ONIM. Since we have TGIF to show our appreciation that the weekend is here, I thought it will only be appropriate to have ONIM as well, Oh no it’s Monday! I know, I know, it’s the day of the week that you dreaded the most, what they called Monday blues. To soften the blow, let’s make the Monday blues go away, by having some sweets!
I love (read: head over heels with) nutella. It ought to be the most amazing creation this world ought to offer. Never mind the bizarre increase in price (a 375g bottle used to cost $3.90, but it’s $4.90 now at fairprice), I still need my nutella fix regularly.
Toast, which is under the Marmalade pantry, has got some of the best cupcakes, and by that I didn’t meant that they were fanciful. Hell no, they are anything but pretty. There’s no frosting, no beautiful decorations on top, but just a messy spread of the cream. But it’s good. It’s damn good!
The nutella cupcake, which was basically chocolate cupcake with nutella frosting, was so nutella-ish! I did find the cupcake to be slightly dry, I guess the nutella’s the cause for it, since the other cupcakes were not as dry.
The carrot cake came highly recommended by the staff. At the slightest mention of the two words, carrot cake, it’s bound to have the question asked back in return, “Is it better than Cedele (read: Sir-deli)?”
I’m sorry, but I have not tried Cedele’s legendary carrot cake yet! I’m a simple person with a simple taste bud, and anything with thick & generous cream cheese frosting works for me.
How about some cheesecakes to make you happy? Add in some blueberry, I offered. From my vague memories, the cheesecake was light and airy, the blueberry toppings were sweet and combined well with the light cheesecake. But the base wasn’t the crunchy type that I’ve in mind. My dear, have some blueberry cheesecake to chase your blues away!
This, was THE cupcake, Limonata. Whimsical name, and that’s it. The lemon tart limon graze cake, let’s just call it the lemon cupcake, was one of the best cupcake I’ve, the lemon taste was infused and spread throughout the whole tiny cake, it was moist, and fluffy. I love it!
There might be an identical crisis since the William looks rather similar to the Limonata. Note the colour of the base, the latter is lemon cupcake, while the former is a chocolate cake filled with William pear & topped with a delicious layer of the butter crème frosting. There’s bits of william pears within the cupcake, and I’m a sucker for the sweet butter crème frosting, but still, I preferred the Limonata, and the rose.
You winked at me when I entered the shop. I was deeply captivated by our first encounter; I couldn’t stop looking at you, and for a moment you’ve stolen my breath away. Without taking my eyes off you, I told the assistant, the “lemon meringue tart.”
You tasted as good as you looked, the curvy golden brown wisp, blond is beautiful; the delightful lemon, with the crispy tart, and the sour-sweet meringue, now I know what they meant when they say, love at first sight.
* * *
The desserts served at Toast are all part of the Marmalade Pantry’s offer, but at a slightly cheaper price. A hidden gem, that’s how I will describe toast. I wouldn’t be surprised if you haven’t noticed Toast while you are shopping at Takashimaya, since I also wasn’t familiar with it until a friend brought me there. This post is a compilation of my three visits.
I hope by now, you are already feeling happier, at the sight of all the lovely creations. Desserts always make us cheerful, have some sweets my dear, they will chase your monday blues, far far away.
You are always welcome to visit ladyironchef for a full-up on this trip. Whatever written herein are my genuine feelings expressed in words. Food, my dear, is what they call an adventure!
We searched for the button with the 37th label on it, and pressed. Zoom, the elevator, or I preferred to call it the express lift-off, shot up into the sky. Looking downwards as everything became miniature - we were so insignificant. I was actually quite scared when I took a peep. It shouldn’t be, since I’ve been to higher ground before, but still. It always happened. Ding, we reached 37th level, welcome to Hai Tien Lo.
The Steamed shrimp dumpling ($4.80 for 3 pieces) was pretty with the chopped celery giving it a tinge of green.
It must be short-sightedness, but it often occurred with carrot cake. Somehow I always missed out the word steamed, when I ordered carrot cake. So instead of my favourite fried carrot cake, we were surprised when they served a steamed rendition; but it was good! I like how the sauce brings out the flavour of the soft and nice carrot cake. Okay, the full name, steamed carrot cake with preserved meats ($3.90 per portion).
The Steamed pork dumpling with fish roe ($4.80 for 3 pieces) was a piece of art. The curvy lines, with her yellow outfit, topped with the pretty bright orange fish roe.
This was a special, they called it the dim-sum-of-the-week. Sophisticated yeah? It was essentially a shrimp with fish roe on top of a mushroom. An innovative way to do the overdone-to-death prawn in dim sum.
Surprise number two came in the form of pan-fried rice flour roll with crispy conpoy ($3.90 per portion). Well actually it’s not much of a revelation since I asked about the fillings beforehand. Or rather, the lack of fillings. I like the slightly char pan-fried surface of the rice roll with all the crispy toppings. The rice roll on itself was rather bland, but drizzled with the gorgeous sauce; it was good, no, it was tasty!
Since my favourite char siew sou wasn’t available, I just had to make do with the Steamed barbecued pork buns ($2.80 for 2 pieces). White fluffy buns, with sweet char siew fillings, what’s there not to like? I like it sweet, extra sweet please!
Instead of the usual prawn filling, Hai Tien Lo’s rendition came across as the Deep-fried sea perch wrapped in vermicelli ($5.40 for 3 pieces).
* * *
With the to-die-for magnificent view of the marina area, dining at Hai Tien Lo was definitely something that evoked the visual senses together with the taste buds. We chatted, appreciated the skyline, nibbled at the dim sum, drank more tea, and I’m so in love with dim sum! xoxo
You are always welcome to visit ladyironchef for a full-up on this trip. Whatever written herein are my genuine feelings expressed in words. Food, my dear, is what they call an adventure!
The 50% lunch discount that La Brezza dangled to all Astor card members was to good to resist and I ended up having lunch there one fine afternoon. What's weird is that La Brezza, which means sea breeze in Italian yet serves Mediterranean food, is relatively unknown in the culinary circles even though it has been around for quite a bit.
Located on the second floor of the posh St Regis, La Brezza looks out into the hotel's swimming pool and boasts floor to ceilings windows to allow sunlight in. The bright and cheery ambience is accentuated through the use of white wicker chairs and striped blue/white curtains, which also give the place a laid back feel. The sofa couple seats are positioned with their back facing the wall, which allows both parties to have a full view of the pool.
I didn't think too much of the complimentary bread although there was quite a variety and it came served in a pretty white porcelain bowl with blue markings on it. And surprise surprise, we had bottled water with our set lunch, which makes me wonder if they even serve sky juice.
LaBrezza Salad - There was no mention of chicken in the description but I'm glad that they added it in. The generous serving of chicken breast slices were very well marinated and grilled, coming across as succulent and soft. The greens were fresh with a touch of light dressing and shaved cheese atop. Great way to start off!
Tomato Mozzarella - I am honestly not a big fan of raw tomatoes except when they come in the guise of bruschetta. But to be fair, this dish proved to be quite decent. The tomato slices were fresh and juicy and went well with the chilled and light burratina cheese, which helped to keep the acidity of the tomatoes in check.
Grilled Salmon - The chef's favourite for the day - grilled salmon. Well grilled till the skin boasted a nice crisp, the salmon did come across as a wee bit too dry for my liking. I did like the polenta on the side though - smooth and creamy .
Frutti Di Mare - Frutti Di Mare, or fruit of the sea, over risotto was my choice of main. The risotto was creamy and done al dente without the sauce being too overwhelming. Coupled with a generous serving of seafood, I must say I enjoyed this dish quite a bit.
Paris Brest - This dessert was said to be created by a pastry chef in honour of a bicycle race between Paris and Brest in France. But La Brezza's rendition was a little lacking. The pastry wasn't fluffy and could have been a little softer as well. The hazelnut cream filling was decent though and the brown sorbet by the side was actually lime sorbet. Surprise surprise.
Chocolate Tart - The chocolate tart was rich with a tinge of bitterness and a layer of gooey caramel wedged inside, all held together by a thin yet solid tart base. Sadly, the caramel didn't quite feature in the taste though. And what better to complement a chocolate tart then with a scoop of chocolate ice cream and a piece of chocolate?
Without the 50% discount, I would be hard pressed to find a reason to return, especially when the 3 course set lunch is a whopping $52 ($61.20 nett). The bottle of Evian provides scant comfort for the price and so does the food quality, which is above average but still a few notches below outstanding.
I always dread to blog about Japanese food; since I’m not a big fan of Japanese food, nor am I knowledgeable about them. It is on special occasions when my friends craved for Japanese food, then will you see Japanese-related posts here.
The prices at Tatsuya, are incredibly not cheap (at least for my standards); we went for their affordable-and-value bento set lunches instead. The sashimi bento set ($28.90) was immediately on the agenda since my friend’s a big, big fan of sashimi. Pardon me, I can never understand the rave about sashimi though, eating slices of raw fishes didn’t exactly appeal to me; but having said that, the salmon sashimi was remarkably fresh.
I always enjoy eating Japanese rice; the white pearl grains are so soft, and seriously, I could step into a Japanese restaurant just to eat their rice. Be it steamed white rice, or garlic fried rice, give it to me!
The sushi bento ($30.90) was visually-appealing with all the delectable and pretty-looking of sushi; I started with the tempura first, the deep-fried vegetables were pretty all right, I’ve never like my vegetables fried. It was the prawn tempura that really got me going.
Without paying attention to what was what, I took up my chopsticks, steadied my pair of shaky hands, and grab the nearest sushi; delicious, I ate another one, then the next, until I finished the row of six sushi.
The same for the fishes, I’ve a hard time differentiating which fishes were there, with the exception of salmon and tuna; so I took up my chopsticks once again, dipped them into the wasabi-infused soy sauce, and carefully placed it into my delicate mouth. Yum! The fish, with the sticky sushi rice, was exceptionally fresh.
We chose to sit in the interior of the smallish restaurant; an elongated space with at most twenty seats, there’s room at either the counter bar or by the side. Naturally, sitting at the counter bar provides the full Japanese experience, with the chefs and staffs conversing in Japanese, and seeing the chefs live in action. But somehow it does gets a little overwhelming and noisy after a while.
Since I already gotten my full Japanese experience, the next time I will probably choose to sit outside in the tranquil al fresco environment instead! Tatsuya’s bento set are very value for money, given that it will probably cost double or triple the money when you order ala carte for dinner.
You are always welcome to visit ladyironchef for a full-up on this trip. Whatever written herein are my genuine feelings expressed in words. Food, my dear, is what they call an adventure!
My love affair with XLB starts way back; I fall in love with her at first sight, every petite piece so delicate and exquisite, she, who has the ability to make my heart skip a beat when I place her on my lips, she, who makes me go crazy and think of her everytime.
The two different XLB was made by two different pairs of hands; the one on the left was by me (note: the uneven folds) and the one on the right was by the master of course.
At Din Tai Fung’s media preview of their new mini steamed pork dumpling (xiao long tang bao), we were given a hands-on experience on making XLB. And that’s why I like dim sum so much; it’s easy to pop a piece inside our mouth, but to make each piece so delectable there’s much hard work and effort involved.
The requirement for a standard XLB is 18 folds, and it’s definitely not easy to do it, especially so when we only had half-an-hour of lesson beforehand, where the chefs actually train for a year to achieve the result. It’s only when you experience how difficult it is, to make a XLB before you actually appreciate the hard work put in by the good people slogging it out in the hot kitchen everyday.
The new mini steamed pork dumpling (XLB), or xiao long tang bao, whatever you call it, is 50% smaller than the regular XLB. Just imagine doing 18 folds on a normal size XLB, and now you do it on half the size of XLB; the xiao long tang baos are notoriously difficult to make!
I love to eat eggs; scrambled, poached, fried, sunny side up, steamed, over-easy, salted egg, quail egg, but with just the exception to century eggs. There’s no reason, but the black glossy appearance never appealed to me. Century eggs with fermented soya ($3.50)
As to the origin of drunken chicken, I do not know the story of it, but I do know that the Original Shanghainese drunken chicken ($6.80) had a strong alcohol taste infused in the smooth chicken meat.
Taking up a piece of the mini cucumber, crunch crunch; the inherited sweetness of the green plate had an addition spicy twist to it. Crunchy Mini Cucumber in Spicy Sauce ($3.80). Just for bites.
Much as I love my veggies, I was never a fan of vegetables in dim sum; somehow the steamed vegetables inside dumplings didn’t work for me. Neither did the Steamed vegetable & pork dumpling here.
This was a make-over of our regular siewmai, done the XLB-style. It was quintessentially an open-faced XLB with a shrimp sitting pretty on top. Shrimp & pork shao mai ($13.50 for 10)
I love to drink soup that is thick and tangy in flavour, with lots of ingredients that bear a close reminiscence to Shark’s fin soup. The Hot & sour soup ($6.80) was not bad, but the excessive pepper overwhelmed my taste buds.
Springy noodles that bounced off your tongue, that might sounds exaggerating, but I like my noodles done that way. The Noodle with minced pork in bean sauce ($7) was delightful with the generous toppings of bean sauce; it was a simple bowl of noodles, but I like it!
The Crispy golden prawn pancakes ($8.50) were nice as appetisers too, fried till golden brown, the crispy pancakes crusts were addictive to bite on.
I wasn’t too impressed with the Stir-fried nai bai with garlic. I’m not sure whether the chilli was supposed to be there as a decoration, or was it to enhanced the taste, but personally I felt that nai bai and chilli didn’t work. Plus the garlic wasn’t fried enough to infused the vegetables with the fragrance.
And now the star that we’ve been waiting for. Introducing, the Mini steamed pork dumpling with superior chicken broth ($10.80 for 10 pieces). As you all know, XLB itself has lots of soup stocks within the skin, but we were given a bowl of chicken broth to go along with the Mini Xiao Long Tang Baos (XLTB) this time round.
Filling the spoon with the chicken broth, we placed a piece of the mini XLB into it, add some ginger and vinegar and put everything into our mouth; the chicken broth was subtle, bordering on bland, and it was the stock within the XLB that gushed out that stole the show. Taste-wise there wasn’t much to differentiate the XLB and the XLTB , but it was a novelty and certainly less-filling to eat the mini.
* * *
It was indeed fun to have hands-on experience on making XLB, my appreciation to Clement & Andrew from ICON for the food tasting invitation, miss Patsy from Breadtalk, and the chefs who taught and made our XLB. The Xiao Long Tang Baos are available exclusively at Din Tai Fung Paragon from 1 June 2009, 3-5pm for weekdays, and 10am-12 noon for weekends.
You are always welcome to visit ladyironchef for a full-up on this trip. Whatever written herein are my genuine feelings expressed in words. Food, my dear, is what they call an adventure!
Was in the mood for hor fun (河粉) aka thick flat rice noodles, so headed down to Koon Kee after hearing/reading some pretty good stuff about it. It definitely helped that it was within a 5 minute bus ride from my house.
Located in a rather old shophouse at the beginning of Yio Chu Kang road, just opposite Serangoon Stadium, Koon Kee has a rather dated interior that would probably invoke nostalgia in the older generation. The walls are lined with interesting collectables that the owner has amassed over the years, which add to the retro effect. The place is not air conditioned by the way, but has plenty of fans to keep the heat at bay.
Hor Fun ($5) - The seafood hor fun had relatively generous servings of pork, fish slices and of course lots of greens to go along. The ingredients weren't exactly the freshest, but still palatable. The gravy didn't come across as too starchy and had a light garlicky taste to it while the hor fun had a stronger then usual wok hei taste but I would have preferred it to be a little more burnt. It all boils down to personal preference though.
Beef Hor Fun ($6) - Personally I am biased towards the beef hor fun as I am an avid fan of beef. The gravy was more robust (or is it a psychological thing?) with a heavier dosage of garlic and pepper. The beef slices tasted like they had been well soaked in tenderizer but I guess its common for most places that do this dish. And yes, I would have preferred the hor fun to carry a slightly stronger wok hei taste.
Special Tofu ($6) - There was nothing special about the tofu honestly. It carried a coating of flour on the outside which was fried to a crisp but a little too thick for my liking. And though soft, it was bland and had to be eaten with the accompanying sweet and mildly spicy sauce with crushed peanuts.
Egg Foo Yong ($6) - This dish was like your everyday fried egg save for bits of carrots, vegetables and strands of crab meat in it. Nothing like the ones I had in Hong Kong or Canada. Decent but probably not something I'll order again for $6.
All in all, I think prices are a wee bit steep for the hor fun, especially when the place is pretty much like a coffee shop. Price aside, quality is above average and worth a try. I understand that there are limited quantities of hor fun each day so please go early.
Passed by this shop today and couldn't resist the shoes just screaming for attention...
Anyway, to the cut the long story short, I have been dying for a pair of Dr. Martens for the longest time, and today a very nice sales person was actually very helpful and very friendly in helping me find the perfect cut and the perfect fit.
He advised me on which cut suited Asian legs best (I am quite short mah...) and brought out different designs, cuts and colours for me to choose from. How could I possibly resist?
So there I was, trying out the high cut, pure white Dr. Martens, almost prancing in front of the mirror, listening to him telling me how to take care of the leather, how to clean it, how to best season it and maintain the colour etc... I must say he was very helpful and very nice about it all.
Excited as I was, I decided to wear it on the spot. Not only did he help me pack my shoes, he also helped me lace up my brand new Dr. Martens. Don't underestimate these leather boots, they are damn hard to lace up for the first time, since the leather is stiff!
Very impressed with the service there, though I forgot to ask him his name. Pity!
If life is about love, I want a day with you alone. Together, we dine and feast, with merry and joy. Bliss is the paradise, and blissful is the pleasure.
We sit by the waterfront; calm and serene. Time stand still at that moment, we are cut out from the world. So this is it; the feeling of bliss.
Even though you might not agree with me, I firmly believe that ambience and company is more important than food. A simple illustration, will you enjoy good food while you are dining with a person you do not like, or will ordinary food actually taste better in the company of good friends and nice ambience?
I’m a sucker for ambience, al fresco dining will always be the option when the weather is kind. And this ain’t some prime location, it’s Punggol park for goodness sake; I haven’t been to Punggol before!
Nothing too heavy or fanciful since we were there during mid-afternoon. The spicy wings ($6.90) were great for some light snacks. I remembered it was red fiery-hot; it was a satisfaction; gnawing at the meat, chewing on the bones, and sucking dry the oh-so-hot chilli flavour.
I couldn’t figured out why the fries were called X-cut ($5.90), but it was crispy and a close resemblance to nachos rather than fries. Dipped the fries into chilli sauce, and I’ll have my ketchup please.
And if I may, the tiramisu ($6.90) was a waste of money. For the sole reason that it wasn’t made in-house, there’s no value. What-to-do, a mis-time of tiramisu-craving. I know it doesn’t sound nice, but 7 bucks is a lot of money, it could get you a very good tiramisu elsewhere.
The place reminds me of Bark Cafe, another great place for finger food and chilling out. And it isn’t a coincidence that my buddy introduced me to both places; he’s a sucker for ambience too! And by the way, I absolutely loathed the round-shape cylinder that was placed on every table, the presence of the chilli-ketchup bottles didn’t help too.
You are always welcome to visit ladyironchef for a full-up on this trip. Whatever written herein are my genuine feelings expressed in words. Food, my dear, is what they call an adventure!
If you are to pick a random person from the street and ask, “where’s the best wanton mee?“, chances are Feifei wanton mee at Joo Chiat will be mentioned. The legendary wanton mee stall from Joo Chiat.
The bowl of wanton mee arrived, with chilli all over the noodles, and that’s it. My friend gave me a nudge to stir the noodles from below and all the treasures were indeed hidden beaneath the noodles. The char siew wasn’t fantastic, it was decent, and the wanton was not bad. But it was the noodles and the chilli which deserved the recognition; the noodles were Q and simply bounced on my tongue, while the chilli was fiery hot, although I was sweating all over, but it’s worth the while!
Feifei doesn’t served roasted duck, this was ordered from another stall in the kopitiam.
Crisping on the surface, the roasted duck skin was bursting red, with a layer of fats sticking under it, was sinful, but a delight to have. They looked good, they smelled even better. I wolf the whole thing down, nibbling everything from the skin, the meat and the fats, chewing any leftovers that I spotted on the bones. I love roasted duck!
You are always welcome to visit ladyironchef for a full-up on this trip. Whatever written herein are my genuine feelings expressed in words. Food, my dear, is what they call an adventure!
We walked all the way from Plaza Singapura only to find a note stuck on the outside of the cafe we wanted to go, saying they are closed for renovations. Crossed the road dejectedly in search of a substitute and Mad Jack became our choice because we saw the wallet friendly prices :D
Service was really haphazard and tables almost elbow-to-elbow unless you manage to grab 1 of the 2 the couch seats by the window facing Selegie Road.
Menu was bright and cheery, with most items under $10. A small order chit and a pen is placed there for your FYI.
Plain fries ($4.90) - We decided on 'plain' instead of 'spicy'. It came in a small portion of slightly thick chips that didn't quite taste freshly done.
Grilled chicken in black pepper sauce ($7.90) - Same chips accompanied by a slab of chicken half-doused with what tasted like watered-down mushroom sauce. No hint of pepper at all, although it tasted okay. The handful of canned-peach and apple cubes was quite a nice contrast though.
Seafood Combo ($18.90) - assortment of seafood rolls, prawn toast, and butterfly prawns. Your average deep fried appetizers with the seafood rolls a little more memorable.
Other things I didn't try were Mad-thai curry chic on rice ($8.90) and some chicken drumstick thing.
Fare was really quite average western stuff, but I think sometime places like Billy Bombers serve the equivalent with much higher prices. For a quick and affordable western fix, I'll return.
1=SGD 0.0587
ONIM. Since we have TGIF to show our appreciation that the weekend is here, I thought it will only be appropriate to have ONIM as well, Oh no it’s Monday! I know, I know, it’s the day of the week that you dreaded the most, what they called Monday blues. To soften the blow, let’s make the Monday blues go away, by having some sweets!
I love (read: head over heels with) nutella. It ought to be the most amazing creation this world ought to offer. Never mind the bizarre increase in price (a 375g bottle used to cost $3.90, but it’s $4.90 now at fairprice), I still need my nutella fix regularly.
Toast, which is under the Marmalade pantry, has got some of the best cupcakes, and by that I didn’t meant that they were fanciful. Hell no, they are anything but pretty. There’s no frosting, no beautiful decorations on top, but just a messy spread of the cream. But it’s good. It’s damn good!
The nutella cupcake, which was basically chocolate cupcake with nutella frosting, was so nutella-ish! I did find the cupcake to be slightly dry, I guess the nutella’s the cause for it, since the other cupcakes were not as dry.
The carrot cake came highly recommended by the staff. At the slightest mention of the two words, carrot cake, it’s bound to have the question asked back in return, “Is it better than Cedele (read: Sir-deli)?”
I’m sorry, but I have not tried Cedele’s legendary carrot cake yet! I’m a simple person with a simple taste bud, and anything with thick & generous cream cheese frosting works for me.
How about some cheesecakes to make you happy? Add in some blueberry, I offered. From my vague memories, the cheesecake was light and airy, the blueberry toppings were sweet and combined well with the light cheesecake. But the base wasn’t the crunchy type that I’ve in mind. My dear, have some blueberry cheesecake to chase your blues away!
This, was THE cupcake, Limonata. Whimsical name, and that’s it. The lemon tart limon graze cake, let’s just call it the lemon cupcake, was one of the best cupcake I’ve, the lemon taste was infused and spread throughout the whole tiny cake, it was moist, and fluffy. I love it!
There might be an identical crisis since the William looks rather similar to the Limonata. Note the colour of the base, the latter is lemon cupcake, while the former is a chocolate cake filled with William pear & topped with a delicious layer of the butter crème frosting. There’s bits of william pears within the cupcake, and I’m a sucker for the sweet butter crème frosting, but still, I preferred the Limonata, and the rose.
You winked at me when I entered the shop. I was deeply captivated by our first encounter; I couldn’t stop looking at you, and for a moment you’ve stolen my breath away. Without taking my eyes off you, I told the assistant, the “lemon meringue tart.”
You tasted as good as you looked, the curvy golden brown wisp, blond is beautiful; the delightful lemon, with the crispy tart, and the sour-sweet meringue, now I know what they meant when they say, love at first sight.
* * *
The desserts served at Toast are all part of the Marmalade Pantry’s offer, but at a slightly cheaper price. A hidden gem, that’s how I will describe toast. I wouldn’t be surprised if you haven’t noticed Toast while you are shopping at Takashimaya, since I also wasn’t familiar with it until a friend brought me there. This post is a compilation of my three visits.
I hope by now, you are already feeling happier, at the sight of all the lovely creations. Desserts always make us cheerful, have some sweets my dear, they will chase your monday blues, far far away.
You are always welcome to visit ladyironchef for a full-up on this trip. Whatever written herein are my genuine feelings expressed in words. Food, my dear, is what they call an adventure!
Rating given:
We searched for the button with the 37th label on it, and pressed. Zoom, the elevator, or I preferred to call it the express lift-off, shot up into the sky. Looking downwards as everything became miniature - we were so insignificant. I was actually quite scared when I took a peep. It shouldn’t be, since I’ve been to higher ground before, but still. It always happened. Ding, we reached 37th level, welcome to Hai Tien Lo.
The Steamed shrimp dumpling ($4.80 for 3 pieces) was pretty with the chopped celery giving it a tinge of green.
It must be short-sightedness, but it often occurred with carrot cake. Somehow I always missed out the word steamed, when I ordered carrot cake. So instead of my favourite fried carrot cake, we were surprised when they served a steamed rendition; but it was good! I like how the sauce brings out the flavour of the soft and nice carrot cake. Okay, the full name, steamed carrot cake with preserved meats ($3.90 per portion).
The Steamed pork dumpling with fish roe ($4.80 for 3 pieces) was a piece of art. The curvy lines, with her yellow outfit, topped with the pretty bright orange fish roe.
This was a special, they called it the dim-sum-of-the-week. Sophisticated yeah? It was essentially a shrimp with fish roe on top of a mushroom. An innovative way to do the overdone-to-death prawn in dim sum.
Surprise number two came in the form of pan-fried rice flour roll with crispy conpoy ($3.90 per portion). Well actually it’s not much of a revelation since I asked about the fillings beforehand. Or rather, the lack of fillings. I like the slightly char pan-fried surface of the rice roll with all the crispy toppings. The rice roll on itself was rather bland, but drizzled with the gorgeous sauce; it was good, no, it was tasty!
Since my favourite char siew sou wasn’t available, I just had to make do with the Steamed barbecued pork buns ($2.80 for 2 pieces). White fluffy buns, with sweet char siew fillings, what’s there not to like? I like it sweet, extra sweet please!
Instead of the usual prawn filling, Hai Tien Lo’s rendition came across as the Deep-fried sea perch wrapped in vermicelli ($5.40 for 3 pieces).
* * *
With the to-die-for magnificent view of the marina area, dining at Hai Tien Lo was definitely something that evoked the visual senses together with the taste buds. We chatted, appreciated the skyline, nibbled at the dim sum, drank more tea, and I’m so in love with dim sum! xoxo
You are always welcome to visit ladyironchef for a full-up on this trip. Whatever written herein are my genuine feelings expressed in words. Food, my dear, is what they call an adventure!
Rating given:
The 50% lunch discount that La Brezza dangled to all Astor card members was to good to resist and I ended up having lunch there one fine afternoon. What's weird is that La Brezza, which means sea breeze in Italian yet serves Mediterranean food, is relatively unknown in the culinary circles even though it has been around for quite a bit.
Located on the second floor of the posh St Regis, La Brezza looks out into the hotel's swimming pool and boasts floor to ceilings windows to allow sunlight in. The bright and cheery ambience is accentuated through the use of white wicker chairs and striped blue/white curtains, which also give the place a laid back feel. The sofa couple seats are positioned with their back facing the wall, which allows both parties to have a full view of the pool.
I didn't think too much of the complimentary bread although there was quite a variety and it came served in a pretty white porcelain bowl with blue markings on it. And surprise surprise, we had bottled water with our set lunch, which makes me wonder if they even serve sky juice.
LaBrezza Salad - There was no mention of chicken in the description but I'm glad that they added it in. The generous serving of chicken breast slices were very well marinated and grilled, coming across as succulent and soft. The greens were fresh with a touch of light dressing and shaved cheese atop. Great way to start off!
Tomato Mozzarella - I am honestly not a big fan of raw tomatoes except when they come in the guise of bruschetta. But to be fair, this dish proved to be quite decent. The tomato slices were fresh and juicy and went well with the chilled and light burratina cheese, which helped to keep the acidity of the tomatoes in check.
Grilled Salmon - The chef's favourite for the day - grilled salmon. Well grilled till the skin boasted a nice crisp, the salmon did come across as a wee bit too dry for my liking. I did like the polenta on the side though - smooth and creamy .
Frutti Di Mare - Frutti Di Mare, or fruit of the sea, over risotto was my choice of main. The risotto was creamy and done al dente without the sauce being too overwhelming. Coupled with a generous serving of seafood, I must say I enjoyed this dish quite a bit.
Paris Brest - This dessert was said to be created by a pastry chef in honour of a bicycle race between Paris and Brest in France. But La Brezza's rendition was a little lacking. The pastry wasn't fluffy and could have been a little softer as well. The hazelnut cream filling was decent though and the brown sorbet by the side was actually lime sorbet. Surprise surprise.
Chocolate Tart - The chocolate tart was rich with a tinge of bitterness and a layer of gooey caramel wedged inside, all held together by a thin yet solid tart base. Sadly, the caramel didn't quite feature in the taste though. And what better to complement a chocolate tart then with a scoop of chocolate ice cream and a piece of chocolate?
Without the 50% discount, I would be hard pressed to find a reason to return, especially when the 3 course set lunch is a whopping $52 ($61.20 nett). The bottle of Evian provides scant comfort for the price and so does the food quality, which is above average but still a few notches below outstanding.
See all my pictures here.
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I always dread to blog about Japanese food; since I’m not a big fan of Japanese food, nor am I knowledgeable about them. It is on special occasions when my friends craved for Japanese food, then will you see Japanese-related posts here.
The prices at Tatsuya, are incredibly not cheap (at least for my standards); we went for their affordable-and-value bento set lunches instead. The sashimi bento set ($28.90) was immediately on the agenda since my friend’s a big, big fan of sashimi. Pardon me, I can never understand the rave about sashimi though, eating slices of raw fishes didn’t exactly appeal to me; but having said that, the salmon sashimi was remarkably fresh.
I always enjoy eating Japanese rice; the white pearl grains are so soft, and seriously, I could step into a Japanese restaurant just to eat their rice. Be it steamed white rice, or garlic fried rice, give it to me!
The sushi bento ($30.90) was visually-appealing with all the delectable and pretty-looking of sushi; I started with the tempura first, the deep-fried vegetables were pretty all right, I’ve never like my vegetables fried. It was the prawn tempura that really got me going.
Without paying attention to what was what, I took up my chopsticks, steadied my pair of shaky hands, and grab the nearest sushi; delicious, I ate another one, then the next, until I finished the row of six sushi.
The same for the fishes, I’ve a hard time differentiating which fishes were there, with the exception of salmon and tuna; so I took up my chopsticks once again, dipped them into the wasabi-infused soy sauce, and carefully placed it into my delicate mouth. Yum! The fish, with the sticky sushi rice, was exceptionally fresh.
We chose to sit in the interior of the smallish restaurant; an elongated space with at most twenty seats, there’s room at either the counter bar or by the side. Naturally, sitting at the counter bar provides the full Japanese experience, with the chefs and staffs conversing in Japanese, and seeing the chefs live in action. But somehow it does gets a little overwhelming and noisy after a while.
Since I already gotten my full Japanese experience, the next time I will probably choose to sit outside in the tranquil al fresco environment instead! Tatsuya’s bento set are very value for money, given that it will probably cost double or triple the money when you order ala carte for dinner.
You are always welcome to visit ladyironchef for a full-up on this trip. Whatever written herein are my genuine feelings expressed in words. Food, my dear, is what they call an adventure!
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My love affair with XLB starts way back; I fall in love with her at first sight, every petite piece so delicate and exquisite, she, who has the ability to make my heart skip a beat when I place her on my lips, she, who makes me go crazy and think of her everytime.
The two different XLB was made by two different pairs of hands; the one on the left was by me (note: the uneven folds) and the one on the right was by the master of course.
At Din Tai Fung’s media preview of their new mini steamed pork dumpling (xiao long tang bao), we were given a hands-on experience on making XLB. And that’s why I like dim sum so much; it’s easy to pop a piece inside our mouth, but to make each piece so delectable there’s much hard work and effort involved.
The requirement for a standard XLB is 18 folds, and it’s definitely not easy to do it, especially so when we only had half-an-hour of lesson beforehand, where the chefs actually train for a year to achieve the result. It’s only when you experience how difficult it is, to make a XLB before you actually appreciate the hard work put in by the good people slogging it out in the hot kitchen everyday.
The new mini steamed pork dumpling (XLB), or xiao long tang bao, whatever you call it, is 50% smaller than the regular XLB. Just imagine doing 18 folds on a normal size XLB, and now you do it on half the size of XLB; the xiao long tang baos are notoriously difficult to make!
I love to eat eggs; scrambled, poached, fried, sunny side up, steamed, over-easy, salted egg, quail egg, but with just the exception to century eggs. There’s no reason, but the black glossy appearance never appealed to me. Century eggs with fermented soya ($3.50)
As to the origin of drunken chicken, I do not know the story of it, but I do know that the Original Shanghainese drunken chicken ($6.80) had a strong alcohol taste infused in the smooth chicken meat.
Taking up a piece of the mini cucumber, crunch crunch; the inherited sweetness of the green plate had an addition spicy twist to it. Crunchy Mini Cucumber in Spicy Sauce ($3.80). Just for bites.
Much as I love my veggies, I was never a fan of vegetables in dim sum; somehow the steamed vegetables inside dumplings didn’t work for me. Neither did the Steamed vegetable & pork dumpling here.
This was a make-over of our regular siewmai, done the XLB-style. It was quintessentially an open-faced XLB with a shrimp sitting pretty on top. Shrimp & pork shao mai ($13.50 for 10)
I love to drink soup that is thick and tangy in flavour, with lots of ingredients that bear a close reminiscence to Shark’s fin soup. The Hot & sour soup ($6.80) was not bad, but the excessive pepper overwhelmed my taste buds.
Springy noodles that bounced off your tongue, that might sounds exaggerating, but I like my noodles done that way. The Noodle with minced pork in bean sauce ($7) was delightful with the generous toppings of bean sauce; it was a simple bowl of noodles, but I like it!
The Crispy golden prawn pancakes ($8.50) were nice as appetisers too, fried till golden brown, the crispy pancakes crusts were addictive to bite on.
I wasn’t too impressed with the Stir-fried nai bai with garlic. I’m not sure whether the chilli was supposed to be there as a decoration, or was it to enhanced the taste, but personally I felt that nai bai and chilli didn’t work. Plus the garlic wasn’t fried enough to infused the vegetables with the fragrance.
And now the star that we’ve been waiting for. Introducing, the Mini steamed pork dumpling with superior chicken broth ($10.80 for 10 pieces). As you all know, XLB itself has lots of soup stocks within the skin, but we were given a bowl of chicken broth to go along with the Mini Xiao Long Tang Baos (XLTB) this time round.
Filling the spoon with the chicken broth, we placed a piece of the mini XLB into it, add some ginger and vinegar and put everything into our mouth; the chicken broth was subtle, bordering on bland, and it was the stock within the XLB that gushed out that stole the show. Taste-wise there wasn’t much to differentiate the XLB and the XLTB , but it was a novelty and certainly less-filling to eat the mini.
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It was indeed fun to have hands-on experience on making XLB, my appreciation to Clement & Andrew from ICON for the food tasting invitation, miss Patsy from Breadtalk, and the chefs who taught and made our XLB. The Xiao Long Tang Baos are available exclusively at Din Tai Fung Paragon from 1 June 2009, 3-5pm for weekdays, and 10am-12 noon for weekends.
You are always welcome to visit ladyironchef for a full-up on this trip. Whatever written herein are my genuine feelings expressed in words. Food, my dear, is what they call an adventure!
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Was in the mood for hor fun (河粉) aka thick flat rice noodles, so headed down to Koon Kee after hearing/reading some pretty good stuff about it. It definitely helped that it was within a 5 minute bus ride from my house.
Located in a rather old shophouse at the beginning of Yio Chu Kang road, just opposite Serangoon Stadium, Koon Kee has a rather dated interior that would probably invoke nostalgia in the older generation. The walls are lined with interesting collectables that the owner has amassed over the years, which add to the retro effect. The place is not air conditioned by the way, but has plenty of fans to keep the heat at bay.
Hor Fun ($5) - The seafood hor fun had relatively generous servings of pork, fish slices and of course lots of greens to go along. The ingredients weren't exactly the freshest, but still palatable. The gravy didn't come across as too starchy and had a light garlicky taste to it while the hor fun had a stronger then usual wok hei taste but I would have preferred it to be a little more burnt. It all boils down to personal preference though.
Beef Hor Fun ($6) - Personally I am biased towards the beef hor fun as I am an avid fan of beef. The gravy was more robust (or is it a psychological thing?) with a heavier dosage of garlic and pepper. The beef slices tasted like they had been well soaked in tenderizer but I guess its common for most places that do this dish. And yes, I would have preferred the hor fun to carry a slightly stronger wok hei taste.
Special Tofu ($6) - There was nothing special about the tofu honestly. It carried a coating of flour on the outside which was fried to a crisp but a little too thick for my liking. And though soft, it was bland and had to be eaten with the accompanying sweet and mildly spicy sauce with crushed peanuts.
Egg Foo Yong ($6) - This dish was like your everyday fried egg save for bits of carrots, vegetables and strands of crab meat in it. Nothing like the ones I had in Hong Kong or Canada. Decent but probably not something I'll order again for $6.
All in all, I think prices are a wee bit steep for the hor fun, especially when the place is pretty much like a coffee shop. Price aside, quality is above average and worth a try. I understand that there are limited quantities of hor fun each day so please go early.
See all my pictures here.
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Passed by this shop today and couldn't resist the shoes just screaming for attention...
Anyway, to the cut the long story short, I have been dying for a pair of Dr. Martens for the longest time, and today a very nice sales person was actually very helpful and very friendly in helping me find the perfect cut and the perfect fit.
He advised me on which cut suited Asian legs best (I am quite short mah...) and brought out different designs, cuts and colours for me to choose from. How could I possibly resist?
So there I was, trying out the high cut, pure white Dr. Martens, almost prancing in front of the mirror, listening to him telling me how to take care of the leather, how to clean it, how to best season it and maintain the colour etc... I must say he was very helpful and very nice about it all.
Excited as I was, I decided to wear it on the spot. Not only did he help me pack my shoes, he also helped me lace up my brand new Dr. Martens. Don't underestimate these leather boots, they are damn hard to lace up for the first time, since the leather is stiff!
Very impressed with the service there, though I forgot to ask him his name. Pity!
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If life is about love, I want a day with you alone.
Together, we dine and feast, with merry and joy.
Bliss is the paradise, and blissful is the pleasure.
We sit by the waterfront; calm and serene.
Time stand still at that moment, we are cut out from the world.
So this is it; the feeling of bliss.
Even though you might not agree with me, I firmly believe that ambience and company is more important than food. A simple illustration, will you enjoy good food while you are dining with a person you do not like, or will ordinary food actually taste better in the company of good friends and nice ambience?
I’m a sucker for ambience, al fresco dining will always be the option when the weather is kind. And this ain’t some prime location, it’s Punggol park for goodness sake; I haven’t been to Punggol before!
Nothing too heavy or fanciful since we were there during mid-afternoon. The spicy wings ($6.90) were great for some light snacks. I remembered it was red fiery-hot; it was a satisfaction; gnawing at the meat, chewing on the bones, and sucking dry the oh-so-hot chilli flavour.
I couldn’t figured out why the fries were called X-cut ($5.90), but it was crispy and a close resemblance to nachos rather than fries. Dipped the fries into chilli sauce, and I’ll have my ketchup please.
And if I may, the tiramisu ($6.90) was a waste of money. For the sole reason that it wasn’t made in-house, there’s no value. What-to-do, a mis-time of tiramisu-craving. I know it doesn’t sound nice, but 7 bucks is a lot of money, it could get you a very good tiramisu elsewhere.
The place reminds me of Bark Cafe, another great place for finger food and chilling out. And it isn’t a coincidence that my buddy introduced me to both places; he’s a sucker for ambience too! And by the way, I absolutely loathed the round-shape cylinder that was placed on every table, the presence of the chilli-ketchup bottles didn’t help too.
You are always welcome to visit ladyironchef for a full-up on this trip. Whatever written herein are my genuine feelings expressed in words. Food, my dear, is what they call an adventure!
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If you are to pick a random person from the street and ask, “where’s the best wanton mee?“, chances are Feifei wanton mee at Joo Chiat will be mentioned. The legendary wanton mee stall from Joo Chiat.
The bowl of wanton mee arrived, with chilli all over the noodles, and that’s it. My friend gave me a nudge to stir the noodles from below and all the treasures were indeed hidden beaneath the noodles. The char siew wasn’t fantastic, it was decent, and the wanton was not bad. But it was the noodles and the chilli which deserved the recognition; the noodles were Q and simply bounced on my tongue, while the chilli was fiery hot, although I was sweating all over, but it’s worth the while!
Feifei doesn’t served roasted duck, this was ordered from another stall in the kopitiam.
Crisping on the surface, the roasted duck skin was bursting red, with a layer of fats sticking under it, was sinful, but a delight to have. They looked good, they smelled even better. I wolf the whole thing down, nibbling everything from the skin, the meat and the fats, chewing any leftovers that I spotted on the bones. I love roasted duck!
You are always welcome to visit ladyironchef for a full-up on this trip. Whatever written herein are my genuine feelings expressed in words. Food, my dear, is what they call an adventure!
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We walked all the way from Plaza Singapura only to find a note stuck on the outside of the cafe we wanted to go, saying they are closed for renovations. Crossed the road dejectedly in search of a substitute and Mad Jack became our choice because we saw the wallet friendly prices :D
Service was really haphazard and tables almost elbow-to-elbow unless you manage to grab 1 of the 2 the couch seats by the window facing Selegie Road.
Menu was bright and cheery, with most items under $10. A small order chit and a pen is placed there for your FYI.
Plain fries ($4.90) - We decided on 'plain' instead of 'spicy'. It came in a small portion of slightly thick chips that didn't quite taste freshly done.
Grilled chicken in black pepper sauce ($7.90) - Same chips accompanied by a slab of chicken half-doused with what tasted like watered-down mushroom sauce. No hint of pepper at all, although it tasted okay. The handful of canned-peach and apple cubes was quite a nice contrast though.
Seafood Combo ($18.90) - assortment of seafood rolls, prawn toast, and butterfly prawns. Your average deep fried appetizers with the seafood rolls a little more memorable.
Other things I didn't try were Mad-thai curry chic on rice ($8.90) and some chicken drumstick thing.
Fare was really quite average western stuff, but I think sometime places like Billy Bombers serve the equivalent with much higher prices. For a quick and affordable western fix, I'll return.
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