Paddington House of Pancakes

I found this awesome restaurant at City Square Mall in October 2012 - Paddington House of Pancakes.

The Husband and I were exploring the shopping mall when we chanced upon this newly opened restaurant back then. They have a rather huge selection of pancakes on the menu and we were at a lost on what to order. Having spent a good 15 minutes narrowing down our selection to just ONE type of pancake, we were informed by the waitress that since the restaurant had just opened, they were only able to serve us limited varieties off the menu. Oh well....

We opted for the simple blueberry pancakes topped with a scoop of ice cream. While waiting for the pancakes to be served, I was kind of complaining to The Husband about the price they are charging ($9 - $10) us for something so simple.

When the pancakes were served, it was nicely presented with a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top of three thick pancakes, one stacked on top of the other. I was skeptical at first until I took my first bite and was rocketed off to to gourmet heaven straight away!

How could something so simple taste so delicious!?!?!? It was soft, light and warm with a pleasant vanilla aftertaste lingering in the mouth.

It's official - they should change the restaurant name to "God of Pancakes"!

Oatmeal Rasin Cashew Nut Cookies

Oatmeal Rasin Chocolate Cookies

Ingredients:
150g plain flour
½ tsp baking soda
½ tsp salt
125g unsalted butter
80g light brown sugar
30g castor sugar
1 egg (room temperature)
¼ tsp vanilla extract
100g rolled oats
100g raisins
120g plain cashew nuts

Semi-sweet chocolate chips (optional, amount depending on preference)

 

 

Method:

(1) Prepare the raisins by adding water to a bowl and draining it immediately. Leave it to air in room temperature for about 2-3 hours. Pat dry the raisins before adding them into the cookie batter.

(2) Roast the cashew nuts in the oven at 180°C for a few minutes until it turns light brown. Chop the nuts to small bits.

(3) In a mixing bowl, whisk the plain flour and baking soda. Sieve the mixture and add salt. Set aside.

(4) Let the butter soften at room temperature in a separate mixing bowl.

(5) With an electric mixer, beat the butter at medium speed till smooth and creamy.

(6) Add in both types of sugar and continue to mix until the mixture becomes pale and fluffy.

(7) Add the egg and vanilla essence. Beat well.

(8) Add the flour mixture in batches of 2 or 3 to the creamed mixture using a spatula in a cutting and scraping motion.

(9) Stir in the raisins, cashew nuts, chocolate chips and oats. Mix well.

(10) Preheat the oven to 180°C.

(11) Drop the cookie batter onto the baking sheet and slightly flatten them with a spoon.

(12) Bake for approximately 12 minutes until the edges are light golden brown with the tops appearing to be a little under-cooked.

(13) Off the power to the oven and let the cookies sit in the oven for a further 2-3 minutes.

(14) Remove the cookies from the oven and let it cool for a few minutes on the baking sheet before transfering them to cool off further on a wire rack.

(15) Be sure to store them in an air tight container.

 

Verdict:

(+) Relatively easy to make with little baking skills required.

(-) The cookies were crispy on the day I baked it but turned soft on the next day. I do hope it's due to the container that I had used to store it.

(=) Would be a fun activity to do with your young one on a rainy day!



Philip Turns Two!

Philip turned two on 21 July 2012 and since he is more aware of the happenings around him, we decided to throw him a mini-party at the childcare centre.

The night before, The Husband and I spent a good one hour wrapping goodie bags for the entire class. With the cake in the fridge, we were ready to go!

The next day, when we walked into the classroom with the big box of cake and big sack of goodie bags, we caught Philip by surprise and the mood in the classroom was simply electrifying!

The children were at first trying to peer into the box containing the cake and there were sounds of "Wow!!!" coming from the slightly taller kids who managed to catch a glimpse on their tip toes.

Apparently, the children were very well 'trained' in birthday celebrations what with almost one birthday celebration in the classroom per month.

The celebration took merely 30 minutes but the smiles on the faces of all the children are absolutely priceless!



Pan-Fried Salmon

This is an easy to make yet delicious and nutritious meal for the whole family.

 

Pan-Fried Salmon

 

 

Ingredients:

Salmon

Salt

Pepper

Olive Oil

Lemon

 

 

Method:

(1) Make a few cuts on the skin of the salmon

(2) To both sides of the salmon, season with a dash of salt, pepper and lemon zest

(3) Refrigerate for at least an hour

(4) Add olive oil to the frying pan

(5) Put the skin side of the salmon on to the pan (skin facing pan)

(6) Once half of the salmon is cooked (you can easily see it from the side profile of the salmon), flip it to cook on the other side. Do not flip the salmon too early or else the skin would stick to the pan.

(7) Once the salmon is cooked, serve it on a plate with other accompanying side dishes - such as potato salad or mashed potato or blanched broccoli and carrots

 

Verdict:

(+) Time saving

(+) Simple ingredients

(=) A hard-to-fail dish 

Project Gardening

It's been quite some months since I last posted in this blog. Besides being busy with the usual work-home routine, I have also undertaken project Gardening!

I am not sure when I started developing this new hobby of mine. Perhaps I just wanted to 'fluff up' the balcony and also put my fingers to the green test.

I started with the basil plant and within weeks, I not only successfully propagated them but also expanded from one plant to four plants! Encouraged by the success, I proceeded to undertake more challenges like the strawberry plant, lime plant and some flowering plants as well.

 

 

The plants flourished for some weeks but slowly began withering one by one there after. For some plants, like the basil and lime plant, I started observing white cottony spots on the underside of the leaves. Upon querying with a friend and a search in the ever-knowlegeable Google, I finally found the culprit - Mealybugs! One of the treatments would be the application of white oil on the leaves to kill these bugs. There was a brief success but soon after, the plants were colonized by a fresh batch of bugs. The rate of colonization and reproduction by these bugs won me hands down. I finally surrendered and had to dispose off the diseased plants. :(

As for the flowering plants, it took me three to four pots before I realised that they need to be placed in a shady location. The Husband, in addition, provided his 'expertise' opinion that I overwatered them. Lesson learned! :(

So what is left on my balcony, you may ask. From a flourishing population of nine pots, I have reduced the number drastically to the current four pots - aloe vera, pandan, grape plant and the celosia. With the exception of the grape plant, the remaining three are known to be hardy plants which will probably take "The Finger of Death" to murder them all - which I hope I do not have.

Regardless of the numerous failures, the interest is still strong within and I'll be sure to go plant hunting soon! :)

Victorian Milk Bread

I learnt to bake bread a few years back and attempted the Victorian milk bread a couple of times by manually kneading the dough but without success. A few years later, after finally owning my own stand mixer, I decided to make another attempt on this bread.

Victorian Milk Bread

 

Ingredients:

2 tsp dried yeast (add some milk to it)

1 tsp salt

300g milk

500g bread flour (sieved)

1.5 tbs sugar

 

 

Method:

(1) Make a well in the flour

(2) Put in salt first followed by some milk. Mix flour in and add milk slowly while mixing flour in.

(3) Halfway through, add in the yeast

(4) Continue to add remaining milk while kneading the dough by hand or by machine

(5) Add sugar

(6) Dough will be wet initially and it is also the indication that the dough requires more kneading. The dough is ready when it doesn't stick to the fingers.

(7) Cover with plastic foil and leave to raise for an hour

(8) Grease a baking tin

(9) Put the dough in the baking tin, cover with a damp cloth and leave it to proof for another 30 minutes

(10) Bake at 200°C for approximately 20 minutes

(11) When the bread is almost done, reduce the oven temperature to 180°C and bake for a few more minutes

 

 

Tips:

* Put dough in a small bowl if you want to yield a bigger dough after proofing

* Yeast need sugar to react, therefore, add sugar last and slowly to the yeast

 

 

Verdict:

(+) Easy recipe for beginners

 

(-) Without the use of a stand mixer, it can be pretty tedious when manually kneading the dough

 

(=) Due to the high humidity in Singapore, the bread does not keep as long as in temperate countries. (=) It can at best be kept for 2 days with the same bread texture and taste

(=) Nevertheless, it is best eaten on the same day!

Apple Crumble adapted from The Sunday Times, Life!

Apple Crumble

 

 

Ingredients:

For The Crumble

220g plain flour

140g sugar (I used about 100g sugar instead because it's simply too sweet for me)

120g butter chopped into cubes

 

For The Filling

5-6 Granny Smith apples

4 tbs sugar (I reduced it to 2 tbs sugar since the apples are already sweet after baking)

200ml water

1 tsp cinnamon

 

 

Method:

(1) Preheat oven to 180°C.

 

To make the crumble:

(2) Place the flour and sugar into a large bowl and mix well.

(3) Taking a few cubes of butter at a time, rub them into the flour mixture with your fingertips.

(4) Keep adding butter and rubbing until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs.

 

To prepare the filling:

(5) Peel, core and slice the apples into a large bowl. Sprinkle over the sugar and cinnamon. Stir well, taking care not to break up the fruit.

 

(6)Spoon the filling into an oval baking dish.

(7) Pour water over it.

(8) Sprinkle the crumble mixture on top, spreading it right up to the edges of the dish. Using the flat of your hand, press it down firmly all over - the more tightly it is packed together, the crispier it will be.

(9) Finish off by lightly running a fork over the surface to "crumble" the top.

(10) Bake in the oven for about 40 minutes until the crumble is browned and the fruit mixture is bubbling.
(11) Serve with ice cream.

 

 

Verdict:

(+) Easy to prepare and assemble.

 

(-) The quantity of sugar stated in the original recipe yielded a very sweet apple crumble.

 

(=) A foolproof recipe that is hard to fail and great for beginners!

 



Happy Birthday To ME!

This is one of my best birthday ever!

It's the first time that my dad sang the Happy Birthday song to me.

It's the first time I had two cakes for my birthday - on the very same day and both cakes were even bought at the same bakery!

Strawberry shortcake (top) and fruit cake (bottom) from Epi D'or

More cake treats from friends at Loola's by Awfully Chocolate. However, It was also awfully sweet and even with the four of us, we were having difficulties polishing it off!

Brownie (top) and hazelnut (bottom) cake slices

 

Nice lunch treat from The Supportive Spouse at Bedrock Bar & Grill

Medium-done striploin steak set lunch

Then there's the heartwarming birthday wishes from families and friends!

And to top it all off, nice presents too! I know I'm not supposed to show favoritism for one present over the other. But still, this is my favorite!

Royce Potato Chip Chocolate

The word “Royce” reminds me of the branded car maker – RollsRoyce. Hence when I first noticed a shop (quite some time back) in the basement of Raffles City selling chocolates under the brand name Royce, my mind automatically linked the chocolate to some expensive chocolate maker in the United Kingdom. I must have walked pass the shop on numerous occasions but never once did I consider buying the chocolates.

Hence when a friend passed me a (food) souvenir from her trip in Japan, I was like “Oh…I didn’t know Royce chocolate originates from Japan…”.

And that was only the first discovery on my part. I quickly inspected the packaging and wondered out loud “Interesting…potato chips coated with chocolate. Thanks!”

Only to have my friend poked her head over before exclaiming “Oh…I didn’t know it’s potato chips I bought!”

Interesting people huh? J

Anyway, this sweet and salty combination tasted ok. It would be better if they were to either cut down on the chocolate coating or to use dark chocolate instead. However, for the Little One, it’s the perfect 2-in-1 snack. Even with his mouth full of chips, he was still demanding for more “mum mum” with his outstretched, milk chocolate smeared hands. 

Bosses (黑社会) @ Vivocity

This Chinese restaurant at Vivocity has a unique name, 黑社会. In English, it translates directly to Secret Society. As with the name, the entire restaurant is painted in black, giving it a very posh and somewhat fearsome exterior. I had passed by the restaurant umpteen times but never once did I made it inside. Recently, a colleague informed me that she was there for lunch and that the Chinese ramen is quite reasonably priced at ~$7. With this information, I decided to give it a go.

On a Friday afternoon, this was the few restaurant without any queue. We were shown straight to a round table and there wasn’t many customers inside either. We were served with a very interesting appetizer – deep fried fish skin. It was coated with dashes of salt, extremely crunchy to the bite, not oily at all but can be a little fishy on the taste bud. But when accompanied with the chili, it sort of masks the fishy taste. A plate of this appetizer is priced at $3.80.
A quick glance at the menu revealed that the more affordable dishes were indeed the ramen – starting from $7 onwards for plain vegetable ramen. I ordered the fried chicken ramen which consisted of a huge bowl of plain soup ramen and a small plate of deep fried chicken. Definitely low rating for presentation. Taste-wise, the soup was plain, noodles tastes like instant noodles and the fried chicken has no surprises either. Priced at $8.50, you can definitely give it a miss.
Three colleagues ordered the minced meat ramen (炸酱面) priced at $8 and was full of praises towards the end as they were busy slurping up the noodles.

The crowd in the restaurant only began to grow at about 1pm and it was not hard to notice that quite a few tables ordered dim sum which looks really good. I’ll surely be back again to try both the minced meat ramen and the dim sum. So, till then…