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Sport & Recreation
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Today is not Monday, but I decided to surprise you with a slice of rich and good cake anyway. Sorry I have been kept busy by a lot of stuff, and I’m not able to blog as frequently as I’ll like, there are so many places that I went recently and I’ll love to share them with you. Until then, lets keep our attention to the cake shan’t we?
Cakes come in all form and sizes, there are the pretty-but-can-be-better-ones, and also some-which-I-absolutely-fall-in-love-with. There’s also those which are very simple and made me go back twice in four days. Cakes are good on a date, and it’s meant to be share with your love ones and friends, there’s just nothing like ending on a sweet note yeah?
I love the look on your face when you grazed upon the slice of rich and good cake, so stop resisting, you know you need that slice of cake! I think I’m getting pretty obsessed with cakes, I even dream about them at night. Oh gosh.
I confess: I’m definitely a dessert-holic, and why not? Desserts chase your monday blues away, a slice of good cake never fails to cheer you up, and I couldn’t help feeling “oops I did it again” everytime I eat a dessert. But who cares? Desserts make me happy. I’m superficial. Whatever.
Coming back to the rich and good cake, I have been hearing so much about it. Therefore when I was in the area last week, I know I have to get it. The sponge was very, very delicate, it’s quite unlike your typical sponge cake. But the kaya can really be better, it would be perfect if they give more kaya fillings too! Not that I’m complaining anyway, it’s still a slice of rich & good cake.
Long story short, if you like my review please do come by ladyironchef . . . for the delicious in you
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It was only my second time to Mount Faber, so I was pretty happy when I know that we are going up to the Jewel Box for lunch. And I was impressed within five minutes after arriving, the toilets have this amazing view – it’s even better than the ones in 6 star hotels!
The beauty of the traditional soya smoked fish ($10) lies in the simplicity of it; the use of soya sauce to enhance the sweetness of the delicate fish.
First thoughts, wow, it’s my favorite sweet & sour pork! Until someone pointed out it was actually youtiao. The crispy dough stuffed with seafood mousse ($8), was drizzled with the appetizing sweet & sour sauce. Who will have thought that youtiao can taste so good!
From afar, I smelt blood. And suddenly I felt awaken deep inside. I want blood, give me the pig liver!
The Spinach and pork liver soup ($8 per portion) is one of the more delicious soup that I had in a while (other than my mom’s homecook soup). It’s definitely no easy task to prepare liver; if you under cook it, the surface will be too raw, while if you leave it for too long the whole thing will be hard and tasteless. The liver, I have to say, was lovely; it was done just right with a pinkish tinge in the middle.
You know every year during relatives gathering, I’m always known as the-boy-who-love-fish, so i was quite excited to see the steamed white pomfret ($48) on our table. A restaurant wouldn’t dare to serve steamed fish unless it’s very fresh, or do they? Unfortunately there will be no answer because we were doing the programme recording halfway when the fish arrived. And it was already cold when they distributed it into individual portions after we finished.
I like prawns. And I dislike prawns too. Well, I like to eat them but I’m a lazy person when it comes to shelling prawns. King Caramelized King Prawns Har Lok ($26 per portion 2 pcs)
If there’s one thing that I can eat everyday with white rice, it would definitely be the shrimp omelette. A fried egg on its own will never taste as nice as one that has shrimp. The Old fashioned Whampoo fried noodles ($20 per portion) were served with eggs and shrimp on top, while I enjoyed every bit of the egg, the crunchy shrimp came across as a tad too salty.
Empress Jade prides itself on serving heritage Chinese food – the taste of 1970s. I have to agree that the food evokes nostalgic memories of childhood but prices seem slightly steep when you are paying for home cook food. Still, It is a good place where you can impress your date and his/her family. Getting up to Mount Faber might be a hassle if you are not driving, fortunately there’s free shutter bus going up every 30 minutes from Harbourfront Tower 2. I will like to thank Jiafa & Peifen from YES 93.3, and Jewel Box for the invitation.
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We tried out the new Pasta Perfetto at Bukit Timah branch Pizza Hut.
I ordered a Fish in Tomato Cream Sauce (their signature Pasta Perfetto Specialty Pasta dish – $11.90). Pizza Hut describes this dish as “Crispy fried fish fillet on a bed of spaghetti gets a refreshing spin with a unique blend of tangy pomodoro and white cream sauces.“
We also ordered a Prawn Aglio Olio ($7.50) – This is the perfect choice if you love the mild spicy kick that comes with fresh prawns on spaghetti with olive oil, freshly crushed garlic and sliced chilli padi.
The Fish in Tomato Cream Sauce Pasta looks very appealing presentation-wise. Another plus is its strong cream sauce smell that makes you want to dive straight into it. Mix well and you are good to go for a yummy pasta meal.
The Aglio Olio was spicy and the prawn was very fresh – very appetising as well. For an additional $5, you can upgrade your meal to include a soft drink, 3 roasted chicken wings and the soup of the day.
Our total bill for 2 comes up to $19.90 for 2 pasta, 3 roasted chicken wings, 1 soft drink and soup of the day. Quite reasonable thanks to the HSBC 1-for-1 Pasta Perfetto Offer.
Service at Bukit Timah Branch Pizza Hut was so-so. I think they are short-handed thus service was rather slow coupled with the fact that there were a lot of customers then. Nonetheless the service staff were polite and understand the product and credit card promotions well.
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One of the best places to savor Japanese food is Sakae Sushi. It serves fresh sushi and a wide variety of meals ranging from teppanyaki to even tempura ice-cream, all at very affordable prices. Another plus point is its many outlets located all around Singapore, especially the Woodlands branch which is just beside a MRT station.
I like the Woodlands branch the best, not just because of its proximity to my house, but also its excellent use of natural lighting to brighten up the place, unlike other restaurants which make use of strong and bright light-bulbs that only makes you sweat as you eat.
The Chicken Katsu Cheese Yaki should be ate with the mini-salad on the side for the optimum eating experience. Only $6.99 and very filling (perhaps due to the thick cheese)
The Tempura Ice-Cream is just unique – a bit like fried ice-cream but a healthier version (not too oily). The servings are surprisingly big and it cost just $3.99.
The staff were also friendly and efficient - our orders took less than 10 minutes to arrive, just nice as we were indulging in other sushi on the conveyer belt.
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I visited the Night Safari during the 2009 Halloween Horror special. They had done a good job in keeping the Halloween atmosphere within the park by dressing up their staff in gruesome costumes and playing the role of various scary characters from bedtime stories gone wrong.
The Train of Horror tour covered the normal route (which you can see the nocturnal animals carrying out their daily activities) a special route (through the Gate of Neverland) where the staff dressed in scary costumes will scare you.
The tour was very well-done and the staff in-character. What might irked most people is the long queues (not Night Safari's fault that they are so popular). Proper crowd control is in place.
One other part of Night Safari is the Hourly Animal Performances. Very interesting and educational. However, be prepared for queues here too (come at least 20 minutes before the show).
More scary pictures and info here (**spoilers alert**): http://www.passportchop.com/asia/singapore/night-safari-halloween-horrors-tour-review/
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It probably seems that I belong to the live-to-eat camp, everything I do revolve around food and that includes tweeting. And you probably envy me for the feasts and good food that I have all the time, right? Actually not quite. The truth is, there are many times where I get sick of everything.
Initially I thought it was because I had too much good food – that my taste buds were numbed so I didn’t even feel excited, not even when there’s so many delicacy in front of me, But really, it’s a lot more serious than that. My problem is nutella. I can give up everything when there’s chocolate hazelnut around, all I need is white bread, no I don’t even need bread – I eat nutella from the jar.
I will never forget that fateful day, flashed back many many years ago; I was young and inquisitive, which was not a good combination. I saw a jar with white lid on the table, it smelt good, and I wondered if it tasted as good. So out of curiosity, I turned the top and stuck my finger into the dreamily sexual-looking spread. My shoulders shuddered as I carefully placed my thumb that had the glossy, brown spread, into my mouth. It tasted like chocolate, and there’s something nutty about it. And I felt like I was in heaven, and you know what? I still feel the same way, every single time when I have it. Nutella is sex, no, nutella is even better than that.
It’s one of those defining moments in life where you know everything will never be the same again. I blame nutella for everything.
As we entered the place, my eyes scanned through the menu and I knew immediately what to order – nutella tart. The thing about it was, you can never go wrong with nutella, unless, you put too little of it. And here, they manage to grasp this simple, yet profound logic. They drizzled tons and tons of nutella with the tart; the half-melted chocolate hazelnut on top of a oreo-based tart, perfect! I enjoyed every bite of it, and it tasted even better when you shared it. We also had the vanilla eclair, while it was pretty good, but it pales in comparison beside the nutella tart.
Long story short, if you like my review please do come by ladyironchef . . . for the delicious in you
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It has been a long time since I last step foot here, my family used to refer Holiday Inn Atrium as “the black glass hotel”.
The air was sucked out of the room when the salad lobster ($9 per 100g) appeared; her sheer beauty took our breathe away, and for the next few second, we were wondering what to do, then one of us took a pair of chopstick and took a bite. And then the whole lobster was gone in a flash.
When in a Chinese restaurant, roasted pork is always a good indicator of the standard of the food. Unfortunately it was sold out when we went for dinner that night, but luckily we still had the suckling pig ($80 for half). Beneath the crispy skin, was the most delicious roasted pig ever, but it was the layer of fats in between that’s so sinful, but good!
I finally found a sweet & sour pork ($16) that’s good enough. I’ve been looking for one to satisfy the sweet-sour-pork-fan-in-me, and I must say Xin Cuisine’s rendition was done nicely; the crunchy pork was coated in the glossy sweet & sour sauce. The sweetness was further enhanced with the addition of lychee and apple instead of just the typical pineapple and cucumber.
And when we thought the salad lobster was good, the baked lobster with foie gras was even better. Thick, creamy mayonnaise sauce with generous chunks of foie gras, baked with the fresh, juicy crustacean. Just the thought of foie gras, and lobster, swoon! You get the idea.
Using the same sauce as the baked lobster with foie gras; the cod fish (not on the usual menu) was nicely seared on the outside and you could taste the freshness inside. We eyed it for a while and then we dug in. Removing the ginger garnish, I shoveled a corner of the fish into my mouth in one bite. The cod was perfect; it tasted good on its own, but it’s even better when we had it together with the sauce.
The Salted crusted baked Kampung chicken ($48 for whole chicken) was specially prepared in advance, and from what I understand, the difference between the normal bred chicken and kampung chicken was that while the former was caged up feeding on grains everyday, the latter gets to “run about” and exercise, which made the meat more tender and tasty.
And the main draw of the kampung chicken here was the infusion of the salted crusted into the chicken, and although it’s meant to be done this way, but we felt that it was slightly too salty for our liking.
First thoughts, the Braised 5-head abalone ($36) looks amazing. Drizzled with superior oyster sauce, there’s a reason why abalone is one of the top delicacy in Chinese cuisine. The abalone was braised until it was so soft, yet retaining a chewiness texture. It was good!
Since I had deep-fried ice cream before, I wasn’t so fascinated this time round. But still we couldn’t help not ordering it as it’s on the menu anyway. A split second into the pot of oil, was all it need for this beauty. Any longer and it would be ruin.
And since it’s the Mid-Autumn festival, we had some mooncakes too!
You like chocolate? You like mooncakes too? So how about some Mini snowskin mooncake with Champagne chocolate and pandan ($40 for 6 mini pcs)? Champagne chocolate centre with a pandan flavoured lotus paste – it’s one of those things that you either love it, or hate it.
On first look, I thought that this was the traditional mooncake with lotus paste, but it was not. Creamy moist custard filling is wrapped around a salted egg yolk and yum – I like custard! A sprinkle of edible gold flakes makes it irresistible, it’s a sin to eat something so pretty. Xin’s Mini special egg custard mooncake with egg yolk ($42 for 6 mini pcs)
The vibrant purplish blue snowskin made it very outstanding, and no, it’s not coloured flavourings. The blue pea flower was used to naturally infused and produce the beautiful colour. My family absolutely adored the Mini snowskin Peranakan mooncake with durian ($42 for 6 mini pcs); two mini mooncakes are definitely not enough for durian lovers.
My folks enjoyed the dinner of course; lobster with foie gras, suckling pig, abalone, I’m hungry now just by looking at the photos. I will probably go back to Xin Cuisine again, to try out their dim sum (it wasn’t available during dinner time).
My appreciation to Lynda from DBS, Cherylene & Seema from Eurorscg, and the Ivy & her staff from Xin Cuisine for the food tasting session.
Long story short, if you like my review please do come by ladyironchef . . . for the delicious in you
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Did you know? When The Cathay Restaurant first opened in 1940, it served European fare and not Chinese cuisine. Its fame reached new heights when it re-opened in 1951 to serve mainly Cantonese and Shanghainese cuisine.
The restaurant was close in 1964, but re-opened once again on 27 January 2007, as the choice venue for exquisite Chinese food set amidst an ambience of understated elegance. It is now located at the level 2 of The Cathay, with a capacity of 200.
HFB was greeted with a saucer of Deep-fried Silver Cod as a complimentary snack. Crispy with a hint of spiciness, it was a really addictive to nibble on.
Dinner proper was started with the introduction of Cathay Twin Combination – Baked Sea Perch done Japanese-style with Egg White, and Smoked Duck Roll ($14.80 ). While the former was well-executed – nicely baked and full-bodied with flavour, the latter paled in comparison – it was lacklustre and uninspiring.
The highlight of the evening surely belonged to the acclaimed Double-boiled Shark’s Bone Cartilage with Bamboo Pith plus Shark's Fin in Spaghetti Squash ($28.00 ). Painstakingly boiled for 8 hours to a milky white, the hearty soup came with big chunks of shark fins along with natural goodness of nutrients that are critical for bone and joint health (think glucosamine-like compounds). And if you thought that was all, feel free to shred the side of the hollowed spaghetti squash, which gave one strands of the fruit that resembled the Italian pasta. This soup alone is filling enough for a meal – so a portion to share might be ideal for two.
Next up, the Baked King Prawn with Minced Meat done “Portuguese Style” ($12.80 ) – and true to its cooking technique, the dish was characterised by its rich, filling and full-flavoured taste. However, HFB felt that the prawn was over-baked, thus the texture of its flesh was slightly dry.
The scallop was of substantial size from the Braised Stuff Fresh Scallop with Prawn Paste in Crabmeat Sauce ($10.80 ), and came coupled with a nice silky crab meat sauce. His only gripe was the prawn paste that tasted quite funky – which sparklette quite adequately described it as “those pseudo prawn/lobster balls you find at steamboat restaurants.” HFB agreed.
The staple for the evening was XO Fried Rice ($8.00 ) that came with generous servings of Scallops, Prawns, French Beans, Bean Sprouts and a dash of Ebiko, or Prawn Roe. The rice was thoroughly fried resulting in each grain being nicely coated with the XO sauce. HFB would prefer a stronger “Wok Hei” flavour, but otherwise still a respectable dish.
An exquisite dessert, the Chilled Pumpkin Puree with Yam Ice Cream came in a Young Coconut shell ($6.00 ). Nicely chilled with thick puree, HFB also thought the pumpkin and yam combined well.
You can view all the photos here.
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A 50 seater brasserie sitting on the second storey of The Bellini Grande in Clarke Quay, B Restaurant, located at the former Crazy Horse, serves modern European cuisine daily.
With a dimly-lit, intimate interior with lush velvety furnishings the place looked suitably remarkable and alluring.
Helmed by the flair of Executive Chef Jeffrie Siew (formerly from the now defunct Corduroy & Finch), one thing that the establishment struck me was the service of the wait staffs. It was pretty obvious that they were well-trained – conscientious yet unimposing in a good way.
HFB found the complimentary bread elaborate, yes indeed, as it was an intricate roll of Foccacia stuffed with slivers of Zucchini, and topped with Parmesan Cheese and Wild Herbs. It helps that it was also served warm. Bravo!
Our shared appetisers consisted of one Salad of Seared Peppered Indonesian Yellow Fin Tuna Loin a la “nicoise” ($19.00), which HFB thought was nicely done – “clean” to the palate, with a hint of tanginess from the pepper.
The other being the Beef Carpaccio, Marinated Vegetables, Cucumber Spaghetti and Mini Greens ($18.00), nicely adored with spots of balsamic vinaigrette reduction at the side. The meat was really fresh and nicely sliced – but can’t they serve it in bigger slices? Anyhow, it also helped that HFB’s favourite rocket salad came with it.
HFB also had to himself, a serving of B Signature Cordon Bleu Crabmeat Soup with Tarragon ($14.00). Topped with a Sour Cream Foam, this was the highlight of the evening – probably one of the best soups that HFB had ever tasted! The fully flavoured bisque came with abundance of prized crabmeat that made the soup really appetising. In a blink of an eye, HFB generous bowl of soup was emptied. A quick check also revealed that everyone who ordered the soup mopped up theirs too! This is definitely a MUST TRY.
His main was that of Soy Glazed Fillet Atlantic Black Cod, Sauté Potatoes and Chardonnay Sauce, coupled with a Lasagne of Carrots, Eggplant, Tomatoes, Zucchini and Asparagus ($28.00). A little oxymoronic if HFB may sound, but the initial taste of the fish was fresh and smooth, yet rich and buttery on the aftertaste – everything good rolled into one at the same time. As of most cod fish dishes that leaned towards heavy on the palate, in this instance, the soy glazing helped to lighten it – thus making the dish pleasurable even towards the end. HFB hardly ordered a fish dish for main, but he was glad he did that night.
Since there were 7 of us at the dinner table, it wasn’t surprising that all 7 desserts found in the menu were fired away! French Cheeses with Grapes, Figs Compote & Biscuits ($18.00), would be an ideal dish to go with your wine, but unfortunately, HFB didn’t managed to sample any of it that evening.
Pineapple Raviolis, Pineapple Confit and Pineapple Sorbet ($12.00) – the fried pineapple ravioli was something interesting, however, HFB was misled that it was filled with Mango – turned out my portion was “stained” with the accompanied mango sauce, which he thought overwhelmed the dessert a little.
Another out of the ordinary dessert – B Signature Chocolate Chilli Tart & Butterscotch Almond Ice Cream ($12.00), came with a spicy smack at the end of it, which unfortunately HFB didn’t appreciate it.
A savoury plus sweet dessert, the Goat’s Cheese Brûlée, Fig Paste & Rosemary Ice Cream ($12.00) was another interesting concept. Nicely caramelised at the top with a tint of creamy goat’s cheese flavouring, it did just enough to separate itself from the boring norm.
Warm Sticky Dates Toffee Pudding & Toffee Ice Cream ($12.00) was a lovely marrying of hot and cold along with nicely executed texture of the pudding. It also helps that the euphoric sugar rush gave one great comfort!
Hot Liquid Chocolate Coulant with Passion Fruit Sorbet & Mango Sauce ($12.00) came with a lovely molten chocolate lava interior. Although it wasn’t bad, it was regrettably forgettable.
And for the fickle-minded, the restaurant even offered a B Brassiere Dessert Sampler ($15.00) where you can savour each and every dessert mentioned above.
Overall, taking into consideration all aspects – price, service, food and ambience, HFB strongly felt that B restaurant is seriously undervalued. Highly recommended for couples who are looking for a good place to dine at decent prices with great ambience and service – this place is probably the “Find of The Year” for HFB!
You can view all the photos here.
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Stand, order, and eat – sushi that is, where the seafood are flown in from Japan everyday. This Japanese dining concept by Standing Sushi Bar is geared towards the fast-paced environment of Shenton Way, where professional desire quality food at a snap of their fingers.
However, come dinner time, out comes the high chairs and the shop is turned over for “by reservation only” Omakase dinner ($50 per pax) – where dinners leave the selection of the evening’s menu to the chef and expect him to be innovative and surprising in them – which usually also includes the day’s best offerings.
First up, Japanese Sea Snails that was served chill. HFB absolutely digs shell food and this dish was excellent in many ways. The cold temperature succeeded in drawing out the natural sweetness and the firm chewy texture of the flesh. He could probably finished dozens easily.
The Hokkaido King Crab Leg with Home-made Miso was yet another simple but outstanding dish. The crab eluded a natural “sea flavour” that was appetising and the miso sauce was robust with flavour. The only drawback was that the sauce tended to overwhelm the natural taste of the crab.
Sashimi Moriwase consisted of Maguro (Tuna), Sake (Salmon), Mekajiki (Swordfish), Hamachi (Yellow Tail) and Hotate (Scallop). Fresh and came with good thickness – there was really nothing bad to pinpoint on. Worthy mention goes to the Hamachi Belly that was all natural Omega 3 goodness!
By now, HFB wasn’t surprised that the Karubi Beef Tataki with Bonito Flakes and Spring Onions was well executed. The marbling was great and the meat was succulent. The bonito flakes also provided a nice salty touch to the dish.
Served chilled as a palate cleanser, the Egg Plant with Light Soya Sauce came with a hint of Grated Ginger. Unless one is a fan of egg plant, it probably would be too squashy for you. Otherwise, HFB thought it did a good job in clearing the palates.
HFB loved soup and the Steamed Hotate Soup with Tofu didn’t disappoint. However, if one expected the scallop to taste as good, you will be disappointed since its essences were all captured nicely in the clear soup.
A sushi bar ain’t worthy to be addressed as one if there weren’t sushi offerings during the Omakase. Trio of Maguro, Hirame (Flat Fish) and Anago (Boiled Salt-water Eel) were presented and they were nothing short of excellence in terms of freshness. The boiled eel was remarkably exquisite and was only prevailed by that of HFB Tsukiji’s Sushi Dai experience.
Matcha Ice-cream with Green Tea Cake Roll and Red Bean Paste was the last order of the evening. The red bean paste was enjoyable, although one can probably grab the cake and ice-cream off the shelves of some reputable Japanese supermarket.
They say good things come in small packages and the evening's pleasant surprise was the offering of 3 complimentary thick cubes of Otoro, or Tuna Belly that was what's left for the day. WOOT!
Overall, it was an unexpectedly enjoyable dinner. HFB was really filled by the end of the meal, and the personalise touch of Chef Roy explaining each and every dish sums up the lovely evening. Next up, braving the Shenton Way lunch crowd for the REAL standing sushi experience!
You can view all the photos here.
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