Shokutsu 10 Osaka @ Jurong Point

There's a newly opened secluded section in Jurong Point call Shokutsu 10. From the name alone, you might have already guessed that it's dedicated to anything Japanese. But what specifically?

Yep, it's food alright! :)

It's easy to miss this section of the crowded shopping complex with it's numerous shops and roll-cart stalls lining the shopper's walkway if not for the huge crab display.


It's only a small corner really and there's only about 6 Japanese restaurants at the moment. But what fascinated me and had me happily clicking away at my camera were the large and colourful food displays outside the restaurants. And it seems like there are already plans to further expand this section of the shopping complex to accomodate more restaurants or shops!



Being the greedy Singaporean, my family chose the largest restaurant - Kuishin Bo. It's a buffet restaurant with nice, spacious seatings but a long queue.

The buffet spread has not so much variety and the food tasted okay. More interesting for me would be the dessert section where I find the tiny cakes and doughnuts adorable and simply irresistible!



As baby Alicia would have put it :"Mum Mum Mum Mum Mum...."

Celebrating Deepavali @ Bollywood Veggie

Bollywood Veggie is a farm cum restaurant located in the Kranji countryside. I'm guessing the name was founded based on the cuisines served in it's restaurant which are mainly curry based vegetable dishes.

The place has became more well known to both locals as well as foreigners compared to a year back - perhaps due to the hype created by the government when they announced their plans to transform the Kranji countryside into an agriculture cum entertainment centre (whatever that means...???)



The restaurant have a fixed menu as well as seasonal dishes based on the farm's harvest. The food might not be that fantastic but they are truly unique (check out the dishes I had) and definitely healthy (harvest from it's very own organic farm!).

Aloe Vera Brew - with home grown Aloe Vera

Banana Curry

Rojak Chicken Curry

Grilled Brinjal

Excuse Me, My Name is Billy...Mehhh....

I'm a mutton lover. So it was inevitable when I was hit by a slight pang of guilty conscienceness upon seeing the adorable goats at the Hay Dairies Goat Farm.

At a mere $2 for a pack of dry hay, I got to experience goats nibbling at my fingers. And the lingering odour on my palm after the feeding reminded me of the time when I single-handedly devoured a huge bowl of Kambing soup...literally...
(Kambing soup translates to mutton soup, which is one of Malaysian Indian and Indonesian cuisine's best-known dishes.)

Goat milk tastes pretty much like cow milk to me. There's only two flavours for sale at the Goat Farm - original and chocolate - both of which are non-sweet. So this is indeed good news for the health conscious individuals.



And it's not only goats and milk at the farm. Check out the huge jackfruit I found sitting on a wheelburrow...


Before the farms in Singapore are eradicated to make way for more shopping centres or country-themed condominiums, you might want to consider bringing your child here.

Cupcakes Baking Class by ThaiExpress

It was kind of interesting to know that ThaiExpress organises non-Thai food related classes for it's Orange Card members.

For a hands-on baking class costing only $30, I had to have a go!

The class was held at the Civil Service College. Recalling the time when I joined a similarly not-so-expensive baking class taught by a renowed chef in Singapore, I was shocked to be confronted by the dirty utensils, choked sink and messy kitchen. So this time round, I did not held high hopes but was instead delightfully surprised to find the kitchen and utensils to be relatively clean.

The participants were organised in groups of 4 per table and the chef, Amy Lee, taught us how to bake the Butter Chiffon Cake and Chocolate Devil Cupcakes.

Butter Chiffon Cake


Ingredients (cake):

20g cake magarine/unsalted butter

20g shortening

18g sugar

40g egg yolks (~ 3 eggs)

67g cold water

89g cake flour

3g baking powder

89g egg whites (~ 3 eggs)

89g sugar

1g cream of tartar

Ingredients (royal icing topping):

60g icing sugar - sieve

6g egg whites

1/2 tsp lemon juice

Method (Cake):

(1) Mix magarine, shortening, 18g sugar and yolks in a bowl with a wooden spoon by hand. Continue till sugar grains have dissolved.

(2) Sieve cake flour and baking powder

(3) Add a portion of the flour into mixture from step 1

(4) Add a little water. Alternate between flour and water till all are well combined.

(5) Put 89g egg whites and cream of tartar in the mixer

(6) Put in 1/3 of the 89g sugar. Start the mixer at medium speed. Pour in the sugar gradually and whisk the meringue to a soft peak.

(7) Fold the meringue from step 6 gently into the mixture from step 4

(8) Deposit into the muffin trays. Put in about 1 heaped tablespoon of batter to about 75% full. bake at 180-200°C.

(9) Cool the cupcakes before frosting

Method (Royal Icing Topping):

(1) Put the 6g egg whites and lemon juice in a bowl. Add the sieved icing sugar gradually.

(2) When all icing sugar has dissolved, adjust the consistency. Check the texture, it should take 6 seconds to blank out. If still fluid, add more sieved icing sugar.

(3) Spread onto the top of 4 cupcakes with the back of our spoon. Do not go onto the edges. Dry the icing in the oven at 200°C for 1 minute.

Chocolate Devil Cupcake

Ingredients (cupcake):

150g cake flour

75g shortening

15g butter/magarine

1.5g baking powder (1/3 tbs)

3g soda

30g dutch processed cocoa powder

3g salt

227g sugar

174g milk

98g eggs (~ 2 eggs)

6g vanilla extract

Ingredients (ganache):

225g 55% cocoa couverture

100g milk

50g glucose

Method (Cupcake):

(1) Sieve cake flour with the leavening agents (baking powder and soda)

(2) Mix the first 7 ingredients till pasty and fluffy with a paddle attachment for about 4 minutes

(3) Add the sugar and mix till well blended for about 1 minute

(4) Add 1/2 of the 174g milk and mix for about 3-5 minutes

(5) Combine eggs with remaining milk and add to the above in 3 portions

(6) Lastly, add the vanilla extract.

(7) Bake at 180°C for about 10-15 minutes

(8) Lower the temperature down to 170°C and continue till cooked

(9) Cool completely and gress with ganache

Method (Ganache):

(1) Boil 100g milk with the glucose

(2) Pour over the couvertures that have been finely chopped. Stir till dissolved.



My creation - a hybrid of both cakes :)

Introducing.......

As with the norm, people usually like to associate a new year with new events. Like buying new furnitures, painting the house, coming up with new resolutions, having a new job....the list is endless.

However, my belief is that if there's something good coming up, why not just let it happen?

So the story goes that it suddenly struck me one fine day as I was browsing a friend's Facebook profile when the idea hit me to invite her to be an author in this blog.

Two person, in different parts of the world with different thoughts and writing style, sharing the same love affair for food.

This might just work! :)


Duckburg

If you can't cook, sew food! - Part 1

Intrigued by those tiny food keychains or handphone straps or on-the-fridge magnets?

You can easily make one yourself at a low price of $3 - $4!

Hari Raya Puasa 2008

This year, in a way, I celebrated Hari Raya Puasa too! It's the first year I sat down for Hari Raya Puasa breakfast with my parents.

Perhaps this has got something to do with age. As one matures, priorities in life changes. When it seem so trivial to be spending time with family and loved ones, it's now slowly gaining importance in my life.

The food fare is simple, but the time spent is significant. :)

Diamond's Are A Girl's Best Friend

Question: What do you get when you 'cross-breed' a 2-carat diamond and a cup?

Answer: A 2-carat ring cup (that's a bit of a no-brainer really)


Question: Where can you purchase it?

Answer: I got it at wowzzers. Alternatively, there are a list of online shops at the original product's website (Fred & Friends) where you can purchase the ring cup as well!


Have fun shopping!

Up....up...and Away!

Spent the eve of the Mooncake festival trying to reach for the moon with close to 20 individuals in a tiny space capsule, at an all-time height of 165m.

One could either purchase the ticket for normal entry or express entry with the latter costing close to twice of the former. Soon, I would find out the difference between the two...

I proceeded to purchase the normal entry tickets for the 7pm boarding. According to a fellow 'flyer', this is the best time to board the Singapore Flyer as the sun would be setting across the horizon during the 30 minutes 'flight' time.

Armed with anticipation, I was quick to head the queue in an attempt to board at exactly 7pm. However, I was not prepared for what lies between me and the space capsule...

Barrier #1 - visual ticket check

Barrier #2 - one snake queue began to form quickly in the normal lane while the express lane was fast to clear. Bus-loadful of tourists were quickly ushered through the express lane where both human and material possessions were thoroughly scanned. I was on my "Ready, Get Set, Go" position as soon as the last trotter goes unbeeped through the scanners. Disappointingly, the whistle never went off! Staffs were seen whispering into their headsets and we were instead given the polite "Hold It Right There" gesture but complete with a smile. What about the promised 7pm boarding? What's happening to punctuality in Singapore? A few more minutes went by with zero action. Then, my heart dropped as more bus-loadful of tourists came and were ushered pass the scanners while the rest of us waited impatiently behind the line. By the 20th minute or so, the queue became restless and there were request to speak to the manager. Only then, were we given the go-ahead and it was already dusk.

Barrier #3 - tickets had to be scanned before pushing through the turnstil

Barrier #4 - I was dumbfounded to find another queue forming behind a wall labelled GR8. Flashes of light could be seen exploding behind the wall. I was horrified - did I pay for the Ferris Wheel ride or a disney theme ride? It was not long before I find myself standing behind a bar, told to smile before being completely blinded by the flash of bright light.

Barrier #5 - Third queue for the day and already, the sky's almost dark with only a tinge of orangely ray in the far distance.

Barrier #6 - Finally, I'm a few steps away to boarding the capsule! :)

For me, it was an "interesting" way to celebrate the traditional mooncake festival. And now, I could proudly proclaimed - "Been There, Done That"!

Every Dog has it's Day!

Five days later, on the 28th of August, we have another legitimate excuse to stuff ourselves silly with more cake and sing the Birthday song for the 9th time to dear Bon Bon!

Besides the regular barking at the neighbours, occasional fuss over dinner and one visit to the vet to clear up some itch, it has been a relatively peaceful and stress-free year for the dog.




And I can't help but wonder....what would a dog wish for?