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Kronenbourg 1664... Revealing the Effiel Beer Tower

2012-01-10T10:41:00.001+08:00

Kronenbourg 1664 has to be the only French beer that I drink. and it's only apt that French premium beer Kronenbourg 1664 pays a romantic homage to the Eiffel Tower. Taking the French Art of Pleasure to new heights, the Kronenbourg 1664 Eiffel Beer Tower was unveiled last night for the first time in the world at The Coastal Settlement, one of Singapore’s newest and most charming dining spots set in the lush greeneries of Changi.

A few shots of the Coastal Settlement.

Bar Counter

Outdoors Seating

Poster

Vintage Rides

Back to the beer:

We mostly had the Kronenbourg 1664 Blanc. If you like the Belgian Hoegaarden, you will probably like this one too. A good floral scent and a light hop, very fruity and refreshing and probably very popular with the girls or someone looking for a light drink to start the session. But fret not, the lager is pretty decent too. I would say it's very similar to our own Tiger Beer with a little hop-py kick with the aftertaste. But hey, with the Blanc around, who needs the lager? :D

You see the bowl of condiments in the picture. They go super well with the Blanc. The cranberries and the nuts adds a special dimension to the floral taste of the beer. A great serving idea should you decide to throw your own party at home with the Blanc.

And on this night, the Effiel Beer Tower was launched! Sprounting an impressive 3L belly, with 4 taps all around, you never have to wait while your friends are refilling their beer! The ice core in the middle helps to keep your drink cooooool all night long... while you imagine yourself in the romantic city of Paris.

Can-can dancers adding colours to the night of the launch.

Fill it up boys!

Friends at the table.

The launch is never complete without the ladies.

One night in Paris.

If you had been fanasizing of speaking French to impress the ladies but never got down to doing it, fret not. Now you have Kronenbourg 1664.

The Good Beer Company

2011-11-30T22:33:00.006+08:00

When I heard that a friend's hubby had opened up a beer stall at a nearby hawker center near my office, I couldn't help but feel excited.
Being the self proclaimed foodie, I had my own love-hate relationship with beer. Starting from the classic Tiger to the "ang moh" or imported versions of heineken and belgium beers. I stopped beer totally for a while when I went exploring the wine and liquor world. But back here I am, after washing down a pint on a sweltering work out in the afternoon sun, my palate had always longed for a cold refreshing beer ever since.

And I know from reading Daniel and Esther's blog (which I ~~steal~~ try recipes from) that this guy is serious about his beer. His adventures overseas had always yielded a post (or two) on a visit to the local brewery or a drink (and more!) at the local eateries. How can I miss out when a specialist opens up his own stall?

I admit I am a variety-seeking person. You would have had noticed that we seldom do repeat visits to eating places, unless there is other things on the menu that we were unable to taste in one sitting or when it is exceptionally great. And this is one thing I like about The Good Beer Company. It's been a month and a little more since their opening and they had been bringing in new stuff. Follow them on Facebook to get your stream of updates.

Visit 1

(From Left to Right)
(a) Kopparberg Elderflower & Lime Cider: Clean, fresh taste and served with a glass of ice.Very light but turns "too warm" in our tropical weather. The light feathery taste of elderflower is surprisingly obvious and not drowned out by the alcohol. Ideal for light drinkers and people looking for a sweeter beer. (read: ladies' beer)

(b) Orval: When Esther said that this is a acquired taste beer, but kudos to G for being adventurous. This beer packs a heavy bitter taste and (i kid you not) the taste of cod liver oil. Acquired taste it is. If you miss your childhood cod liver escapades, this will sure give you the adult version of it. Alcohol included. Just don't give it to your kid in a bid to put the bugger to sleep.

(c) Sapporo: Probably my favourite Japanese beer thus far. Love the "Winter tale." edition better which is usually available during the Christmas season. Look out for it in most supermarkets.

(d) Taiwanese (NTW) Lychee Beer: I had to taste this. Never a big fan of fruit beers but I think this changed my mind. "Too much lychee. Too little beer." for my serious beer friend. But personally I like it. A tad sweeter than the cider but definitely a happy ending to a drinking session. It's cousin, the Melon Beer is out of stock at the moment, but will come in later in mid-Dec 2011. Looking forward to tasting that.

(e) Little Creatures Bright Ale: I think this beats the more available Pale Ale that you can see in some pubs hands down. Love it for it light hops and the floral aftertaste. Had to be the best beer of the night for me. This is the kind of beer that I would term "Happy Beer." The same craft beer we had at Sydney a couple of years back.

(f) Kinshachi Japanese (Green Tea): Couldn't remember the full name but this beer is supposedly ~~infuse/mixed/disturbed with jasmine tea~~ (Corrected by Daniel: The beer has flavours with tea-like qualities, not infused). But honestly we couldn't taste the tea scent, (maybe because of our heavy dinner prior) but there was a little tannic aftertast, the only hint that it originated from tea. Not my kind of beer. Maybe I will bring a tea lover and ask them to try it out for a better assessment of this beer.

Visit 2

(From Left to Right) Second visit was at lunchtime! And thus a lighter drink

(a) Samuel Adams Boston Lager: Typical lager and nothing really outstanding about this beer. It's just... nice. Honestly, Tiger Beer would had done it for me. But the Americans like their beer (and maybe that's why they love Tiger too?)

(b) Trappistes Rochefort 6: One of the three beers brewed by the Rochefort facility. This is the 'rare' offspring in that it makes up only about 1% of the production. Nice fruity taste with a very delightful raisin feel which finishes off with a spicy aroma. Delightful and personally I think it suits our local cuisine quite well. (It helped that we were eating char siew and sio ba with the beer.) For a heavier punch go for the Number 8 which is also available.

(c) Jungle Beer English Ale: The only beer on tap (due to space constraints) and locally brewed too. Love the slightly heavier malty taste. Go local. Drink this at least once.

Visit 3

(From Left to Right) A weekday beer drinking trip happens quite rarely, but hey, with so many beers to taste, we gotta break the norm!

(a) Scheneider Weiss (Taps 1,6,7): A cousin of Erdinger. It taste a little like Erdinger but with a lot more flavours. If you like your Erdinger, this is the slightly more sophiscated that you may want to go for. There is a less filtered, cloudy version and a heavier hitter available.

(b) Hitachino Red Rice Ale (Japanese): Made from Red Rice and supposedly a weird combination of sake and beer. The 'rice' taste in the beer, thankfully, wasn't too obvious, but it makes for a new taste. A nice cultured beer for the delicate tastebuds. Make this your first beer if you having more than a drink and have fun discovering the tastes.

(c) Green Goblin cider: A good cider but not great for me. I prefer my cider to be a little more fruity or heavy as some would describe it. Nice fruity flavours with a hint of wood, probably from the oak that it was aged in.

And yes, I had visited this stall three times and I am looking forward to more visits back there. I have this secret ambition of trying out every beer in the fridge but I think it is difficult with the rate that they are bringing in new beer every few days. Calls for more visit perhaps.

Prices for the premium and craft beers ranges from $8-$12 and oh, your beers come served in frozen glassware. With good local food available in the massive hawker center, this is the place to go to have good (cheap) food and great beer! With such a wide variety, I am sure you will find your favourite one!

Blk 335 Smith Street #02-58
Chinatown Complex Market,
Singapore, Singapore 050335.

Kha - Modern Thai Cuisine

2011-05-10T23:44:00.001+08:00

This is an invited tasting.

Especially intrigued when the invitation came for a tasting at Kha. Actually the pictures of the place aroused my interest even before I set my eyes on the menu. I told C, I gotta go check this place out.

A quick tour of the place ensued...

Private dining room at Kha.

The interiors were designed by award winning, Melbourne based designer Hecker Guthrie. It gives a elegant yet classy, mysterious feel. Love the dark hues and subtle lighting arrangement.

Each table had their own serving stations (white tops) next to them. The whole place is just about bright enough, which gave me a private feel as the serving staff (and other diners) seemingly fade in the the background. Very clever indeed.

We were also shown the adjacent dining place, Graze which offers a totally different outlook!

It seems as if you are transformed into another world altogether! What stark contrast. They do serve brunch and again they do have their private rooms for a small get together.

And in the same establishment, there is Provisons, which is a unique gourmet food retail shop.

Enough of the touring, off to the food!

Kha serves a selection of mocktails and we were given the chance to taste two of them.

Ruby Starlet ($12)

Essentially a mixture of lime juice, lychee juice served with promegranate and mint leaves over a slushie! Refreshing and a good palate cleanser as you dig into the food. Wait for it to melt a little, the slushie doesn't go up the straw too willingly. And as much as I love promegranate, they get stuck in the straw!

Dragon Eye ($12)

Lychee, fresh mint leaves with lychee juice and fresh lime juice. Even though the core ingredients is very similar (same!) as the ruby starlet above, the taste is worlds apart. The taste of mint is more definitive here and I can't really taste the lychee juice in this one. Freshness this drink brings!

Tod Man Poo ($17)

Thai crab and prawn cakes with green mango salad. I always have a soft spot for crab and prawn cakes ever since I tasted my first one in Bangkok as a kid. This crab and prawn cake is really a clever idea. The fluffiness of the crab meat with the crunch and taste that the prawns provide is really a match made in heaven. The tanginess of the green mango salad tingles and teases the taste buds while you devour the sweet cakes. Excellent!

Wagyu Beef with Papaya Salad ($29)

This is one of the dishes from the Chef's selections. I have a confession to make. I don't take beef for various reasons and I was so super tempted to taste this. But I didn't. Only tasted the papaya salad in the end. The full name of this dish is Rare grilled red curry rubbed wagyu beef papaya salad. The red curry and yogurt actually neutralised the otherwise expected tanginess of the papaya salad. A nice combination. I am sure the wagyu tasted awesome. It's wagyu, right? How can it not taste awesome?

Crispy whole chilli filled with pork and herbs ($14)

The chillis come served with malibu chilli soy, tom yum and honey mustard dipping sauces. The chillis were crunchy and the filling of pork was moist. A delight, but it didn't blow me away. You can smell the malibu in the dipping sauce but unable to taste it as the green chilli and herbed pork overpowers it. It goes best with the tom yam dipping sauce in my opinion. Interesting eat, though average overall.

Tom Yum Goong ($18)

How can you have thai food and not have the tom yum goong? The hot and sour soup version served here is outstanding. Not too extremes on tastes and delicately balanced. I finished every drop! The fresh straw mushrooms that came in the soup was superb. Apparently they are the high coveted thai version, this I cannot (and don't know how to ) verify. The king prawn I felt was a little overcooked though. Nevertheless I thought it was one of the better versions I ever had.

Gaeng Phed Ped Yang ($28)

The red roast duck curry, pineapple and lotus seed. (the green things are not peas. a form of egg plant i was told.) The curry gravy was wonderfully flavoured, a tad too salty to be eaten on its own, but simply fantastic with a serving of rice. The duck meat was tender and wonderfully seasoned, paired with the slight sourness of pineapple and subtle sweetness of the lotus seeds, this makes a nice delightful dish. And it is served with vined cherry tomatoes!

Talking about their rice, just a quick side note. The rice is perfectly cooked with a bite still present and each grain is whole and separated from each other. Takes skill to do that and Kha did it wonderfully well.

Papa Adun's Phad Tow Hu ($14)

Wok fried tofu with crispy basil and three flavoured sauce. It didn't really leave an impression with me. The tofu was fried nicely with a crispy skin but hollow inside. Nice tasting but average.

Pha Yang Bai Tong ($28)

Char grilled seabass with lemongrass in banana leaf and dill chilli sauce. Nicely grilled and moist on the inside when served. The dill chilli sauce adds another dimension to the fish. Other than that, another average dish.

You can tell by now that we are filled to the brink. While waiting for desserts, our host suggested that we order some coffee.

Graze de Mocha ($5.50)

From the sister stall Graze, this is a MUST try. Absolutely love it. The creaminess and sweetness is well balanced. But be warned, it comes in a HUGE serving portion. Absolutely fantastic. Not your connoisseur coffee, but a great one indeed.

Caramel Ma Muang Suk ($12)

Basically grilled mango cheeks served with lime lychee fruit sorbet and mango sauce. The lime lychee combination strikes again! The sorbet was normal, although I didn't think the sorbet and the grilled mango really went well together. It just tasted like a super ripe (and super sweet) mango. Nice, but ordinary.

Thap Thim Krwap ($13)

Simply red rubies with a slight twist. The famous thai dessert was served in coconut jasmine syrup, rose petals and shaved ice. Nice and not too overly sweet and the very subtle fragrance of the jasmine flowers did lift the whole taste of this traditional dessert. Just don't eat the jasmine flower, it's bitter. The rose petals are fine though.

Khao Neaw Ma Muang ($14)

And the dessert of the day have to go to the mango sticky rice. The green sauce in the background is the coconut pandan sauce that tasted fantabulous with the mango and sticky rice. The black specks of sesame seeds was awesome to bite into. The right chewiness of the slightly warm glutinous rice went absolutely well with the slighly chilled sweet mango, and coupled with the robust richness of the coconut pandan sauce, I thought it was the arguably best dish of the day.

Kha also offers a wide selection of wine and beer.

Overall a good dining experience and none of the dishes on offer disappointed. Although a few of them tasted ordinary (still good) but the rest either surprised me or just tasted fantastic. It may look a tad expensive but the huge servings more than made up for it.

A definite must go if you are looking for some delicately preparead Thai food or a modern interpretation of Thai cuisine!

Kha
Martin No. 38
S(239509)
+65 6476 9000
info@kha.sg
www.kha.sg

Dallas Restaurant and Bar

2011-05-04T21:59:00.002+08:00

Met a charming man today and really inspired. Posting had been slow lately, but I am back. :)

Was looking for a great place to meet up with some of the old sea boys and what's better than a great ribs house, with beer and to throw it in, some offers!

Quiva Cider ($10)

Utterly weak. One of the worst ciders I ever had. Jolly shandy would had been a wiser choice. Avoid at all cost.

BS Dallas ($15)

Quasidillas and chicken strips were part of the sampler dish that we ordered to share. Nicely toasted with very tasty fillings. The accompanying guacomole was decent. It looks deceiving light, it is super filling especially with beer. How I wish we ordered better beer.

Full Fiery Ribs ($32)

The ribs and fajitas were at a 50% promotional price. Usual price $32. Nice and juicy, though a bit messy. We gave up using our cutlery after awhile. Nicely marinated with moist meat. Definitely a steal at half-price.

Beef Fajitas ($24)

I do not take beef, so I did not eat the fajitas. My comrades thought they were decent.

All in all, a decent place to chill out in the busy boat quay area. With the promotional price, it is definitely worth a visit. A wide selection of bottled beers, pity we picked the wrong one today.

Dallas Restaurant and Bar

31 Boat Quay (at the Raffles Place MRT end)

Singapore 049820

6532 2131

Happy Hours from 11am till 9pm.

Professor Brawn Cafe 2

2011-02-06T22:43:00.001+08:00

Visit back to Prof Brawn.

Pumpkin Soup - A bit too thin for my liking but I guess it is the healthier choice. The taste and flavours of the pumpkin is quite subtle, good for those who don't really like pumpkin but still want the full goodness of the golden fruit.

Chicken chop in truffle sauce - A quick sidenote. The wedges are absolutely fantastic. I am not sure if they are made fresh or from frozen packages. But a delight. Chicken chop is well cooked. The skin is crispy and do not have the burnt taste that comes from cooking on a "too-hot" surface. Truffle taste in the sauce, tasted weird to me. I love truffles, but somehow this sauce did not work out for me. And I can't put a finger to it.

Fish and Chips - Good old dish. Love the batter and how nicely the fish is fried. Still moist and cooked to perfection. Seldom do you find fish and chips of this great quality. Simple but hard to master and Prof Brawn got it right.

We shared a double scoop. Absolutely delicious ice cream from New Zealand. Most of the flavours are awesome. Really.

238 Thomson Road #02-78/79 Velocity @ Novena Square Singapore
+65 6253 4650

Wild Honey 2

2011-01-25T23:26:00.001+08:00

Tunisian. A bit too spicy for my liking. But baked eggs are the bomb.

I would have liked it a bit more tomato-ey. Just like how I like my chilli crab.

Never had the Pancakes before, so decided to give it a good. Plus points, they come with back bacon!

The berries compote is too sourish for me. Maybe I just don't like berries compote. I would have loved fresh cream served with my pancakes, but they were not available here.

So so.... and I still think Wild Honey is abit overpriced. And there is always a long queue.

Tom's Palette 2

2011-01-23T17:38:00.000+08:00

Quick visit back to Tom's Palette. Simple pictorial.

Salty caramel is a very interesting flavour. Make a guess of we had. I will buy you ice cream if you get all correct. :)

Liang Ji 2

2011-01-16T23:43:00.000+08:00

Double flavour crabs ($45).

We are back to Liang Ji again! Here is the previous review if you had missed it.

Simple stir fry vegetables. ($8)

Stir-fry big intestine ($8)

Fried Dou-Fu ($8). The items mentioned above had been reviewed previously and had not changed. New dish for the day is this fried beancurd. Simple, or too simple but fresh ingredients nevertheless. Crispy on the outside and soft, silky on the inside. I thought it would had been better if there is some kind of dipping sauce or something strong (wasabi?) for it to go with.

And this time round we ordered the curry fishhead ($16), instead of the steamed nonya fish. Not the best curry fish head, more slanted to the nonya side with the curry slightly more sourish then spicy. Preference is with their famous nonya fish. That cannot go wrong. The curry fishhead is a poor cousin.

Liang Ji Seafood

21 Hougang Street 51 #01-51

My Rice (Novena Square 2)

2010-12-05T13:00:00.001+08:00

Claypot rice had always been an all time favourite for me. But the usual long waits and the burnt bits (that gets stuck in between the teeth) puts me off a little. So when I heard of My Rice at Novena, I jumped at the chance to have a tasting since I have an appointment in the area.

An enterprise by two friends, barely a month old, they have since adapted and acted on customers' feedback and improved on the wares on offer. Willing to listen to feedback. Check. Willing to adapt and change. Check. Good food at reasonable prices. Check. What more can you ask you?

The idea behind the whole food kiosk is like a chinese style bento set. Considering the lack of sitting places there, you may want to pack and eat it on the go. Heard that many buy it back for dinner on their way home.

The main driver behind the stall. Home cooked claypot rice, without the claypot. Less oil, less salt (and less wait) is the key considerations behind this dish.

We had one of the 3 set lunch on offer. Set C priced at $5.50 ($5 now, part of festive promo) which includes claypot rice and 2 sides. They will happily include more veg if you ask.

Signature Rice (Claypot rice, without the claypot!)

The signature rice tasted just like claypot rice. You may think the lack of scallion oil and heavy black soy sauce is going to remove the punch from this classic dish, you are right. But MyRice made it up through the generous use of shitake mushrooms and dried shrimps. The lup cheong (chinese wax sausage) and chicken complete the taste. Classic homemade version. Minus the sins of the original and very much retaining the taste of it.

Oven Roasted Chicken Wing

At $1.50, ala carte. Not fried, as part of the healthy eating concept. Sufficiently marinated, at least overnight, it carries enough taste in it and still retains the moisture and taste of chicken. Nice crispy skin and they keep it in the warmer to retain the heat.

Jumbo Satay (Chicken)

I particularly like this. ($1, ala carte). Chunky pieces of meat are used and they are grilled on the order. Moist, nicely marinated and served with a hearty satay sauce. Brings back fond memories of the sate we had in Bali. Hmm... maybe I should suggest the use of kecap manis which I think brings another tasty dimension to grilled/ barbequed stuff.

MyRice also carries a special herbal (sorta) drink. Ji Bing which tend to be more popular amongst their matured customers. The addition of wu hua guo (figs) also powers up the medicinal and taste departments. Tasted a tad bit like grass jelly to be. It's meant to be good for your health and I have not seen it anywhere else. So, this drink for me anytime over a carbonated drink. :)

Overall, a good place that offers the homemade goodness of claypot rice, tasty oven roasted wings and a succulent jumbo satay. Wash it down with a herbal tea. Prices from $3 (white rice set) and $3.50 (claypot rice set) is definitely a good bargain.

MyRice is conveniently located at B1 of Novena Square 2, MRT exit level (Harvey Norman side), towards Sinaran Drive (TTSH). It is just next to Yips, the confectionary kiosk that serves up great CNY delights.

Why not pay a visit to the area and pick up some homemade goodness that yield on the healthy side?

MyRice

Square 2 (Novena)

#B1-120

10 Sinaran Drive

S(307506)

1030-2100 (Daily)

Facebook page here.

Ellenborough Marketcafe (Photolog)

2010-11-22T15:55:00.002+08:00

Complimentary high-tea buffet at Ellenborough Marketplace, Swisshotel Merchant Court.

Laksa - Decent

Fruit Rojak pre-mixed sauce was too spicy. Kueh Pie Tee was good.

Satay and Otah-otah was good.

Durian Puff was good. Desserts are generally good.

Roti-Jalal. With curry chicken. Good.

Tau-suan (far) fail. Durian Paste (near) sedap!

Ah Balling (without peanut soup) fail.

Sarang @ Orchard Central

2010-11-21T23:49:00.006+08:00

Mr Pancakes was unable to attend the OC Foodies Invitation so Mrs Pancakes and her sister went, and had a great afternoon of catching up at Sarang.

Sarang, which means love in Korean, is situated on the 7th floor of Orchard Central. Sarang's Seoul styled setting includes a show kitchen and outdoor bar, with seats overlooking Orchard Road.

We were greeted with a cup of Maesil cha, a homemade plum tea, which was a refreshing drink, with a hint of sour plum, to ready your palette for the dishes to come.

The afternoon started with a food photography workshop held by Dr Leslie Tay, of ieatishootipost. As Mr Pancakes is usually the one taking the photos, Mrs Pancakes picked up many tips from Dr Leslie Tay during the workshop: how lighting, composition and depth of field can affect the look of food, and the one third rule.

And now for the food:

The dishes had very interesting names like DJ Rice, Rooster Booster, Angry Piggy. They serve cocktails as well but we did not have a taste of them.

L-R: Makgeolli Berry, Makgeolli Cucumber, Makgeolli Mojito, Makgeolli Orange

First on the menu was Sarang japchae, stir fried vegetable vermicelli tossed in sesame oil. It was a delightful dish, with springy vermicelli, seasoned nicely with sesame oil.

Next up was Sarang's signature freshly tossed Kimchi. The cabbage was crunchy but was a tad too spicy for our palates.

The first main that we tried was the Drunken pork - Grilled, wine-marinated pork belly served with kimchi on a sizzling hot plate. Heard from one of the servers that the pork belly was marinated in red wine for 2 days before it is cooked. One of my favourites for the day, the pork was juicy, with a hint of red wine. Lovely!

The next main we tasted was the Sun and moon, Kimchi fried rice with a sunny side up. Flavourful, with the frangrant taste of the Kimchi seasoning with every mouthful. Mrs Pancakes' sister describes it as seasoning wrapped around every grain of rice. :)

Army Stew was served next, with Kimchi, sausage, spam and pork served in Seoul’s favourite hotpot. The stew was good, tasty, spicy. The sausage, spam and pork didn't wow me though.

One dish worth mentioning, is the Godmother, 300gm grilled beef steak marinated in chef’s special fruit sauce. Mrs Pancakes does not eat beef, but her sister was wowed by the beef, full of flavours, thoroughly cooked, but the meat still tender and juicy. Yum!

Next up, Ginseng porridge, another Chef’s signature dish. Korean ginseng and chicken porridge, the taste of Ginseng was not overpowering, the porridge was tasty, but flavours not too strong. Good for someone who is looking for a light meal.

Lastly, we had dessert! Pappa pancakes. If you like the taste of cinnamon, this is the dessert for you. Fried cinnamon pancakes, crispy on the outside, chewy on the inside with cinnamon sauce on top. Mrs Pancakes' sister had a second helping for this.

Suited for the Singaporean palate. Good food with reasonable price, mains costing below $20 (except for the beef steaks). Outdoor seating did not feel warm though it was in the afternoon. However, if you can't take the heat, there is always indoor seating.

Liang Ji Seafood

2010-11-21T22:24:00.000+08:00

Had heard about this place for the longest time and also from the Mediacorp Channel 8 series of 煮炒来咯.

First up was the Nonya Garoupa. ($30) The blend of spices used in the nonya soup is self blended and apparently from a secret recipe. We love it for the acute balance of sourness, sweetness and spiciness (The three S's.) And it wasn't overbearing spicy that it kills your taste buds but enough to make you sweat, slowly. Fish was fresh. Best part of the dish for me? The lady's fingers (okra) and brinjals, which goes superbly well with the sauce. Loving it.

虾米生肠 ($8) or dried shrimps with intestines is a very interesting dish. Stir fried in oyster sauce with dried chilli and enough onions the taste is slightly on the salty side but is great with rice. The dried shrimps provided a nice crunch as you bite in and the intestines has a nice chewy texture to it. To me, this stole the show.

蒙古豆腐 ($10) had a very unfamiliar taste that I can't put a finger to. Nicely fried and topped with meat pieces, this again is slightly salty. I can't decide if it's really good or just normal. I guess it hangs in between these two categories.

双味螃蟹 ($24) was the star of the night. Black Pepper and Salted Egg flavours combined. The result? Awesome. The peppery flavour permeates the fresh crab and the salted egg lifted the tasted really well. Creamy, sweet with a tint of pepper. What more can you ask from a crab dish?

Here is a cut from the episode.

<br /><a href="http://video.xin.msn.com/watch/video/hougang-double-flavoured-crab-%E5%90%8E%E6%B8%AF%E5%8F%8C%E5%91%B3%E8%9E%83%E8%9F%B9/1b96h3jnu?fg=sharenoembed" target="_new" title="Hougang Double-flavoured crab 后港双味螃蟹">Video: Hougang Double-flavoured crab 后港双味螃蟹</a>

Overall the dishes were alright and of course with a few stars that are unique to this place. But most of the dishes are slightly on the salty side and probably more MSG than I can personally take was used. (I get numbed cheeks on overdose of MSG). Nevertheless a delight and I will be back for more. And of course the next time, order lighter dishes.

Leong Ji Seafood
量记煮炒
21 Hougang Street 51
#01-51

(They have a branch at AMK Ave 5 too)

9459 5822/ 9026 1882

Bread Society 2

2010-11-20T18:48:00.001+08:00

Second post of Bread Society. D-Lemon Cream ($1.50) is light fluffy and the nice tangy lemon cream within is woo-hooo..... especially for us who adore our lemon cream, lemon custard, lemon tea... you name it.

Pine Nut Rce Loaf ($1.80) Nice and light with enough pine nuts for you to taste it.

Chic Marsala Naan ($1.60). Chicken filling could had been more generous. A special combination of marsala and chicken. The naan part is far away from the Indian bread that we are used it, but nevertheless not too shabby.

Bread Society

Ion Shopping Centre

#B2-19

Bishamon Ramen

2010-11-19T20:03:00.002+08:00

A quick meal and ramen is the pick of the day. Nestled in the food street of Bugis Junction, it has it's own seating area.

Miso Ramen ($13.90). Nice flavourful, the touch of black garlic oil added depth and fragrance. Char Siu could had been more tender though.

Kogashi Miso Ramen ($14) apparently their signature dish. Decent soup base and ramen came with a bite. Not too bad. Nothing outstanding. Decent.

Gyoza (6pcs) at $5.80. Normal.

Overall a decent fast meal if you are looking for one. Slightly expensive as compared to normal food court fare but cheaper than a sit-down ramen experience.

Bishamon
230 Victoria Street
#B1-K27
Bugis Junction

Nolboo Hangari Galbi (Korean BBQ)

2010-11-17T20:33:00.001+08:00

Korean BBQ. Had been craving it for awhile and finally had the chance to visit this joint at Orchard Central. My sister-in-law (SIL) raves about it. Let's see how "foodie" she is. Ha.

Right after taking our orders, a tea and porridge was served. The tea tasted like those gen-mai tea (rice tea?), tasty and with a distinctive rice taste. It is meant to get you ready for the ooooh-la-la BBQ. Thought the porridge was a good idea, lines your internal before the onslaught of meat. Ha.

Three dipping dishes. The first one is some kind of soy, a very light one. Second one, salt and third tasted like miso. Not too sure... any Korean cuisine expert to advise? No particular love for any of them. Love the BBQ meat on it's own.

Full complements from ordering the pork ribs set. Love them. Combination of salad, marinated stuff and of course... kim chi!!

Romaine lettuce (huge leaves) with carrot and cucumber. We used it to wrap the BBQ meat. Awesome.

Iceberg lettuce salad with mayo dressing.

Kimchi, bean sprouts, seaweed and potato salad.

Marinated cucumber and lettuce.

Marinated lettuce

Pork belly ($18) comes with pork sausages and grilled at your table. Onions inclusive.

Pork ribs set ($28) came in a clay pot. Great presentation. Apples included.

BBQ pot set up right beside our table. They have this super exhaust system. No BBQ smell on your clothes and they do the cooking for you. And that's quite an experience. Alternatively, if you are dating and don't want anyone overhearing your sweet-nothings, you can opt for your food to be cooked in the BBQ room and they will serve it to you.

Kimchi stew with pork ($16). Decent but small serving for the price. Serving of meat is small but the kimchi soup is awesome. Chase the chills away, especially on a rainy day.

Cooked ribs. Yes. No bones. A delight. Very well marinated but not overbearing, the meat is oh-so-moist and tender to bite into. Someone bring me to Korea! The accompanying seared apple slices? A perfect companion to the fatty meat. Light, crisp and sweet... awww.....

Some of the rib pieces came with bones, but the meat do slide off them. The corn was a bit dry and the prawns, nothing to shout about. Stay focused on the ribs. Ha.

We opted for the pork belly to be grilled at the BBQ room instead of at the table. A mistake maybe. It was allowed to chill when it was served to us, making the meat a little tough. But nevertheless, it was again well seasoned (different base from the ribs) and juicy.

The full complements. :)

Complimentary dessert. Stewed red beans on shaved ice, some cocktail pieces and cream. Nice touch but just normal. We didn't finish it.

Overall a good place with more than decent food. The meats are well marinated and cooked to perfection (at the table). The vegetables and marinated stuff that came with the set was awesome. Eat your greens dudes. Service was great too.

Nolboo Hangari Galbi

181 Orchard Road

Orchard Central

#08-04

+65 68849151

Tonkichi

2010-11-17T19:25:00.002+08:00

We couldn't decide what to have at Tampines Mall and we chanced upon Tonkichi. As both of us were craving for Japanese food and so here we go.

Upon going in, we were transferred to Japan. Ok... snap out of it. This section on the left once you enter the place is similar to some of the eateries we visited in Tokyo. Look how happy I am. Ha.

Explains the beginnings of tonkatsu (とんかつ). Or is itトンカツ? Hmm...

Great ambience isn't it?

Kimchi Shabu-Shabu (Black Pig)

I ordered the kimchi special. Meat used... kurobuta. How can you turn down berkshire pig (black pig) when it's on the menu. (The price.) And... in a shabu-shabu, kurobuta is the only way to go.

Kimchi was nice enough and lends a deep flavour to the soup. The pork? Slight flora scent and chewy (or the taiwanese may say, QQ). Love it.

It came served in a set like this.

Awesomeness! Right proportion of fats and meat.

Ramen Set

The wife had the ramen set (which is not available at the takashimaya branch). A choice of ramen, tonkatsu and side dish. Cost less than $20.

She opted for the pork fillet which has a higher fat percentage. Moist, crunchy and flavourful. Decent but somehow we felt something was missing. There was no WOW factor.

We chose the adegashi tofu as the side. Normal.

The tonkotsu soup base was a little too salty for my liking. And could had been richer. Char Siu was ok. Egg.. overcooked. Overall, decent.

From here on, it is our second visit in a month to Tonkichi. This time round we ended up at Takashimaya.

Tonkatsu Pork Fillet. Consistent taste here and at Tampines. Mark of a good chain stall.

Black Pig tonkatsu. ($38.90). Definitely a cut above the normal pork. The price may be prohibitive, but if you are feeling the love, order it. Worth it.

I had the special set ($29.90). Decent kimchi that came with it.

Normal pork. Rosu (loin). Surprisingly it was moist even though there is a lower fat percentage.

The sesame crusher. Grind the sesame seeds and pour in the tonkatsu sauce at the table. Dip it with your katsu. I like it with a touch of mustard that comes served with your katsu. Nice.

Overall a good place to be at when you are craving for tonkatsu with a reasonable pricing. Go for the kuro katsu if you feel like spending.

There's one-for-one Sapporo draft promotion ongoing when we visited the branch at Tampines Mall. (Weekdays 630pm onwards, full day on PH and weekends)

Suriya Curry House

2010-11-03T23:48:00.001+08:00

We found a gem! Within walking distance... and open 24hours! This reminds me of Fong Seng and Prata during our good old hall days. The mee goreng is splendid. Tasty, moist and full of the dragon breath or 'wok hei' and not too spicy that it over-runs the taste. Simply sedap. And yes, the customary cucumber served with tomato ketchup.... awwww.... are you feeling the love?

The maggi goreng offers a springy-ier texture if you prefer it.

The roti pratas here is a delight too! The kind that is crispy on the outside and oooohhh so fluffy on the inside. And the curry that they serve with it, is not the thin kind. It is thick and creamy, full of the good old curry, spicy stuff. Delightful. So is the egg prata.

Teh halia (ginger milk tea) is great too! The right balance of ginger and tea... most importanly, not too sweet. Smooth and silky, so much so we took evening walks just to get a packet of tea for our after dinner drink. Superb.

Sorry. No prices available as the usual prata place just total your bill at the table. The mee goreng is about $3 (with egg) and teh halia is $1. Not too sure about the prata though.

Price here is reasonable. And many were spotted having briyani and Indian rojak. Will be our next orders.

Suriya Curry House

536A Upper Serangoon Road

Fruit Paradise

2010-11-03T23:33:00.000+08:00

Having had the grapefruit & orange version, it took me quite awhile before revisiting Fruit Paradise.

We went for the promo that came with udon, prawn tempura and the flavours of the month. And we chose mango & banana. Having been previously blown away by the quality of the cake on the previous visit, somehow this time round it didn't wow me as much. Even for the wife, it was...normal for her. Something had changed.... and I just couldn't figure out what. Is it a case of growing too fast?

The udon was forgettable. Not bad tasting but normal. Something you could have cooked at home yourself.

Prawn tempura was ok. No complains but again, just... normal.

Prego Again! Fairmont Hotel

2010-10-27T15:55:00.004+08:00

Second entry on Prego here. Check out our first entry here. This had got to be our favourite Italian place with a combination of quality of food, ambience, convenience and price (Feed at Raffles 1-for-1).

We were in a hungry mood today and ordered starters! A repeat order of Parma Ham & Melon ($27) is definitely a must. Prego serve one of the better parma ham we have had. Combined with the ever so sweet rock melon, the bitters from the rocket leaves and the balsamic fig, this is a great starter with a combination of all the flavours.

The order was mixed up. We were served beef carpaccio instead which we promptly returned (without tasting it). Looks great, but raw red meat is something I hadn't gotten over mentally yet. And plus I don't take beef. Probably the only meat besides fish I would take raw is probably horse-meat. That's another story for another time.

The fungi carpaccio ($19) was a disappointment. Cold and under-seasoned (and with super small servings), you could not even taste the classic woody taste of mushrooms. Plain, bland... what a waste of money. And I think it's one of their signature dish if I recall correctly.

The rissoto of the day ($36) comes in the form of seafood, a very generous serving of squid, clams and prawns on a light tomato, cream base. Delightful and cooked to the right texture that gives the creaminess of the risotto and yet with a little crunch left in there. The cheese-level was superb and you can still taste the stock base in between the creamy cheese. And of course the hint of garlic that whiffs in now and then. Simply supreme.

Another look at the favourite dish of the night.

And yet again, complimentary cake for our birthday celebrations. We opted for mango mousse over the chocolate cake this time round. Very nice, although a little tart for me. Good round off to the meal.\

(Prices quoted are before Feed at Raffles offer.)

Prego

Fairmont Singapore

2 Stamford Road

S(178882)

Nando's Bugis Junction

2010-10-25T20:45:00.036+08:00

Nando's flame grilled chicken had created quite a flame when it was re-opened in Singapore. The ridiculously long queues mean that we have had to go for lunch at 2pm. A foodie gotta do what a foodie gotta do, right?

As it was late, we decided to go small on servings. A quarter chicken with mild sauce ($13.90) comes with 2 sides. The chicken was nicely marinated and the flesh was moist. Somehow, I am just not blown away by the peri-peri sauce. It didn't taste that special to me. Or am I missing something?

The spiced rice was disappointing to say the least. Garden salad... normal.

C ordered the pita sandwich ($12.20) as her throat was burning. She didn't want to risk the fiery of the african marinade. The salsa sauce is a good complement to the grilled chicken breast. The tangy and chilling sauce goes particularly well with the perfectly grilled sliced chicken. A pity that the pita bread is too dry though. I have a soft spot of sandwiches, no matter what form it takes.

The fries and bean salad (?). Sides were really normal at best. Nothing too interesting, or worth remembering.

Cape Verda Fresca ($3.90), basically a lime tea. Refreshing but overpriced. I am make this at home.

The famed peri-peri sauce. Didn't leave an impression but MIL say the extra hot sauce is not bad. I must say there is a distinct smokey slant to it.

Nando's Bugis Junction

#01-85/87 Bugis Junction

200 Victoria Street

Tel: 6338-6555

www.nandos.com.sg

Tonkatsu Ginza Bairin: A re-visit

2010-10-24T22:07:00.001+08:00

Second visit to Tonkatsu Ginza Bairin. Read our first visit here. Short post here. We had the tonkatsu ramen and again the katsu curry. Both were decent.

The soup base was nice and thick and the egg still warm and with a nice runny yolk. The chasu may not be as good as the other ramen specialty stalls that we have had, but still of a decent standard.

As good as we last remembered it to be. The tonkatsu curry is a delight here. Good for a quick meal and short waiting time as the eatery is rarely over crowded.

Tonkatsu Ginza Bairin
Orchard Ion
2 Orchard Turn
B4-39/40/41/42
Tel: 6-509-8101
Opens: 1100 - 2230 (Last orders: 2200)

New Lucky Claypot Rice

2010-10-16T16:19:00.000+08:00

First of our short posts on Facebook.

New Lucky Claypot Rice. All comments in captions of photos. Here.

Like our facebook page to get notifications whenever we post photos or short posts.

Flying Bread @ 313 Somerset

2010-10-11T17:35:00.000+08:00

Had to frequent 313 Somerset quite a bit for the last couple of months. Usually I will grab a light dinner before going for my dealings and eating another light home-cooked dinner thereafter.

And so, I had the chance to frequent the Food Hall @ 313 Somerset quite a bit.

One of the more tasty treats I had, have to come from the Flying Bread. And it help that they were having an offer of topping $2 for a choice of shakes. I had the avocado shake, decent, thick and the swirl of chocolate. Not too bad, although I would have loved it if gula melaka was used.

I ordered the regular chicken flying bread ($3.90) and it was prepared fresh on the order. Nice, crispy and well marinated chicken wrapped with fresh, crisp and juicy shredded lettuce in a warm naan. A great treat that warms the stomach and fuel you up. A great perk-me-up!

Flying Bread

Food Hall

313 @ Somerset

Nakhon Kitchen

2010-09-30T15:00:00.001+08:00

We had gone to this Thai food place many times and I finally got to blog it here. "Serving you authentic Thai cuisine." is as close as it gets. With the kitchen and many of the food servers from the Land of the Smiles, this is the least you can expect. And what's more, the ingredients and drinks are imported direct from Thailand.

Four condiments are available on each table with the sweet Thai chilli sauce especially outstanding. Almost a perfect bland of sweet, sour and savoury it packs a good kick and goes extremely well with the fried items.

Thai Iced Tea

One of the traditional drinks served here is the Thai iced tea ($3). Brewed in house, it is very.. Thai obviously. The distinct mixture of black tea with asian spice like star anise, cardamom, tamarind amongst others is very seductive. The milk version is served here (also known as cha yen). The lemongrass drink is also worth a mention. It is infused in strong lemongrass and doused with honey. A delightful and refreshing drink that goes well with the spicy thai food.

Stir Fried Kai Lan

We often opt for the stir fried kai lan ($6) for our veggies option as all the other dishes are more often than not spicy. They do serve kangkong and other veggies too. Nice and crunchy, we have no complains.

Thai Mango Salad

The last time I was in Bangkok, I was so surprised that the green mangoes are more expensive than the ripe (yellow) ones. And this is why. The green mango (and papaya) is often used in salads, and Nakhon serves a great rendition of it here. The mixture of sugar, vinegar, lime and fish sauce is perfectly on the spot. The sprinkling of chilli padi gives the dish the kick and the cashew nuts a great compliment. One of the better green mango salad ($5) we ever have had in Singapore.

Prawn Cakes

I fell in love with Thai prawn cakes ($12) in the same trip to Bangkok. And trust me, it is not easy to find good ones here. The servings come in standard sizes of 4 pieces and a serving of the sweet thai chilli sauce dip with diced shallots and crushed peanuts. Juicy and crunchy prawns packed together with a nicely fried skin, this is Thailand in Singapore. Always a must-order whenever we visit.

Thai Stuffed Chicken Wings

I am always fascinated by stuffed chicken wings ($4 - 2pcs). But it may be because of the fish sauce used, the wings tasted a tad fishy and less chicken-y. Still a great treat, especially with the thai chilli sauce, but I will pick the prawns cakes over the chicken wings anytime.

Tom Yam Seafood (Clear)

The tom yam soup ($6) here comes in clear or thick soup with chicken, prawns and seafood options. Because of the prawn cakes, we usually go for the tom yam seafood. Packed with a nice chilli punch and sour combination, this is one good authentic Thai signature. The fishes pieces used may not always be the freshest but the overall package of things make up for it.

Green Curry (Chicken)

One of our favourite thai green curry ($8) is served here. The chicken version is our choice all the time. Thick, sweet and incredibly fragrant it goes super well with the rice. One down point is the frozen peas used. The brinjal cubes and long beans are quite delightful to bite into.

Thai Pineapple Rice

Nakhon do serve white rice ($1) but how can you avoid pineapple rice ($6)? Nicely flavoured and comes together with a generous serving of pork floss, prawns and cashew nuts, this is a decent version. Even though we had better, but this is good enough.

Black Olive Rice

Another notable rice dish served here is the black olive fried rice ($6). Very fragrant with nice little pieces of marinated meat, olives and shallots. A great alternative if you don't like pineapple rice (!??!). However, the quality of the black olive rice can be inconsistent. We had great servings and not so good ones from the numerous times we were there.

Red Ruby

Desserts are limited with the usual trio of red rubies, mango with glutinous rice and steamed tapioca. The red rubies ($3) is served in shaved ice and sweet coconut milk and shreds of jackfruit (the yellow strips in the photo). Decent, but it didn't blow me away.

Mango with Glutinous Rice

I would say the mango with glutinous rice ($4) is the best dessert here. The mangoes is sweet. The rice is steamed nicely with enough bite still remaining. Mixed well with thick coconut cream, this is a sinful but worth every divine bite. Share it. It will be too much for one person to finish a serving of this after going through the meal.

One downside may be the waiting time. Both the kovan and bedok outlets are relatively small. Be prepared to queue for up to 1 hour if you go at busy times. Go early, it's worth it. Or go late and risk having your favourite dishes sold out.

Another dish worth a mention is the grouper in thai chilli sauce ($22). Most expensive item on the menu but a good deal as compared to dining in a restaurant. Good size fish fried to perfection with crispy skin and moist meat served with a good dose of thai chilli sauce with diced mango and shallot.

It is notable that the Bedok branch serves food that is less spicy as opposed to the ones we are used to in Kovan. Maybe a one off thing. Not sure.

Nakhon Kitchen

212 Hougang St 21

#01-341

+65 6286 8785

Blk 136 Bedok North Ave 3

#01-166

+65 6245 5548

Jumbo Seafood @ Waterfront

2010-09-27T16:57:00.001+08:00

Farewell dinner for a good friend from the platform we all call home. And what great news he brought us! He is finally getting married. hurhurhur.

We settled for the 6-pax set meal to make things easy and some changes to the menu to suit our taste.

First up was the Braised Seafood Conpoy Pumpkin Broth with Shark's Fin. Very interesting texture and taste I must say. The seafood was fresh and the pumpkin broth brings a different kind of sweetness to it. Some stranded strands of shark's fin can be found but they won't be missed.

Menu for the set meal. At $288++. Total bill came up to $317.49 with beer and other side orders and a $50 discount voucher. Decent price for the food that we had.

Fried Cereal Live Prawns were next. No idea why they need to use Live prawns. I hope they were killed humanely and not thrown directly into the hot oil. Nothing special, just cereal prawns. Sweet, buttery and fresh. All at one go.

Stir-fried brocolli with scallops in XO sauce. Masterfully done. The brocolli was cooked through and still retain the crunchiness. Scallops were fresh and cooked to perfection. Undercook and it will be limp, and overcooked scallops is just tough. Kudos to the chef. And the XO sauce is the perfect agent to bind this dish together.

Steamed Live Soon Hock with Soya Sauce. Soon Hock is one of the more expensive fish you can get here. Prized for its 'smooth' texture and tender meat, this fish is best eaten steamed. Hongkong style with soya sauce and garnish of finely sliced ginger and spring onions. This fish dish did not disappoint. Fresh, springy to the bite and adequately seasoned by the light soya sauce. Superb.

Signature Chilli Crabs. This has to be one of my favourite chilli crabs. The renditions at other crab places don't come close. Not overly spicy and still packs a good kick of chilli and tangy tomato sauce, the sauce is best lapped up by fried man tous (buns).

The only change we made to the menu. Seafood Mee Goreng (Seafood Fried Noodles). Recently we discovered the mee goreng served at these seafood restaurants are very very good. I would say it is a combination of the chinese zi char technique inspired by the malay style mee goreng. And we LOVE it. Wet and full of flavours from the seafood and tomato based sauce, with the right kick from the sambal chilli and onions, mee goreng is a staple for me when we visit seafood restaurants from now on. Simply sedap.

And the favourite chinese traditional dessert. Sweet Yam Paste with Pumpkin and Gingko nuts. I am never a fan of yam paste with pumpkin. Just give me a good yam paste anytime. Not really the best I had, but good enough. The yam paste was smooth and a good level of sweetness.

We opted to sit indoors as it was quite a warm evening. Outdoor seating is great for the good alfresco dining experience.

Jumbo Seafood Waterfront

2 Stadium Walk #01-05

Kallang Indoor Stadium

Tel: 6440-3435

Professor Brawn Cafe

2010-09-23T15:07:00.001+08:00

Professor Brawn Cafe is also known as a social enterprise. They provide jobs, showcase talents and raise awareness for the special needs community. And this is where I ended up for a meet up with a long-time friend who is what else but a social worker. :)

The mushroom soup came with a set meal consisting of soup, mains and a drink. We ordered the black miso cod set ($22.90). The soup was substantial with enough bits of mushrooms still visible. It was a bit too peppery for me though, but still a hearty treat nevertheless.

We shared a portion of Chicken Caesar's Salad ($8.90) which my friend kept raving about. I have to admit it is one of the more affordable ones in the market, served with generous cuts of grilled chicken breast. And it taste good too! Not the super duper rich kind you will get elsewhere but great value for its price.

The friend have a spaghetti bolognaise ($11.90) which I didn't taste. According to her, it was just... normal. Something which she will not re-order as there are other better dishes in the menu. The sauce was bland and the beef... bland.

The main dish of black miso cod came with a serving of blanched aparagus and mashed sweet potatoes. The sweet potatoes are surprising nice and moist. The cod, is slight burnt on the surface but still holds the distinctive natural layers of (good) fats in between the layers of meat. The charred sections actually cuts through the fatty fish quite well!

What you shouldn't miss is the array of ice cream that they serve. Both scoops came courtesy of a UOB card promotion. Can't remember the flavours that we ordered but they were VERY good.

And according to my friend, whom eat at this joint quite often, do not miss out on the fish and chips (which comes in huge portions) and their home-made tea. There are also affordable lunch sets on weekdays to indulge into. So head on down there now!

Professor Brawn Cafe

Velocity (Novena MRT)

238 Thomson Road

#02-78/79

Tel: 6253 4650

Oriole Cafe & Bar

2010-09-20T17:39:00.003+08:00

Piccolo Latte

We have heard great things about Oriole Cafe & Bar and so decided to drop by. Wanted to have brunch, but the place was packed to the brim and the only available seats were outside. As the weather was scorching hot, we decided to give it a pass and come back later for afternoon tea.

The other drink we ordered, the Piccolo Latte ($5.50) had received rave reviews. Very delicately balanced, we could taste some vanilla and cinnamon infused lightly in the java beans. We liked it very much indeed.

Chilli Mocha

The chilli mocha pictured above ($6) is one of the signature drinks, having won in a competition. We had long heard of the amazing combination of chilli and chocolate (there is this korean snack of chilli and chocolate. quite nice.) but never had we drank that before. Served with a cinnamon stick as a stirrer, it adds fun and taste to the drink. The initial sip brings the normal mocha taste, with a little heavy on the chocolate side and then thereafter the chilli kicks in. Not too hefty, but it did attack my throat a little. Nevertheless, interesting drink. But I will stick to my regular mocha.

Grilled Lemon Cake

IT IS teatime. So we couldn't resist a serving or two of cakes! The lemon cake ($8.50) came with glazed apricot and a sprinkling of pistachio nuts. Rich lemon-y flavour and a good level of sweetness. This is one wholesome treat! The apricot gave a tangy taste and the pistachios added a nice crunch to it. Maybe, because the wife can do a good lemon cake at home, we didn't think we would order this again on our next visit.

Tiramisu

And yes, tiramisu ($8.50) is something we would usually order if it's on the menu. One of our favourite desserts which we had also mastered our favourite home-made version. The cheese mix was nicely dense and pack a punch. The lady fingers were generously soaked in espresso. Would had liked it to be a little bit lighter though but this is good enough. Didn't really blow us away but definitely one of the better ones we had.

Oriole Cafe & Bar

96 Somerset Road

#01-01 S(238163)

Tel: +65 62388348

Mooncakes Singapore 2010

2010-09-09T23:08:00.000+08:00

It's Mid Autumn Festival! Or... mooncakes time!!! Today we managed to find time to visit the Mooncake Fair at Takashimaya B2. And of course took the chance to sample as many mooncakes as we can. :)

So here we bring to you the highlights of the various vendors for Mooncakes Singapore 2010!

Royal China, Raffles Hotel

The clear winner gotta be the mini snow skin with bird's nest, almond and macadamia nuts. Very strong almond taste with is creamy and the macadamia nuts provides the crunch.

Also worth a mention is the mini snow skin with Griotte Cherry Truffle & Lotus paste. Nice liquor center with cherry. The mango truffle & lotus paste is not too bad too! (8pcs - $46) You forsake the 10% discount if you include the bird nest's mooncakes in the assorted box. Very worth it if you ask me.

Royal China has one of the best snow skin. It turns soft very fast at room temperature though. But I don't think it will last so long once you bite into it.

Evidently, this is one of the three mooncake packs that we bought.

Jewels Artisan

Two stand outs for us from Jewels. The mini snow skin mooncake with champagne ganache truffle and mini snow skin with espresso truffle.

They have the best champagne ganache truffle is the best we tasted in the mooncake fair. Maybe because of their background in chocolate making.

The espresso truffle accentuates the chocolate. Delightful.

The salty caramel was interesting too. (8pcs - $48.15)

Shang Palace - Shangri La Hotel

The kumquat lemon paste is quite special. The rest of the mooncakes tasted decent but did not wow us. ($50 per box)

TWG

Yes. You did not see wrong. TWG actually offers mooncakes. They incorporated tea elements into 4 baked versions and 4 snow skin versions.

We tasted the Constellation - infused with Singapore Breakfast Tea and Grand Empire - Napoleon Tea. And we were not impressed by either. ($60 for 4 mooncakes, $68 (2 mooncakes with Tea and Cotton Tea filter)

Side note: The staff were all non-Chinese.

Fullerton Hotel

The Hibiscus Strawberry snowskin and Lavender Macadamia Green Bean in Snowskin were both outstanding.

Very much like the Hibiscus Cheese Filo we had at Eden Sanctuary Floral Cafe. Slight tart taste well balanced by the strawberries. A delight.

The lavender was just... special. The green bean did spoil it a little bit though. ($55 per box)

Swissotel Merchant Court

Had the durian truffle. Did not impress. And the staff weren't too friendly. So did not ask for the vodka orange snowskin mooncake. Hope you get better luck. (Box of 8 - $54)

Ocazzion

The mango & passionfruit was a hit for us. Well balanced sweetness from the mango and sourness from the passionfruit. Creamy filling and good texture of the snowskin.

Their signature Soursop with Pulp snowskin is very nice. Somehow there is a fuzzy taste that comes along with the sweet and sour filling. ($45-48 for a box of 4)

Pioneer Seafood

Only tasted the Mao Shan Wang Durian Mooncake. Nice but did not blow us away. It is supposedly their signature, so did not ask to taste the rest. ($46 per box of 4)

Canele

Very interesting concept. All the snowskin versions had regional names. We tasted the Kyoto (green tea) and Asiana (natural purple sweet potato).

Both were decent. But we weren't sold enough to get the assorted box.

They do offer savoury versions of scallop and abalone.

(Prices not available)

Peony-Jade Restaurant

The durian mooncake was excellent. We had the mao shan wang version. A pity that the golden phoenix durian was sold out.

Do check this outlet out. They have many special flavours like Japanese Yuzu and Chempedak. And yes, the Teochew Yam Paste Mooncake. (~$50 per box, ~$60 per box for durian and yuzu)

Goodwood Park Hotel

No sampling available. But I suppose the durian ones should be good for a place well known for it's range of durian products. (~$46 per box) UOB & Citibank15% discount only available at Goodwood Park.

Ritz Carlton

The lychee-tini was sold out and we only managed a taste of the Jujube paste snowskin. It is basically a red-date paste with walnut mooncake. It has a real intense taste. It is like eating a red date straight. Get it if you love red-dates.

(~$40 per box)

Victoria Peak Mooncake

From Hongkong. We were impressed by the snow skin series. The white lotus with custard is nice and creamy, the red bean paste with plum is perky and the green tea paste with raspberry is a surprise.

Have to admit not all will take to the special flavours, but they are really worth tasting. ($30 per box). Durian snowskin not too bad, with the discount it is the cheapest durian mooncake available at the fair. (usual $48 selling at $35 per box at the fair.)

Summer Palace, The Regent

Rare taste of the baked version for us. We were focusing on the snowskins. The Parma ham and Pork Floss is special. And so is the Ginseng and Ginger Paste with pine nuts is very intensed in taste and flavours. ($49+ per box)

Dragon Phoenix Restaurant

The single yolk pandan tasted like kaya. Very fragrant and tasty. ($42 per box)

Fairmont Singapore

Only tasted the champagne truffle & chocolate ganache. Not too bad but you know our favourite. ($52 per box)

Park Palace, Park Hotel Group

The lychee & lychee is outstanding. Strong lychee flavours and not too sweet. Tasty! Also outstanding was the baileys truffle & mint snowskin. Subtle baileys taste and the mint was a master stroke that cuts through the dense lotus paste. We almost bought a box of this, but the champagne ganache from Jewels edged this out. ($43 per box)

Garden Pastry & Cake

Crispy Skin Yam mooncake. One of the two that we really liked. But they don't keep long, so we did not buy any. ($34 per box)

Home's Favourite

The Black Gold Top Grade Mao Shan Wang was excellent. But I still like my durian from a shell. And again the Golden Phoenix Durian Mooncake is sold out. ($68 per box)

Hilton Singapore

They are better known for their cheesecakes. The mini cheese mooncakes series are new. Didn't leave an impression on us.

Four Seasons Durian

Good durian filling. Exactly what you would expect from a place that specialises in durians. They do have other snowskin varieties like yam and lychee. (Durian ~$40 for D24, $88 for mao shan wang, Other flavours $42 per box)

Zhen Wei Mooncakes

Only had the crispy yam. One of the better ones we tasted. (~$40 per box)

Eden Sanctuary Floral Cafe

2010-09-08T11:25:00.003+08:00

Eden Sanctuary Floral Cafe. Singapore unique eatery that Chef Clement Ronald Ng has a keen passion floral and colour cuisine. This is a special invite from

TimeOut, who are having their first dine-out tasting event soon. Chef Clement created a 5-course meal for us, of which most are best-sellers from his menu. The main concept of is to have all colours in your daily food intake to have a balanced, wholesome dietary consumption.

Clement believes in using as much natural ingredients as possible to bring out the true flavours of the ingredients. He sources out many of his stuff locally or regionally and even grows them in the very cafe! Clement gamely went through most of the plants in the plant window and even let us fiddle and TASTE some of them. He is my idol!! It had always been a fantasy to own my own herb garden and he had given me hope that it is possible in Singapore. Right now, I only have rosemary at my kitchen window. More herbs will come. OK, I digress.

And yes, even peppers are grown here. You will find brinjals and chillis, mints, various basil (they flowered!) and the usual thyme and rosemary.

We started off by eating this little herb OFF THE PLANT. Stevia, is the name of the herb. We were wondering why Clement said "Let's have desserts first." when he handed us the leaves. Whoa...... this bugger tasted sweet and has a nice dainty flavour. What a start to the night!

Eden offers a huge variety of tea which Clement concocts on his own. Each tea serves different purpose, pick your own or ask for suggestions from the friendly staff. We had the Relax Tea made up of Rose, Rosehip and Lemon Verbena. The verbena is the main thing that soothes the mind and muscle of the body.

We were also served the Butterfly Blue Pea. Yes. It's blue. It's like drinking ink! Interestingly there is a subtle taste of peas and the natural sweetness that comes with it. If you are a fan of nonya kuehs, this is where the natural colouring comes from.

The pumpkin soup was a delight. A blended concoction of butternut pumpkin that naturally sweetness shines through. As no cream is used, the soup is rather thin as compared to the usual western style soup that you may expect. Nevertheless even without the creaminess, the taste will still wow you.

The signature rainbow salad. As the name suggests, the dish includes all the main colours. The greens from the lettuce, yellow from the marigold petals, orange from the orange segments, blue from blueberries, red from the rose petals, purple from the purple cabbage and brown from the wholemeal bread. What a sight! And it tasted great too! The simple homemade dressing of calamansi juice and olive oil marries the different ingredients together, providing a delightful and very refreshing starter. The wholemeal bread also gave a nutty taste and different texture.

The leek-ginger and peanut butter paste baked fish is a 'accidental' recipe. Be sure to ask Clement about the story if you do order this dish when you visit. Light, but adequately seasoned the dish brings a very clean taste, totally clear of the butter-laden seafood dishes that you may get somewhere else. The paste was a little bit too ginger-ly for me though. Might have liked it more if the taste of the peanut butter is more intense.

Simple pasta dish. But absolutely mind blowing. This got to be my favourite of the day. A simple mix of sundried tomatoes tossed in al-dente pasta and drizzled with some good extra virgin olive oil and a sprinkle of grated parmesan with a touch of freshly ground black pepper. Woooo... you can imagine the myriad of flavours exploding in your mouth. And the surprise? The thin strips of lemon zest well mixed into the pasta that explodes in your mouth when you bite into them. Superb.

Desserts was a sampler of a very dense Rose Petal Brownie, Modena mousse cake and Tofu cheesecake. No sour cream or cream is used in the process (which is usually used to fluff up the cakes) which gives a very intense flavour to his cakes. The chocolate brownie was deep in flavour and very rich in the chocolate, some of the bitterness actually coming from the crushed rose petals inside. The modena cake is a lovely incorporation of balsamic vinegar. The mellow, classy balsamic is nicely infused into the cake and gives a nice tart taste, for a dessert. Very special indeed. The tofu cheesecake while scoring high points for the health factor, didn't leave much of an impression on the taste section, maybe because of it's richly flavoured buddies on the same plate. It is light and should be your choice of dessert for a healthy cheesecake. By the way, the 'roses' on the same plate and actually strawberries sculpted to look like flowers.

We heard so much about the hibiscusc cheese filo that we have to order it. Frozen and only baked when ordered. The warm, crispy filo shell coupled with the cold hibiscus in light cream cheese comes together splendidly! The flower filling tasted like summer berries ice cream with real cuts of strawberries. At $9.90 it is a tad pricey but definitely worth the experience that you probably can't get anywhere else.

With compliments from the chef, the new hazelnut praline cake. A very nice hazelnut chocolate mousse with real whole hazelnuts and covered with a very rich chocolate ganache. And a sprinkle of gold dust. Nice, moist and bursting with flavours.

Also compliments from the chef, Clement has a series of snowskin mooncakes which are made from natural ingredients. Even the colours! The yellow colour for the apricot-lemongrass mooncake actually comes from soaking the apricots and using the colour for the skin. The lemongrass is overwhelmed by the apricot center. The trick is to nibble the paste to actually taste the lemongrass flavours. The other one we tasted is the brandy lotus paste. Nice dose of brandy which actually intensifies the flavours. Clement only uses high grade white lotus paste in his mooncakes. And there is a limited order of 200 boxes only.

Eden also caters to customised menu. Just give Clement a call and state your dietary requirements/restrictions and he will design a nice 5-course for you (teas charged separately). The prices for the food are very reasonable considering the preparation and the whole concept of home-made goodness being put into them. And there are no taxes involved! Pay as is listed!

I was looking forward to tasting the Balsamic Ambrosia Blueberry Chicken but we were too well-fed by the end of the tasting. Next time!

We had a delightful evening talking to Clement as he shares with us his passion and philosophy behind his cooking. His creations are all circled on wholesome eating with fresh, natural ingredients, which is the way I adopt for my own home cooking. That is why I started off with fruits and got myself subscribed to Clement's email list a few years back. All natural cooking! That's the way to go!

And yes, his assistant chef/protege helm the kitchen whenever Clement is not around. That's Ronnie Sng, the happy guy in horizontal strips.

Eden Sanctuary Floral Cafe

18 Cross Street #01-16

+65 6224 2298

Tom's Palette Ice Cream

2010-09-06T00:24:00.000+08:00

Yes. You are not mistaken. We had 11 cups at Tom's Palette. And we had to repeat flavours. What a great way. Don't you love the myriad of colours? Just by looking at it makes you happy!!

Mango: Smooth and creamy. Full of mango flavours. A good combination of tartness and sweetness makes it taste more real. Somehow I get the "mango syrup" feel.

Choco Sorbet: It's not common to serve chocolate in sorbet form. I must say it tasted more like molten chocolate to me. The cold version. Interesting but didn't blow me away.

Evidence of taking too long before taking photos. But it's difficult to stop 10 squealing and hungry girls.

Choco Stout: Very mild in both chocolate and stout. Though the idea is good as both bitterness is distinct and quite enjoyable.

Granny's favourite: Can't remember much about this. Just that it's a tad too sweet. Granny shouldn't be having too much sugar!

Melt & Sizzle: Brings out the kids in the girls. Super interesting. If you remember the cola pops that sizzles and 'pops' in your mouth, this is it. They are mixed into the ice cream and this is sure one fun and yummy flavour.

Red wine sorbet: Sour. It tasted more like watered down red wine.

Blueberry Cheesecake: Sweet from the blues and sour from the cheese. Nice combi. Could have had more blueberries I felt.

Mocha Macnut: Seriously, cannnot really taste the macnut. Could be the mocha overpowering it.

Repeat flavours.

Horlicks: Well... it tasted like horlicks! Love it. Not overly sweet. Just nice. Brings a new edge to horlicks-peng.

Salted caramel cheesecake: If you are into savoury ice cream, this is the one you must get. Very nice and perked with salt and sweetness from the caramel.And of course the sourness from the cheese makes it a complete taste adventure!

Summerberries: Tasted like the haagen daaz summerberries, which is superb. The tartness and sweetness of the berries was superb. Do you know berries are actually brain food?

Lychee Rose: This is my favourite flavour of the day! Nice strong lychee taste supported beautifully by the subtle flavours of rose. Strong and with the gentle feminine flower scent. Simply divinve.

Apple Pie: Apple taste was very faint. And it's well too sweet for my liking.

Banana chocolate: This has got to be one of the best combination, banana and chocolate. But in ice cream, it didn't seem to come out too well. I will stick to the jams.

Rum 'n' Raisin: No kick from the rum and not enough sugar from the raisins. The vanilla taste could had been stronger. Haagen daaz still rules in this department.

Salty yuzu: Not very popular. It is like eating salty mandarin orange. Refreshing, but not all will like it.

Passion Sake: Sour and lack of the sake taste. Unless you are a big fan of passion fruit, skip it.

Coffee: (very strong) Indeed. It's like a double shot espresso. Your alternative to a caffeine shot, a cold one.

Overall the ice creams served at Tom's Palette is good quality and the ingredients are really fresh. Have to applaud the super vast variety of flavours available and they do rotate them. With so many choices, you are bound to find something that you like!

There are many many flavours on their list that I would really like to taste. More drop-ins are definitely on the cards.

And a shot of the group.

Tom’s Palette is located at100 Beach Road #01-25
Shaw Leisure Gallery S(189702)

Raindrops Cafe

2010-09-02T01:09:00.000+08:00

Raindrops Cafe at *Scape. One of the newest addition to the eating scene and located at the new Youth area behind Somerset MRT.

Beers

Raindrops Cafe has an impressive list of beers. Especially Belgian beers. Kwak ($15) is a very complex tasting beer with a tint of malt. Amazingly the taste evolves as it is allowed to breathe. Nice and strong that goes well with the dishes we ordered. (4/5)

The Kronenbourg 1664 Blanc ($10), essentially a white beer. Light and cheery, it brings a very refreshing taste. A ladies' beer some would say, but I definitely love this. A great beer to start the meal actually! (4.25/5)

The Timmerman's Framboise ($12) is kind of sour and fruity. A bit too tart for me, but definitely one for those who loves fruitiness in their beer. (3.75/5)

Tataki Tuna

We had the Tataki Tuna ($9) to share while waiting for the rest of the gang. Black pepper coated and lightly seared on the outside, you can still taste the nice raw tuna. The best way I like my tuna served. (unless it's chutoro). The pepper was too overpowering for me though. Takes away the freshness that you would otherwise taste. (3/5)

Portobello with Chicken

The portobello ($7) was nicely fried and crispy even after leaving it on the table for awhile. Well seasoned and juicy, the mushrooms were a delight to have and the chicken stuffed inside the fungi just polishes off everything. A good starter, not spectacular though. (3.75/5)

Chunky Mushroom Soup

Very normal was the verdict. The garlic bread floating on the soup ($5) was a nice novelty but made the eating somewhat difficult. Would had liked the soup a bit thicker, though the chunks of mushrooms is plentiful. (3.75/5)

Mushroom Carbonara

Nice and creamy ($12) though the mushroomy taste could had been more intense. The bacon was nice and not the overly salty kind. Decent. (3.5/5)

BBQ Chicken Pizza

Well marinated and put together. ($9) Nothing special but definitely good enough. Crust was a bit thick for someone like me who like thin crust. At least the ingredients are fresh. (3.5/5)

Chicken Leg Lemongrass Risotto

The chicken leg ($15) is nicely infused with lemongrass and is definitely the star of this dish. Grilled to perfection with the meat still moist and juicy with a very tasty skin.The risotto was however disappointing. Slightly undercooked and inadequately flavoured. (3.75/5)

Crispy Salmon with Asparagus

The salmon was served with a thin crispy skin, ($16) which was a great combination with the juicy (and fat) inside. The control of the heat was excellent with the center of the wish just cooked. It is easy to under or overcook a fish dish like this, and I must say this is particularly well done. (4.5/5)

Kurobuta Pork Rack

Had to order the kurobuta pork rack as it had been raved about in many reviews ($24). It came with quite a generous cut with the baby potatoes and a apple-raisin red wine reduction. I thought that the sauce was too sour. I suppose the intention is to cut through the fattiness of the pork, but it didn't work out. The red wine sauce tasted separated from the pork, somehow. One plus point is the great control of the temperature once again. The meat was nicely cooked and still retains it's moisture. (3.75/5)

Meltique Beef

Supposedly the signature dish. ($26) I don't take beef but comments was that it was tender, although tough at some parts. While it didn't really blow them away, it is good value for it's price. (3.75/5)

Desserts

We ordered all the desserts on offer. It's a pity that the chocolate lava cake was out.

Mascarpone Mousse

Simple tiramisu-like dessert ($9). Light, fluffy center with a creamy mascarpone cheese mousse topped with chocolate shavings. The lack of coffee wasn't missed. Superbly done and arguably the best dessert we had. (4.25/5)

Coffee Pannacotta

Nothing to shout about. ($7). Light coffee taste and the pannacotta tasted normal. (3.5/5)

Poached Pear with Ice Cream

The pear ($9) was poached in red wine without the hint of tartness or sourness taste. It is well sugared which really goes well with the wine. Served with ice cream, this is one special dessert. (4/5)

Creme Brulee

Creamy and with the right level of vanilla-ness, the creme brulee was great. ($6). The layer of burnt sugar was nicely controlled and it cracks under the pressure of the spoon. Decent and actually one of the better ones I had tasted so far. (4.25/5)

Banana Sabayon

Blow-torched and served with a great tasting sabayon sauce ($8), this has to be the best dessert of the day. Just slightly edging out the mousse. The sweet banana and the sabayon sauce is a perfect match. Creamy, smooth and very fragrant, coupled with the burnt banana.... Yumz! (4.75/5)

The indoor seating is limited so be sure to make reservations. If the weather is nice and cool, it is actually a good alfresco atmosphere dining out. A sure revisit is on the cards.

Raindrops Cafe

2 Orchard Link *Scape #02-38

+65 6834 4977

Itacho Sushi

2010-09-01T00:58:00.000+08:00

Looks like we had been covering quite a bit of Japanese food. Only just recently the Japanese Dessert Buffet that we had and now this. But we are not complaining.

It was still fairly crowded when we arrived for a late lunch (2pm) and so we opted to sit at the sushi bar, in an attempt to get the most authentic feel of a... well... sushi joint!

The happy wife clearly excited about what is to come. Nice, classy table top finish.

One great advantage sitting at the sushi bar. You get front row seats of the fare that you can order and about to eat. At the corner is the preparation place where you can see your piece of fish being blow(n)-torched before being served to you. Adding a visual impact to your gastronomic experience. :)

Normal plastic plates. It would have scored major points if it were the nice nice Japanese clay plates.

Isn't it wonderful when they have a seasonal menu?

Grilled Pork Sushi

And now, the taste adventures begins. First up the grilled pork sushi ($1). Served right off the torching station, it is nicely grilled with little bits (but not too much) of crisp on it. Well flavoured and still juicy with fats, it is a ultimate complement to the vinegary sushi rice. Great start! (4/5)

Eel Mini Rice

This is REALLY mini. But at $4 a servings, it is worth it. The grilled eel tasted fresh. A good dish, though it does not stand out from the usual eel that you can get anywhere else. (3.5/5)

Roasted Fatty Tuna Sushi

Gotta say that Itacho is really good for it's grilled sushi. Slightly marinated and toasted just nicely that gave the tuna ($7.20) the right level of doneness and yet preserving the oils in it. Amazing. (4.75/5)

Chawamushi with Salmon Roe

We were pretty sure we would be bloated at the end of the meal, but how is a Japanese meal complete with a chawamushi? Especially one that comes with salmon roe ($4)? Again, the serving is smaller than what we are used to, but feeds us comfortably to have a enough to taste. The egg was silky smooth and the oily roe pops nicely in the mouth. It may taste slightly fishy for those with sensitive taste buds. (3.75/5)

Shrimp Tempura Sushi

Prawns were missing from our menu and so this was ordered ($1.80). Relatively affordable, the size of the prawn is reasonable. Freshly fried with a light batter and a quick squeeze of mayonaise, it is offers an alternative taste to the 'light' meal. Nice though not mind blowing. (3.5/5)

Jumbo Scallop Sushi

They are HUGE ($3.70). The sushi rice at the bottom is half of the scallops. Fresh, juicy and super duper sweet, you can literally taste the ocean. The nice clean ocean, not our east coast park. The sour vinegar in the rice helped draw out the natural sweetness in the scallop. Worth every dollar! (4.5/5)

Roasted Fatty Salmon Sushi

You can see from the picture that only the surface to torched. ($1.70). Full of the natural oils and most importantly again, it's fresh. Loses out slightly to the tuna we had, but adequately holds out on it's own in terms of quality. This salmon sushi should had been served before the tuna. From less fat to more, that's what they do in Japan. (4.25/5)

Kimetai Sushi/Bluefin Chutoro

The one on the left is the kimetai sushi ($5.20) which is essentially a big-eyed red fish. Saw it on a Japanese food program and this fish is supposedly very well received when in season. Well, it was in season, so order it we must! The fish offers a very clean taste and has a nice level of natural sweetness. Very enjoyable indeed. (4/5) The sushi on the right is the legendary blue fin tuna sushi ($8.50). We were quite disappointed when we saw the marbling. It is labelled as chutoro (medium fat level) but it is like the lowest grade that is served in Japan. Nevertheless, it is juicy and oily. But at $8.50, it is slightly overpriced. (4/5)

Bluefin Chutoro

Disappointed by the supposedly chutoro, we decided to go for the otoro (highest fat level). At $9.00, it is a steal! Comparing the two pictures, it is just an extra 50cents to explode the fatiness level of the fish. Though it probably only just qualify as otoro in Japan, it is well good enough for us! This is the legendary "oily lips" experience. It is juicy and explodes in your mouth and it is so oily that it leaves a sheen of oil on your lips. Simply heavenly! (5/5)

Overall a great experience with more hits and a few misses. The grilled (blow-torched) stuff were great and the prices are reasonable. The wagyu beef sushi was sold out that day, but we will be back for it.

(Some of the items were at half-priced. Please check poster at door or special offers menu at your table.)

Itacho Sushi

ION Orchard
(next to Dunkin' Donuts)

+65 6509 8911

Cacio de Pepe Italian Restaurant

2010-08-15T13:50:00.000+08:00

Chocolate Chip Cookie went to a cosy no-frills Italian cafe called Cacio de Pepe for a farewell lunch. Word of advice: It is inconvenient to go there without a car. It is located off Upp Paya Lebar Road.

The standard compliments of grated parmesan cheese powder and chilli flakes.

The standard and yummy starter of bread and olive oil. Not easy to serve the bread warm and fluffy (the best way to eat it with olive oil & balsamic vinegar) as the bread tend to turn hard when cold.

A serving of Margherita pizza was ordered while waiting for the rest of the gang to come. Margherita is arguably the simplest of all pizzas to prepare, topped with the simplest and most basic ingredients of only cheese, tomato sauce and basil leaves. And sometimes the most basic ingredients, when come together in proper proportion, creates the most divine food. PLUS, served on a very thin crust. The pizza disappeared in seconds.

Cacio de Pepe offers a $12.90++ set lunch on weekdays that comes with the soup of the day and a pasta of the day (choice of 2) with a choice of tea/coffee/soft drink.

The slightly spicy Penne Arrabiata! The serving doesn't look a lot but it was very filling. The tomato sauce was not overwhelming at all but super tasty, maybe they had put some special ingredients into the paste.

The other pasta of the day was Farfalle Salmon. We did not taste it personally but reviews is that it's delicious!

We didn't expect much from a out-of-the-way place. But they did surprise us with the simple, yet down to earth and very honest serving of Italian food. Homemade Italian food. We will definitely be back for more!!

4 Rochdale Road
+65 6281 1905
(nearest MRT Bartley CCL)

Vanilla Bar & Cafe

2010-08-14T10:14:00.000+08:00

Vanilla Bar & Cafe is a small and cosy place, seating capacity is about 20 indoors and 5 in the courtyard. Unfortunately for us, there was an event and some dude booked the entire indoor seating so we had to sit outdoors. Surprisingly, it did not turn out too bad, in fact, it felt really quaint! Over our heads was the well-maintained exteriors of the shophouse, and we were surrounded by the lush greenery. It almost felt like we were somewhere else altogether, definitely not in CBD.

The order of the day: my norwegian salmon with egg mayo sandwich. never knew such a combo could be so heavenly. With the panini well toasted (and with sexy grill marks), it omes together superbly with the creamy egg mayo andt the salmon provided the punch. Would had been really the perfect meal if there was a serving of cream cheese. :)

A standout: my dining partner's japanese katsu curry. the meat was nicely fried and did not lose the crispiness even though it was generously doused in Japanese curry. I for one loves the root vegetables simmered in gravy/curry/sauce and this is no exception.

You can look forward to the value deal of adding $1.50 for a drink (coffee/tea/soft drink)!! Our total dining bill was a mere $25. What a bargain! Considering it's in CBD!

Great getaway at such an unlikely place! A good (short) get-away from the hustle and bustle of work in the middle of a work week. :)

3 Boon Tat Street #01-01
+65 6423 0366