, one dessert and a free soft drink. The latter also includes a similar starter, 1 out of 7 mains to choose from, a dessert but no mention of any free drinks.
I went for the lunch set meal and although we were quickly shown to our seats having made a prior reservation, the service was somewhat lagging. After having given our orders, we were made to wait about 15 minutes before the drinks were served. Soup of the day was a tomato-based vegetable soup with a slice of herbs & onion bread. The bread was soft and tasted fresh but there was nothing to brag about the soup.
For our mains, we ordered grilled chicken with chips, beef stew and lamb stew. The portions were 'just nice' and priced at $10.50 nett for a set lunch meal, there was not much grounds for us to make as much as a whimper except that another slice of herbs & onion bread was served, soaked in each bowl of stew. Again, the mains tasted just like how a piece of grilled chicken or beef stew or lamb stew is expected to taste. Nothing extraordinarily delicious.

grilled chicken with teriyaki sauce served with french fries

beef stew with carrot, celery and potato

lamb stew navarin

As for the dessert, without any introduction from the waitress, I'm guessing I tasted a spongecake base topped with raspberry-flavoured mousse cake slice. Well, it tasted ok to me but I would have been more excited if it was a chocolate cake slice instead.
I would rate the overall dining experience a 5 out of 10. It would be an affordable and additional option for nearby office workers to dine there but advance reservation is strongly advised. The other wise thing to do would be to study the online menu prior to arriving and to give your orders once you are seated to minimise the waiting time.

A short note to those who are expecting chef Daniel to be in the kitchen whipping up a storm for you at $10.50 nett - "Hello? Please stop dreaming and wake up to REALITY hoh!".

World Cup Mania @ BreadTalk

2010-07-14T14:13:00.004+08:00

BreadTalk is probably the only bakery I know of that is always up-to-date with the latest local or international happenings.

Previously, with the F1 night race in Singapore, all the BreadTalk bakeries were decorated with F1 cars assembled from bread. Next, with the showing of the movie "Sex In The City 2", they came up with the "Spring In The City" buns. And more recently, with the World Cup matches in South Africa, they came up with at least two cake designs - one modelled after the football and another modelled after the football field.
These cakes or buns might not taste extraordinary nice or better than others sold elsewhere but it's the creativity and effort put in that impresses me and has me going back for more.

I am already looking forward to their new launches in celebration of the Singapore National Day on the 9th of August 2010.

Meanwhile, BreadTalk is currently celebrating their 10th year in the business and all buns are selling at a discounted price of $1.10. Go grab some before the promotion ends. :)

Streets Café @ Raffles City Shopping Centre

2010-07-14T14:11:00.006+08:00

This is one of the many Hong Kong cafés that has been sprouting all over the island in recent years. Despite so, the restaurant still manages to attract it's fair share of customers during mealtimes.

I, for one, am quite a fan of such Hong Kong cafés. I simply love the slightly bitter milk tea which is somewhat unique to them as well as the thick toasts with it's crispy bread skin and soft inner layer.
For a fuller meal, I would normally order from the Nissin noodle list. My two favourite selections would be the so-call 'original' Nissin noodle soup accompanied by a sunny-side up and some luncheon meat slices or simply the Nissin noodle soup topped with a thick slab of tender pork chop. Although this is a common noodle item in all Hong Kong cafés, it can be quite a challenge to find one that cooks the instant noodles to the right springy consistency coupled with the right soup base and the nicely cooked toppings. The Streets Café in this instance, is not one where I would recommend the ordering of any such noodles. :[

So on my recent visit, I proceeded to order rice with sweet & sour pork which comes with a sunny-side up as well. The meat was not in the typical sweet & sour pork form if you know what I mean. Instead, it's in the form of a meat ball. Nonetheless, it tasted like what it's supposed to taste - all thanks to the sauce - and there's not much to compliment or complain about.
In addition, the restaurant has also incorporated some dim sum dishes in it's menu and this made the place ever more cantonese-like.

Komala Vilas

2010-07-14T13:54:00.016+08:00

I've been patronising this little South Indian Vegetarian Restaurant in Little India since my NS days in 1994, although I do not go there on a regular basis, I do like to bring overseas visitors there and whenever I find any reason to go there. This restaurant has been around since 1947 and has been popular with the local indian and non-indian populations alike!

I've always ordered the same thing when I dine there: The South Indian Vegetarian Meal, Paper Thosai and the Marsala Thosai, so much so that I don't even know what the other dishes are called after all these years! If I find a good thing, I'll stick with it!

So just yesterday, I found another reason to bring a friend there since it was his first time eating in Little India! Faithfully, I ordered the South Indian Veg Meal for him and a Marsala Thosai for myself, complete with 2 Lassis (Yoghurt drinks).

South Indian Vegetarian Meal - It's $6.70 and all-you-can-eat free refill for rice and all the accompanying dishes. I rarely go beyond the first serving as you can see, they do tend to give a lot of rice! I've no idea what goes inside those little side dishes but they are all wonderfully cooked with lots of Indian spices. They are not very hot but with lots of flavor! There's even a small cup of soup and a ginger sago dessert that goes with it.

Marsala Thosai - $2.70. A tad more filling than the paper thosai, the Marsala Thosai is filled with potatoes cooked with spices to the right consistency. I like to eat it with the curry best (middle), not so much with the coconut based dip on the right hand side. For the price, it's definitely 2 thumbs up!

And of course, they say: "when in Rome, do as the Romans do", so I always wash my hands clean and tuck in to my food with my fingers when I am there!

Lookout for the bright yellow sign that says "KOMALA VILAS VEGETARIAN RESTAURANT" along the main road of Little India!

Big Mango vs Little Maltese

2010-07-14T13:30:00.011+08:00

I bought this super-sized mango at Cold Storage for $5++ and was pretty certain that it'll be so much bigger than the face of my soon-to-be 11 years old maltese.

It would be great if I had remembered to weigh it because with the dog at merely 4kg, the difference in weight might not have differed much.

But one thing's for sure - she'll definitely love to stink it's teeth into this fat, juicy mango! :)

记得吃 - Part 3

2010-07-05T17:11:00.003+08:00

Next up on my 记得吃 dessert conquest list is the Banana Snow Ice.

The generous serving of banana flavored snow ice topped with peanut bits, nata de coco, thinly sliced banana and pearls had me grinning from ear to ear.

The wonders of the snow ice dessert lies in the snow ice itself. Aside from having the wonderful snowy melt-in-your mouth texture, the snow ice itself already carried the individual flavors, making the drizzle of any sweet flavored syrup totally redundant. I would have been more than satisfied even if there were only the snow ice and sprinkled peanut bits. The other toppings were simply bonuses.

I'll defnitely be back for a fourth time...perhaps I'll try the chocolate snow ice then! :)

Annalakshmi @ Chinatown Point

2010-07-05T14:38:00.012+08:00

I came to know of the restaurant Annalakshmi through the Channel 5 program, Buffetlicious. It is just another typical Indian vegetarian restaurant if not for it's "Eat What You Want and Give As You Feel" philosophy made possible by the service of voluntary staff. Yes, you read it right! There's no fixed price for the food charged in the restaurant. Simply pay whatever price you feel is right or affordable to you!

Despite the airing of the program on national television and the 'reassurance' from the restaurant's website, it still sounded too good to be true to me. Hence, a trip was made to the branch at Chinatown Point.

Upon arrival at the restaurant slightly after noon, I was expecting to find it crowded with hungry customers looking for a cheap deal. On the contrary, it was not even half-full and only after being attended by a polite waiter did I realised that the tables were all fully reserved. I was about to make my hasty retreat in disappointment but was instead offered a reserved table with the condition that I free it in an hour's time. The deal was struck and after being shown to my table, I was delighted to be offered a list of drinks ranging from lassi, pineapple juice, lime juice etc other than plain water!

The buffet spread didn't really have the "wow" factor unlike it's hotel counterpart. Nevertheless, with a choice of 4 different types of rice, some 5 to 6 varieties of accompanying gravy, fried lady's finger, papadam (my absolute favourite!), sweet yoghurt dessert and freshly-cut water melon, it definitely more than satisfied my hunger pang on a Sunday afternoon.

Note: For those naan-lovers, it's only available during the dinner buffet. Lunch buffet (11am - 3pm) and dinner buffet (6pm - 9pm) at Chinatown Point are only available from Friday to Sunday. Reservation (6339 9993) is highly recommended.

I brought with me a somewhat sense of skepticism but left feeling good, knowing that there's still a strong belief of goodwill and charitableness in people. It's a nice feeling to know that not everything is about dollars and cents in this realistic world. :)

Curry Hor Fun @ OldTown White Coffee

2010-07-01T17:16:00.006+08:00

Besides knowing that OldTown White Coffee originated from Malaysia and that local host cum comedian, Mark Lee, introduced it to Singapore, I pretty much know next to nothing about this growing franchise restaurant.

The last day of June 2010 marked the first time I stepped into the restaurant at Toa Payoh Central. What welcomed me was a wave of warm air and no sign of any waiters or waitresses. If not for my determination and curiosity to locate just one serving staff, I would have walked out of the restaurant instead of venturing further in. Upon reaching the counter, I realised that there's an adjacent part of the restaurant hidden from view at the entrance where it's so much cooler and alas, the 'hidding' place for the serving staffs. :)

The restaurant was relatively empty at 6.30pm in the evening and it was no problem finding myself a comfortable seat at a round table under a revolving ceiling fan - which sort of reminded me of the settings in a typical coffeeshop in the 80s, albeit more hygienic now.

The menu is typically made up of the usual Malaysian fanfare of noodles, rice, nasi lemak, toast breads, drinks and almost certainly, a great selection of white coffee.

I ordered the Curry Mee which is one of the recommended dishes in the menu but proceeded to change the noodle to hor fun instead in my attempt to have a less fattening meal.

My order was served to me promptly within 10 minutes and the redness of the curry gravy raised an alarm of the spiciness which I might not be ready for. The hor fun was submerged in a sea of red with two juicy, floating tau poks on the surface. It was only after digging at the base of the bowl with chopsticks that I uncovered some chicken shreds, beansprouts and a few pieces of curry leaves amidst the lump of hor fun.
The curry gravy is definitely potent in both look and taste so I'll advise full attention and concentration while eating rather than making small talks in between mouthfuls. It tastes like curry noodles no doubt but it doesn't differentiate from curry noodles sold in food markets elsewhere.

However, I can see myself coming back for the thick toast bread just for the sake of comparing it to those sold at the numerous Hong Kong cafés in Singapore.

Almond Jelly With Longans

2010-07-01T16:21:00.005+08:00

Almond jelly with longans is one of my all-time favourite dessert. Despite so, it was not until recently that I finally decided to try making it myself after being a little fedup with the stinginess of the dessert stalls for heaving so much shaved ice on the few sparing cubes of almond jelly at the base of the bowl, topped with three, perhaps 4 pieces (if you are lucky) of preserved canned longans.

Longans are in season and I managed to get my hands on some fresh longans at NTUC Fairprice before heading to the baking section where I found three brands of almond jelly premix powder on sale. The most expensive brand cost $2.20 while the cheapest brand (Hollyfarms) cost a mere $1.55 - which is a whopping $0.65 or 30% price difference!

In the good spirit of wanting to validate whether quality is indeed proportional to price, I proceeded to make my purchase on two packets of almond jelly powder - the most expensive and the cheapest brand.

The almond jelly making process is fairly simple and straightforward if one were to dutifully follow the cooking instructions at the back of the packet. It simply involves the dissolving of the powder in boiling water, the pouring of the almond solution into a jelly mould and refrigerating it till the jelly is formed.

The end result:
* Hollyfarms yielded more almond jelly - approximately one more mould of jelly
* The more expensive brand yielded somewhat whiter and more porcelain-like almond jellies while Hollyfarms yielded more natural and normal-looking almond jellies (I definitely prefer the appearance of the latter).
* Taste-wise, it's not so much of a difference but I would rather prefer the Hollyfarms almond jelly as I find it to be slightly denser and closer to my personal liking.

Morale of the story: Good ingredients/food doesn't necessarily come at a higher price tag.

Dessert Buffet with Durian Pastries @ Goodwood Park Hotel

2010-06-10T11:18:00.008+08:00

After having passed by Goodwood Park Hotel countless times and the thumbs-up from many friends about their durian dessert, I finally made the reservation for their dessert buffet with durian pastries.

Upon entering the Coffee Lounge, I managed to catch a whiff of durian which instantly fired up my salivary glands. There were a decent variety of desserts to choose from but not yet a great selection to wow me over.

I was immediately drawn to the durian section which featured six types of neatly arranged durian themed pastries - durian puff, durianmisu, durian oreo cake, durian pancake, durian pudding and durian roll.

clockwise from top: durian pudding, durian roll, durian pancake and durian puff

durian oreo cake (front left) & durianmisu (front right)

My favourite would have to be the durian pudding which taste the closest to my favourite durian pengat. Next on my hit list would have to be the durianmisu with the deadly coupling of kahlúa and D24 durian pulp!

After stuffing myself crazy with the durian desserts, there's naturally hardly any space left in my stomach to accomodate the rest of the desserts. Fortunately (or not), my 'partner-in-crime" is a durian-hater and therefore, I managed to capture some shots of the non-durian desserts as well as nipped a few bites from his plate.

Towards the end of an almost 1.5 hours dessert marathon, I decided to wave my white flag at the ice-cream tubs and heavenly big bowl of mango sago, which under normal circumstances are my absolute must-have desserts.

Priced at $24.80 per pax, I would strongly recommend all durian-lovers to GO FOR IT before the durian fiesta ends on the 25th July 2010.

A New Addition To The June Baby List

2010-06-10T11:15:00.004+08:00

Birthdays are almost always a welcome affair - with the "oohs & aahs" in revealing the cake, the careful arrangement of candles to complement the cake design, lighting and often re-lighting of the accidentally blown-out candles, the often shy birthday girl/boy being placed in the centre of attention, uncoordinated clappings and singings (or humming) of the all-too-familiar birthday song, the nudge from all to make a birthday wish before the final blowing out of the candles.

This was no exception on the 6th of June for Sutika, who was extremely shy but nevertheless, 'coaxed' and 'coerced' into performing the above traditional birthday rituals.

The Fruit Tart Shop @ Raffles City Shopping Centre

2010-06-10T11:13:00.005+08:00

Let me cut to the chase. This is one of the shops in my "Little Black List".

Complain #1: Despite the fantastic marketing tactic of showcasing a great variety of mouth-watering plastic fruit tart display which has succeeded in luring me into the shop, the real edible tarts upon ordering was only down to a pathetic few which could be counted with five fingers.

Complain #2: I had to wait for more than 15 minutes before being served with my order. Isn't it as simple as dishing the pre-cut tart out onto a serving plate?

Complain #3: Generously priced at about $7 per slice, the miserable tiny slice was rather stingily (I even have to invent my own word here!) cut and appeared to be overpowered by the white serving plate.

Complain #4: Despite the nicely worded description in the menu promising a chocolate mousse filled tart with strawberry toppings, I was greatly disappointed to find my teeth sinking into 80% of fattening whipped cream with only a sparse amount of chocolate mousse deposited at the base of the tart. The only thing that didn't disappoint me would have to be the crunchy tart base (which I could have easily bought at the supermarket) and the strawberries (which I'm pretty sure wasn't harvested from their kitchen).
Complain #5: After having ingested the tart, I proceeded to cleanse my palate with a cup of ice water only to find the grand 'surprise' finale staring at me - yes, you are right, it was lipstick mark at the rim of the cup or whatever that was red and sticky remaining after a hasty attempt at rinsing the cup for the next sucker customer.

I hardly make guarantees but I can more than 100% guaranteed that I'll never ever step into another Fruit Tart Shop again! :)

Chocolate Souffle @ Bakerzin

2010-06-10T11:10:00.010+08:00

Thanks to the birthday voucher sent to me by one of the retail stores which I have made a contribution towards, I treated myself to a free chocolate souffle at Bakerzin just two days before it expires.

It was actually quite a good deal with the $9.20 dessert presented to me free-of-charge at no requirement to make a minimum purchase order.

That said, "Happy Birthday To Me"...again. :)
And did I mention that it was yummy? :P

Okos @ Botejyu

2010-06-10T10:40:00.014+08:00

Okonomiyaki or Okos for short (in this case) is a light Japanese dish consisting of a watery flour batter as the base with toppings or fillings such as finely shredded cabbage, egg, fried noodles and choice of seafood or meat for a more fulfilling meal.

The only eatery that I frequent which sells okos is the takeaway store located at the basement of Takashimaya. The okos sold there does not include any meat or seafood but nevertheless makes for a quick snack in-between shopping.

That said, Botejyu at Liang Court would have to be my proper introduction to this Japanese savoury pancake. The restaurant serves a decent variety of okos and as I was showed to the table, I observed quite a fair bit of customers made up by Japanese families. Thus I couldn't help but secretly congratulated myself for a good choice of restaurant made. :)

I ordered a regular seafood okos which cost $8.80 and was a little disappointed when I realised that I made the wrong order. Everything was good with the shredded cabbage, prawn and scallop fillings and it would have been PERFECT if not for the missing fried noodles! Guess I would have to make a second visit there and make sure I order the right okos the next time.

As I was working at digesting my somewhat satisfying okos with a cup of hot green tea, I noticed a little poster advertising the Ajisen membership card and realized to my shock that this is another restaurant venture by the same corporation (Japan Foods Holding Pte Ltd) which manages Ajisen Ramen! The horror came when I did a Google search and found that the Fruit Tart Shop is another of their food venture! I'll be blogging on my not-so-pleasant experience at the Fruit Tart Shop shortly. Meanwhile, it goes to show that not all business ventures takes off even with the expertise of a giant food corporation but I would have to say that they are already a success with 2 out of 3 making it into my "I-would-patronize-again" restaurant list.

Dog Competition in Villach

2010-06-10T09:31:00.005+08:00

The Austrians really love their dogs and cats. While the cats are pampered at home with treats and toys with some allowed to roam freely in the great outdoors, the dogs get to have their daily walk at least twice a day and even their furs fluffed up for the Villach Dog Competition.

The competition was held at an indoor sports stadium which was divided into four judging zones. However, it was not quite clear to me how the competing dogs were being grouped.

It was an all-day's event beginning early in the morning till the late afternoon with the award ceremony as the great finale. We arrived an hour before the break for lunch and did not managed to catch much 'action' really.
Some dogs were paraded in front of the judges who were furiously scribbling away on sheets of paper while others were having a hell of a time sniffing at the rear ends of newly met acquaintences, with their owners having a somewhat similar great time socializing with a pretzel and beer in hand.

But I guess the outcome of the competition was insignificant compared to the time spent playing with their owners and newfound canine friends. :)

You Shall Be Missed

2010-05-19T22:48:00.010+08:00

Over the months, I have grown to love Austrian breads, pastries and cakes.

The regular toast or sandwich breads readily available in Singapore are somewhat a rare sight here. In it's place are bread loaves which comes in a great variety such as white bread, wholemeal bread, sour dough bread(vollkorn), dark brown rye bread(schwarzbrot), muesli bread, yoghurt bread and many many more!

plain white semmel bread

vollkorn bread

The local's preference for cakes and pastries differs quite abit from Singaporean's as well. While different varieties of cheesecakes, tarts and thick chocolate cakes are usually spotted at cafes or bakeries in Singapore, quite a fair portion of pastries found in Austria are made with seasonal fruits like raspberries, blueberries, strawberries etc.
Another flavour not found in Singapore is the mohn cakes which are essentially poppy seed cakes. I really enjoyed it but sometimes, I can't help wondering if I really like the cake or whether I am simply 'addicted' to it.

A traditional local flavourite would be Schaumrolle. This is a very light pastry with puff pastry rolled to form a tube and the hollow in the center filled up with meringue (sugared whipped egg white). It can be quite a mess to bite into one but nevertheless, a hit during open-air events especially the annual Christmas markets.
The list is endless and I could sit here for hours blabbering away or I could go out right now and grab myself some tasty munchies before the shop closes for the day! :)

Villacher Brauhof

2010-05-18T19:29:00.005+08:00

The Villacher Brauhof is the answer to Villach's prayer for their very own beer garden (biergarten). The restaurant is strategically located within the city center and the outdoor sitting area is normally jam packed with customers downing Maß (1-liter capacity beer mug) of beer during the warm Spring and Summer days.

On this windy day, most of the customers were seated indoors but this didn't dampen the mood one bit. Loud clinkings of the beer glasses could be heard distinctively throughout the restaurant and the mood, is definitely one of a buoyant and infectious nature.

We ordered two traditional Austrian main dishes: Giant frankfurter in gulasch sauce and Turkey Schnitzel.

The frankfurters were not really "giant" in size, just thin and long really. And I would have to admit that those sold along the roadsides or even vacuum-packed ones in the supermarkets tasted slightly better and crunchier to the bite. Ironically or not, I derived more pleasure from savouring the semmel dipped in the thick gulasch sauce.
The turkey schnitzel on the other hand was excellently done! It was not too huge a portion with a thin layer of cripsy batter coating the turkey fillet of just the right thickness! And it was non-oily to the bite!

Being the usual gluttons, we decided to order a small portion of Kaiserschmarrn as dessert after witnessing a little girl at a nearby table gobbled down hers in just minutes.

It was of the right sweetness and the small side serving of mixed fruit compote provided a refreshing cleanse to the palate from time-to-time. My favourite would have to be the small crispy pancake bits which kept me busy for a couple of minutes while I rummaged through the plate in search of.

Overall, it was a delectable lunch and I had already made an appointment to be back for yet another good Austrian dinner!

MacDonald's Breakfast in Austria

2010-05-15T23:41:00.004+08:00

Although MacDonald's is a well-known, world-wide fast food chain, the varieties in it's menu can vary quite vastly from countries to countries, with the differences in local food preferences.

To be honest, the breakfast menus served in Austria are rather unappetitising for me. However, with some recent additions to it's breakfast menu, I decided to give it a try.

starting front left, counter-clockwise: McToast, Sweet McGriddles and McCroissant

McToast was disappointingly thin and doner kebab-like except that the fillings consisted of melted cheese and ham slices.

Sweet McGriddles is not foreign to me since it was already launched some time back in Singapore. It is basically a thicker, sweet pancake. Not having tasted any in Singapore, I could only say that the ones here are ok but it would be nice if they could also launch the normal plain hotcakes.

McCroissant was also kind of disappointing too. It looked like a normal croissant and if not for The Hubby's effort to peel it open, I would have scolded him for being cheated by MacDonald's in bringing home a normal croissant! The fillings are the same as that in McToast.

So to sum things up, Singapore still serves the most appetising MacDonald's breakfast by far for me!

With Spring Comes...

2010-05-15T22:42:00.013+08:00

The one thing I love about Spring is the transition of large barren lands to massive green plains dotted with blossoming wild flowers of every colours imaginable!

Such were the wonders of nature. And not to undermine the powers of humans, there were more varieties of floras at the local florists and gardeners who were kept busy with the endless stream of customers picking out cartful of greeneries, plants and flowers for their homes.

The garden at Mama's was no exception. After surviving the harsh winter, the garden seem all the more determined to welcome Spring with the addition of colours to it's rich soil. And so does Mama.

One part of the garden was set aside as a vegetable and herb plot while the remaining area was nicely decorated with plants and beautiful flowers.

Chives

Flowers from an apple tree

Spring also brings with it a steady supply of fresh fruits, our favourite being the big, juicy strawberries! Aside from being a healthy in-between meal munchie, the extra strawberries could go into the making of home-made marmalade which could be stored up to 6 months or more, to be enjoyed throughout the next winter.

And not forgetting the delightful, loud chirpings from the birds in Spring, ensuring their fair share of human audiences at 0500 sharp!

2-in-1 Birthday Cake

2010-05-15T22:12:00.005+08:00

May is a busy month in the family, with two Taurus birthdays to be celebrated in Weisskirchen. Although it made the month of May a joyous one, however, for yours truly (the hopeless dessert glutton), it also meant that we'll be getting only ONE yummylicious cake from the baking expert - Tante Heli. *boo hoo*

This year, we got a Sacher Torte! Honestly, it tasted better than those sold at Sacher Café or Deml. It was chocolately yet not too sweet - simply P.E.R.F.E.C.T!

And everytime after tasting any cakes from Tanta Heli, it'll give me a boost of motivation to want to master the craft of cake baking. Do you think it's too late to add that to my New Year resolution?

The New Salzburger Mozartkugeln Minis By Mirabell

2010-05-15T22:01:00.005+08:00

When in Salzburg, one must surely have purchased, tasted or seen the famous Mozartkugeln!

And to all Mozartkuglen fans out there, Mirabell has recently launched the new Mozartkugeln Minis! Nothing has changed except that it's available in a convenient, pop-in-the-mouth size even for the most petite ladies.

Nasi Lemak

2010-05-12T17:49:00.005+08:00

Beware of the evil-looking green rice! Ohhh~

But it actually tastes quite the real deal! :)

I finally mustered the courage to "reproduce" nasi lemak in my little Austrian kitchen by substituting pandan leaves with pandan paste.

The rice cooking process was rather simple by substituting water with coconut milk, adding a dash of pandan paste for that pandan fragrance and a pinch of salt for taste. The rest of the job was basically done by the trustworthy rice cooker.

However, in my case, I was a tad too greedy and added in more pandan paste than required, resulting in the darker than necessary green rice. The rice was also a little bit burnt at the bottom of the rice cooker but nevertheless, burnt rice can be rather tasty too. I also left the rice to simmer a while longer in the cooker instead of serving it straight away which kind of made the rice taste better.

The rice was accompanied by fried egg slices, yummy chilli ikan billis (made by my mom), grilled chicken drumstick and stir-fried broccoli and carrots. Just some slices of cucumber would have been great accompaniment as well but it can be a challenge to find tasty, crunchy cucumbers in the local supermarket. Furthermore, the broccolis in the refrigerator were fast aging away so where better to store it than the stomach?

I would say it's considered a success for my first nasi lemak attempt and for those who couldn't get their hands on pandan leaves, a handy alternative would be to own a small bottle of pandan paste instead. :)

Happy Birthday To...Me....

2010-05-12T15:25:00.005+08:00

Happy Birthday To Me~

Happy Birthday To Me...Me...Me...Me...Me~

Happy Birthday To ME!

I had a great birthday celebration this year with the most number of warm wishes received! As one ages, the importance of material gifts somehow diminishes over time and in it's place, gaining in importance, is the warm fuzzy feeling of having someone remembering my birthday and sending me a simple birthday wish. :)

And topping off this sense of emotional fulfilment with yummylicious food would certainly make it a near-perfect birthday experience!

The birthday dinner was held a day before at La Balance, a restaurant situated in the Balance Hotel near Wörthersee, which specialises in SPA and wellness facilities.

Dinner was a five-course meal with a starter, soup, 2 main courses and dessert. I was initially worried about the portion for each course since a single serving in a typical Austrian restaurant can be rather large and hence, it is not uncommon for me to order the kid's meal from time to time. However, on this evening, I was pleasantly surprised when I was presented with the starter. It was so nicely decorated and the portion was just R.I.G.H.T! The rest of the courses were equally elaborately decorated with matching crockeries and most importantly, they all tasted yum yum!

Starter - Variation von Räucherfischen mit Krenschaum und Gurkenspaghetti (Variations of smoked fish)

Soup - Fenchelschaumsuppe mit Knusprigem Garnelentartare (Fennel cream soup with crispy deep fried prawn wontan)

Main Course #01 - Gebratenes Forellenfilet auf Spargelrisotto (Fried trout fillet with aspharagus and risotto)

Main Course #02 - Duett vom millstätter Tauernlamm mit Ratatouille und Kartoffelgratin (Braised mutton and lamb rib chop with potato gratin)

Dessert - Das Beste vom Topfen und der Zwetschke (Variations of quark cheese)

Dessert #01 - Original topfen with plum sauce topping

Dessert #02 - Deep fried pastry with topfen fillings accompanied by plum dip

Dessert #03 - Caramel topfen with plum

If I have to choose a favourite amongst the courses, it would be a tough decision between the soup, braised lamb and caramel topfen! :P

At the end of the sumptuous meal, I was even proposed a toast by the hotel owner and presented with a small bottle of their homemade marmalade. Isn't that what personalised service is all about? :)

On the actual day, I was greeted with the pleasant sight of roses in the living room - thanks to dear Sebastian and THE hubby!

The day was spent relaxing and idling around town with 2 bratwursts from the Wurstkönig and takeaways of four nice-looking cake slices from Café Bernold.

Now, this is the P.E.R.F.E.C.T birthday experience for me! :)

HMV Stands For...

2010-05-03T18:07:00.005+08:00

I have passed by The Heeren Shops along Orchard Road countless times and have even loosely termed the building HMV at times. But never once did I stop to ponder what HMV actually stands for.

It was only on a fine Sunday afternoon when Werner showed me his antique collection of gramaphone needles and records did I realised that the brand HMV actually translates to "His Master's Voice". And this is the famous logo of the fox terrier staring into a gramaphone!
To top it off, did you know that the needles used in the gramaphone needs to be disposed off after about 4 record plays? And that the volume of the record can be adjusted by using needles of different thickness and length? Thinner needle gives a softer volume while shorter needles were louder than longer ones.

Now we, or rather I, know! Cool eh?

On my next visit, Werner might be playing me some records from his own gramaphone! How exciting! :)

Light Lunch Along The Autobahn

2010-05-03T17:24:00.006+08:00

On our way from Kärnten to Steiermark, we stopped by a restaurant along the autobahn (German for highway) for a quick grab at lunch.

It was a traditional Austrian restaurant and there were already quite a number of motorbikes parked outside when we arrived.

As we were rushing for time, I decided to go for soup and a simple salad.

Asparagus was in season, both the white and green version, and there was quite a long list of asparagus-themed dishes in the menu. I ordered the Spargel Cremesuppe (which simply translates to asparagus cream soup) to be accompanied by Gemischter Salat mit Putenstreifen (mixed salad with turkey strips).

Despite the simplicity of the dishes, it took the kitchen quite a while before I was served the soup. Nevertheless, the wait was worth while.

The soup was piping hot with melted cream and sprinkles of bread crumbs nicely soaking up the essence of the soup. Despite being a savoury dish, there was a slight tinge of sweetness in it which I'm guessing was due to the asparagus.
The salad had a generous serving of grilled turkey strips atop a plate of nicely laid out corn, carrot strips, cucumber slices, green salad, potato salad and beans dribbled in yoghurt dressing. The dish would have been perfect if not for the turkey strips which were a little on the salty end.
An hour or so later, I managed to waddle out of the restaurant, into the car - once again hitting the autobahn.

Mmmmm....MoMos

2010-04-29T16:01:00.006+08:00

Ever experience the sudden craving for a particular food the moment you open your eyes in the morning? With the craving monster persistently wounding it's long coiling fingers around you throughout the day and no amount of delicacies good enough to drive it away - this can indeed be rather tormenting!

That was exactly what I experienced when I suddenly developed a terrible craving for momos at 7am in the morning. To make matters worse, there is not even the remotest possibility of me getting hold of one such Nepali meat dumpling in the small town of Villach. Absolutely ZERO!

I was so close to compromising my momo cravings with the local chinese dumplings until my fingers unknowingly keyed in "Nepali momo recipe" in the Google search engine. And praise the founders of Google! I found so many recipes for momos ranging from complicated ones with the use of numerous exotic spices to the simple ones where the ingredients are easily available in the local supermarkets!

I combined a few of the simple recipes and came up with one of my very own! Who knows, maybe I might even be able to help save some unfortunate souls who are also being tormented by the momos craving monster?!?

Meat MoMos

Ingredients:

2 cups plain flour

3/4 cup water

500g minced meat (meat of your choice)

1 medium onion

a few cloves of garlic

1 slice of ginger

1 1/2tsp salt

dash of pepper

dash of cumin powder

dash of chilli or hot paprika powder

sesame oil

Method:

(1) Dice the onion, garlic and ginger.

(2) In a bowl, combine the diced onion, garlic and ginger with the minced meat, salt, pepper, cumin powder and chilli powder.

(3) Lastly, add the sesame oil and mix well. Set aside.

(4) To make the momo skin, slowly add the water to a bowl of flour until a smooth dough is formed.

(5) On a lightly floured work surface, knead the dough for a few minutes. Leave the dough to rest in the bowl for ~30 minutes with a wet cloth covering the bowl. This prevents the dough from drying out.

(6) Pinch the dough into similar sized dough balls. The size depends on how big or small you want your momos to be.

(7) With a rolling pin, roll out each dough ball into flat circular dough skins. Roll as flat as possible otherwise you would end up with thick-skinned momos after steaming.

(8) Assemble the dumplings as shown in the video below:

(9) Coat the steamer plate with a thin layer of oil to prevent the momos from sticking onto the plate.

(10) Steam for ~15 minutes or until the momos are cooked.

(11) Serve hot with sauce of your choice!

Verdict:

(+) Relatively easy recipe to follow through which yields reasonably tasting momos.

(-) Flattening the little dough balls and assembling them into decent looking momos can be quite a feat!

(-) When biting into the momos, the meat fillings easily fell out as a whole chunk, separate from the momo skin. This was different from the ones I had in Nepal where the meat fillings are scattered within the skin.

(=) Quite a good first attempt. Will be motivated to make it a second time!

Semmelknödel with Schinken in RindSuppe

2010-04-27T20:14:00.002+08:00

I was never a fan of knödel, of any kind, to begin with. So to be honest, I was not especially thrilled to be presented with 5 knödels on a fine Sunday afternoon. The knödels I received were essentially bread dumplings with bits of hams incorporated in it.

After having lazed around for most part of the Sunday, I decided to finish up these dumplings on the very same day, served in a beef-based soup for a light dinner - the traditional Austrian way.

The preparation was simple with the dethawing of the frozen dumplings, heating up of the soup and finally throwing the dumplings into the boiling soup. The soup was then garnished with some chopped chives before serving.

And guess what?!?! I liked it! I really, honestly enjoyed it!

Thumbs-up to Werner for a job well done! :)

Creamy Strawberry Cake

2010-04-27T18:43:00.005+08:00

The story unfolds with a recipe for a creamy strawberry swiss roll. However, due to the unfortunate absence of a square or rectangular baking pan, I proceeded with a bundt pan instead.

The recipe yielded enough batter for two round cake bases. Armed with my 'creativity', I proceeded to trim off the four sides of the round cake base to yield a perfect square. However, after applying the first layer of whipped cream and strawberry chunks, I realised that the length of the cake base was far too short and the layer too thick to be rolled into a roll.

So with my never-giving-up spirit, I decided to stack the second piece of cake base on it and tried to craft it into a regular square cake instead. The irony of it all - I could have saved the effort of having to trim away the four edges in the very first place where I would have ended up with a regular round cake as well!

With 2 cups of whipping cream as stated in the recipe, I ended up with so much cream which I tried desperately to smear all over the two pathetically thin cake bases. Even then, there was still some leftover cream which I had to dispose of. :(

This would have to be the creamiest cake I ever tasted... any more cream and it would only be cream left! :)

Creamy Strawberry Cake

(recipe modified based on above experience)

Ingredients:

150g cake flour, sifted (I used plain flour since cake flour was not available)

4 eggs

100g + 1/2 cup granulated sugar

2 drops red syrup (optional)

1/2 tsp strawberry essence (optional)

1 to 1 1/2 cups whipping cream

1 cup fresh strawberries, diced

Method:

(1) Preheat the oven to 180°C.

(2) Line the bundt pan with parchment paper.

(3) Whisk the eggs until frothy and add in 100g sugar slowly. Continue whisking till stiff peaks form.

(4) Add the essence and colouring. Mix till well combined.

(5) Fold the flour slowly into the egg mixture.

(6) Pour the mixture into the pan and bake for ~15 minutes or until it is cooked with a springy texture.

(7) Remove from the oven, trim the crusty edges and slice the cake into two equally thick round bases.

(8) Allow the cake to cool before spreading the fillings.

(9) Meanwhile, whisk the whipping cream together with 1/2 cup sugar till stiff peaks form. Refrigerate the whipped cream until ready for use.

(10) Wash and dice the strawberries. Set aside.

(11) Spread the cream over the first cake base before evenly sprinkling the diced strawberries over it. Be generous with the fruits.

(12) Spread a thin layer of cream to slightly cover the strawberries.

(13) Place the second layer of cake base on the cream layer and proceed to spread cream all over the cake.

(14) You may wish to decorate the cake with whole strawberries.

(15) Chill the cake before serving.

Verdict:

(-) For step (3), I could only achieve a frothy mixture instead of stiff peaks no matter how long I whisked the eggs.

(-) The cake bases were not as soft as I would like it to be.

(-) Without a layer of gelatine coating on the strawberry decorations, the fruits could not keep fresh or survive for long in the refrigerator.

(+) A relatively healthy cake base recipe without the addition of butter or oil!

(=) The cake tastes good if not for the excessive cream applied. :P

Paper-Thin Crepes

2010-04-27T18:16:00.005+08:00

Snipped this recipe off The Sunday Times a while back and if not for the new crepe pan addition, it would probably have stayed in my recipe book for quite some time before seeing any daylights again.

Crepes

Ingredients (makes 6 - 7 crepes):

200g plain flour

20g sugar

pinch of salt

3 eggs

300ml milk

50ml water

10g butter, melted

Method:

(1) Place the flour, sugar, salt and eggs in a big bowl.

(2) Whisk the content in the big bowl while gradually pouring in the milk and water to achieve a smooth batter.

(3) Stir in the melted butter until incorporated.

(4) Refrigerate the batter for an hour before use.

(5) Heat the crepe pan until it is hot.

(6) Pour in approximately 70ml of batter (for a 25cm crepe pan), remove the pan off the heat and swirl it around to evenly distribute the batter so that it coats the entire pan.

(7) Return the pan to the heat and cook till the edges starts to brown slightly and peel from the side of the pan.

(8) Run a spatula around the edges of the crepe to free it from the pan and when the underside of the crepe has turned a light golden brown, flip it over.

(9) Repeat setp (8) for the other side and once cooked, serve it warm with ice-cream or any toppings of your choice!

Verdict:

(=) Guaranteed to yield yummy paper-thin crepes!

Bled @ Slovenia

2010-04-25T16:06:00.020+08:00

My first visit to Bled was in the Summer of 2004. The memories were vivid with the warm sun beaming down on makeshift stalls setup all around the calm lake. Colourful wild flowers were blooming on the grass plain with bees humming near pots of golden honey on sale.

Almost six years later, I decided to make a return trip to try to relive the wonderful memories I always have for the place.

The trip took us no more than 45 minutes and since Slovenia is part of the European Union, no passport check is required at the border.

The weather report promised a sunny Saturday afternoon but when we arrived in the morning, the sun was still hidden behind the clouds accompanied by the occasional gusts of wind. Nevertheless, with the beginning of Spring, wedding bells were ringing in the air, cafés were opened for business around the lake, strollers were busy licking away at their huge ice-cream cones and the ducks and swans were out begging for treats of bread crumbs or lazily napping away.
For me, I chose to take in the grand view of the lake with a nice warm cup of hot chocolate in hand. And just when I thought that hot chocolates tastes the same, I was in for quite a shock when I had mine served. It was rather thick and the first sip revealed a bitter sweet after-taste with a slight tinge of herbal flavor to it. My guess would be that melted chocolate was used instead of chocolate powder. But still, the herbal taste remains very much a mystery to me.

The town of Bled is rather small with most of the main shops lined along one main street. Besides the lake, the other not-to-be-missed 'attraction' in Bled - *drum roll* - would have to be Casino Bled. I find this to be a rather amusing name for a casino because for a casino to bleed would mean for the gamblers to win! But then again, it might take on the alternative meaning of bleeding the gamblers dry instead.
It was a pity that we came a week too early because on the following weekend, there is to be a rowing competition held in Bled. Nevertheless, we could see the laying down of the race routes with flotations on the lake and some teams were already training hard for the big day.
I only realised on this trip that cream cake is a speciality of Bled and Hotel Park was where the cake originated from.
Quoting the introductory poster outside the hotel:

"...kneaded butter-based pastry dough which he folded seven times and left to rest until the next morning when he baked it and let it to cool. Next, he mixed up the best natural ingredients into a fine egg-based cream and left it to simmer for exactly seven minutes, stirring occasionally. Then he added firmly whipped egg whites to the hot cream and poured the yolks onto a thin layer of baked dough. Once the cream was completely cool he garnished it with a layer of whipped cream and covered it with another layer of the butter-based dough. He finished the dessert off with a generous layer of icing sugar and cut the cake into 60 pieces, each 7 x 7 cm..."

So the secret recipe lies in the number SEVEN....ohhhhh....now we know... :)

I only purchased one slice for takeaway because I honestly thought that it would simply be a cake laddled with thick, fattening cream. It was only when I brought it out from the refrigerator the very same evening and had my teeth sink into the first bite that I knew instantly I was very much mistaken! The cream was so light and not as sweet as I thought it would be. Perhaps due to the refrigeration, the cream tasted a little like ice-cream too! So now you know this is a must-try in Bled!

We ended the trip with lunch was at a traditional Slovenian restaurant, recommended by the local tourist information centre. It was just a short drive from the lake and we were the first customer of the day. We ordered a simple mix salad to share and a main dish each comprising of the traditional Slovenian-style grilled fish and cream chicken breast with safron rice.

This is the second time I ordered fish in Europe with both the head and tail served complete. It was cheaper (cost less than €10) and tasted much better than the one I had in Klagenfurt. At least they removed all the scales on the fish so I was able to enjoy the crispy fish skin. :)

The safron rice was quite a disappointment as the rice was a little on the soft side. But I guess this might be the way the locals like it done as compared to the asians's preference.

The most astounding of all would be the simple looking bowl of mix salad. The combination of vegetables with the right seasoning gave it a very refreshing bite! I could easily woof down the entire serving with no help rendered!
All in all, this was a nice trip down memory lane - with new memories created but never replacing or recreating the old ones.

Chocolate Cinnamon Monkey Bread

2010-04-21T21:09:00.002+08:00

The name sounds like a teaser while it's appearance posed somewhat a challenge to me. Hence, without much thought, I headed to the supermarket to purchase all the required ingredients and literally jumped straight into the baking of this unconventional, strange-looking bread.

Chocolate Cinnamon Monkey Bread

Ingredients (dough):

30g softened unsalted butter

30g melted unsalted butter

1 cup warm milk

1/3 cup warm water

1/4 cup granulated sugar

2 1/4 tsp instant yeast

3 1/4 cups plain flour + extra for work surface

2 tsp salt (I used salted butter so I reduced the quantity to 1 tsp)

1 tbs oil

Ingredients (filling):

100g dark baking chocolate

2/3 tsp ground cinnamon

Ingredients (coating):

1 1/2 cup light brown sugar

3 tsp ground cinnamon

100g unsalted butter

Method (dough):

(1) Adjust the oven rack to medium-low position and heat the oven to 100°C. Once the oven reaches the desired temperature, turn it off.

(2) Coat all sides of the bundt pan with the softened butter. Set aside.

(3) Mix the milk, water, melted butter, sugar and yeast in a cup.

(4) Mix the flour and salt in a large bowl.

(5) Make a well in the centre of the bowl and pour in the milk mixture.

(6) Using a wooden spoon, incorporate all the ingredients till a dough is formed.

(7) Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and knead for about 10 minutes until the dough is smooth and non-sticky.

(8) Coat the bowl with oil prior to placing the dough in it. Coat the surface of the dough with oil as well. Cover the bowl with a plastic wrap and place in the warm oven till it doubles in size. Takes approximately an hour.

Method (filling):

(1) Melt the dark chocolate.

(2) Add the ground cinnamon into the melted chocolate and mix well. Place the mixture in the refrigerator to harden it.

(3) Once the chocolate-cinnamon mixture is hardened (approximately 30 minutes), chop it into small pieces with a knife.

Method (coating):

(1) To brown the butter, heat it at medium-high heat in a saucepan. Once the butter turns light brown, remove it at once from the heat.

(2) Mix the brown sugar and cinnamon together in a bowl. Set aside.

Method (assembly):

(1) Remove the risen dough from the oven and bowl. Shape it into a large 8" x 8" square and divide the square into 64 equal pieces using a knife.

(2) Meanwhile, heat up the oven to 100°C and turn it off once the temperature is reached.

(3) Flatten each piece slightly and place some pieces of the chocolate-cinnamon mixture in the centre of the dough. Nip the edges together and roll it into a ball.

(4) Dip each dough ball first into the melted browned butter before rolling it in the bowl of brown sugar-cinnamon mixture.

(5) Place each dough ball in the buttered bundt pan and stack the balls next to each other leaving no gap.

(6) Place the bundt pan in the warmed oven for another hour. This is to proof the dough a second time until the dough balls are approximately an inch below the rim. Remove from the oven.

(7) Preheat the oven to 180°C and bake for ~ 30-35 minutes.

(8) Remove from the oven and cool for not more than 5 minutes before turning it out from the bundt pan.

Verdict:

(-) This recipe yields a very sweet bread - sweet on both the outside and the inside! Too sweet for my liking.

(-) Some suggestions to reduce the sugar level would be to use fine brown sugar and only coat the dough balls sparsely with it. Might also be an alternative to do away with the chocolate filling totally.

(-) Do not leave the monkey bread uncovered overnight as it'll turn quite hard by the following morning - as in my case. :(

(+) Although there are quite a number of steps, nevertheless, if you were to abide by these steps faithfully, I'm quite sure you'll end up with this interesting-looking bread to add to your baking book of conquest!

(=) Best to bake and finish this bread on the very same day! As such, it would be quite a good idea to make it for a children's party where all the kids would be busy nipping away at the small pieces of bread.

Gulasch

2010-04-14T18:24:00.004+08:00

Gulasch is a traditional Hungarian dish but somehow made it into the list of traditional Austrian cuisine someway along it's long line of history. It is often served with semmel or semmelknödels in local restaurants of which I definitely prefer the former. The thick paprika and onion based soup with it's huge chunks of soft, well-stewed beef is good enough to win me over the first time I tasted it.

So on this fine Tuesday afternoon, having ran out of ideas on what to cook for dinner, I finally dug out my packet of "Knorr - Basis für Gulasch" from the depths of the kitchen cabinet and proceeded with my first attempt at Gulasch making. May The Force Be With Me!

Gulasch

Ingredients:

1 packet of "Knorr - Basis für Gulasch"

3/4l water

3tbs oil

1/2 onion - diced

1/2 red paprika - diced into cubes

300g beef chunks

Method:

(1) In a pot, add water and just prior to boiling, slowly stir in the contents of the Knorr packet.

(2) In another pot, add the oil and once it is heated up, stir fry the onions till it begins to brown slightly.

(3) Add the red paprika and continue to stir fry for a while more.

(4) Pour the Knorr soup mixture into the pot of stir-fried onions and paprika. Stir well.

(5) Add the beef chunks.

(6) With the lid half-covering the pot, allow the dish to simmer at low heat for 1.5hrs - 2hrs.

Verdict:

(+) It is so, so easy to recreate this traditional dish with the Knorr soup packet.

(=) A modern cooking twist to yield a traditional flavour!

Light Yoghurt Muffin

2010-04-14T17:48:00.003+08:00

Light Yoghurt Muffin

Ingredients:

1 cup plain flour

1/3 cup sugar

3/4 tsp baking powder

3/4 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

1 egg

200g yoghurt (flavour of choice)

1 tbs oil

2 tsp lemon juice

1 tsp vanilla extract

Method:

(1) In a big bowl, mix together flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt.

(2) Make a well in the bowl and add in the egg, yoghurt, oil, lemon juice and vanilla extract.

(3) Stir the liquid mixture well before mixing in the flour mixture to just combine.

(4) Line the muffin pan with muffin cups and fill half of the cups with the batter. It is entirely up to the individual's creativity to add chocolate chips for chocolate filling muffins or crispy cereals to the batter for that added crunchiness or even a slice of banana to top the batter.

(5) In a preheated oven of 180°C, bake for 15 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean.

Verdict:

(+) A very easy recipe to assemble.

(=) Yields extremely light, healthy and guilt-free muffins with it's one tablespoon oil batter!

Genottenhöhe @ Villach

2010-04-14T16:45:00.002+08:00

Overlooking the small town of Villach is Genottenhöhe, a traditional Austrian restaurant located on top of a hill. The walk up to the restaurant took us just 30 minutes from our apartment and it was a good form of exercise on a lazy Saturday afternoon.

The month of April is known to the locals as a moody month. It can be sunny one moment, windy the next and even raining or snowing on the very same day! On this particular Saturday, the sky was in a perpetual state of indecisiveness - to be a sunny or a cloudy windy day?

Hence we started the walk thinking that it'll be a sunny afternoon, only to return to the apartment shortly afterwards for a change of windproof tops. The walk uphill was rather gradual and enjoyable if not for the ocassional strong gusts of wind. Along the way, we found a hen wandering underneath some bushes and only realised that it must have gotten lost from its brood at a farm just a stone's throw away.

The restaurant has both indoor and outdoor seatings with a lush green field for children to ran about. If not for the windy conditions, we would have chosen to admire the view of the town from the outside with a nice brew of light Austrian coffee. Nevertheless, in the cosy interior, the view through the window was equally splendid.

Osteria Dal Conte @ Klagenfurt

2010-04-13T19:00:00.003+08:00

Osteria Dal Conte is an Italian themed restaurant and it is the best one I could find in the Klagenfurt town centre!

I always find every visit to the restaurant packed full with customers and was even turned away on one occasion.

I first fell in love with the restaurant when I first patronized it on a Thursday evening and managed to find a seat next to the front door. On their menu, there would be the daily available dishes and one special dish for each day. It turned out that on that particular first visit, the Thursday special was seafood pasta in white wine sauce - my absolute favourite! The order was taken rather quickly and the food came within 15 minutes. The piping hot serving looked huge with plentiful quantities of shelled seafood topping the pasta. And it tasted so so good on that cold Autumn's evening. The seafood was fresh and the pasta was cooked to al dente perfection! I managed to wipe out the entire serving and was already looking forward to my next visit!

So needless to say, whenever I'm in Klagenfurt town centre, this restaurant would be my natural first choice. My recent visit was on a Friday late afternoon. Even at 6pm, most of the tables were already fully reserved and we were lucky to find one in the midst. I ordered the Friday special which was grilled fish with grilled baby potatoes coupled with vegetables. This was the first time I had a fish with both head and tail served to me in Austria. Very often, the fishes available in restaurants would either be in sections or in breaded fillets. The fish tasted fresh but could be better cleaned as there were still some scales on the skin, The vegetables were crunchy and potatoes excellently grilled that I can't seem to stop stuffing my mouth with it although my stomach is screaming *FULL*.

My companion ordered the other special for the day which was shell-shaped pasta in a cream sauce topped with bits of fresh seasonal mushrooms and deer meat. Simple as it look, it tasted fantastic! I couldn't stop forking at his plate even while I was already busy with mine. At a mere €6.50, this is definitely worth it!

The conclusion I drew from this recent visit was that their pasta is a must-try and certainly the safest option guaranteed to satisfy even the most fussy eater.

With good food at affordable prices, I am already looking forward to my next visit! :)

Easter Day

2010-04-06T20:35:00.008+08:00

Easter Day or Easter Sunday is one of the most important festival for the Christian community. It celebrates the resurrection of Jesus Christ on the third day after his crucifixion on Black Friday or otherwise known as Good Friday.

Since the majority of Austrian are Catholics, the main town centres were spruced up with open-air Easter markets and theme-parks while many of the households were decorated with Easter ornaments - primarily with Easter eggs, Easter hens and Easter bunnies.
Even the pots of flowers or plants on sale in the florists were dotted with Easter decorations of one sort or another.
One of the most traditional practice during Easter would be to cook the eggs followed by the colouring of these hardboiled eggs. These eggs would then be distributed to relatives or even given away to customers in the shops or supermarkets.

For the first time, I was introduced to the Easter bread. It was essentially white bread with a slight tinge of sweetness and herb flavouring (which is optional) in it.

And not forgetting the all-important cake and coffee culture in Austria, or rather in my family. We had an Easter cake on Easter Saturday afternoon where it's the usual chocolate cake but on this very special occasion, it was decorated with green-coloured marzipan nests each with three colourful mini candy eggs on it. Cute!
The other highlight for me would certainly have to be all the Easter chocolates I received. They are all so nicely wrapped that it would be such a pity to open up the wrappings. So while I am still getting my daily chocolate fix from my other sources, the Easter chocolates are meanwhile safe in their pretty wrappings. :)

Mini Cottage Pies

2010-04-06T20:32:00.006+08:00

Mini Cottage Pies

Ingredients (pastry for the tart):

2 cups plain flour

3/4 cup cold unsalted butter, cut into cubes

1 tsp salt (no need to add salt if salted butter is used)

6 tbs ice water (approximately)

Ingredients (meat filling):

250g minced beef

1 medium onion - finely diced

2 cloves garlic - diced

1 tomatoes - cut into cubes

1/2 cup water

1/4 cup frozed peas (add more according to your preference)

oyster sauce (season accordingly)

salt (season accordingly)

pepper (season accordingly)

Ingredients (mashed potatoes):

2 large or 3 medium potatoes

1/4 cup milk

1 tbs butter

1 egg yolk

dash of salt

dash of pepper

Method (pastry for the tart):

(1) Pulse in a food processor the flour, butter and salt until the mixture resembles a coarse meal with some small butter lumps.

(2) Drizzle some ice water evenly over the mixture. Pulse until incorporated. Squeeze a small handful of the dough. If it doesn't hold together, add more ice water, a little at a time and pulsing till combined. Do not overwork the dough or the crust will be tough.

(3) Turn the dough out onto a work surface and gather all the dough together. Flatten the dough and wrap it in plastic wrap. Chill till firm for at least 1 hour.

(4) Preheat oven to 180°C.

(5) Roll out the dough to ~0.3cm thickness and using a round cutter, cut out rounds and place the dough into muffin pans.

(6) Prick the bottom of the tart shells with a fork and bake till tart turns golden brown.

(7) Remove from the oven and let it cool.

Method (meat filling):

(1) Heat 1 tbs olive oil in a frying pan.

(2) Cook the onions and garlic till soft and lightly browned.

(3) Add in the beef, stirring until it changes colour.

(4) Add in the tomatoes, water and sauce.

(5) Bring it to the boil.

(6) Reduce the heat and allow it to simmer until all the liquid has evaporated.

(7) Stir in the peas and check the seasoning.

(8) Remove from heat.

Method (mashed potatoes):

(1) Boil the potatoes until soft. Remove and drain.

(2) Mash the potatoes in a large bowl.

(3) Stir in the butter, milk, yolk, salt and pepper till well combined.

Method (assembly):

(1) Put the pastry casing on a baking sheet.

(2) Fill it with the beef mixture and top it off with the mashed potatoes.

(3) Place them in the oven until the mashed potato top turns slightly brown.

(4) Serve warm.

Verdict:

(-) It can take quite a few hours from beginning to end for the completion of these mini pies

(+) The pastry recipe is extremely crispy and is highly recommended for use in other pie recipes, be it sweet or savoury.

(=) Although small in size, these mini pies are quite filling and definitely delicious!

Coming of Spring

2010-04-06T20:30:00.009+08:00

You'll know that Spring is here when:

* Young buds start emerging from the earth and wild flowers can be seen blooming everywhere on the forest grounds.
* Pussy willows (银柳) began popping out from willow branches.

* Snow no longer covers the railway track

* Farm lands are plowed, getting ready for the next farming season

* Towns are again in the midst of green with snow-capped mountain peaks

Marbled Banana Chocolate Cake

2010-04-06T20:30:00.008+08:00

Banana Chocolate Marble Cake

Ingredients A:

1/2 cup sugar

1/4 cup vegetable oil

1 egg

1/4 cup milk

2 bananas, mashed

Ingredients B:

1 cup plain flour

1/4 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

Ingredient C:

1 cube dark baking chocolate

Method:

(1) Preheat oven to 180°C.

(2) Spread some butter on the bottom and sides of baking pan before lining the pan with baking paper. Lightly grease the baking paper with the remaining butter. Set aside.

(3) In a big bowl, whisk together ingredients A.

(4) Add ingredients B and whisk well.

(5) Remove 1 cup of the batter and place it in another small bowl. Microwave ingredient C to melt it before adding it to the batter. Mix well.

(6) To create the marbling effect: Place a scoop of the white batter in the middle of the baking pan. In the middle of the white batter, pour a scoop of chocolate batter on it. Alternate between the two-coloured batters until all batters are used up.

(7) Bake for ~30 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean.

(8) Cool on a wire rack and store in an air-tight container.

Verdict:

(+) Extremely fast and easy to make

(=) The fragrance of the bananas makes it a hard-to-resist tea time snack.

B is for Bread

2010-04-06T17:49:00.006+08:00

I knew that I am in 'ang moh' terrritories the moment I am confronted with a vast selection of breads for breakfast.

Since I am in the midst of a food transition having just spent five wonderful weeks loading up on my calories in Singapore, I opted for the wholemeal tuna sandwich which is still a familiar and welcome sight for the Singaporeans. My companion, nevertheless, easily washed down the vollkornbrot ham sandwich with a cup of coffee - typical European style.

I am not complaining about the breads since I have grown to appreciate and enjoy them over the months.

Although the toasted white bread with kaya spread served in the kopitiams in Singapore has it's 'umph" factor, it simply cannot replace the daily freshly baked crispy crusted bread loaves in Europe. And certainly, vice versa.

To buy such a bread loaf in Singapore means having to travel to German bakeries and paying twice the price in Singapore dollars...which can be a killjoy.

For sure, this is one thing that I'll miss sorely when I'm back in Asia.

M&M's Spring Colour Limited Edition

2010-04-06T17:44:00.006+08:00

Chanced upon this limited edition packet of M&M's at the Munich Airport where each milk chocolate was candy coated with the Spring colours of yellow, baby blue, green and pink.

Popping these button-shaped milk chocolates can be rather addictive but it would be better for me if dark chocolates were used instead.

Having had a bit of difficulty locating dark chocolates in the supermarket, I guess the Austrians simply prefers the sweeter milk chocolates...

Quest For Immortality - The World of Ancient Egypt

2010-04-06T17:38:00.012+08:00

I am always curious about mummies and all the graphic details of mummification. Hence, I was pleased to learn that the National Museum of Singapore was putting up some exhibits on the world of ancient egypt (in cooperation with the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna) from late December last year till early April this year.

The exhibition was fairly priced at $15/adult and a further 50% discount when one pays with Mastercard.
The exhibition was also fairly sized. There were lots of relics on display varying from jewelleries to statues to fragment from architectural sites as well as from The Book Of The Dead.

canopic containers for storing the organs

Nevertheless, what interests me the most would be the mummies. Disappointingly, there were only a few mummies on display with almost half enclosed in the sarcophaguses. The mummification processes were mainly described in texts which alternatively could be better illustrated via re-enactment in a video show.
Furthermore, there were only two x-ray photographs from two sets of mummies and not even a single photograph of how a mummy looks like beneath the thick layers of linens and canvases.

I guess I would have to visit other museums with a larger collection of mummy exhibits or better yet, to pay Egypt a visit. :)

记得吃 - Part 2

2010-04-06T17:36:00.006+08:00

Ever since my last visit to 记得吃@ Chinatown Point, I knew I couldn't hold my cravings for long before I had to make my subsequent appearance at the dessert shop again.

And boy am I right! I finally caved in to temptation after a mere 2 weeks and rushed head long into the shop, ordering the durian flavoured snow ice. The snow ice had the nice flavour of durian without the creaminess of milk ice-cream. They were also very generous with the durian puree topping with it's heavenly bitter-sweet flesh. This was well balanced with the slight sourly tinge from the pomelo.

My companion-in-crime (who, by the way hated durian) ordered the popular mango puree with pomelo and crushed ice. He was literally pigging at his bowl of dessert and it left me thinking if he was in fact trying to hide his nose from my bowl of delicious durian snow ice.

Until the launch of their next mind-blowing dessert, the durian snow ice officially made it to the top of my dessert list.

Anyone knows if the shop issues any VIP cards?

Starbucks Chocolate Chip Muffin

2010-04-06T17:17:00.010+08:00

Am I getting desperate to fulfil my craving for the long absence of chocolate muffins in my snack list or is it the simple fact that the chocolate chip muffin from Starbucks is simply heavenly?

The muffin was nicely warmed up in the microwave prior to serving and every bite was so tenderly moist, chocolately yet light with just the right tinge of sweetness. There's that 'Umph' factor in every mouthful and I literally licked the plate and fork clean!

I'll surely be back at Starbucks...but not for their brews though... :)

Rock Sugar Bird's Nest

2010-04-06T16:51:00.004+08:00

This is the first time I received bird's nest as a gift. Never one to hanker after such 'delicacies', receiving it as a gift is a totally different story altogether! :)

Each tiny bottle contained barely a few pieces of bird's nest soaked in rock sugar solution. The bird's nest, alike shark's fin, doesn't taste much by itself. Once cooked, the texture strongly resembles that of agar agar, which is slightly harder than jelly.

Such delicacy is highly valued by the Chinese due to it's nutritional values, rarity, life endangering job of harvesting the nests from limestone caves and the arduous cleaning process before yielding pure bird's nest.

I have Jamie to thank for presenting me with the gift and certainly Philip too, for without whom such an opportunity would not have arised. :)

记得吃 - Part 1

2010-03-17T14:16:00.007+08:00

For a start, I already like the name of this dessert shop - 记得吃. :)

I first got to know of this dessert shop along Liang Seah Street where it used to be the alternative dessert shop to patronise if one couldn't find a seat in the more popular 阿秋甜品 across the road.

However, since the launch of their durian puree dessert, the number of 记得吃 followers have been growing steadily, with me being one of them!

If you want to avoid the weekend crowd along Liang Seah Street and be assured of a seat immediately inside the shop without having to queue up, you could visit the main branch at Chinatown Point.

A recent visit revealed a new range of desserts in the shop - snow shavings! I believe the dessert was 'copied' from Taiwan where the shaved ice is so fine unlike ice kachang and yet taste like ice cream but without the sinfulness of the creaminess in the usual ice cream.

For those who doesn't like their dessert to be too sweet, you might want to request for the syrup not to be poured over the snow shavings.

We also ordered their hot dessert - almond paste with black glutinuous rice and similarly received a two thumbs-up compliment! :)

Buddha Tooth Relic Temple and Museum

2010-03-17T12:59:00.007+08:00

The Buddha Tooth Relic Temple and Museum is a relatively new temple in Singapore having only been founded in 2002. As such, the temple with its full fledged air-conditioned facilities was quite an enjoyment to pay a visit to even for the locals who were dying to get out of the sweltering heat.

The interior of the temple was very richly decorated with plenty of gold in the grand hall and especially so on the fourth storey where the sacred Buddha tooth was kept. Here, the floor was even tiled in gold!

The Grand Hall

For visitors who would like to have a summary of the life of Buddha and an introduction to the other Buddhas, it would be a wise choice to visit the Nagapuspa Buddhist Culture Museum located on the third storey. Here, the story of Buddha is recounted in Buddha's view such that it is in the first man's account. This seems rather strange to me as I feel that it is more appropriate to recount the story in the third man's view instead.

On the second storey, there's even a teahouse where visitors can enjoy a nice cup of tea with soft Buddhist music playing in the background and the option of browsing the Buddhist books on sale.

All in all, it was a rather nice experience, seeing the temple in a modern light and definitely lots of photography opportunities for the tourists!

A Global View On The Food Shortage In The Rest Of The World

2010-03-04T09:54:00.004+08:00

A worldwide survey was conducted by the United Nation. The only question asked was: "Would you please give your honest opinion about solutions to the food shortage in the rest of the world?"

The survey was a huge failure.

In Africa they didn't know what 'food' meant.

In India they didn't know what 'honest' meant.

In Europe they didn't know what 'shortage' meant.

In China they didn't know what 'opinion' meant.

In the Middle East they didn't know what 'solution' meant.

In South America they didn't know what 'please' meant.

And in the USA they didn't know what 'the rest of the world' meant.

Outback Steakhouse @ Millenia Walk

2010-03-04T09:51:00.004+08:00

I have passed by this restaurant (Outback Steakhouse) on several occasions but never the urge to frequent it. And that record was recently broken when it was the proposed gathering venue with a group of ex-schoolmates.

As the name implies, it is an Australian restaurant so I was rather puzzled to find a soft toy of a Kiwi instead of Kangeroos adoring the dividers of the seats.

Having not much idea on the specialities of Australian cuisines, a glimpse into the menu doesn't offer me much insight either. It just looks like a typical western restaurant. Only item on the menu that caught my fancy would have to be the onion fries or Blossom Onion (so lovingly termed at the Handle Bar @ Gillman Village where I first sank my teeth into one several years back).

The rest of the items which we ordered off the menu seem pretty ordinary for local standards except that it's a little on the pricey side. The servings are huge too so it would be advisable to share 2 main dishes amongst three or four of you if you are petite diners. :)

heart-shaped grilled chicken breast

quarter chicken with a huge scoop of mashed potato

tomato based sphagetti with chicken and mushroom

fish and chip

Chinatown (牛车水)

2010-02-23T14:28:00.003+08:00

Chinatown is always bustling with activities and my guess is that its quietest moment would have to be on the first two days of Chinese New Year. Most of the shops and even the hawker stalls in the nearby market operate almost everyday throughout the week and it is only on Chinese New Year that they decide to give themselves a well deserved break to start off the New Lunar Year.
On the 3rd day of Chinese New Year, I happened to pass by a coffee shop located along South Bridge Road between Temple Street and Sago Street. The shop is painted in red with posters advertising a Singapore Coffee Museum within the shop. It was hardly a museum but rather a small room with a tiny corner displaying a table, chairs, cups, saucers and typical coffeewares used in the olden days.
More interesting for me would have to be a framed up poster listing the local terms for the different types of coffee.

note: there is a typo error in the poster - Kopi Poh refers to coffee thin or thin coffee.

Year of the Roaring Tiger (虎虎生威)

2010-02-23T13:59:00.004+08:00

In a blink of an eye, another year has passed and in place of the somewhat depressive Year of the Ox is the much anticipated Year of the Tiger.

Throughout the years, the custom of preparing the house to welcome the Chinese New Year has not changed a bit. There are the usual new year goodies laid out nicely to tempt the guests, the auspicious Yu Sheng (鱼生) which some believed to have originated from China but with it's contemporary version definitely created and popularised in Singapore and the two most important and popular vegetarian dishes in my family which have somehow became a family tradition for lunch just before noon on the first day of Chinese New Year (年初一)!

I am simply glad that my entire family is gathered on this very special occasion and with each progressing year, the dining table is getting more and more crowded with new additions to the family. :)

Happy New Year to All! 祝大家新年快乐！

Dorayaki - 铜锣烧

2010-02-09T20:05:00.006+08:00

Doraemon (小叮当) fans would be able to easily recognise this stack of Japanese pancakes at first glimpse! For those who still haven't got a clue, it's the favourite teatime snack for Doraemon.

Traditional dorayaki consist of a layer of anko filling (sweet azuki beans - a kind of red bean paste) sandwiched between two light and fluffy pancakes.

In my case, I prefer to simply munch on the plain pancakes. The choice of fillings is pretty much up to the individual's liking! :)

Dorayaki

Ingredients:

3 eggs

2/3 cup sugar

1/2 tsp baking soda

3 tbs water

1 cup flour - sifted

filling of choice

vegetable oil for frying (optional if using non-stick skillets)

Method:

(1) Put eggs and sugar in a bowl and whisk well

(2) Dissolve baking soda in water

(3) Add water in the egg mixture

(4) Add sifted flour in the egg mixture gradually

(5) Heat skillet and lightly pour oil on it

(6) Pour a scoop of batter into the skillet and make small pancakes (~ 4" in diameter)

(7) Turn over when bubbles appear on the surface

(8) Let the pancakes cool before adding the filling of your choice

Verdict:

(+) A light, butterless pancake that is done in half an hour!

Winter along River Drau

2010-02-02T16:56:00.003+08:00

It took a week or so for the snow to finally melt only to have the town dusted white again after a day and night of snowing.

The snow accumulated along River Drau and atop barren trees are so white and fine that it looks just like a winter scene off a Hollywood romance movie.

duck asleep with it's head folded in it's wing

Winter in Wien

2010-02-01T18:58:00.009+08:00

This is my second trip to the capital of Austria, the first being in summer and this time round, in winter.

The cold temperature would have been bearable if not for the harsh wind throughout the day with its relentless assault on our faces no matter where we turn.

Surface of Donau Canal frozen

Fortunately, the inner city (innere stadt) is lined with rows upon rows of shops, restaurants, cafés and historical landmarks where we were able to hop in from time to time and warm our pink-frosted cheeks and noses.

We managed to visit a couple of museums within a day but it was just a pity that photography was not allowed in all of them. Nevertheless, at the Kunst Haus Wien - Hundertwasser Museum, we managed to take some 'legal' photographs as well as to sneak a few discrete clicks here and there. This is a building designed by a famous Austrian artist - Friedensreich Hundertwasser - who has a somewhat unique style of utilising strong colours and contrasts. Straight lines are a definite big No-No to him! The norms are no longer the norms once you enter the building: floorings are uneven, stair steps are curved and trees grow out of windows! How nice would it be if he were to design schools where the creativities of children are allowed to flourish instead of being bounded by the so-called norms.

There was even a detailed plan to transform a big plot of land into what looked like TeleTubbies Land to me! Unfortunately, it was never realised and what remained today is a mini-scale version of the original plan.

Even on the streets, there are no lack of historical statues and landmarks everywhere.

A delightful sight in the midst of the busy pedestrain street would be the Maroni stands.

"Heisse maroni anyone!?!"

Inevitably, food is naturally at the top of my priority list. With the recommendation from Lonely Planet, we made our way through a small alley in search of La Crêperie - a restaurant that sells both sweet and savoury crêpes. Only when we were standing outside the restaurant, did we realised that it's a Georgian-themed restaurant. It used to be part of the former Soviet Union and to be honest, I never even thought that I'll get the chance to eat Georgian food until this chance encounter. So how cool is that! :)

Vegetarian savoury crêpe

Savoury crêpe with minced meat - taste alot like lasagne, only better and less cheesy

When in Wien, it is almost a sin if one doesn't patronize at least one of the numerous cafés for their famous Sacher Torte. Amongst these cafés, only two claimed to hold the original recipe for the Austrian speciality cake - Hotel Sacher and Demel.

Having had tasted the version from Hotel Sacher previously and not being "wowed" at all, we proceeded to taste the other version from Demel.

The cake tasted drier with no apricot jam in-between the chocolate sponge cake layer and the dark chocolate icing over the cake was less sweet too (which suits me perfectly fine). Similarly, I wasn't blown off by the cake and it doesn't taste that special either. Nevertheless, my vote would have to go to the Demel version should I have to choose one. However, after considering the prices charged at Demel, I guess I wouldn't mind going to just any café if ever the Sacher Torte craving kicks in.

Demel Sacher Torte

Dark chocolate cake with liquor @ Demel - tastes much better than the Demel Sacher Torte

Interesting for me would be the see-through baking kitchen which offers a view as to how the cakes were made. The other highlight for me would be the Demel shop where there are lots of chocolates as well as cakes on sale. However, for the exorbitant prices charged, I guess I'm equally happy to take off with just a few clicks of my camera where the images are permanently preserved for my viewing pleasure rather than temporary stored in my stomach.

Tamagoyaki

2010-01-27T21:33:00.006+08:00

Been in the sushi mode lately and this time round, I decided to try my hands at making a new ingredient to fill the maki - the Japanese sweet omelet also known as Tamagoyaki.

The ingredients for the Tamagoyaki are simple but the cooking process can be quite a challenge. Saw on NHK the other day that a cook assistant spent like a year just making Tamagoyaki for the restaurant before he finally 'graduated' to the sushi counter.

Tamagoyaki

Ingredients:

4 eggs

2 tbs dashi stock (replacement possible with vegetable or chicken stock )

2 tbs mirin sweet cooking sake

1 tbs sugar

salt

Method:

Verdict:

(-) I do not have the squarish cooking pan so I used the usual round pan and naturally, the omelet did not turn out as nice.

(=) Take note not to add too much oil while frying the egg. Hence, try to use a non-stick pan for this purpose.

Maki Sushi

2010-01-19T17:31:00.003+08:00

This is my first solo attempt in making sushi after a People's Association sushi class I attended 2 years ago.

The challenge was all about cooking and preparing the sushi rice since there was no raw fish used as the filling ingredient. As such, it was relatively easy to slice the zucchini and gherkins into long strips while the other ingredients were simply made up of pork floss and crabstick salad.

Maki Sushi

Ingredients (sushi rice):

500 ml sushi rice (can make 5 large rolls)

600 ml water (depends pretty much on the type of sushi rice used)

60ml rice vinegar

30ml sugar

5ml salt

Ingredients (filling):

pretty much up to your liking and creation!

Ingredients (assembly):

nori seaweed

bamboo mat

bowl of rice vinegar diluted with water (to wet the hands while handling the sticky rice)

Method:

(1) Wash the rice several times until the water runs fairly clear when draining

(2) Let the rice strain for 30 minutes before transferring to a rice cooker

(3) Prepare the sushi vinegar by mixing the rice vinegar, sugar and salt in a small saucepan. Heat the mixture until the sugar dissolves and stir frequently. Remove from the heat and let the sushi vinegar cool to room temperature

(4) Transfer the hot rice into a mixing bowl and use a wooden spatula or spoon to cut and fold the rice. Be gentle not to smash the rice grains. Continue with this cutting and folding action while adding the sushi vinegar.

(5) Fan the rice mixture for ~5/6 minutes to cool the rice before assembly

(6) Prepare the fillings according to your liking and slice the appropriate ingredients into thin long strips

(7) Assemble the maki sushi as shown in the video below:

(8) For a clean cut sushi slice, you may want to wet the knife prior to cutting the sushi roll

Verdict:

(+) Once you master the preparation of the sushi rice, the rest of the steps are simply a breeze

(+) The leftover maki sushi can be kept in an air-tight container in the refrigerator for later consumption

(=) A healthy and satisfying meal! :)